Purple Martin Capitol

“He was in the TV antenna business and was concerned about cable TV coming in, hurting the demand for his antennas. He switched to making purple martin houses with his brother.” Bill McCartney, head of ED for Pike County, was telling me about J. L. Wade. His company developed into the premier producer of purple martin houses, eventually hiring over 200 people. Trio Manufacturing, the company that Wade started still makes purple martin houses, although employment is down to only 40 as demand for the houses has declined. But Griggsville, IL (population 1,258) remains the purple martin capitol of the USA.