Gowanda Series
Eastern Tanners Glue Factory, c. 1904-1912
The Eastern Tanners Glue Company was established in Gowanda in 1904 by German
immigrant Richard Wilhelm and two other
investors. Wilhelm eventually bought the company entirely and, over the next
30 years, purchased nearly every major glue
manufacturer in the U.S. and Canada. He changed the name of the company in 1930
to the "Peter Cooper Glue Corporations," as
the result of the purchase of the Peter Cooper Glue company. Wilhelm became
known nationally as "The Glue King." His product,
dried flaked glue, was used in countless ways by other manufacturers to make
matches, plywood, book binding, electrolytic metal
refining, shoe soles, household cleaners, etc.
Aerial view c. 1917 Image source: private collection
Unknown building, possibly administration
Cattaraugus Creek behind the factory.
Detailed view of the factory from the opposite bank of the creek.
View of the site of the Peter Cooper Factory in 2004.
The process of glue-making consisted primarily
of boiling tanned hides and fleshings to extract the collagen. The waste products,
"cookhouse sludge," contained tanning chemicals such as chromium,
arsenic and zinc. These sludges were stored on the property
and, in the 1970's, also in a nearby location . After the factory closed in
1985, investigations by the NYS Department of
Environmental Conservation determined that serious ground water, surface water
(Cattaraugus Creek), surface soil and subsoil
contamination by these carcinogens was present. Remediation was carried out
to contain and minimize the leaching of these
chemicals, but the problem continues. The Gowanda site was named one of the
EPA's worst waste sites in 1998, and placed on
its National Priorities List.
This is an unfortunate legacy for Richard
Wilhelm, one which his life and character suggest he would never have knowingly
visited on
the village he loved and called his home until his death in 1940. His generosity
to the village was visible in his willingness
to serve three terms as village president. He was on the board of the Bank of
Gowanda and, after a major downtown fire in 1924,
he personally provided funds for the construction of the Hollywood Theater.
He continued to invest in the village of Gowanda by
constucting office buildings. But he is also remembered for keeping the Gowanda
glue factory operational during the Depression
when lack of demand for his product forced him to lay off employees at his many
other plants around the U.S. Salaries for the 300
workers were paid from company financial reserves during the worst years of
the Depression and the glue they produced was
stockpiled for a better economic climate.
With special thanks to Gowanda historian Phil
Palen, Gowanda Historical Museum volunteers Irene Bonk Koch, Ann Tolman and
Irvine Gaffney for their kindess and generous assistance with this series. And,
for this page, thanks to independent scholar
Jim Klug, who has studied the science of glue-making and the Peter Cooper Gowanda
factory in particular, and who generously
provided background information.
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