Carhartt

The Carhartt Story "The present push, by the 21st Century Inc. group, to unite the community and improve the quality of life here is not the first time the citizens of this county have made that effort.

One of the County’s greatest assets resulted from a civic-minded group bent on creating jobs during the Great Depression. The stock market crash that struck Wall Street in October of 1929 had a catastrophic effect on the national economy. Markets dried up, companies closed and large numbers of people found themselves unemployed. The government provided very little in the way of relief in those days and many families were absolutely destitute. These were not people addicted to the welfare roles, but hard working people who simply could not find work. There were few jobs, little money and no public assistance. Charitable relief agencies were overwhelmed and desperate families were scrounging for the necessities of life. It is difficult for post Depression generations to visualize the terrible gut wrenching deprivation that gripped the country in 1930. A sense of hopelessness pervaded the land as more and more people joined the ranks of the unemployed and dispossessed. Estill County was not spared the repercussions of the Great Depression. The desperate economic situation here mirrored that of the Country.

Fortunately, Irvine had a number of exceptional civic leaders who came to the aid of their beleaguered community during that desperate time. According to the newspapers of the period, Charles E. Yeager was the initiator of the movement that brought the Carhartt factory to Irvine. In outward appearance Yeager was a most improbable hero. He was a small man with large ears, a prominent nose and thick glasses; not the physical characteristics normally associated with heroic figures. But inside his diminutive body beat a heart of colossal proportions. During his life he demonstrated his generosity and public commitment over and over again. He is perhaps best known as the founder of the local Boy Scout troop. He also served a stint as editor of the Irvine Times. ( Hopefully, his good friend Charles Van Huss, will provide more information on this extraordinary man in a future article. )

Yeager was the president of the Irvine-Ravenna Kiwanis Club in 1930 when the club became the catalyst in a remarkable community venture to improve the dire employment predicament here. Under his leadership, the club promoted the notion of bringing a factory to Irvine. Other Kiwanis officers were: C. M. Lykins, Vice President; Jonathan Wallace, 2ndVice President; and Arch M. Clark, 3rd Vice President. Probably no Kiwanis club, in the history of that international organization, ever achieved more for their communities than the local chapter accomplished for Irvine.

To broaden the scope of the initiative into a community-wide undertaking, a Board of Commerce was established to oversee the project in the Fall of 1930. Officers of the board were: E. S. Scott President. ( Manager of the local Kentucky Utilities office) ; Charles E. Yeager, Secretary-Treasurer; Arch Wallace, Vice President; Elbert A. Smither, 2nd Vice President; and John Wallace, 3rd Vice President. Once the board was in place, contact was made with the Carhartt officials in Detroit. The Irvine delegation and Carhartt company officials worked out a financing arrangement that served as an enticement for the company to locate a plant in Irvine. The original deal was for the citizens of Estill County to raise two hundred thousand dollars through a stock subscription to help finance the new plant. The amount required was later lowered to one hundred and fifty thousand dollars because construction and equipment costs were less than expected due to the depressed economic situation. Raising that kind of money in 1930, during the Country’s greatest depression, was a monumental task. The Carhartt Holding Company was incorporated by the Board of Commerce to raise capital by selling stock. Most of the required capital was raised quickly when one thousand and twelve Estill County citizens invested in the new venture. This is an astounding fact considering the times. Many of the people who put up money probably could not really afford to make the risky investment, but were willing to chance their meager resources to aid the community.

Wylie Carhartt visited Irvine in November of 1930 to look over the town and to determine the feasibility of locating a plant here. He was favorably impressed but made no final commitment. He did however ask his engineers to explore site possibilities for the new plant.

Not wanting to leave anything to chance, a Board of Commerce committee including O. W. Witt, R. M. Bergman, Clarence Miller, C. S. Rice and others went to Detroit in December of 1930 to plead Irvine’s case to Carhartt. Upon their return, they reported that if the community could raise the necessary capital, prospects were good for Irvine to get the new plant.

By March of 1931 the fund was still some nine thousand dollars short of the goal. The community responded by holding a extravaganza that included a parade and many other events designed to raise money and to show support for the project. Nearly everyone in the County turned out for the happening. The street fair was a tremendous success and by the end of the day the final nine thousand dollars was raised.

Carhartt was contacted immediately and given the news that the community had raised the money and needed only a commitment from him to make the project a reality. Carhartt management then made, the courageous and risky decision to open a new manufacturing facility in the middle of a depression. Shortly thereafter the company engineers began the site selection process and the present location was finalized in June of 1931. The contract for the building was let on the seventh of August of the same year. The plans called for a 32,600 square foot building at the bargain basement cost of fifty thousand dollars.

The vision of one man, supported by forward-looking community leaders, developed into a movement that empowered ordinary citizens to unite and take control their destinies. In so doing they enhanced the futures of hundreds and perhaps even thousands of local residents. The impact of Carhartt on this community for the past six and one half decades can never be accurately measured. Untold numbers of Estill citizens have been fed, clothed and educated by pay checks earned at the factory. Wylie Carhartt’s faith in this community was validated by the success the Irvine operation has achieved over the years. Carhartt Inc. has remained profitable and competitive in an industry that has all but disappeared from these shores. That success is in no small part due to the hard work, efficiency and innovative ideas contributed by the local work force during the sixty-five years of the plant’s existence.

Perhaps there is a lesson in this for the present community. We again have a group of public-spirited citizens who visualize a better future for Estill County. Will the community rise to the occasion and seize the opportunity to improve the lot of their descendants? If the past is any indicator, it will happen. In the past, our ancestors pulled together to overcome adversity. They tamed the wilderness, built the railroad and took on the Great Depression to improve life for their progeny. This generation, the seed of those hearty forerunners, can do no less for future generations." - "The Carhartt Story," Accessed 7/14/21 at https://web.archive.org/web/20111029141131/http://www.fewpb.net/~ralphbarnes/Carhartt.htm.