After stopping in Niles, Michigan to see the endangered Pucker Street Hydroelectric Dam, I spent the afternoon in Buchanan, MI, home of the ruins of Clark Equipment Company.
The story of Clark Equipment Company began in 1903 when its precursor, the George R. Rich Manufacturing Company, was founded in Chicago by executives of the Illinois Steel Company. Rich Manufacturing relocated to Buchanan, Michigan in 1904.
In 1906 the company was renamed Celfor Tool, after its product the Celfor Drill. In 1916, Celfor Tool merged with Buchanan Electric Steel Company. The new entity was named Clark Equipment Company after Eugene B. Clark, the executive who organized the merger.
The first half of the century was a prosperous time for the company as it continued to grow and acquire other businesses.
By the 1960s, Clark Equipment was among America's 100 largest companies. The Buchanan plant alone employed over 3,500 people. By the end of the '60s, several divisions were sold off to allow the company to focus on its core products, which included forklifts, loaders, scrapers, and its expanded line of Bobcat equipment.
The recession in the 1980s brought decreased profitability. Several factories were closed as a result, including the Buchanan plant in 1983.
There isn't much left of the old industrial complex. Many of the structures have been repurposed or demolished.
The grounds of the old plant are not open to the public, but there is a nice walking trail from which you can get some decent views of the old property.
I walked around town a bit and enjoyed lunch at Bucktown Tap, a great little bar and restaurant. I would like to recommend stopping for a bite and a drink if you're ever in the area, but I'm disappointed to report that Bucktown Tap has closed since my visit.
I took in a few more of Buchanan's historic buildings and then headed to the city of South Bend, to see its many abandoned factories.
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| A historical building in Buchanan, Michigan. |
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Thank you!
Well done, as usual. I enjoy your articles and the history behind these places.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jon!
DeleteI'll have to check out Buchanan---I've never stopped, though we've been by on trips to see friends in Indiana. Love the shot of that house on the bottom. So many towns along US12 are going under, and beautiful homes like that can go for as little as $20K.
ReplyDeleteBuchanan seems like a nice place. I only got to see a small portion of it and I've heard I missed some interesting sites. Hopefully I'll make it back before too long.
DeleteI almost thought the white house was abandoned until I saw that the porch lights were on. I would love to buy an old place like that some day and give it the love it deserves.
Look forwarded to all of your comments surrounding these interesting locations - - love the history lessons
ReplyDeleteThanks! I love it when people leave comments of their memories of these places.
DeleteThat historical building used to be the Zinc Collar Pad factory. It was vacant for a long time before someone divided them into apartments, then vacant again. The link is a newsletter detailing it's history.
ReplyDeletehttps://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5VjcCg61kRhRzhIX0FUQ2R5aEk/edit
Thank you for the great info! I will update the article to include it.
DeleteIn June 2015, the gate on River St was wide open and we entered (walked through) to take some pics. Not much left of the original Clark buildings, as you have shown, but we went inside what was left. I am willing to share these pics but don't know how to do so on this site.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see your pictures. I don't think there is a way to post them in the comments, but if you have them in an online album like flickr, facebook, or google +, you could post the link.
Delete4/15/2018....We were just in Buchanan this past week and stopped at the brewery that is now in one of the old Clark Equipment Buildings. It is Lehman's Orchard Brewery & Farmhouse, and they have done a very nice job with the building. May I suggest if you are in Buchanan to stop in there and have a lunch. Also, visit Flowers by Anna, and Lowery's meat and grocery store.
ReplyDeleteHi Jim,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your summed up discovery of the Buchanan plant of Clark Equipment. Actually, I'm a huge fan of Clark Equipment, and I'm into archiving anything related to this company, and specifically their wheel loaders' range. Do you possess more pictures of that company or maybe that you know someone who might have slides or production reels?
Unfortunately I don't have more pictures. I wish I did. It looked like an interesting place. I would very much have liked to see more of it.
DeleteCheck out the Buchanan District Library. Peter Lsys does a fantastic job with The cities history. Very knowledgeable. A retired ogre Dame Archivist. Lots of Clark History.
DeleteI had a family relative that used to work for Clark equipment.His name was"Big Al"Andrews,he started with Clark back in the late 1930's or very early 1940's,he isn't here anymore.(deceased)
ReplyDeleteBut he was one of the people that made Clark famous back in those days.
My father worked at the Buchanan Plant up till it closed in the 80s. He tested welds on their equipment and I would spend many Saturday mornings there while he checked on test that were running. This brought back some very fond memories. A lot of American industrial history surrounding the whole area. Amazing article! Thanks for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteLike others, thanks for putting this together. My Dad worked there over 36 years(1940-1976) putting my sister and ne through college. He started in production and ended as foreman for the tinsmiths/plumbers. Too many below zero nights I would go with him as he was called in for making sure the heating system kept the entire plant warm. We'd go all over on the Cushman from the boiler room, through River Street, the foundry and every other areas. A huge place for a small boy to see. Duck pond was always fun during the warm season. One year, he took me in on a Saturday to watch them dredge it. I still have his Clark white hardhat and some pens/notebook as keepsakes. Everything in Buchanan centered around Clarks. So sad to see the decline...not just here but all of Berrien County.
ReplyDeleteAt work today while moving rail cars . I gotta thinking about Clark’s. My dad worked there back in the 70’s I recall so many folks were employed by Clark’s. I also remember the loader that was there , it was large enough to put Volkswagen Bugs in the bucket. It’s ashamed that they left the Buchanan area , for they kept so many people working which allowed them to support their families. With the Break Division, Axle Division, Housing Division. All we have now tho is memories. Sam
ReplyDeleteI was an industrial appraiser for Berrien County in the 1990s. A check with the County's Equalization Department's archives might still contain documents cataloguing the state of the Clark complex at that time. There may be blueprints somewhere in the County complex as well.
ReplyDelete