Oil City Iron Works, Inc. is an iron foundry in
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
.
History
The modern Oil City Iron Works plant grew from a small machine shop and
foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...
started in
Corsicana, Texas
Corsicana is a city in and the county seat of Navarro County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 45, 50 miles southeast of Dallas, Texas, Dallas. Its population was 25,109 at the 2020 census. Corsicana is considered an important ...
in 1866 by John Winship (1826–86) to make parts for his cotton gin. He sold the operation in 1886 to businessmen Joseph Huey (1827–1904), James Garitty (1842–1925), and J. E. Whiteselle (1851–1915), who named it the Corsicana Manufacturing Company. In 1898, the cotton gin manufacturing division (formerly Winship Manufacturing Company and later Corsicana Manufacturing Company) was sold to Continental Gin Company, and the factory was leased to William Clarkson (1858–1941), a South Carolina native who came to
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
after the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
. After the sale of the manufacturing division the company functioned as a repair specialist for cotton gins and oil mills in East Central Texas. Clarkson renamed the company the Oil City Iron Works, because the area was then in the midst of an oil boom. He bought the company in 1908 and became president after it was incorporated in 1921.
In addition to parts for cotton gins, the plant began making castings for the oil and building industries. It was converted to defense production during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
(1941–45). After the war the cotton industry in Navarro County declined and Oil City Iron Works diversified its operation to provide castings for the oil field, road building, farm machinery, and other industries.
In 1926 the foundry division was completely destroyed by fire. The company rebuilt and business recovered to normal levels by 1927.
In 1960 it pioneered in the usage of ductile iron in herring-bone gears for power transmission equipment principally used in deep well pumping units, and today supplies major companies around the United States.
With a workforce of 255, the plant now ranks among the fifteen largest employers in Navarro County.
[Navarro County, Texas Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Year Ended September 30, 2008: http://www.co.navarro.tx.us/ips/export/sites/navarro/downloads/08CAFReport.pdf
]
References
External links
{{Portal, Texas
City of CorsicanaNavarro CountyOil City Iron Works on Facebook
Manufacturing companies based in Texas