In today’s column, we will be remembering some old cement companies in Bath and Nazareth.
The plants provided employment for many of our local residents. Several years ago, Mr. Blaine Hoffmeister, of Bath and a former fine student of this writer, shared some postcards and photographs with our readers.
The Bath Portland Cement Company was founded in 1904. The president of the company was Mr. Fred Franks, who was instrumental in organizing local cement companies. Many old timers still call the intersection of Route 329 and Airport Road “Franks Corner” as Mr. Franks resided in the area.
Currently the old plant and quarry are owned by Keystone Cement. The quarry supplies aggregate to many road and building contractors. The Bath Portland Cement Company also constructed homes in Jacksonville. The first plant produced 2,500 barrels of cement daily.
A few miles from Bath is the site of the former Pennsylvania Cement Company. It would later become part of the Penn-Dixie Company. The company’s capacity was 5,000 barrels daily.
A neighboring company was Penn Allen, organized in 1902. Penn Allen produced 3,000 barrels daily. The plant would later become Penn Dixie in 1925.
In Nazareth, the cement industry was represented by the Phoenix, Dexter, Nazareth Cement, Lone Star and Essroc. Presently, Heidelberg Materials continues the local cement tradition.
