Water Tower

The economy of Hayward in the first half of the twentieth century was based largely on the Hunt Brothers Cannery. The cannery was opened in Hayward in 1895 by brothers William and Joseph Hunt. The Hunts initially packed local fruit, including cherries, peaches, and apricots, then added tomatoes, which became the mainstay of their business.

At its height in the 1960s and 1970s, Hunt’s operated three canneries in Hayward, at A, B, and C Streets; an adjacent can-making company; a pickling factory; and a glass manufacturing plant. From the 1890s until its closure in Hayward, Hunt’s employed a large percentage of the local population. The canneries began to close over time, beginning in the early 1980s, because there were no longer enough produce fields or fruit orchards near the cannery to make it economically viable. Much of the production was moved to the Sacramento Valley.

The location of the former canneries is marked by an historic water tower with the Hayward logo. A housing development now occupies much of the former cannery site.