Mercer
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Mercer-Craft Boats
Mercer Industries, Inc.
Mercer, Wisconin
The Bessemer Herald reports the town of Mercer, Wisconsin built a new plant south of town on Highway 51 to be rented by Mercer Industries (May 7, 1959). Mercer Industries was comprised of Mermaid Marine Co. and Hill Archery Corp. This is likely the same Mermaid Marine found listed at Manitowish, Wisconsin. According to a Feb. 28, 1960 article in the Milwaukee Sentinel, Harold P. Redding was president of Hill Archery and Mermaid Marine.
At the time of the article, he sought capitol to form the Rhinelander Marine Manufacturing Co., Inc. at Rhinelander, Wisconsin. This was to be another boat manufacturing firm. It found capitol from the Rhinelander Development Corp. and Arthur Boelter and Thomas Wilson of Lac du Flambeau with operations beginning in summer 1960. A fire destroyed the former vocational school building housing the business on January 3, 1961. Redding was later charged and convicted of pocketing a $1,185 order and accused of illegally transferring four boat molds to his Hill Archery factory in Mercer (Apr. 11, 1960, Feb. 2, 1961, and Mar. 13, 1963, The Milwaukee Sentinel)
History By Andreas Jordahl Rhude
28 October 2010
Glass Fab, Inc. began making fiberglass boats in the spring of 1965 at New London, Wisconsin. The firm was incorporated on 08 December 1964. The boat manufacturer got its start when investors in the Waupaca/New London area bought the assets of Mercer Boat which had been located in northwestern Wisconsin at Mercer. Ted Barth was at the helm of Mercer Boat.
A later business, Mercer Marine Company was advertising in 1968 issues of Wonderful Wisconsin by Wisconsin Vacationland, Inc.
