The C. Beck Manufacturing Co. Ltd. operated from 1875 to 1969 with its centre of operations in Penetanguishene. The company sold wholesale lumber, shingles, lath, box shooks, pails, tubs and woodenware to firms in Ontario, Quebec, western Canada and the northern United States. It produced the special wooden tubs, boxes, barrels and pails that carried early 20th century Ontario food products to markets across Canada and throughout the British Empire. It was a family business whose founder, German immigrant Charles Beck (1838-1915), built a large lumber manufacturing business through aggressive marketing, shrewd diversification and technological investment. The C. Beck Manufacturing Co. was supported by an extensive array of Georgian Bay area lumber camps, specialty shingle, lath and lumber mills, two general stores, and three box, pail and woodenware factories in Penetanguishene and Toronto.

Location

In front of the Penetanguishene Centennial Museum and Archives, 13 Burke Street, Penetanguishene.

Themes

• Buildings and structures
• Communities
• Industry and trade
• People