10th Anniversary Edition: Cape County Milling Co.

One of the larger articles in The Daily Republican's 10th Anniversary Edition, published in 1915, tells the story of the Cape County Milling Co. and the men who operated it. At one point, the company had two mills in Jackson (A and B) and a third in Burfordville (Mill C, or Bollinger Mill). Only the latter has survived, and it and the nearby covered bridge are part of the Missouri State Parks system.

The mill at Burfordville was part of the Cape County Milling Co., and was known as Mill C.

CAPE COUNTY MILLING COMPANY

By far the most important industry in Jackson and Cape Girardeau County, as well, is the Cape County Milling Company. There have been flour mills in Cape Girardeau County over a hundred years, and in Jackson nearly as long, but it was the Cape County Milling Company that centralized the business in Jackson and vicinity into one great and powerful unit, which, while being backed by unlimited capital, has never endeavored to assume the characteristics of a trust, but has at all times given to the wheat growers of this section of the state, which is the best soft-wheat growing territory in the world, the best possible market for their products, and to the consumer the best flour that can be produced at reasonable prices.

That the wheat produced in this section is superior to any in the world, is an undisputed fact. In the plants of the Cape County Milling Company this excellent grain is reduced to flour and by-products by the most approved methods, under the supervision of experts, and by the use of the very best of machinery that money can buy. The wheat is not merely "ground" into flour, shorts and bran, but the head miller is a graduate chemist, in whose laboratory all the products are chemically analyzed and tried as to their purity and wholesomeness, in order that they may substantiate at all times the claims made for them by their manufacturers. Nothing is allowed to go out from the plants of the Cape County Milling company without carrying with it the full guarantee of the company, backed by its reputation and its money. The consequence is that the Cape County Milling Company has established for itself a reputation for fair dealing and unfailing integrity, which to possess it is the good fortune of very few concerns of this character in this country.

Nearly twenty years ago this company was organized by the uniting of the most important milling interests in Cape Girardeau County. The organizers were A.R. Byrd, R.M. McCombs, F. Tiedemann, J.L. Hinkle, J.C. Clippard, Charles Tiedemann, Hines Clippard, J.A. Horrell, and S.B. Horrell. All these gentlemen were interested more or less in the various flour mills in and about Jackson. After consolidating all these smaller enterprises into one giant company, under one management, and a good one at that, tings began to move forward rapidly. What interests formerly had been in intense competition, now united their best efforts to make the new organization a brilliant success.

The largest mill in Jackson was designated as Mill A, and it is an immense plant with elevators and warehouses, covering several acres of ground. The smaller Jackson plant, located on the west side of the city, is known as Mill B, and it, as well as the one at Burfordville, known as Mill C, were at once equipped with the best and most up-to-date milling machinery that could be had, and the buildings were remodeled and enlarged. The capacity of the three mills at the time of the merging of them into one company was about 700 barrels of flour per day. This capacity has been just about doubled, the three mills being able to produce from 1,400 to 1,500 barrels per day now. In the elevators and storage rooms about 300,000 bushels of grain can be kept, and the elevators are equipped with sufficient machinery to keep the grain moving in order to keep it from becoming moldy or stale.

The mills now owned by the Cape County Milling Company were among the first in the United States to adopt the Hungarian or roller system, they were the first in the world to conceive and adopt the Alsop electrical flour-bleaching process, which revolutionized the milling world, and is now being used by the mills in all the wheat-growing countries on the globe. All the modern inventions that are offered to the milling trade and that have proven meritorious, are given a tryout by this company, which annually spends thousands of dollars for new appliances. Connected with the larger plant, Mill A, is a large barrel factory, where barrels are manufactured by machinery eliminating the slow process of making them by hand. Convenient switching facilities give the mills ready access to the railroads traversing Jackson. About ninety men are constantly in the employ of this concern, and during the busy times many more are employed. Several men are constantly on the road, selling the flour and feed. The shipping capacity of the whole system is about eight cars of flour and from three to five cars of feed per day. Shipments are made to the following states: Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, Illinois, and to all parts of Missouri. "Gold Leaf," the leading brand of patent flour, is known all over the South, and in the territory extending from New York City to El Paso, Texas. The "Kitchen Queen" brand is nearly as famous, and several brands of self-rising flour have become a household necessity in tens of thousands of American homes. "Gold Leaf" flour, whenever entered into competition, always carries off the prizes. It was awarded first prize in the competition against all flour at the State Fairs in Texas, Arkansas, Georgia, and Alabama, the only four states where exhibits were made by the company.

The greater part of this success is due to the fact that the mills are located in this region, where the best quality of soft wheat on earth is grown. But the management of the Cape County Milling Company has also a great deal to do with the building up of this enormous business. The officers are: A.R. Byrd, president; J.W. Hunter, vice president; John P. Mabrey, secretary; J.R. Bowman, treasurer. A.R. Byrd, R.M. McCombs, J.W. Hunter, J.R. Bowman, William A. Heyde, and John P. Mabrey form the directorate. William A. Heyde is the head of the millers, and Lee Masters the head engineer. Tom A. Cosgrove is bookkeeper and cashier. Miss Lucy Woeder the chief stenographer. The luxurious offices are located near the plant known as Mill A, near the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway station, in the eastern part of Jackson.

A.R. Byrd.

The president of the Cape County Milling Company is a native of Cape Girardeau County, but is now a resident of Texas, where he owns and operates extensive ranges near Carrizo Springs. He was born on December 9, 1851, his parents being Stephen and Nancy Isabella (Moore) Byrd. He and Mrs. Byrd have four sons, J. Hunter, Abraham R., Oliver Carlisle, and Edward, and three daughters, Clara, Rose and Elizabeth. The Byrds are among the first families that came to Cape Girardeau County, and the ancestors of A.R. Byrd were very prominent in political and business life in the pioneer days. AT the present day they are equally as prominent in the financial and social circles.

John P. Mabrey.

John P Mabrey, the secretary of the Cape County Milling Company and as such practically the moving spirit of the concern, was born near Jackson on the 23rd day of October, 1869, the son of Robert and Eliza (Proffer) Mabrey. He attended the public schools, the Millersville High School, the Cape Girardeau Normal, and the Kentucky University at Lexington. Completing his education, he became a teacher, and taught in the public schools one year, but quit to take charge of a clerkship in the mills of the present Cape County Milling Company in 1892, and from that position has worked his way up to the very responsible office of secretary and general manager of this extensive business.

On July 1, 1893, he was married to Sallie Deck, and they have three sons, Clyde Cook, Harold Deck, and John Ralph. The family owns and occupies a modern and convenient home on North High Street in Jackson. All are members of the Methodist Church, and Mr. Mabrey is the superintendent of the Sunday School, while Mrs. Mabrey is very active in W.C.T.U. work and in he Ladies' Aid Society.

Mr. Mabrey is a member of the Commercial Club and formerly held the office of chairman thereof. He holds stock in the Jackson Building and Loan Association, and is one of its directors. He is really one of the "big" men in Cape Girardeau County, and when this is not in a spirit of flattery nor obsequiousness, but is a mere statement of facts. Being a self-made man in the truest sense of the word, and having worked his way up by close application to business and by the thorough study of the same, he has accumulated a store of knowledge and that far reaching, penetrating and nice perception of business that is necessary to succeed.

J.W. Hunter.

The purchasing agent and supervisor of outside work, a big job, lies in the hands of J.W. Hunter, vice president of the Cape County Milling Company. In that capacity it is necessary that Mr. Hunter travel a good deal, as does the secretary, Mr. Mabrey, and both gentlemen are on the road a great deal of the time.

Mr. Hunter was born on April 30, 1858, in Cape Girardeau County, his parents being Joseph and Nancy (Horrell) Hunter. Having finished his education in the public schools, he attended the Normal at Cape Girardeau, and from there started out in life as a clerk on the Mississippi and Ohio river steamers. Later he became interested in the sawmill business in Scott County and in Cape Girardeau County, continuing in that business from 1881 to 1895, when he became one of the organizers of the Cape County Milling Company and its vice president, which position he still holds. On June 8th, 1892, he and Miss Ada C. Alsop were married, and their married life has been a beautiful one. He has provided a home in Jackson which is considered the best in the city, beautifully located on Main Street and one of the show places of the city. The Hunters are Presbyterians. Mr. Hunter is a member of the M.W.A. and of the K. and L. of S. Politically he is a Democrat. In his home city he is an active member of the Commercial Club, and he holds stock in the Stoddard County Milling Company.

While unassuming and of retiring manner, Mr. Hunter has become one of the leading business men in Jackson, and, being a man of means, figures conspicuously in the business and public affairs of the city of Jackson and the County of Cape Girardeau, as well as those of Southeast Missouri.

Lee S. Masters.

Lee S. Masters was born in Perry County in the state of Pennsylvania on the 15th of November, 1845, his parents being Joseph and Catherine (Scherrer) Masters. After finishing his education in the public schools in his home town, he worked a while for the Dunn-Cannon Iron Company in his home, then served a four-year apprenticeship as steam engineer. Then he came west, and found employment in the construction of the St. Louis waterworks system. He then crossed the river into Illinois and worked six years in the mills and grain elevators of East St. Louis, but came to Jackson in April, 1875, and became chief engineer in he Tiedemann flour mills. This job he held twenty years, and when this plant was absorbed by the Cape County Milling Company he was made head engineer of all the mills and factories of that company, and has held that place since, making his term as engineer in Jackson nearly forty years. He has charge of all the power machinery in all the plants that the company owns, and has proven his ability by keeping things moving along nicely, and adding many improvements and small devices, designed to save labor and material.

In June, 1871, he was married to Sarah Brown and they have four children, two sons, Robert and Fred, and two daughters, Alice and Sadie. The family worships in the Baptist church. Mr. Masters is a Republican, and has been a Mason and an Odd Fellow for forty-eight years. His only hobby is reading and study. During the rebellion, he served as a private in Company A, 201st Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry Volunteers, one year, until the close of the war. he is one of the still in the land, that never attempts to inform the people of what knowledge he has in his vocation, and is quiet and unobtrusive in his ways. His home is the place that he spends all the time in when not at work.

I was unable to find photographs of the two Jackson mills when the were in operation, but I did find stories that told of their demise.

The story of Mill B's demolition was published in The Southeast Missourian on July 13, 1965.

Dismantling of Old Mill B in Jackson Progressing

JACKSON -- work is progressing on the dismantling of old Mill B of the Cape County Milling Co. and the building itself should be leveled within another three weeks, the owner, Wilson "Cap" Crites said today.

The mill is located on West Main Street in Jackson, and on the east side of Hubble Creek. A second mill owned by the now defunct company is located near the railroad tracks at Old Cape Road and Georgia Street.

Mr. Crites said he has been negotiating for future use of the site, but said he cannot at this time disclose the nature of the negotiations.

Mr. Crites is currently tearing down the building with his own crew after a wrecking firm left the job unfinished recently.

The old mill, a landmark in Jackson for the past 60 years or more, was at one time one of the largest industries in Cape County.

It was started over half a century ago by the late James R. Bowman. Since the original construction of the mill, two major additions and remodelings of the structure have taken place.

It was originally a flour mill and wheat from all over the area was brought to the mill. It reached its peak in flour milling a number of years ago.

Later the mill was converted to corn meal grinding as well as some storage and buying and selling of grain.

Finally, it was bought by a Memphis, Tenn., firm and was used mainly for government grain storage. Grain was also bought and sold at the old mill. Some grinding was still carried on.

When the Memphis firm closed down operations of the frame building, it was never revived and last year was sold at an auction to an investment group.

Mr. Crites purchased the mill in June and work on the dismantling began on June 10. When cleared, the site will provide about two acres of level ground for development.

The Missourian told of the razing of Mill A on May 8, 1973:

Different sounds coming from historic Jackson mill as razing begins

By JOHN H. RAMEY

Missourian staff writer

JACKSON -- Once again their are noises coming from the Cape County Milling Co. on Old Cape Road here, but they are not the sounds of elevators, grinders or sifters.

Instead, they are the sounds of hammers, saws and crowbars, and the crashing of beams and bricks, as the historic mill that once was the hub of Jackson and the surrounding area falls victim to time.

"The mill was unsafe and a fire hazard," said its owner, Harold C. Kasten, whose business, Kasten Building Center Inc., 422 Old Cape Road, is located in the mill complex. "We were not using it for a thing in the business here. We've had problems with vandals and kids playing in it. It generally was making a nuisance of itself."

Mr. Kasten purchased the property from a Texas owner in 1966. The razing of the mill section of the ancient structure began last week and Mr. Kasten hopes to have it completed within two months.

DETERIORATING

The section of the former mill and grain storage operation that is being torn down was rapidly deteriorating. The mill section is located at the north end of the complex and stood five stories high.

Aside from the many huge timbers, some of them 12 inches by 112 inches and 32 feet long, a few old flour sacks and kegs, and hardly recognizable sifters, there's not much of value in the old wooden mill. But there is a lot of valuable history associated with it.

Although no official date of its beginning could be obtained, it is believed the property on which it is located began as a flour and saw mill shortly after the turn of the 19th century, probably about 1804 through 1806.

It was operated as such by Miles Niblack and after having burned and been rebuilt, Jacob Kneibert and William Tiedemann ran it until 1870. At that time, Frederick Tiedemann became the proprietor, it was remodeled and enlarged in 1872, 1875, 1882 and 1883 and transformed into a roller mill with capacity of from 350 to 400 barrels a day.

In 1887 an elevator with a capacity of 50,000 bushels was erected and in 1875, a stave and heading factory was built to supply material for the cooper shop.

About 1894, it became known as Cape County Milling Co., one of three mills operated by the firm, which was a uniting of the largest milling interests in Cape County. Its organizers were A.R. Byrd, R.M. McCombs, F. Tiedemann, J.L. Hinkle, J.C. Clippard, Charles Tiedemann, Hines Clippard, J.A. Horrell and S.B. Horrell.

LARGEST MILL

Being the largest mill in Jackson, it became known as Mill A. Another Jackson plant, which was smaller, was located on the west side of the city and known as Mill B. The Burfordville mill, now a landmark, became known as Mill C.

At its height of production in the early 1900s, Cape Milling Co., was producing between 1,400 and 1,500 barrels per day. The mill was among the first in the nation to adopt the Hungarian or roller system and the first in the world to adopt the Alsop electrical flour-bleaching process, which revolutionized the milling industry.

The mill, which had field offices in Havana, Cuba and Africa, had as many as 130 employees at its plants during the height of operation. It produced flour under the brand names of Capco, Daily Biscuit, White Poppy, Kitchen Queen, Snow Light and Gold Leaf.

It operated for over half a century and after shutting down in 1952, reopened in June 1953. A year later, however, it began liquidation and on June 29, 1954, became a grain storage operation.

Mr. Kasten purchased the property in 1966, as storage for building supplies. In 1970 he moved into the complex and now uses the large warehouse, which, is basically sound.