Worthington Mower Company
| Industry | Tractor manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Fate | Acquired 1945 |
| Successor | Jacobsen Manufacturing |
| Founded | c. 1920 |
| Founder | Charles Campbell Worthington |
| Defunct | c. 1959 |
| Headquarters | Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Products | Tractors, lawnmowers |
The Worthington Mower Company, originally called the Shawnee Mower Factory, produced lawn mowers and light-duty tractors in the United States from the early 1920s until around 1959. Founded by Charles Campbell Worthington and run as a family business, in 1945 it was purchased by Jacobsen Manufacturing. It continued to produce tractors and mowers in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, until around 1959.
Charles Campbell Worthington (1854–1944) was a successful businessman, owner of the Worthington Pump and Machinery Corporation. In the late 1890s he began to spend an increasing amount of time at his country home in Shawnee on Delaware, in Pennsylvania on the banks of the Delaware River, about 75 miles (121 km) to the west of New York. He built his first small golf course around 1898. Worthington sold his interests in Worthington Pump in 1899 when it merged with other pump manufacturers to become the International Steam Pump Company. He remained as president at first, but in 1900 retired to live in the country.
Worthington remained an active mechanical engineer and founded the Worthington Automobile Company, which built several steam automobiles to his designs. Near Shawnee he built the Buckwood Inn, an exclusive resort, with an eighteen-hole golf course. The course was designed by A. W. Tillinghast. This later became the Shawnee Country club. The course was completed around 1910. In 1912 Worthington invited professional golfers to compete on his course, and this led to the foundation of the Professional Golfers' Association of America.
After trying unsuccessfully to keep the fairways in shape by grazing sheep on them, Worthington designed the gang mower with three moving wheels. He launched the Shawnee Mower Factory to manufacture it. Later this became the Worthington Mower Company, based in nearby Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. The first Worthington gang mower was three-wheeled, pulled by horses with their hooves covered in leather to prevent damage to the grass. In 1919 Worthington designed and built a gasoline-powered tractor to pull the mowers.
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