Innovation in Cambridge - Varnish

Did you know that commercial varnish was invented in Cambridge? While people had been making small batches of varnish on their own (with hundreds of different formulas) for hundreds of years, no one had perfected a reliable and mass reproducible formula until Franklin Houghton and David McClure started experimenting in their shop at the back of the Dexter Pratt's blacksmith shop in the early 19th century (Dexter Pratt's house is pictured below). By the 1820s they were the first people in America to perfect the manufacture, marketing, and distribution of varnish. Their formula was later picked up by Lawson Valentine and eventually evolved into the Valspar Corporation, a major manufacturer of varnish today. Our Spring Benefit this year will explore the history of innovation in Cambridge. Join us on May 20th to learn more about how Cambridge inventions have changed the world. For more details or to buy tickets visit: www.cambridgehistory.org/calendar/innovation