manufacturers. In 1887 the knitting mill was destroyed by fire and the company moved to Hartford and reorganized concentrating on the manufacture of overlock sewing machines. The Merrow Machine Company In Hartford the company focused on building lines of industrial overlock sewing machines that were used to overedge fabric, add decorative edging and support the fabric processing trade by joining fabrics. Between 1893 when the company was renamed the Merrow Machine Company, and 1932 when a line of "A Class" machines was introduced, Merrow had a significant impact on the textile industry. The technology and rate of innovation in this time, spearheaded by Joseph M. Merrow was unequaled in the industry. As a consequence there were several high profile legal confrontations, including Merrow v. Wilcox & Gibbs in 1897. Sales for overlock sewing machines were strong and Merrow grew to employ more than 500 people in Hartford Ct. The company also excelled developing international distribution and by 1905 had agents in 35 countries and printed manuals in at least 12 languages. In 1955, Merrow patented the Merrow MG-3U Emblem Machine. In the mid 1960s Merrow opened a manufacturing facility in Lavonia GA to reduce costs and maintain proximity to an American textile market that was moving from New York City to the American South East. In the 1990s Merrow developed a new overlock machine called the Delta Class, but was never able to gain traction with the new model. In 2004 shareholders of the Merrow Machine Co. agreed to a buyout of the company by Charlie Merrow, and it was renamed the Merrow Sewing Machine Company. The Merrow Sewing Machine Company After the reorganization in Massachusetts, the company released notice that it would continue supporting most models of sewing machines manufactured after 1925, and would re-release to market new versions of its most popular models. The company has capitalized on the trademarks "merrowed" and "merrowing", working with manufacturers who use Merrow machines to brand and market "merrow" stitching. In 2008 Merrow developed a social network for stitching named merrowing.com, and introduced series of rich media web based tools to help people research and understand the myriad of stitches produced by Merrow machines. Present day The Merrow Sewing Machine Company is now based in Fall River, Massachusetts, and is managed by Charlie Merrow and Owen Merrow, great-great-nephews of Joseph M. Merrow. The company continues to build many models of overlock sewing