Contributed by Teresa Douglass, Genealogy Specialist
At the Clover Valley Poultry Farm and Hatchery near Ramsey, farming was combined with flying.
Chicks + planes = Free Bird? 😊
Clover Valley Hatchery and airport near Ramsey, Indiana.
George F. Pinaire began what became Clover Valley Poultry Farm and Hatchery in 1906 and developed it into one of the most modern hatcheries in the region. He was later assisted by his sons, William and Clifford. The Pinaires continued to modernize and expand the business, opening a second hatchery in Depauw in 1936, followed by additional branches in Milltown and Seymour, Indiana, and a plant in Bellflower, California. George Pinaire died in 1937, and his son, William, continued to manage the Indiana plants, while Clifford managed the California operation. A leading aviation enthusiast, William Pinaire, had a private pilot’s license and owned three planes. He established a 1,600-foot runway on his Ramsey farm (seen in the foreground of the photo, with a plane at far right), and in the late 1940s, he purchased an additional 16 acres to build another runway, 2,100 feet long. Pinaire offered to pay for flying lessons for his employees with the idea of possibly flying the hatchery’s chicks to market. His primary reason, however, was to simply show his workers “how much fun it is to fly.”
Check out more farm photos in HCPL’s Farms, Crops, and Animals collection.
