Category Archives: Business

Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Co.

Posted on November 2, 2013 by editor

The Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Co. (later Fiat-Allis and Fiatallis) made heavy construction equipment from 1928 until 1985 at a 70-acre plant between Sixth and 11th streets and Stanford Avenue and Stevenson Drive. At its peak in the 1960s, A-C employed about … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry, Military | 81 Comments

Abrams Hotel (1828 pioneers)

Posted on November 2, 2013 by editor

The Abrams Hotel was described as “the principal hotel of the city” in John Todd Stuart’s later reminiscence of 1828 Springfield. It was near the southeast corner of First and Jefferson streets and is No. 5 on the reconstructed map … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Early residents, Hotels & taverns | Leave a comment

Ad Men’s Club

Posted on November 2, 2013 by editor

The Ad Men’s Club was formed in 1906. See Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce.

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Amrhein Bakery

Posted on November 2, 2013 by editor

Amrhein Bakery, founded in 1888 by Christoph Amrhein (1864-1935) operated first from a shop in downtown Springfield, but moved to Eighth Street and North Grand Avenue a few years later. Business grew to the point that Amrhein built a large … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry | Tagged | 3 Comments

Association of Commerce and Industry

Posted on November 2, 2013 by editor

The Association of Commerce and Industry was formed in 1953 by a merger involving the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, the Springfield Manufacturers and Employers Association and the Springfield Industrial Development Commission. See Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce.

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Bank run of 1932 (George Bunn Jr. memoir)

Posted on November 2, 2013 by editor

George “Gib” Bunn Jr. remembered Springfield’s banking crisis of December 1932 in an oral interview conducted in 1973. The interviewer was John Bucari. Below is an edited transcript of the section of the interview dealing with the failure of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Depression, Prominent figures | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Board of Trade

Posted on November 1, 2013 by editor

The Springfield Board of Trade was formed in 1869. See Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce.

Posted in Business | 2 Comments

John Bressmer Co.

Posted on October 31, 2013 by editor

The John W. Bressmer Co. was founded as a dry goods store in 1861 and later expanded into a full-fledged department store, selling men’s and women’s clothing, furniture and household items. With Myers Brothers, it was one of downtown Springfield’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Business, Department stores, Disasters, Historic Sites, National Register, Prominent figures | 15 Comments

The Bunn family

Posted on October 31, 2013 by editor

Grocer Jacob Bunn Sr. (1814-97) and his younger brother John Whitfield Bunn (1831-1920) began a family whose energy and initiative have helped mold Springfield for more than 150 years.  Their business interests have ranged from the original Springfield Marine Bank … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Early residents, First Citizens, Historic Sites, Lincoln, Abraham, Prominent figures | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

Bunn-O-Matic Corp.

Posted on October 31, 2013 by editor

George Regan Bunn (1915-2002), while managing the Capitol Wholesale Grocery Co. in the mid-1950s, started a division dedicated to coffee brewing equipment. In 1957, he perfected the world’s first flat-bottomed fluted paper coffee filter, a step that revolutionized coffee brewing, … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry, Prominent figures | 4 Comments