Two delightful ghost signs at the corner of Patterson and St Martin Streets in downtown Memphis advertise a turn-of-the century railroad hotel and a vanished brand of hot sausage. Blasterz think that given the look of the signs, the sausage sign was painted over the older hotel sign.
The signs read as follows, from top to bottom:
"MEMPHIS HOTEL"
"[roll of sausage]
US Government Inspected -- Pure Pork
Country Style Hot Sausage
[Krey logo]"
We found the Krey Packing Company listed as being headquartered in St Louis MO in the 1915 edition of "The American Provisioner, New York and Chicago, Official Organ of the American Meat Packers Association," an industry publication available as a free e-book on the Google play store: (
visit link)
"[page 19, 15 Oct 1915 issue]
AMERICAN MEAT PACKERS ASSOCIATION
PRESIDENT -- Fred Krey, Krey Packing Company, St Louis Missouri"
[page 124, 15 Oct 1915 issue]
Among those present (at a 1915 meeting) Ed Everts, Krey Packing Co., St Louis MO"
and later in the same ebook, an article that reminded us why Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle:
[page 36, Dec 1915 issue]
OPENING OF THE OPPENHEIMER CASINGS PLANT
On Saturday, November 27 the formal opening of the new plant of the Oppenheimer casings company, Chicago, of which Harry D Oppenheimer is president, and which started business in April 1914, took place. A large number of friends called, and it looked like a Packers convention.
The plant of the Oppenheimer casings company is the last word, as one of the Packers turned it, in this line of the industry. Many, if not all of the visitors, were surprised to see the casings establishment , which for a century has always been considered a pest hole, could be as modern and clean as any building in the world. The building, which is made of concrete, and arranged so that the merchandise can be packed and handles with the greatest efficiency, and minimum expense, due to a system akin to military precision, there is no lost motion or unnecessary effort in any department. Most of the special equipment was a surprise to the visitors.
The floral tributes were unusual and beautiful. The St. Louis delegation appeared on the scene with a brass band. A partial list of the visitors follows:
. . .
Fred Krey, Krey Packing Company, St. Louis Missouri.. . . ”
[Page 10, 25 Dec 1915 issue]
Advertisements:
KREY PACKING COMPANY
Manufacturers of the
FAMOUS X-RAY PURE KETTLE-RENDERED LARD
Call for Prices
St. Louis Missouri"
Blasterz even found a picture of Fred Krey -- but no word on what ever happened to his company.of
FYI The American Provisioner is still published today (though I bet they are more circumspect), and they have a facebook page! (
visit link)