he bought a place on Walker street, a building which had been erected by Wilbur Ash in 1857. This he occupied as
a carpenter shop and later as a cabinet shop. He remained at this place for two years, when he again moved to
Spring street north of Walker street, where he erected a factory of considerable proportions. This became the firm
of Brainard & Andrews, which carried on as a furniture manufacturing business until 1868. On January 9 of that
year, the St. Johns Manufacturing Company was organized by R.M. Steel, William Steel, W.W. Brainard, Oliver
Hiddon and J.L. Paldi. R.M. Steel was named president, J.L. Paldi secretary, and W.W. Brainard its superintendent.
The corporation was chartered with a capital stock of one hundred twenty thousand dollars and began at once to
erect a large factory north of the D. & M. freight house. In September, 1868 The Clinton Republican gave this
report:
"The new buildings of the St. Johns Manufacturing Company are progressing rapidly. The main building which is
fifty by one hundred ft., two stories high, with a basement story, is already enclosed and presents a tasty and
substantial appearance. Work on the engine and boiler rooms has commenced. This part of the establishment is
being constructed of brick and to be 40 by 50 ft., three stories high with a large chimney nine square feet at the
base and sixty feet high."
In December, 1868 the factory on Spring street burned but the company pushed on with the new factory and it was
completed in March, 1869. Extensive timber tracts were purchased in Gratiot county and elsewhere and saw mills
built and operated in connection with the manufacturing business. In 1874 the capacity of the plant was further
increased until the plant covered six acres. On March 23, 1876 The Clinton Independent announced:
"The St. Johns Manufacturing Co. will have a new saw mill in running order on the grounds east of their factory."
A good view of this facility can be seen in the 1881 view above. Note the elevated tram ways for stacking lumber on
each end of the facility.
Gratiot county. This mill ran from March to September, cutting from a million to
two million feet of lumber which was worked in the factory at St. Johns. The
lumber was hauled by local farmers and their teams in the winter time when
there were no crops. Two thirds of this amount was hauled by teams owned
by Greenbush township farmers. The Clinton Republican reported in October
1879 that this saw mill had cut two million feet of lumber the past season. In
the winter of 1881, about 2,330,000 feet of pine lumber had been delivered to
the factory and also in 1881 new side tracks were built extending clear to the
east end of the factory's land. One was built along their new building to
facilitate better shipping.
One branch of this company was the erection of buildings by contract. Several
first class farm houses were built in the surrounding country. In June, 1879
they bid on a contract for building the Gratiot county jail in Ithaca. The next
month of that year they were awarded a contract to refurbish the Franklin
House in Detroit. On October 30, 1879 The Clinton Independent said:
"The M.E. Church is being repainted by the St. Johns Manufacturing Co. The
exterior color is being changed from white to light drab with dark trimming."
On May 31, 1895 the St. Johns Manufacturing Co. had a very destructive fire
in which their new office and dry kilns buildings were destroyed. In 1899 the
company was sold at auction by Circuit Court Commissioner Geo. H. Marshall
for the benefit of creditors. The successor to the old company was the St.
Johns Table Co. In 1905 this company moved to Cadillac.
From this history we can see that this company was a big customer for the
Detriot & Milwaukee Railway at St. Johns.
Photograph from Bement
Library. The brick building
with the shades is their office
building.
From St. Johns city council
meeting on June 3, 1895:
This board recommended to
the village council that more
reservoir capacity for the water
works at once. During the fire
in the St. Johns Manufacturing
Company's shop on May 31,
1895, the capacity in the two
reservoirs now in use was
exhausted in three hours time,
from 3 to 6 pm.
Photograph from Bement
Library.
at St. Johns Manufacturing in
1895.
To the extreme left is the
Detroit, Grand Haven &
Milwaukee Railway freight
house.
Photograph from Bement
Library.
1907 and St. Johns
Manufacturing is now building
portable buildings. The
building to the extreme right
has the sign on the roof,
Michigan Wagon & Manufact-
uring Co. Note the bags of
grain in the door of the
boxcar.
Photograph from Bement
Library.
building in 1995.
This building has since been
razed.
Photograph M.B. Scharnweber