Detroit Cigar Mfg Co. History

[ddmj6]

Any information on Detroit Cigar Mfg Co.?I do know that they were the 6th largest in the State at one time. I am guessing they were from the 1915-20 era? Dick

[EastsideAl]

Here is a photo from U of M's site of pictures from the Burton Historical Collection.



This is from about 1881 and is a shot of buildings on the southeast corner of Jefferson and Bates - approximately where Ford Auditorium stood until recently. The black banner sign on the second floor of the middle building reads "Detroit Cigar Manufacturing Co.". It is more readable at higher resolutions on their site at http://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/dpa1ic/x-eb02e763/EB02E763.TIF?chaperone=S-DPA1IC-X-EB02E763+EB02E763.TIF The storefront below the sign appears to be an outlet for their products.

Also visible in the photo down the street to the right, at the corner of Bates and Woodbridge, is the much larger Mayflower Tobacco Works of the J.J. Bagley Co.

Detroit was a major center of the tobacco industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Dozens of tobacco distributors, cigar makers, and chewing tobacco and snuff makers operated throughout the city. Many immigrant women - first German and later Polish - were employed in the cigar factories, and it was one of the first Detroit industries to experience large-scale unionization. The Globe Tobacco building at E. Fort and Brush is one of the last standing remnants of this once-major industry.

Here is an old DY Hall of Fame thread on the Detroit tobacco industry:
http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/...tml?1222218881

There was also a good piece in the Detroit News a few years back about the history of the cigar industry in Detroit, but for some reason the News seems to have very recently taken down off their site most of their Michigan History series, so it's unavailable.

[rjlj]

That would be great if there was a book detailing the history of Detroit cigar manufacturing. Assuming a book like this does not currently exist. Any interest www.historicdetroit.com?

Here is a photo from U of M's site of pictures from the Burton Historical Collection.



This is from about 1881 and is a shot of buildings on the southeast corner of Jefferson and Bates - approximately where Ford Auditorium stood until recently. The black banner sign on the second floor of the middle building reads "Detroit Cigar Manufacturing Co.". It is more readable at higher resolutions on their site at http://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/dpa1ic/x-eb02e763/EB02E763.TIF?chaperone=S-DPA1IC-X-EB02E763+EB02E763.TIF The storefront below the sign appears to be an outlet for their products.

Also visible in the photo down the street to the right, at the corner of Bates and Woodbridge, is the much larger Mayflower Tobacco Works of the J.J. Bagley Co.

Detroit was a major center of the tobacco industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Dozens of tobacco distributors, cigar makers, and chewing tobacco and snuff makers operated throughout the city. Many immigrant women - first German and later Polish - were employed in the cigar factories, and it was one of the first Detroit industries to experience large-scale unionization. The Globe Tobacco building at E. Fort and Brush is one of the last standing remnants of this once-major industry.

Here is an old DY Hall of Fame thread on the Detroit tobacco industry:
http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/...tml?1222218881

There was also a good piece in the Detroit News a few years back about the history of the cigar industry in Detroit, but for some reason the News seems to have very recently taken down off their site most of their Michigan History series, so it's unavailable.

[downtownguy]

Great info, EastsideAl. One thing I've always wondered is, if tobacco tends to be grown in the south, how did Detroit become a big center of cigar production?

[MikeM]

Detroit: Tampa of the North.

[Mikeg]

1882 Detroit City Directory:


1895:


1904:

[old guy]

1800: CANADA: Tobacco begins being commercially grown in Southern Ontario.

1862: THE CIVIL WAR: First federal USA tax on tobacco; instituted to help pay for the Civil War, yields about three million dollars.

1864: AGRICULTURE: WHITE BURLEY first cultivated in Ohio Valley; highly absorbent, chlorophyll-deficient new leaf proves ideal for sweetened chewing tobacco.Tobacco Timeline: The Nineteenth Century--The Age of the Cigar

I think the Civil War made growing tobacco in the north more popular. I know Wisconsin and probably Michigan grew a lot of tobacco for chew and cigars up until the 50's or 60's.

[Richard]

Little bits and pieces in no order.

1929 Deisel-Wemmer Co. merges with Bernard Schwartz Cigar Co. of Detroit to become D.W.G.Company makes ODEN, SAN FELICE, EMERSON, EL VERSO and ownse substantial portion of Bernard Schwartz Cigar Co., maker of R.G. DUN and BRADSTREET.

1933 J. Mazer of Detroit introduces CADILLAC 5¢ cigars

1933 J. Mazer cigar firm established in Detroit.

1861 Weideman Co. starts in the cigar distribution business in Detroit

1864 Thomas Calvert forms important label lithographic establishment in Detroit. Made 2000 impressions per 10 hour day on hand presses.

1868 Louis Kuttnauer, packer and importer of Havana and leaf tobacco, opens in Detroit.

1870 Detroit Litho Co. founded. Operates into the 1970’s.
1892 Independent Calvert Litho in Detroit [[1864-1970) operated 22 steam presses, 50 hand presses, employed 300+ workers and had sales offices throughout the US.

In 1885. Number of emp
Michigan had 525 factories, 99 of which were mid-size. Of

the latter, 38 were in Detroit. The state’s 6 large factories:

American Cigar Co., Coldwater [150] Fact. 13, 1st Dist. MI

Burke, Rich & Co., Detroit [100] Fact. 555, 1st Dist. MI

Detroit Cigar Mfg. Co., Detroit [100] Fact. 2, 1st Dist. MI

George Moebs & Co., Detroit [100] Fact. 421, 1st Dist. MI

William Tegge, Detroit [100] Fact. 319, 1st Dist. MI

Globe Cigar Co., Iona [150] Fact. 95, 4th Dist. MI

[EastsideAl]

1800: CANADA: Tobacco begins being commercially grown in Southern Ontario.

It's hard to realize today that southern Ontario was solidly planted with tobacco for well over a century. When I was a kid in the '60s we would go to visit relatives in Canada out by Lake Erie, and most of the farm fields were growing tobacco. There were drying sheds built out in the middle of the fields all over the place. It really wasn't until the late '70s that tobacco growing faded out completely in southern Ontario.

Of course, today, it's quickly becoming wine country over there.

[Kathleen]

Check out this piece on Daniel Scotten and his Detroit tobacco industry story from Amy Elliott Bragg, writer and blogger extraordinaire:

http://nighttraintodetroit.com/2010/...aniel-scotten/

[Drexciya68]

Great stuff! Thanks for all the info, folks.

[kdonald]

I am looking for information on the Condo Bros Cigar Company, possibly a map showing their location? It was owned by my 3x's great Uncle. I have nejoyed reading this forum. It has been very informative. Thanks!

CONDO BROS.' CIGAR CO. Non-union brands, factory No. 71, first dis-
trict of Michigan, 703 Seyburn avenue, Detroit,
Mich.
Five Cent Brands—

Conio Nicobar
Ten Cent Brands—
Condo

[Smirnoff]

Any information on Detroit Cigar Mfg Co.?I do know that they were the 6th largest in the State at one time. I am guessing they were from the 1915-20 era? Dick

Here you go sir;

Attachment 25942

The 10-cent cigars were much smoother than the 5-cent.......

[ronaldj]

I have been drooling and thinking about this for about a week before this particular post, Detroit does, indeed, have a long and mighty history in the cigar manufacturing business. We now have whiskey makers, whiskey bars, beer makers, beer bars, mead makers, honey bee suppliers and bakeries to soak it up.

I have just spent the better part of this afternoon concocting a very good business plan for starting up a cigar manufactory on the eastside. Anybody in on it? I will be happy to forward it as a pdf file to any one who contacts me.

I am going crazy here. No. No. No. PM me. I promise to see if there are any messages. Cannot wait until tomorrow morning. Or later this night.

[archfan]

Your reference for the address looks like it's from the Cigar Makers Official Journal in 1917. That's before the Detroit address conversion. Here's the conversion chart for Seyburn, with the new on the left and the old on the right:

2900	Charlevoix	582
3400	Goethe	672
3600	Mack	754

So that would put the factory on Seyburn between Goethe and Mack. That's an older neighborhood with homes built in the 1910s - could it have been a home-based business?

BTW, I used this site to transcribe the addresses: http://stevemorse.org/census/changes...itChanges2.htm

[EastsideAl]

Definitely a home-based business. That block of Seyburn between Goethe and Mack is, and was, completely residential. 703 Seyburn corresponds to 3453 Seyburn after the address conversion in the early '20s. That would appear to be the house in this picture, taken from Streetview, and unfortunately apparently abandoned as of when this was taken in Sept. 2013.

[xdet]

Charles Gauss, tobacconist, did best in real estate. Coming to Detroit as a dishwasher, he saved up and opened his first location, but his wisest move was buying up some land on the River Rouge, before you know who wanted it. Yep, sold that for a million dollars. Even after donating over $400,000 to build Historic Trinity Lutheran Church, he left a million in cash and about the same amount in stocks, bonds, gold, jewels, etc. for the family members.

How grandpa got the news he got the job-

And all set for his chauffeur's position-

[old guy]

Definitely a home-based business. That block of Seyburn between Goethe and Mack is, and was, completely residential. 703 Seyburn corresponds to 3453 Seyburn after the address conversion in the early '20s. That would appear to be the house in this picture, taken from Streetview, and unfortunately apparently abandoned as of when this was taken in Sept. 2013.

Does anything seem odd about the small windows on the entire side of the house, just beyond the gate in the driveway?

I would have backed into the driveway, about 4' from the gate.

Not that I would ever have been in that situation, because I didn't have a vehicle and always walked down Conners.

[old guy]

Great photos xdet.

[p69rrh51]

Charles Gauss, tobacconist, did best in real estate. Coming to Detroit as a dishwasher, he saved up and opened his first location, but his wisest move was buying up some land on the River Rouge, before you know who wanted it. Yep, sold that for a million dollars. Even after donating over $400,000 to build Historic Trinity Lutheran Church, he left a million in cash and about the same amount in stocks, bonds, gold, jewels, etc. for the family members.

How grandpa got the news he got the job-

And all set for his chauffeur's position-

Designed by Bernard C. Wetzel for Charles Gauss. 8100 LaSalle Boulevard built in 1926 LaSalle Gardens Neighborhood Detroit, MI.

Wetzel also designed the Community House for Historic Trinity.

[p69rrh51]

Albert Kahn did quite a bit of work for the cigar manufacturers in Detroit.

San Telmo Cigar Factory 5716 Michigan Avenue built in 1910 San Telmo Cigar Company Historic District Detroit, MI

[p69rrh51]

Designed by Albert Kahn. Mazer Cigar Company 5031 Grandy built in 1924 Detroit, MI.

[p69rrh51]

Designed by Albert Kahn. Bernard Schwartz Cigar Company 2180 East Milwaukee built in 1924 Poletown Historic District Detroit, MI.

Demolish: Early 1980's
Razed to make room for the GM Poletown Plant

[p69rrh51]

Designed by Louis Kamper. Banner Cigar Manufacturing Company 2941 East Warren built in 1914 Detroit, MI.

[xdet]

Designed by Bernard C. Wetzel for Charles Gauss. 8100 LaSalle Boulevard built in 1926 LaSalle Gardens Neighborhood Detroit, MI.

Wetzel also designed the Community House for Historic Trinity.

p69rrh51- you have an amazing collection of homes! Wonder if you have anything on Gauss's home from before LaSalle? My grandparents lived in the back of Charles home on High but I understand that's now part of one of the expressways.

During which time grandpa was his chauffeur-

One 'souvenir' I have from those days- hey I'd swap someone for a baseball card! The chair is much larger, must be worth more, right? Piedmont for Piedmont? Grandpa, why didn't you collect the cards!!!