More Raybestos photos

In addition to our newly-acquired scrapbook of Raybestos photographs showing when the plant came to Crawfordsville in the early 1950s, we have benefited from a generous loan! Mary McClain has just allowed us to digitize dozens of Raybestos photographs she owns, all for the purpose of sharing these with the community. These rare photographs belonged to her husband, Lyle McClain, who worked for Raybestos for 50 years.

This aerial photograph shows the Wabash Division of Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc., under construction in Crawfordsville. The photograph was taken on September 16, 1951.  A barn adjoining the plant building had not yet been torn down. If you want to see more of these historic images, go to our Image Database and search for "Raybestos" as a keyword.

Scrapbook illustrates Raybestos history

CDPL has recently acquired a scrapbook of photographs and clippings centering on the 1951 construction of the Raybestos-Manhattan plant in Crawfordsville. The scrapbook, a significant addition to the library's historical collection of local industry information, was prepared by Clarence P. Schneider, the first factory manager of the new Wabash Division. Included in the scrapbook are aerial photographs of the plant under construction, many photographs of the work site, and a copy of the full-page ad purchased by Raybestos-Manhattan that was published in the Journal-Review on January 19, 1951, announcing the plans to construct a local plant. A Raybestos-Manhattan veteran, Schneider became general manager of the Wabash division in 1956, and returned to the Passaic, New Jersey area in 1959.