In 1930, at the beginning of the great depression, Fred Kaeser purchased the old Stotlar-Herrin Lumber Company business located at 602 N. Market Street and re-named it Kaeser Lumber Company. He accomplished this with the help of his sons, Walter and Albert, who helped run the business and his daughter, Katherine Barbara Kaeser who served as the bookkeeper for thirty years before returning to college and earning a degree in elementary education.
The business was a typical family retail lumber business which also sold hardware, paints and all aspects of building products.
The business did well in spite of the depression and Kaeser Lumber was incorporated in 1953, but on December 6, 1960, when Fred, the founder and president of the company died, it was left to his sons, Walter and Albert to continue on.
On December 13, 1967, the family business which had been operated in that location for 37 years was sold to North Side Lumber Company. North Side was then operating at the city limits on North State Street and was owned by Kirby Sniderwin and Kenneth Sims.
After the purchase, the Kaeser Lumber name was retained and Walter Kaeser continued working there as an employee until his retirement.
The business, under new ownership, lasted well into the 1990’s, but in the 1980’s was vacated out of the old location and moved to 700 N. Market St. where the old Pepsi plant was once located.
See also, Kaeser Family History
(Marion Daily Republican article, Dec. 17, 1967; compiled by Sam Lattuca on 02/10/2014)