The Springfield Herald printed the following story on Dec. 20, 1917:

We are glad to announce that Springfield is soon to have a first class canning and preserving factory. The company, with a capital stock of $10,000, has been organized and the charter is now being prepared. The site is to be on the Savannah and Atlanta railroad right of way and the building is to be 60 x 100.

The factory will have a capacity of fifteen thousand cans per day and the company will use everything that can be preserved. At first they will begin on several hundred bushels of sweet potatoes to be followed by early vegetables as soon as they are on the market. The new company is anxious that the farmers all plant an acreage of tomatoes, okra, early peas, beans and corn. The first of the crop can be shipped when the prices are good,  but the factory will take care of the balance, thus making truck growing profitable in spite of lateness of the crop.

The machinery for the new factory is to be shipped this month and by the time the building is ready it will be here ready to be installed. The boiler is to be 60 horse power right from the beginning. The new factory will employ about 75 hands right from the start and it is to be the beginning of a new era in Springfield. No doubt other enterprises will follow in quick succession.

Among the stockholders of the company there are local citizens including H.N. Ramsey, O.M. Morgan, T.A. Dutton, John W. Reiser, W.C. Reiser, A.N. Kieffer, B.E. Mingledorff, C.F. Reiser and in fact nearly all of the leading men of the city and country around Springfield.

Elsewhere in the paper there was a note urging people with empty houses to make repairs and ready them to rent to potential workers in the plant.

This was compiled by Susan Exley of Historic Effingham Society. If you have photos, comments or information to share, contact Exley at 754-6681 or email her at: hesheraldexley@aol.com.