Talking About Silver in Newburyport

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The fourth in this year's Piscataqua Decorative Arts Society lectures David C. Walters in a presentation entitled “Silver in Newburyport: Harold E. Nock and The Towle Silversmiths." The October 22 lecture will be held at Stoodley’s Tavern on Hancock Street, across from the Tyco Center at Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, NH. The lecture starts at5:30pm, preceded by refreshments at 5 pm. The cost to the general public is $10.00, while members are free. (Continued below)

 

The Newburyport area has maintained a long tradition of silverwork dating back to William Moulton in the 17^th century. When the Industrial Revolution put an end to the individual silversmith and his shop, Moulton’s descendants founded a company in 1882 that took advantage of new production processes. It came to be known   as the Towle Silversmiths and for the next 100 years, the firm played an integral role in the American silver industry, as well as the Newburyport community.  

In 1916 Harold E. Nock (1874-1952), an experienced silversmith, accepted a position with Towle.  He quickly emerged as its most gifted designer and would play a pivotal role in the company’s successes, where he developed over 25 flatware patterns and was granted close to 50 patents covering nearly every aspect of the industry. Yet for all of Nock’s accomplishments, he remains relatively unknown today. This lecture will provide an introduction to the history of Towle, highlighting the contributions of the company’s most accomplished employee.  

David Walters is a silver enthusiast interested in the history of the American silver industry. He has spent the majority of his free time over the last two years researching Towle’s place among the silver manufacturers active in the 20^th century and is currently working on an extensive article regarding Towle’s most prolific designer: Harold E. Nock.   David earned a master’s degree in Security Policy Studies from George Washington University in 2008 and works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Washington, DC. 

The Piscataqua Decorative Arts Society is a non-profit organization with a mission to promote original historical research resulting in publication. The primary focus is on the greater Piscataqua region of New Hampshire and Maine with connecting links to Massachusetts and beyond. For more information, check the web site ( www.pdasociety)