Category Archives: Industry

Street car ‘war’ of 1890

Posted on October 6, 2013 by editor

Springfield’s street car “war” of 1890 actually consisted of several months’ worth of legal and political maneuvering between two local street car operators, although a brief confrontation on Spring Street did leave the president of one of the companies with … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry, Local government, Transportation | Tagged | 2 Comments

Torrence Mill

Posted on October 5, 2013 by editor

The Torrence Mill, one of the last watermills to operate in Sangamon County, was on the South Fork of the Sangamon River in Cotton Hill Township, north of modern-day New City Road. The Torrence Mill dates to the late 1830s. … Continue reading →

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Weaver Manufacturing

Posted on October 4, 2013 by editor

Weaver Manufacturing, founded in Springfield by brothers Ira and Gailard Weaver, was for a time the nation’s largest manufacturer of automobile garage equipment, such as jacks, safety test equipment, hydraulic presses and other items. Ira “I.A.” Weaver (1871-1965), was the … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry, Prominent figures | Tagged , | 31 Comments

Pawnee

Posted on April 22, 2013 by editor

Pawnee Township saw some of Sangamon County’s earliest European settlers, with Justus Henkle apparently being the first in 1818. He was followed by a number of other settlers from St. Clair County. The new families encountered the indigenous Kickapoo and … Continue reading →

Posted in Coal mines and mining, Communities, Early residents, Industry, Transportation | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Illinois Watch Co.

Posted on April 15, 2013 by editor

For a half-century, Springfield’s Illinois Watch Company was a nationally respected maker of timepieces. At its peak, between 1900 and 1928, Illinois Watch employed 1,300 workers, turned out 800 watches a day and was one of Sangamon County’s largest employers. The … Continue reading →

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Park Sherman Company

Posted on April 15, 2013 by editor

The Park Sherman Company operated in Springfield from the early 1930s, when founder Jacob Sherman bought a plant formerly operated by the Springfield-based Shanklin Manufacturing Co.,  until 1960. Shanklin Manufacturing, 2725 S. 11th St., founded by George Shanklin, marketed an … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Coal mines and mining, Industry | Tagged , | 64 Comments

Coal mining

Posted on April 10, 2013 by editor

For several years in the middle of the 20th century, Sangamon County was a leader among Illinois counties in the production of bituminous coal. Coal was discovered in Illinois as early as 1673, when French explorers Marquette and Joliet noted … Continue reading →

Posted in Coal mines and mining, Disasters, Industry | Tagged , , | 22 Comments

Baker Manufacturing Co.

Posted on April 8, 2013 by editor

The Baker Manufacturing Company, founded in Springfield in 1908, was a predecessor of Springfield’s Allis-Chalmers (later Fiatallis) construction equipment plant. Baker Manufacturing produced a wide range of road construction and maintenance products, in its later years specializing in crawler tractor … Continue reading →

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Illiopolis

Posted on April 7, 2013 by editor

The founding of Illiopolis was described in the Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois, Vol. 2  (1912): In 1834, when the question of the removal of the State Capital began to be agitated, a beautiful city was laid out by John Taylor, Eli … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Disasters, Industry, State government | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Albert Ide and the Ideal Engine

Posted on April 5, 2013 by editor

Inventor and businessman Albert L. Ide (1841-1897) won international fame as the creator of the Ideal steam engine, which was used in early electric generation systems around the turn of the 20th century. Born in Ohio in 1841, Ide arrived in … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry, Prominent figures | 16 Comments