Founded as Taylor Bros. in 1927, the company was purchased by William T. Piper in the 1930s and moved to Lock Haven in 1937, when it was rebranded as Piper Aircraft Corp. At its height it employed more than 2,000 people. Nearly 77,000 general aviation aircraft were manufactured here, including 20,000 J-3 Cubs, Piper's most popular model. In World War II, thousands of modified Cubs, known as L-4 Grasshoppers, served to train pilots and provide reconnaissance.