William T. Rawleigh, founded of one of the largest chemical products companies which he managed to make into a world-wide business. He was born in 1870 and died in 1951. He came to Freeport in 1889. By the end of World War I his company was producing more than 140 products. He gave the city of Freeport a statue in 1929 commemorating the Lincoln - Douglas debates which were held in that city. The Rawleigh bottles are very common and sell for $1-2. Early examples and those with label and contents bring more. In 1926 he built a bottling plant to manufacture his own bottles. The bottles themselves had cork closures until about 1933. Rawleigh remained a family owned and operated business until about the 1960s. In 1960 the name "Rawleigh" was reregistered by AETNA BUSINESS CREDIT, INC. CORPORATION NEW YORK SUITE 1200 111 FOUNDERS PLAZA CHICAGO ILLINOIS They were still producing a wide range of products from polishes to flavorings to Laundry products to insecticides to vitamin supplements. Digger