Fairmont in Fillmore County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Fairmont Creamery Company
Photographed By Bill Kirchner, September 23, 2014
1. Fairmont Creamery Company Marker
The Fairmont Creamery Company was incorporated March 29, 1884, as a stock company by Wallace Wheeler and Joseph H. Rushton. This building was the original office and the creamery was half a mile east of town. From a small, part-time business, the company became one of the nation's largest food processors, later known as Fairmont Foods.The creamery's first product was butter. By 1891 the 100 employees made 7,000 pounds of butter daily. In the 1890s the company operated plants in Crete, Tobias, Friend, DeWitt, Fairbury, Geneva, Milford, and Hebron. Corporate offices were moved to Omaha in 1907.
In the twentieth century the company diversified, processing dairy products, eggs, poultry, vegetables, and snack foods. By 1959 Fairmont Foods was among the country's 500 largest corporations. The company moved its headquarters to Houston in 1974 and in 1980, it became a wholly-owned subsidiary of American Financial Corporation.
From 1907 - 68 the original creamery building was a medical office for Doctors Sherman F. Ashby, who came to Nebraska in 1885, Albert A. Ashby, and Charles F. Ashby. It is listed in the National Register
this page online
Erected by The Ashbys and Nebraska State Historical Society. (Marker Number 309.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Nebraska State Historical Society series list. A significant historical date for this entry is March 29, 1870.
Location. 40° 38.101′ N, 97° 35.107′ W. Marker is in Fairmont, Nebraska, in Fillmore County. Marker is at the intersection of Fairmont Avenue and F Street, on the left when traveling south on Fairmont Avenue. Marker is on the southeast corner. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fairmont NE 68354, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 13 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Fairmont Army Air Field (approx. 1.4 miles away); a different marker also named Fairmont Army Air Field (approx. 2.7 miles away); 1879 Exeter 1979 (approx. 7.1 miles away); Fillmore County (approx. 7.6 miles away); The Pioneer Chapel and Cesky Bratri Cemetery (approx. 12.8 miles away); Pioneer Chapel (approx. 12.8 miles away); The Purple Heart (approx. 13.1 miles away); Nebraska City-Fort Kearny Cut-Off (approx. 13.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fairmont.
Photographed By Bill Kirchner, September 23, 2014
2. Fairmont Creamery Company Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on October 15, 2014, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. This page has been viewed 550 times since then and 82 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 15, 2014, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
