Cherokee County History Page: 656
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History of Peacock Crate Factory
Peacock Crate Factory is an outgrowth of a crate factory
built by John George Slover four miles south of Turney,
Tex., in 1896. His son, W. W. Slover, was his partner in the
business. When the T. & N. O. Railroad was routed through
Turney in 1904 the factory was moved to a site adjoining the
railroad.
Hoke Peacock, brother-in-law of W. W. Slover, bought an
interest in the Crate factory in 1921. One year later he
purchased the remaining interest. At that time the plant was
making four-basket crates used to pack tomatoes. In 1926
the factory started the manufacture of bushel baskets. Mr.
Peacock's sons, James and Phillip, worked with their father
after they finished school, as did his son-in-law, F. A.
Shinalt, a few years after his marriage to Jerry Peacock.
When the plant burned in 1948, leaving only the machine
shop, the warehouse, and the log yard intact, Mr. Peacock
decided to retire from the business in order to devote his time
to oil interests; however, he continued to be available readily
to his family for consultation and advice. Mr. Shinalt rebuilt
on the Turney site and began the manufacture of covers for
fruit and vegetable containers.
A new plant for Peacock Crate Factory was built in Jack-
sonville by James and Phillip Peacock on 12 acres of land
just off South Jackson Street. On June 7, 1949, operations
began. The first shipments went to Georgia for packaging
peaches. Customers cover the entire United States, particu-
larly the northwest area of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho,
California; and Florida, Colorado, the "Winter Garden" dis-
trict around Crystal City, Tex., as well as Canada, Mexico,
and overseas.
The working relationship between the Peacock brothers
was a complementary one, with Phillip directing his efforts
to the operation of the plant while James was involved with
administrative and marketing functions. Phillip developed
several mechanical innovations used in the plant. He
planned and built machines to serve specialized purposes
needed in the making of a basket. He introduced the recy-
cling of water that is sprinkled on logs in the yard awaitingprocessing, which protects them from rotting. Implemented
in 1961, it has been copied by other timber processors. The
company maintains its own logging equipment and crew. On
Dec. 17, 1978, a fire completely destroyed a covered shed
used to dry baskets. Drying time depended on weather con-
ditions. It was replaced by a modern dry kiln, the largest
basket dryer in the world, in which drying time can be
controlled.
James, who died in 1970, had a gregarious personality
which helped him in client development and public relations.
Traveling nation-wide, he initiated and maintained contact
with growers who purchased the product. He was active in
the American Veneer Packaging Association, which he once
served as president. Since his death, his son, Tony Peacock,
has assumed his role, sustaining the connections with the
commercial growers and making new contacts, buying tim-
ber, supervising all logging operations, checking day-to-day
mill operations as well as working with Phillip on over-all
plans. Hoke Peacock's grandsons and their friends, as well
as boys from surrounding towns, worked at the plant during
summer vacations.
Among trade magazines that have displayed Peacock
Crate as a model factory was The Lumberman, which pub-
lished an article in the May, 1950, issue, titled "Good Utiliza-
tion." Various colleges conduct tours of the plant for stu-
dents studying the manufacture of forest products. The
University of Colorado makes a yearly tour.
At one time there were 16 basket factories in Texas alone,
and three of those were in Jacksonville, Tex. Now there are
only three west of the Mississippi-two in Jacksonville and
one in Arkansas. Aber Box & Basket Factory, founded in
1896, discontinued production in Dec., 1976, because of the
health of the owners. The other two, Texas Basket Factory
(formerly Slover Crate Factory, Slover-Newton, then New-
ton-Shank) and Peacock Crate Factory remain in business.
These surviving manufacturers supply the nation with con-
tainers made from wood for shipment of fruits and vegeta-
bles. Peacock Crate Factory is a healthy, profitable business,
manufacturing baskets in six different sizes and three types.Aerial View Peacock Crate Factory Plant
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Cherokee County Historical Commission (Tex.). Cherokee County History, book, 2001; Jacksonville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth354360/m1/666/: accessed June 12, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Cherokee County Historical Commission.