McDowells

McDowells has been servicing various Union County communities since 1928. We would like to share with our friends and neighbors a little history and memories about our community and company. For your enjoyment and interest we will take quick tour in time to when McDowells was founded in 1928 by F. B. McDowell. 1928 was a special year. It was the ye... ar McDowells was founded. Nineteen hundred and twenty-eight was before so many conveniences we take for granted today, before homes had air conditioning, electric refrigeration, and automatic heating. In 1928 oil heated less than 2% of all the single-family homes in America. Most Union County residents bought coal for their furnaces to burn, and ice to keep their refrigerators cold. Dealers delivered ice and coal to homes on a regular basis. Prices of 1928 seem low as we look back on them: our local newspapers from that year carried ads for grapefruit 6 for 25 cents, sheets $1.33 each, bath towels 27 cents each, women's shoes $4.24, little girls' dresses $1.95. Remember 1928 for the opening of the Goethals Bridge and the Outerbridge Crossing, both connecting New Jersey and Staten Island. Remember 1928 for the start of work on Newark Airport, within three years to be known as the "busiest airport in the world."Read More