Category Archives: Business

Hummer Manufacturing Co.

Posted on October 8, 2013 by editor

Operating under a variety of names, Hummer Manufacturing Co. (originally Sattley Manufacturing Co.) was one of Springfield’s most important industries for more than 70 years. The firm originated in 1851 as a small farm-machinery manufacturer operated in the Rochester area by brothers Archibald … Continue reading →

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Racine-Sattley Manufacturing Co.

Posted on October 8, 2013 by editor

See Hummer Manufacturing Co. 

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Sattley Manufacturing Co.

Posted on October 8, 2013 by editor

See Hummer Manufacturing Co. 

Posted in Business, Industry | Tagged | Leave a comment

Springfield Boiler Co.

Posted on October 7, 2013 by editor

The Springfield Boiler Co., established in 1890, operated for 73 years in the 1900 block of East Capitol Avenue. The firm, originally named Springfield Boiler and Manufacturing Co., produced a variety of steam boilers for power plants, breweries and manufacturers … Continue reading →

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Busher Brewery (Springfield Brewery)

Posted on October 7, 2013 by editor

The earliest recorded brewery in Springfield was started in 1840 by James Busher. Busher and his brother John emigrated from their native England and settled in Springfield in 1839. The brothers were tanners by trade, or at least worked in … Continue reading →

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Springfield Furniture Co.

Posted on October 7, 2013 by editor

The Springfield Furniture Co. was formed in 1890. Original directors included such Springfield luminaries as George Black, C.C. Brown, Alfred Orendorff, John McCreery and George Pasfield. Prospects seemed good, the new board was told, “as almost every factory of any … Continue reading →

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Springfield Iron Co.

Posted on October 7, 2013 by editor

The Springfield Iron Co. — better known as “the Rolling Mill” — produced railroad rails and other products at a 45-acre plant near 11th Street and Ridgely Avenue from 1872 until the early 1900s. More than 1,000 men worked at … Continue reading →

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Marine Bank (original)

Posted on October 7, 2013 by editor

Springfield Marine Bank, originally chartered as the Springfield Marine & Fire Insurance Co. in 1851 and now part of JPMorgan Chase, is the oldest banking institution in Illinois. Abraham Lincoln banked at Marine. Original stockholders included Jacob Bunn Sr., Robert Irwin, John Williams, Stephen T. … Continue reading →

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Springfield Motor Car Co.

Posted on October 6, 2013 by editor

Only about 10 Springfield Motor Cars — “the made-to-order car for 300 exacting people” — were produced in 1909 and 1910, most from a third-floor assembly plant in downtown Springfield. The undoubted high point of the company’s existence was when … Continue reading →

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Springfield street car service

Posted on October 6, 2013 by editor

Both the Capital Railway Co. and the Springfield City Railway Co. began horse-drawn trolley service in 1866, according to the History of Springfield, Illinois, Its Attractions as a Home and Advantage for Business, written by John Carroll Power in 1871. … Continue reading →

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