[Limeira Railway Station] (1876/1890)Museu "Major José Levy Sobrinho"
The transformation of the city of Limeira, in the interior of São Paulo, was driven by the arrival of the railroad. The Cia Paulista de Estrada de Ferro began operating in the region in 1876, acting as a catalyst for the city's industrial and economic development.
[Limeira train station] (1876/1920)Museu "Major José Levy Sobrinho"
The rails brought with them modernity, progress and the creation of a diversified industrial hub, which prospered throughout the 20th century.
Manufacturing activity emerged in Limeira in the 1850s, within the rural community. However, it was in the late 19th century that the presence of industries and factories intensified in the region, especially with the arrival of groups of European migrants and immigrants to the city. In this context, the Prada family, of Italian origin, stands out. They were responsible for establishing a large industrial complex in the textile and hat industry in the city.
In 1907, Agostinho Prada set up a small hat and tie factory on Barão de Cascalho Street, employing around 30 people in the backyard of his house.
[PRADA hat factory] (1960/1990)Museu "Major José Levy Sobrinho"
CIA PRADA
In 1908, he began construction of his own building for this production next to the Companhia Paulista de Estradas de Ferro station (currently the Limeira Bus Terminal area), where he also installed his rice processing machine. In 1910, he began producing wool hats.
[Phosphoros Radium Factory] (1920/1929)Museu "Major José Levy Sobrinho"
FÁBRICA DE PHOSPHOROS RADIUM
Also in 1910, Agostinho Prada joined the “Fábrica de Phosphoros Radium”, founded by the company J. Levy & Brothers, on the banks of the Ribeirão Tatu and next to Cia Paulista.
In 1939, Prada invested in new, spacious facilities, where it also began manufacturing industrial felt and footwear. The new complex, located where Limeira City Hall currently stands, altered the city's development and population axis, previously located in the Barão de Cascalho Street region, near the train station.
[Machina São Paulo] (1910/1920)Museu "Major José Levy Sobrinho"
MACHINA SAO PAULO
Another important industrial hub for the municipality, Machina São Paulo was founded in 1914 by Trajano de Barros Camargo and manufactured coffee picking, sorting and processing machines.
Beyond his business activities, Dr. Trajano always cared about his employees, as well as the city's cultural and educational aspects. Machina São Paulo became so important that other industries emerged from it.
[Machina São Paulo] (1914/1960)Museu "Major José Levy Sobrinho"
In addition to being close to Cia Paulista, Machina São Paulo also had an extension of railway lines that passed through the company, in order to facilitate the loading and flow of production.
After Trajano's death in 1930, his wife, Maria Thereza Silveira de Barros Camargo, took over the company. Maria Thereza also founded a food cooperative, organized the medical association Sociedade Operária Humanitária (Humanitarian Workers' Society), and continued to invest in education, being responsible for the creation of the Limeira Municipal Primary Professional School, which gave rise to the current Etec Trajano Camargo.
Cia União dos Refinadores de Açúcar
Founded on October 4, 1910 by Italian immigrant brothers Giuseppe and Nicola Puglisi Carbone.
With an entrepreneurial vision, the Carbone brothers proposed a cooperative with small sugar refiners in São Paulo, aiming to put rivalries aside and develop the sugar trade, ensuring high-quality production.
Relic (1954/1982)Museu "Major José Levy Sobrinho"
In 1939, Companhia União, already consolidated as the producer of the most important sugar brand in São Paulo, acquired Açucareira Santista, strategically located near the Port of Santos, which facilitated the transportation and flow of sugar production.
With the company's great success, União also incorporated coffee into the business, whose production continued until 2000. And, from 1954 onwards, União transferred its activities to the building where the Phosphoros Radium Factory previously operated, remaining there until 2005.
In 2005, the União brand was acquired by NovAmérica, initially targeting the industrial market. That same year, União's factory in Limeira was shut down, and the building remained abandoned until May 2011, when the building complex was acquired at auction by HBS Participações.
[Sheds of the old Cia Paulista] (1984)Museu "Major José Levy Sobrinho"
Production:
Major José Levy Sobrinho Museum
August 2025
Curatorship and texts:
• Letícia França Machado Oliveira Lopes
• Kevin Alec Prado
Bibliographical References:
• Collection - Major José Levy Sobrinho Museum - Limeira/SP.
• BENEDETTI, Marlene Aparecida Guiselini. Centro de Memória da Etec Trajano Camargo.
• BERTO, João Paulo. Guia Do Patrimônio Cultural De Limeira. 2021.
• AZZOLINO, A. P. ; BERTO, J. P. ; MANFREDINI, Eduardo Alberto . A FERROVIA EM LIMEIRA NO SÉCULO XIX E AS INTERVENÇÕES NO PANORAMA URBANO. Campinas: Traço Publicações e Design, 2020 (Catálogo do Museu José Levy Sobrinho: história e Cultura Material).
• Disponível em: IBGE | Biblioteca Acesso em: 28 de Agosto de 2025.
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