Home › History › People › James R. Knights
Occupation: Industrialist and electronics manufacturer
Known for: Founder of the James Knights Company (later CTS Knights)
Active in Sandwich: 1928–1983
Notable contribution: Donated the Stone Mill building to the Sandwich Historical Society
Photograph restored by Herk Schmidt
Front row center – James Knights
James R. Knights was a Sandwich businessman and civic leader whose work helped shape both the industrial development of the community and the preservation of its history. Best known as co-founder of the James Knights Company, he played a central role in bringing modern electronics manufacturing to Sandwich and later helped ensure the survival of one of the city’s most historic buildings, the Stone Mill.
Knights began his career in the late 1920s when he opened Knights Ignition and Battery Service in a small garage on Wells Street in Sandwich in 1928. The business served the growing number of automobiles in the region and soon expanded into electrical and radio repair work. During the 1930s the operation became known as Knights Battery and Electric Service, reflecting the increasing demand for electrical equipment and radio technology.
In 1942, at the height of World War II, Knights partnered with engineer Leon Faber to establish the James Knights Company. The firm was created in response to the federal government’s urgent need for precision electronic components used in military communications equipment. Beginning in a small garage on Wells Street just north of Route 34, the company manufactured quartz crystal oscillators, devices that controlled radio frequencies used in transmitters and receivers. These components were essential for reliable military radio communication during the war.
Following the war, the company continued to grow as crystal technology became increasingly important in aviation, communications, and electronics. The James Knights Company expanded its production of crystal units used in military aircraft radios and other electronic equipment. Over time the company became one of the most important industries in Sandwich and a major local employer.
In 1964 the company merged with CTS Corporation (Chicago Telephone Supply) of Elkhart, Indiana, and the Sandwich operation became known as CTS Knights. The firm continued producing crystal oscillators and related electronic components for a wide range of applications, including computers and communications equipment. In the early 1970s the company also explored the use of crystal technology in watches and clocks as electronic timing devices became more common.
Beyond his work in industry, Knights played an important role in preserving Sandwich’s history. By the early 1960s the historic Stone Mill building, one of the oldest surviving industrial structures in the city, was no longer in active use. Recognizing its historical significance, Knights arranged for the building to be donated to the Sandwich Historical Society around the time of the company’s merger with CTS. This gift allowed the building to be preserved and eventually converted into the Stone Mill Museum, which opened to the public in 1969.
Knights was also active in the early years of the Sandwich Historical Society and in other community organizations. His efforts helped establish the Stone Mill as a center for preserving local history and sharing the story of Sandwich’s industrial past.
The company he helped create remained an important part of the Sandwich economy for decades. Operations continued under the name CTS Knights until the Sandwich facility closed in 2002, bringing to an end sixty years of electronics manufacturing in the community.
Through both his business leadership and his commitment to local heritage, James R. Knights left a lasting mark on Sandwich. His legacy lives on in the industries he helped build and in the Stone Mill Museum that continues to preserve the history of the community.
Sources
Information for this article was compiled from the following historical materials and archival sources:
- Republican-Times (Ottawa, Illinois), January 6, 1965 – “Sandwich Given Building for Historical Museum.”
- Records and documents of the Sandwich Historical Society, including early meeting minutes and organizational correspondence from the mid-1960s.
- Advertising and trade publications of the James Knights Company, including electronics industry advertisements and product literature from the 1940s–1950s.
- Archival material from the Smithsonian Institution, describing the history of the James Knights Company and its development of crystal-controlled oscillators during World War II.
- Local historical accounts of the Stone Mill Museum and its earlier industrial use.
- Additional Information proided by Mark Harrington
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