KEY CITY BARREL COMPANY

KEY CITY BARREL COMPANY. Key City Barrel Factory was established in 1868 by T. C. Pringle and Sanford A. ATHERTON on Iowa, between Second and Third STREETS. A new factory was constructed in 1877 that was three stories tall with the lower level having a capacity of 10,000 finished barrels. (1) On the July 22, 1879, the factory was destroyed by fire, resulting in a loss of $18,000, but was immediately rebuilt, completely furnished, and again in operation during the succeeding winter.

The company, under the direction of S. A. Atherton, employed ninety-eight people at a weekly salary of $800. It manufactured from 1,600 to 2,000 barrels annually which were, with thousands of staves, sold in Dubuque and the West, with an annual revenue of $60,000.

The company also had two stave factories, one in Dubuque and the other in Wisconsin where their own barrel staves were produced. (2)

Barrel staves being assembled into barrels.

According to the 1883 Dubuque City Directory, this business was located at 248 Iowa.

The 1886-87 Dubuque City Directory listed the east side of Iowa between 2nd and 3rd when it was listed as the Key City Barrel Factory and Feed Mill.

The 1890-91 Dubuque City Directory listed Iowa between Second and Third when it was listed as the Key City Barrel Factory and Mill Company.

In 1897 the twenty-six employees of the company were remembered at the holiday season by each receiving a can of oysters. (3)

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Source:

1. "Another Tally for the Key City," Dubuque Herald, January 1, 1878, p. 8. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=uh8FjILnQOkC&dat=18780101&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

2. Oldt, Franklin T. History of Dubuque County, Iowa. Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1880, p. 762-763

3. "Caught on the Fly," Dubuque Herald, January 1, 1897, p. 5