"Born in Baltimore, Raised Everywhere"

    In the 1872 book, Umbrellas and Their History, written by William Sangster, it was noted that the umbrella's general use in France and England was adopted from China about the middle seventeenth century.  Charm City has the great distinction of being the first city in America that manufactured this now common clothing accessory, which by the 1800's, was referred to as a "bumbershoot."

   The Beehler Umbrella House (later to be known as the Beehler Umbrella Company) was established in 1828 in Baltimore by Francis T. Beehler a woodcarver from Heidelberg, Germany and a long family line of scientists.  Until 1881, Baltimore City directories indicated that he was a whipmaker but by 1883, he was listed as an umbrella maker.   The company's motto "Born in Baltimore, Raised Everywhere" understated the First in America distinction. It produced whalebone and ivory handled umbrellas, parasols, canes, and whips from an E. Baltimore Street location.

    In 1877, the business was succeeded by his son, C.E. Beehler and by 1882 it was located at 121 W. Lexington St. later moved to 222 W. Lexington Street where oversized golf umbrellas also began to be manufactured. The Baltimore Sun stated in a 1908 article that his grandson, William H. Beehler was operating the business at that time.  The early morning of September 12, 1922 brought a fire fueled by several thousand yards of silk to that location.

    A Baltimore Business Journal article from 1999 wrote that "by the time Beehler retired at 86 in 1971, the company looked much the same as it did in the 19th Century - with its proud retail store [at 222 W. Lexington Street] on the first floor, his office on the second and the factory on the third and fourth floors.   The business continued until closing in 1976.