After a devastating fire at his second facility at Morrow, Ohio, Andrew Erkenbrecher, founder of the Cincinnati Zoo, established a starch factory in St. Bernard. The construction, which was completed in 2 ½ years, started in April 1866 along the Miami & Erie Canal. Over time, as business grew, so did the factory.
The road leading to the plant was known as Starchtown. The products manufactured there were high quality and in such demand that by 1895, the reported daily production of starch reached 2000 bushels (30 tons), which shipped to all parts of the United States and throughout the world.
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In 1890, the National Starch Works Company, with headquarters in New York, purchased the company and completely ceased operation in St. Bernard shortly after 1900.
The road leading to the plant was known as Starchtown. The products manufactured there were high quality and in such demand that by 1895, the reported daily production of starch reached 2000 bushels (30 tons), which shipped to all parts of the United States and throughout the world.
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In 1890, the National Starch Works Company, with headquarters in New York, purchased the company and completely ceased operation in St. Bernard shortly after 1900.
Following demolition of multiple houses and buildings, Bank Street was restructured as part of urban renewal to allow for the new shopping center. While Bank Street today still extends to Vine Street, the tail-end of the original design was located slightly north of the present site.
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Kay Heller Phillips
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Source: St. Bernard, Ohio 1878-1978, p.162-163; St. Bernard-Ludlow Grove Historical Society files. Photos: St. Bernard-Ludlow Grove Historical Society files; Pinterest, trade card posted by Geoff Hoerauf; KHP.
