A packing plant for a business called Wolin Packing Co (Wolin Packing Company) was constructed and established in 1911 in the St. John neighborhood of Flint, Michigan. This building was used as a packing house for meat. Cows were sold here to be packaged for sale to supermarkets across the United States. Cattle was hauled in using the railroad located next to the General Motors automobile plant. David Wolin owned and operated Wolin Packing Co as he was the CEO.
Wolin Packing Co. had also their headquarters established at the location of 925 South Dort Highway, Flint, Michigan. An issue of Directory of the Bureau of Animal Industry from 1949 shows Wolin Packing Co. to be located at two addresses. (Ref: https://archive.org/details/CAT11088375070/page/44)
3S65S was the original phone number. The phone number for Wolin Packing Co. remained unchanged even during the 1940s and 1950s. (Ref: Lansing State Journal, Page 22, Tuesday, October 28, 1952)
Wolin Packing Co was charged a number of times by a handful of law enforcement agencies during the 1940s. They were often charged with slaughtering cattle without a permit. The company filed several false arrest suits during the decade on behalf of David Wolin, the CEO, and its employees. The company claimed to have been harassed by law enforcement and city officials. Listed below are some examples.
Detroit Free Press reported in 1946 that David Wolin had been charged with slaughtering cattle without a permit. City Director of Foods, Henry Kowalk, began examination on July 20, 1946. This was not the first time David Wolin had been charged with slaughtering cattle without a permit.
“A plea of innocent to the charge of slaughtering cattle without a permit was entered in Municipal Court by David Wolin, 42, owner of the Wolin Packing Co. His examination was set for July 20. Wolin was accused by City Director of Foods Henry Kowalk of slaughtering 17 head of cattle July 4 without getting a city permit. Two meat market operators, Harry Land and Joseph Buff, were found guilty of selling uninspected meat and ordered to pay small fines.”
(Ref: Detroit Free Press, Page 6, Sunday, July 7, 1946)
In August 1947, a Masillon, Ohio newspaper wrote an article about David Wolin being falsely arrested by police in Canton, Michigan. Many details of the arrest were included.
David Wolin, owner of the Wolin Packing Co., was falsely arrested by police in Canton, Michigan during a delivery to a municipal court. Ultimately Wolin Packing Company of Flint lodged the complaint against the city of Canton, Michigan and the United States Department of Agriculture because his false arrest.
“David Wolin, owner of the Wolin Packing Co., was falsely arrested by police. Detective Capt. William D. Harrison and Detective Sargt. Joseph Scrimo were named in the false-arrest action lawsuit. The two other defendants were David Wolin of the Wolin Packing Company and Robert J. Gillenkirk. Wolin Packing Company of Flint lodged the complaint against them.”
(Ref: Evening Independent, Page 7, Saturday, August 30, 1947)
Robert J. Gillenkirk was falsely arrested again in November 1947. He was a former employee of Wolin Packing Co at the time. He was made a defendant in the false arrest suit.
“Robert J. Gillenkirk, a Hamlin (N. Y.) truck driver who sued three Canton policemen for $10,000 in a false arrest suit Aug. 29, Thursday pleaded innocent when arraigned on a secret indictment charging operation of a tractor-trailer outfit without the owner's consent. He was released on bond. His false arrest suit is still pending in common pleas court. The Wolin Packing Co. of Flint. Mich., which formerly employed Gulenkirk, also was made a defendant in the false arrest suit. Police said they picked up Gillenkirk last August at the request of the packing company.”
(Ref: Evening Independent, Page 13, Friday, November 21, 1947)
Circleville Herald from Circleville, Ohio reported that Wolin Packing Company of Flint lodged the complaint against the city of Canton, Michigan and the United States Department of Agriculture again in 1948. This because of the false arrest of David Wolin and Robert J. Gillenkirk.
David Wolin, owner of the Wolin Packing Co., was falsely arrested by police in Canton, Michigan during a delivery to a municipal court. Wolin Packing Company of Flint lodged the complaint. (Ref: Circleville Herald, Page 3, Monday, February 9, 1948)
Detroit Free Press reported a wild case of a steer breaking loose and escaping the Wolin Packing Co packing house in 1949. A steer was imported from Canada and shipped to the Wolin Packing Co. packing house in Flint on the date of August 31, 1949. Yet somehow the steer escaped. (Ref: Detroit Free Press, Page 17, Thursday, September 1, 1949)
“FLINT police and sheriff's officers were alerted Wednesday to look for a "wild and dangerous" Canadian steer. The 1,400-pound animal has been at large since Tuesday night. Police said the steer was so wild that a special handler was sent along from Canada to accompany it to the Wolin Packing Co. in Flint. The steer broke away from the intended slaughter and when last seen was headed for some woods along the Flint River northeast of the city.”
In 1954, a man named David Matthew brought over a heavy steer which made the newspaper in Cass City, Michigan. David Matthew's Angus brought 32½¢ a pound from Wolin Packing Co. of Flint. The steer weighed 1,190 pounds. (Ref: http://newspapers.rawson.lib.mi.us/chronicle/CCC_1954%20(E)/issues/12-24-1954.pdf)
Wolin Packing Co. was part of a lawsuit entitled Gordon Murphy, et. al, vs. Wolin Packing Company in 1954. The company was being charged with negligence and selling tainted meat. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/21091410/)
In 1955, Wolin Packing Company was charged with selling spoiled meat to a state institution. This tainted meat which was packaged had been sold at local supermarkets. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/209611427/)
1978 is the year when the Wolin Packing Co plant property was sold to Bell Robinson. He would use the building for his business called Bell’s Produce bka Bell's Produce, Inc. Bell’s Produce mainly sold vegetables and fruit from his farm and other farms located in the Genesee County area. The phone number was 810-235-6668. (Ref: https://www.yellowpagesdirectory.com/Flint-MI/Bell's+Produce+Inc/365354)
Winter was a busy time for his produce business. That is when business picked up after the summer gardening season was over.
Flint Journal reported in 2007 that Bell Robinson had been in the fruit and vegetable supply business for 65 years and expressed no desire to retire. (Ref: Flint Journal, Produce career still ripe, At 85, Bell Robinson has no plans to stop delivering fruits and vegetables, October 21, 2007)
However that would later come to an unexpected halt in the spring of 2007. Genesee County Land Bank purchased the property from Bell Robinson on the date of 04/16/2007 for a price of $9,769 dollars after several penalties imposed on the property. These penalties were unpaid at the time Genesee County Land Bank had purchased the property from Bell Robinson. This commercial structure was sold less than 5 times throughout the years. (Ref: https://www.realtytrac.com/property/mi/flint/48505/3401-michigan-ave/31607256/)
Bell's Produce filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on the date of June 24, 2008. Bell Robinson owed $156,790.32 in total liabilities to creditors with $37,391.00 in assets. He owed money to nearly 49 creditors. The case was filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. (Ref: http://bankrupt.com/misc/mieb08-32589.pdf)
The building became vacant and was abandoned in 2009. Soon enough, the building was tagged with graffiti and became heavily vandalized. Scrappers took metal such as copper, silver, and aluminum from the building. 
On Wednesday, September 18, 2013 is when the commercial structure of what was once Wolin Packing Co. and Bell’s Produce caught on fire. Smoke could be seen for miles from Leith Street. Over 50% percent of the building perished in the fire. Details of how the fire occurred remain unclear and unknown even to this day. (Ref: https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2013/09/vacant_commercial_structure_th.html, Vacant commercial structure that held former produce business in Flint destroyed by fire)
Today 90% of the commercial structure is gone. The only portion of the building remaining is the southern portion located at the corner of Michigan Avenue & Everett Street facing the eastbound direction.
A portion of the Wolin Packing Co building was and still is located at 3401 Michigan Avenue, Flint, Michigan, US 48505.
No comments:
Post a Comment