News: Withee – Freeport
Silo Company
Transcriber:
stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Herington, Francis
---------Source: Withee Centennial (Owen, Clark County, Wis.) 2001
Northern Freeport Silo Company was started in Withee in 1957 by Hugh
Francis. Mr. Francis had previously been involved in a partnership with a
business in Marshfield that manufactured building blocks. His familiarity
with the cement business, as well as his ability to foresee the need for
storage structures with the conversion from baled hay to haylage, led to the
formation of a new business entity. Mr. Francis had an acquaintance in
Freeport, Illinois, that was involved in the manufacturing and building of
silos. He purchased silo forms from this company, dissolved his former
partnership and formed Northern Freeport Silo Company.
Hugh Francis was 63 years old when he started the silo manufacturing plant
in Withee. He chose Withee as the site for his new venture as he needed good
quality sand and gravel for the manufacturing of staves with which to build
silos. The abundance of these raw materials in Clark County made Withee the
perfect location.
In 1959 Hugh Francis hired Harley Herington of Tony, 1 WI as general manager
of Freeport Silo Company. The Withee plant at this time was manufacturing
one thousand t staves per day. There were also three silo building crews,
consisting of three to four men, that were dispatched from the Withee plant.
These crews built silos in Northern Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula of
Michigan, and in Eastern Minnesota. The construction of a silo involved
hard, back- breaking work. All labor was done by hand from the manufacturing
of the staves, loading and unloading them onto semi-trucks and the final
construction into a silo.
The stave manufactured in Withee was unique in that it was a wet cast stave
while most other silo companies used a dry-tamp method. There were only two
other silo companies in Wisconsin that made a wet cast stave. These staves
were stronger and more resistant to acids in corn and hay.
As haylage became a popular feed alternative, more silos were in demand. The
plant in Withee was required to do one year's work in seven months. A night
shift was added in the plant to accommodate the additional demand for
staves. Building crews worked from daylight to dusk.
During the mid-1960s, there was a labor shortage due to the Vietnam War. Mr.
Francis told his manager, "Harley, if they can walk, hire them". The
building crews consisted of one foreman and one other worker. The farmer was
expected to supply the necessary additional labor. It was during the sixties
that Freeport Silo sent a building crew to England to teach the English how
to construct silos.
Hugh's son, John , designed and engineered a Hi-press stave machine during
the mid-1960s. This machine manufactured a dry-tamp stave that was formed
under high pressure, removing the water and producing a high quality
product. The Hi-press stave was manufactured at a new plant in Chippewa
Falls. The addition of production capabilities for the silo company also
allowed for the addition of three more building crews.
The silo manufacturing and building industries flourished in the sixties and
seventies. During the late 1970s there were more than seventy-five Freeport
silos constructed within a thirty mile radius of Withee. Harley Herington
retired from Freeport Silo Company of Withee in 1975 and was replaced by his
son, Larry, as manager. There were many changes in the silo industry at this
time. One of the more notable differences was the size of silos being built.
In the late 1950s a 14' in diameter by 40' in height was most common. This
size usually took two days to build. In the mid-1960s the diameter increased
to 16, 18 and 20 feet, with the height also increasing anywhere from 50 to
80 feet. These silos required three to four days to construct.
The silo business began a gradual decline in the early 1980s. By the
mid-80s, many silo companies had discontinued doing business. Northern
Freeport Silo Company closed the branch office in Withee in the early 1980s.
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