lehigh portland cement company history

In 1897, Harry Trexler, George Ormrod, and Colonel E. M. Young organized theLehigh Portland Cement Company, which became one of the largestcementproducers in the world. Trexler also was involved with public utilities including water, electricity, public transportation and telephones.

In 1917 the plant was sold to Lehigh Portland Cement Company and provided Iola’s largest industrial payroll until it ceased in 1970. Part of the Lehigh grounds is now occupied by theGates Rubber Company. Most of the houses have been either moved or torn down.

Lehigh Cement Company began as a single-mill operation in Ormrod, Pennsylvania, in 1897. As the demand for concrete increased in the early twentieth century, the company thrived, making us a pillar of the many communities around us, bringing employment and economic benefit to small towns and big cities for more than 120 years.

Details. TheAtlas Cement Company Memorial Museumis a unique depository of the influence that was brought to bear on theLehighValley by the largestcement plantit thehistoryof the world. Through its collection of artifacts, it tells of the impact of the more than 5,000 workers who were employed in the five plants built here between 1889 and the closing of the last plant in 1982.

In 1898 theLehighConstructioncompanyof Michigan began building a largecementplant for acompanyof men from Detroit and St. Louis, and in 1899 the firstcementwas manufactured in the plant which is now the Iola plant of theLehigh Portland Cement Company.

Lehigh Cement Companybegan as a single-mill operation in Ormrod, Pennsylvania, producingPortland cement. As the demand for concrete increased in the early 1900’s, thecompanythrived. Over the years, a strategy of acquisitions, modernization and increased productivity propelled thecompanyto the position of one of North America’s leading providers ofcementand construction materials.