The Civil War was over and the young soldier from the Federal Army was ready to settle down.  He had visited the Wisconsin area several years earlier and decided to return to the bustling frontier area and practice the trade his hometown of Gloversville, New York was famous for -- tanning and glove manufacturing.  Benjamin W. Place settled in Washington County, in the town of Hartford.  There he gained a reputation as the first white man to tan buckskin in the West. He used an "Indian-Style" method in a smoke house and then cut out the gloves for his wife, Mary, to sew.  He would then hitch up his team and deliver the gloves to area merchants.  In those days, Ben had to get his hides from Chicago because deer were scarce in Wisconsin.     In 1895, his son, Warren B. Place and a half brother, George Wells, took over the business, establishing a factory.  News articles from around 1899 note that the new tannery was painted and "a very large sign on the building was easily read from a distance".  Also, it notes a trip Warren made to Gloversville to learn a new method of tanning.  While their husbands were busy expanding the tannery, the Place women were busy manufacturing gloves, first from the upstairs of the Place home, and later, in a "downtown" location.  The sewing operation was eventually brought back to the tannery site where it remains.     During the time of the first World War, sheepskin tanning was the main operation in the company.  A local news article from that time notes a government contract for 50,000 sheepskins to be delivered "on or before November 1, 1918.     Warren's daughter, Eva, wrote about those days.  "Dad looked like a scarecrow, as he was doing the work of four men.  Even my cousin and I were allowed to help after school and on Saturdays, working at the measuring machine...It wasn't hard work and we thought we were a big help to the war effort."  In 1928, sheepskin was still a major part of the business.  Within a ten day period that year, 23 carloads were shipped in from Australia.     In the 1930s the custom tanning business, especially deerskin, was growing noticeably.  Skins were being shipped in from as far as Texas, California and Montana.  Leather garments as well as gloves were being sewn and a nation wide reputation was being reached.  Warren's son Elmo, then also involved in the business, was known to boast that they tanned everything from a mole to a moose, a mouse to an elephant.  Price lists at that time listed about sixty different kinds of hides.     Elmo and his brother Ben succeeded their father in heading the business.  Elmo was called to Washington the day after Pearl Harbor and told that all leather had to be turned over to the government. Hunters' hides were confiscated and all were tanned into special cold weather leather.  Once again the Place sheepskins were called on for aviation stock.  The increased demand meant the need for more workers.  To help the area labor situation, the government located a prisoner of war camp in Hartford (at what is now The Chandelier Ballroom).     Most prisoners worked at area canneries, but about 85 Germans and guards worked at the tannery.  Ben recalled that the head German at the tannery was a former chief teller at a Berlin bank.  Many of the POW's asked for a leather coat, which was forbidden, but Ben said that when the Berliner left, he had his coat.     After the war and the closing of the government contracts it was decided to build on the reputation  W. B. Place had acquired as custom tanners.  The numbers of deerskin tanned reached 200,000 in some years.  By the 1950s, under the direction of Ben's son-in-law, Milton, and daughter Ellen Schuette, the line of manufactured goods grew to include such diverse items as fashion coats and deer hair filled leather pillows that were said to float.  A staple in the operation was glove manufacturing and the production of glove leather for other manufacturers.     In 1973 Benjamin's great great grandson, Lyn Schuette, took over the management of W. B. Place from Milton Schuette.  Lyn moved the company into the forefront of pollution control measures for the tanning industry.  Deerskin tanning was now done, and still is,  for hunters from every state in the Union.  A retail store was also added to showcase the manufactured garments.     Historic W. B. Place Garment I have a deer skin hunting suit made by your company for my grandfather over 70 years ago. It is still in excellent condition. I was wondering if you would be interested in displaying it in your Hartford Store? It consists of a flannel lined coat and a pair of trousers with suspenders.! I do not know the exact date of manufacture, but he died in 1935. When he died, he left it to his brother who passed it down to his son. My cousin gave it to me several years ago. The three of them used it for many seasons. In 1955 my grandmother still had a remnant of the hide used in the suit, and I had it sewed into a cover for the seat of my motorbike. Apparently when W. B. Place tans a hide, it lasts forever. I doubt your records go back that far, but my grandfather's name was Robert B. Cammack and he lived in Dallas, Texas. I visited your store many years ago and find it remarkable that you are still in business after 138 years. It just shows that quality product and service are always in demand!

(W. B. Place & Co. 1800's)

WB Place quality symbol Proudly Made in Wisconsin