Nearly 60 members of the Ruppersberger family visited the Baltimore Museum of Industry’s new exhibition on the history of local meat processing.
The visit was organized by Bill Ruppersberger, 5th generation owner of Ruppersberger & Sons. The company, opened in 1866, is Baltimore’s longest surviving meat packing company. In 2011, Ruppersberger’s company merged with Roseda Black Angus Farm to form Old Line Custom Meat Company, LLC.
Bill and Bill Sr. Ruppersberger
Old Line provided historic photos of the Ruppersberger business, as well as an antique scale displayed in the exhibit.
The panels detailing the history of the local meat processing industry explore working conditions, pay rates, unions, and hurdles faced by workers in slaughterhouses and packing facilities, especially immigrants and Black employees. Located in the food processing gallery in the museum, artifacts from some of Baltimore’s best known companies, including McCormick Spice, Domino Sugar, and Esskay, are adjacent to stories of industry innovators Henry G. Parks, Jr, founder of the Parks Sausage Company, and Old Bay creator Gustav Brunn.
“The Baltimore Museum of Industry not only tells the stories of the past but also ties them into local industry today. The Old Line Meat story is a great example of this and we were delighted to welcome the Ruppersberger family to see their legacy represented within the museum,” says Anita Kassof, the museum’s Executive Director.
Geo. G. Ruppersberger & Sons, Inc. truck fleet around 1925. The picture was taken on Clifton Avenue, around the corner from the plant that was and is on Pennsylvania Avenue. The one on the end with the soft roll up sides was a livestock truck. The others were used to deliver meat. Notice the Hebrew writing on some of the delivery trucks. Kosher meat was an important part of the business even at this early point.
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