Stroll - Discover Traverse City, Spring & Summer 2009
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Perry Holdsworth -
Founder of Traverse City's First Foundry

Peregrine (Perry) Holdsworth was born in 1848 in London, England, one of ten children born to William and Mary (Saunders) Holdsworth. He and his family came to America in 1858 and began a new life in the Grand Traverse region. Perry grew to manhood on the family farm and in 1870, when he was 22 years old, he was living with his family and employed as a painter. In 1871 he opened an iron foundry on the north bank of the Boardman River just east of the Union Street bridge. Right from the start, his business prospered until 1873 when a fire caused $10,000 in damage. This was a huge financial loss at that time but Holdsworth wasn’t ready to give up. In July he was already planning to rebuild his foundry. This time it would be located on the south side of the river just west of Cass Street, between Lake Avenue and the Boardman River. By late August, the new foundry was up and running again.

On October 14, 1875 Perry Holdsworth married Mina C. Langworthy, the daughter of Abram B. and Emma (Porter) Langworthy. She was born January 27, 1858. Over the next few years as the population of the village grew, the foundry grew along with it. In 1881 a separate building for castings was built just east of the foundry. In March of 1882, Benjamin Thirlby and William Jackson bought a two-thirds interest in the foundry and the firm Thirlby, Jackson and Co. came into existence. Then in May of 1886, Mina Holdsworth died. Three years later Holdsworth sold his remaining interest in the foundry to his two partners and apparently retired. In 1892 he married Ellen Trombly.

In the spring of 1893, Holdsworth developed heart trouble. During the summer months he seemed to have recovered somewhat and became active again. Late in the day on August 2, he decided to go swimming in the bay with his son Philip. After swimming out to the deep water he turned around and started back toward shore. He suddenly slipped beneath the surface and didn’t reappear. His son ran for help but because of darkness, it took time to get a boat into the water and begin a search. When he was finally found he was in about four feet of water and was dead. The doctor who examined him stated that his death was caused by heart failure. He was about 46 years old. The foundry he had established later became the Traverse City Iron Works, a local institution that continued to operate for another hundred years.

After losing his foundry to fire in 1873, Perry Holdsworth built this larger structure on the north side of Lake Avenue, between Cts.>

Built in 1873, the old ironworks was located west of Cass Street between Lake Avenue and the Boardman River and was a Traverse City institution for 120 yea

This article and photos are printed here with permission from and courtesy of Robert E. Wilson, author and member of the Board of Directors of the Grand Traverse Pioneer and Historical Society as they appear in his book, Grand Traverse Legends, Vol. II The Formative Years. There are three volumes, which are a treasure to Traverse City’s history. They can be purchased at the Grand Traverse Heritage Center, Horizon Books and other locations throughout Traverse City.