Made in the U.S.A.
Most of the candles used in this country are made in Syracuse, New York, where the candlemaking industry was founded in l855 by Francis X. Baumer. This German from Bavaria located his manufactory in Syracuse, and other Americans of German descent soon followed him. Using ingenious machinery, these now very large companies make about 3,500 different kinds of candles for a great variety of uses. They import mineral waxes from Utah, Germany, Poland, and Spain; carnauba wax comes from Brazil. China provides a wax created by insects feeding on trees.
They also make candles from bayberry wax. In Syracuse's large Merchandise Mart, there are fascinating displays of candles in a stunning variety of shapes, sizes, and colors.
In the Chicago region, there are two small candle plants that make candles for religious purposes only. By canon law candles used in certain rituals of the Roman Catholic Church must contain not less than 5l percent beeswax; some must be l00 percent beeswax. Those for Greek Orthodox Churches are composed entirely of paraffin. One size is 3 inches in diameter and 6 feet tall!
