The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page 96

CENTENNIAL EDITION THE COURIER-JOURNAL, LOUISVILLE, MONDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 22, 1926. LS26- 1926. 5 Co. ewe. rx A Late Louis II.

Wymond, -iJi 3 Former President William A. Watts, Former President William I. Wymond, President Late William E. Chess, Founder Late William S. Wymond, ounder Transporting hardwood logs t(V" i.

mills, yy Fifty Years of Good Cooperage Chess Wymond Company is the outgrowth of a small hand shop, known as Gibson Wymond, which operated at Madison, and was engaged in the manufacture of whisky and oil barrels by hand some years previous to 1877. In that year the business was moved to Louisville, and the partnership of Chess Wymond was formed. The new firm increased its manufacturing facilities, acquired additional timber holdings and manufactured various kinds of tight barrels and kegs. Chess Wymond Company was incorporated under Kentucky laws in 1896 and made rapid strides in enlarging its business. White oak timber becoming scarce in the vicinity of Louisville, it was necessary to acquire additional holdings.

These were gradually secured in Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Louisiana as well as all sections of Kentucky and Indiana. The rapid growth of the company's business during these years was phenomenal and the desire to perpetuate and still further increase its business lead to the formation of Chess Wymond Company; Chess Wymond Company of Arkansas, and Chess Wymond Company of Louisiana. These companies' business had now reached enormous proportions they were supplying 75 per cent of the whisky barrels used at the distilleries in Kentucky as well as large quantities of oil and vinegar barrels. They were operating their own steamboats on the Cumberland, Ohio, Tennessee, White, Arkansas, Mississippi, Sunflower and Yazoo Rivers, as well as its own railroad in Louisiana. Large finishing plants were in operation in the several States in which the companies operated and they were supplying material not only for the manufacture of the well known Cheswyco barrels, kegs and shooks, but were also supplying large quantities of staves and heading, both rough and finished, to concerns having their own cooper-shops, as well as other barrel manufacturers.

The opening of the World War and the oncoming blight of prohibition seriously retarded the growth of the Chess Wymond companies' business and made a complete readjustment necessary. A large number of sawing and finishing plants, making whisky staves and heading, were sold or dismantled and timber holdings disposed of. But the companies quickly rallied and found a market for their spirit stock in barrel shooks to France, Spain, Italy, England, Argentina, while considerable oil shooks are shipped to the Orient, Puropean and South American countries. It also developed a large clientile of domestic users of set-up packages. The Arkansas company has passed out of existence, but the other companies operate sawing, finishing and barrel plants in the several States.

The lumber division manufactures high-grade hardwood lumber and dimension stock for automobile, vehicle and furniture factories. All of the plants are being constantly added to and improved and quite recently the Louisville plant has been completely motorized. We now have in operation the largest, finest and most modern cooperage plant in the world which turns out in enormous quantities, the well-known Cheswyco Cooperage, which has been a standard for fifty years I cutover hardwood land. A i Sugar cane raised on cutover Improved road through cutover land. hardwood lands.

ft I 1 Cooperage plant located at Holly Ridge, one of the many plants of Chess Wymond Inc. tt Standard Ii.ivuie M-. Kv.