Cairo, pronounced care-o, is a town in Ritchie County, West Virginia.  It is a small town that runs along the North Fork of the Hughes River.  The North Bend Rail Trail, formerly the B&O railroad, runs through the center of town.  It was incorporated in 1895 and named Cairo for the city in Egypt because of its presence of water and fertile land.  The population is around 300 and has an area just under half a square mile.

Downtown


View from across the Hughes River













There were four marble factories in Cairo in two locations from 1945 to 1987.  The first was the Cairo Novelty Company.  In 1944, Oris G. Hanlon filed for a patent on his new marble making machine.  He had planned to go into business with his brother-in-law Bill Heaton and in 1946, the two built a factory on the east side of Cairo. Following a mysterious falling out between the two, Heaton took over the factory and Hanlon built a new one on the other side of town and so the Cairo Novelty Company was born.    

Cairo Novelty Company - demolished in early 90s

 Hanlon’s machine had its problems but when it was working, it produced marbles at a faster rate than any other marble machine during that time.  They made two, three, and four color swirls, clearies and solid color marbles.  In 1950, a devastating flood severely damaged many areas of the town, including the Cairo Novelty Company.  Hanlon tried to rebuild, but the destruction had taken its toll and he had to close his doors in 1952. 

Heaton Agate Company
Heaton, who had taken over the first factory that he and Hanlon had built, continued making marbles.  Heaton Agate Company produced both swirls and cat’s eye marbles.  Most swirls were two colors but rare three color swirls have been found and attributed to blending and changing between runs.  In 1971, Heaton retired and sold the company to Clayton Bogard.


The company then became C.E. Bogard & Sons.  In 1983, Jerry and Jack Bogard became the owners, changing the name to The Bogard Company.  Eventually Jack took on sole ownership.  On the advice of Heaton, they concentrated on making Chinese checker marbles.  They also made cat’s eyes marbles.  After a few years, Jack Bogard pursued the prospects of industrial marble making because there was less competition than in the toy marble market.  However, there was not a large market for industrial marbles so Jack Boggard created his own. He was a large part of aerosol can makers using glass marbles for agitators instead of metal balls.


In the mid-1980s, natural gas prices doubled.  This of course made the costs of running the marble factory rise, causing Bogard to move his operation to an old farm in Nutter, WV, near Cairo.  He made efforts to make the business more fuel efficient but was unsuccessful.  In 1986, he relocated to Reno, Ohio, where gas prices were more affordable.  The company was reorganized in 1987, complete with the new name JABO, Inc, and in 1988 the Cairo property was sold at auction in 1988 to settle past Bogard Company debts.   


Cairo Novelty Company
Heaton Agate Company










                                                 
                                            C.E. Bogard & Sons
Follow this link.  View the gallery of marbles from the above three companies.  Choose your favorites and explain why you like them. Prepare a short presentation for the class using the Cloudon app on the iPad.