Mrs. Louis Lucas began making incense from pine needles in 1907. In 1917, Louis Lucas was granted a patent for that process. Four years later he patented the molding machine used to mold the cone-shaped incense. The company added a line of incense burners. By 1934 the company was sold and became the American Incense Company. The burners were discontinued but the company continued to produce incense until it closed in 1985.
This summer we had a visit from Marcia Wisgirda, who now resides in California. She was surprised to see a small collection from the American Incense Company on display in our Orientation Room. Marcia recounted how she worked at the incense company after school packing incense in 1969- 1970. She said her father would complain about how she smelled like all of the incense she packaged!
