It’s not every day a company celebrates 180 years of business.

That’s the case for Palmer Wahl, however, which was founded as James Foster Jr. & Co. in Cincinnati in 1836. The company was originally established to manufacture flue gas thermometers to test the safety of kerosene and reduce the likelihood of house fires.

Palmer Wahl has been operating from its 50,000 ft² facility in Asheville, N.C., since 1987.