Woodies made in Waterloo, NY - Who Knew!!!!!

http://www.oldwoodies.com/feature-build-campbell.htm


Woodie Builders

Campbell - Waterloo's Legendary Wooden Body Company
In January, 1932, Waterloo, New York, welcomed Robert Campbell, President of the Hercules-Campbell Body Corp. of Tarrytown, New York, accompanied by Vice President Vincent. Perhaps a reason for their interest in Waterloo was the $.20 to $.40 per hour local wage levels, quite depressed in these early years of the Great Depression. Campbell took over the factory and business of Waterloo Bodies Inc., renaming it Mid-State Body Co. Inc., and undertook manufacturing automobile station wagon and truck bodies. Henry W. LeClear of Waterloo Bodies Inc., had been acquainted with Mr. Campbell, had manufactured truck bodies for him, and had made known to him the sort of products that could be produced in the plant. Mr. LeClear continued to be associated with the concern until his death and was instrumental in its success.

In May of 1939, Mr. Campbell purchased the car barns, repair shop and local office of the former trolley line, located on West Main St. in Waterloo, just west of the village, and turned them into a manufacturing facility. The west building was greatly enlarged and in it, the Mid State Body Co., Inc. and the Hercules-Campbell Body Co., Inc. manufactured stakes, van and special bodies, and assembled Wayne buses for schools, until the big fire of 1947..........................................................................

Repost!!!

I posted this back 18 months ago

By the way the real waterloo wagonfest happens every memorial day, real woodies and tin woodies attend this event.

That alone is one of the reasons the locals look at us with our wagons with an amused look in their eyes....."They be a bit late for the wagon show!"

Freds old shop/dealers ship was build on the old concrete slabs of the old wood work shops that made the real woodies before the fire that destroyed them in 47

I had no idea..... How cool is that. Did Fred sell woodies because of this or is it coincidental?

coincidental, I would still like to see the memorial day wagonfest there

I may have to make that.............

Very cool. I'm a big fan of old wooden ski/pleasure boats. That stuff reminds me of those. So pretty and such craftsmanship goes into stuff like that. I'm in awe of that stuff.