Spicer Manufacturing Company and its Universal Joint: Creating an Automotive Industry Revolution in South Plainfield, New Jersey 1903-1929

The Spicer Manufacturing Company, its operations, and activities beginning in 1910 were nationally-significant in the history of automotive technology. The company’s South Plainfield, New Jersey facility was a center for the manufacture of universal joints and propeller shafts for automobiles and aircraft. Prior to demolition, the Spicer Manufacturing Corporation structures were determined eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places by the New Jersey State Historic Preservation Office, because of the South Plainfield Works’ significance in American transportation history.