Minwax

was a year of astonishing progress. The discoveries made that year heralded the beginnings of whole new industries and the founding of many new companies. One company, in particular, was founded in Brooklyn, New York, by Arthur B. Harrison. It would later come to be known as the Minwax Company.

At the exact moment, Wilbur and Orville Wright were struggling to keep their new invention in the air over Kitty Hawk, NC, Arthur B. Harrison was at work in New York City testing his new waterproofing and damp-resistant materials to see if they would keep the air’s moisture out of homes and buildings. In 1904, Arthur B. Harrison persuaded his employer at Clifford I. Miller Company, a plaster manufacturer, that a plant producing his materials could be a profitable venture. Mr. Miller agreed, though little realizing that someday Mr. Harrison’s enterprise would produce the Rolls-Royce of wood finishing products. In 1910, Mr. Harrison purchased the Miller interests, and four years later he incorporated his business under the name Minwax®.