From the WNY Heritage Press
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.
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.
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.
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.
Exerpts From the Dunkirk Observer (9/19/10)
GOWANDA - The Peter Cooper site, nestled along the Cattaraugus Creek, was a symbol of progress and economic growth through the early 20th Century.
The glue factory that once operated on the site's 26 acres helped make a millionaire out of owner Richard Wilhelm, who had, according to a Time magazine article reporting his death in 1940, made somewhere between $18 million and $25 million out of his animal glue empire.
Having spent his life in Gowanda, Wilhelm shared his wealth with the community. The Hollywood Theater - currently undergoing restoration - was built by him.
When fire decimated Gowanda's businesses in 1926, Wilhelm helped rebuild those, too. And when the Great Depression hit, Wilhelm kept the Gowanda plant open and all his employees on full pay, surviving off financial reserves.
With the legacy, however, was left a scar. After the Peter Cooper Factory closed in 1985, it was determined the byproducts of the glue-making process had left the site, groundwater and creek contaminated with hazardous elements including arsenic and chromium. A separate landfill site located in the town of Dayton was similarly contaminated. In the 1990s, the sites were placed on the Environmental Protection Agency's National Priorities list.
GOWANDA - The Peter Cooper site, nestled along the Cattaraugus Creek, was a symbol of progress and economic growth through the early 20th Century.
The glue factory that once operated on the site's 26 acres helped make a millionaire out of owner Richard Wilhelm, who had, according to a Time magazine article reporting his death in 1940, made somewhere between $18 million and $25 million out of his animal glue empire.
Having spent his life in Gowanda, Wilhelm shared his wealth with the community. The Hollywood Theater - currently undergoing restoration - was built by him.
When fire decimated Gowanda's businesses in 1926, Wilhelm helped rebuild those, too. And when the Great Depression hit, Wilhelm kept the Gowanda plant open and all his employees on full pay, surviving off financial reserves.
With the legacy, however, was left a scar. After the Peter Cooper Factory closed in 1985, it was determined the byproducts of the glue-making process had left the site, groundwater and creek contaminated with hazardous elements including arsenic and chromium. A separate landfill site located in the town of Dayton was similarly contaminated. In the 1990s, the sites were placed on the Environmental Protection Agency's National Priorities list.