Acme Steel, Chicago Coke Plant
Almost since the first time I visited the plant, I badly wanted to come and visit in the evening. A big part of that would be to have a beer(s), as I do my best to avoid day drinking. This would almost require staying the night somewhere in the area however due to the distance, […]
At times it can be difficult to unearth new information about a business that folded 20 years ago. A little extra effort goes a long way and something may turn up. Or sometimes, you just get lucky. I ran across a video simply titled ‘Acme Steel’ on YouTube recently and could hardly believe my eyes. […]
I’m not sure exactly when I first purchased shish-kabob meat from Baltimore foods, but this video is from sometime in 2018 and I have it marked as my third trip. I guess that makes sense because I can find photos of labels from 2016 and 2017. Quite a collection I have here! I don’t know […]
Many cold winter mornings at Acme, early on Saturdays, as I’d be deep in documents, hands blackened with coal/coke dust and then…..a peculiar sound. Instinctively, I’d hold my breath, then creep to the window and peer out, like a scared animal ready to defend itself. Only to find – a bus. CTA bus #71 terminates […]
During my last visit I made a stop at Dr. Lin’s office. I’ve been in there many times before and picked up a few things, but this time it seemed different. Did the wind create some upheaval of documents? Other explorers perhaps? Or maybe it is all just my perception? At any rate I got […]
The following article is taken from the Feburary 1965 edition of the Interlake Steel Corporation Reporter. This was volume 2, number 2 for this intracompany newsletter. The article is uncredited; the only by-line is on the last page of the newsletter, stating only “Published monthly by the Public Relations Department, Interlake Steel Corporation”. Director: H. […]
There is a saying amongst urban explorers (not sure if I count myself amongst their ranks) which says “leave things better than you found them”. To me, this especially applies to raiding a site for ‘souvenirs’. I think everyone has to stop and question their motives before removing an artifact from a site, but carry […]
A couple months ago as part of my general scouring of the internet for info on the coke plant, I came across a historical society based in the far south suburbs that had some valuable information. The South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society (SSGHS) has a variety of newsletters from Acme and Interlake spanning almost […]
In months of recovering documents, I have been lucky to find some really interesting information. Plenty more went directly into the trash, if I didn’t reject it while initially vetting it when I was still at the plant. It is rare that I come across something that could be personally damaging to an employee. I […]
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” – so goes the old adage. What if ‘it’ is the drive for a massive motor used to control a pusher ram in a coke plant? Broke or not, if it does and you are unprepared, that is a whole lot of overcoked material burning away in your […]