The humble beginning of the La Crosse Plow Company started in 1860, when John M. Barclay and I.S. Bantan started the Barclay and Bantan Implement Works in La Crosse, Wisconsin. In May 1865, Albert Hirschheimer bought the small shop and carried on making horse-drawn farm equipment there, calling it the A. Hirschheimer and Company.* Hirschheimer partnered… Continue reading #5 La Crosse Works
Tag: Labor
History of the Blatz Brewing Company
The Blatz Brewing Co. history can be traced back to 1846 in the young city of Milwaukee. The brewery grew as one of the big 4 of Milwaukee and made significant contributions to the city's beer industry. Unfortunately, pressures of the changing times and competition shut down the brewery and led to consolidation with other big breweries.… Continue reading History of the Blatz Brewing Company
The Day Beer Returned to Milwaukee
Imagine a Unites States where beer and liquor are illegal. Your favorite brewery has been forced to close down or switch to making sodas, chocolates or other products. The only hard liquor you could wet your whistle with was made in a homemade still and you had to go into a secret bar called a speakeasy to… Continue reading The Day Beer Returned to Milwaukee
Allis-Chalmers Acquisitions & Growth
Here is a list of the factories and firms across the world that made up Allis-Chalmers and the vast amount products they made. This can be found in Norm Swinford's book Allis-Chalmers Construction Machinery & Industrial Equipment. I think there might be a couple more that should be added, but these are the ones that… Continue reading Allis-Chalmers Acquisitions & Growth
The Peoples Brewing Company: America’s First Black Owned Brewery
In one of my earlier posts I talked about the Oshkosh Brewing Company, but there was another great brewery in my college town that last a few years longer than Oshkosh Brewing Company. The Peoples Brewing Company made history when it became the first brewery in the country to be owned by a Black man, an… Continue reading The Peoples Brewing Company: America’s First Black Owned Brewery
#4 Pittsburgh Works
The Pittsburgh Company was founded in 1897 by Frederick C. Sutter in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1910, the Pittsburgh Transformer Company was officially incorporated and boomed during World War 1. In 1927, the Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company acquired the firm for $4.5 million and began investing money into renovations and additional buildings. In 1928, the firm was officially part of… Continue reading #4 Pittsburgh Works
Allis-Chalmers Tractor Plant
Ever wonder what the Allis-Chalmers tractor assembly line looked like? Bet you wish you could have taken a tour of it when the plant was humming with activity and churning out the beautiful Persian Orange tractors they were known for. Let's take a tour back in time.. We will begin our tour with a… Continue reading Allis-Chalmers Tractor Plant
#3 Terre Haute Works
The Terre Haute Works in Terre Haute, Indiana was constructed to build the compressor components for jet engines. Curtis-Wright had contracted the firm to build the components for their J-65 turbojet engines. Allis-Chalmers announced on April 28, 1951 that they would erect a $25,000,000 facility in Terra Haute. In August 1951 construction got underway to… Continue reading #3 Terre Haute Works
#2 Boston Works
The second Allis-Chalmers complex to be examined is the Boston Works in Boston, Massachusetts. This was one of the many other factories part of the Allis-Chalmers firm. In 1931, Allis-Chalmers Mfg. Co. acquired the American Brown Boveri Electric Corporation and the Condit Electric Mfg. Co., together both specialized in turbines, steam engines, generators, switch gears and transformers. Allis-Chalmers… Continue reading #2 Boston Works
The Weekend Historian 