A Look At History
Summary adopted from Kenosha County in the Twentieth Century: A Topical History by John A. Neuenschwander (1976)
The People:
“If anything, urbanization and industrialization has an even bigger impact on Kenosha County than they did nationally.” ...(by) 1930 when (Kenosha county) it reached 84 percent in comparison, the United States as a whole was only 56 per cent urban. This concentration in the city was largely the result of rapid industrialization. Although primarily a commercial center in the nineteenth century, Kenosha had already established itself in the textile, bedding, tanning, boxing, furniture, wagon-making, and metals industries. After 1900 it added automobiles, tools, and wire rope, quickly becoming the most highly industrialized city in the state.
By the 1920’s about three-fourths of the city’s labor force was employed in manufacturing, leading one economist to conclude that “Kenosha has been predominantly a manufacturing city since 1900; in comparison with other manufacturing cities in the Midwest, Kenosha has placed greater emphasis upon manufacturing in the economy than they have.” It was this constantly expanding need for unskilled labor which drew southern and eastern European immigrants to the city of Kenosha, and many were first attracted by recruiters sent to New York and Chicago by the Kenosha Manufacturers Association. Some Kenosha industries and businesses like the Allen Tannery and the county’s sugar berr growers reportedly even recruited workers directly from Sicily, Slovakia, Poland, and Russia. They quickly became the bulk of the unskilled workforce in the city’s majors industries, often driving the descendants of the Old Immigrants up the ladder to skilled, supervisory or managerial jobs. “
Associations:
Danish Brotherhood Lodge founded in 1884 -
Swedish American Club in 1940 and met at the Swedish American Hall on 24th Ave & 60th St
Italian American Society of Kenosha: founded 1923
The Economy, Industrial Significance:
1902: The new Cooper Underwear Company mill deployed for the manufacture of Union Suits, located on 60th Street and 23rd Avenue in Kenosha, Wisconsin remains today as the long time headquarters of Jockey International, Inc.
The major change in the proceeding ten years was the emergence of Nash Motors as the major employee, replacing Simmons Manufacturing Company which supplied to second place despite a substantial increase in the average number of employees. Allen Tannery had passed its peak and Bain Wagon Company was no longer an important employer. A major new additions was Macomber and Whyte Rope Company which built a new plant in Kenosha in 1912. Three of the firms on the list were in the cyclical primary metals industry- American Brass, Macomber and Whyte and Arneson Foundry. Nash Motors, Winther Motors, and Simmons Manufacturing produced consumer durable goods.
Only the textile firms, Cooper Underwear and Blackcat Textiles Company (formerly known as Chicago-Rockford Hosiery Company) manufactures consumers non-durable goods. The other on the lists produced intermediate durable goods sold to other manufacturing firms.
By 1920 Kenosha had become a major manufacturing city but there was virtually no manufacturing development in the rest of the county. The total percent of the total county population living in the city increased from 42 percent in 1890 to 79 percent in 1920/.The city’s comparative advantage was increasingly in durable goods and the new firms that located in the city usually were linked to that industry.
By 1920, the local economy was dominated by Nash. Simmons, and American Brass. There was a total of 84 manufacturing firms in Kenosha in 1919, well below the 234 reported in Racine. This pattern of very high manufacturing employment concentrate in a relatively small number of firms developed early and was to persist in succeeding decades.
Kenosha's advantages in this early period of manufacturing growth were related mainly to location. Favorable transportation rates and closeness to expanding markets were especially important. Raw materials could be obtained economically in many cases and manufactured products could be delivered to other manufacturers or consumers at favorable rates. The supply of labor was adequate and could be increased as needed. Land for manufacturing expansion was available in and around the city. Water was abundant and fuel requirements could be met competitively. Capital needs could be met locally or in Milwaukee or Chicago.
As manufacturing firms began to locate in the city, other firms in related industries were attracted to the area. These linkage effects were especially important in the period 1900 to 1920.Nash Motors - Nash Motors Company was an American automobile manufacturer based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in the United States from 1916 to 1937. From 1937 to 1954, Nash Motors was the automotive division of the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation. Nash production continued from 1954 to 1957 after the creation of American Motors Corporation.
American Brass Co.- Our company prospered, expanding as new markets
developed, and grew to become the largest manufacturer of copper and brass mill products in the United States. Originally installed by the American Brass Company in 1917-18, this hand-operated rolling mill was placed on line in 1918. Workers manipulated hot billets through the rolling mill, producing copper and non-ferrous alloys for the electrical industry. This production activity was housed in a building, called the No. 31 Hot Roll Mill, in the Kenosha Works of the American Brass Company. The mill operated for about seventy years, closing in 1988.
MacWhyte Company - By 1937, it was the world’s largest manufacturer of airplane tie rods and tie rod wires. In World War II, Macwhyte again pulled out all stops in production to do its part, running 24/7. It was the first of the Kenosha manufacturers to receive the Army-Navy “E” Award for excellence. By 1945, Macwhyte had been awarded three stars on its “E” flag.
Population Growth:
From Small Town to Manufacturing Center “In the thirty years between 1890 and 1920, Kenosha was transformed from a small town into a major industrial city. Population grew from 6,532 in 1890 to 40,472 in 1920, moving from seventeenth to third among Wisconsin cities. Manufacturing employment increased from approximately 1,00 to over 13,000 and the total value of manufacturing output rose from $2.5 million to $103.7 million. By 1920 the city ranked behind Milwaukee and Racine in number of manufacturing employees and value of manufacturing output. From 1890 to 1920 it was the major development period of manufacturing in the city.
The People:
“If anything, urbanization and industrialization has an even bigger impact on Kenosha County than they did nationally.” ...(by) 1930 when (Kenosha county) it reached 84 percent in comparison, the United States as a whole was only 56 per cent urban. This concentration in the city was largely the result of rapid industrialization. Although primarily a commercial center in the nineteenth century, Kenosha had already established itself in the textile, bedding, tanning, boxing, furniture, wagon-making, and metals industries. After 1900 it added automobiles, tools, and wire rope, quickly becoming the most highly industrialized city in the state.
By the 1920’s about three-fourths of the city’s labor force was employed in manufacturing, leading one economist to conclude that “Kenosha has been predominantly a manufacturing city since 1900; in comparison with other manufacturing cities in the Midwest, Kenosha has placed greater emphasis upon manufacturing in the economy than they have.” It was this constantly expanding need for unskilled labor which drew southern and eastern European immigrants to the city of Kenosha, and many were first attracted by recruiters sent to New York and Chicago by the Kenosha Manufacturers Association. Some Kenosha industries and businesses like the Allen Tannery and the county’s sugar berr growers reportedly even recruited workers directly from Sicily, Slovakia, Poland, and Russia. They quickly became the bulk of the unskilled workforce in the city’s majors industries, often driving the descendants of the Old Immigrants up the ladder to skilled, supervisory or managerial jobs. “
Associations:
Danish Brotherhood Lodge founded in 1884 -
Swedish American Club in 1940 and met at the Swedish American Hall on 24th Ave & 60th St
Italian American Society of Kenosha: founded 1923
The Economy, Industrial Significance:
1902: The new Cooper Underwear Company mill deployed for the manufacture of Union Suits, located on 60th Street and 23rd Avenue in Kenosha, Wisconsin remains today as the long time headquarters of Jockey International, Inc.
The major change in the proceeding ten years was the emergence of Nash Motors as the major employee, replacing Simmons Manufacturing Company which supplied to second place despite a substantial increase in the average number of employees. Allen Tannery had passed its peak and Bain Wagon Company was no longer an important employer. A major new additions was Macomber and Whyte Rope Company which built a new plant in Kenosha in 1912. Three of the firms on the list were in the cyclical primary metals industry- American Brass, Macomber and Whyte and Arneson Foundry. Nash Motors, Winther Motors, and Simmons Manufacturing produced consumer durable goods.
Only the textile firms, Cooper Underwear and Blackcat Textiles Company (formerly known as Chicago-Rockford Hosiery Company) manufactures consumers non-durable goods. The other on the lists produced intermediate durable goods sold to other manufacturing firms.
By 1920 Kenosha had become a major manufacturing city but there was virtually no manufacturing development in the rest of the county. The total percent of the total county population living in the city increased from 42 percent in 1890 to 79 percent in 1920/.The city’s comparative advantage was increasingly in durable goods and the new firms that located in the city usually were linked to that industry.
By 1920, the local economy was dominated by Nash. Simmons, and American Brass. There was a total of 84 manufacturing firms in Kenosha in 1919, well below the 234 reported in Racine. This pattern of very high manufacturing employment concentrate in a relatively small number of firms developed early and was to persist in succeeding decades.
Kenosha's advantages in this early period of manufacturing growth were related mainly to location. Favorable transportation rates and closeness to expanding markets were especially important. Raw materials could be obtained economically in many cases and manufactured products could be delivered to other manufacturers or consumers at favorable rates. The supply of labor was adequate and could be increased as needed. Land for manufacturing expansion was available in and around the city. Water was abundant and fuel requirements could be met competitively. Capital needs could be met locally or in Milwaukee or Chicago.
As manufacturing firms began to locate in the city, other firms in related industries were attracted to the area. These linkage effects were especially important in the period 1900 to 1920.Nash Motors - Nash Motors Company was an American automobile manufacturer based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in the United States from 1916 to 1937. From 1937 to 1954, Nash Motors was the automotive division of the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation. Nash production continued from 1954 to 1957 after the creation of American Motors Corporation.
American Brass Co.- Our company prospered, expanding as new markets
developed, and grew to become the largest manufacturer of copper and brass mill products in the United States. Originally installed by the American Brass Company in 1917-18, this hand-operated rolling mill was placed on line in 1918. Workers manipulated hot billets through the rolling mill, producing copper and non-ferrous alloys for the electrical industry. This production activity was housed in a building, called the No. 31 Hot Roll Mill, in the Kenosha Works of the American Brass Company. The mill operated for about seventy years, closing in 1988.
MacWhyte Company - By 1937, it was the world’s largest manufacturer of airplane tie rods and tie rod wires. In World War II, Macwhyte again pulled out all stops in production to do its part, running 24/7. It was the first of the Kenosha manufacturers to receive the Army-Navy “E” Award for excellence. By 1945, Macwhyte had been awarded three stars on its “E” flag.
Population Growth:
From Small Town to Manufacturing Center “In the thirty years between 1890 and 1920, Kenosha was transformed from a small town into a major industrial city. Population grew from 6,532 in 1890 to 40,472 in 1920, moving from seventeenth to third among Wisconsin cities. Manufacturing employment increased from approximately 1,00 to over 13,000 and the total value of manufacturing output rose from $2.5 million to $103.7 million. By 1920 the city ranked behind Milwaukee and Racine in number of manufacturing employees and value of manufacturing output. From 1890 to 1920 it was the major development period of manufacturing in the city.
