Dereliction: Peters Cartridge Company

Wednesday
Our bike ride today took us past the Peters Cartridge Company, a well-known landmark along the trail, and one I have often thought of blipping for Dereliction, yet somehow have never got around to. The complex of buildings (there are a couple of others not in my shot) have an interesting history.
The Peters Cartridge Company was once a major employer in the region, providing munitions for Allied forces during World Wars I and II. Organized in 1887, it was the first ammunition company to produce machine-loaded shotgun shells. After an explosion in 1890 that killed 12, the factory was rebuilt at this site. By 1916, brick and reinforced concrete buildings had replaced wood structures and a taller shot tower had been erected. Sister company to the King Powder Company across the Little Miami River, 3,000 men and women at Peters produced 1,500,000 cartridges per day in 1917 to supply munitions during WWI. Production of military ammunition ended in March 1944, and the Kings Mills factory was sold to Columbia Records, who manufactured 78 rpm phonograph records there until 1949. When 45 rpm records became more popular the buildings were subsequently leased to Seagram distillers as warehouse space until 1968. The site was listed as a Superfund National Priorities List site by the Environmental Protection Agency in April 2012 for copper, lead and mercury soil contamination. However, earlier this year the EPA deemed the location safe and ready for development. Cartridge Brewing will begin construction and be the anchor of the site. The 24,000-square-foot factory will be developed as a mixed-use space with restaurants, retail and apartments. So far though, we haven’t seen any activity.