
View of Stevens Metal Products on Erie Street

William H. Stevens 1882 - 1972.
PO1.1112
“Billy Stevens” was
the only son of Harry Stevens born in Niles. He played
on the first Niles High School football team in 1898.
He was an officer of the Dollar Savings Bank
when it was organized in 1904 and later became President of the
ban
For a time he headed Stevens Metal Products
Company. As the firm started by his father extended its areas
of activity, his assistance was needed and in his last years he
supervised the Florida operations. PO1.1112

Stevens Metal Products Company
Niles, Ohio
September 6, 1929
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Stevens
Metal Products
Niles Daily Times 1984 Special Edition
Outlook For Future Is Bright, E.D. Thompson
Reveals
The only industrial plant in Niles to reach its
greatest peak in employment during the depression is the Stevens
Metal Products company. It has many times reached its peak of
260 employees and has not employed less than 180 at any time during
the past four years.
That is the most outstanding record of any local
concern. Furthermore, its outlook upon the future is bright as
was verified by the Vice President and General Manager E. D. Thompson
in his statement. “The outlook for the remainder of 1934
is very good. We are just coming into our busy season.”
Since it first started to operate with twenty
employees in February, 1917, at the site which is now the Municipal
Water Works at the foot of Butler Street, it has grown with remarkable
steadiness until today it is the world’s largest manufacturing
plant devoted exclusively to the manufacture of steel containers.
The company was organized in July, 1916, by W.
H. Stevens, E. D. Thompson, Elizabeth Fisher
and Harry M. Scriven. In 1925 it acquired a plant in
Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, expanding operations of the local
plant and the desire to consolidate the two plants led to the
purchase of the large plant on Erie Street where it is now located.
When the move was completed and the company was in operation at
its new site approximately 100 employees were listed on the company’s
payrolls.
In 1930 the company again expanded its operations
by the purchase of the Detroit Steel Barrel company, a manufacturer
of heavy steel barrels. This plant was also consolidated in the
Niles plant in 1932, giving the company a payroll which included
over 180 employees.
Items manufactured by the Stevens Metal Products
company are steel barrels of all types from 10 to 110 gallons
sizes, galvanized and tinned packages and containers made of special
alloys.
The officers of the company are W. H. Stevens,
president and treasurer; E. D. Thompson, vice-president and general
manager; George Purcell, secretary. The directors of
the company include the above officers, Frank Stayens and
Samuel Brown.

Erie Street view of the Niles Car
& Manufacturing Company built in 1901, makers of one of the
finest lines of plush electric cars of the area. In
1917 the production was shifted to truck chassis.
During WWI, the company became Engel
Aircraft, manufacturing components for airplanes.
It later became Stevens Metal Products
and today is the home of the Cleveland Container Corporation.
PO1.1532
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