Hundreds of thousands of turkeys were once raised in the Wellman area as part of Maplecrest Turkey Farms Inc. According to Barb Troyer with the Wellman Heritage Society, so many turkeys were raised in the area that Wellman had received a nickname, “In 1940 Wellman was known as Thanksgiving Town.”

Maplecrest was an agricultural company that raised turkeys, sold feed, and sold processed turkeys that went to the east coast by train. The White House Thanksgiving Turkey served to President Herbert Hoover in 1931 came from Wellman. The company was founded by A.C. Gingerich.

During World War II the turkeys were needed to feed the troops, “Then in 1943, the federal government said, ‘We want all the turkeys that you process.’ So, Wellman and the area, in 1943 we did not have turkey available because the government was feeding the military. And it took 150,000 turkeys by September 15th in 1943 for the military, and they also needed 150,000 more two weeks later.”

Wellman celebrated 30 years of turkeys with a celebration in 1955 and then in 1956 a Turkey Day Celebration complete with a parade with A.C. Gingerich in it.Troyer says Gingerich employed many people, “He had 93 people working year-round but when it came to the season leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas he had 500 people employed at the plant here in Wellman.”

The company dissolved in 1962. Troyer says one building of the company is still standing today, a blond-brick building in Wellman on 9th Avenue.