History | LongeneckersHatchery

1919

1919

Clayton Longenecker started Elizabethtown Poultry farm in 1919 on Bainbridge Street in Elizabethtown.

1920

1920

In 1920, Clayton purchased the property on Market Street in Elizabethtown, PA, where the hatchery remains today.

1946

1946

In 1946 Clayton's son, John, acquired the business. John installed more modern equipment, added on to the original building and began hatching greater quantities of chicks year round.

1950s

1950s

In the 1950s and early 60s the company began focusing more on the broiler markets. This included building broiler breeder houses. By the late 1950s Longenecker's had a breeder operation to produce all their own hatching eggs. This allowed the company to offer customers the exact breeds that they needed.

1960s

1960s

In the 1960's John Longenecker brought in the eventual next president and leader of the company, John Martin. John Martin was joined by the third generation, John Brubaker and Don Hilsher (John Longenecker's sons in law) to manage and operate the business.

2001

2001

In 2001 a new hatchery building was constructed on the lower part of the Market Street property. The new hatchery allowed the hatching capacity to increase and the current customers to grow their businesses as well. It also gave capacity to build new relationships with companies in the broiler industry.