Sashes, Doors, And More, And Great Grandfather

In 1870 William Huttig founded the Huttig Manufacturing Company in Muscatine, Iowa.  He was born in Germany and came to Iowa and studied music.  Then he started a grocery business followed by the manufacture of doors and sills and sashes.  This business was founded in 1870.  In 1882 his two sons, below, left for Kansas City and built the Western Sash and Door Company.  It was at 22nd and Grand. My Great Grandfather, George Vetter, worked at the mill in Muscatine and when the brothers went south to KC he went with them.   He started on the lowest rung and worked his way up to Superintendent of the Kansas City millworks.   Michael Bushnell made significant contributions to this post, from the Northeast News archives. 

Above, Western Sash and Door building.  Foreground is the future location of Union Station.  Another view of the factory below. 

 In 1906 this building was closed and a new one built in Northeast on Wilson Road.  The new building stood where Price Chopper and the Northeast Library stand now.  The photo below was taken in 1925, the others of the buildings are from 1940.    With the construction of the new location my Great Grandfather moved from a house at 2002 Broadway to a house at 645 Brighton Avenue. 

The building below sits just behind the dirt mound on the right in the above photo.

                          Below, this building sat where the Northeast Library sits now. 

                           My Grandfather's car, below, is parked in front of the building above. 

My Great Grandfather in his car, below, and car by itself, above.  Car is parked outside Huttig Mills. 

                                                      Below, George and Annie Vetter.

Ordering A Cat 1908

 More items from Grandmother's Trunk.   A letter, below, confirming the delivery of one angora cat.  My Great-Grandfather on my Father's side was Manager of Western Sash and Door.  His boss was William Huttig, well known local business man in early 1900s KC.   The letter is addressed to Mr. Huttig.  But, since it was in with Grandmother's other things, I assume this was ordered by my Grandfather through Mr. Huttig.  (That is just a guess though.)   Above is the photo that accompanied the letter.  Below the letter is a picture of the actual cat after arrival...   as is normal the cat could care less.  This was in 1908 the same year my Grandmother married my Grandfather... she was 18.

Western Sash and Door was first located in Iowa.  William Huttig moved to KC in the 1880s and moved the business to around Southwest Trafficway and Broadway.   He then moved the business to Wilson Road in Northeast KC and the name was changed to "Huttig Mills."  It was located where the North/East Branch Library is today.... I'll have a picture of it in later posts.

Just found the above in the trunk....  a letter reminding my Grandfather to ship back the cat crate...  his last name wast "Vetter" though and not "Vedder."

From My Grandmother's Trunk

My Grandmother, Flora Vetter Remley around 1906

 My family arrived in KC in the 1800s...  one side around 1871 and the other in the early 1880s.  Both families resided on the West Side of Kansas City until the 19-teens when they dispersed somewhat throughout the city with my Vetter side moving to 645 Brighton in Northeast KC in 1913-14. Above are my Aunts Margurite and Emma, Flora's sisters, sitting next to the captured Spanish canon that still resides in the same spot on the Paseo Boulevard at about 12th street. Looks to be around 1906-7.
 My Aunt Margurite made hats so they were always on display in the early photographs.   Below, Flora and Lawrence, my future grandparents in the foreground... with Margurite and unknown in back... all on a picnic in Swope Park.

 Above, James Rosebury Remley, my Great-Grandfather, and his sons Lawrence, left, and Eugene.  James founded the Broadway Bank... the building still stands and was the home to Old Theater Architectural Salvage... it still houses a similar business. This was probably taken in front of his house on Pennsylvania Ave. The house was leveled to make way for Southwest Trafficway.  The home they move into after that, 2122 Jefferson, still stands.   Below, my Grandparents on the other side,  Flora's parents,  George Vetter and his wife Anna Farrar Vetter.   My Grandfather Vetter managed Huttig Mills which was located near Southwest Trafficway and Broadway for years and then moved to Northeast Kansas City.  In Northeast it used to sit where the North/East Library is now.

 Flora attended Lowell School and then Daniel Webster (Webster House now)   I have some of her report cards from both schools... and below two examples of math work at Webster.