USHCO on Holk Ave.... need pictures.

Barney · Member

USHCO on Holk Ave.... need pictures.

linda wright butson · Newbie

Barney, How do you know so much about USHCO? My uncle Armean was a bigwig there and my dad worked there. Armean ran Mallory's for years and my mother retired from there in 1984 or 85. I sure wish I would have paid more attention to what was going on with our family rather than keeping track of my friends although I sure enjoyed my friends in Frankfort then and still do.

Barney · Member

Like I said, wish I had started the research 20-30 years back. I worked at Mallory from 1960 until the spring of 1965. I started at the Hoke ave plant and did the plant layout for the new one. I think half the Wright family worked there.... Marcus Chapman, the Risse clan came from Tell City with USHCO.

Anyone know how the name originated? The parent company and headquarters was in Buffalo NY and they made all the hardware/metal parts there. The name was originally U.S. Hame Co and they made horse Hames. At some point, they changed the name to seperate themselves from the image of being a company that only supplied horse hames and U.S.Hame Co became USHCO. Documentation is difficult to find and different sources have different dates on when the name was changed but it seems to be sometime before they moved to Frankfort.

Steve G · Veteran Member

I have home movies of the building USHCO was in when it was McDougall Cabinet Co. These home movies were taken in the late 20s early 30s. Stuff the library does not have. I plan on transferring them over to digital here soon.

Barney · Member

That is good information that the Library should be interested in and would probably like a copy.

I am looking for photos taken inside where they were building the wooden wagons and parts.

As Linda noted, several people in my generation had parents working there and I am hoping they have photos in the stack of old family pictures........ please look

linda wright butson · Newbie

Just heard from Armean's son,Bob, who has pictures and history of USHCO. Lots to come soon and also he has info on airport. He will be a great asset to this website.

rawright · Newbie

Perhaps I do not know completely how to use this WEB site since I do not see much activity. I do have alot of information on USHCO including the history which I found on the Internet plus many photos of the operation that I have already converted to digital. Is anyone interested? My father Armean Wright ran USHCO in it's final years and I actually have some of the original wood panels used in the bodies. I am hoping that I have attached a sample of the pictures that I have -- there are about 20.

-- Edited by rawright on Sunday 24th of October 2010 04:41:44 PM

-- Edited by rawright on Sunday 24th of October 2010 04:46:12 PM

Barney · Member

Bob.... thanks for taking the time to dig out the pictures. I think a lot of people will be happy to see them. The Frankfort library hopefully has a file on USHCO and would love to get them. There are lots of "Woodie" people that would love to see them and I can put you in touch with people that will appreciate seeing them and make them available to lots of people with woodies made in Frankfort.

I started working for Mallory in the spring of 1960 at the Holk ave plant. I think I can add a little to the last two pictures. The second from the right was shot upstairs in the main building that runs along Holk Ave. It appears they are making the individual wood parts that make up the body. That was probably done upstairs because the complete cars/bodys would be difficult to get on the second floor.

The far right picture is the main floor of the two story building on Holk Ave.

I cannot identify the men in the picture, but the one in the center may be your dad.... you can confirm? The fellow on the far left looks familiar but not sure who he is.

Last I want to add a photo sent to me by Richard Quinn, editor of the Antique Studebaker Review. I cannot get it to work at this time will add it later.
We know USHCO made all the Plymouth bodys, but they also did some for
the independent auto makers. The picture shows a 1937 Studebaker station wagon at the new car introduction in South Bend. It would probably be the fall of 1937 as the men have on coats and that would be when the new models were introduced. There are no records of the number built, also since the plant in Tell City was flooded in January 1937, the wagon shown may have been made in Buffalo since the move to Frankfort was not announced until August 1937.

Morris Carr was the plant manager in Tell City and moved to Frankfort with many other Tell City employees. I did some research thinking that Morris Carr and the Carr cabinet company might be of the same family, but that is not the case.

Bob....please post more pictures and any stories you remember.

Barney · Member

1937 Studebaker woodie

rawright · Newbie

Barney -- I also do not know the names of the people in the photos taken inside the plant; however, I am certain that my Dad was not one of them. I do know some of the people in the photo of the 5 men -- from left to right, Augie Cassidy, Armean Wright and Marcus Chapman in the center, not certain who the other 2 are. I am also providing a WEB site address that gives the history of USHCO -- http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/u/us_body/us_body.htm

Nehala · Member

I lived across the street from Armean's Mother on E Mc Clurg and he was always there for her. A nice family.