An interior view of the N. R. Allen’s Sons Tannery, showing machinery in the beam-house where workers separated the hair and flesh from the animal hides. Circa 1910.
Between 1856 and 1927, N. R. Allen Sons Company, Inc., founded by Nathan Allen and Levi Grant, produced leather products such as horse harnesses, saddle skirting, shoes, and strap leather for World War I. Between 1926 and 1927, the United States Leather Company of Manhattan gained control over the tannery, ended operations and production in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and moved them to Grand Rapids, Michigan.