Email
Print
FeedJun 19, 201202:31 PM
Lost Memphis: The W.T. Rawleigh Company
Photo by Vance Lauderdale
Every day, people drive past this impressive ruin overlooking Crump Blvd., close to Riverside Drive, without realizing it was once home to one of the largest mail-order companies in America.
These buildings once housed the W.T. Rawleigh Company. The firm was started by a fellow named — no surprise here — W.T. Rawleigh, who was born in Wisconsin in 1889 and started a business selling liniment and medicine to farmers. By 1895, he was so successful that he started manufacturing his own products. In the early 1900s, the W.T. Rawleigh Company, with its national headquarters in Freeport, Illinois, was producing and selling more than 100 household products — medicines, salves, balms, spices, flavorings, seasoning, ointments, cleaning products, you name it.
According to a company history that I scrounged up somewhere, Rawleigh was a forerunner of what they called the "direct-to-customer" method, meaning that you bought their products by mail or from door-to-door salesmen. Then as now, you won't find Rawleigh products in any store. Their method certainly worked; by 1920 Rawleigh had more than 22 million customers.
The company built sprawling manufacturing plants in several cities across America. The 110,000-square-foot facility at 139 Illinois (that's the one shown here) opened here in 1912 and was the largest Rawleigh plant in the country, making patent medicines, cosmetics, insecticides, and spices. I certainly hope they came up with a foolproof way to keep all those products separate from each other!
In 1958, the big manufacturing operation here shut down. I have no idea why; they didn't consult the Lauderdales about such matters. The buildings were converted into warehouses for the company.
Rawleigh finally closed its Memphis division completely in the late 1970s, and the complex — which is actually three adjoining buildings — was sold. In recent years it has been used as a production and distribution facility for John Simmons' gift and art company, Carnevale, among other things. For a while, my pal Niel Hora, one of the best potters I've ever seen, had a studio and kiln tucked away on the very top floor.
The W.T. Rawleigh Company is still around, and has adapted to the changing times by setting up a handy website where customers can purchase their products online. A bottle of Camphor Balm is just $12.95, and a jar of something called Propolis Salve is a bargain at $13.95. It's safe to say that some Rawleigh products are ... unusual. You can take your pick of an 8-ounce bottle of Internal Anti-Pain Oil or External Anti-Pain Oil (each only $12.95).
If all it took was a bottle of something to eliminate the pain in my life — external and internal — then I'd order a whole case of the stuff.
Ask Vance is the blog of Vance Lauderdale, the award-winning columnist of Memphis magazine and MBQ: Inside Memphis Business. Vance is the author of two books: Ask Vance: The Best Questions and Answers from Memphis Magazine's History and Trivia Expert (2003), as well as Ask Vance: More Questions and Answers from Memphis Magazine's History Expert (2011). He is also the recipient of quite a few nice awards, the creator of several eye-catching wall calendars, and the only person we know with a vintage shock-treatment machine in his den. 
At the age of six "he was so successful that he started manufacturing his own products." Really? 1889 to 1895 is six years. Sir, I am seriously impressed!
It's easy to laugh at the old-timer's faith in the "medicine show" type balms and salves until you realize how big a trade it was... 22 million customers in 1920 would be almost A QUARTER of the population (106,021,537 in 1920) Of course I am sure if someone bought three orders a year they counted as 3 "customers" but looking at that number and all these huge businesses makes you "laugh out of the other side of your face" (which you would probably do if they mixed up the pesticide with the spices.)
I am from Freeport, Illinois, and the home office buildings here the city is trying to save and convert to a sprawling downtown develpment. One office building had large columns inside it of marble as well as the floor. A beautiful building. It is sad that a huge corporation like that can one day be down to nothing. Sam
I have been selling Rawleigh Products since 1995 and I have never seen the W.T. Rawleigh building. It's great to see it. Thanks for posting this. Yes it was started in 1889 and we still use the same formulas as was used back then. Visit our website for detail uses for the Rawleigh products. http://www.herbals-unlimited.com
Hello .... My Grandfather died in 1993, at 84 years old. His Name was Bernard E. Grant. He was a collector of Everything ! We are cleaning out his house and finding many treasures. He sold W T Rawleigh's products in the 1930s and 40s. I have Mint, Brand new condition tins of Spices, (nutmeg, cinnamon, sage, pepper) Salve, for man and beast, baby powder, one of my powder tins has a happy clown, the others have a white lamb. I have many Sealed glass bottles of vanilla extracts, large and small sample sizes, 44% alcohol flavoring, camphorated oil. I have 2 sealed boxes of refrigerator deoderizer. I have a case of Bath Salts, 2 scents, in heavy glass jars. I have 2 sealed cases of 6 Nutmeg tins, plus 5 opened cases of nutmegs. I even have the inspection slips of paper.
Every tin and glass bottle are like brand new. My Question is can you find any history of my Grandfather as a door to door salesman ? and the different lable changes over time. My glass bottles all have metal screw on caps. . I would like to sell some of the items on eBay, I see rusty, dented, scratched, empty tins sell for about 10$ - 20$ some for more. But I would like to donate some to the Rawling's company, if they don't alreday have some. I would send pictures if you are interested, Thank you for your time and I hope you can answer my questions and find information on my grandfather, and what year most of my items are, some appear older then others.
My name is Linda
Awesome stuff. I have an unused tin of the salve I saved from the bin when cleaning out my grandmothers house when she moved. I was in a draw that had not been opened since the 60s. My can also has an Australian address. This company was global! I posted a pic on Instagram and a friend across the other side of the country informs me he still uses it for cracked heels. I love stories like this.