WILLIAM THOMAS SHAFER

SHAFER

Posted By: Jake Tornholm (email)
Date: 4/20/2020 at 14:14:30

WILLIAM THOMAS SHAFER, marble cutter at Corning, was born in Marion, Ohio, in 1860, the son of Charles B. and Lydia A. Shafer. His father, a native of Ohio, moved to Kansas in 1869, where he spent the remainder of his life; Mrs. Lydia Shafer is still living. Mr. W. T. Shafer, our subject, was reared on a farm and educated in the Peru (Kansas) high school; and spent five years teaching and caring for the home, then mastered the art of marble cutting. In 1889 he came to Corning and continued his vocation, as a member of the firm of Shafer Bros. Not content with the old designs and ideas, of which the people become weary, this firm is constantly discovering something new. It was by their observation and development that the possibilities of the Corning stone were discovered. What had been deemed worthless by all others for their purpose was shown to be a stone of the very finest quality. It was first brought into prominence at the Blue Grass Exposition of 1890, where their display attracted the attention of all visitors. Their skill and square dealing are bearing their legitimate fruits in a constantly growing trade. Mr. W. T. Shafer is still unmarried, is a member of the Congregational Church and of the order of Odd Fellows.