[Ads-l] "formstone"?

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Is this inquiry about trademarks, patents, technology, or the exact
name: "formstone" "form-stone", "form stone"?

The match below in 1938 used a hyphenated form.

Date: December 18, 1938
Newspaper: Washington Herald-Times
Newspaper Location: Washington, District of Columbia
Advertisement title: SOMETHING ENTIRELY NEW In Home Construction
Quote Page 1D, Column 7
Database: Newspapers.com
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-washington-herald-form-stone/209744537/

[Begin excerpt]
With the New "Form-Stone" Exterior
2234 NOTTINGHAM ST.
Corner Lee Highway, Arlington, Va.

Come Out and See
"Form-Stone," the material that is revolutionizing modern construction
methods ... Permanent, enduring, fireproof and waterproof.
[End excerpt]

A Wikipedia entry for "Formstone" contains the following claim (which
matches Jesse's statement):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formstone

[Begin excerpt from Wikipedia]
Formstone was patented by Lewis Albert Knight of the Baltimore-based
Lasting Products Company in 1937,[1][2][3] although a similar product
named Permastone had been invented in Columbus, Ohio, eight years
prior.[3] The name Formstone was actually a brand name used by
Knight.[1]
[End excerpt from Wikipedia]

I searched the trademark database for "perma-stone" and found that
there was product similar to "formstone" which was in use earlier:
"First Use in Commerce: November 01, 1929".

https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/search/search-results/73741884

[Begin excerpt]
Wordmark PERMA-STONE
Goods and services
IC 019: CEMENTITIOUS SURFACE FACING DISTINGUISHABLE IN APPEARANCE FROM
NAILED-ON PRODUCTS SUCH AS SHINGLES; ARTIFICIAL STONE MADE FROM
CEMENTITIOUS... | First Use Anywhere: November 01, 1929 | First Use in
Commerce: November 01, 1929
Serial number 73741884
Registration number 1546443
[End excerpt]

A trademark search for "formstone" displays several matches, but the
dates for the matches I looked at began later than 1937. I rarely use
trademark search so I might be searching incorrectly.

Garson

On Thu, Nov 5, 2026 at 4:50 PM Jesse Sheidlower <jester at panix.com> wrote:
>
> A correspondent wrote to me about _formstone_, in reference to a kind of artificial stone used as an exterior siding for buildings (this is frequently associated with Baltimore). Such a product was patented in 1937 and sold under the name "Formstone", but my correspondent claims to have earlier evidence.
>
> Does anyone know about this? There seems to have been a surname Formstone, which complicates searching. Not in dictionaries.
>
> Jesse Sheidlower
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org