The former Daisy-Heddon Ltd. plant in Preston, shown in the image below reflected in the Speed River, was a town landmark for decades until the structure was destroyed by fire in 1996.
The plant manufactured toys and sporting equipment, including air rifles, fishing rods, reels and lures.
The Arkansas-based toy manufacturer, famous for making the Daisy “Red Ryder” BB gun, left Preston and the plant consolidated with several ownership changes throughout the late '60s and '70s.
The old plant, formerly part of the Preston Furniture Co. before being taken over by Daisy, later became Preston Manufacturing Ltd. before being acquired by toy manufacturer Hedstrom Corp.
That company ceased operations in Preston in 1991 and the building was badly damaged by fire in 1996, before it was demolished.
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Today, the old building's foundation is still visible on the empty site adjacent to the Rivers Edge apartment complex on Eagle Street.
The view above looks toward King Street East and the Riverside Dam, which due to escalating costs, rising debt and priority projects like expanding the Preston Memorial Auditorium led Cambridge council to indefinitely shelve the $15 million plan to rebuild it.
Last fall's decision in the saga of the 130-year-old dam came more than a decade after a structural evaluation concluded the dam was in dire need of repair.
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Landmarks is an occasional feature of CambridgeToday, using Juxtapose to display old and new photos to help tell the story of Cambridge; a city that will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2023. Old photo submissions are welcome at [email protected].
