The Monarch Company

On January 1, 1917, Ernest S. Johnson brought his family to Webster City, where he searched for a product that he could manufacture. He purchased a small plant from James A. Mertz and Harry Hotchkiss who manufactured a hog trough patented by Mertz. The plant was located in a frame building at 700 Union Street and also in an auxiliary building on Seneca Street.

Johnson immediately incorporated the company on April 18, 1917, as the Monarch Sanitary Stock Trough Company. At that time he purchased four lots in Block 9, Odell and Willson Addition for $6,000 and proceeded to construct a new plant. The address of the original plant was 600 Stockdale. This plant was located in what is now the east part of the Electrolux building.

The 1917 City Directory lists E. S. Johnson, president and general Manager, M. F. Johnson, vice president, and E. J. Rood as secretary-treasurer. The address of the expanded plant was listed as 602-604 Stockdale. The company was incorporated on March 13, 1918, as the Monarch Company since the production now included stock feeders, stock waterers, and an insulated jug called the Therm-a-jug. At this time 350 shares of stock were issued at $100 each. To allow for increased expansion, the corporation increased the number of shares to 750 shares of preferred stock at $100 each which paid 8% per annum. They also issued common stock of 750 shares at $100 each, giving the company a stock capital of $150,000.

Continued expansion was necessary as Johnson invented many small electrical appliances which included toasters, irons, heaters, curling irons, blenders, mixers, vaporizers, and waffle irons. A propane lantern was also one of the company's products. The Therm-a-jug was produced in two different sizes. Johnson's first iron was called the Therm-a-Iron. All of these items required more capital, so stock was issued on July 5, 1919, to total 3,000 shares of common stock and 750 shares of preferred stock. This increased the company stock capital to $375,000

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The company found a big market for its goods in large department stores. Mr. Johnson was the inventor and manufacturer of the products, and he also the major salesman for the output. At its peak, the company kept as many as 300 people employed. Thus the company was the major employer in Webster City.

By 1926, M. F. Johnson left the company to become assistant cashier at Farmers National Bank. W. T. Mingle, brother-in-law of Johnson, became Vice-President. E. S. Johnson's family lived in the house at 614 Elm Street, now owned by the Latella family. At this time, Johnson made a sales connection with the Knapp Company of St. Louis to market all of the output of the Monarch Company nationwide. This allowed Johnson to focus on his inventions and the production.

On January 1, 1929, the Knapp and Monarch companies decided it was best to form a merger into the Knapp Monarch Company with headquarters in St. Louis. A. S. Knapp became the president and E. S. Johnson became vice-president. Knapp operated the St. Louis plant while Johnson managed the Webster City plant. The St. Louis plant focused on leather goods and luggage while the Webster City plant produced all of the electrical goods and the Therm-a-jugs.

This arrangement continued for only two years. The company officials decided there were inefficiencies in operating two separate plants, so on January 1, 1931, the production facilities were merged into a new plant in Belleville, Illinois. At this time, the Johnson family reluctantly moved there.

The old Monarch plant on Stockdale stood vacant until February, 1937, when Beam Manufacturing Company announced the opening of a facility to manufacture washing machines if the Webster City Business Association could raise $7,000 to purchase and remodel the Monarch plant. Elling Ellingson, president of the association, asked for donations of the members. and the necessary money was raised in just three days.

The new company had only four stockholders. They were G. P. Castner, P. W. Skogmo, and Mr. Gamble, all of Minneapolis and an unnamed person from Milwaukee. The plant began operations on October 13, 1937 and began producing two different types of washers - the traditional agitator model and a new water flex design. Water flowed from the bottom center, shot up the sides, and then it flowed back to the bottom. It got its name from the constant flexing of water. In 1937, the company employed 50 people and produced up to 100 washing machines each day.

E. S. Johnson, who started the old Monarch Company, died on September 21, 1931, following gallstone surgery in St. Louis, at the age of 52. His wife, Elizabeth and three children, Sydney, Justine, and John, survived him. Another daughter, Margaret, died in 1918, and is buried in Graceland Cemetery. Sydney was a member of the Best Ever Knights, a boy's club organized by Charlotte Crosley. John and Justine visited in Webster City some years ago, after John made a large contribution to Kendall Young Library for its expansion. A plaque located in the children's department is in memory of Mr. and Mrs. E. S. Johnson.

Pictured in this story are the Therm-a-jug and Therm-a-iron which are owned by the author and will be given to the Depot Museum.