Knapheide history

Co. to survive the Civil War, the Panic of 1873, World War 1, World War II, the Great Depression, and the change from horse drawn wagons to gasoline driven trucks.

In 1890, Henry E. Knapheide assumed the role of President at Knapheide.

Henry incorporated the company in 1893, invested in steam-powered saws, presses and planers, maintained a respectable inventory, and established channels of distribution into South America and Africa.

4 Minutes of the meeting of the Board of Directors, February 1, 1894.

Originally a wagon company, Knapheide began making truck bodies in the early 1900's and is the oldest manufacturer in the truck equipment industry still owned by the founding family.

8 Minutes of the meeting of the Board of Directors, January 5, 1906.

In 1910, Knapheide installed its first wagon body on a Ford Model T chassis marking the beginning of a new era.

2 Wilcox, David C. and McCarl, Judge Lyman, Quincy and Adams County—History and Representative Men (Chicago, 1919), II, 941.Google Scholar

Devastated by the crash of '29, Knapheide's total gross sales plunged to $14,083.56 for the entire year of 1932.

The company was renamed in 1937 to The Knapheide Manufacturing Company and was prepared to meet the modern world head on.

Harold W. (Bud) Knapheide, Jr. joined his father at Knapheide in 1938.

In 1954 the company moved its assembly and warehouse facilities to three modern buildings in West Quincy, Missouri.

By 1960, nearly every farmer in the Midwest knew the Knapheide name.

In 1968, he gave his son, "Knap", the project of developing and marketing the new service body product.

In 1973, Knapheide's West Quincy facility was severely flooded by torrential rainfall.

The fabrication facility at Sixth and State Streets was greatly expanded in 1975 and now houses the largest cold roll former in the truck equipment industry.

Knap was made President of The Knapheide Manufacturing Company in 1978, a time when service bodies became a contributing product to the company's success.