Crescent is a brand of hand tools. It originated with the Crescent Tool Company, founded in 1907. The Crescent brand has changed ownership multiple times. It is currently owned by

Apex Tool Group Apex Tool Group is an American supplier of hand tools and power tools. It was formed as a joint venture of Cooper Industries and Danaher by the merger of Cooper Tools and Danaher's Tools and Components segment. In October 2012, Danaher and Co ...

, LLC of

Sparks, Maryland Sparks is an unincorporated community that is located in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is situated approximately north of Baltimore and is considered to be a suburb of the City of Baltimore. The Gunpowder River runs through Spar ...

as part of its Hand Tools division. It is best known for its style of

adjustable wrench An adjustable spanner (UK and most other English-speaking countries) or adjustable wrench (US and Canada) is any of various styles of spanner (wrench) with a movable jaw, allowing it to be used with different sizes of fastener head ( nut, bolt ...

History

The Crescent Tool Company was founded in

Jamestown, New York Jamestown is a city in southern Chautauqua County, in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 28,712 at the 2020 census. Situated between Lake Erie to the north and the Allegheny National Forest to the south, Jamestown is the largest po ...

, by Karl Peterson and Edward J. Worcester in 1907. It is considered "one of the crown jewels of Jamestown's industry". The company soon became known for its adjustable wrenches. On his famous 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic,

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...

said that he took only "gasoline, sandwiches, a bottle of water, and a Crescent wrench and pliers". There was a rumor that

Richard Evelyn Byrd Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was an American naval officer and explorer. He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest honor for valor given by the United States, and was a pioneering American aviator, p ...

, on his initial journey to Alaska, had a Crescent wrench in his provisions. The Crescent Tool Company was acquired by a group of investors from

Schoellkopf, Hutton & Pomeroy Schoellkopf, Hutton & Pomeroy was an American investment bank. After the sale of its security business to Dominick & Dominick in 1960, it became a manufacturing company, was renamed the Crescent Niagara Corporation, and was sold to Cooper Industrie ...

in 1960 after Marvin Peterson, Karl's son, sold it. The combined company was renamed the

Crescent Niagara Corporation Crescent is a brand of hand tools. It originated with the Crescent Tool Company, founded in 1907. The Crescent brand has changed ownership multiple times. It is currently owned by Apex Tool Group, LLC of Sparks, Maryland as part of its Hand Tools ...

. In 1968, Crescent Niagara was acquired by

Cooper Industries Cooper Industries was an American worldwide electrical products manufacturer headquartered in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1833, the company had seven operating divisions including Bussmann electrical and electronic fuses; Crouse-Hinds and CEAG ex ...

. In 2010, the tool divisions of Cooper Industries and Danaher Corporation formed a joint venture, Apex Tool Group, LLC. The brand is currently owned by Apex Brands, Inc. the intellectual property entity of Apex Tool Group. Crescent brand adjustable wrenches are manufactured in both Sumter, South Carolina and in China.

Gallery

Image:Crescent adjustable wrench.jpg, A Crescent adjustable wrench.

References

External links

Crescent website
{{Tool manufacturers Tool manufacturing companies of the United States Apex Tool Group brands Manufacturing companies established in 1907 1907 establishments in New York (state)