I was out at the former Ford St. Louis Assembly Plant site yesterday and was handed a vintage metal Ford employee badge (#173). It says St. Louis on it, I'm guessing late 40s or 50s - it's embossed with plant with smokestacks and no Arch, so it has to predate the late 60s. They dug up a bunch of these while excavating a former trash pile. Must be nickel plated since they didn't rust in the ground. I'll post a pic as soon as I find the camera cable, some doofus colleague lost it.

Anyone know a good site to find info on Ford memorabilia?

We also found a box of single-use locks for the train cars that are stamped FRD-SLAP (Ford - St. Louis Assy. Plant). There was a partially used box abandoned down by the train loading ramp. Very cool.

http://audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=150328&stc=1&d=1242324523

That's pretty cool......wonder if #173 peruses AK? :scratch2: It would be pretty neat to locate the employee or find out who they were and if they were still with us.

That's VERY cool--a piece of history.

Must be nickel plated since they didn't rust in the ground.

Looks like pewter.

If it's nickel, it will be sightly magnetic.

There are some listed at THAT auction site and looks like they fetch a decent price (but frankly, I'd keep it!).

Could be from the days of Cast-Iron Charlie or Harry Bennett-But I don't think those byrds ever went to St. Louie, they were up at The Rouge...

My dad had to carry a badge with him everyday as he enterered the "Windsor" plant. They flashed them to the security guard as they entered through the gate. I believe they had to turn them in when they retired or quit. Eventually they were given plastic cards. Obviously they must have just burried the turned in ones.
Reminds me of the story I heard about the Chrysler plant in Windsor. At the end of a model run and they had extra stock of last years car stereos, instead of offering them to their employees for a discount, a few of the men were told to run them through a bandsaw and destroy them. I guess possibly the company could write it off as a loss.

So, the question begs to be asked. What were you doing there? Urban exploration ?

Very cool piece !

bentpencil: not magnetic at all, you might be right.

vintageman: how dumb, they could have sold them as replacement parts...??

wajobu: I'll definitely be keeping it for posterity, but it might be nice to know the value so I'll check over there when I get a chance.

Sad to see the industrial history go (the plant is being demolished and the site redeveloped), but it's cool to be able to see this stuff. There were also fragments of heavy ceramic dishes, probably from the co. cafeteria.

So, the question begs to be asked. What were you doing there? Urban exploration ?

Kinda, but I get paid for it. I'm a project manager for the state DNR Brownfield remediation program. Ford and the developer who bought the property enrolled it in this (voluntary) program to investigate and clean up any contaminants at the site. Part of the sale contract as well as Ford's policy. Ford is very conservative about their environmental stuff. The plant was built in '47 and housekeeping and waste disposal ain't what it is today. I oversee the whole thing, approve plans and reports, and certify that the site is clean at the end and that the regulators will never bother them about it. The banks like to hear that. It's very satisfying work if a bit sad sometimes. You shoulda seen the stuff that went into the scrap piles out there...if I'd had a week and a tractor trailer, I could have salvaged all kinds of fittings, fixtures and building material that no one bought at the auctions. Coulda built myself a 30x60 shop fully sided, electrified, HVAC'd, plumbed and workbenched. 50 times over. But they are recycling 95% of the materials so at least it's not going into the landfill.

Now that is just awesome!

http://shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQ_nkwZfordQ20employeeQ20badgesQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fro mZQQ_mdoZQQ_sopZ12

Take a look at the collection of Ford employee badges on THAT auction site.

Seems that Ford used the same badge-base stamping for several different plants over the past decades.

Quite a story on the St. Louis plant, toxcrusadr ! Good story.

Kinda, but I get paid for it. I'm a project manager for the state DNR Brownfield remediation program. Ford and the developer who bought the property enrolled it in this (voluntary) program to investigate and clean up any contaminants at the site. Part of the sale contract as well as Ford's policy. Ford is very conservative about their environmental stuff. The plant was built in '47 and housekeeping and waste disposal ain't what it is today. I oversee the whole thing, approve plans and reports, and certify that the site is clean at the end and that the regulators will never bother them about it. The banks like to hear that. It's very satisfying work if a bit sad sometimes. You shoulda seen the stuff that went into the scrap piles out there...if I'd had a week and a tractor trailer, I could have salvaged all kinds of fittings, fixtures and building material that no one bought at the auctions. Coulda built myself a 30x60 shop fully sided, electrified, HVAC'd, plumbed and workbenched. 50 times over. But they are recycling 95% of the materials so at least it's not going into the landfill.

That's pretty interesting. Sounds like your job is rewarding and takes you to interesting places.

Yeah, I'd imagine a lot of the older industrial sites would raise the hair on the back of some people's necks if they knew how the toxins were disposed of. I always think back to the Love Canal area (Hooker chemical company).... what a horror.

Closer to you, the whole Times Beach mess comes to mind....

Coulda built myself a 30x60 shop fully sided, electrified, HVAC'd, plumbed and workbenched.
Nice idea, but you and I BOTH know that it would never pass code.........:D:D:D

Code? What code? We don' need no steenking code...

Actually for a "shed" or "barn" that is not a domicile out in the county here there is no permitting or inspection required. :D

Re: industrial sites, I've seen everything, but it's surprising how some of these are a lot less contaminated than you would think. There's some nasty crap though, now and then...

I see the Ford badges are selling for $10-$25. Not that I would let go of mine, way too cool. :thmbsp: Thanks for looking that up. Interesting to know they used a universal design.

That's pretty interesting. Sounds like your job is rewarding and takes you to interesting places.

Yeah, I'd imagine a lot of the older industrial sites would raise the hair on the back of some people's necks if they knew how the toxins were disposed of. I always think back to the Love Canal area (Hooker chemical company).... what a horror.

Closer to you, the whole Times Beach mess comes to mind....


I was in grad school at Mizzou and worked in a lab where some of the Times Beach samples were tested. That was after the town was evacuated, and the guards used to collect any road kill they saw in the area (I-44 goes through there) and stick it in the freezer. We could get a look at the distribution of dioxin in the local wildlife. Times Beach was cleaned up (at a cost of $900M) and donated to my agency, and now it's called Rt. 66 State Park. Still has an original piece of Rt. 66.

Love Canal...a lot of people don't know this but Hooker was only one contributor. Another was the US government. The local school district wanted a piece of it and wouldn't take no for an answer. Hooker tried to tell them but they were idiots (this was 1952) and threatened eminent domain. So Hooker actually tried to limit future use by putting statements in the deed of sale to the school district that the site had waste under it, it should not be dug up, and they would not be responsible for injury or *death* (it says that) if it was. Within 3 months a contractor (who had not been told anything about waste) hit gooey stuff while grading the site. They built the school anyway.

Chris, we are working just the other side of the tracks and creek, digging up the residual uranium tail minings from when Mallinckrodt processed the Belgian Congo ore for the Manhattan Project.

Our fields are green, really green, and taller than normal! :D

Thats some find and a very cool story! As well as a unique piece of history. I would endavor to find out whom that employee was. It would be really cool to find out that info and perhaps donate it to the Ford museum. Or keep it for yourself either way a very unique piece of history.

dok, I think there are a lot of these around, judging from Ebay. I don't know if Ford would have employee info after all this time either. But it is fascinating to think about and I sure would like to know this person's name and story.

Dave: We're going to have to get together and tell war stories for sure!

Kinda, but I get paid for it. I'm a project manager for the state DNR Brownfield remediation program. Ford and the developer who bought the property enrolled it in this (voluntary) program to investigate and clean up any contaminants at the site. Part of the sale contract as well as Ford's policy. Ford is very conservative about their environmental stuff. The plant was built in '47 and housekeeping and waste disposal ain't what it is today. I oversee the whole thing, approve plans and reports, and certify that the site is clean at the end and that the regulators will never bother them about it. The banks like to hear that. It's very satisfying work if a bit sad sometimes. You shoulda seen the stuff that went into the scrap piles out there...if I'd had a week and a tractor trailer, I could have salvaged all kinds of fittings, fixtures and building material that no one bought at the auctions. Coulda built myself a 30x60 shop fully sided, electrified, HVAC'd, plumbed and workbenched. 50 times over. But they are recycling 95% of the materials so at least it's not going into the landfill.

Really drive the stake in and tell me how many old industrial lighting fixtures you saw out there. I am a complete geek when it comes to 20's-60's plant lighting and collect way too much of it.

Oh man, yep, they were there. Last time I was there I saw what looked like a whole binful of red and yellow lights, I dunno if they rotated in emergencies or what. Solid metal cages with colored glass cylinders. Prolly all kinds of stuff in the place. It was 3.4 million square feet, so I never saw all of it. I mean you had to DRIVE around the outside and go in different doors to see things. Crazy big.

Oh man, yep, they were there. Last time I was there I saw what looked like a whole binful of red and yellow lights, I dunno if they rotated in emergencies or what. Solid metal cages with colored glass cylinders. Prolly all kinds of stuff in the place. It was 3.4 million square feet, so I never saw all of it. I mean you had to DRIVE around the outside and go in different doors to see things. Crazy big.

I feel a bit better.

This was more along the lines of what I fall all over myself to snag -

http://www.shoppalstores.com/blscott/image//multi5.jpg

http://www.pwvintagelighting.com/listings/images/2050_3.jpg

http://www.urbanremainschicago.com/images/crouse2.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2075/2439417959_7129f362cb_o.jpg

http://www.urbanremainschicago.com/images/crousee.jpg

Your third pic, was the binfull of red and yellow ones.

The green shrouded ones are really cool, I didn't see a lot of that - mostly modern fluorescents. The original plant was built in '47 so I'm sure they had those, but it was added onto and remodeled and modernized over and over. Only shut down a couple years ago.

I'd love to use a bunch of vintage lights like these in my shop building, but I have to be really careful about accepting stuff, as a regulator, even if it's headed for the trash.

Your third pic, was the binfull of red and yellow ones.

The green shrouded ones are really cool, I didn't see a lot of that - mostly modern fluorescents. The original plant was built in '47 so I'm sure they had those, but it was added onto and remodeled and modernized over and over. Only shut down a couple years ago.

I'd love to use a bunch of vintage lights like these in my shop building, but I have to be really careful about accepting stuff, as a regulator, even if it's headed for the trash.

I completely understand. I am afraid most of the stuff I like went to the scrapper in the 70's & 80's during the military boom and attending plant upgrades. Yo do find it once in awhile if you keep your eyes open on craigslist or the fleamarkets. A shop space fitted out with this kind of lighting and exposed conduits runs would totally rock!