Humphrey Manufacturing

by Keith Howard, Kalamazoo Public Library

Three brothers from Kalamazoo made quite an impact on the modern world at the turn of the 20th century with a series of ingenious inventions, including a home hot water heater, a water pump, a ceramic fireplace heater, and a revolutionary gas streetlight called the “Humphrey Light.”

In 1896, Alfred, Herbert, and Fred Humphrey set up shop on North Rose Street and began to manufacture their newly patented “automatic instantaneous” hot water heater, a home appliance that quickly heated cold tap water as needed. The new device proved highly successful, so Herbert bought out his brothers and continued the business as Humphrey Manufacturing. By the 1920s, Humphrey gas water heaters were being used in nearly every part of the world.

Meanwhile, Fred Humphrey had developed and patented a new form of hydraulic pump he called a water lift. The device allowed homeowners to capture soft rainwater in a cistern and have it available from running faucets throughout the home.

Fred formed the F.J. Humphrey Company in 1905 and began manufac- turing his device in a workshop along Farmer’s Alley. Humphrey later sold the company to his brother-in-law Roland Fairchild, who reorganized the firm as the National Water Lift Company. National Water Lift eventually became a division of Parker Aerospace and is now the Hydraulic Systems Division of Parker.

While Fred and Herbert were developing their respective businesses, Alfred Humphrey designed and patented a clever new automatic gas lighting fixture. After months of testing and perfecting his invention, he formed the General Gas Light Company in 1901. With an initial staff of 25 workers, Alfred purchased a factory building at the northwest corner of Water and Church streets and began manufacturing his “Humphrey Light” gas light fixtures. By 1908, some 750,000 of the company’s streetlamps were in use around the world.

During the first World War, General Gas Light saw a slump in sales as electricity began to supplant gas as a reliable medium for lighting.

Realizing the need to diversify, the company introduced its “Radiantfire” gas heater in 1916. Designed as fireplace inserts, the “Radiantfire” home heaters converted wood burning fireplaces into “odorless, noiseless and safe” gas space heaters with ceramic heating elements replacing the old-fashioned asbestos grates.

General Gas Light employed more than 500 workers by the 1920s. Its factory complex by then occupied the entire city block bordered by Park, Eleanor, Church, and Water streets. Annual sales approached 150,000 units. The firm continued to develop new products, including overhead gas heaters, commercial barbecues, and propane lamps. Alfred Humphrey was granted more than 80 patents for his gas lamps, heaters, stoves, water heaters, and valves.

Recognizing the changing times, the General Gas Light Company sold off its gas heater business in 1959. The firm was renamed Humphrey Products with a focus on pneumatic valves, control units, and other devices. In 1960, the company moved to a new facility at the corner of Sprinkle Road and Kilgore Road, where it remains a leading producer of pneumatic valves and liquid control components.

The original downtown factory complex was razed in 1960 to make way for the 118-room Park West Motel, which operated until 1987. Today, the block is occupied by the West Michigan Cancer Center.

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