THE WHITING CANDLE FACTORY

Gayle Faulkner Kosalko August 2020

Chapter 1

The Early Days

Before the popularity of the automobile, kerosene, not gasoline, was Standard Oil's best-selling product and one of the by-products of the early refining process itself was paraffin wax. Standard Oil took this by-product and began one its most successful in-house businesses that would last for 60 years. In 1893, nestled inside the refinery itself, the Whiting Candle Factory was built.

Originally their main product was the plain white paraffin candle. Later stearic acid, a waxy solid, was added to make the candles more rigid. Marketed under the trade name "Granite," this hardy variety of candle was sold mainly to mining companies. The factory also produced one pound cakes of pure refined wax marketed as "Parowax" which was sold in 20,40- and 100-pound cases. Parowax was popular with homemakers who used it for canning and preserving and there was one girl in the candle shop who was renowned for packing a thousand pounds of Parowax an hour.

Plumbers candles were also produced. These were used extensively at one time by plumbers for tinning or wiping joints of pipe.

And then there were the Coach and Carriage candles. In the early days these candles were used in carriage lamps. Later the candles were used by dairies during the winter as a mild and odorless source of heat in milk wagons that prevented milk and eggs from freezing.

A popular candle, prettier than just having a practical use in the early days, was the snowflake candle with its aerated design. Until the company was capable of painting candles in-house, it sold large quantities of its candles to other firms like the Peacock Candle Company of South Bend, Indiana, which decorated and resold them.

But it would be what happened "over there" during World War I that would change everything over here for the Whiting Candle Factory.

Chapter 2

The Influences of War I

From March through December of 1918, the company's entire production of 6 and 8 inch candles were purchased by the US Army for use in the trenches. Chandlers (the makers of candles) worked overtime, working 'round the clock, seven days week producing and eventually shipping 285 million candles to France by war's end. In addition to the output of candles, Standard Oil itself made significant contributions to the war effort in terms of gasoline, toluene and medicinal white oil production.

And after the war, while most homes and businesses were now using electricity, the consumption of candles surprisingly increased almost 230% by the early 1920's. The greatest demand was for practical white candles used by plumbers, dairy distributors, miners and for emergency lighting in homes and aboard trains.

But it was after the boys returned home that a new style of candle was sought. "Over there" in Britain and France, the soldiers noticed candles being used as ornaments or decoration, particularly during the holidays and thus was born the novelty decorative candle market.

Because of this demand for all types of candles, the Whiting Candle Factory more than doubled its production capacity between 1923 and 1928. Producing a million pounds of wax per month, Standard's provided 10% of all candles bought in America.

Chapter 3

NEW PRODUCTS and the NOVELTY LINE

The postwar years were the bustling days of the Whiting Candle Factory as the company began making a variety of novelty candles for holidays and special occasions. From the time of the Depression until the mid-1940's the most popular specialty candles sold were the factory's candelabra candles and those in unique shapes and colors such as Jack o’lanterns, Easter bunnies, Christmas trees, Santa Clauses, angels and snowmen. From producing the smallest (under an inch) candles to slim birthday candles and votives to the splendorous Pinnacle candles, the Whiting Candle Factory certainly held its own against the 70 other candle producing factories throughout the nation. The company's raw petroleum wax was (according to the Stanolind Record) "passing through capable hands and transformed into grace and beauty and delightful figures to please the American people."

By now the candle craftsmen had been successful in developing dyes and coloring materials, producing a number of different candle products under the brand name of Wayside. Wayside candles included:

Wayside Candles: This was the factory's glamour product and included fancy molded, hand dipped tapers and novelty candles.

Superior Candles: These candles were primarily sold to places of worship. About 15% of all candles produced were used for religious observances.

Bokay Lites: Bokays were to be used for floral arrangements.

Tiffany Candles: Known for their translucent opalescence, these candles radiated a cacophony of colors, reminiscent of a Tiffany lampshade.

Pinnacle Candles - Many of these popular candles reached over four foot in height.

Kalo-Chrome Candles -So popular were these candles with their iridescent hues, that an entire section of the factory was dedicated to their production.

Chapter 4

World War II and the Peak Years

75% of the candle-making facilities at Whiting were converted to production for military uses during World War II. At the front, candles were used not only for light but to warm emergency food rations. And how many tent leaks were stopped with the wax of a melted Whiting candle?

The Whiting Candle Factory enjoyed its peak years shortly after World War II. During the Depression and World War II, Standard Oil became the only major oil company in the United States that manufactured candles. Despite the hard times and sacrifices endured by so many during this period, candle sales continued to grow.

By June of 1941 with patriotism running high, the factory's newest candles included the red, white and blue "Patriotic" taper, the "American Loyalty Star" candle and the "Victory Twists." These new war years' candles were acclaimed as "appropriate dinner table decorations for those entertaining the boys soon to be off for military training."

A new feature that year was the decorated gift box which containing Conifer Candles with metal bases and candles that came in a variety pack.

More than 150 varieties of candles were being produced, ranging in size from 1 to 48 inches and in weight from less than .03 of an ounce to 37 pounds. And during the factory's peak years, the selling of candles was handled by just four representatives whose sole job it was to sell no other Standard refinery product than the candle.

Whiting Factory candles appeared in gifts shops, department stores, and specialty shops. It was the busy task of this candle quartet to visit all retailers or organization who sold or bought candles in quantity. Their sales regions covered Michigan, Minneapolis, LaCrosse territory, Chicago, Joliet and Milwaukee regions. In fact, two of the four representatives worked the Chicago-Joliet-Milwaukee territory because that's where about 42% of all candle sales were made!

Chapter 5

THE FEMALE CHANDLERS

The Whiting Candle Factory was unique in all Standard Oil Refinery as it was the one place where the women employees outnumbered the men three to one.

Like their male counterparts throughout the refinery, the girls had their own factory sports team. They called themselves the Kalo-chromes. And on one refinery game day, a Standard Oil writer referred to them were on the sporting field as "bright and shining lights." (Stanolind Record, October 1923)

The young ladies also formed a basketball team called The Travertine Girls. In addition to sports teams, the factory chandlers also organized their own orchestra under Mr. Thomas Dubravitz.

Chapter 6

Chandler Elizabeth Fauth Bauer

Born in 1893, Elizabeth was the eldest daughter of Caroline Mueller and Carl August Fauth who settled here from Germany in Berry Lake. Elizabeth had eight brothers and sisters and when Rockefeller bought Berry Lake back in 1900, the family physically moved their house by teams of horses to 1219-120th Street where it still stands today.

Elizabeth attended the Lutheran School at Berry Lake where she received awards for perfect attendance. Carrie Gosch for whom an East Chicago school is named, was one of her teachers. Like many young girls from large families, Elizabeth had to leave school at a young age to get a job helping support the family. Elizabeth left her formal school at grade four, but she was an avid reader, could read German and was quick with arithmetic.

When she was 16, she lied about her age to order to get a job at the Whiting Candle Factory. With her quick wit and her hard work ethic, she quickly was promoted to Head Forelady.

At this time, the candle factory was importing a wax from South America but even the chemists at the plant could find no way to use it as it would not harden properly.

Knowing she was smart and had a lot of experience with candles, the chemists asked Elizabeth to see what she could do with it. She experimented, kept logs, and came up with a formula that helped the wax set so that it could be used to make candles.

Elizabeth Fauth Bauer's name, along with her formula, is now listed with the patent office in Washington D.C.

For her efforts, the candle factory awarded Elizabeth a three cent raise.

"Elizabeth Fauth, our head forelady, has been going out quite often lately. She took a day off to go to the circus and she visits the amusement parks in the evening. The girls don't think it fair that she should keep the young man's name to herself." Stanolind Record 1924

Chapter 7

Business Tapers Off

By the 1950's nearly all the world's candles were made from petroleum wax though some religious candles were still made of beeswax according to church tradition. By 1955 enough Standard Oil wax was used yearly in candle manufacturing to produce some 100 million candles. And it was said that if these candles were burned continuously, one at a time, would give off light for about 50,000 years!

The Whiting Candle Factory continued to manufacture and sell candles of many varieties until the decision came to close the factory in May of 1956.

After 60 years of candle making, Whiting Candle Factory closed for two reasons. First and most importantly, the company needed to convert operations for the purposes of more profitable lines of product such as wax production for other uses. Wax production had more than doubled between 1941 and 1953. Secondly, more wax was being sold to other candle manufacturers and to producers of wax paper. Staniseal wax was sold to dairies for the coating of milk cartons with an "odor panel" of trained sniffers at the refinery who checked daily to make sure their product was odor-free. Industrial uses of wax made up 90 % of Standard's output now and new machines enabled Standard to produce uniform slabs of wax in 50-pound cartons with wax that had never been touched by human hands.