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George W. Borg Corporation in Delavan, Walworth County, Wisconsin

Feb. 7, 2020

Delavan, Wisconsin - The Wisconsin Historical Society has announced the listing of the George W. Borg Corporation in Delavan, Walworth County, in the National Register of Historic Places.  National Register designation provides access to certain benefits, including qualification for grants and for rehabilitation income tax credits, while it does not restrict private property owners in the use of their property.

The George W. Borg Corporation is significant to our industrial heritage, important for its innovations in the fields of mechanical devices and textiles. Constructed in 1943 as a manufacturing facility, it fulfilled government contracts for war materiel during World War II. Products included mechanical time fuzes for anti-aircraft shells for which the company developed a machine to manufacture adjusting nuts that increased the rate of fuze production. Shortly following the United States’ declaration of victory, the George W. Borg Corporation received commendations from Rear Admiral George F. Hussey, Jr., United States Navy, Chief of Bureau of Ordnance and Lieutenant General Levin H. Campbell, Jr., United States Army, Chief of Ordnance. The subject building also reflects the expansion of the nation’s workforce during World War II when the Borg Corporation recruited and employed significant numbers of women. Following the war, the newly created Borg Fabric Division occupied the building and its success led to the construction of a three-story addition in 1956. Investing in research and development, the Borg Fabric Division made advancements in the production of knitted pile fabrics using synthetic fibers. Although also used for home furnishing and industrial applications, the majority of Borg’s deep-pile fabric production was intended for the apparel industry; specifically, imitation fur used in garments and coats. The George W. Borg Corporation is credited as a pioneer in the field of pile fabrics and received numerous patents throughout the 1950s and 1960s when the industry rapidly grew. Among these was a patent issued in 1955 for their trademark Borgana fabric. The Borg Fabric Division operated both day and night shifts in the subject building at a time when the George W. Borg Corporation was the largest employer in Delavan.  Shifting market conditions resulted in the end of pile fabrics manufacturing at this location in 1980.

The register is the official national list of historic properties in America deemed worthy of preservation and is maintained by the National Park Service in the U.S. Department of the Interior. The Wisconsin Historical Society administers the program within Wisconsin. It includes sites, buildings, structures, objects and districts that are significant in national, state or local history, architecture, archaeology, engineering or culture.