In 1860 , Mark Dean Knowlton founded a Chicago-based paper box manufacturing business . The business , operating under the name M.D. Knowlton & Company , prospered throughout the decade until it eventually became a victim of the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 . With Mr. Knowlton 's courage and determination , he was able to rebuild his business and resume his paper box manufacturing operation within the same year . In March , 1892 , he sold his interest in the paper box manufacturing portion of his business in order to concentrate on inventing production machinery for the paper box manufacturing industry . In 1888 , Mr. Knowlton moved his machinery business to Rochester , New York , where he then formed a partnership with Fred H. Beach , and the two business men began operating under the new business name Knowlton & Beach . In 1893 , Knowlton & Beach introduced a near frictionless ball bearing to the market , presumably the first such bearing of its time , and in 1900 , the Company 's bearing business was incorporated as the Rochester Ball Bearing Company and became a division of Knowlton & Beach . A year later in 1901 , Knowlton & Beach further expanded their bearing business with the acquisition of the Auburn Ball Bearing Company , a manufacturer of ball and roller thrust bearings established in 1898 in Auburn , New York . Auburn Ball Bearing became the second division of Knowlton & Beach and was relocated to Rochester , New York to continue its operations . Auburn Ball Bearing 's primary product , their Auburn Four-Point-Cone-Contact Ball Thrust Bearings , incorporates an exclusive " V " groove raceway , designed to distribute the load evenly over the balls as they travel on four points of contact , creating a straight line rolling effect and decreasing the amount of friction created by a full contact round groove design . Auburn Ball Bearing Company manufactured various sizes and configurations of their " V " groove thrust bearings for applications in industries including paper box manufacturing , railroad jacks , U.S. submarines , and U.S. Government Light Houses . Early company documentation illustrates Auburn Ball Bearings were used to support revolving lenses in the Carysfort Reef Light , Jupiter Inlet Light , and the St. Simons Island Light in the early twentieth century
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
Auburn Bearing & Manufacturing