West Side Manufacturing Company
Manufacturing on W. Walnut Street
Jesse Cappon was born in Milwaukee in 1865. His parents, who were from Holland, moved to the United States and settled in Milwaukee to start a family. Jesse was married by the age of 25, and two years later, in 1892, he founded the West Side Manufacturing Company with two other men: Albert Quast and Edward Schildknecht. The West Side Manufacturing Company manufactured blinds, doors, sash, stairs, and wood furnishings and quickly became the main source of these products for Milwaukee and its surrounding counties. By the year 1910, Cappon was able to upgrade the company buildings due to good business. The lumber shed, the amenities, and the security systems were also upgraded during this time. The West Side Manufacturing Company employed 20 skilled workers in order to be a top of the line manufacturer.
After briefly housing the Continental Textile Company from 1980 until 1996, the former West Side Manufacturing Company building is now home to Barrel Plating Services, Inc., a manufacturing company which specializes in metal coatings and rubber adhesives. The company, which profits more than one million dollars annually, still only employs 20 workers. |
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