The Gare Collection
of Silvermaking and Watch Repair Tools

From 1785 until 1994, a silversmithing, jewelry, clock and watchmaking business operated continuously on Main Street in Northampton, Massachusetts changing name and ownership nine times.  The business passed from master to journeyman or apprentice into two generations of the Cook family in the nineteenth century and into four generations of the Gare Family in the twentieth century. 

Samuel Stiles	1785-1791
Stiles & Baldwin	1791-1792
Baldwin & Storrs	1792-1794
Nathan Storrs	1794-1827
Storrs & Cook	1827-1833
B. E. Cook	1833-1858
B. E. Cook & Son	1858-1900
Phelps & Gare	1900-1919
E. J. Gare & Son	1919-1994

The Gare Collection of Silversmithing and Watch Repair Tools is a collection of silversmithing and watch repair tools accumulated by this business.  The tools were stored in the basement of the store at 112 Main Street along with a silver-annealing brick forge built in 1785 and in use until 1865.  Donated with the tools, are 101 bound volumes of business records, including account books, sales books, day books, ledgers, inventory books and check books, spanning the period from 1831 to 1946.  The collection was donated to Historic Northampton in 1994 by the Gare family.

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