Welcome to the official web site of Conrad Poppenhusen-The Life of a German-American Industrial Pioneer!

About the Book

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This is the story of a 19th century German-American pioneer industrialist who made his fortune manufacturing hard rubber combs thanks to his friendship with Charles Goodyear and his invention, vulcanized rubber. Poppenhusen founded a town, College Point, New York, and became a much-loved philanthropist funding churches, libraries and an educational institution that is today both a National and New York City landmark, the Institute that bears his name. He was an innovator in education introducing the first free kindergarten for his workers and the people of the town, perhaps the first corporate day care facility ever established in the U.S. He made the catastrophic mistake of getting involved in the railroads in the late 1860's through the mid-1870's and used his vast fortune, today's equivalent of 125 million dollars, to bring about the consolidation of what has come down to us today as the Long Island Railroad. In truth his sons set the stage for his financial ruin and the New York Times along with other area newspapers provided running commentary.