Isle of Wight 1608-1907

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The Gwaltney-Bunkley Peanut Company, a joint stock company, of which P. D. Gwaltney, Sr., is the president, founder and manager, is the oldest and largest establishment of its kind in the world. Its founder was one of the earliest pioneers in the business of cleaning and hand-picking the dirty nuts brought in from the farms; and, bringing to its management a natural aptitude to understand and develop the efficiency of machinery, joined to great executive and administrative ability, has, from very small beginnings, built up this business to its present enormous proportions. It ships its cleaned goods and shelled nuts all over the United States and Canada in great quantities. Its annual output, the enormous quantity of forty-five million pounds, furnishes continuous and remunerative employment to several hundred hands, and is the most important industry of the town. It is with pride that we state that this concern took the first prize at the St. Louis Exposition in 1904.

Smithfield has one other peanut cleaning establishment-The Smithfield Peanut Company. The owner and manager of this concern is Colonel C. F. Day. After many years of arduous labor, which has rendered him an expert in the knowledge and skill of handling peanuts, Colonel Day has succeeded in building up a fine business, giving employment to many hands. The annual output of this company, shelled and unshelled nuts, of all grades, amounts to about ten million pounds.

These two establishments have made the town of Smithfield the best market for the uncleaned peanuts of the farmers in this section, and when a new crop commences to move into town from the surrounding country, by teams and by water transportation, the business of the merchants and others move with it. That some idea may be obtained as to the prosperity of Smithfield and its stability, your attention is called to the following statistics:

COMMERCE IN AND OUT OF PAGAN RIVER FOR THE YEAR

ENDING DECEMBER 31, 1906.

Horses and mules, 500, value........................................ $62,500.00

Potatoes, barrels, 40,000, value..................................... 80,000.00

Lumber, feet, 6,000,000, value....................................... 90,000.00

Watermelons, 300,000, value........................................15,000.00

Bricks, 40,000, value...................................................... 3,200.00

Gasoline, barrels, 250, value.......................................... 3,000.00

Small truck, packages, 10,000, value...........................10,000.00

Coal, tons, 250, value..................................................... 10,000.00

Fertilizers, tons, 4,000, value......................................... 50,000.00

Oysters, tons, 1,758, value..............................................16,000.00

Peanuts, tons, 71,360, value.........................................2,364,832.00

Miscellaneous, tons, 85,387, value..............................4,164,040.00

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