Superior Portland Cement Company
The Superior Portland Cement Company was located in Superior, Ohio along a spur of the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad.
Superior was located at Center Furnace, which converted raw material, such as coke or charcoal, limestone, and air into pig iron. In 1906, the Superior Portland Cement Company was organized with a capital stock of $10,000, which was raised to $525,000 in accordance with its original plans. The company purchased the furnace and 7,5000 acres off the land for $100,000. A year later, a cement mill was constructed.
Superior had an opening into limestone seams that were six feet thick. The cement mill had a capacity of 2,000 barrels per day. In 1932, the company was vested to New York Coal Sales Company of Columbus but operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary.
On December 22, the Marquette Cement Manufacturing Company announced an outright purchase, effective 1 Jan. 1954, of the S. C. Division of the New York Coal Co., which induced the plant at Superior, Ohio, and of Southern States Portland Cement subsidiary, to be named S. M. C. C., and was immediately organized. J. M. Dowdy was appointed superintendent of the Superior, Ohio plant.
He replaced the former superintendent there, Fred F. Besco, who had resigned to take an extended vacation. It was then sold to Kosmosdale on 28 March 1888. The Kosmosdale cement mill closed in 1986, due to labor disputes. SOUCE: “concrete” vol. 13, by Harvey Whipple, 1918.
The Cincinnati Enquirer, 23 May 1906
The capital stock of the Superior Portland Cement Company was increased yesterday from $10,000 to $535,000. This is the company that was formed by M. L. Sternberger of Jackson, Ohio, the wealthy coal man and capitalist, to develop established cement mills near Ironton. Among those interested are Justus Collins, of Charleston. W. Va.: Ernst DuBrul. of this city, and D. Wright, of Philadelphia.
The Cincinnati Enquirer, 23 May 1907
A suit was filed yesterday in the Circuit Court against the superior Portland Cement Company, an Ohio corporation. President Justus Collins and other officers. Deputy Marshal Maguire got service on the latter at the St. Nicholas Hotel.
Gregory Wright, in whose interest the action is brought, charges that the defendants are illegally endeavoring to cancel 200 shares of his stock of the par value of $100 each in the company and he seeks an injunction to prevent them from carrying their scheme into effect.
Freeze-Out is Claimed by Wright in Suit Against Superior Portland Cement Company President Collins and Directors Milton and John Charges Conspiracy to Seize Control of Corporation and asks Superior Court for an Injunction
Cincinnati Enquirer, 23 May 1907
Trouble in the directorate of the Superior Portland Cement Company, an Ohio corporation, owing some 8,000 acres of valuable land in Lawrence and Scioto counties, culminated yesterday in a suit in the Supreme Court here to enjoin the company, and Justus Collins, Charles J. Milton, and J. B. John from interfering with the title of D. Gregory Wright to Certificate No. 1, representing 250 of the $100 shares of stock in the company.
The suit was filed late yesterday, and service was immediately issued upon President Justus Collins of the company. In the suit, Wright sets forth that the company was organized in 1906 with the capital stock of $525,000, and on January 28th, 1907, he claims, certificate No. 1 for 250 shares of this stock valued at $100 per share was issued to him. On January 8th last, Justus Collins, C. J. Milton, M. J. Sternberger, and H. A. Marting were duly elected as the five directors of the company.
At the time Collins and his wife and minor son were the owners of more than half of the capital stock of the company which they still hold, and Wright claims that he was elected to the directorate only after the minority stockholders had threatened to cumulatively their votes against Collins and in favor of Wright unless he would consent to the election of Wright.
Wright was accordingly elected, but as a result, there has been more or less friction in the directory ever since the differences between Wright and Collins culminated on May the 6 when a meeting was called at Ironton, Ohio, of which Directors Collins, Milton, Marting, and Wright, were present, Steinberger not attending.
Snap Judgement Taken
Wright charges that during the meeting President Collins asked him to retire for a few moments as he wished to confer alone with the other directors. He did so, and when he returned was informed that Marting had tendered his resignation.
When the resignation was acted upon Wright refused to vote for Collins and Milton voted to accept it and it was accepted of 1 but by the two votes. Then Milton moved to elect J. B. John to the vacancy and although there was no second, Collins declared John elected.
Wright protested against this action on the ground that there was no quorum present and immediately withdrew from the meeting to prevent any further action. However, he claims John entered as he was leaving and Ellen de following day right received a letter from President Collins notifying him that certificate number one calling for all 250 shares of stock in Wright’s position had been canceled and recalled and demanding that he return him the certificate.
Wright denies the right of the board to take any action play me that no horror was present, and the actions were therefore unauthorized and void.
He also denies the right of the company or its directors to recall the certificate for any reason or to interfere with his ownership or possession thereof right further charges that the defendants named “agreed and conspired in disregard and violation the plaintiff’s rights in the premises to seize control of and to dominate the said cement company, of the stockholders and directors by attempting to disqualify plaintiff as a director through arbitrary and unwarranted attacks upon his title to said 250 shares of stock.”
Wants An Injunction
He sets up that it is necessary that he surrender the certificate he holds and has the shares divided upon the books of the company by transferring him two or more certificates for the stock, that he made better and better negotiate with, It and he wants an injunction to prevent Collins, Milton, and John from confirming their actions in any way.
The stock of the company has not as yet been placed upon market and the business of the company has not been developed sufficiently to give them a market value, but the 8,000 acres of land owned by it is claimed to be rich in minerals suitable for the manufacturer of high-grade cement, where there is also a percentage of iron ore in it.
Cement plants have been constructed and equipped at great cost, and Wright claims that his stock is really worth twice its par value, though nothing like that amount could be realized upon it in the market now, he admits.
He fears that the action of Collins, Milton, and John will cast a cloud upon his title to the stock represented by his certificate and thus prevent him from realizing upon it. He, therefore, wants them to enjoin from doing anything further to interfere with his title to the stock and to prevent them from ousting him from the directorate of the company. Attorneys Hagar & Stewart and John W. Warrington represent Wright.
A similar suit was filed in the federal courts and personal service was secured in this up on President Collins.
Superior, Ohio, is located in Lawrence County, Ohio, and was once a prosperous small village due to the iron furnaces, mainly Center Furnace. Center Iron and Manufacturing Company was established in 1868 by the Kelley family, Lindsey and Nannie Kelley.
After Lindsey died in 1903, Nannie became the owner, making her the only woman ironmaster. After three years of doing business by herself, she married Daniel Gregory in 1906 and he created the Superior Portland Cement Company.
Superior Portland Cement was sold to Marquette in 1953, a well-established company that owned several other businesses in the area.
Marquette’s was taken over by Lone-Star Cement, and due to many changes, the company’s employees went on strike, causing the plant to quit production and close its doors in 1987.
The remains were slowly demolished, leaving no trace of the company.
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