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