Kaspar Wire Works
Shiner, Lavaca County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Founded as outgrowth of an 1895 invention that used smooth wire discarded when barbed wire fencing was introduced in this area. August Kaspar, son of a Swiss Lutheran missionary to Texas, salvaged some of the plain wire and made a corn shuck basket for home use. A neighbor saw and bought the basket. Soon Kaspar disposed of his baskets as rapidly as he could make and put them to use in his own barn. In 1898 he began the full-time manufacture of wire baskets and horse muzzles. His backyard shop was equipped with little more than a pair of pliers and his inventive genius. A rented wagon was the original Kaspar show room. Arthur H. Kaspar, son of the founder, purchased the business in 1924. In 1949 a grandson, Don G. Kaspar, joined the organization. Kaspar Wire Works has progressed to assembly-line manufacturing of nationally and internationally distributed goods -- including display racks, baskets, newspaper racks, wire shelving and many other products. The growth and success of Kaspar Wire Works was officially recognized in 1967 by the bestowal of the first annual Governor's Expansion Award under the auspices of the Texas Industrial Commission.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When barbed wire replaced smooth fencing in the 1890s, August Kaspar — son of a Swiss Lutheran missionary — salvaged the discarded plain wire and, in 1895, twisted it into a corn-shuck basket. A neighbor's purchase turned a backyard hobby into a business; by 1898 Kaspar was manufacturing wire baskets and horse muzzles full time, armed with little more than pliers and ingenuity. Passed down through three generations, the firm grew into a maker of display and newspaper racks and shelving sold worldwide, earning the first Governor's Expansion Award in 1967.
Why it matters
It is a classic American tale of Yankee-style ingenuity turning waste into a thriving manufacturing enterprise rooted in a small Texas town.
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Related people
- · August Kaspar
- · Arthur H. Kaspar
- · Don G. Kaspar
Themes & tags
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