Category Archives: Industry

Robert Rudolph

Posted on October 22, 2013 by editor

Robert Rudolph (1824-68) was a master brewer who came into his fortune when he married Rosa Kun, the widow of Rudolph’s former employer, Andrew Kun, in 1864. Two years later, the Rudolphs built a lavish Italianate mansion at 511 W. … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Breweries, Business, Fever River, Industry, Prominent figures, Theaters | 2 Comments

Busher Brewery

Posted on October 22, 2013 by editor

See Springfield Brewery.

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Springfield Brewery

Posted on October 22, 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 →

Posted in Breweries, Business, Early residents, Fever River, Industry | Tagged | Leave a comment

Koke Mill

Posted on October 21, 2013 by editor

Koke Mill was on Spring Creek, near the present-day Koke Mill Road crossing. One of the best-known local mill names today, Koke Mill has one of the most complicated histories of ownership. It went through more than a dozen owners … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry, Mills, Prominent figures | Tagged , | 10 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

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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Pawnee Railroad

Posted on October 13, 2013 by editor

As railroads became vital to community development in the late 19th century, Pawnee farmers and businessmen took the unusual step of financing and building their own rail link. The line originally ran west from Pawnee to connect to the north-south … Continue reading →

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Pillsbury Mills

Posted on October 13, 2013 by editor

This entry was significantly expanded in 2021 and slightly updated in 2022. Springfield got the official word that Pillsbury Mills wanted to build a major flour processing plant locally on May 8, 1929. Springfield had been in competition with cities … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Industry | Tagged | 33 Comments

Reisch Brewing Co.

Posted on October 12, 2013 by editor

The Reisch Brewing Co., which operated (with a few interruptions) from 1849 to 1966 on Springfield’s north end, remains the best-known of Springfield’s many 19th- and early 20th-century breweries. Bottles, cans, labels and other mementoes of the Reisch operation are … Continue reading →

Posted in Breweries, Business, Fever River, Industry, Prominent figures | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Sangamo Electric Co.

Posted on October 9, 2013 by editor

Editor’s note to readers: We regularly receive technical questions about old Sangamo Electric meters — they obviously were so well made that they practically last forever. Luckily, two readers have responded to some of those questions. (See comments below.) We greatly … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry, Prominent figures | Tagged , , , , | 113 Comments