The Moser Leather Company was founded in 1878 in New Albany, Indiana. It produced high-grade leather for harnesses and collar manufacturers before expanding into a wholesale leather business with multiple warehouses on its property.
By the early 1990s, Moser continued to tan leather in an old-fashioned manner, and from start to finish, the operation took four weeks. The hide would be treated in a solution of water and tree bark from South America, resulting in higher quality leather that lasted longer, and a process that was not environmentally damaging due to the vegetative tanning process.
By 1998, the company employed 70 employees and had sales of over $12 million, with the end products being used in Bass shoes, Harley-Davidson motorcycle apparel, and other products.
Moser ceased operations in 2002. It was the third-to-last vegetative tannery in the United States of America. Operations still continue in Hamilton, Ohio, but at a much smaller and slower pace. (Notice the junkyard in the distance? It's part of our next photoshoot!)
The original Moser water tower still stands strong near the original 1878 main building.
