In 1868, George Hammond was living in Detroit and working with Marcus Towle. Mr. Towle was the first to use chipped ice from the Great Lakes to ship frozen processed beef by rail to Boston.  He pioneered the concept of refrigerated rail cars which enabled packing plants to expand their markets to customers thousands of miles away.  George Hammond thought this was a great idea.  Together, they moved to northwest Indiana where they established the G.H. Hammond Company, a meat packing plant. Along with other area investors, George Hammond, Marcus Towle and Caleb Ives,  founded the company in 1869.  On April 11, 1873, the city was incorporated at the State House and named Hammond, Indiana, after George H. Hammond. Local stories have it that Mr. Hammond and Mr. Hohman flipped a coin to see who would have the honor of having the city named after him. The loser, it was reported, would get the main street name.  Mr. Hammond won the coin toss and the rest is history!

This 1898 advertising product card shows the product line of The G.H. Hammond Company, with locations in Hammond, Indiana and South Omaha, Nebraska.

Listing of various meat products available suggests that this was a major supplier throughout the Midwest.

 The G.H. Hammond Company

When fire broke out at the packing plant in 1901 it quickly spread throughout the entire facility. More than 2,000 workers suddenly found themselves without a job. The plant reportedly slaughtered more than 350,000 head of cattle; 400,000 head of sheep, and 350,000 pigs in its final year of operation. The plant covered over thirty acres and was located just north of the downtown area on Hohman Avenue and Willow Court.