This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Cratty’s last stand at Iowa Iron Works ends in bankruptcy
Cratty, born 1922, rose from foundry pattern maker to head of Iowa Iron Works in Cedar Rapids. He bought the plant in 1983 with his savings to save 50 jobs, upgraded pollution controls, and battled stomach cancer amid embezzlement by a bookkeeper. By January 1996 the foundry closed, 22 workers lost jobs, and Cratty faced a million-dollar personal loss.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cratty
America
Mary Louise
Amana
Ottumwa
Big Brother
Foundry
U.S. Navy
John Deere Plant
Cedar Rapids
Iowa Steel & Iron
Howard Hall
Hall
12Th Avenue SE
Florida
Howard
Brucemore
Iowa Manufacturing
Amana Appliances
Raytheon Co
Raytheon
Iowa Steel & Iron Works
Iowa Iron Works
Jean Anne Flickinger
Flickinger
Larry Cratty