Category Archives: Business

Kun Brewery

Posted on October 21, 2013 by editor

During its heyday, the Kun Brewery was one of the most prominent in the city, and one of its flamboyant brewmaster/owners erected a locally famed mansion at Walnut and Carpenter streets. Though long forgotten, the brewery came to light, literally, … Continue reading →

Posted in Breweries, Business, Fever River, Prominent figures | 11 Comments

Robert Carr Lanphier meets Thomas Edison

Posted on October 21, 2013 by editor

Robert C. Lanphier (right)was the engineering genius behind the creation of Sangamo Electric Co., which was incorporated in 1899. In his section of a privately published booklet,  Sangamo: A History of 50 Years (1949), Lanphier related his first meeting with electricity … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry, Prominent figures | 2 Comments

Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop

Posted on October 16, 2013 by editor

This entry has been updated, corrected and expanded. Opened in the 1920s, the Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop at 118 N. Pasfield St. is thought to be the oldest sandwich shop in continuous operation in Springfield. It also claims to have the … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Historic Sites, Restaurants | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Guy Mathis

Posted on October 16, 2013 by editor

Guy Mathis (1866-1932) was a ground-breaking photographer and automobile entrepreneur in Springfield. Mathis is best remembered today for his photography.  In addition to opening the city’s first camera shop in the late 18990s, Mathis took hundreds of photos himself, with … Continue reading →

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Mechanics and Farmers Bank

Posted on October 15, 2013 by editor

Although it is mentioned briefly in Paul Angle’s Here I Have Lived: A History of Lincoln’s Springfield, little is known about the short-lived Mechanics and Farmers Bank of Springfield. The bank was created in the late summer of 1852, when … Continue reading →

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Merchants and Shippers Association

Posted on October 14, 2013 by editor

The Merchants and Shippers Association of Springfield was organized in 1876. The group differed from the recently defunct Springfield Board of Trade only in name; the focus on industrial development and, to some extent, the membership of the two organizations … Continue reading →

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Monarch Tractor Corp.

Posted on October 14, 2013 by editor

Monarch Tractor, an offshoot of a Wisconsin manufacturer of crawler tractors, opened a plant south of Springfield’s Harvard Park neighborhood in 1925. Monarch was purchased in 1928 by Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Corp., which took over the Springfield factory. The last Monarch … Continue reading →

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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

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 →

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Leslie Nimmo

Posted on October 14, 2013 by editor

Les Nimmo (1905-2003) was a co-founder and the first chief executive officer of the Horace Mann insurance company, which is headquartered in Springfield. Nimmo, born in Waggoner, taught in the Springfield public schools for 18 years.  In 1945, he joined … Continue reading →

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