BRAND NAME COOKING WITH HOWER'S OATS

hower COMPANY - akron, ohio

The Hower Company was one of the seven milling companies who merged to form the American Cereal Company, a forerunner to the Quaker Oats Company.

John Henry Hower was one of the founders of  the Excelsior Mower and Reaper Works in Doylestown, OH in 1861.  When a second and larger operation was opened in Akron in 1865, John Henry relocated there from Doylestown with his wife Susan and their three sons, Harvey Youngker, Milton Otis and Charles Harris.  Business was good and they built a new home on the east side of Akron in 1871.

In 1875 the Howers purchased the Selle Gear Company, an Akron business that manufactured wagon parts, and later, wagons and carriages.  The Howers also bought an interest in the Turner Oatmeal Mill, located in nearby Hudson, Ohio, in 1879.  

In 1888, John Henry and his sons purchased the Turner Oatmeal Mill outright, incorporated the business, and the mill began operations under the name of Hower Company.

In an effort to control prices and fix the markets, the Howers joined six other millers who came together and formed the American Cereal Company in 1891.  The Hower mill operation joined competitors Ferdinand Schumacher, the "Oatmeal King" and Henry Crowell, who was already selling the Quaker Oats brand from the Quaker Mill in Ravenna, Ohio.

The actual Hower Mill ceased operations in 1892 during a company-wide consolidation of operating facilities by American Cereal.   The Hower brand was still produced at other plants and continued to be marketed under their own brand name.

John Henry's middle son, Milton Otis, became Director and Vice President of the American Cereal Company and moved to the company headquarters in Chicago with his family in 1894.

M. Otis Hower returned to Akron from Chicago in 1901 after his resignation from the American Cereal Company, which came shortly before the formation of Quaker Oats.

He became president of the Akron-Selle Company that was formed in 1903 when Akron Gear merged with the Selle Gear Company.  After he died in 1916, his wife Blanche took over as President and later Chairman of the Board, and continued in the position until her death in 1953.

The original Hower Company Building, located on Exchange Street in downtown Akron, burned and was rebuilt.

The Akron-Selle Company was located at 451 S. High Street in a red brick building that dates back to 1888 and originally housed the Selle Gear Company.  The company did business at the at this same location until they moved to Bartges Street in the mid-1990's.

The Akron-Selle buildings located between High Street and Broadway were then put up for sale.  The Akron-Selle Company closed it's doors in 2001.  The old factory complex on High Street was purchased by developers in 2003.  The developers intend to save the old factory and restore the buildings for commercial and residential use.

HOWER'S OATS ADVERTISING COLLECTIBLES

Trade Cards

Trade cards were popular for advertising businesses and products during the late 1800's and early 1900's.  There are several trade cards associated with Hower's products.

The card shown below is undated.  The rear side promotes the packaged Hower's Oats as being cleaner and healthier than that purchased from the bulk barrels where the oats were often filled with bugs and other vermin.  Having convinced the consumer that oats was a fine breakfast food for humans as opposed to being merely livestock fodder, the millers still had to educate the consumer on the differences between the two, as indicated by the reference to animal food.

"Hower's Oats, First Quality, are sold in packages only.  Please do not allow your grocer to induce you to purchase bulk Rolled Oats, which he claims to be "just as good as Hower's," as we use only the best grade of oats in our package goods, and as they are roasted on open-hearth kilns, you can readily see the policy in doing so as it is the only way whereby the animal life in the grain can be killed by heat.  The white, steam dried stuff now being forced on the market, is a first class article of animal food, buy any physician will verify our statement that it is injurious to the human system.

Hower's Oats are sold by first-class grocers only, which is a sufficient guarantee as to their quality, and we are justified in the belief that the educated consumer is willing to pay a reasonable price for a superior article of food."

Hower's Oats Advertising Cookbooks

The American Cereal Company published several editions of a recipe booklet in the 1890's that showed Hower's Oats as one of their brand names.

• Cereal Foods and How to Cook Them - American Cereal Company), 1893, 68 pp

Postcards

Another area of collectible interest is vintage postcards.  The postcard fad became popular in the  early 1900's.  Topical views often included city buildings such as the view of the Hower Building, circa 1914, shown below:

SPECIALTY POSTCARD BOOKS

Some people collect postcards.  Some people collect books.  Either way, if you are into postcard collecting or book collecting, you might enjoy the following publications, both featuring Vintage Ohio postcards:

Greetings from Akron: Celebrating Akron's History in Picture Postcards - Published by the Summit County Historical Society, this book contains some wonderful vintage Akron, Ohio postcard views. If you're a collector, you can use this book to help you find some of the different views that were published in the past. Book lovers and travelers will enjoy seeing how the city has changed, seeing views of buildings that are no longer standing. Vintage postcards are a lovely trip back in time!

Ohio Vintage Postcards, 1900-1960s You know this is a quality book because it's published by Schiffer. This volume shows over 300 full-color postcards of historic Ohio from the first half of the 20th century. There are 136 Ohio communities represented, ranging from Akron to Zoar, with views of landmarks such as bridges, fine homes, streets scenes and more.

Cleveland in Picture Postcards : 1900-1930 Collectors of postcards as well and past and present Cleveland, Ohio residents will enjoy this book of vintage postcard views.  See pictures of street scenes, buildings, parks and more in over 200 views.