Correspondence
Catalog Number
2019.1.1451aDescription
Letter sent to former employees of Heinz Factory to share their memories and any artifacts of their time working at the factory. This is in preparation for Randy Vande Water to write a book about the 100-year anniversary of the Heinz Factory. The letter was sent on September 29, 1995 from Jerry Shoup, Factory Manager.History
Randall P. "Randy" Vande Water was a local historian and newspaper editor. He spent 4 decades at the Holland Sentinel working as sports editor, city editor, editorial page editor, and managing editor.In 1896 an agent from the H. J. Heinz Co. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania traveled to west Michigan looking for a place to build a processing factory. Eventually Holland, MI was chosen due to the soil, harbor access and the lobbying of local businessmen (including William Beach, Gerrit J. Diekema, Arend Visscher and Oscar E. Yates).
By 1898 a three-story factory went up on west 16th Street on Black Lake (Lake Macatawa) known as branch No. 7 (1903, 1914 city directories). John J. Baxa (1874-1967) was Holland's manager in 1906 through 1914, followed by James A. Hoover (1872-1957) from approximately 1921 to 1940 and Charles B. McCormick (1897-1977) from approximately 1945 to 1961 (Holland city directories).
Read More