Tile Factory Fire 1885

--Paxton Record.  19 February 1885.

1880

 

--Paxton Record.  15 January 1880.

Advertisements

FLORA & NEWMAN
ANDERSON & KENWARD
FOSTER BROS. HARDWARE
RISSER & ANDERSON
R. B. CHAMBERS
CHRIS ANDERSON
ROBERTS CREAMERY
JOHN BOYLE

"I've come across some advertising on TISSUE PAPER of local businesses--two pieces of such advertising were torn off and placed between photos in the Foster/Ruedger album I have, which looks to be about 120 years old."

--Photos and comments from Ayesha H. LeRoy.  Posted to the Roberts Illinois History Group FB Page.  July 2018.

1879

The I. C. R. R. Co. is putting in a switch about one mile south west of town to accommodate Mr. Van Steenburgh.

The ladies of the Congregational church are preparing to serve a Thanksgiving dinner and supper in the new church, which will be so far completed by that time as to serve for a dining room.
Mr. McNeish has gone into partnership with Christ. Anderson and has removed his shoe and harness shop to the second floor of Anderson's building.  As both are enterprising business men they will undoubtedly prosper and ? ? ? ? such that their patronage will increase as it should.

--Paxton Record.  13 November 1879.

13 June 1878

Chris. Anderson is painting his store.
We have a new store in town, Pfaat & Sch???, who sell for cash only.
T. M. Hubbard, for the last five months with Anderson & Campbell, is now clerking for J. B. Meserve.
The Newman House, which for the past year has been under the management of Mrs. Andrews, of Buckley, is again in the hands of the old landlord, Mr. Newman.

--Paxton Record.  13 June 1878.

Christopher Anderson

 

 

--History of Ford County, Illinois: From its Earliest Settlement to 1908. By Gardner, Ernest Arthur. Published 1908. Pages 521-524.

Roberts Brick and Tile Works

--Paxton Record.  28 August 1884.

15 February 1872

LYMAN ITEMS
Weather the coldest we have so far experienced for this winter.
Our Station Agent, keeps his head tightly bandaged and gets as mad as a hornet when any one says "Ears," and mentions last Sunday as an extremely cold day. "O dear what can the matter be."...
The R. R. Co. has seen fit to change Agents at Melvin, Mr. Thompson not being an operator, and they intending to make that place a telegraph station, a change was necessary.
Geo. H. Thompson, of the firm "Thompson & Lyman," has the appointment as Postmaster at this place, this is a good appointment and gives almost universal satisfaction.
The Revival Meetings noticed in our last, have at last been discontinued. Much good as been done. It is the intention of the Pastor to commence a series of meetings in the Grand Prairie school house.
Why is it that we see so many Peach Orchard's farmers hauling their corn to our station and doing their trading at our town? We wondered at this, and so we inquired, and this was what they told us. We can get more for our corn at Johnson & Meserve's than we can in Melvin, and then we can get more for our money here. So!
Considerable Real Estate is changing hands in our vicinity at rather low prices.
Christopher Anderson, one of our citizens, has taken a journey to Scotland. It appears that Mr. Anderson was at one time manager of a R. R. office in that county, and that company now wishes his proof to their books in an important case, and so gives him $25 per day and expenses of journey.
Hon. C. H. Frew passed through town, on the up passenger, on Saturday last.
A Farmer's Club is making its appearance in our part of the county.
Seven emigrant wagons passed through town one day last week, bound further south.
And still they marry: Geo. Barnhart was the lucky man, to Miss Amelia Smith, all of this town.

 

--Paxton Record. 15 February 1872.

Roberts Exchange Bank

 

 

--Gibson City Courier.  18 November 1915.  Page 6.

 

This article talks about the history of the Roberts Exchange Bank.  It details how the first bank sat where the Seng Implement was located and at that time it faced to the east and was located on Main Street.  It was destroyed in the first Roberts fire in the 1870's.  Another bank was built but this time it faced to the north and was fronted on Green Street.

Christopher Anderson Bio

--Portrait and Biographical Record of Ford County, Illinois.  1892.

He lived at the corner of Maple and Green.  This can't be true as Maple and Green run parallel.  Entered into partnership with Montelius and Campbell in 1872 when there were only 4 stores and 8 homes in Roberts.  He then purchased banking business of J. B. Meserve.  Tile Pit. 

Jean Fox commented on the Roberts Illinois History Group page that the Anderson family home is the large home across from the Fritchley home in Roberts.  The home no longer is standing. It also once was a hotel/motel with small cabins behind the home to rent.  I obtained this photo from the Fritchley family. This is the corner of South Street and Walnut Street.

  

More on the Roberts Tile Factory

THE ROBERTS TILE FACTORY

The first tile factory was built by Chris Anderson in 1883. The building was destroyed by fire in 1885. A new factory was built in 1886 by Chris Anderson and John C. Kenward on land in the Weber addition. Some of the buildings stood on the site of the Marie Hein residence and the Hethke Garge is the spot where the kilns stood.
Mr. Kenward spent many hours in the factory and some of his employees were, Nels Hensen, Walter Patterson, Jim Parkins, Mike Lally, Ernest Warnke, Mr. Hubner, R. Hamnon and Seward Arnold who died in December of 1984 at the age of 104. Before his death he wrote, "The Roberts factory made the best quality of tile within a 50 mile radius. It was in 1912, a snowy winter that Frank Kennedy and I hauled 13,000 tile on sleds to my parents farm. Nels Jensen was the best man that ran the tile factory. There were three or four kilns. The diggings can still be seen in the gulley east of William Sherfey's and north of the cemetery road."
The factory closed in 1913 but for many years the old factory grounds served as a recreation center for the youth of Roberts. In the summer, picnicking, swimming and boating were enjoyed. In the winter ice skating was popular.

--History of Ford County. 1985.


TILE FACTORY AT ROBERTS
BUILT: 1886
DISCONTINUED: 1913

The first Tile Factory in Roberts was built by Chris Anderson in 1883 and was destroyed by fire in 1885. This factory was (approximately) built on the site where Ken Eastin's home now stands.
The Tile Factory was put up in 1886 by Chris Anderson and John C. Kenward. John Kenward spent many hours in the factory, working. Others who worked there will be of interest to many and you may recognize some of the family names.
Nels Jensen
Walter Patterson
Jim Parkins
Mike Lally
Ernest Warnke
Mr. Hubner
R. Hamnon
Seward Arnold worked there one week.
The factory grounds served as a recreation center for the young of Roberts.
The tile factory land is now the Weber Addition and the Lawrence Seng residence and garage is the actual site of the old kilns.
This historical data was compiled with the help of Seward Arnold.

--Roberts Area Centennial Book. 1872-1972.


--These two articles were posted in October 2016 to the Roberts Illinois History Group page.
 
--Jean Fox added the following comments to the post:
The above, "Nels Hensen" should read, Niels Jensen. Niels Jensen, born in Denmark, married John Caleb Kenward's daughter, Sarah Jane. Niels is my great-grandfather. John Kenward went to Chicago to get workers for the tile factory and brought back, Niels and his brother, Soren, along with others. Since they were laying out the railroad and putting up telephone lines in the area, workers were hard to find.
The second tile factory was located in the Weber addtion. They dug up clay north of Lyman Park - just east of Bill and Donna Sherfey's house for the first tile factory. It was filled in with broken tiles and bricks over the years. The buildings for the second tile factory were all in the location of the "Weber addition." Yes, the tile pit is where they also dug for clay to use to make the brick and tile. It was not filled in after the factory closed because they continued to use it as a "recreation center." I have a picture somewhere to show the location. I will post it later.

The Roberts Tile Factory

Business called us to Roberts on Tuesday afternoon and on Wednesday morning, in company with Christopher Anderson, the proprietor of the new tile works, we inspected the establishment which had just started up and was running very successfully, turning out six inch tile at the rate of ten to twelve a minute, or 6,000 a day, which certainly is a rapid gait for the size. The buildings are much more substantial than those usually constructed for the purpose, consisting of a boiler room, a building for the machine and engine 24x60 feet, drying sheds 23x150 feet, enclosed entirely and heated by steam pipes so arranged as to create an intense heat which dries the tile equally on all sides and prevents the cracking caused by unequal shrinkage when dried by the air. The system of heating is by iron pipes placed under the floor and extending the entire length of the building into which the exhaust steam from the engine discharges and into which steam can be forced directly from the boiler when desired. An additional advantage to be gained by this system is that it will enable him to keep his works going in winter as well as summer. The power necessary for the operation of the machinery is supplied by a forty horse power boiler and a splendid thirty horse power engine, which will not only operate the machine, but will work a system of cars arrranged on a tram way for conveying the clay to the mill, which will save a large amount of labor when completed. His kilns are of the improved down-draught system, and are being very substantially constructed by L. E. Bressie. One is just completed and will be tested next week. Two more will be built at once, each having a capacity of 25,000 to 30,000, which will enable him to turn out an immense amount of tile. The clay used was thoroughly tested before operations were commenced, as there can be no question of the superior quality which will be produced, and we can congratulate Mr. Anderson on the spendid prospects of a large and we believe paying business, and Roberts on having among its citizens one of capital and enterprise to engage in and bring to a successful issue so important a manufacturing enterprise. 
 

--Paxton Record. 7 June 1883.

This article is from 1883, so this building/buildings were destroyed by fire in 1886 and Christopher Anderson rebuilt and reopened in 1886.

Roberts Brick & Tile Factory Crew

Roberts Brick and Tile Works Crew
The only men that I can identify are:
Back row, L to R: John Caleb Kenward, Niels Jensen, ?, Chris Anderson

--Posted by Jean Fox to the Roberts Illinois History Group page.  Her comments under the photo.

We had some discussion on the Roberts Illinois History Group page, Jean Fox and I.  The following was posted by Jean Fox after I added this picture to the page. She thinks Seward Arnold is the person to the far right sitting. 

Posted by Jean Fox:  L to R: John Kenward, Niels jensen, Soren Jensen (brother to Niels), and Chris Anderson. Seward Arnold gave the picture to mom and dad. I believe the last person in the front row (L to R) is Seward.

I don't think it is.  I have several photos of Seward.  I do believe the young man to the far left is Seward. 

--From my family photos.

Side by side.  What do you think?  Jean agrees in another post after she sees these photos.  Definitely not the guy on the right of the Tile Crew picture.

Christopher Anderson

 

LYMAN TOWNSHIP CEMETERY WALK
Christopher Anderson
--Roberts Area Centennial. 100 Years of Plowing Planting Progressing. 1872-1972.

Early Days in Lyman #9

EARLY DAYS IN THE TOWN OF LYMAN
by Bela Foster

Continuing . . .

Chis'r Anderson came here in 1866.

 

Christopher Anderson.
--Picture from Jean Fox.

 

He lived a long distance from our place. It must have been one and one-half miles.

 

 

--1901 Lyman Township Plat

 

He was a young man then about twenty-five years of age. I remember seeing him shortly after he came here. He had two small girls with him. They looked like twins. Had they not been with him I think I would not have remembered seeing him. We had a pet crow and they were afraid of it. The girls names were Eupheme and Elizabeth Muir.
I suppose that Mr. Anderson did more for this community than any other of the early settlers, in aiding the people and helping them to pull through the stressing times. His method of dealing with men strengthened them instead of making dependents of them. Many owe their success to Mrs. Anderson and others who encouraged them to move onward and upward.
William Graham was the first teacher in school district No. 5, (now 40). He barely reached manhood when he was called to his reward. He was the first Mason to be laid to rest in Lyman Cemetery.

 

District No. 5 (now 40) would be the school in the village of Roberts. 

William Graham.  Died 12 December 1872.  Aged 22 Years.  Note the Mason symbol on his stone. 

E. B. Beighle came here in 1869. He came to Paxton by rail. Then completed the journey by mud and water. He had a hard time fording the streams and detouring around ponds. His family did much in church and school work.

--1884 Lyman Township Plat

I found this photo on Ancestry.com.  I believe it is the Beighle home.  And I think that is E. B. Beighle standing near the front entrance.  This home would have been on the Thawville blacktop just off of 115. The 1948 plat says John Rock owns the property.  Who is John Rock?  I am going to post on FB to see if anyone remembers the home of John Rock.  Research. Mr. Beighle was a veteran of the Civil War.

 No man in this township did more to make me what I am than E. T. Havens. After my brother went out to work and left me to work the farm Mr. Havens was my harvest partner. We worked together for the interest of each. He was a Christian man all the way through. It was a pleasure to work beside him. He was one of the mainstays of the Thawville Congregational Church and was Sunday School superintendent for many years. He was also school teacher in the early days. Mr. Havens died about seventeen years ago. Mrs. Havens died this winter. Through Mr. and Mrs. Havens I learned much about the early settlers.
Taylor John, John Lyman, and Lyman Peck ran a threshing outfit here at one time. The names were an odd combination. I knew them all.

Roberts Herald. 8 May 1935. Bela Foster.