Missingham's Tannery

DESCRIPTION

NameMissingham's TanneryTypeBuildingDescriptionFor years Missingham’s Tannery located opposite the Police Station and several hundred yards towards the railway at Albion Park, handled the skin and hide output from butchers and farmers over a wide area.

James Missingham was born at Jamberoo in 1861. He had a partial education and when he was 14 years old joined Jordan’s Tannery.

James married Sarah Badans whose family owned the sawmill at Pheasant Ground, Jamberoo Mountain, and began farming before commencing his tannery business at Albion Park.

The Albion Park tannery site was 2.5 acres of swampland with a creek running at the bottom. The tannery consisted of a cluster of buildings, sheds, liquor pits, 12 horsepower tubular boiler drivers. The hides were drawn locally and water was drawn from the Macquarie Rivulet.

A team of ten men and five teams of horses were employed at the tannery and collected the hides from Nowra to Wollongong before being shipped to Sydney.

Unfortunately, the tannery was destroyed by fire in 1897. The fire started in the early hours of the morning and originated from a fire in the machine room, near the sleeping compartment of the tannery workers who gave the first alarm. The tannery was rebuilt and continued until the 1920s.

James was an Alderman on Shellharbour Municipal Council from 1906-1908. During the drought of 1908, James called for the development of a town water supply. He pumped water and supplied a tank at the nearby bridge for the local people to secure water. The water supply was not provided at Albion Park until some 50 years later.

James and Sarah had four children, David, William, Annie and Janie.

External LinkMissingham's TanneryA Tannery Burnt DownFire at Albion ParkA Destroying FireDestruction of a TanneryDisastrous Fire at Albion ParkFire at Albion ParkAlbion Park TanneryAlbion Park Rain FallLecture by Mr Missingham

Albion Park from 'Ravensthorpe', Stapleton's Hill 1955.

CONNECTIONS

CollectionPlacesLocalityAlbion ParkPersonMissingham, JamesMissingham, David

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Missingham's Tannery