Ewing Foundry

In 1931, Mr. Ewell F. Ewing decided to go into the foundry business for himself. And for a very good reason.

Using the blower from Mrs. Ewing's carpet sweeper plus half of a 50-gallon drum lined with firebrick, Mr. Ewing was able to produce the heat necessary to melt metal.

From this humble beginning in the family's two-car garage located in the Beech Grove area of Indianapolis, Indiana, the Ewing Foundry, forerunner of Farm Fans, was born.

Product #1 was a match plate pattern to produce castings for furnaces and pumps.

The demand for casting of the quality Mr. Ewing was producing grew to the point where he had to move to larger quarters, which he rented from his former employer, the Mormon Motor Car Company.

Then Mr. Ewing started making bronze plaques for buildings and cemeteries for the George J. Mayer Company, including one for the home of former President William Henry Harrison at 1230 N. Delaware St., Indianapolis.

In 1941, Mr. Ewing expanded the business by purchasing the Piel and Brinkmeyer Foundry at 424 S. Pennsylvania. During World War II, prime products were aluminum fan blades and products for the government, such as windshield frames for the Navy Hell Cat dive bomber, gun mounts and powder containers for the Navy, as well as two million brass belt buckles.

The foundry went on to produce many different type castings, ranging from machine parts to racing car engine blocks, manifolds, a new type brass clamp for ropes used by circus tightrope walkers, cartridge reloader cylinders for 37 mm cannon shells, and 45 caliber bullet reloaders.

The Farm Fans division of the Ewing Foundry was formed in 1949 when the field of grain drying was in its infancy. Drying grain for storage was a great advance in the field of agriculture, especially for the grain farmer who previously was at the mercy of the grain elevator market prices at the time of harvest.

What is believed to be the first gas burner farm drying installation in Indiana was on the Nelson Jones farm east of Whiteland, Indiana. At the time, Mr. Jones was using his own fan to dry corn in a bin, utilizing a coal furnace inside the barn, with a blower, for heat. He was one of the first farmers in Indiana to dry seed corn.

Another was Charles Mann, of near Southport, who had a fan with natural air. Mr. Ewing furnished him with additional fans and supplemental heaters.

The Farm Fans division of Ewing Foundry was made a separate company in 1960. It quickly outgrew its quarters 424 S. Pennsylvania and within a short time moved to a much larger plant at 2222 N. Olney Street. In 1967 the plant was moved to 5900 Elmwood Avenue in the Beech Grove area of Indianapolis.

Continued >>>