The Blue Grass Reel Works company was located in Louisville, KY and affiliated with B.F. Meek & Sons. The company was listed in the 1899 to 1903 Louisville, KY City Directories and had the same address as B.F. Meek & Sons at 515 – 4th St. The same Officers were listed for both companies. The reels came in four different models. They were the No. 3, the No. 4 and two variations of the No. 33. One of the No. 33 models was made of German silver or aluminum and resembled a George Gayle “top hat” head plate model. The other was a nickel plated brass take-apart style reel that resembled a Meisselbach reel. The No. 3 and No. 4 reels were made of German silver and had the option to include jeweled spool shaft bearings.
The Blue Grass reels that are later seen with the name B.F. Meek & Sons marking have their origin at the Blue Grass Reel Works. In 1904 The Company name no longer existed and the Blue Grass line of reels was incorporated into the B.F. Meek & Sons line of Meek reels. These reels, with the exception of the Take-Apart reel, were high quality. They were made of German silver or aluminum, but became a second line when they were incorporated into the B.F. Meek & Sons line of reels.
The Aluminum No. 33 Reel
The No. 3 Reels with and without Jeweled Bearings
The Jeweled No. 4 Reel
The No. 33 Take-Apart Reel
1899 “Outers” Magazine Ad
June, 1900 “American Field” Magazine Ad
Circa 1900 Catalog Pages
BLUE GRASS REEL WORKS 1902 Ad
To see magazine articles written about the history of the Kentucky Reel, click on the links below.