Category: News

Friends,

As a part of the overall Pillsbury Project we have had the pleasure of hearing many stories about the workers at Pillsbury. To date, Archie Comstock is the earliest known retiree from the Springfield Pillsbury plant. His granddaughter recently shared his story with us. And we are glad she did!

Archie Comstock was born on September 7, 1884 in Minneapolis, MN. His father, Frank Comstock, worked for Pillsbury Mills in Minneapolis. When Archie was a young man he joined his father in working for Pillsbury Mills and the two of them traveled around to different cities to help set up new mills. As experienced millers, Frank and Archie were a great asset as Pillsbury Mills expanded in the early twentieth century. 

In September of 1937, Archie Comstock came to the Springfield plant. He had been given the option to transfer to Springfield IL or Buffalo NY. He chose Springfield because he felt the winters would be less harsh. In Springfield, the new C-Mill had just been built as a major expansion that doubled flour milling capacity at the plant. Archie had the experience needed to set up and run the new mill.

Archie,his wife Isabel, and their young daughter Avalon, became longtime residents in the Pillsbury Neighborhood. They purchased a house at 1023 N 14th Street, just a block from the plant. Many workers at the plant lived in the neighborhood and walked to work. At age 65, Archie retired from the Springfield Pillsbury plant in 1949. 

Archie was an avid reader and traveler in his retirement years. He kept active and even painted the exterior of his house on 14th Street at age 88. After a long retirement, Archie passed away in 1983 at the age of 98. His daughter Avalon and her 4 children still lived at the house on 14th Street. Avalon remained in the house until 1992. 

Thanks for being a part of this important community project. And, special thanks today to the Comstock family descendants for gathering and sharing their rich story with us.

Happy Holidays

~ Team Pillsbury

Friends,

Moving Pillsbury Forwards has a few project advances to report on as we move into this Holiday Season.

·       MPF put out requests for proposals for both remediation and demolition of all remaining structures at the site in mid-November. We had 60 contractors come to our mandatory on-site visit day on December 4. This was a great turnout. The bid process will continue into January. More news will follow as contractors are selected to do the work throughout 2025.

·       MPF coordinated another Pillsbury Neighborhood cleanup in early November. We collected a pile of used tires, televisions, over 30 pieces of furniture (mostly sofas and mattresses) and filled a 30-yard dumpster with general household garbage. Yes, fly-dumping is still a serious issue in the neighborhood. Public Works has been great to work with. We are optimistic about seeing lasting improvements going forward.

·       MPF brought together former employees and family members for group photos on November 22. Archival photos were taken in front of the “Roll Call” wall where local artist Jen Santarelli placed over 1300 names of former Pillsbury employees gathered these last few years of the Pillsbury Project. The photos and artwork are powerful statements about the impact of Pillsbury on our community over the decades. The photos will be a part of the publicly available Pillsbury archive at the Lincoln Library in the Sangamon Valley Collection.

·       Resident artist Alex Smith wrapped up several months at Pillsbury in late November. He produced well over 100 art pieces while on-site. Many of the portable pieces went with him to his homebase in Minneapolis. Galleries in both Minneapolis and Los Angeles are anticipated to exhibit and sell some of his works. Many of the pieces were on exhibit at the Springfield Art Association throughout September. The wall art that remains at Pillsbury has been captured in high quality photographs and will be the subject of future public programs. Stay tuned.

·       Pillsbury artifacts from the site remain in storage. MPF is hopeful of finding a permanent home for the collection. About 30% of the artifacts survived the downtown fire in June. The collection is an important element of work life and the industrial history of Springfield. MPF will continue to work with community leaders in finding the best long-term home for these pieces of our recent past.

Thanks for being a part of this important community project!

Happy Holidays!

~ Team Pillsbury

Friends,

Moving Pillsbury Forward is moving ahead with requests for proposals on both remediation and demolition of site structures now that all of our compliance reviews have been completed. It has been a long haul getting to this point. We appreciate everyone supporting and hanging in there with us. We look forward to 2025 being the year where existing environmental site hazards are alleviated and demolition of large structures brings a sense of renewal to the area. This is the moving forward we have all been aiming at for over 5 years now! Here is the link for any company interest in completing a proposal: 

https://qcpi.questcdn.com/cdn/posting/?projType=&group=1004&provider=1102641

Now, we are asking former Pillsbury employees to join us for one last group photo in front of the employee names wall on Friday, November 22 at 1:00pm. The Pillsbury employee names wall was created this past Spring by local artist Jen Santarelli. She is the granddaughter of longtime Pillsbury worker Walter Santarelli who began his career in 1941. We have over 1300 names on the wall formally titled “Roll Call”. The community response to this installation these past several months has been wonderful.

The plan is to have our preservation photographer, Ben Halpern, take a high-resolution group photo for the official archival record. The group photo (and all other preservation photos) will soon be archived and publicly available at the Lincoln Library Sangamon Valley Collection. This image, to be taken on-site, with the names and the employees is sure to be a powerful statement about what our Springfield PIllsbury plant meant to us as a community.

Employees and families are welcome to come to the Dock #107 entrance (corner of 16th St. and Phillips Ave.) beginning at noon on Friday, November 22. We are glad to have individuals and families take personal photos with the wall this one last time. Our scheduled rain date (if the weather will not allow for a good photo) is Friday December 6 at 1:00. Note: The wall area is accessible by ramp for those with mobility issues. We will have volunteers present at Dock #107 to arrange access.

A limited number of engraved Pillsbury bricks will be available during the photo event on Nov. 22

Thanks for being a part of this important community project.

~ Team Pillsbury

Friends,

Moving Pillsbury Forward does work throughout the Pillsbury Neighborhood even though our primary focus is the demolition and redevelopment of the former Pillsbury property. We want to do our best to improve the neighborhood and the quality of life for the folks that live there. Here is a case study for how things tend to play out…over…and over again.

In May of 2021 we cleared a vacant lot at the corner of 14th St. and Phillips Ave. The legal address is 1324 Phillips Ave. (PIN#14270280011). At the time, it was a County Deed Trustee lot that had been reclaimed by the local government for non-payment of back taxes. As volunteers, we chose to mow and remove trash from this lot because we recognized that this corner lot was a bus stop for elementary school children and the sidewalk was not accessible. In working with longtime Pillsbury Neighborhood Association President John Keller, we learned that he had cleared this same lot about ten years prior for the same reason. He let us know that this lot had been vacant and problematic for many many years.

We researched this one recently utilizing the Sangamon County Tax Parcel Viewer site Parcel Viewer (sangamon.il.us) In a short time we found that a bank had repossessed the property in 1996. By 1998 the small home had been demolished. Then, an investor purchased the lot from the bank. Nothing was built, taxes were not paid, and the lot was reclaimed for back taxes for the first time. And, again it was purchased by an investor, nothing was built, taxes were not paid, and the lot was reclaimed for back taxes for the second time. Moving ahead two more cycles, a new investor purchased the lot in 2021 shortly after we (volunteers) cleaned it up. And, here we are again…only this time in the fourth cycle…and 26 years later.

Well, the new investor from 2021 is at least currently paying the $127 annual property tax bill. However, he is not caring for the property (mowing, drainage clearing, junk removal, etc.). And, the City Of Springfield has cited the owner for these issues (the are 4 shown on their website), but the process could take months. So, volunteers cleaned it up again this month so the kids at the bus stop could stand on the sidewalk rather than in the roadway. Will the cycle end…no. When the leins from citations are eventually applied to the property the latest investor will almost assuredly walk away and a fifth cycle will begin. 

Yes…this is a broken system. The only light at the end of the tunnel is changing the system. Let’s get busy and make some changes! We have several good ideas for changes. We understand the complexity of the situation. The kids at the bus stop deserve better. Let’s resolve within ourselves to do better. 

If this case study has motivated you to act, here is the next step: Reach out to us at MPF through our email address () and we will facilitate formation of a working group to focus on this issue. There are dozens of these vacant lots in our community with similar issues.  

Thanks for being a part of this important community project.

~ Team Pillsbury

Springfield Art Association Exhibit Opening

September 6 – September 28
Artist Reception: Friday, September 6, 5:30-7:30 PM

Friends,

Moving Pillsbury Forward partnered with community artists a year and half ago at the Pillsbury site. We facilitated a welcoming space for them to work and create. We harvested greated industrial elements for use in sculptural pieces. We trusted that the results would be great.

Now, in partnership with the Springfield Art Association, the artists works are going on exhibit in the MG Nelson Family Gallery at the Springfield Art Association (700 N 4th St.). Please consider joining us to celebrate their works this Friday from 5:30 to 7:30 on opening night. 

September 6 – September 28
Artist Reception: Friday, September 6, 5:30-7:30 PM

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This show is the third in a series of art exhibits created from and about the ruins of the Pillsbury Mill factory in Springfield. The work includes depictions and interpretations of the abandoned factory, and sculptures and collages created from objects and materials found on site. In most cases, the subject matter focuses on the nature of the ruined built environment as it is today, and also the commercial and social legacies of the factory and its products in this community and in American culture in general. The exhibit also includes artworks rescued from the rubble of the Adams Street fire, where the preceding exhibit was mounted.

The exhibit is an invitational one, featuring the work of numerous area artists who have visited the site for inspiration. It was curated by Robert Mazrim, who has been harvesting and exhibiting the aesthetic potential of the Pillsbury brownfield reclamation project for the last year and a half. Art from the collapse of 20th century industrial America.

Thanks for being a part of this important community project.

~ Team Pillsbury

Friends,

Moving Pillsbury Forward partnered with the Pillsbury Neighborhood Association, SIU-Med Student Volunteers, and City of Springfield Public Works on Saturday, August 24th, to clean up the streets and alleyways throughout the Pillsbury Neighborhood. The weather was great. The clean up crews worked hard. And Lasagna Lady, Beth Ballinger, served up a terrific lasagna lunch. Yes, it was a success!

Each year, the SIU-Med Students take part in a day of service in the Enos Park and Pillsbury Neighborhoods. SIU-Med coordinates the event and arranges lunch for the volunteers. The two neighborhoods benefit from their labor and, hopefully, the students benefit from getting into the neighborhoods and seeing the environmental health challenges (and solutions) that are a part of everyday life in an older and underserved neighborhood. 

We are thankful for having these lasting partnerships. This was our fourth year of the cleanup partnership and we know it makes a big difference for the residents.The Pillsbury street and alleyway cleanup resulted in proper disposal of 30 cubic yards of litter and trash, 11 televisions, 12 mattresses, 14 car tires, and 20 pieces of overstuffed furniture (sofas, chairs, etc.). Most of which had been fly-dumped in the area over the past few weeks. 

Thanks for being a part of this important community project.

~ Team Pillsbury