Athens Plow Company was founded in 1921 by Elbert L. Willson and was managed by William P. Willson and James H. Willson until being sold to Rhino Products in 1973.

William Willson soon saw an opportunity he could not pass on. He and a few investors in the Athens area bought the business and trucked everything back to Athens, where the facility had been vacant for several years. Willson purchased the old plant and began operating Athens Plow Company in the spring of 1988.