| Welcome to the Granite City Historical Pages |
| We are establishing a "historical" section about the city of Granite. If you would like to submit any photographs, articles or items of interest, please email us at granitecitygossip@yahoo.com |
| The Eddleman & Kite Collection A collection of vintage photographs of familiar and unfamiliar Granite City places |
| The Eddleman & Kite Collection A collection of photographs of the tornado of 1981 |
Granite City - A City Built By and For Industry - 100 Years Ago “Among the many German immigrants who came to St. Louis in the 1850’s were the Niedringhaus brothers, Frederick G., age 18, and William F., age 20, natives of Westphalia, Germany. They became tinners and earned $4 a week, selling their wares on the street. By 1857, the brothers had saved enough money to open their own business. They had to cut the tinware by hand and solder it together. After learning about a new French machine, which stamped out kitchen utensils from a single sheet of tin, the brothers imported the equipment and a workman to operate it. The business thrived, and in 1866, they incorporated the St. Louis Stamping Works. William became exhausted and nervous from overwork. In 1865, the doctor told him to take a rest, travel to Europe, and forget his business. In a store window in a small village in Germany, William saw kitchen utensils that were coated with a glossy, white element. For $5,000, William was able to purchase the process of making graniteware. He lost no time returning to St. Louis, where the first piece of graniteware was made on April 10, 1874, using ground granite as the basic material. They patented their process and their enameling business became one of the major industries in the United States. Until 1877, the St. Louis Stamping Company imported sheet iron, used in the production of graniteware, from Wales. After the mill in Wales was destroyed by fire, the brothers constructed the Granite Iron Rolling Mills in 1878 and made their own sheet iron. Workmen were imported from Wales to operate the mill. Granite City Steel Company traces its history back to 1878, when those mills were opened in St. Louis. But their steel industry had problems competing with cheap tin place imported from England. As a result, Frederick decided to become active in politics. He was easily elected as a United States Representative from Missouri. He served on the House Ways and Means Committee, and favored high tariffs to protect smaller industries. The McKinley Tariff Bill of 1890 was passed by congress, and the duty on tin plate was raised from $22.40 to $49.28 a ton. Two months after this bill was passed, the Granite City Iron Rolling Mills in St. Louis began to produce tin plate. With this legislation in place, the brothers had a tremendous increase in business. Because there was such a demand for tin plate, they made plans to expand. They decided to buy cheap land near St. Louis and develop a city. In August 1891, William and his son, George, took a ferry across the Mississippi River and came to a little farming community called Kinderhook. They found many advantages in this location, including an abundant water supply, cheap electric power, moderate taxes, good roads, and ample shipping facilities by railroad and river. In 1892, the Niedringhauses returned to Kinderhook and employed Mark Henson, the village school teacher, as their land agent. He obtained options on three thousand five hundred acres, which the brothers purchased period. When the city was incorporated, in March 1896, family members wanted to name the city Niedringhaus, but William and Frederick named the city Granite City, commemorating the graniteware which was the basis of their company.” (Granite City, A Pictorial History, Georgia Engelke, Linda Sperry Mizell, Art Menendez, Robert W. Stevens, Michael E. Parks, Nancy Sanders, Elizabeth Briggs, Larry Zotti) |
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