Post-war Expansion

The Mill grew many times since it was first opened. In an April 2010 conversation with Bill Beckstoffer, I learned that a large expansion took place after World War II. He described how the truck loading building, the work room, the kiln, the boiler, the saw dust storage area and several sheds were all added during this time. Prior to this expansion, there were only 3 or 4 buildings on the site.
It's clear that the expansion had been planned for several years. Henry first started acquiring the surrounding homes on 28th Street in 1938. In September of that year, he purchased 4 homes (1223, 1225, 1227, and 1229 N 28th) from the estate of William H. Taylor. Court documents show that Henry bought the adjacent property at 1231 N 28th from Madeline Cheesman and A.L. Cheesman and other family members on January 16, 1942. It's not clear if there was still a house on the property at that time. In May 1944, Bernard and Herman purchased a portion of the Beckstoffer's property on the west side of the street (1224 - 1230 N 28th).
At that time Herman and Bernard played a major role in running the mill and they worked with the City of Richmond to close an alley that ran between R and S streets (meaning through the middle of the site). City records show that this was closed by ordinance on August 18, 1948.
It's assumed that the number of staff and orders placed all increased dramatically as a result of this expansion.