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Gast & Co. Billheads

August and Leopold Gast came to St Louis in 1852 from the principality of Lippe Detmold and had trained to become lithographers. In 1848 they emigrated to America to New York and eventually to Pittsburgh then on to St Louis. Leopold brought a lithography press with him and the brothers opened a small business on Fourth Street. In 1866, Leopold sold his share of the business to August and the firm became August Gast & Co. In 1876, EF Wittler and LJW Wall became partners in the firm and increased the firm’s customer base. In 1878, Gast bought up the lithographic equipment of the John McKittrick & Co. In 1880, fire destroyed the whole firm. In 1885 August withdrew from the business selling his share to Wittler and Wall. In 1886, Wittler also withdrew selling his share. Wittler moved to Seattle and became a street railway magnate. (From the German Element in St Louis - translation.)





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