R. C. Culton was the first manufacturer of plows in Canton. His establishment, while it was large for that period, was yet so small as not to have attracted attention outside of this immediate vicinity. It is therefore no injustice to Mr. Culton to mention as the originator of plow manufacturing in this county the…
Category: Canton, Its Pioneers And History
Ingersoll Brothers
Ingersoll BrothersJ. W. INGERSOLL, of Ithaca, New York, came into the State of Illinois in the spring of 1837, in the employ of the State, which was at that time engaged in a stupendous scheme of Railroad building. Mr. Ingersoll was a civil engineer, and in that capacity was assigned to duty in the preliminary…
Canton’s Manufacturers, Foundries And Machine Shops
In the fall of 1838, James Whiting established the first foundry and machine shop in Canton. This establishment was in a large frame building erected for the purpose, on Wood Street, between Union and Illinois streets, just north of Hon. A. C. Babcock’s present residence. Mr. Whiting soon took into partnership Louis Sovereign. Messrs. Whiting…
The Fire Department
On the 14th of March, 1868, the store of Amos C. Babcock was burned. The loss by this fire footed up about $50,000, most of which was covered with insurance. This was the most extensive conflagration the business part of the city had ever been sub- jected to. Immediately after this fire, Messrs. Amos Babcock,Wm….