Both faithful readers of this blog are aware that Maysville, Oklahoma is well known because of two famous past residents — Wiley Post and me. However, few people, even the faithful readers, know that Maysville is well known for another reason throughout the world — especially in the baking industry.
I don’t know all the details, but let me start at the “beginning” and I’ll tell you what I know and remember…..
Earl Burford was born in the neighboring (to Maysville) town of Lindsay — I don’t know the date, but I’m pretty sure it was before Oklahoma became a state in 1907. He was a farmer by trade, but he always had a knack for coming up with labor-saving devices. His first “invention” was a machine that lifted hay bales into moving trucks — that led to him developing a machine to move hay bales into barns.
In 1945, World War II had created a manpower shortage that inspired Burford to invent an automatic wire-tying hay baler. The patent for that machine was later purchased by International Harvester Corp.
After moving his family to Maysville in 1950, he developed a better automatic wire-tie machine for hay balers that is still used all over the world. While living in Maysville, he founded, along with his son, the Burford Company in 1961. They built their plant on their farm north of Maysville, on the bank of the Washita river. They invented the first twist tie machine for bread wrappers. Just like their machine to tie hay bales, the bread-tie machine is used around the world.
Earl Burford died in 1968. His son, Charles, continued to run the business until his death at the age of 81.
The plant in Maysville employs about 80 people — most of them farmers in the area. Today, the company makes over 30 different products.
So next time you’re thinking about Maysville, remember that it’s not just famous for Wiley and me — the Burford Company helped put it on the map, too.
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