The Litchfield Manufacturing Company was founded in 1879 at Webster City, Iowa, by Lyman Litchfield. In 1903 it was moved to Waterloo and incorporated as the Litchfield Manufacturing Company. The company employed 85 people and the plant covered 3700 feet of floor space. The company manufactured all kinds of farm machinery. In 1917, the Litchfield Manufacturing Company focused on making just one product and making it very well. It was the Litchfield Manure Spreader. The company actually made lots of models to meet the needs of farmers across the country and throughout the world. By 1922, the company had grown to where it owned a factory site of 30 acres on West Parker Street and employed 450 people. When manufacturing the manure spreaders, the company purchased only the raw material such as steel and lumber. From wheels to wagon springs, all other parts were made in the Litchfield factory. The Litchfield Company believed that manufacturing all of the parts in their factory would guarantee the quality of their product.