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);
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);
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);
ca. 1940. Pennsylvania Salt Mfg. Co. Gauges for Boiler No.2. The large chemical producing company was located in the Tideflats, along the Hylebos Waterway.
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Gauges; Chemical industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1940-1950;
ca. 1960. Aerial photograph of the Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. in 1960 Richards Studio's stock footage. This Tacoma plant, opened in 1929, covered nearly 40 acres of tideflats on the Hylebos Waterway. A ship is docked ready to transport Pennsalt's chemical products. TPL-6578
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Aerial photographs;
ca. 1960. Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co.'s 40-acre plant faced the Hylebos Waterway and portions of undeveloped Northeast Tacoma, including an enormous gravel pit. Aerial photographs taken by the Richards Studio in 1960 show the large facility along with numerous storage tanks. A ship is docked ready to be loaded with the company's chemical products.
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Aerial photographs;
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company.A view of a large piece of machinery at the Penn Salt plant. The name "General Electric Company" is molded into the housing on the base of the machine. It is large enough to have a portion of the machine below floor level.
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Factories--Tacoma--1940-1950;
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company. A large room filled with rows and rows of tanks in the electrolytic cell department. Two men are walking along the aisles to assure all is well. This electro-chemical company manufactured chlorine, caustic soda, sodium hypochlorite, bleaching powder, hydrogen and sodium arsenate among other substances. (TNT, 2/15/1949, p.A-6)
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tanks (Storage); Factories--Tacoma; Laborers--Tacoma--1940-1950; Industrial facilities--Tacoma;
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company. The exterior of one of the buildings at the plant is pictured on June 7, 1947. The roof line includes elongated V shapes: the shorter side is translucent to allow light into the factory during daylight hours.
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Factories--Tacoma;
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company. The exterior of one of the buildings at the plant. A flag pole stands in front of the building. The $2 million Tacoma plant covered about 40 acres of tideflats on Hylebos waterway. Their products included chlorine and caustic soda (used in pulp, paper, plywood and soap manufacture as well as for sanitation purposes), chemical manufacturing, metallurgical and other processes and herbicides.
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Factories--Tacoma;
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company. An interior view of the plant showing a line of very large storage tanks along the left side. On the right are stacks of bagged materials.
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tanks (Storage); Factories--Tacoma;
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company. Two men stand by a large control panel. One of the men is turning a valve. Dials are displayed on the large metal face of the panel.
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Factories--Tacoma; Industrial facilities--Tacoma;
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company. An exterior view showing a cooling system at the rear of the building. Refer to D28,041-2 for a more detailed view of the cooling system.
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Factories--Tacoma;
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company. An interior view of the plant. Three large funnels are shown with large tanks in the background. One man is painting some of the metal surfaces of the internal structures. Another man is standing reviewing the process.
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Factories--Tacoma;
Several shots at plant to be used as mural at Poodle Dog, Penn Salt Manufacturing Co., Mr. Shanaman. Two workers check rows of tanks at Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company. The company was a manufacturer of basic chemicals from salt including caustic soda, chlorine, sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen, dairy and poultry germicides, special chemical cleaners and dry cleaning products.
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Factories--Tacoma--1940-1950; Chemical industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Poodle Dog (Fife);
Example of General American Evaporators in place at Pennsylvania Salt. Ordered by General American Transport Corp., NY, NY, Harold Jacoby. Capacity of the Tacoma plant for production of chlorine and caustic soda was being increased 30%. Pennsalt had been granted a federal certificate of necessity for $445,450. As of March 1951, power hearings brought out the fact that chlorine and caustic sodas were ranked among the top poriority defense items, being used in aircraft manufacture and at the Hanford A-bomb plant, as well as suppllying local chemical plants and domestic needs. (TNT, 3/30/1951; 4/26/1951)
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Factories--Tacoma--1950-1960;
General American Evaporators shown in evaporator room at Pennsylvania Salt. Penn Salt began a $172,000 plant expansion program in March 1951. The biggest investment was to be in new equipment in the plant's chlorine and caustic soda departments. Some building modification was also included. The expansion was necessitated by both increased normal demands and those spurred by war production. (TNT, 3/30/1951)
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Factories--Tacoma--1950-1960;
The display of seven canisters of Flake Caustic Soda produced by the Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company was taken on August 27, 1951. Flake Caustic Soda apparently was sold in several different size metal cans; only the smallest can has a handle for easy carrying. Caustic soda, also known as sodium hydroxide, is a white brittle solid used especially in making soap, oils, rayon and paper. It can also be in liquid or flake format, as in this particular display.
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Containers; Minerals--Tacoma;
This photograph of six cans of caustic soda manufactured by Pennsalt was taken on September 15, 1951. The black metallic cans are of various sizes; five of them contain flake caustic soda while the remaining container is labeled solid caustic soda. Caustic soda, also known as sodium hydroxide, is a white brittle solid used especially in making soap, rayon and paper. It can be in liquid, solid or flake form. The Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. had a large chemical plant in the Tideflats which manufactured basic chemicals from salt for pulp mills and then onto other products.
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Pennsalt (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Containers; Minerals--Tacoma;
Interior exposure of Pennsylvania Salt plant. Two employees of the Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company of Washington appear to be preparing to fill the large tanker car full of liquid chlorine in a photograph taken in October, 1951. Pennsylvania Salt (Pennsalt) was one of Tacoma's largest chemical plants, beginning operations on the Tideflats in the late 1920's. Major products were caustic soda and chlorine; in liquid form, chlorine was especially valued as sterilizing agents for water purification and sewage treatment. TPL-10066
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Pennsalt (Tacoma); Railroad tank cars--Tacoma--1950-1960; Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1950-1960;
The Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington began operations in their Taylor Way plant in June, 1929. Then known as Tacoma Electrochemical Company, they produced liquid chlorine, caustic soda and sodium hypochlorite for the area's pulp mills. Previously, mills had to import these products from the East. A plentiful supply of low-cost electricity, pure water, moderate climate, and good supply of labor provided incentive for Pennsalt and other chemical plants to locate in Tacoma. View of Pennsalt worker turning bolt with a wrench; photograph was taken in October, 1951.
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Pennsalt (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1950-1960; Machinery; Pipes;
A Pennsalt employee carefully monitors a pressure gauge at the Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington's tideflats plant in October, 1951. He has one hand on a handle and stares directly at the gauge. Two tanks of liquid chlorine flank a Toledo scale nearby.
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Pennsalt (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1950-1960; Storage tanks--Tacoma; Scales; Pipes;
Workers at the Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington's Taylor Way plant appear to be positioning barrels to be filled with Pennsalt chemical products in a photograph taken on October 10, 1951. Rollers are set in the floor to then move the filled barrels to the next point in the assembly line. Enormous pipes seem to hang from the ceiling; large scales can be spotted behind the barrels.
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Pennsalt (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1950-1960; Barrels--Tacoma; Pipes; Scales;
This is the office of Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. (commonly known as Pennsalt), located in Tacoma's tideflats area, in January of 1952. The big chemical plant covered 40 acres on the Hylebos Waterway. The Ionic columns are believed to have been manufactured by the (Washington) Mutual Fir Column Co. who were neighbors of Pennsalt.
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington had its headquarters in Tacoma. Despite its name, Pennsalt did not produce table salt but instead was a basic manufacturer of chemicals from salt. It, along with Hooker Electrochemical, supplied caustic soda and chlorine to the Pacific Northwest's pulp and paper industry. View of some of the machinery used by Pennsalt in their Tideflats plant; these are believed to be rotary converters used to convert AC power to direct current. Photograph ordered by Edwin Cliffe, supt. of Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington. (Additional information provided by a reader)
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Machinery;
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington had long been established in Tacoma; it was to celebrate its 25th anniversary locally in 1954. It started with a 40 acre tract of land on the Hylebos Waterway and has steadily expanded, adding new buildings and machinery, to fill the needs of the pulp and paper industry. View of machinery in Pennsalt plant; this may be a large burner. Photograph ordered by Edwin Cliffe.
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co. of Washington (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Machinery;
