Indiana Invented Bacon (Sort of)

Well, it wasn’t the state of Indiana exactly, but a couple of Irish brothers living in Indianapolis. And they didn’t invent bacon as a food source. That credit goes back at least 7,000 years. Probably more.

But when it comes to prepackaged, pre-sliced bacon, just like the kind you pick up at the grocery store, then yes, Indiana was first. TEN YEARS before Oscar Meyer sold their packaged bacon in 1924.

Here’s what happened…

Formed by Irish immigrant brothers Thomas and Samuel Kingan in 1863, Kingan & Co. was a long time Indianapolis landmark and one of the largest meatpacking plants in the United States.

In 1848, as a result of the Great Famine, the Kingan brothers left their once thriving Belfast meatpacking plant behind and set sail for New York City. After briefly flirting with success as processed meat exporters operating in Brooklyn and Cincinnati, both plants burned to the ground (or you could say “went belly up”).