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Our HistoryHappy 65th Anniversary!
MTC&L was established in March of 1946 by Ed and Dora Mae Butcher. We thought it would be nice to share the story with you.
Shortly after Ed returned to Cincinnati, he met a pretty
red haired 17 year old girl named Dora Mae Headley. She worked at the Five and
Dime store on Madison Rd. in Madisonville with his sister, Geneva. Three weeks
later, on Saturday, March 23, 1946, Ed married Dora Mae in the tiny Eastminister
Presbyterian Church near the corner of Erie Ave. and Roe St. It was a very
small affair. The bride was dressed in a pea green suit, black hat and black
shoes. She would later wonder what on earth made her choose that black hat!
Unfortunately, no one took pictures to document this momentous occasion. The
honeymoon consisted of a one night stay at the Mariemont Inn. The following
Monday, Ed went to his newly rented office in the Red Onion at 6300 Madison Rd.
and opened the doors of Madison Tree Specialists. Thus began a remarkable
partnership, both personal and professional. Starting a company from nothing in 1946 was not an easy proposition. Ed had a rope, a saddle, a hand saw, a borrowed twenty dollar bill (he later used to buy a cross cut saw) a desk and a phone. The phone number “BRamble 1-5071” stayed the same for over 50 years. There was no money for a truck or other equipment, so Ed rode the street car to the jobs and carried his tools with him. The majority of the work was in Hyde Park. The business grew by word of mouth. From the very beginning Ed’s focus was on quality. He earned a reputation of being knowledgeable, hard working, honest and fair. Those principals are still the core of the company’s values.
The business grew and in 1948, Ed and Dora bought the first truck for a total cost of $307.60. It was a 1937 Ford flat bed. After the $100.00 down payment they made weekly payments of $10.00 each. It was said that the truck went down the road “doggie fashion”. Now they had a way to get to work in Indian Hill!
In 1962 the family moved to a house on Arnsby Place and the
business went with it. By then MTS had 3 crews in the field everyday. The core
employees were young men from Kentucky (boys who went “down home” on the
weekends). Family members were a big part of the work force too, including,
uncles, brothers in law, nephews and cousins. Richard began his career at age 8
and Jack at age 9. John (being the baby boy) started at age 10. They worked
Saturdays and summers earning 50 cents an hour and were required to pay $2.25 a
week in room and board! The work was hard (dragging hose for the sprayer,
pulling brush to the truck, raking, and hauling tools for the climbers) but to
hear the stories, they had a lot of fun too!
By 1999 MTS out grew the Madison Rd. location and moved to the current location
on Round Bottom Rd. in Milford. Sustained and consistent growth in the
landscaping services offered, prompted the change of the company name to Madison
Tree Care & Landscaping in 2004.
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Ed Butcher grew up on the Emery estate (Peterloon) on Hopewell Rd. He probably
got his love of trees from his father, Richard W. Butcher, who was an orchardist
on the estate. Ed, whose nose was always in a book, graduated from Sycamore High
School and then entered the Merchant Marine. He later joined the US Navy and
served on submarines in the pacific theater during World War II. Ed was
honorably discharged in early 1946 at the ripe old age of 23. He returned to
Cincinnati and took a job as a climber in the Natorp organization. Family lore
has it that a couple of months after he started, Ed asked Mr. Natorp for a raise
from 50 cents an hour to $1.00 an hour. Mr. Natorp supposedly replied that there
was no tree man on earth worth $1.00 an hour! Ed promptly gave him his
resignation (and probably a piece of his mind) and decided to start his own
company. Thank you, Mr. Natorp!
back to Mercy ‘in style’ for the birth of their second daughter, Rusty,
in March 1950. Shortly after that momentous occasion, the truck was parked while
Ed was recalled to active duty to serve in the Korean War. During the year and a
half that Ed was back at sea, his father kept the business going. When he
returned, Ed and Dora bought a house on Jameson St. in Madisonville. The
business office moved to the kitchen table, the trucks to the drive and the name
changed to Madison Tree Service. Business was back in full force once more and
the family was growing right along with it. Between 1952 and 1954, Pamela,
Richard and Jack were born. John was born in 1959 and Doralynn, the caboose,
came along in 1968.
