Long before St. Catharines' factories gave way to residential streets, a local canning operation was shipping mincemeat, jams and pie fillings across the country.

The J.H. Wethey Manufacturing Company is the latest subject in the city's weekly STC150 history series, which marks the 150th anniversary of St. Catharines being officially incorporated as a city.

A Mary Street start

The company was established in 1883 and began operating out of a small facility at 12-14 Mary Street, in the area now known as Garden Park, according to a City of St. Catharines history post.

Wethey started by canning mincemeat and later expanded into jams and jellies, including marmalades and pie fillings. The timing fit the era: in most homes in 1876, the post notes, fall was when farmers and householders canned and preserved their harvests for distribution to a wider market.

Moving downtown

The operation relocated twice in the early 1900s. In 1904 and 1905, the company moved to 8 Queenston St. — the site of the Queensway Hotel — and then to John Street.

By that point, Wethey employed up to 25 full-time staff along with between 100 and 200 seasonal workers, and its products were distributed across Canada.

Dominion Foods era

In 1914, the company was sold to Dominion Canners and its name was changed to Dominion Foods Ltd. That same year, the plant moved again, to a new facility on Brigger Street.

The business had grown considerably by then. The Brigger Street plant employed 40 full-time staff, with the workforce swelling to as many as 500 people during canning season.

A photograph published with the city's post shows the Wethey factory as it appeared in 1941.

Decline and redevelopment

The plant's run came to an end in 1972, after several years of declining business. By 1975, the factory building had been converted into residential housing.

The St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre is curating the weekly series, offering a look back at the city's history from a range of perspectives throughout the anniversary year.

The museum is located at 50 Church St. in St. Catharines.