Category Archives: Business

Prohibition referendums in Sangamon County, 1908-17

Posted on February 17, 2016 by editor

Most of Sangamon County voted itself “dry” as soon as it legally could in 1908. But it would take four referendums and nearly 10 years before the city of Springfield finally succumbed to prohibitionist sentiment. After a bitter struggle, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Business, Crime and vice, Hotels & taverns, Local government, Politics, Race riot of 1908, Restaurants, Social life, Women | Leave a comment

Joe Yucas (‘King of the Lithuanians’)

Posted on January 16, 2016 by editor

This entry has been retitled and greatly expanded. Joe Yucas (1874-1926) was a Springfield bar owner and political operative who the Illinois State Register once called “the King of the Lithuanians.” According to his obituary, Yucas immigrated to the U.S. … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Crime and vice, Ethnic groups, Hotels & taverns, Lithuanians, Prominent figures | 1 Comment

Alby’s Tavern & the Stasukinas family

Posted on January 16, 2016 by editor

Alby (Albinas) Stasukinas, son of Lithuanian immigrants Joseph and Rose (Poskevicius) Stasukinas, opened his storied tavern at 14th and Carpenter streets in 1944. Alby quit coal mining in 1940 to work at the Illiopolis munitions plant, but by 1944 he … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Business, Crime and vice, Ethnic groups, Hotels & taverns, Lithuanians, Social life | 2 Comments

Bobby pin manufacturer

Posted on January 2, 2016 by editor

New Modern Machine Products Co. made bobby pins in a factory at 10th and Miller streets from 1950 to 1959. Specifically, the company’s products were described in a Dec. 31, 1953, Illinois State Journal article as “rubber tipped, hair setting … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry, Labor unions | 4 Comments

Manufacturers in Springfield, 1953

Posted on December 19, 2015 by editor

“Industry is big business in Springfield,” the Illinois State Journal declared in a year’s-end wrapup story published Dec. 30, 1953. Products manufactured in Springfield range from bobby pins to bulldozers; from boilers to lawn mowers; from tractors to precision instruments; … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry | Leave a comment

The Muller blocks (Lenox Avenue from State to Price streets)

Posted on November 2, 2015 by editor

Construction contractor Lee Muller (1910-73) built the stone buildings that line the 700 and 800 blocks of West Lenox Avenue. The six buildings, all faced with Bedford stone, contain more than 30 rental units. The original showcase of the complex was … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Business | Leave a comment

The J.C. Ayling kite factory

Posted on October 23, 2015 by editor

The J.C. Ayling Kite Co., which got its start in a backyard shed on North Seventh Street, manufactured millions of Jolly Boy kites in Springfield from 1911 until the 1940s. The key to the company’s success was an innovation developed … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Children, Industry | 2 Comments

Tuxhorn garage and towing

Posted on October 12, 2015 by editor

John Tuxhorn Sr. (1885-1953) opened his Tuxhorn Garage at 1158 N. Sixth St. in 1919, but it wasn’t until the early 1940s that John Jr. added towing service – and, a decade later, began painting his tow trucks bright pink. … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Transportation | Leave a comment

‘First flash of lightning’: Telegraph reaches Springfield

Posted on September 29, 2015 by editor

Edited to add Hat Tip (see below) In 1848, only four years after Samuel F.B. Morse famously sent the message “What hath God wrought!,” Springfield became linked to the rest of the world via telegraph. The Illinois State Journal’s story … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Media | 2 Comments

North Side State Bank collapse, 1927

Posted on September 22, 2015 by editor

The North Side State Bank operated from 1920 to 1927, when state auditors ordered it closed in the wake of a complicated financial scandal involving two banks, three insurance companies, and a former Springfield resident who may have absconded with … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, Buildings, Business, Prominent figures | Leave a comment