Francis J. Plym

• Date of Birth: September 16, 1869
• Date of Death: January 12, 1940
• Location: GARDEN OF MEMORY - D,22,3
• Obituary

Jennie (Barber) Plym

• Date of Birth: May 7, 1874
• Date of Death: July 11, 1970
• Location: GARDEN OF MEMORY - D,22,4
• Obituary

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Plym Family Video Text

Francis Plym

Francis Plym was born in Sweden on September 16, 1869. His family immigrated to the United States when he was a young boy.

In 1897, Francis graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in architecture. He also completed a post-graduate course at the National Academy of Design in New York.

Francis Plym settled in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1903 where he was appointed City Architect. While living in Kansas City, he invented a new design for framing plate glass windows, which revolutionized the construction and appearance of store fronts.

Plym’s frames were made of heavy rolled copper. These metal frames provided more support than wooden frames and did not rot. This enabled store owners to install large panes of glass in their store fronts, allowing potential customers to see more of the store’s merchandise. He received a patent for the design and started the Kawneer Company in 1906.

In early 1907, thanks to the efforts of the local Business Men’s Association, Plym moved his company to Niles.

At first Kawneer made only window frames, then expanded into door frames and entire store front facades. Downtown Niles had a large quantity of Kawneer store facades until their removal in 2003.

Francis Plym and Kawneer changed the appearance of Main Street America. Plym died in 1940, but the company continued in Niles until the early 1980s when they relocated to the Atlanta area.

Jennie Plym

Jennie Barber Plym was born in Illinois on May 7, 1874. She graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1898. After graduation her family moved to Lincoln, Nebraska where she met Francis. They married on March 10, 1903 and moved to Kansas City. After moving to Niles, Jennie Plym was involved in a number of community groups, including the Women’s Progressive League and Ladies Historical Society. She was a charter member of the Niles Garden Club and the local chapter of the American Association of University Women.

Jennie Plym was actively involved in the Fort St. Joseph Historical Association and wrote a number of local history books. Before the Fort St. Joseph Museum opened in the Chapin Mansion carriage house in 1939, the museum was located in the Niles Daily Star building. The Plyms owned the paper at the time and because of Jennie’s involvement with the historical association, they allowed the museum to use that space.

In the Niles community, the Plym family were known as industrialists and generous philanthropists. Francis and Jennie donated the building for Pawating Hospital and the land for Plym Park. Jennie Plym also gifted the community with the current Niles District Library building.

Their son, Lawrence and his wife, Mary, were also responsible for turning Fernwood from the private Boydston residence to a public space.

Francis and Jennie Plym are buried at Silverbrook Cemetery with their son Lawrence and his wife, Mary, and their grandson Andrew and his wife, Nancy.