Spotted: Vierling, McDowell & Co Iron Works

This foundry stamp is on a building in Kewanee, IL. Can you guess what the building is used for today?

If you guessed Mexican restaurant you guessed right. The currently red and green stamp reads "Vierling, McDowell & Co Iron Works, Chicago." According to The Book of Chicagoans published in 1905, Vierling, McDowell & Co was organized in 1882 and incorporated under Illinois law in 1884 by Robert Vierling with help from his brother Louis. Robert was president of Vierling, McDowell & Co and Louis was secretary and treasurer. Both of the Vierlings had experience with iron works from a very young age; they started working at N.S. Bouton & Co in Chicago as boys, until they started their own company.">1 The plant was two acres large and had a foundry, erecting shop, and pattern shop, which together employed 220 people and fabricated over 22,000 tons of iron annually.2
To see an original advertisement for Vierling, McDowell & Co click here.

In 1885, Robert helped organize Paxton & Vierling Iron Works in Omaha, Nebraska. He was vice-president and Louis was secretary and treasurer. That company is still around today, as Paxton and Vierling Steel 3, which is a division of Owen Industries. 4 As of 2010, the Vierling family was still very involved with the Paxton & Vierling company. 5

Going back to Vierling, McDowell & Co, when Robert died in 1906, 6 Louis became president of Vierling, McDowell & Co and their sister, Catherine Josephine, or C.J., was vice-president.7 The company changed its name to the Vierling Steel Works in either 1917 or 1918. 8   Eventually control of the company would be transfered over to Duane T. Molthop, who was probably the brother of Charlotte Bowen Molthop (Louis' wife).  According to the Chicago Blue Book, he lived at their address in 1913. 9  The company still existed in 1968, as seen in an ad from The Milwaukee Road Magazine (page 37). By then Vierling Steel Works had bought Burkhardt Steel of Denver, Co. In the next twenty years the two companies would both be closed. 10

Spotted: Purington Pavers as pavement

These Purington Pavers are actually being used as paving for a road in Rushville, IL. In fact, the brick streets are possibly my favorite thing about the Rushville downtown.

Nauvoo, IL- So much to see and do Preview

When people hear the name Nauvoo, the first thing that usually comes to mind is this:

and Nauvoo's Mormon history is the reason it's still famous, remembered, and visited by many today.  We'll get to that, but for today we're going to stray away from the actual Nauvoo Historic District and we're going to look at the other historic district of Nauvoo- the business district at the top of the hill (not so far away from the LDS Temple).

Spotted: Smith-Hill F&M Co, Quincy ILL

This Smith-Hill makers mark is found on the plinth of a building in Colchester, IL. The Smith-Hill Factory and Manufacturing Co also made elevators in Quincy, IL, according to the Official Catalogue of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. It would later become the Smith-Hill Elevator Co, and then part of the Otis Elevator Company as part of "The Elevator Trust." (ref)

Ghost Signs: J.F. Reynolds-Day 20

This last ghost sign (for now, of course) is hidden between tall buildings in Macomb, IL.

Ghost Signs: Dry Goods and Dave's Day 19

These two ghost signs are on the side of another building in Nauvoo, IL.

It's a pretty long building.

The faint ghost sign in the back reads "Dry Goods" and according to the Nauvoo Historical Society walking tour the building was a dry goods store from 1891 until the 1920s.

Ghost Signs: Restored "Bull" Durham- Day 18

Back to "Bull" Durham as promised! This restored ghost sign can be found in Nauvoo, IL, on the side of the Hotel Nauvoo.

According to the Nauvoo Historical Society's walking tour, the sign was originally painted during the late 1800s to early 1900s when the building was the Hudson Brothers' Meat Market. The sign has since been restored- most recently in the 1990s.

Ghost Signs: Gold Medal and Bull Durham Day 17

For Day 17, we have a three in one special.

Ghost Signs: Times-Citizen Day 16

Hmmm. Okay let's just pretend like there wasn't a long hiatus between Day 15 and Day 16 shall we? Moving on.

This ghost sign is on the side of a small brick building in Roseville, IL. At the top the sign says "Times-Citizen" and at the bottom "Printing." The middle part is a bit more illegible.

Ghost Signs: Macomb Journal-Day 14

This sign is admittedly more recent. This building used to house the Macomb Journal. A paper that had served Macomb since 1855. The paper is now the McDonough Co. Voice and is housed in a completely different building.

Ghost Signs: A.W. Smith & Son...- Day 13

Well, well, well, I have to say my ghost busting skills are getting better everyday, despite this post being a day late. But we're going to have two Ghost Signs posts today to make up for it. Our first ghost sign is on the side of a building in Colchester, Illinois.

Ghost Signs: W.B. Martin -Day 12

This ghost sign is on an old building in Good Hope, IL. The business used to be W.B. Martin's and it sold notions, shoes, and furnishings.

Then it became Happy Days Antiques. Neither of the two businesses are still around and there is very little information on them.

Ghost Signs: Illegible Sign- Day 10

An unreadable sign on the side of a building in Colchester, Illinois.  I think the last three letters are SON. 

Forgive me for this uninspired post, today is finally my Friday!!!

Ghost Signs: The Worm Hole- Day 7

This is definitely going to be one of the more humorous entries in our twenty days of ghost signs. In downtown Colchester, Illinois there is a small, putrid pink building called... "The Worm Hole."

Ghost Signs: .... Flour- Day 6

This ghost sign is pretty much unreadable except the word flour at the very bottom. I would assume it's for Gold Medal Flour but since I can't pick out "Gold Medal" or the logo, I'm not going to commit to that.

The sign is found in Macomb, IL.

Ghost Signs: Consignment Shop- Day 5

Going back to Abingdon, we're going to check out another ghost sign that's a little bit more modern. The consignment shop was long gone the first time D and I visited Abingdon last winter, but now even the sign itself is gone. It's almost like a ghost sign exorcism.

Ghost Signs: Sears, Roebuck and Co. Day 4

This is a sign on a building off the square in Macomb, IL that advertises a Sears, Roebuck and Co. Service Center that is long gone.

Ghost Signs: Firestone Tires- Day 3

Let's go back to the Columbia Dry Batteries sign that we looked at yesterday in Good Hope and look a little bit closer. Because right next to that ghost sign is another one.

Ghost Signs: Columbia Batteries- Day 2

For the second day of ghost signs, we're going to be visiting Good Hope, Illinois, population 415.

Ghost Signs: Carriage Depository- Day 1

Our first October ghost sign is from downtown Abingdon, IL. It advertises a carriage depository and farm implements at the top of the sign. (I can't read the very top... anyone?) And the bottom which is sadly mostly covered up is a Mail Pouch Tobacco advertisement.