Harvard Company Dental Chair

Q What can you tell me about the Harvard Company of Canton, Ohio, I am looking at a dental cabinet with that label. It has a large swivel shelf and five fan-shaped swing-out shelves that close behind a roll-up door. It is made of oak.

A Harvard Company of Canton, Ohio made dental furniture including the first reclining dental chair. The company built a factory in 1896 and soon was making more dental furniture than any other company, most made of oak. It was bought by Weber Dental Manufacturing Company in 1937 and closed in 1977. The empty building burned in 2011 and the city is now trying to make the land a park. The dental cabinets were originally made of oak. They had swing-out trays and drawers, paneled sides and fretwork trim on some tops. Restored cabinets are selling for $500 to several thousand dollars depending on the condition and number of drawers, trays, etc. Almost all have been refinished.