Local Luxembourg American Businesses
THE BUSINESS THEY BUILT
Local Luxembourg American Businesses
Pictured Above: Belgium House Inn & Saloon in Belgium, Wisconsin. Located along the train track on what is today Main Street. Circa 1880s.
Like many immigrants to the United States in the 1800s, the Luxembourgers who settled in Ozaukee County needed to establish necessities for their new lives. This began with a house to live in and a livelihood. As more people settled in the area and established a community, specialized businesses were needed to support the needs of the growing community. Generally, the main industry in these rural regions was farming. As these farms grew and produced more than was needed to feed their own families, the extra product would be sold to a specialized business, such as a cheese factory. As the farms grew to meet demand for their products, new equipment would be purchased from local farm supplement stores. Expansion brought in more businesses, and with modernization, production rates became higher. Of course, this all depended on demand for the products and sometimes growth was achieved by adapting to market demands. Through the ups and downs of an ever-changing market, these Luxembourg American businesses made an impression on their local community.
Similar to any other region in the United States, the Luxembourg American towns of Ozaukee County had businesses that began, ended, moved, stayed, and continue today. While it would be nearly impossible to go into detail on every local business with Luxembourg American heritage in the region, a few with extraordinary histories and significance were chosen for this exhibit.
Pictured Below: Port Feeds Supply - Knellsville, Wisconsin. Richard Harns purchased the business in 1955 and ran it for 25 years.
LAKE CHURCH CHEESE FACTORY
Pictured Above: Farmers delivering milk to the Lake Church Cheese Factory before Ansay ownership. 1899.
THE LAKE CHURCH CHEESE FACTORY
There were many local dairy farms and almost as many local cheese factories. One such cheese factory was started by Arthur “Art” Ansay, whose grandparents both immigrated from Luxembourg to Ozaukee County in the 1860s. Like most of these cheese factories, the Lake Church Cheese Factory was a place where the community would go on a regular basis. Because of this, Art became a well-known and respected person in the community.
Art was born in Port Washington in 1901 to Michael and Anna (Klas) Ansay. As a young man, Art apprenticed in cheese making at Wagner Cheese Factory in nearby Knellsville. When the factory closed, he began working at the Waldo Cheese Factory in Waldo, Wisconsin. With this background, Art decided to purchase the Lake Church Cheese Factory in the town of Lake Church in 1925. The factory had been built in 1888 by Adolph Antoine, an immigrant from the Province of Luxembourg, Belgium.
At the same time, he began studying cheese making at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He received a Dairy Course Certificate in June 1925 stating that he successfully completed the training and practical work in the Theory and Art of Butter and Cheese Making. It was a busy year for Art. Aside from purchasing the factory and gaining his certificate, he also married Mary Schueller on June 2, 1925. Mary would assist Art at the factory, but they had an occasional hired man. Farmers from the Lake Church area would deliver their milk daily to the cheese factory, and locals would come to the factory to purchase cheese, milk, and cream. Reportedly, they would pay 5 cents for a pint of cream.
Art operated the Lake Church Cheese Factory until closing in 1943. Art needed to pursue a defense job during World War II, so he took a part-time job at Allis-Chalmers in Milwaukee while also hauling hay to local dairies. After the war in 1947, Art and Mary purchased a farm in Belgium, but kept ownership of the empty cheese factory in Lake Church. In 1964, Art tore down the old cheese factory to build a new home for himself and Mary. Art died in 1986 and is buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery, just across the street from the original spot of the Lake Church Cheese Factory.
Pictured Below: Lake Church Cheese Factory. Circa 1930s.
Pictured Above: Krier Preserving Company, Main Street, Belgium, Wisconsin. Circa 1920.
With more than 100 years in the canned food and beverage industry, Krier Foods, Inc. is a fifth generation Luxembourg American family-owned and operated local business. The company was founded by J.B. Krier, the son of immigrants John Krier and Mary Katherine Mans of Bertrange, Luxembourg. With recognizable and nostalgic brands such as Krier’s Best, Belle of Belgium, Serve-U-Rite, Sunbonnet, and, most notably, Jolly Good soda, Krier Foods has grown from a local canning company to a national beverage packaging company with a continuous impact on the local community.
In 1909, J.B. Krier created the Belgium Cannery with the Pierron brothers. Krier sold his interest after a differing of business philosophy and founded The Krier Preserving Company in 1913 with his two sons and his brothers-in-law. Because of the family’s farming background, J.B. Krier and his sons were able to ensure quality from field to final product. In 1916, J.B. decided to leave the business and sold his shares to his two other sons, and the eldest brother was elected as the new president. The business flourished and a second cannery was built in 1923 near Random Lake. On opening day of the second cannery, a tornado nearly killed 20 workers and severely damaged the plant.
The Belgium plant operated two canning lines, producing 80,000 cases of vegetables daily. The company owned acreage in the area, so large portion of their products came from their own fields. However, showing a dedication to the local community, the company used vegetables from local farmers, too. Over the years, the company employed thousands of locals, as well as migrant workers, some of whom became permanent residents in Belgium.
The company moved into beverage processing in 1959, adding their “Jolly Good” soda line in 1966. In 1982, the company name was changed to Krier Foods, Inc. to reflect the national consciousness surrounding preservatives. Krier Foods sold its plants in Belgium and Random Lake in 1988, keeping part of the Random Lake plant to operate as a company specializing in beverages. Popularity of Jolly Good peaked in the 1990s, but with a competitive market and an increase in the contract manufacturing side of the company, Jolly Good soda production ceased in 2007.
However, it was always a dream of Krier Foods president Bruce Krier to bring Jolly Good back, and he shared this idea with his nephew, John Rassel. After Bruce’s death, John became the 5th generation president in 2013 and decided to relaunch Jolly Good in honor of his late uncle. Krier Foods, Inc. continues today producing about 20 million beverage cases per year with the same values as those of J.B. Krier.
Pictured Below: Joe Bocanegra, running the capping machine in the canning factory, Random Lake, Wisconsin. 1958.
KRIER FOODS, INC.
ALLEN-EDMONDS SHOE COMPANY
Pictured: 1) Allen-Edmonds Shoe Corporation on Main Street, Belgium, Wisconsin. 1960. 2) John Stollenwerk in front of the temporary building used after the fire. 1984. 3) Debbie Tauschek stitching the soles on shoes at the Allen-Edmonds factory. 1986.
Allen-Edmonds Shoe Company, an internationally known company with its origins in Belgium, Wisconsin has employed countless local Luxembourg Americans for close to 100 years. Elbert Allen and William Edmonds started this company knowing that success would be achieved if the company stayed true to the values of their home town.
In 1922, Elbert Allen, Sr. and his partner, Ralph Spiegel, bought the Belgium Shoe Company and founded the Allen-Spiegel Shoe Company. It was here that Allen was able to perfect a new way to make shoes, claiming it as the “shoe that needs no breaking in.” Spiegel sold his part of the company in the late 1920s to William Edmonds of Edmonds Foot Fitters in Milwaukee, and the company became known as Allen-Edmonds Footfitters. The company survived the Great Depression, and during World War II made shoes for the Army and Navy.
Elbert Allen, Sr. died in 1946, and his son, Elbert Allen, Jr. took over management. The company primarily relied on word of mouth from its customers and continuous promotion of the shoe’s virtues by company employees. Boyd Allen became the company president in 1968, leading into a difficult decade when an influx of cheaper imports hurt the industry. Allen sold the company in 1980 to John Stollenwerk, who was able to increase name recognition and sales for Allen-Edmonds.
Unfortunately, on a cold night in January 1984, the manufacturing plant in Belgium went up in flames. However, Stollenwerk set up temporary production in a former school in nearby Lake Church. Six months later the company was back to normal production levels and in 1987 operations were moved to a new plant in Port Washington in 1987. By the 1990s, the sale of Allen-Edmonds shoes was so strong, a satellite plant was opened in Milwaukee.
The company has changed ownership a couple of times in the 2000s and early 2010s, with questions about its future. However, it has become increasingly popular in the last few years as a company with American-made products and a dedication to quality. With production continuing today in Port Washington, Allen-Edmonds has continued to have deep roots in the local community.
Pictured Above: Real photo postcard of the Milwaukee River. The Waubeka Pearl Button Factory is the first building on the left, with the grist mill to the right. Waubeka, Wisconsin. 1906.
In Waubeka, the Kendall Cabinet Shop, later the Waubeka Pearl Button Factory, sits in the low-lying part of the village along the Milwaukee River. The cabinet shop and grist mill buildings sit vacant on narrow parcels along the river. Two small but significant industries occupied one of these buildings in the 1800s and early 1900s. One was the Kendall Cabinet Shop, operated by John B. Kendall from 1863 to 1891. In October 1892, the owner of the gristmill next door, J.P. Pallansch, along with Julius Klessig, G.A. Hewner, and John Fintzen, established a pearl button factory in the old cabinet shop. The button factory employed as many as 20 people at a time, making it the largest employer during this historic industrial period in Waubeka.
This was one of the earliest pearl button factories in Wisconsin, and like many of these factories, the original owners had a difficult time. Production was reported to have stopped one year later and the stock company was dissolved. However, Pallansch and his brother began production again soon after. There is not much information on the factory until 1904, when it was reported in the Cedarburg News that the factory was operating again under the management of Mr. Shulteis. However, just two years later the local newspapers reported the factory as closed. There is no evidence that the factory reopened after 1908 and was marked on multiple maps as empty.
In 1940, Dorothy Klein interviewed two locals, Herman Schubert and R.F. Beger, for a high school report. Schubert worked in the factory around 1898, stating it was a finishing factory. This meant the button blanks were stamped from mussel shells, filed down, buttonholes drilled, polished, and sewn onto cards. Shubert also indicated that the factory made pins, watch fobs and jewelry.
Beger was a teacher in Waubeka while the factory was operating, and he remarked how some boys as young as 12 years old quit school to work in the factory. Contrary to some newspaper articles, Beger stated that wages were low, workers were paid by the piece, and the damp conditions mixed with the fine dust from grinding the buttons caused health issues with the workers.
Multiple businesses and organizations used the building for short periods until it was bought by Charles Sheridan in 1989 as a vacation property, which he intended to rehabilitate. Although it still stands empty with an unknown future, the history of this building is still remembered.