HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY                          145

Modrell and Johns, who operated the plant, saw and planing mill, until
burned out in 1895. Modrell and Johns had previously operated their
timber and lumber industry on the Kress place, a half mile south of Mid-
dlebury, for five years, from 1879 to 1884.
    The firm of Johns, Benham & Long then operated a plant near the
site of the former mills, on the southwest border of town, for two years
—from 1895 until the death of Frank L. Johns, the senior partner,
in 1897. In 1891, the Guirl Brothers acquired a body of timber land in
Eel river bottom and located mills of large capacity here, which were
operated continuously for nine or ten years, producing, in the aggregate,
something more than thirty-three million feet of lumber, for which the
timber was all cut within wagoning distance of the mill-yards. This
industry began operations in the month of September, 1891.
    There have been three stave factories here, successively, the first by
Grismer, Russell & Brinkman, which began work at an early date in the
history of the town, perhaps in the year 1875, which was moved away
at the expiration of five or six years, succeeded by James Clutter, of Terre
Haute, whose plant, after having been operated for several years, burned
out. The Clay City Manufacturing Company was incorporated in 1893,
composed of W. H. Guirl, C. W. Stover, W. H. Coleman, C. S. Millhouse
and B. M. Guirl, with a capital stock of $25,000, for the manufacture of
staves, conducted under the management of B. M. Guirl, for, the period
of nine or ten years, consuming seventeen million feet of timber and
producing something more than forty million staves. In 1902 this indus-
try was discontinued here and the plant located at Beech Ridge, Illinois,
where it is still operated.
    The Clay City Packing Company was incorporated and factory built
in 1897, by W. H. Guirl, H. H. Hyatt, F. C. Watts, Louis Schauwecker,
John Conley and B. M. Guirl, with a capital stock of $10,000. Five years
later, W. H. Guirl acquired, in part at least, the interests of Watts, Hyatt
and Conley, when B. F. Pratt also purchased an interest and superin-
tended the operations of the plant for a couple of years. Later, W. H.
Guirl was in control, with C. A. Pierce, manager. In 1908 the property
went into the hands of a receiver, Edward Bonham, who, under the order
of the court, sold it in the month of May, 1909, to a party of Brazil and
Clay City people, who transferred it about the first of June to the Ladoga
Canning Company, now the proprietors.
    The pioneer banking institution of Clay City was that of M. L. Jett,
with whom, very soon after his starting in the business in his store room,
now occupied by the son, P. T. Jett, were associated George W. Wiltse
and Clinton M. Thompson, when the firm proceeded, in the spring of
1882, to build the two-story brick on West Fifth street which has all
along been known as “the bank building.” Within three years thereafter
this firm suspended business. At some time in the year 1890 (about the
first of September) the Clay County Bank was instituted in the same
building by nonresident capitalists, with W. H. Starbuck, president;
J. M. Bowen, cashier. At the expiration of less than two years, say the
first of June, 1892, a reorganization was effected, a state bank incor-
porated under the same name, with a capital stock of $25,000, the stock-
holders home people—W. H. Guirl, R. Bryson, W. D. Black, E. C. Black,
D. C. Middlemas, N. W. Marshall, A. Oberholtzer, T. C. Watts, L. Schau-
wecker, A. J. Fulkerson, W. H. Cook, J. W. Danhour, J. M. Bowen. The
directors chosen were: W. C. Black, W. H. Guirl, J. W. Danhour, A. J.

                        Vol. 1—10