Category: News

Friends,

Moving Pillsbury Forward has been asked on numerous occasions if the 3-million-bushel storage capacity at the former Pillsbury Plant could be reused.  In other words, can the silos and grain elevator portion of the former Pillsbury Plant be retrofitted and economically reused for grain storage operations?

On the face of it, this seems reasonable.  The concrete silos and elevator are well constructed and located in the heart of Central Illinois where grain production is high and storage facilities have been in demand for decades.  The former Pillsbury facility is located next to an active railyard which is a plus for the site.  Afterall, the railyard was used for many years to bring in wheat to the site and transport finished goods (flour, bakery mixes, grocery products) from the site.

Unfortunately, the answer to the question is no.  Retrofitting the silos and elevator with new grain handling equipment would be costly.  One estimate we received was 10 million dollars.  So, it would not be economical. 

Over the decades since it was built, the city has grown up around the site.  Trucking grain into the site is more difficult than it was years ago.  The more efficient and modern grain storage facilities are in rural areas with relatively easy heavy truck access near the fields where crops are grown.

Another negative for reuse of the silos at the former Pillsbury Plant is the relatively small size of each individual silo.  Each of the 160 silos holds 18,000 bushels of grain.  This was great for separating and blending wheat in the flour making process but not for commercial bulk storage operations of the 21^st century.

Finally, modern large-scale commercial farms now utilize technologically advanced silos bags for on-site storage needs.  These recyclable plastic storage bags typically hold 25,000 bushels of grain each.  They can be easily deployed in a farm field and safely store grain for up to two years.  Thus, eliminating the need for most large, fixed facility silo complexes.

Chris Richmond
Pillsburyproject.org

PS – Special thanks to our local commercial grain farmers for helping us understand modern farming, grain storage equipment, and movement of grain to end markets from the producers here in Central Illinois.  Your expertise has been enlightening.

A Pop-Up Exhibit and Gathering in the Shadow of the Pillsbury Plant

Moving Pillsbury Forward is pleased to announce that we are hosting a special event for the community at the Pillsbury Plant and you are invited! Please feel free to share this invitation with others.

Tuesday, September 21, 5:30 to 7pm

At the former Pillsbury Plant, 1525 E. Phillips, Springfield, IL.

Join Moving Pillsbury Forward for a very special evening of history, art, and storytelling. For the past six months, Moving Pillsbury Forward has been working with archaeologist and artist Robert Mazrin to record, salvage, and recycle not only historic artifacts from the abandoned Pillsbury factory, but also a remarkable range of relics and “ready-made” art objects. Arranged and displayed on-site, this special exhibit will b eopened fo ra public gathering and fundraiser on September 21st.

The suggested donation is $25. Former employees and our neighbors in the Pillsbury Neighborhood are invited as our guests.

The evening will include music by The End Times Trio, a presentation by Robert Mazrim, wine and soft beverages, and Jamaican food will be available from the Jamaican Me Hungry food truck. This promises to be a special evening. We look forward to seeing you!

Friends,

Moving Pillsbury Forward had a great turnout this past week at both the Downtown Farmer’s Market and at our weekly Tuesdays on the Dock. Thank you! Since we sold out of engraved bricks this week, more have been ordered and they should be available in the coming week (download the brick purchasing information flyer).

We will continue to host guests as a part of our Pillsbury Reunion Project at the Pillsbury South Loading Dock on Tuesday mornings from 9:00am to 11:00am for the next several weeks (download the reunion flyer here). Please, feel free to come out and engage us. We still have a good supply of new in-the-box timecards and plenty of 1929 Warehouse #4 bricks available.

This week we learned more about the plant through two extended interviews with longtime employees. The project is experiencing wonderful success in capturing the history and great stories of Pillsbury.

Bricks – Since the 1929 Warehouse bricks have been a popular collector item, we thought everyone would enjoy knowing that they were manufactured locally by Springfield’s own Poston Brick. 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.

Yes…the Union Made POSTON Springfield, ILL stamp is visible on many of the bricks (see below photo).

Thanks for engaging the project,

The Reunion Project Team
pillsburyproject.org

Friends,

The Moving Pillsbury Forward / Pillsbury Reunion Project is pleased to announce weekly open office hours for former Pillsbury employees, neighbors, retirees, and families.  We have a comfortable, shaded/indoor sitting area at the old south truck loading dock.  We also have plenty of collected artifacts from the plant…and we would like your help in identifying how many of them were used.  Please, bring a cup of coffee and plan to spend some time with us.  It is a good informal setting that we hope will allow us all to learn more about the history of the Springfield Pillsbury Plant. 

When: Every Tuesday morning from 9:00am to 11.00am.  (Starting 7/18/23)

Where: At the Pillsbury South Loading Dock (corner of 16^th St. and Phillips Ave.)

Why: To connect and learn more about our local history centered around the Pillsbury Plant.

Download the Flyer… (PDF)

We have already connected with several retirees and families.  The stories are fantastic, and we want to hear more of them.  We are working to compile a comprehensive list of Pillsbury employees and their start dates for families.  Old seniority lists have been very helpful.   Several have been scanned and can be shared via email.

The Pillsbury plant had a positive impact on the Greater Springfield Area that was tremendous and long lasting.  A huge part of that was the people involved…the workers and the great productive culture they established.  Certainly, a history worth remembering and recording for future generations. 

Thanks for being a part of the Pillsbury reunion Project.

MPF Reunion Project Team
PillsburyProject.org

Friends,

Moving Pillsbury Forward is actively working to capture the history of the Springfield Pillsbury plant. We have formed a working group for what we are now calling the Pillsbury Reunion Project.

After our April 29th gathering of 34 Pillsbury employees for the group photo on the front lawn it became clear that this is an important aspect of the overall Pillsbury Project. There are hundreds of families in the area that are connected to Pillsbury in various ways. We want to embrace and record the great Pillsbury stories and memories before they are lost.

Here are a few aspects of the Pillsbury Reunion Project we are working on:

Tours — one of the primary things we would like to do is connect with as many former Pillsbury employees as is reasonable and offer small group tours. We would love to walk and talk with the employees to learn more about the site and record their stories. Note: General public tours will resume in the Fall with advanced announcements.

Pictures — if families have pictures of the site and people working at Pillsbury, we would love to have copies. Seniority lists of various years would be great also. We currently have 1946, 1974, 1977, and 1990. We also have the 2007 retiree list.

Memorabilia — we would love to have items to consider loaning for exhibit. Team shirts (bowling, softball, etc.) and other items would be great! We are planning an exhibit for this winter. We are working to identify the right venue and solidify dates.

Gathering — we would love to bring together the former employees for a gathering (maybe a picnic) in the Fall. We are also planning a fundraiser/exhibit/auction for the Fall in the dock area.

Oral Histories — we would love to record a few employees as they talk about their time at Pillsbury.

Timecards — we have a good supply of The Pillsbury Company Springfield Plant timecards for employees and families to have for mementos and scrapbooks.

Bricks — we have a good supply of bricks from the 1929 Warehouse #4. Folks can have as many as they want. We also have a limited supply of engraved bricks with a minimum donation of $20 for each engraved brick.

Please, consider being a part of the Pillsbury Reunion Project.

Here are a few ways to connect with us:

• Via email at:
• At the Downtown Farmers Market on Saturday, July 22nd from 8:00 to noon
• At the Pillsbury South Loading Dock most weekday mornings throughout the summer months

The Pillsbury Reunion Team
pillsburyproject.org

Friends,

Moving Pillsbury Forward participated in the USEPA Technical Assistance Program this past winter. Through this program MPF consulted with Vita Nuova, an innovative consulting firm that creatively tackles complex industrial redevelopment projects throughout North America.

This month Vita Nuova chose to feature MPF in their new Project Spotlight series. This is exciting news for MPF. It gives our project national exposure within the industrial redevelopment community. The team at Vita Nuova delivered everything we asked for and more!

https://www.vitanuova.net/project-spotlight-a-new-vision-for-the-former-pillsbury-mills-site/

Thank you for being a part of the Pillsbury Project.

Chris / Polly / Tony
pillsburyproject.org

Friends,

MPF switched gears for a little bit today and addressed a vacant lot issue in the neighborhood.  

A block from the Pillsbury front gate at the corner of 16th St. and Matheny St. is a vacant lot.  The deed is held by the County Trustee.  The City of Springfield thankfully removed the dilapidated vacant house that stood there just two years ago. The vacant lot has not been mowed since last year.

Today we mowed.  The stop sign on the corner was obscured by the weeds and the sidewalk was not accessible. We witnessed a neighbor walking in the street on his regular morning walk because the sidewalk was overgrown with weeds.  Well…tomorrow he can use the sidewalk!

The thinking here is simple…see a problem, fix a problem.  It’s the little things that add up to a better quality of life.

UPDATE:

Thanks for the encouragement and questions related to yesterday’s lot mowing email.  Here is a bit of follow-up detail for those who have asked:

When reviewing the ownership of 1537 Matheny Ave. (Parcel # 14-26.0-151-020) we find that a woman named Victoria McCall owned the property and last paid taxes in 2015.  Until today it was not known what happened to her.  This morning a long-time neighbor on the block told me that “Vicky and her husband moved to Texas several years ago.  He died a short time later.  Vicky now lives in West Virginia.”  It is fair to say that they simply walked away from the property and started anew in Texas. 

Well…that explains why the property was eventually (over an 8-year period) taken for back taxes and the deed is now held by the County Trustee.  Individual property rights and the legality surrounding it move slowly in situations like this one.  Unfortunately, it happens all too often in distressed neighborhoods and creates a negative spiral. 

Long-term solutions are hard to find in these situations.  The short-term solution this week was mowing. 

Thanks again for the encouragement and great questions.

Chris Richmond
pillsburyproject.org

Friends,

Moving Pillsbury Forward is pleased to announce two additional funding commitments totaling nearly $2,000,000.

On May 25th the USEPA announced an award of nearly $800,000 for cleanup at the Pillsbury site. We applied for this funding in November after our Phase II Environmental Site Assessment and building surveys were completed earlier in the Fall. The surveys allowed us to calculate the amount of remaining asbestos and other contaminants in the buildings. The award will be utilized to complete remediation (contaminate removal) within all remaining buildings at the site.

Over the weekend (May 27th), the State budget passed with $1,200,000 awarded to Moving Pillsbury Forward. These funds will primarily be utilized to continue demolition activities at the site. As the buildings are remediated and demolished, public safety in the area increases and so do the redevelopment opportunities. We appreciate the efforts of Senator Turner in getting this accomplished on behalf of the Greater Springfield community.

Moving Pillsbury forward now has over $6,000,000 in commitments for the project at the Local, State, and Federal levels. In the coming weeks we will continue to raise funds, complete the necessary environmental review process, and prepare bids for remediation and demolition contracts.

Together we are moving forward – THANK YOU!

Chris / Polly / Tony
pillsburyproject.org

Saturday, April 29th, 2023 was a special day for former Pillsbury employees who attended our public tour. They all seemed to enjoy visiting and talking about their days at Pillsbury. It was wonderful to see them interact and tell their stories.

A huge thank you goes to local photographer Frank Bowen, who made the following images and gave them to us for use on our website.

Frank should get an award for the photo of the three retired guys! He really captured what the day was all about for the former Pillsbury employees. 34 former Pillsbury employees appear in the group photo.

Chris Richmond

(click to see larger photo)

Friends,

Moving Pillsbury Forward had a great turnout for general public tours on Saturday, April 29. More than 80 people attended the 10:00 am tour. Another 100-plus attended the noon tour after the group Pillsbury Employee photo was taken from the front lawn. In total, MPF hosted over 400 people for tours in April. Tours will resume again in late summer. Dates will be announced in advance as they get scheduled.

We had 34 employees in attendance for the group photo on Saturday. Loved seeing them together again! It was a great day for a reunion photo. The photo attached was taken on a personal phone. Our photographer’s photo is published on our website!

Thank you all for making this special day a success.

Chris / Polly / Tony
pillsburyproject.org