[5] Henry Westcott was born in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1808[6] where he learned the sash and blind makers' trade.

Later, he started his own company together with his brother Edwin and an associate called Hiram Miller to manufacture sash, doors and blinds.

After retiring from this business, he moved to Seneca Falls in 1847 to embark in the manufacture of an improved churn and butter pail on which he had secured patents.

[7] In 1872 Henry, along with his two sons Charles and Frank, established the firm Westcott Brothers to manufacture a variety of wood specialties.

[7] While Charles concentrated on operating the factory and Frank on selling the products,[8] here too, Henry's experience and inventive genius were responsible for the company's growth.

When Henry retired in 1890, the company was renamed to Westcott Bros. Co. and expanded into numerous products like toy blocks and other games.

[1] At first, the company continued to manufacture a wide variety of products like bicycle-holders, stands and hangers,[9] but they quickly started concentrating on rulers, made in all sizes and finishes, both for office use and for advertising purposes.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Westcott-Jewell Co. employed about a hundred people and its plant was one of the largest of its kind in the United States with a total floor space of 45,000 square feet (4,200 m2).

[13] When hard times befell Acme United in the mid-1990s, the company decided to sell the old Westcott factory[14] and move its production to the lower cost and more efficient facility in North Carolina.

It had become such a well-known brand that Acme United started using the name on a wide variety of such school and office products as trimmers, pencil sharpeners, erasers, and mathematical and craft tools.