Pennsylvania Match Company

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"Match Factory" redirects here. For other uses, see Match Factory (disambiguation).

Pennsylvania Match Company
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Match factory in 1900's
Location:	367 Phoenix Avenue Bellefonte, PA 16823
Coordinates:	<span class="geo-dms" title="Maps, aerial photos, and other data for 40°54′28″N Expression error: Unexpected < operator°Expression error: Unexpected < operator′Expression error: Unexpected < operator″Expression error: Unexpected >= operator">40°54′28″N Expression error: Unexpected < operator°Expression error: Unexpected < operator′Expression error: Unexpected < operator″Expression error: Unexpected >= operator / 40.907780, Coordinates: <span class="geo-dms" title="Maps, aerial photos, and other data for 40°54′28″N Expression error: Unexpected < operator°Expression error: Unexpected < operator′Expression error: Unexpected < operator″Expression error: Unexpected >= operator">40°54′28″N Expression error: Unexpected < operator°Expression error: Unexpected < operator′Expression error: Unexpected < operator″Expression error: Unexpected >= operator / 40.907780,
Added to NRHP:	2001-09-07 ^[1]
NRHP Reference#:	01000954

The Pennsylvania Match Company, known locally as the Match Factory, was founded in 1899 by Col. W. Fred Reynolds, Joseph T. Montgomery and S. A. Donachy with $200,000 of their own money.

Mr. Donachy owned several patents for match-making machinery and worked as Superintendent for the match company Hanover & York prior to their sale.^[2]

A 31,000 square feet (2,900 m²) brick building was constructed in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania and production began in 1900. By 1911, the company was one of the 8 largest producers of wooden matches in the US. At its peak during WWII, the factory employed almost 400 and merged with Universal Match Corporation. The business closed in 1947 due to competition from book matches and cigarette lighters.^[3].

The red brick buildings stood vacant for over 50 years until the American Philatelic Society, looking for more space at lower cost^[4], purchased the complex in 2002, renovated the largest building and relocated from State College. The society then refurbished the adjacent structure, making space available for other commercial tenants and stated their intention to eventually rehabilitate the remaining buildings.