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International Hat Company

International Hat Company
FormerlyInternational Harvest Hat Company
Company typePrivate
IndustryHat apparel
FoundedAugust 17, 1917 (1917-08-17) in St. Louis, Missouri, United States[3]
FounderIsaac Apple[4]
DefunctJune 14, 1989 (1989-06-14)[5]
FateLiquidated
SuccessorVenture Products, Inc.
Headquarters2528 Texas Avenue[6],
St. Louis
,
United States
Number of locations
7 factories (1982)
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
ProductsMilitary sun helmets, Sun hats, dress hats, baseball caps, earmuffs
Number of employees
1,500 (1982)
ParentInterco, Inc. (1978–1989)
Subsidiaries

International Hat Company, formerly named the International Harvest Hat Company, was a St. Louis, Missouri-based manufacturer of commercial hats and military helmets.[9] The company was one of the largest hat manufacturers in the United States and, at one time, the largest manufacturer of harvest hats in the world.[6] It is best remembered for its design and mass production of tropical shaped, pressed fiber military sun helmets for service members of the United States Army, Marines, and Navy during and after World War II. Additionally, the American owned company was a major producer of harvest hats, straw hats, fiber sun hats, enameled dress hats, baseball caps, and earmuffs throughout most of the 20th century. However, it is the International Hat military sun helmets that have become the most notable collector's items.

Established in 1917 as a private corporation, the company began with a single product line of harvest straw hats.[3] By the late 1930s, the company had expanded into fiber pressed sun hats and leather harvest hats.[3] During World War II, International Hat developed and produced several models of military sun helmets, including a model with rudimentary ventilation.[10] After the war, the company became interested in plastic molding injection, moving increasingly away from pressed fiber. In the 1950s, General Fibre Company, a subsidiary of International Hat, changed its name to General Moulding Company to reflect these production changes in basic materials. By the 1960s, International Hat was mostly producing baseball caps, straw hats, earmuffs, plastic helmets, and plastic sun hats. During this era of expansion, the company had a proclivity for building its factories in small rural cities, often becoming the largest employer and economic backbone of those communities.[11][12] On several occasions, International Hat donated land or facility equipment for the creation of municipal parks located adjacent to one of its factories, namely for the purpose of benefiting employees, their families, and the local community.[13]

After sixty-one years of business, the company was sold in 1978 to Interco, Inc., where it continued operating as a subsidiary.[14][15] In 1988, Interco was the target of a hostile takeover bid. Consequently, International Hat was divested the following year to Paramount Cap Company, as part of a debt restructuring plan instituted by the parent company.[5] However, Interco subsequently went bankrupt in 1991, after selling 16 of its 20 subsidiaries.[16] Although International Hat was liquidated, several of its original factories are still in operation by other hat companies in Southeastern Missouri.[5][17] Additionally, one of International Hat's warehouses in the historic district of Soulard, Missouri has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.[1][18] International Hat operated the historical building from 1954 to 1976.[2] It is presently used as a senior and disabled living facility.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Fox 1995, p. 54.
  2. ^ a b National Register of Historic Places, Nomination Form. Missouri State Government. December 1975. Retrieved on March 10, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c International Hat Company 1942, p. 3.
  4. ^ "President of Hat Company Accused General Manager of Embezzlement". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis. August 14, 1918. p. 5.
  5. ^ a b c "New Ownership Gives Life Back to Factories". Southeast Missourian. Cape Girardeau, MO. April 19, 1989. p. 1. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Harvest Hat Company Buys Five-Story Building". St. Louis Star and Times. St. Louis. August 16, 1928. p. 17.
  7. ^ "Building Boom Gains Momentum". Southeast Missourian. May 19, 1972. p. 2. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  8. ^ "Marble Hill to Ballot on Gift of Cash, Park". Southeast Missourian. May 17, 1969. p. 3. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  9. ^ "The Hat Department". The Clothier and Furnisher. 95 (1): 193. 1919. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
  10. ^ Lemons 2011, p. 212.
  11. ^ Robertson, Stephen (June 5, 1971). "Oran, Village of Distinctive Personality, Self-Sufficient". Southeast Missourian. p. 1. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  12. ^ "Plant Closing is a Blow for Bollinger County". Southeast Missourian. March 26, 1989. p. 10A. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  13. ^ "$10,000 Gift, Voter Approval Bring City Park". Southeast Missourian. April 2, 1962. p. 1. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  14. ^ "Interco Purchases International Hat". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis. April 3, 1978. p. 10.
  15. ^ "International Hat Company Sold to Interco". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis. Associated Press. April 1, 1978. p. 1E.
  16. ^ Water, Judith Vande (April 11, 1988). "Interco Lists $5.9 Million Loss". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 30.
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dexter Group Buys Plant was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ National Register of Historical Places (2016) Brown Shoe Company's Homes-Take Factory United States Federal Park Services. Retrieved March 15, 2016

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