Peoria County, Illinois Genealogy Trails
Transcribed by: Yvonne! Thanks Yvonne
Source: History of Peoria 1880.

Agricultural Implements.

-The Peoria Plow Works are on the corner of Water and Walnut streets, and here are manufactured plows, harrows, hay rakes, cultivators, etc. This business was established by Toby & Anderson, in 1843, and has been carried on under the name of the Peoria Plow Company for the last five years. The present officers are, president, Moses PETTENGILL; secretary E. B. PIERCE; Superintendent, Barnhart MEALS. Mr. MEALS has been connected with the works for twenty-six years and Mr. PIERCE seventeen years. The plant is worth about $100,000, and the controlling interest in the company is held in Peoria. The business is a very extensive one, and extends from Ohio westward to the Pacific. Outside of Illinois, the States of Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska take the largest quantity of its goods. Five traveling men are constantly on the road, and stocks of implements are kept at St. Louis, and Topeka, Kansas. One hundred hands are steadily employed, and the average turn out of plows is 10,000 per annum. The sum paid out yearly for labor, averages $35,000, and from 600 to 800 tons of iron and steel, and 1,000,000 feet of lumber are annually used in the manufacture of its productions.

 

The Union Corn-Planter Works, at 802 S. Washington Street are owned by the firm of James SELBY & Co., were established in 1872, and have been conducted under the present firm name since 1873. The capital invested is about $100,000, and the annual turn out of planters about 4,000. Employ in workshop about seventy hands, and keep four men on the road. Their principal business is done in the states of Illinois, Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, and Nebraska.

 

Hearst, Dunn & Co., 718 S. Washington Street, manufacture the Star Corn-Planter, and have been in business since 1864. About forty hands are employed in the factory, and 3,000 planters are annually turned out. Their trade is principally with the western states and four traveling agents are employed.

R.C. BUCKLEY, 515 S. Washington Street has been in the business since 1863, and manufactures principally for customers in the county. Makes sulky-plows, cultivators, harrows, etc., and does an annual business of $5,000.

 

Baking Powder. - Probably the largest manufacturers of this article in Peoria are Sloan, Johnson & Co., 60 and 62 S Water Street, and C.J. Off & Co., 16 and 18 Liberty Street, and among the other makers are the firms of C.A. Bowman & Co., Charles Fisher & Co., and Smith and Strong.

 

Boiler Makers-McAleeman & Cody, on S. Water Street, near Chestnut, have for three years conducted a business that was established some six or seven years ago. They are very busy and have during last year done about $50,000 worth of work-constructing forty-five new boilers-among them the large boilers for the Monarch Mills and Peoria Sugar Refinery.

 

J.E. Eastman & Co., corner S. Water and Oak Streets, have been in existence as a firm only three or four months, but the business they carry on is the oldest one in their line in Peoria, it having bee established about fifteen years ago. They have on their books nearly $8,000 worth of work contracted for and partly in process of construction, among this being three new boilers for the Peoria Grape Sugar Company's works. These are each five feet in diameter by sixteen feet in length.

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Peoria County, IL Genealogy Trails