Kaspar Wire Works

Founded as outgrowth of an 1895 invention that used smooth wire discarded when barbed wire fencing was introduced in this area. August Kaspar, son of a Swiss Lutheran missionary to Texas, salvaged some of the plain wire and made a corn shuck basket for home use. A neighbor saw and bought the basket. Soon Kaspar disposed of his baskets as rapidly as he could make and put them to use in his own barn. In 1898 he began the full-time manufacture of wire baskets and horse muzzles. His backyard shop was equipped with little more than a pair of pliers and his inventive genius. A rented wagon was the original Kaspar show room. Arthur H. Kaspar, son of the founder, purchased the business in 1924. In 1949 a grandson, Don G. Kaspar, joined the organization. Kaspar Wire Works has progressed to assembly-line manufacturing of nationally and internationally distributed goods -- including display racks, baskets, newspaper racks, wire shelving and many other products. The growth and success of Kaspar Wire Works was officially recognized in 1967 by the bestowal of the first annual Governor's Expansion Award under the auspices of the Texas Industrial Commission.

Kaspar Wire Works is a historical marker in Shiner, Lavaca County, dedicated in 1970. It is one of 95 historical markers documented in Lavaca County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 129 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.4367, -97.1646 near Shiner. The nearest cataloged historic site is Spoetzl Brewery (historical marker), about 0.2 miles away. Others within a short drive include Masonic Lodge Building, Shiner Opera House, and United Evangelical Lutheran Dr. Martin Luther Church.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5285002903. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.