Solon Bryant Co. (1880-1892) & Park Corset Works (1882-1894) (88 Front Street)

One of the city's earliest factory-style corset producers, Park Corset Works evolved from a "notions" store run by a transplant from New Hampshire who had just served for the North in the Civil War. Solon Bryant played an early role in the development of the corset industry in Worcester from his business' central downtown location.

When Park Corset Works first appeared in the Worcester city directories in 1882, it joined the earliest members of Worcester's corset industry. There was in the city at that time only one corset manufacturer (Worcester Corset Company), one corset industry supplier (Washburn & Moen, corset wires), and one corsetiere (Mrs. Alex McGregor) selling their wares to the ladies of the city and beyond. 

Solon Bryant (born November 30, 1835) arrived in Worcester at a young age from his birthplace of Troy, New Hampshire. The 1860 U.S. Census shows him living in Templeton, Massachusetts, a 24 year old merchant with a net worth of $500. Five years later the Massachusetts Census finds him living in Northbridge, Massachusetts and married to Emma Wellington Fay (married February 10, 1864).

Only a few months after his wedding, Bryant was drafted for military service. His draft record says he was then working as a butcher in Northbridge. At Camp Meigs in what was known as Readville, Massachusetts (now part of the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston) he became part of the 13th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry, Company G, with a rank of private. Camp Meigs also served as training camp for the 54th Regiment Volunteer Infantry, the African-American unit famously celebrated in the 1989 feature film Glory. Bryant was able to serve for a short ninety days at Camp Meigs before heading home.     

Still living in Northbridge in 1870, his job was then described as "fancy goods dealer" on that year's Census. In 1872 we see his first Worcester business Bryant & Wiley operating at 16 Mechanic Street. The shop sold "fancy goods, trimmings, etc." Two years later, it was out with Wiley and in with Wood for Bryant Wood & Co., operating at the same address. One year after that, it was out with Wood and then proceeding solo with Bryant Solon & Co. (1875). In later city directory ads we see yet another incarnation: Solon Bryant Co., proprietors of the Park Corset Works. The names kept changing but the business remained at the downtown Front Street location until around 1894.  

In 1901, the Worcester Telegram concisely summarized his local business activity:

"Mr. Bryant for years had a large store from 82 to 90 Front Street, where he sold men's clothing, fancy goods, notions, furnishing goods and stationery. He was also part proprietor of the Park Corset Works operated by the Solon Bryant Co., of which G. Henry Whitcomb was president and Mr. Bryant treasurer. The establishment occupied an entire block and for a time did a large trade."

An image of the Park Corset Works building in a 1889 display advertisement features the company's ornate four-story window-canopied structure presiding over one end of the city's downtown public space, the Worcester Common. Known as the Whitcomb Building, it was built in 1877 by Bryant's eventual business partner G. Henry Whitcomb.  In the image, a young lad plays with his hoop by the front door. At the foreground, towering over the building, is Worcester's Civil War memorial. Its prominence in the image probably speaks to the impact that the Civil War and his service had on Bryant. 

By 1894, Bryant's corset factory and notions emporium had disappeared from city directory listings. There were by then three other corset manufacturers in town:  Globe Corset, John E. Lancaster, Worcester Corset. Seeing the growth of corset making competition and perhaps tired by then of the notions trade, Bryant had decided to shift gears. He left Worcester for Somerville, Massachusetts, where he tried his hand at real estate and insurance sales. He died there a few days before Christmas 1901 after what one of his obituaries called "a long sickness."  In a nod to the importance of (not notions but) corsets to the city, editors of the Worcester Telegram chose this title for his obituary: "Once Sold Corsets."

Accessed April 3rd, 2024. Ancestry.com.

Nutt, Charles. Nutt's History of Worcester. Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1919.

Worcester City Directories.

Worcester Telegram .

A Proper Fit (working title), Anne Marie Murphy. TidePool Press 2025, www.cityofcorsets.com.