Heekin Can Company Picnic Bucket
Springdale school teacher Martha Lankford won this five-gallon picnic bucket at a teacher appreciation event sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce in the 1970s. After she retired from schoolteaching, Martha donated the picnic can to the Shiloh Museum. The can was made by Springdale's Heekin Can Company. A need for tin
cans in the spice and roasted coffee business led to the the formation
of Heekin Can Company in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1901. They soon branched
out to manufacture cans for lard, baking powder, and ink. The Springdale
plant, which opened in 1949, made packing cans for fruits, vegetables,
and other food products. |
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| Heekin's grand opening in Springdale on June 4, 1949 was met with much fanfare, including speeches by Heekin president Daniel Heekin, Frisco Railroad vice president John Payne, and Arkansas highway commissioner Orval Faubus. The Springdale High School Band and Slim Picken's Famous Western Band provided musical entertainment as some 4,000 visitors toured the new factory. Free soda pop and fried chicken box lunches were provided for all in attendance. | |
Ball
Corporation acquired Heekin Can Company in 1993. At that time Heekin
was the largest regional manufacturer of metal food containers in
the United States. Today Springdale's manufacturing operation produces
containers and ends for southern and midwestern customers.
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