The Ford Meter Box Company


The Ford Meter Box Company is a prominent manufacturer of products for the waterworks industry. Its headquarters are in Wabash, Indiana, where it also operates a brass foundry. Its products include water meter setting materials, valves, couplings, meter boxes, and other fittings. It also has a plant in Pell City, Alabama, where it manufactures products such as pipe tapping sleeves, repair clamps, and pipe restraints. Ford's products are sold through a network of distributors in North America and many other countries.

History

Ford Meter Box was founded by Edwin Ford and chase daugherty in Hartford City, Indiana in 1898. The meter box was invented as a place to install water meters outside of homes that did not have basements. Ford's early experimentation found that meters could be installed in pits to protect them from freezing. They also began manufacturing meter-setting products to put in the meter boxes. They later expanded to other equipment for the water-distribution industry. Ford is still a privately held company, partly owned by the founder's descendants.