Mount Union borough
Defrehn Chair Factory
In 1889, William DeFrehn and his sons arrived in Mount Union from Williamsport in Maryland to start a chair factory. A flood had damaged their establishment back home. They bought the old tannery that R. J. Faust had dismantled and converted it to their factory. Seven sons worked in the business: Robert, William Jr., Edward, Charles, Frank, Augustus, and George.
Thousands of fine quality chairs of various styles were sent from this place to various parts of the country, the 1909 history records. The factory occupied the western edge of town along the Pennsylvania Railroad siding. In February 1892, fire destroyed the building, but they rebuilt. The DeFrehn brothers left for Johnstown in 1898, though others operated the plant afterward.
Did your family sit in one of those chairs? Did they work at the factory? We would like to hear what you remember.
Sources
No source list was recorded with this item when it was written. It is shown here as written and has not been re-verified. Treat it as unverified until it has been.
Checked 2026-10-03 · Historic Mount Union collection