Little-Known Treasures from Lewis Historical Library...

JOSEPH P. DAY PAPERS: HISTORY OF VINCENNES STEEL (NOW KNOWN AS WABASH STEEL)

By Jill Larson, Archivist

One of the most fulfilling aspects of my work in Lewis Historical Library is the opportunity to meet new patrons and to assist them in some new area of local history. Such was the occasion when I had the pleasure of meeting with Mrs. Doris Day, widow of Joseph P. Day, who was president of Vincennes Steel Corporation in Vincennes for more than 30 years. I met with Doris on several occasions in her home, and we worked together to create archives of Mr. Day’s papers for the library's Regional History Collection. She allowed us to scan her photograph collection of bridges built by Vincennes Steel and to also scan a large, scrapbook filled with pictures of various stages of bridge construction in different states, plus she donated many news articles and correspondence relating to the company. This gracious lady even wrote her own version of how the family business was created to supplement other written history.


Above photo of the 2nd Street bridge over Kelso Creek. is one of many digital images in the Joseph P. Day papers concerning the Vincennes Steel company.

In 1898, the Vincennes Bridge Company was founded by Frank Oliphant, John Oliphant, and Jacob Riddle. Frank Oliphant had been a teacher, but John had been an engineer with the Pan-American Bridge Co. and learned the trade there. They owned the firm until 1932. They fabricated steel for bridges, coal tipples, silos, and commercial buildings.

In 1915, Andrew Day, who was a Purdue Civil Engineering graduate, joined the Oliphants’ firm. In 1932 the company was renamed Vincennes Steel Corporation, with Hugh Stevens, Frank Sargent, and Andrew Day as its principal stockholders.

Andrew Day’s son, Joe Day , graduated from Purdue University in Civil Engineering and immediately joined the firm. In 1956, Vincennes Steel became a division of Novo Corporation with Andrew Day as president and Joe day as executive vice-president. Joe Day succeeded his father as president in 1960.

In 1975, Vincennes Steel became a subsidiary of Halle Industries and in 1980 it became Halle-Stieglitz Corporation, but it reverted back to a separate corporation as Vincennes Steel in 1989.
The firm started off building bridges, but then as bridge building declined, it got into fabricating steel for the construction industries. During World War II, it fabricated deck sections for Navy LST landing ships and received a Navy “E” for high quality of production.

By 1956, the Interstate Highway system started construction, which signaled the golden age for bridge building. Vincennes Steel not only fabricated bridges for contractors to erect, but Joe Day estimated that 1200-1400 bridges had been shipped from the Vincennes plant over a period of 40 years. In 1960, the plant had a major fire, after which the firm was rebuilt and doubled in size. Again in 2000, another fire occurred! The plant was rebuilt and more modern equipment was added. It wasn’t long before government funded programs ended, and many small businesses like Vincennes Steel suffered from lack of jobs. Furthermore, some bridges now were made of concrete instead of steel, and because of this, the company declared bankruptcy and was sold in 2005 to Wabash Steel, whose parent company is from Ohio. Wabash Steel is located at 2007 Oliphant Drive in Vincennes.

The Joseph P. Day Papers are archived in the Regional History Collection as RHC 624.