The Evansville Furniture Company was a short-lived but important venture in Evansville's manufacturing enterprises.  It began in 1867 when Godfrey C. Lehman began operating a small furniture and cabinet factory on West Main Street in Evansville.

In 1870, he took a partner, Cyrus K. Landon, who had a planing mill near the depot.  The company was know as C. K. Landon & Co. cabinet makers.  According to the 1870 census for Union township, the business had a steam powered planer, a matcher, lathe, saws, and shapers.  The kind of equipment you would expect to find in a small furniture operation.

The Landon-Lehman partnership did $7,000 worth of business in 1871, but dissolved in 1872.   Landon got out of the carpentry business and purchased the boot and shoe making firm of Daniel M. Rowley.  Landon also bought the rights to manufacture and sell a new seamless back shoe.

When Cyrus K. Landon quit the partnership, he sold his carpenter shop and land to the Godfrey Lehman and his brother, John.  The deal was finished in July 1872 and Landon received $1,000 for the sale of land and building.   The land was bordered on the east by the railroad tracks and extended west, with Church Street as its northern border.

The Evansville Furniture Company was then organized by the Lehman brothers.  The Lehman's were German immigrants.  According to the 1870 census, John Lehman was 32 years old and a cabinet maker.  His wife, Annette, was a Norwegian immigrant, and 24 years of age.  The family had lived in Wisconsin for at least five years, as the 1870 census listed their five-year-old son, Charles, who had been born in Wisconsin.

In August 1872, the Lehman brothers advertised in the Evansville Review.  "New firm having purchased the business and interest of C. K. Landon in the cabinet works, we are prepared to manufacture, at wholesale and retail furniture of all styles, cheaper than can be got at any place else West of the lakes.  We shall keep constantly on hand, bedsteads, tables, bureaus, washstands, mattresses, spring beds &c.  Ready made coffins.  Undertaking business  attended to promptly.  Lehman Brothers."  A hearse was available free of charge, if the casket was bought from the Lehmans.

The company began to build chairs and other furniture.  In a clever play on words, the Evansville Review editor noted in its "Home Mentions" column, that John, who was often called Jimmy, was the "laziest man in town, he has chairs and lounges all day."

The Lehmans were helpful to other enterprises that wanted to start factories in Evansville.  In February 1873, they helped the fledgling "new rotary steam engine" company test their product.  The small rotary engine was designed by Allan S. Baker and Levi Shaw.

According to a lengthy article in the February 19, 1873 Evansville Review, the trial of the new engine was held at the cabinet factory.  "A belt was passed from the pulley of the engine to the driving shaft of the Factory and team turned on.  Expectations ran high for a moment.  Some thought it sufficient to do the work of an eight horse-power engine of the Factory, while others seemed to rest between hope and doubt.  But instead of halting in its trial effort, it moved the machinery with even more force than what its own engine had done.  Heavy oak boards were driven thro' the planer with the greatest ease.  Its strength was tested in various other ways to the entire satisfaction of all present."

The test was successful and the new engine was the first product manufactured by what became the Baker Manufacturing Company.  The new company built just west of the Lehman factory and because the Lehman factory's engine was producing more power than was needed by the furniture factory, the Baker Manufacturing Company bought power from the Lehmans.  The two companies worked cooperatively on several projects over the next few years.

A year after they purchased the Landon property, the Lehman's enlarged their work rooms.  The company shut down for a week to make repairs and to put an addition to their work room.  The roof of the boiler room was raised and a second story was added, giving the Lehmans a fifteen foot addition to their second story work space.

There were twelve men employed in the shop and there were so many orders coming in that they could hardly maintain an inventory sufficient to meet their sales.  "Their work finds a ready sale in every market where it has been introduced," the Evansville Review told readers in July 1873.

In addition to their manufacturing firm the Lehman brothers wanted to expand their retail business.  They bought land on East Main Street from N. A. Crist for $225 in August 1874.  The furniture makers built a 20 x 50 feet, two-story building for their retail furniture and undertaking business.  An article in the Evansville Journal of September 29, 1874, said that "the Lehman Bros. have bettered themselves very much in their late building."

In the next few years, the small manufacturing firm would expand a portion of their furniture factory every summer.  As their business grew, the Lehmans needed more efficient power and in June 1875, ordered a new boiler to put on the west side of their factory.  To decrease the risk of fire, they built a brick room to house the new boiler.  The entire first floor of the building was devoted to the machinery, leaving the second story  for a workshop.  The cost of building the addition and installing the boiler was expected to be $1,000, a substantial investment in the 1870s.

The new boiler and increased power meant the Lehmans could also install a new whistle to call employees to work.  Some complained that they confused the sound of the Lehman whistle with the railroad station signal.  The Review passed on the complaints and a suggestion in its August 25, 1875 issue.  "The sound is not so pleasing to the ear as the old one, but use may familiarize it.  Would it not be well to vary the sound, from a prolonged whistle to distinguish it from the railroad whistle."

The Lehman's shared their steam powered engine with their neighbors, the Baker Manufacturing Company.  When there was a slow period at the Lehman factory, Baker's had to follow the reduced hours.  In 1875, hard times forced Lehman's to cut back to an eight hour day.  Because Baker's windmill and pump works depended on the power, they were also forced to an 8 hour day.

Sales of furniture increased, after the lull in 1875 and once again in 1876, the furniture firm expanded with a 25 foot addition to their building.  This room was needed for warehouse space.

The company signed a contract to make 1800 sewing machine cabinets a month for the American Sewing Machine Company in June 1877.  This once again allowed the Lehmans to expand their operation.  Later that year, they added a 24 feet to the front of the building, making it 84 feet long and 30 feet wide, three stories high.  Once again, they increased their power and added a new 50-horse-power engine.  This required them to make new steam connections with the boiler.

The Lehmans added a drying house, where lumber could be cured in two weeks.  They also changed the entire line of shafting for the new machines so that the powering device ran lengthwise in the mill.  Originally the works had run cross-wise.  The improvements were valued at $3,000.  The number of employees also increased and the firm expected to employ thirty to fifty men

While the reconstruction was in progress, work was suspended at both the furniture factory and Baker Manufacturing.  Once it was completed, the new system allowed the Evansville Furniture Company to run several machine at once and to put on two eleven-hour shifts.  The first shift started at 7 a.m. and worked until 6 p.m..  The second shift began at 7 p.m. and worked until 6 a.m.

The first shipment of sewing cases went out the in February 1878.  Seeing the success of the operation, another sewing machine designer tried to interest local businessmen in developing another industry.

A. M. Leslie of Chicago met with local businessmen and showed them a sewing machine he had designed.  He had hopes of raising $100,000 to start a sewing machine factory in Evansville.  The enterprise would bring 200 new families to Evansville, according to Leslie's calculations.  Since many of the local businessmen with available capital had already invested in factories and businesses, Leslie did not meet with success.

The Lehman's contract with the American Sewing machine Company expired in 1879.  There was a slight decrease in business and the furniture factory resumed an eight-hour work day.  The 1880 census reported that the shop employed 23 men.

The company officials now knew there was an opportunity for increased work, if they could expand their operation.  By 1880, the Lehman brothers, John and Godfrey, had decided to enlarge their plant and needed additional capital.  They brought in other family members, including their two brothers from Ozaukee county, in northern Wisconsin, and their brother-in-law, John Swager.  The group reincorporated as the Evansville Furniture Manufacturing Company, with $20,000 in stock.

With the new capital, the company began to lay several new foundations for additions to their shops for offices and manufacturing.  A two-story, thirty-foot addition was built to house the planing and resawing equipment.  One story wings were added to the east and west of the main portion of the building, making the floor sixty-four feet wide.  The company reported 24 employes in their furniture business.  They also reported a wholesale and retail business.

Traffic in Evansville's industrial area near the depot became so heavy that the Evansville Review suggested that there should be another street built, running parallel to the railroad tracks.  All of the land near the depot was privately owned and K. F. Randolph who owned a lumber yard near the track, objected to people trespassing on his lots to get to the Lehman factory and the Baker foundry.  The village fathers took no action on the suggestion.

In 1881, the Evansville Furniture Company began purchasing lumber from a mill in the town of Oakley in Green County. The Walnut purchased from a saw mill in Green County was considered some of the finest  lumber ever brought to the factory.  The wood was used to make tables and beds.

The Lehman's also had a market in Green county for their finished products.  A December 30, 1882 article in the Evansville Review told that : "Mr. Luchsinger took a load of finished work from Lehman's furniture store the other morning for Mr. Juda, a dealer in New Glarus."

Their powerful engine also continued to be used by nearby businesses.  The railroad company had a windmill that powered the pump that filled their water tank for train engines.

When the weather was calm, the tank was often dry and engines coming into the station to get water were often forced to wait until a portable engine could be found.  The Chicago and Northwestern did not want to delay their trains and often the railroad company called on the Evansville Furniture Company to provide power to pump water for the tank.
 
The Lehman company also did mill work for the three lumber yards operating in Evansville.   By 1883, the factory reported doing $10,000 in business the previous year and had a weekly payroll of $175.

In 1884, the Lehman Furniture factory and the Baker Manufacturing Company shared the services of a night watchman, George Scoville.  He was making his rounds about 2:45 on the morning of April 16, 1884 when he discovered a fire in the upper story of the building used by the Baker Manufacturing company for the making the windmills.

Scoville blew the steam whistle that alerted the village night watchman, a Mr. Hollingsworth, who had also seen an unusual light coming from the Baker foundry.  Hollingsworth woke the village fire chief, Ray Gillman, and they rang the alarm on the village hall.  Thinking that the Episcopal Church bell would make even more noise and bring more people, Gillman ran to the church.  The noise brought out many volunteers and curious people.

Paint, oils and dry lumber fueled the fire and before the volunteer fire department arrived, the building was considered lost.  By the time the firemen reached the windmill shop, they saw that the frame structure was so consumed by the flames that there was no hope of saving it.

A strong northwest wind spread the fire to the Evansville Furniture Company factory.  Again, the fire raged and men hurried to carry machinery and furniture that they could rescue from the lower floor of the building.  The second story of the building and all of the workmen's tools and goods stored there were lost.

When the fire was finally out and the furniture company could assess the damages, they considered the loss to be from $10,000 to $13,000.  They had only $6,500 in insurance to cover their loss.

The company posted a notice in the Enterprise.  "The Evansville Furniture Co. wish to express their thanks to those who labored so faithfully to save their property from destruction.

When the debris was cleared away, the Lehmans decided not to rebuild.  John Lehman and his family moved to Milwaukee in September 1884.

In April 1885 the deed transferring the former Evansville Furniture Co. land was complete.  John P. Lehman and C. G. Lehman sold their land to the Baker Manufacturing Company for $1,500.  This was a significant increase in the size of the Baker land holdings.  The newly purchased land was bordered on the north by Church St., on the east by the railroad right-of-way; on the west by Enterprise Street and on the south by the tack factory land.

The Evansville Furniture Factory closed forever.  Only a few pieces of their furniture are known to exist.