A portion of the former furniture/shoe factory complex, 2013 (SCHS photo)
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 size in this part of the country was behind in its orders owing to the recent strikes….”
A selection of Springfield Furniture products (Illinois Capital Illustrated, 1898)
Springfield Furniture specialized in office, school and church furniture, but the optimism about its future turned out to be misplaced. The company ran into financial problems by at least 1899, and its factory on North 10th Street had been abandoned by April 1901.
The complex eventually was taken over by the Desnoyers Shoe Co. and then by the International Shoe Co. After International Shoe shut down the plant in 1964, the facility became the headquarters for the local Goodwill Industries.
Sources: Illinois State Journal, Oct. 29, 1889; Illinois State Register, May 23, 1890; Illinois State Journal, April 26, 1901 (Lincoln Library microfilm collection).
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I have a chest of drawers & vanity, made of walnut, that has a label on the back that says “Springfield Furniture Co” . It was bought at a furniture store in Salina, KS around 1960. How do I find out additional info on these pieces of furniture, and what is their current value?
I may have a walnut bed that matches your chest of drawers and vanity.
It has a paper label on the bed rail that identified the buyer: Barrow Farms. In Abilene, Texas and the maker was Springfield Furniture Company in Springfield, MO.
It is also stamped on the wood: 3547 Walnut. I can not help you with the current value.
If you are interested in selling the bed, please post pics. I find pieces made by that company, refurbish and refinish them for my kids and grandkids. I donated one chest of drawers to the Springfield Historical Museum several years ago to be part of their display on the history of the Springfield Furniture Co
We also have a maple 4 drawer dresser
and vanity and possibly a bed. Does anyone know how i can get info for my items? Also Springfield missouri is only about 50 mins west of us! Thanks everybody