Aerial view of Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. Storage tanks dot the area around the plant and one of the Pennwalt barges can be seen being maneuvered to the dock by two tugs. The large corporation, now known as Pennwalt, had its beginnings in 1850 when five Philadelphia Quakers organized the Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. and constructed a plant to produce lye and alkaline salts of soda from natural salt. Today Pennwalt, with its headquarters in Philadelphia, is a worldwide manufacturer of chemicals, health products and precision equipment. The chlorine produced by the company is used in paper and pulp manufacturing, but also in water purification, bleach and the manufacture of adhesives. Caustic soda is also used in pulp production. ("South on the Sound" by Murray Morgan)

Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma);

This aerial view of Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company shows their building complex, 2901 Taylor Way, as it appeared in July 1956. Storage tanks dot the area around the plant and one of the Pennwalt barges can be seen being maneuvered to the dock by two tugs. In 1928, the eastern firm was invited to build a caustic soda and liquid chlorine plant on 14 acres of filled ground adjacent to the Hylebos Waterway. The plant opened the following year as Tacoma ElectroChemical Company. As the parent firm diversified the plants' chemical production, it became known as Pennsalt, and then Pennwalt. Pennwalt Corp. was taken over by Elf-Atochem in 1990. ("South on the Sound" by Murray Morgan)

Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma);

Railroad tank car being loaded with caustic soda at Hooker Chemicals. Hooker Electrochemical was a large producer of chlorine and caustic soda, supplying the Pacific Northwest's pulp and paper industry.

Hooker Electrochemical Co. (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1950-1960; Railroad tank cars--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Water view of Pennwalt Corp. shortly after Christmas, 1969. By 1969, Pennwalt (formerly known as Pennsalt or Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington) had been operating in Tacoma for 40 years. The company was located on 40-acres of land in Tacoma's Tideflats along the Hylebos Waterway. A leader in chemical production, it would merge with Wallace & Tiernan to form Pennwalt Corp. in 1969. More changes and mergers would occur and by 2004, the company would be known as Arkema, Inc. Photograph ordered by Pennwalt Corp.

Chemical industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Pennwalt Corp. (Tacoma); Hylebos Waterway (Tacoma);

ca. 1959. Exposure of Reichhold Chemical. Reichhold occupied 51 acres on the Tideflats and manufactured chemicals used by the plywood industry. The plant opened in 1956.

Reichhold Chemicals, Inc. (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Interior of new aluminum rod mill at Kaiser Aluminum, 3400 Taylor Way, on November 1, 1968. This view is of one-half of Potline #4 and a cart loaded with "channels" which were lowered by crane into a slot just inside the ore hoppers visible on top of each "pot" or reduction cell. The new rod mill was nearly completed and ready for operation.The first rod would be formed in a test run on December 12, 1968. Molten aluminum would be processed into 3/8-inch rods at Tacoma's local mill and then shipped to San Leandro, California, for drawing into electrical wiring. Kaiser had reopened its Tacoma facilities in 1964 after a six-year closure and had steadily expanded since then. It was to permanently close in 2002. Photograph ordered by Kaiser Engineers. (TNT 12-13-68, C-18) (Additional information provided by a reader)

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Hooker Chemical Co. operations. Although this hard hatted employee appears to be maneuvering his machine to spray over a mountain of snow, he is actually adding to the enormous stockpile of salt on the salt pad at Hooker Chemical Co. The pile of salt is reflected in the adjoining pond of water. Photograph ordered by Hooker Chemical for use in annual report.

Hooker Electrochemical Co. (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Hooker Chemical Co. operations. Knee deep in water on a cool day in October, 1964, a Hooker Chemical Co. employee uses a sprayer on giant piles of salt. The Georgian-style plant with steeple is in the background. Photograph ordered by Hooker Chemical for annual report.

Hooker Electrochemical Co. (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Hooker Chemical operations. October, 1964, view of large storage tank believed to be liquid ammonia holding tank on Hooker Chemical property. Smaller tanks surround it. A new storage tank was built for a program of marketing agricultural ammonia as a fertilizer. Photograph ordered by Hooker Chemical for annual report. TPL-6607

Hooker Electrochemical Co. (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1960-1970; Storage tanks--Tacoma;

Pennwalt plant. Located on 40 acres in the industrial Tacoma tideflats, the company was first known as the Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington or Pennsalt. Pennwalt was an inorganic chemical manufacturer of chlorine gas, caustic soda, liquid chlorine and hydrogen gas. Doing business in Tacoma since 1929, its caustic soda and liquid chlorine were in demand by the Northwest's pulp and paper industry. Photograph ordered by Pennwalt Corp.

Chemical industry--Tacoma--1970-1980; Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Pennwalt Corp. (Tacoma);

Interior view of Stauffer Chemical Co. plant. Stauffer Chemical was located at 2545 Lincoln Ave. bordering the Blair (formerly Port Industrial) Waterway. At one time the large plant manufactured 20,000 tons of fertilizer annually. A July, 1976, look inside the plant shows what may have been mounds of fertilizer or dirt. Photograph ordered by Stauffer Chemical Co.

Stauffer Chemical Co. (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1970-1980; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1970-1980;

Interior of Stauffer Chemical plant. Rows of 80-lb. bags are piled up on wooden pallets inside the Stauffer Chemical plant at 2545 Lincoln Ave. in July of 1976. These bags, marked "0-18-0," are believed to be filled with fertilizer. Photograph ordered by Stauffer Chemical Co.

Stauffer Chemical Co. (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1970-1980; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1970-1980;

Hooker locomotive. A Hooker Electrochemical Co. locomotive pulling four storage tanks paused on tracks on October 14, 1929. Hooker opened in February of 1929 and aided the Northwest pulp and paper industry by producing chemicals necessary for operations. It became one of the area's largest chemicals companies and underwent several name changes until closure in the early 2000's. TPL-6604; G44.1-058

Hooker Electrochemical Co. (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1920-1930; Railroad tank cars--Tacoma--1920-1930; Railroad locomotives--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Exterior view of Pennwalt Corp. Formerly known as Pennsalt, the chemical producing company was located on 40 acres of land adjacent to the Hylebos Waterway. This view on December 26, 1969, shows one of the large piles of salt used by Pennwalt in daily operations. Doing business in Tacoma since 1929, Pennwalt had originally specialized in caustic soda and liquid chlorine for sale to the Pacific Northwest's pulp and paper industry before diversifying. Photograph ordered by Pennwalt Corp.

Chemical industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Pennwalt Corp. (Tacoma);

Pennwalt plant. This is another view in early 1976 of the sprawling Pennwalt Corporation plant located in Tacoma's tideflats along the Hylebos Waterway. The company was formerly known as the Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington or Pennsalt. It had been producing chemicals including caustic soda and liquid chlorine in Tacoma since 1929. Photograph ordered by Pennwalt Corporation.

Chemical industry--Tacoma--1970-1980; Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Pennsalt (Tacoma); Pennwalt Corp. (Tacoma);

Offices of Stauffer Chemical Co. Two employees of Stauffer Chemical Co., 2545 Lincoln Ave., are pictured in July of 1976 at work in the company's offices. The woman is busily typing while the man is examining files from an open file cabinet. Modern office equipment including Pitney-Bowes and Western Union machines are located nearby. Photograph ordered by Stauffer Chemical Co.

Stauffer Chemical Co. (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1970-1980; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1970-1980; Office workers--Tacoma--1970-1980; Office equipment & supplies;

An aerial view of Philadelphia Quartz' plant on the Tacoma tideflats. Philadelphia Quartz, with its plants in Berkeley, Los Angeles and Tacoma, was the leading producer of soluble silicates. Its products were used in paper mills, soaps, detergents, high octane gasoline, plywood, corrugated boxes and television sets. Silicates were the unknown product that made modern conveniences possible.

Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Minerals; Philadelphia Quartz Co. of California (Tacoma); Aerial photographs;

Hooker Electro-Chemical parking area. One of the buildings at the far end of the parking lot and the water tower remind workers of "Safety First". Hylebos waterway can be seen in the background as well as cranes used for loading and unloading materials from ships and barges.

Chemical industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Hooker Electrochemical Co. (Tacoma);

Hooker Electrochemical parking area. This view shows the Hylebos waterway and a ship moored at the company's dock. Railroad tracks run through the plant to make more transportation accessible. TPL-2489.

Chemical industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Hooker Electrochemical Co. (Tacoma);

Opening of Stauffer Chemical Company. Ordered by Wilson & George Meyer & Company. Two men are admiring the quality of the superphosphate manufactured at Stauffer Chemical. Superphosphate is a soluble mixture of phosphates used as fertilizer and is made from insoluble mineral phosphates by treatment with sulfuric acid.

Stauffer Chemical Co. (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fertilizers--Tacoma;

Opening of Stauffer Chemical Company. Ordered by Wilson & George Meyer & Company. Tacoma Feed Company have backed their Diamond T delivery truck up to the loading dock to receive a load of superphosphate.

Stauffer Chemical Co. (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960; Diamond T trucks; Tacoma Feed Co. (Tacoma);

A close-up of insulated caustic evaporation tanks and piping at Hooker Chemical. The Tacoma plant was expanded in 1950 and was fully operational by Januray 1951. The increase in production helped the company meet enlarged requirements of its current customers and to supply several important new consumers with caustic soda and liquid chlorine. (Hooker Electrochemical Company Annual Report, 1950)

Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Hooker Electrochemical Co. (Tacoma);

The engineer leans out of a railroad engine that is pulling a Hooker Electrochemical tank car. TPL-6606

Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Hooker Electrochemical Co. (Tacoma); Railroad tank cars--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Philadelphia Quartz Company, established in 1942, was the only sodium silicate plant in the Tacoma area. Belgian silica sand and California soda ash were chemically combined to obtain the product sold largely in Tacoma but marketed also in other Northwest cities. Silicate of soda, water-glass to farm households, was used in adhesives for the plywood industry and corrugated paper-board for the container industry. Televisions of the time required potassium silicates to produce the phosphor screen in the picture tubes. Philadelphia Quartz was headquartered in Berkeley, California. (TNT, 2/17/1948, p.6-A; 5/17/1954; 5/16/1955)

Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Minerals; Philadelphia Quartz Co. of California (Tacoma);

Progress photograph, new building at Stauffer Chemical Company. Stauffer Chemical Company was just getting into production on the tideflats, manufacturing superphosphate fertilizer. The new plant would serve a market area of 200 miles with approximately 30,000 tons of its product a year. The Barthel Chemical Construction Company had installed lined acid tanks for Stauffer Chemical at this time. The plant was built on a 40 acre tract on the tideflats at the location of the old Rainier Steel facility. (TNT, 2/14/1950, p.A-7; 9/13/1949, clipping)

Stauffer Chemical Co. (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Progress photographs; Building construction--Tacoma--1950-1960; Barthel Chemical Construction Co. (Tacoma);

Hooker Chemical Company. The main gate of the Hooker Electrochemical Company and its brick buildings as they appeared in August, 1951. Hooker Electrochemical opened their Tacoma plant in 1928. Hooker, along with the Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company, supplied the Pacific Northwest pulp and paper industry with the means to bleach and refine wood pulp. Hooker products were also used to manufacture soap and refine petroleum products. The Hooker plant on the Tideflats had several expansions before its sale to Pioneer Companies, Inc., in 1997.

Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Hooker Electrochemical Co. (Tacoma); Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Tank cars are being loaded at the Hooker Electrochemical Company's main gate on Alexander Avenue on the Tideflats. Hooker began operations in Tacoma in 1929 and the plant underwent several large expansions before being sold to Pioneer Companies, Inc., in 1997. Along with the Pennsylvania Salt Company, Hooker Electrochemical was a large producer of chlorine and caustic soda, supplying the Pacific Northwest's pulp and paper industry. Low cost electricity, abundant water supply, and easily accessible transportation attracted several chemical plants to the area, and later drew companies making use of by-products from the original plants or new products developed for established firms. TPL-8685

Hooker Electrochemical Co. (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1950-1960; Railroad tank cars--Tacoma--1950-1960;

ca. 1952. Interiors new anhydrous ammonia plant, Hooker Electrochemical. The new $2 million plant was completed in May of 1952. The plant had an output of 40 tons every 24 hours. Eighteen men were employed in the plant, which operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The plant began operation in June of 1952 with its entire production already contracted for. Plans were made immediately for a $6 million dollar expansion. (TNT 10-19-1952)

Hooker Electrochemical Co. (Tacoma); Factories--Tacoma--1950-1960; Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Exterior at new ammonia plant, Hooker Electrochemical. In the plant, hydrogen and nitrogen are mixed in the proper proportion for anhydrous ammonia, subjected to 5,000 pounds to a square inch pressure and then sent to a converter and combined to make the gas. The ammonia is placed in storage tanks outside the plant to await shipment. Shipment is done entirely by railroad tank car. Each car holds 26 tons. (TNT 10-19-1952)

Hooker Electrochemical Co. (Tacoma); Factories--Tacoma--1950-1960; Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Kaiser Aluminum, Tacoma Works rectifier station addition. Exterior of building with train tracks beside it. The Kaiser plants were taken over from the federal government in 1947 by Henry J. Kaiser. The plant in Tacoma was an aluminum reduction plant; it produced pig aluminum from treated ore and then sent it to a fabricating plant to be made into a finished product. The plant underwent a expansion and modernization program in 1952, at a cost of $2,850,000, to increase capacity by 1/3, an annual production of 66, 400,000 pounds.

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;