| The Pickle Factories |
|---|
Pickle production began in Highland Station when John B. Crouse, Henry Tremaine, and Solon Wilhelm founded the firm of Crouse, Tremaine & Co. which, in 1880, built the Highland Pickle Works on the south side of Livingston Road, just east of the Pere Marquette railroad tracks. By the fall of 1881 the plant was running at full capacity, producing around 60 barrels of pickles a day, using locally grown cucumbers as well as vinegar produced at Crouse's Highland Vinegar Works in nearby Spring Mills. Crouse and Tremaine sold their interests to the Wilhelm family around 1886, after which it was operated as the Highland Vinegar and Pickle Company. In September, 1891, however, the Wilhelms suffered a series of financial losses following the failure of their Milford State Bank. To satisfy bank creditors, the Highland Vinegar and Pickle Company was sold to the Wells-Stone Mercantile Company of Saginaw, Michigan, which thereafter operated the plant under the name Oakland Vinegar and Pickle Company. In June, 1896, however, a fire broke out which burned the Highland Station factory to the ground. The cider and vinegar mill at Spring Mills continued in operation until 1902 when it was dismantled.
The engraving below is taken from a lithographed label used by Crouse, Tremaine & Co. and shows the pickle works built in Highland Station in 1880.
