website
watertownhistory.org
ebook History of Watertown,
Wisconsin
Ira L. Henry Company
Established 1896
Moved to Watertown in 1901
1901
06 14 Last
Wednesday afternoon a large number of the subscribers of the building of the I.
L. Henry Box Factory visited at the factory on invitation of Mr. Henry and gave
it a thorough inspection. They found it
a bee-hive of industry, and everything about the place indicating that it is a
prosperous institution, and one that is sure to
grow. Nearly every kind of paper box is
made — jewelry boxes, confectionery boxes, stationery boxes, etc. Fancy celluloid boxes also manufactured. The sample boxes in the sample room at the
factory were the center of attraction to the visitors. They had just been completed for the full
trade, and includes many new and fancy decoration
varieties. Over 100 hands are employed
at present, and inside of a year the capacity will be increased to about
200. The subscribers to the factory
building were well satisfied with what they saw, and feel that they did well in
giving financial encouragement to the locating of the plant here. WG
1908
09 04 An order
from one firm for 1,500,000 paper boxes has been received by the I. L. Henry
Co. of this city. WG
09 11 Employees at Waukesha Beach. WG
1910
12 16 Deed Given Ira L. Henry
Co.
On December 9, 1910,
the Watertown Advancement Association deeded the property occupied by the Ira
L. Henry Co. in the Fifth ward over to that company. Ten years ago the Advancement Association
advanced a bonus of $12,000 to the company when it removed here from Waupun,
and the company, as per agreement, has paid this bonus back in ten annual
installments. The Ira L. Henry Co. has
been a good paying investment to our citizens, and it has also prospered here. We hope its prosperity will continue. WG
1921 Watertown
High School Orbit
The Ira L.
Henry Company engaged in the manufacture of paper boxes on
In February,
1901, the company changed its location to Watertown, Wisconsin, which offered
better advantages in regard to shipping and to the securing of employees. The
company was incorporated on
During the
last few years, the company specialized in the manufacture of high grade candy
boxes, and its products also included perfume and face powder boxes. The
greater proportion of its products are sold in the state
of Wisconsin, although the selling territory covers the middle west, and a part
of the eastern and southern states. One shipment of candy boxes is made each
year to Fairbanks, Alaska, and is in transit several months.
A paper
candy box is principally made of board stock, such as chip, straw and news
board, and a cover paper. The board stock is lined with either book or print
paper, and then scored and corner-cut. The scoring operation, which dents the
stock just enough to permit bending, determines the size of a box. A plain box,
which consists of a box proper and a cover, is then stayed and covered with
paper. The box proper is usually covered with plain paper, while the cover is
wrapped with a paper of better quality which usually has the customer's name
and design printed thereon. After the lace paper is attached to the box, the
cover is put on.
They are
packed in small quantities in bundles with wrapping paper. The bundles are
placed in wooden cases, and the boxes are then ready for shipment. While most
of the processes in the manufacture of paper boxes are executed by machines,
some boxes require very much hand work, particularly those which have
specialties such as ribbon straps and bows, trimmed with gold or other special
paper, padded top, hinge cover and drop front, or other special construction to
meet the requirements of certain trades.
The death of
the president, Ira L. Henry, occurred in April, 1920.
The present
officers are:
F. J. Barnes
...... President
C. A. Skinner
..... Vice-President
E. A. Pratt
....... Secretary and Treasurer
1945, Fire, April 11
I L Henry Box Factory Fire, 04 11 1945
1958
06 07 Cheesweet Candy Co of Milwaukee placed an order for 100,000 deluxe candy boxes. WDT
2010
08 04 Charles
T. Yeomans, 1828-2010, former owner of Ira L.
Henry Co.
Charles T. Yeomans, 93, of Oconomowoc, formerly of Watertown, passed
away on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010, at Shorehaven Health
and Rehabilitation in Oconomowoc.
A memorial service will
be held on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Shorehaven Chapel in
Oconomowoc with Chaplain Mark Rydberg
officiating. Family burial has been held
in Oak
Hill Cemetery in Watertown with Pastor John Kennedy of First Congregational
United Church of Christ officiating.
Charles was born on
Dec. 29, 1916, in Evanston, Ill., the son of Nathaniel and Edna (Perry) Yeomans. On Oct. 11,
1952, he married the former Marjorie Lois Luttman and
she preceded him in death on Aug. 22, 1999. Charles had been the former owner
of the Ira L. Henry Company of Watertown.
He was a former city council member in Watertown and had served as a
trustee on the University Lake School Board.
Charles was a member of First Congregational United Church of Christ and
a former member of the Watertown Rotary and Toastmasters.
Survivors include his
daughters, Jean Yeomans of Janesville, Nancy (Todd) Behnke of Genesee and Ann (Greg) Ploch
of Sussex; grandchildren, Taylor, Austin, Shelby and Nathaniel; a brother,
Robert (Charlotte) Yeomans of Door County; nieces,
nephews, other relatives and friends.
He was further preceded
in death by a daughter, Katherine Yeomans; his
parents; and a brother, David Yeomans.
A special thank you to
the staff at Shorehaven and Seasons Hospice for their
loving care.
Cross-References:
John Slosson obit, 1905
