Rockwood's beginnings come from 2 companies

Rockwell Lime Company, circa 1926 (MCHS 2011.29.2)

What comes to mind when you think of the community of Rockwood, located in the town of Kossuth?  Lime is sure to be one of your answers.  Over the years, lime has given hundreds of people in the community jobs and also can be credited for the Rockwood name as the village is named after two lime companies that operated there –Rockwell and Allwood Lime Company.

Allwood Lime Company, circa 1913 (MCHS 2011.29.7)

“Around the year 1900 Wisconsin ranked third in the nation in the manufacture of the lime needed by housewives, farmers, and businessmen”, wrote Howard Kanetzke in the Manitowoc County Historical Society’s monograph on the history of limestone.

Rockwell Lime Co. was founded in 1906 in Chicago.  The company’s main office was located on Rockwell Street, and became the name of the business. Among the founders of the business were Michael Brisch Sr. and his brothers- tom, John, and Andrew. The original quarry was 14 acres but has expanded over the years to include 300 acres of land. Before selling the company to Carmeuse Lime a few years ago, the business was run by the third generation of Brisch’s.

The Allwood Lime Company began in 1913 by Miss Mary E. Squire and Dr. Jessie Carpenter of Chicago.  The women started this predominately male- centered business in a time before women were even able to vote.  The company specialized in polishing and neutralizing lime, as well as making a milk of magnesia lime to be used in creameries and butter factories. 

Before beginning the lime company both Mary and Jessie held numerous other jobs.  Mary’s first professional career was as a teacher in Brooklyn New York between 1880 and 1888, before moving to Chicago in 1889, where she enrolled at Northwestern University to major in chemistry and geology.  She then entered the real estate business. In 1893, Mary met up with Dr. Jessie Drew Carpenter, who at the time was a well-known opera singer in Chicago.  In addition to her talent, Jessie also had a medical degree.

In 1913 Mary and Jessie, now business partners, founded the Allwood Lime Company by 1913.  During World War I the Allwood Lime Co. became an important supplier of lime to manufacturers supporting the US military. Post war, Allwood was credited as greatly enabling and helping the military’s capabilities.  The pair were very successful businesswomen and are also listed as shareholders in the newly built Hotel Manitowoc in 1928. Jessie died in January 1936 and following Mary’s death in March 1938, 10 employees of the Allwood Lime Company were listed as benefactors of Mary’s estate.

Control of the Allwood Lime Company was passed on to William Tills, who is listed as an adopted son in Mary’s obituary. In 1949 Rockwell Lime purchased the Allwood Lime Company to enlarge the Rockwell operations.   In the July 19, 1949 Manitowoc Herald-Times an article states “Announcement of the purchase of the Allwood Lime Company, whose plant adjoins the Rockwell properties at Rockwood six miles north of the city on highway 141, was made today by Michael Brisch, president of the Rockwell company.”