Category: News

Categories
News Pillsbury History

Fun Old Maps

Friends,

We visited the Lincoln Library Sangamon Valley Collection recently to investigate the history of the railyard property next door to the Pillsbury site. We found that it was initially developed right round 1900 as a 40-acre railyard. In 1929, Pillsbury purchased the southwest half of the railyard for their flour milling and manufacturing operations.

The attached 1907 map of the site shows that the railyard had already been developed with several sets of tracks and a roundhouse. Pillsbury bought the four rail sightings on the southwestern side of the property in 1929 and utilized them to bring in materials to build their five initial buildings. These buildings included: the Headhouse, the AB-Mill, Warehouse #1, Warehouse #4, and Grocery Building. Also included were the 52 south silos with a grain capacity of 1,00,000 bushels. These buildings totaled over 250,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehousing space.

The 1922 map of the area is also quite revealing. Although it has less detail regarding the railyard, it shows the trolley line (red) that ran along North 15th Street right in front of the future Pillsbury site. Clearly, the area was prime for development when Pillsbury purchased the site in 1929. The property was ready for buildout and accessible to workers throughout the city via the trolley line. Also of note on this map is Reservoir Park, Illinois Watch Factory, and Concordia College.

Four of the original five buildings at the site have been demolished these past several months. The Headhouse, standing 224 feet tall, is the last. We anticipate that it will be torn down in the next few months. Currently, the Headhouse is the third tallest building in Springfield. Only the State Capitol and Wyndham Hotel are taller.

Thanks for being a part of this important community project!

~ Team Pillsbury

Pillsbury Headhouse, 224 feet tall, 3rd tallest building in Springfield, IL as of June 4, 2026
Site of future Pillsbury plant in 1922 with trolley line, Reservoir Park, IL Watch Factory, and Concordia College
Site of future Pillsbury plant in 1907 with railyard tracks and roundhouse
Categories
News

Pillsbury Project Update & Archival Photos

Ben Halpern, our archival photographer, in November of 2022, set to photograph the east wall of Warehouse #4 that was built in 1929. He captured the image just two months before the partially collapsed building was demolished.

Friends,

The demolition at the former Pillsbury site continues. Five of the largest manufacturing buildings are now completely down (Grocery, AB-Mill, Turbo, Bulk Storage, C-Mill) and the piles of rubble are being sorted by heavy equipment. In the coming month, a concrete crusher will be brought in to crush and recycle most of the material on-site. The wrecking ball will also be back in operation taking down what remains of the silos. We anticipate that the Bakery Tower and Headhouse will then be demolished in late June or July.

One of the unique aspects of the Pillsbury Project has been the attention given to the historic elements of the site. With the high level of public interest and the use of public funding to advance the project, we felt it was necessary to document the site, the people involved, and the historic importance of the site for the Greater Springfield community. A major element of that documentation has been archival photography.

In late 2022, we contracted with Ben Halpern to begin archival photography. He came to us with significant experience and a mix of old-school and digital photography that was perfectly suited for the job. He began the project with a robust set of digital color photos from throughout the site and just this past month concluded with a tremendous set of 4×5 box camera images that were delivered to the Lincoln Library Sangamon Valley Collection for archive and public viewing.

Attached is a photo of Ben in November of 2022 set to photograph the east wall of Warehouse #4 that was built in 1929. He captured the image just two months before the partially collapsed building was demolished. After careful demolition, we were able to recycle over 500 tons of brick from this building. We also sold over 400 engraved Pillsbury bricks from this original warehouse. So, if you have an engraved Pillsbury brick this is where it lived from 1929 to 2023.

Thank you for being a part of this important community project!

~ Team Pillsbury

After careful demolition, we were able to recycle over 500 tons of brick from this building. We also sold over 400 engraved Pillsbury bricks from this original warehouse. So, if you have an engraved Pillsbury brick this is where it lived from 1929 to 2023.
After careful demolition, we were able to recycle over 500 tons of brick from this building. We also sold over 400 engraved Pillsbury bricks from this original warehouse. So, if you have an engraved Pillsbury brick this is where it lived from 1929 to 2023.
We sold over 400 engraved Pillsbury bricks from this original warehouse.
We also sold over 400 engraved Pillsbury bricks from this original warehouse.
Ben Halpern, our archival photographer, in November of 2022, set to photograph the east wall of Warehouse #4 that was built in 1929. He captured the image just two months before the partially collapsed building was demolished.
Ben Halpern, our archival photographer, in November of 2022, set to photograph the east wall of Warehouse #4 that was built in 1929. He captured the image just two months before the partially collapsed building was demolished.

Categories
News

Pillsbury Project: Public Safety Partnership

Friends,

Moving Pillsbury Forward identified early in our formation as a working group that public safety was a real issue with the vacant and partially demolished Pillsbury plant. That was just over 6 years ago. Today, over 60% of the structures at the site have been demolished since we took ownership in 2022. And work will continue for the next few months to demolish the remaining structures.

Earlier this month, we partnered with the Springfield Fire Department to utilize our front yard area and two-story office building for training exercises. Approximately 200 firefighters took the opportunity to practice hose line advancements and deck gun water stream placement (aka Target Practice).

Yes, it is a bit ironic that this place that was a serious public safety concern for over twenty years became a great place for public safety training for one week in early April. Advancing our community is the mission. Partnerships have been a key element.

Thanks for being a part of this important community project!

~ Team Pillsbury

Photo credit Frank Bowen
Categories
News

ALPLM Exhibit Invitation: April 16, 3-5pm

Friends,

Moving Pillsbury Forward and the ALPLM have scheduled a Pillsbury Exhibit reception from 3 to 5pm on Thursday, April 16. The reception is free for all friends and supporters of MPF to attend. Museum staff and MPF members will be available throughout for historical discussions of the Springfield Pillsbury plant. Brief formal remarks about the exhibit and overall Pillsbury Project will take place at 4pm.

Moving Pillsbury Forward partnered with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum these past several months to develop a new exhibit focused on the early years (1929 to 1949) of the Springfield Pillsbury Plant. The exhibit represents an era in local manufacturing that provided hundreds of good jobs during the Great Depression and set the stage for future expansion at the plant in the 1950’s and 60’s. And it highlights the huge ripple effect of economic activity that came to our community with industrial scale flour manufacturing.

The professional staff at the ALPLM utilized a selection of artifacts and documents to bring the story of those early years to life. Pillsbury not only provided jobs, but it also developed a workforce culture that engaged civic and recreational activities throughout Springfield. The softball and bowling leagues, the company picnics, and participation in civic organizations were all a part of it.

The exhibit is located just outside of the Ghosts of the Library Halovision Theater within the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. The Springfield Pillsbury exhibit is open now and is scheduled to run through June during regular museum hours.

Thanks for being a part of this important community project!

~ Team Pillsbury

Categories
News

My Heart’s Downtown – Doughboy Visit

Friends,

Doughboy went downtown this week to visit the new Pillsbury exhibit at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum and support the My Heart’s Downtown initiative. It is always fun to visit the sites and support downtown Springfield.

My Heart’s Downtown is a community-wide initiative celebrating the businesses, people, and places that make downtown Springfield worth loving. Local businesses are showing their heart through extended hours, special experiences, and small moments of delight that invite families and neighbors back downtown. Visit myheartsdowntown.org for more information on the initiative.

Doughboy visited the Kidzeum, the Old State Capitol Plaza, the ALPLM, and a few other locations while enjoying his time downtown. We had a few laughs and photo opportunities with some friends along the way. Everyone had a great time and we plan to be back downtown again soon. You just never know where Doughboy will show up next.

Thanks for being a part of this important community project!

~ Team Pillsbury

Categories
News

New Pillsbury Exhibit at the ALPLM

Friends,

Moving Pillsbury Forward partnered with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum these past several months to develop a new exhibit focused on the early years (1929 to 1949) of the Springfield Pillsbury Plant. The exhibit represents an era in local manufacturing that provided hundreds of good jobs during the Great Depression and set the stage for future expansion at the plant in the 1950’s and 60’s. And it highlights the huge ripple effect of economic activity that came to our community with industrial scale flour manufacturing.

The professional staff at the ALPLM utilized a great selection of artifacts and documents to bring the story of those early years to life. Pillsbury not only provided great jobs, but it also developed a workforce culture that engaged civic and recreational activities throughout Springfield. The softball and bowling leagues, the company picnics, and participation in civic organizations were all a part of it.

The exhibit is located just outside of the Ghosts of the Library Halovision Theater within the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. Visitors can view the exhibit at the standard full-museum admission or a special admission rate for just the Pillsbury exhibit. Either way…certainly worth experiencing. The Springfield Pillsbury exhibit is open now and is scheduled to run through the end of May during regular museum hours.

Special thanks to the local families that donated artifacts and documents.

Thanks for being a part of this important community project!

~ Team Pillsbury

Categories
News

Back to Big Demolition

Pillsbury plant, Springfield, IL big demolition resumes February 2026.

Friends,

The demolition crew at the site is back to big demolition. After a couple of months’ pause, the big crane is back in service and tearing down the AB-Mill. And the old 8000 pound wrecking ball has been exchanged for a new 10,000 pound ball. It is truly impressive what a difference 2000 pounds makes!

The past two months at the site have been productive. Much of the material from the now demolished 100,000 square foot Grocery Mix building has been sorted. Many semi-truck loads of metal have now left the site and headed off for recycling. The crew tells us that each truck carries about 18-20 tons of metal when loaded.

Fifty of the south silos have now been torn down. Each of these 100-foot-tall silos held 18,000 bushels of wheat when the mill was in operation. These silos were built in the Summer and Fall of 1929 using wooden slip forms. The eight-inch-thick walls of each silo stood on heavy concrete piers in the basement. Yes, they were built to last!

The crew generally works from 7:00am to 3:00pm on weekdays. Mid-day is often the best time for viewing the activities. Please use caution near the main entrance at 16th Street and Phillips Avenue. Heavy trucks and equipment are coming and going with regularity.

Thanks for being a part of this important community project!

~ Team Pillsbury

Categories
News Pillsbury History

Made in Springfield

The Illinois Foundry Company was proud to advertise in the newspaper that they helped supply many items necessary for the construction of the Pillsbury plant in Springfield, IL.

Friends,

These cold winter days have given us a chance to sift through the archives and find some fun facts about local manufacturing. When the Springfield Pillsbury plant was initially built in 1929, they utilized local companies to supply manufacturing products made in Springfield. It was an era in our Springfield history where manufacturing was a bigger part of our local economy.

One of the primary Springfield manufactured goods used in the Pillsbury construction was the locally made Poston brick. 500,000 bricks were purchased to build the plant. An article in the State Journal from May 4, 1930, reads:

The Pillsbury Mill is constructed of Poston brick made in Springfield and sold by Henry Nelch and Son Company. The face brick was burned at the Poston Springfield Brick company especially for the Pillsbury project following the color scheme and texture of other Pillsbury buildings.

After a series of experiments, the company found it could duplicate the dark red face brick samples submitted by the Pillsbury officials. Special treatment of the clay and shale and extreme care in burning were required, however. The bricks were selected and assorted very carefully.

We have recycled over 650 tons of brick at the site since we began demolition activities in 2023. About 500 of these bricks from Warehouse #4 have been engraved and sold as keepsakes.

Illinois Foundry Company, located at 2735 South 11th Street in Springfield (1922-1967) supplied manhole covers and cast-iron hoppers for the plant. They were proud to advertise in the newspaper that they helped supply many items necessary for the construction of the plant. We found and documented one of these manhole covers at the plant late last year. It was fun to see Springfield Illinois stamped on the cover!

Thanks for being a part of this important community project!

~ Team Pillsbury

One of the primary Springfield IL manufactured goods used in the Pillsbury construction was the locally made Poston brick. 500,000 bricks were purchased to build the plant.
The Illinois Foundry Company was proud to advertise in the newspaper that they helped supply many items necessary for the construction of the Pillsbury plant in Springfield, IL.
Illinois Foundry Company, located at 2735 South 11th Street in Springfield IL (1922-1967), supplied manhole covers and cast-iron hoppers for the Pillsbury plant.
Categories
News

Dyngus Day and More

Friends,

We had never heard of Dyngus Day until we had a recent interview with a former Springfield Pillsbury employee. He told us that this Polish American holiday was a contractual holiday with the local Springfield grain miller’s union for many years. Dyngus Day celebrates the end of the often-restrictive observance of lent and the joy of Easter. It takes place on the Monday following Easter of each year.

Pillsbury had a major facility in Buffalo, New York where there was a large Polish population. The grain millers in Buffalo had this day placed into their union contract as a holiday and many of the other milling locations did the same…including Springfield! Buffalo still has the largest Dyngus Day celebration in America. This year’s Dyngus Day will be April 6.  

And now we turn to the walnuts story…

It is hard to believe it took this long to hear about the lunch boxes full of walnuts going home with employees during the holiday season. So much so that the front office guy doing inventory could measure the shortage for the months of November and December. Apparently, it was an unstated tradition for workers at the plant to open several 30-pound boxes of walnuts and pack them into their lunch boxes to take home for holiday baking. The front office knew what was going on all along but never put a stop to it…it was the holidays…and not a battle worth fighting.

Yes…we are still having a good time hearing the rich stories from the plant. We also heard about the orange cake mix that was handed out during the holiday season. The main market for this cake mix was the Middle East. Orange cake mix was part of the regular run of mixes at the plant, it just was not generally sold in the United States. So, it was a special treat to be handed out for the holidays.

Pillsbury Bowling League 1948
Pillsbury Bowling League 1948
Pillsbury Bowling League 1948 - Bohemian Rye Team
Pillsbury Bowling League 1948 – Bohemian Rye Team

Time and time again, former employees tell us working at the Pillsbury plant was like having a great big extended family. The bowling league, softball, and picnics all helped make it fun. And that is why it still means so much for the community.

Thanks for being a part of this important community project!

~ Team Pillsbury

Categories
News

2025 Accomplishments

Friends,

2025 was another year of great accomplishments for Moving Pillsbury Forward and the Pillsbury Project. This was the year where we turned the site over to contractors for large-scale cleanup and demolition.

Pillsbury Neighborhood alleyways and vacant lots became the new focus for volunteer activities. Volunteers removed trash, bulky items, brush, and limbs from approximately 15 blocks of alleyways and 40 vacant lots. In coordination with the City of Springfield Public Works Department, we were able to advance the general appearance of the neighborhood and increase health and safety throughout the area.

Here are several of our highlights in brief:

  • MPF volunteers completed a bulky item neighborhood cleanup in January
  • MPF signed cleanup contract with Select Demo in March
  • MPF signed a building demolition contract with GreenTrac in March
  • MPF held a Public Meeting at Lanphier High School in April
  • The Locker Room Building and Warehouse #1 were fully demolished in May
  • MPF trained with the new City of Springfield See Click Fix reporting application in June
  • The Historic Context Report for the Pillsbury site was finalized in July
  • EPA Regional Administrator Anne Vogel visited the Pillsbury site in July
  • Two MPF members attended the National Brownfields Conference in August
  • MPF gave a project update to City Council in August
  • MPF partnered with SIU-Med Students on a cleanup day in August
  • Large-scale demolition began when the smokestack was demolished in September
  • The Grocery Mix Building was fully demolished in October.
  • Governor Pritzker visited the Pillsbury site in October.
  • The Turbo Building was demolished in November
  • Select Demolition completed all asbestos abatement in November
  • The AB-Mill water tower came down in November
  • Editing of a soon-to-be-released Pillsbury Photo book was completed in December

Download the 2025 accomplishments as a PDF…

The Pillsbury Project is much more than working through the difficult mechanics of demolishing buildings and moving toward redevelopment. The Pillsbury Project is about people coming together, taking control of a tough situation, and improving the quality of life in Springfield. 

Thank you!  We appreciate everyone being a part of advancing the Pillsbury Project.

~ Team Pillsbury