Abandoned and Falling Buildings and Places

[jbaker]

I am starting this thread because I have long been interested in buildings and places that have been forgotten or even being torn down. I hope more of you have some pics to share.

First is Amerock (Rockford, IL) where ALOT of cabinet hardware came from.

This second one I am still trying to find out who originaly occupied it, also in Rockford by the old steel mill

 

[cmcleod]

Jeff, great pics. I have always loved old buidlings. Their history almost seems to speak to oneself. I use to drive out in the country all the time and find a great ole farm or barn and sit and sketch. I don't have any pics though. lol. Great thread to start though

Cathleen

 

[mschutz]

I use to enjoy walking through the old factory's in New England. Old plank flooring and thick wood doors. Like Cathleen said you could feel the history. Of course I don't have picture's, just memory's.

 

[fcurrier]

Aww, Jeff, THANK YOU! For over a year, now, I've been thinking of taking pics of some of the old, falling buildings I see around here. I was thinking of calling them "Broke-Backed Buildings". They'll soon start appearing in your new "theater".

Cath (Angel): Any chance of pics of the sketches?

 

[jbaker]

I found out the second building is more interesting, here is info on the owners.

1928 Case purchases the Emerson-Brantingham line of tillage, haying and
harvesting equipment, manufactured at Rockford, Illinois.

1971 The Rockford, Illinois, plant is closed and production consolidated at
other locations.

http://www.rockfordreminisce.com/E_-_B_Company.html

 

[dfrisk]

JEFF - Interesting.... Rockford, the City that makes Screws.... and a WHOLE lot more. I've had the pleasure of dealing with a lot of really good and some great machine shops in Rockford.

IH had a plant many many years ago in Rock Falls. None of my books even mention it, but maybe Tom knows more about where it was and what it made.

 

[thoffman]

I know this info is not the Rock Falls plant, it is the Rock Island plant, but will fit in well with this thread. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r0Yd8uMbpU

 

[thoffman]

Don't hold me to it but I think the Keystone Mfg. was one of the original companies bought out to make the INTERNATIONL HARVESTER Co. of 1902. The Keystone works became known as the Rock Falls Works.
Here's another link.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65839294@N03/sets/72157629303706316/

 

[bjames]

 

[thoffman]

Old RR siding and grain elevator near Lincoln , Illinois right off Route 66.

 

[bjames]

Tom, your link didn't work for me.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8142/7184902506_1e7db51732_o.jpg

 

[mfrade]

Didn't work for me either. Thanks for putting that up Bill!

 

[dfrisk]

TOM - Thanks for those links. I sure wish TPTB would not have kept that tour of FARMALL such a secret, I'd have sure drove down for the day.

My Sister who still lives in the Q-C's did get me my "FARMALL BRICK" a couple years ago. Need to make a stand or base for it yet.

Not much left of the plant anymore. Guy from around Kankakee managed to get into the plant grounds about 3 yrs ago and take a bunch of pic's he posted on the RPM forum back then. Plus I drove by the place real slow several times about 2 yrs ago. Lot of the main assembly area shown in Max's video is all torn down now, just bare flat smooth concrete. Back then it was full of green corn planters built next door, must have been several hundred of them.

If you watch the video in the opening few minutes there was a quick shot of the keystone shaped "FARMALL" emblem above the main office front entrance. The thing was over twenty feet long and 3+ ft tall. Story was there were two of them, one on the Sandshed back by the main guard shack where all trucks entered the plant to deliver & pickup. That emblem was destroyed and scrapped in a plant remodeling project in the 1960's, the one over the front office front entrance was the only one left. When the sale to Tennaco was announced, the story was the head of Plant Maintenance asked the Plt. Mgr. if he could "rescue" that sign and was allowed to take it down and take it home. I actually saw it sitting against the railroad tie retaining wall next to his driveway. About 4-5 yrs later I was in to Rusch Equipment, the C/IH & CC dealer in Freeport ordering some parts and got to talking with the parts man. I told him about that sign. He said, "Yep, I know what your talking about, it's sitting out in a storage shed n the back of the lot." And like a dummy I didn't make him take me out to see it. I have NO idea where it may be now, but hopefully someplace like FARMALL LAND was able to get hold of it for safe keeping. You can still see the burnt off ends of the bolts that held it to the wall of the frt office building to this day.

The East Moline plant looks even worse. It was torn down summer of '06. It's just acres of concrete & black top with grass/weeds growing up in the cracks.

 

[thoffman]

Dennis,
There would be only one better place for that FARMALL sign.....my place!

 

[jchamberlin]

Bill, Mike & Others: I fixed Tom's link, its worth checking out --45 shots of the Rock Falls plant over a period of several years, from all angles, inside and out including aerial and historical shots like the one Bill posted. Once you open the first one, there is a tab for "Next" that opens the next one. Worth the trip.

Click Here

 

[dfrisk]

TOM - That's another thing I should have asked the guys @ Rusch Equip.... how much they paid for that "PRICELESS" FARMALL sign.

Kinda like "ABE", the JI Case eagle, their prices have gone way up, even as far back as the 60's & '70's. Since this FARMALL sign is the Only survivor of the two, I would think the price should have at least four Zeros in it, and the first number something other than a one.

It would look good hanging over the big roll-up door on my shop too!

 

[jbaker]

Jeremiah thanks for fixing Toms link,

I like this thread

 

[dfrisk]

TOM - Also meant to comment on the pic's of the old feed & grain elevator. The pic of the one in Lincoln looks a lot like the one Dad bought all his hog feed from. It was on a rail siding too. The same co-op had another small mill in the next town over, also on the RR siding, but a smaller mill. Dad ended up "Running" the place one winter as his day job. It was a pretty boring job too, maybe 2-3 customers a day. Then word started spreading that Dad was there and then people started to stop by for coffee & gossip.

BOY, you talk about Rat Traps, nothing like an old wooden grain elevator to attract them.

 

[jbaker]

Dennis I am not seeing the sign in the video? what is the time stamp of the shot?

Since I live outside of freeport maybe I should look into finding this sign.

 

[mgonitzke]

This is the former Hutchinson Naval Air Station near Yoder, Kansas. Active from WWII until sometime in the mid '60s I think. It was mostly a bomber training base. Control tower with firehouse and barracks is still (mostly) standing, foundations of a couple hangars still exist, and one runway and most of the ramp/tiedown area is still in good condition. This airport is now a privately-owned glider facility, and probably the only one in the world with an 8000' x 200' runway.

Next time I am at the Pratt, KS airport I need to take some pictures...it was a B-29 training base during WWII, and one of the original hangars is still standing and in use.