single all original darkly varnished and finely turned salvaged chicago 19th century solid oak wood staircase newel post finial

varnished oak wood residential staircase newel post finial likely fabricated by palmer, fuller, & company, chicago, lls. retains the original varnished finish. the company, a major producer of wooden building materials during the late nineteenth century, was founded in chicago in 1866 by a. r. palmer and w. a. fuller. in 1869 the partners built a large lumber mill at 22nd and union streets. by 1873 that facility employed about 400 men and produced about $800,000 a year worth of sash, doors, and other goods. in 1880, the plant employed more than 500 workers. priced individually.