Factory

[Anne]

I was riding around with my grandparents today and showed them the Houn'Dawg factory. Grandpa said something about there used to be a Springfield Wagons factory. They made wagons, if you couldn't tell by the title. Anyone know anything about this, where it was, dates? Willard?

[TR146x]

Springfield Wagon Company was located just north of Trafficway, where Harry Cooper Supply now sits. It was Springfield’s largest industry for a long time. Dan Stepp, owner of Associated Video, wrote a great book on it, which I think can be purchased at the Greene County Historical Society.

http://thelibrary.springfield.missouri. ... /wagon.cfm

http://springfield.news-leader.com/colu ... 43731.html

http://www.watersheds.org/history/transportation.htm

Hope this helps.

[Willard]

Harry Cooper Supply Co. is in it's 4th (pretty sure that's right) location since it's founding. Several of the buildings it occupies south of Chestnut and east of Sherman are from the days of Springfield Wagon Co. This location occupied from 1883 to 1941, isn't the original site of Springfield Wagon Co. The original site, occupied from 1872 until it was destroyed by a fire in 1883, was originally on an empty lot now boardered by Boonville, Campbell, Water, and Mill. Google the name and you can find several areas of information about it.

[TR146x]

True, but as I recall, the fire was a blessing. the second location was what afforded it the opportunity to grow as it did. The first being relatively small. As a fun note, the entire area in the Harry Cooper basin is the subject of intense environment scrutiny. EPA is looking for accountability for the damage done in these locations. Harry Cooper’s land itself though is not being investigated.

I forgot to mention

There is a Springfield Wagon on display at the GC museum.

[Willard]

I don't think anyone really has any information on what the orignial factory or complex looked like anyway. But yeah the fire was more of a blessing. They built a bigger facility after that anyway. I do know that the company had lots of finacial problems in the first 3 or 4 years of its existance