Search Results for: myers brothers

Myers Brothers’ monkey

Posted on March 26, 2015 by editor

A monkey was a mainstay attraction of the second-floor boys’ shop at Myers Brothers Department Store in Springfield for much of the 1950s. Actually, there were at least two monkeys – “Weegee,” who went on display at Myers in 1952, … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Business, Children, Department stores | Leave a comment

Myers Brothers Department Store

Posted on October 14, 2013 by editor

“The Store That Quality Built” began with Morris Myers, an immigrant from Germany who opened a general store in Athens in 1858. Myers moved his store to Springfield in 1865. Morris Myers died in 1873, leaving sons Albert, Louis and … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Department stores, Prominent figures | Tagged | 64 Comments

Roberts Brothers (men’s clothing)

Posted on December 11, 2022 by editor

In the cold, early morning hours of December 12, 1974, smoke billowed from the roof of Roberts Brothers clothing store in downtown Springfield. A fire had started on the second floor, and the Springfield Fire Department was alerted when a … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Department stores, Prominent figures | 6 Comments

Albert Myers Jr. (First Citizen)

Posted on October 14, 2013 by editor

Albert Myers Jr. (1917-2005), part of the second-generation family management of the Myers Brothers Department Store, was named Springfield’s First Citizen in 1973. His award citation noted Myers’ leadership in both business and charitable activity. Myers served as president of … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Department stores, First Citizens, Prominent figures, Social services | Tagged | Leave a comment

Kayport Package Express implodes, 1983

Posted on April 21, 2024 by editor

Founder F. George Celani called Kayport Package Express a “41-day miracle” when the shipping startup went into business at Capital Airport on March 1, 1983. About 1,200 Springfield dignitaries attended the ceremony, which included champagne, a high-school band and a … Continue reading →

Posted in Airport, Business, Crime and vice, Law enforcement, Spectacles, Transportation | Leave a comment

The Hammerslough/Rosenwald family, clothiers

Posted on January 22, 2024 by editor

The Capitol Clothing House opened in Springfield in 1856 with the slogan “Low Prices and Good Goods.” Aside from providing inexpensive, ready-to-wear clothes to pre-Civil War Springfield, the Capitol Clothing House is the reason Springfield can boast that it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Historic Sites, Jewish, Lincoln Home, Lincoln Tomb, Lincoln, Abraham, Prominent figures | 1 Comment

Christmas at the Wonder Store, 1881

Posted on December 21, 2023 by editor

Frank Myers was no relation to Springfield’s later department store dynasty, the Myers Brothers, but he apparently had some of the same merchandising instincts – down to the monkeys both used as advertising gimmicks. From the 1870s to 1904, Myers’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Animals, Business, Children, Department stores, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Carl T. Meyer, architect

Posted on October 29, 2022 by editor

In 1927, the Illinois State Register called Springfield architect Carl Theodore Meyer “one of the younger-and progressive-generation of architects, a man who has carved a credible niche for himself in local construction.” Meyer, just 32, had already completed several commissions. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Local government, Prominent figures, Sangamon County, Theaters | 2 Comments

White Oaks Mall opening day lineup (1977)

Posted on June 27, 2022 by editor

“Think of us as your Big Apple,” White Oaks Mall boasted in ads on Grand Opening Day, Aug. 24, 1977. Ninety-nine stores lined the corridors of the mall that day, including four “anchor” department stores – Myers Brothers, Famous-Barr, Sears … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Buildings, Business, Department stores, Social life, Spectacles | Leave a comment

‘Bird Lady’: A Lithuanian immigrant mother’s life in Springfield

Posted on August 3, 2021 by editor

On the day in 1912 when 16-year-old Mary Ann Yezdauskas arrived in Springfield from Lithuania, her brother took her to the elegant Bressmer’s Department Store to buy a new coat. Then the sister and brother posed together in their finery … Continue reading →

Posted in Coal mines and mining, Family life, Lithuanians, Lithuanians, Women | 10 Comments