About Us

John A. Johnson made a bold move when he co-founded an agricultural implement company in Madison in 1880. Many civic leaders opposed manufacturing, fearing the workers would lower the city's moral and intellectual tone.

But Johnson proved his critics wrong. As president of Fuller and Johnson Manufacturing Company, he shared profits and decision-making with his employees, and provided them with affordable rental housing. Johnson's prosperous workers and impressive profits demonstrated that factories could be a boon. Johnson started Gisholt Machine Company, which produced machine tools, in 1889. By 1902, a year after his death, Johnson's factories comprised two of Madison's "big three." The third, Northern Electrical Manufacturing Company, was co-founded by an inventor Johnson recruited to Madison, Conrad M. Conradson. The three factories paved the way for Madison's bustling East Side manufacturing district.  

The Gisholt Machine Company site encompasses an expansive complex and is made up of three Neoclassical Revival style brick buildings: The 1899-1901 factory, the 1911 office building, and the 1946 engineering building. The company produced manufacturing tools including heavy machinery, precision balancing, and super-finishing machines. By 1912 Gisholt was Madison's largest employer; continued growth distinguished it as the east side manufacturing district's largest company. These accomplishments made it the most influential company in Madison's early manufacturing history.