HOLBROOK'S APPARATUS MFG. CO. operated out of Wethersfield, CONN. and also Berea, OHIO over the course of its existence.

Josiah Holbrook (1787-1854) of Derby, CONN. A Yale graduate (Class of 1810) began the enterprise which came to be synonymous with globes when it can to their use in schools and education in the 19th century.   Josiah was interested in farming improvements and went so far as to establish an "agricultural college," but financially it did not succeed.   He also taught geology, as well as both child and adult education and became a major proponent nationally in the Lyceum Movement of the day. Josiah also showed a strong interest in all types of scientific and teaching tools and began manufacturing them in the 1830s. His keen interest was that of the use of globes as part of classroom instruction and thus, began constructing and offering relatively inexpensive globes of different sizes; and these became very popular among educators. Josiah lived variously in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York and, finally, Washington, DC.  His two sons Alfred and Dwight, worked as educators in Berea, Ohio, and oversaw production of the scientific and educational instruments.

Upon Josiah’s death his son Dwight returned to Connecticut, establishing the Holbrook School Apparatus Co. in 1855. Globes, orreries, gyroscopes and other scientific and educational devices were manufactured by the new firm. While the company offices were located in Hartford much of the actual manufacturing was done by inmates at the nearby Wethersfield State Prison. The state contracted out inmate labor, with proceeds going to support prison operation expenses.  Various firms employed convict labor in manufacturing a variety of articles at the prison in support of the CONN. prison system.
The firm quickly prospered when, in 1855, the Ohio School System purchased 11,000 Holbrook globes for schools across the Buckeye State. By 1860 more than a third of Connecticut schools had purchased Holbrook globes for their students.

Dwight’s son Charles W. Holbrook carried on the family business in the ensuing decades until, by the early 20th century, a series of company mergers finally led to the disappearance of the Holbrook name from globes.  Today, it is very rare to find any globe or orrery made by Holbrook, as so many were thrown out as the newer globes came into the market.  

The LUNARIAN GLOBE apparatus on offer mfg'd by the NATIONAL SCHOOL FURNITURE CO. may be the first to ever to be found and come to be available.   No institutional collections seem to have one in their collections. THE SMITHSONIAN in Washington has NO EXAMPLES and only has TWO MINOR HOLBROOK pieces, i.e.; a simple orrery and a standard terrestrial globe.  THAT'S IT!

The device works whereby the brass PULLEY under the spindle that holds the rod to the brass ball MOON turns the spindle which turns and the brass MOON turns with it. The PULLEY under the EARTH GLOBE turns the shaft that the EARTH GLOBE ARM is attached to. Thus, that allows the EARTH GLOBE to turn on that axis as it goes around the CANDLE SUN - but the EARTH GLOBE itself DOES NOT SPIN and remains stationary. The EARTH GLOBE merely attaches to the slightly curved arm which gives the EARTH GLOBE its tilt. Below the spindle that is attached to the slightly curved arm that holds the EARTH GLOBE, and into the underside of the LONG BLACK ROTATING ARM that holds the one SUN CANDLESTICK, MOON etc., underneath where there is the pointed hold down nut that hold the LONG BLACK ROTATING ARM, there is DOUBLE PULLEY (2 PULLEY CHANNELS and that PULLEY does not move. That PULLEY is stationary. A belt that is lacking attaches to that PULLEY's ONE of TWO GROOVES and then extends to the MOON PULLEY to turn the MOON BRASS BALL. The OTHER PULLEY GROOVE on the STATIONARY TWO (2) GROOVE CENTER PULLEY has a separate belt that goes to the PULLEY to which the EARTH GLOBE ARM is attached.

Wear, tarnish, paper loss on base and surface abrasions to globe consistent with age and use. Lacks pulley cordage.  May not work. Sold as is.   The globe does have abrasions as can be seen, but it has no cracks or gouges or sections missing or cracked away.  It also retains its original lacquer and has not been re-laquered.   The brass MOON and shaft holding it were missing, as is often on these orrery apparatus that survive - so such was properly replaced. The curved arm holding the EARTH GLOBE and upper spindle were missing so were made and added. Actually it had an original upper spindle, but it functionally was a poor design and could cause the GLOBE assembly / curved arm to suddenly DROP OFF and crash, so it was modified when remade. The knurled knobs are old period ones though.