Description:
Successor to the Nichols & Shepard Co., the Oliver Corp. was not only Battle Creek’s oldest industry, but was the oldest incorporated manufacturing firm in Michigan. Established in 1848 as Nichols & Shepard, the business sold in 1929 to the newly formed Oliver Farm Equipment, which later became the Oliver Corp. The White Motor Co. acquired the company in October 1960. Samuel W. White, Oliver president, announced the plant’s closure on Feb. 27, 1962, affecting some 850 employees. The Enquirer and News reported the plant was “beset by ‘insurmountable cost problems’” and would close Aug. 1 of that year.
