The H. Ebbe Company
First Advertisement
Marshfield Times
May 19, 1899
First Advertisement as
H. Ebbe Co.
Dec 21, 1905
Marshfield News
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The Ebbe Company started as a partnership
between Hans Ebbe and Louis Thompson about 1897. Ebbe settled with his
family, the Lars Ebbe’s, in the town of Lincoln and later went to Waupaca
where he owned and operated a sand and gravel pit. Louis Thompson
also came from the town of Lincoln; his brother Thomas married Hanna Ebbe,
Han’s sister. The first ads for the Ebbe/Thompson business showed that
they carried building materials - lime, brick, and clay tiles - all materials
from the Waupaca Area. They undoubtedly used Marshfield’s position
on the Wisconsin Central Railroad to ship in materials in short supply
here. Also, about 1900 they began advertising to buy wheat and potatoes.
The company name was changed to H. Ebbe &
Co., after Albert Johnson came to Marshfield in 1903 and he assumed the
managership. The business was located in a building at the head end of
South Cedar Street, which is still in use as a storage warehouse. About
the same time, coal was added to the product line.
A family story has it that Albert disliked
having to maintain the teams and wagons just to haul potatoes and wheat
for the short growing season and added coal to keep them busy during the
winter months. Albert’s brother John joined him in 1907. They got
into the milling business about 1913 when they bought an existing mill
from John Hoffman for $3,000. The mill building was located just
off the main Soo-line tracks. In 1915, according to a letter in the
family, the Soo ordered that they move the building so that the railroad
could build a freight house. The Ebbe Company moved the mill building
about 100 feet to the south. The family has an agreement signed by Hans
Ebbe, John and Albert Johnson in 1918 detailing the partnership.
John and Albert had 30% each, with Hans Ebbe having 40%. It further stated
that each partner had first option to buy out another upon someone’s death.
Hans Ebbe died in 1923 and John & Albert gained full control of the
company. John and Albert, according to the agreement drew a
salary of $10.00 per month for managing the business, however they also
received 6% interest on their investment annually and an equal share of
the net profits.
In 1934, John bought the implement warehouse
used by Frank Noll at 12 N. Central Ave., now the site of Batteries Unlimited
and used as a lumberyard. The first manager was Ed Bodoh. While
manager Ed successfully ran for mayor of Marshfield against the fears that
his incumbency might turn away some customers. John |
appeared to have been one of his own best customers,
building several homes on west 4th Street.
According to stories told by John, he bought it to expand their building
material business and to help Noll out of a financial bind. John
bought several buildings and leased them back to their owners, helping
the owners to weather the depression. According to John ‘empty stores
don’t buy coal.’
The Ebbe Co. Lumber yard started in the building
that is at the rear. In about 1939 a front section was added as office
space and to provide a heated place to store paint, upstairs was a carpentry
shop. The carpenter/ cabinetmaker was Mike Bartle.
In newspaper ads in 1934 & 1935, the Ebbe
Co. advertised that they would arrange financing for purchase of lumber
for home building and remodeling. This loan program was a part of
the NHA, a “new deal” program to stimulate the economy. It came at
somewhat of a surprise given John staunch republicanism and general opposition
to FDR and the New Deal. |
Original Building about 1916
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Many men worked for the Ebbe Co., including longtime
employees such as Johnny Grancorvitz, known as “little John” so as not
to be confused with John Johnson. The miller was Pete Rassmussen.
Pete was a grand storyteller and former marshal of Owen. He particularly
bragged about his chickens and how well they laid eggs using a
“Shorty,” Johnny Grancorvitz, Albert, John inside
mill
about 1916
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particular feed. This story grew as Donald and Russell
Johnson (Albert’s sons) added eggs to the nests during the night.
They then went to adding hard-boiled eggs, which lead only to Pete’s claim
that the egg mash was so good; his chickens laid eggs ready to eat!
Pete also used to regale anyone who would listen, and that included many
small boys, with stories of the Mandan Indians (who were supposedly intermarried
with a group of Vikings who had been stranded), and Paul Bunyan. Pete also
had his own way of refinishing. He found an old .22 cal. rifle which
was very rusty and it’s stock had grayed. He hung the rifle above
the mill for about a year. Taking it down and wiping off the accumulated
dust, |
the rifle appeared in almost mint condition, the metal was like new and
the wooden stock had returned to its former color. Several other
wood pieces found their way to hang above the mill. It is supposed
that the mild abrasive and oily nature of grain dust effected the restoration
of wood.
| The long time teamster was Elmer Rausch; he
was later paired on a truck with Wally Post. Later in the business
the drivers included Vic and Herb Weigle, Ben Mancl and Blase Fischer.
Workers who went with the Lumber Yard included the Augie Eckes and his
son Melvin, Dick Aigner, Larry Shortess and Ruben Kademann. The Ebbe Company
operated on property extending from Maple Street on both slides of 1st
St. almost to Vine Street, as well as the Central Ave. location.
Most of the buildings were warehouses of some sort, but a half block east
of Cedar was a two-story metal building with a cupola on the top.
Originally this building was a coal elevator. |
John, Don Johnson, Johnny Grancorvitz, Albert, Elmer
Rausch early 30's
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Coal was delivered in boxcars and the soft coal was shoveled into
the lower sheds while the hard coal - called parlor or stove coal
- was elevated to the second floor level. When a delivery had to
be made the truck or wagon would back up and the chute opened. The
coal poured into the truck bed. The building made a great “castle”
for kids during the “Black Knight” fad of the 50's
Lumber Yard about 1936 after fire on left, manager
Ed Bohdoh also Marvin & Augie Eckes, Make Bartel,
Earl Grangorvitz
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The business incorporated in 1941 becoming
The H. Ebbe Company, Inc. Herb and Don Johnson purchased sons of John and
Albert it in 1952. The business was split in the 1956 into the H.
Ebbe Co. (coal, oil, feed seed and mason supplies) and Marshfield Lumber
and Supply (lumber, paint and building materials). After the split,
Herb added a new, large capacity hammer mill and mixer as well as becoming
a Mobile Oil dealer. The hammer mill used two large electric motors,
a 60 horsepower motor to run the hammers, a 35 horsepower motor to run
the blower. The motors were 3 phase 220 volt motors and drew their
maximum amperes is start up. The crew installing the machine questioned
whether or not the transformer supplying |
the mill would be adequate. They were assured by the Marshfield Electric
Company that the single transformer would handle the load. When first
starting the mill, the existing transformer exploded, darkening several
blocks of Marshfield. The single transformer was replaced with three
larger transformers.
The entry into the oil business has a bit
of irony. A family story had it that John had entered into an agreement
with A.J. Felker not to go into the petroleum business. Later research
has found that the agreement was probably with A.J. Sanders of the Marshfield
Oil Company. It is said that Sanders had gotten wind of John’s inquiries
to an oil company about a franchise to provide home heating oil and that
there were threats of bodily injury made. Whether this story is true
is not known, but for many years, John refrained from the fuel oil business.
The Ebbe Company had only a single tank truck, but it was equipped with
a “V” plow to insure that it could enter snow covered drives, especially
in the country. One day a farmer ordered oil and the truck was dispatched
to the farm. The driver encountered a well drifted over drive. Lowering
the plow, the driver got up a head of steam and |
Stock Certificate, Issued 1948
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aimed the
truck at what he could see as the drive. The driver was a few feet
right of the center of the drive and sheared off several fence posts.
The farmer complained in the spring when the damage was discovered, however
he had taken less than 20 gallons of fuel and the assumption was he ordered
fuel only because he wanted his drive plowed.
In the mid 60's Adele, Herb’s wife ran a garden
center during the spring. Records showed that in 1963 the H. Ebbe
Company delivered more coal with 2 trucks and two full-time, two part-time
men than they did with 5 trucks and two teams in the 1920's. Coal
customers included all of the Marshfield Schools, Weinbrenner Shoe Company,
the post office and many stores in downtown as well as homes. Due to changes
such as the introduction of natural gas and changes in agriculture, the
H. Ebbe Co. closed in 1964.
The mill building was sold to the Merkel Electric
Company and became their base of operation, the original building was sold
to Otto Schillinger and he used it for storage. The “Blatz”
building and the coal elevator were torn down after being seen as unsafe
and the lumberyard became a battery store. Later it was again sold
and has become a hamburger restaurant. The mill was finally torn
down in December of 2004.
The end - December 2004
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