Universal Winding Company of Rhode Island newsletters & ephemera collection

The Universal Winding Company of Rhode Island, notable for its trademarked Leesona brand winding machinery and bobbins, was formed in 1893 by Joseph Leeson. Although fabricated to wind both natural and synthetic fibers, the Company’s winding machinery was also adapted for use in electronics such as radios and motors. Furthermore, the Company’s winding machinery and manufacturing plant was used to assemble guns, military radios, and tactical parts for war, a contract initiated by Joseph Leeson’s grandson Robert Leeson in World War I. The Company was the first textile machinery manufacturer to take up the war effort under its Cranston Arms subsidiary, whose military contracts continued after WWI. In 1959, the Universal Winding Company changed its name to Leesona Corporation and shifted its product focus towards the synthetic fiber industry in 1982, and also relocated its headquarters to Burlington, North Carolina.