In 2013 armed with 20+ years of knowledge and experience and a stellar customer service attitude, Scott W Albrecht decided to follow in his great grandfather’s footsteps and fulfill his dream of becoming a businessman. American Alarm Company in Indianapolis has a very unique history because it can be traced back to young man named Walter W Richardson that had a fascination with electricity from a very young age. Walter, a young man born on January 7, 1904, had always shown an interest in electrical and electronic operations. In 1918, as a young man in the eighth grade at Maywood school, he wired the school for electric lights. As a payment the students took up a collection and bought him a Waterman fountain pen valued at $1.50. At the early age of 18, he decided to enter the electrical field. He spent several years wiring houses and small businesses. By 1927 Walter received the second electrical license ever issued in the city of Indianapolis. The license number was 171 signed by Mr. Lou Shank. This license led to greater contracts. Walter had married his wife, Inez, on July 8th, 1928. Mr. Richardson and his father wired houses up until 1930 when the depression eliminated that kind of work. It was then that Walter decided there had to be a better way to combat the rising number of burglaries. Alternate facts suggest that he was either approached by a man with a Prairie Chicken House which was at the time manufactured by Sears Roebuck and included an alarm system that was a magnetically held plunger and bell, which would sound the alarm if someone decided to steal your chickens. This chicken house would require the services of Mr. Richardson, an electrician. OR that he had answered an ad in a local magazine and purchased a sample device designed for poultry houses. After installing several of these units in the local rural area he decided to try to build a better version. He soon found that there were very few systems adapted to a small business. Walter decided to build a local control system at a reasonable price. In 1934 Walter made a display panel to exhibit at the Indiana State Fair. It is reported that a man named Mr. Mish who was in charge of maintenance for the Haag Drug store chain in Indianapolis, noticed the display and made an initial order for 26 alarm systems for the drug stores. It is family rumor that Walter and Inez didn’t have the income to build the devices and arrangements were made to pay as he delivered them. They started to build the first of many units in the basement of their home in Maywood, Indianapolis, off of Route 67. They worked their way thru each evening with Inez hand winding the electrical wire on iron rods in order to build the relays necessary for the equipment. Mr. Richardson bought surplus telephone boxes in order to house his electrical components. On one of the boxes was the name American Telephone & Telegraph, therefore, Mr. Richardson adopted the word American for his alarm systems. It was hard times up until 1938 when he decided to open his first office, a three storeroom affair on Mooresville Rd wherein he paid $600 for the entire building. In 1939 Walter opened his first central office at the McCracken Telephone Answering Service where he designed and placed a control cabinet and with the efficient management of operator Jane Huey, a larger board had to be built. After about three years it was decided to move the operation to a larger facility so in 1942 the Ohio Street central station was developed. Soon after the move they decided to enter the fire alarm business. This proved to be a very successful venture as a related service. Also around this same time this operation was approved by Underwriters Laboratory Factory Mutual and was operated as a labeled service. In 1957 Walter’s son, Marion (Bud), was discharged from the Navy, and being well briefed on electronics decided to join the alarm business. A closed corporation was formed and continued to add other related fields. In 1966 it was decided to separate the installation department from the central station operation and move the plant to 901 N Delaware St Indianapolis. Mr. Richardson retired to develop building sites on acreage he had obtained in the past. It is indeed a story of American free enterprise, a man’s idea put into action. It is interesting to note that Mr. Richardson predicts a strong future for the burglar alarm industry as long as we can continue to be independent businessmen and continue our life in the grand American style.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 00:42:51 +0000
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