Oct. 6--WURTLAND -- Through tough times and prosperity, workers at DuPont's Wurtland plant have witnessed tremendous changes during 80 years of continuous operation.

Retired workers joined corporate officials and current DuPont employees Saturday for a celebration of the plant's eighth decade in business. Retirees Gene Darby and Jerry Fannin were among those who joined in the party.

"This plant was not even built when I came in," said Darby, 74, of Argillite, as he motioned toward the existing plant behind him.

Darby, who went to work for DuPont in 1964, remembered times when it was common to "burn lead" and "tear out asbestos" as part of their daily tasks, and speculated modern regulations would probably be extremely frustrating to those who did the job during his time. Working with materials now considered hazardous, Darby said he is unaware of any co-workers who had health problems after doing their job.

"You did it eight hours a day and nobody paid attention to it," he said.

Darby said he believes today's plant workers have a considerably higher degree of safety at work, and doesn't hesitate to say, "It's the best place I ever worked."

Fannin, 69, of Raceland, agreed DuPont "was an excellent company," and believes modern electronic instruments and systems may be the greatest difference between the existing plant and the old facility.

"We used to have to turn valves and do it all manually," said Fannin, who retired after 28 years with DuPont.

The local DuPont plant stands on property originally inhabited by the Adena, Hopwell and Shawnee tribes before being deeded to Colonel Abraham Buford in the 1790s as part of a 6,400-acre grant resulting from his services during the American Revolution. The land was owned by members of the McConnell, Wurts, Biggs and Harris families until it was purchased by the Grasselli Chemical Co. in May 1926.

Grasselli began making sulfuric acid at the site, primarily for munitions manufacturing, and DuPont purchased the operation in 1928. The DuPont plant experienced significant changes between 1971 and 1999, including the start-up and eventual shut down of a polymers process, installation of a Microfoam process, installation of chlorosulfonic acid production equipment and other upgrades resulting in the current sulfuric acid production unit. Today, the Wurtland DuPont plant is the only producer of chlorosulfonic acid in the United States. Products manufactured at the Wurtland plant are used in a variety of industries, including pharmaceuticals, coal, steel and automotive as well as household goods including shampoos and detergents.

Plant Manager Tim Albert thanked plant employees, retirees, contractors and their families for their contributions to the local operation. Albert said DuPont plans to continue to be a part of the community for years to come and hinted the company is planning to make a major investment at the Wurtland in the near future.

TIM PRESTON can be reached at tpreston@dailyindependent.com or at (606) 326-2651.

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