The company was organized in 1904 and began producing engines and the Etter Easy-Running hand pump at a factory in Shippensburg Pennsylvania the following year. There had been an earlier effort to start the firm in Hagerstown, Md in 1903, but for reasons that remain unclear, that deal had fallen through.
The first engines produced were sideshaft, make and break ignition design machines made from 1905 into the early 20’s. They were available in tank cooled or hopper cooled versions. Production numbers were low with only around 10,000 units recorded. These engines were designated “Type A” and were offered in 1 to 12 horsepower ratings. An air cooled version was also offered from 1908 until 1916, but only a few hundred were sold.
In 1913 a spark ignition version called the “Type F” was introduced. These engines were available in horsepower ratings from 1 to 15 and remained in production until 1952. A total of about 20,000 of these were sold during this period. The war years were a period of change for Domestic. 1914 saw the hopper cooled engines replace the tank version because they were easier to build and operate. As more homes began to have electrical power available, demand for gas engines declined. By 1915 most of the company’s sales were for construction and marine applications.
The Shippensburg factory also turned out engines that were marketed by other companies. These engines wore badges with names like: Bond, Leader, Schramm and Rider - Ericsson.
As demand for their engines declined, Domestic searched for products to fill the gap. An advertisement that was printed in Tractor and Gas Engine Review in February 1914 listed power sprayers, direct connected pumping engines, hoisting outfits and contractor’s pumps among their products. Under a caption that read,” Do you recognize these Domestic Animals?” Was a photograph showing some guy wearing a dirty white trench coat and a Chinese hat, standing beside a wagon pulled by two mules. He appears to be pumping water out of a ditch. You can find this publication among the digitized books available at books.google. Com.
During World War 2, the Domestic factory manufactured pumps for use by the armed forces. The years that followed the war were lean ones. According to Don Kirkpatrick, writing in his article for Gas Engine Magazine, the last recorded sale of one of the F style engines was serial number: 30,420 that shipped on October 31, 1952.
The pump and engine shown here were exhibited at the 2019 Foothills Antique Power Association of North Carolina annual show. No doubt the owner would have preferred having the pump be one built by Domestic, but I suspect finding an example is easier said than done. Unlike Domestic, Goulds is alive and well and still making pumps today.
Sources:
www.gasenginemagazine.com/gas-engines/historical-notes-on-the-domestic-engines-of-shippensburg by Don L. Kirkpatrick March/April 1982
