By Mary Wilson
Since 1930, the May family has been milling about Grandview
when J. Russell May bought Grandview Feed Mills, located on the corner of 6th
and Rhodes, for $2000 from a man by the name of Edward Curtis. Over the years,
May Milling Company has become a local institution. On Sunday, July 13, Rod
May, Jr. shared the history of the family business with members of the
Grandview Historical Society.
Currently working as manager of May Milling, Rod, Jr. is a
fifth-generation mill worker for the May family. His father, Rod May, Sr.,
operated the business from the late 1960s until his semi-retirement in 1994. Perched
on a seat made of feed bags, Rod, Jr. joked that the May family should go into
the furniture business.
The May family has been in the grain business since 1898,
when Rod, Jr.’s great-great grandfather came from Scotland and got into the
cooper barrel-making business in Independence. When business began to decline
in the 1890s, he switched gears and installed an elevator and a scale and
started the grain business. That would become the May Coal and Feed Company at
407 South Liberty Street in Independence. The family also owned May Grain Company
in Dodson, MO.
In June of 1938, the Mays acquired Quisenberry Feed
Manufacturing Company, located at 258 W 3rd Street in Kansas City.
This plant produced the feed for the Grandview mill and for many feed retail
stores in the Midwest, and the base of operations was moved to Quisenberry,
later changing its name to May Way Mills, Inc.
In September of 1939, Grandview Feed Mills burned down. The
mill burned for two days, due to an overheated ball bearing in the oat crimper.
The entire facility was made of wood and tin.
“There were people in Grandview who would come home, eat
dinner, and then go down to the mill to watch it burn,” said May.
It was a total, devastating loss. Today, all that remains of
the original building is a concrete walk-in safe. After the fire, J. Russell
bought the Dodson mill from his father, Nephi May, for $1. In 1940, Grandview
Feed Mills opened a new office across from the old plant on Rhodes Avenue.
There were two small warehouses and a large haybarn located at 6th
and Main.
Both small warehouses burned down later, and operations were
moved inside the large haybarn. With its plank floors, milling machinery and an
elevator installation, Grandview Feed Mills changed its name to May Milling
Company in 1940, where it continues operations today. The interior of the
warehouse was built with old wooden boxcar sides.
When they reopened, customer parking space was needed on the
east side of the building. At the time, the Mays leased land from the railroad.
When lease pricing kept climbing to the point where it wasn’t worth the price,
the Mays then moved the entrance to the west side of the building, with use of
the new dock and entrance beginning in 1994.
Due to J. Russell’s failing health in 1957, Rod, Sr. moved
to Kansas City, where he worked with his father in the office until he was no
longer able to work. J. Russell died in 1971, and when his wife, Elizabeth,
died in 1985, ownership of the two companies passed to her sons, with Rod, Sr.
taking over operations.
In 1989, Quisenberry Mills was sold to Timothy Blevin, and
was closed within the next two years.
Over the years, former employees have come in to tell
stories of their times working in the mill. The family looks forward to hearing
from visitors of the past. Presently, May Milling Company sells its own brand
of dog food, horse feed, wild bird food and several kinds of feed for domestic
birds. The only feed produced and bagged at their location is the domestic bird
feed.
May Milling is also home to cats, and patrons may remember
the calico with the reputation of being the best “mouser” ever. Located at 606
Main Street in Grandview, May Milling also carries different brands of feed for
all kinds of animals, as well as cooking spices, dog treats, and an assortment
of other items.
