Two J. I. Case Companies
Most people in Racine have no clue that Jerome Increase Case owned two separate companies bearing his name, J.I. Case Threshing Machine Co. (1842) and J.I. Case Plow Works (1876). The latter was organized under the name Case-Whiting Plow Company. His partner E.G. Whiting, was the inventor of the center draft walking plow. Two years later Case bought out Whiting and renamed the business J.I. Case Plow Company. The business was reorganized in 1884 and named J.I. Case Plow Works. Jerome Case withdrew from the firm in 1890 and his son Jackson I. Case became the company president. Later Henry M. Wallis, Jerome Case's son-in-law, became president of the firm.
 1911 |
1911
The J.I. Case Plow Works was located in the factory buildings at Water Street and Marquette Street. The buildings on the northeast corner were razed.
A view of the plow works building from the south.
The Plow Works building at Sixth and Marquette Street still stands as a reminder of this early Racine industry. The painted sign was visible for many decades and traces may still be seen.
After his death in December 1891 Jerome I. Case in his will disposed of all interests in the J.I. Case Threshing Machine Co., and left the Plow Works to his family. This transaction created problems for both companies when mail came to Racine simply addressed "J.I. Case, Racine, Wisconsin." Each piece of mail had to be opened to determine which company it belonged to. This continued until 1928, then the J.I. Case Plow works was sold to the Massey-Harris Company. Later Massey-Harris sold all of the exclusive rights to the name "Case" back to the original J.I. Case Company.
This ad which appeared in the United Commercial Travelers Convention book in 1920 shows one of the disclaimers added to a Case Threshing Machine Co. advertisement after the book was already in print.
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1911
Great company until the Italians took over.
ReplyDeleteGreat point - Case is no longer what it once was since FIAT came into the picture. The current working conditions are much worse than the foundry was 100 years ago.
ReplyDeleteAnon, 6:55,
ReplyDeleteOne hundred years ago, you'd be earning the modern equivalent of $10,000 a year, and you'd be 60 times more likely to die on the job.
... sorry, a mere six times as deadly.
ReplyDeleteDon't take CNH for granted --It's still a place to work. Nothing ever stays the same forever.
ReplyDeleteLet's be thankful their still here.
Let's be thankful when the Italians leave - they could care less about Racine.
ReplyDeleteThey are still screwing around with the retiree's benefits, also. They still don't understand that when you buy a company you not only buy the assets you buy the liabilities, too. They also can't figure out that when a promise is made (as in pension and insurance for the retirees) the promise is supposed to be kept. We got a letter the other day saying that they want the retirees to pay the full cost of insurance, which in some cases will cost over $10,000 per year. And, no that is not a typo.
ReplyDeleteBitch & moan, bitch & moan... typical union morons complaining that this isn't "the good old days" when they held the company hostage and screwed it for every penny they could.
ReplyDelete