Great Ukes: How Wilson Went From Slaughterhouses to Tennis Rackets, Creating Ashland Quality Line Soprano Ukuleles on the Way

STORY AND PHOTOS BY SANDOR NAGYSZALANCZY | FROM THE WINTER 2025 ISSUE OF UKULELE MAGAZINE

Okay uke fans, here’s a little pop quiz: Back in the early 1900s, what did ukuleles have in common with tennis rackets? Other than both being made of wood, both vintage ukes and early tennis rackets were strung with strings made from animal gut. Normally, this bit of trivia would hardly be an exciting topic of conversation were it not for the fact that there’s actually a direct connection between the Ashland brand uke featured here and one of the best-known American companies that produced—and still produces—all manner of sporting equipment, including tennis rackets: Wilson Sporting Goods Co.

It all started in Chicago with Sulzberger & Sons (S&S), a subsidiary of the long-
tenured meatpacking giant known as Schwarzschild and Sulzberger. In 1913, S&S founded the Ashland Manufacturing Company (AMC) in order to realize profit from the animal byproducts from its slaughterhouses. (The Ashland name came from their first factory location at 4100 S. Ashland Ave.) It started by producing violin strings and surgical sutures, but soon expanded into making baseball shoes and tennis rackets. 

Unfortunately, AMC’s plan was less than successful and the company almost went bankrupt in 1914. At that time it hired Thomas E. Wilson, former president of meatpacker Morris & Company, to run the company. At first, Wilson didn’t see much potential in AMC and tried to sell it to sports company A.G. Spalding. After Spalding’s offer proved too low, Wilson decided to reinvent AMC’s sporting goods line. Renamed as Wilson & Company, AMC began acquiring small sporting equipment companies with the goal of improving and expanding their operations. Most of the athletic goods they sold, including baseball gloves and bats, were branded as Ashland Quality Line products.

But Wilson didn’t limit AMC’s product line to just sporting goods. A 1917 report to company stockholders reads: “The Wilson Line is so broad and comprehensive that it includes many articles needed by men, women, and children in every season of the year. We make and sell phonographs and ukuleles; sporting and athletic equipment and apparel of all kinds for baseball, tennis, golf, basketball, football . . . ” The text goes on to list uniforms and clothing for various sports, as well as bicycles, cameras, automobile tires, fishing tackle, and more.

Ashland’s Soprano Uke

Not surprisingly, the Ashland uke shown here resembles most soprano ukes made in Hawaii in the early 1900s. It has a thin neck with frets set directly into it, a one-piece bridge and saddle, wooden friction pegs, and a back that overlays the neck’s heel. However, there are several things about the Ashland that make it rather unique.

For starters, its three-point headstock doesn’t exactly match any other uke I’ve seen, and its nine-inch–long body is a bit shorter than the majority of ukes produced in this period. Also unique is its three-ring soundhole rosette, which features two thin stripes and a single ring of rope binding. 

The Ashland is constructed from mahogany rather than koa, which would have been the traditional choice of Hawaiian luthiers. There are plenty of examples of vintage Island ukes made from mahogany, however; the main reason for choosing it instead of koa would have been that mahogany was far less expensive. Also, since Ashland ukuleles were undoubtedly made on the mainland, koa would have been harder to source at the time.

In addition to a headstock decal that reads “Ashland Quality Line Chicago,” there’s a paper label inside the uke’s body that reads: “Genuine Ukulele Ashland Quality Line; Thos. E. Wilson & Co.; Musical Merchandise Manufacturers; Chicago USA.” This particular Ashland uke also has “Mary C” handwritten in pencil on the inside label, as well as a fancy, faded “M” (presumably for Mary) gold decal on the top bout near the soundhole.

Even though the Ashland’s paper label says that Wilson & Co. were “musical merchandise manufacturers” it’s unlikely that AMC/Wilson crafted the Ashland ukuleles they sold. Rather, they likely contracted with a Chicago-based instrument manufacturing company to make them. It was common at the time for instrument companies to make ukuleles both for wholesale and retail sellers, who then branded them with their own logos and labels. As Chicago was the home of more instrument-making companies than anywhere else on the mainland, Wilson had quite a few uke producers to choose from, including Lyon & Healy, Regal, Harmony, J.R. Stewart, and Stromberg-Voisinet.

Although I have not been able to confirm the exact year that this Ashland ukulele was made, I am reasonably confident it dates from the mid-1910s, as they are specifically mentioned in the 1917 stockholders report (cited previously). By the early 1920s, Wilson evidently ditched most product lines of assorted goods, including ukes, and focused chiefly on sporting goods. They also phased out the Ashland brand name, switching to the Thos E. Wilson trademark and logo.