Oliver Corporation collection

Collection

Identifier: 00094

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection includes business records, newspaper clippings, catalogs, centennial articles, and historical data related to the Oliver Corporation and its owners. Also included in the collection are photographs from the Centennial of Oliver Corporation, ranging from the banquet that was held to the plant tours given by the executives. There are also photographs of Oliver Corporation train cars, board members, and a group photograph of the National Association of Thresher Manufacturers from 1898.

Dates

Creation: 1870 - 1961

Creator

Oliver Corporation (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish material from this collection must be obtained from University Archives & Historical Collections, Michigan State University.

Historical Note

The Oliver Corporation began in 1848 as John Nichols' blacksmith shop and foundry in Battle Creek, Michigan. Nichols later entered into partnership with David Shepard to establish Nichols, Shepard & Co., Inc. which manufactured threshing equipment. The company became a part of the Oliver Farm Equipment Co. in 1929, and in 1944, after a series of mergers, became the Oliver Corp., manufacturers of a wide range of agricultural equipment. The company celebrated its centennial in 1948.

Extent

0.5 Cubic Feet (, 11 volumes )

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Related Archival Materials

See also H. Cecil Wolsey collection (00111); also at Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections, East Lansing, Michigan.

See also Nichols & Shepard Company records (call number: 85711 Bb.2 2; BB.2 Outsize; at Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.