Mr. William Pritz

Mr. Pritz was originally born on March 5, 1882 in the Province of Posen in Germany to August Pritz and Amelia (Zuelky) Pritz. His family immigrated to the United States when William was a boy of 9 years old where he would continue his schooling.

William’s love for textiles developed quickly when he started into his apprenticeship at 16 years old. He held several position working with woven silks, designing and weaving intricate patterns that would establish his experience in his younger years. He attended Pennsylvania University.

Growing up and working in Paterson, NJ, acclaimed as the “Silk City”, William was immersed in the textile industry and proved to be an exceptionally bright and capable leader in the industry. In 1935, while working as a manager for the Tennessee Ribbon Mills, he was hired by the State of Tennessee to create a textiles program for Middle Tennessee State University.

Mr. Pritz opened the Kentucky Woven Label Factory in Allensville in 1937 after raising $12,000 from investors to purchase and ship the looms and remaining equipment to begin weaving labels. Being the only label factory in the South, Pritz was quickly able to acquire some large businesses and build a thriving business in Allensville.

After selling the Kentucky Woven Label Company in 1955, William became more deeply involved in the community. William was deeply involved in the Todd County Shrine Club, holding office as secretary, was a Mason, and a member of the Order of the Eastern Star. Mr Pritz was named a Kentucky Colonel in 1965.

Mrs. Annie (Cole) Pritz

Mrs. Pritz was a native of Allensville growing up in the Cole family. Her parents owned a local farm and her father worked in a local stone quarry. She developed a deep relationship with her aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. C R Hooser, at whose home she and William would eventually be wed.

Her brother, Charles Cole, worked in the local stone quarry and in a drunken feud with a local store owner was shot and killed in 1932. It is believed Ms. Annie became the sole heir of her families farm and property when her brother was killed.

She was known as a very kind and thoughtful lady in the community. Deeply involved in community service and intimately involved, she was named Grand Matron of the Eastern Star, an appendant body of Freemasonry, in October of 1950.

She, with five other Allensville women, was appointed to the Allensville Board of Trustees. The board was well-known for balancing the town’s consistently broken budget. They worked hard to solve numerous problems for the town and were known to stay rather unanimous in decision making despite all of the talking that appears to have gone on in their meetings.. “‘With all that talking,’ a man down at the store next to the railroad track said, ‘they don’t have time to disagree,’” [Courier Journal Aug 31, 1952]

William and Annie Pritz

The Pritz’s were the founders and owners of the Kentucky Woven Label Company from 1937 until 1955. Mr. Pritz was living in New Jersey until he was employed by the state of Tennessee in 1935 to create a textiles program for MTSU. William and Annie met in Nashville, TN near where Mr. Pritz was working that same year. William and Annie (Cole) Pritz were married on August 28th, 1935 in Nashville at 305 Lauderdale Rd at her uncle and aunts home. They had an infant son who died on Feb 21st, 1937.