Glen Carbon in Madison County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Industry

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 22, 2021

1. Industry Marker

Inscription.

Industry. . , [Marker features a set of historic photos and articles:] , To All Employees , The danger connected with the wearing of gloves, loose jackets and other articles of clothing, that from their very nature can readily be caught in belts or gears has often been the subject of special safety bulletins. Equal emphasis has also been laid on the danger of oiling machinery while in motion.

At one of our properties recently, a man running an underground hoist undertook to oil the armature bearing while the machine was running and with gloves on. While he had doubtless done this many times before and suffered no ill consequences thereof, he did it once too often and the glove caught in the gear, pulling the left arm into same so that it was necessary to amputate it at the shoulder.

Only a few years ago an employee at another one of our properties undertook to oil an electric pump while it was in motion and while he was swearing a loose jacket of very strong material. The jacket caught on a set-screw, wrapping itself around the shaft and pulled the man entirely through the machine between the piston rod and crank case frame, which space was not over four inches wide, and threw the crushed and mangled body out on the other side.

By taking the simplest precautions in both instances and stopping the machine before oiling and avoiding the use of gloves and loose clothing, an arm would have been saved in one case and a life in the other.

For your own sake, as well as those dependent on you, don't attempt to oil, or repair machinery while in motion; and avoid the use of gloves, loose clothing and everything else that could by any possibility catch in belts or gears. , Madison Coal Corporation

Madison Coal Corp, Mint No 4

Madison Coal Company No. 4 mine was located northwest of the village along the Glen Carbon Heritage Trail just west of State Route 159. Mine No. 4 ceased operating around 1914. Concrete foundations and brickwork associated with the mine may still be seen along the east side of the bicycle route opposite the Ingle Drive trail entrance.

St. Louis Press Brick Co. , The St. Louis Press Brick Company was one of the interests of the Niedringhaus family of Granite City and St. louis. The brick yard began operations about 1891 and was the largest brick manufacturing plants in the State of Illinois, if not the entire country.

The company earned a reputation as manufacturing the finest bricks to be found. It was reported that the company produced all of the bricks used in the construction of the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. In addition to manufacturing paving and building bricks, the company produced beautiful decorative bricks. Many of these bricks have been preserved and some of them have been integrated into the fireplace of the Yanda Cabin Restoration Project.

Hundreds of men from neighboring communities were employed by the brick company. The employees had their own ball team, an active union, and park for social activities.

A fire in 1906 destroyed the facility and it was not rebuilt.

Brick Yard Workers , These unidentified brick yard workers are standing in front of one of the 13 ovens that were used to bake clay bricks. After the bricks were baked, the ovens were cleaned out. The men would take the bricks that had been stacked in the ovens and carry them to the conveyor belt shown in the lower left hand corner of the photo. The piles of bricks around the men were probably those bricks that were not perfect enough to be sold. Notice the lines on the bricks in the photo, this type of brick appears throughout Old Town, they were used for sidewalks, and ditches.

Edwardsville Intelligencer, January 11, 1894 "Chicago's city council has given Glen Carbon brick an endorsement that will make the product from shale in this locality rank with the highest quality of brick manufactured. The council Monday evening adopted what is known as the 'brick ordinance.' The ordinance provides that the quality of bricks used in Chicago must be of equal quality as those manufactured in Glen Carbon."

Shale varies in quality, some producing a harder brick than others. Experiments made with Glen Carbon's local shale demonstrated that the best quality of brick could be produced from it.

Shale Pit , Shale being dug to be used at the St. Louis Press Brick Co. The pit was located at the end of Madison Street across the Bike Trail. It is now private property. The shale was transported from the pit to the Brick Yard in mule drawn cars by narrow gauge railroad tracks running parallel to the ICC tracks on the south side and crossing them close to the trestle that is east of the Madison Street entrance to the Bike Trail.

Brick Yard "The Cut" , Around 1900, the St. Louis Press Brick Co. applied for a permit to dig through the bluff (at the narrow part of Glen Carbon Road just north of the Lahr-Well School) to install a narrow gauge railway to carry bricks from the brick yard to the railroads on the west side of the Village. The railway was never completed or used because of a fire that caused so much damage at the brick yard, it was never rebuilt. The Cut was filled in with trash and soil.

Sanborn map 1902 showing St. Louis Press Brick Co.

[Marker features a set of historic photos and articles:]
To All Employees
The danger connected with the wearing of gloves, loose jackets and other articles of clothing, that from their very nature can readily be caught in belts or gears has often been the subject of special safety bulletins. Equal emphasis has also been laid on the danger of oiling machinery while in motion.

Madison Coal Corp, Mint No 4

St. Louis Press Brick Co.
The St. Louis Press Brick Company was one of the interests of the Niedringhaus family of Granite City and St. louis. The brick yard began operations about 1891 and was the largest brick manufacturing plants in the State of Illinois, if not the entire country.

Hundreds of men from neighboring communities were employed by the brick company. The employees had their own ball team, an active union, and park for social activities.

A fire in 1906 destroyed the facility and it was not rebuilt.

Brick Yard Workers
These unidentified brick yard workers are standing in front of one of the 13 ovens that were used to bake clay bricks. After the bricks were baked, the ovens were cleaned out. The men would take the bricks that had been stacked in the ovens and carry them to the conveyor belt shown in the lower left hand corner of the photo. The piles of bricks around the men were probably those bricks that were not perfect enough to be sold. Notice the lines on the bricks in the photo, this type of brick appears throughout Old Town, they were used for sidewalks, and ditches.

Shale varies in quality, some producing a harder brick than others. Experiments made with Glen Carbon's local shale demonstrated that the best quality of brick could be produced from it.

Shale Pit
Shale being dug to be used at the St. Louis Press Brick Co. The pit was located at the end of Madison Street across the Bike Trail. It is now private property. The shale was transported from the pit to the Brick Yard in mule drawn cars by narrow gauge railroad tracks running parallel to the ICC tracks on the south side and crossing them close to the trestle that is east of the Madison Street entrance to the Bike Trail.

Brick Yard "The Cut"
Around 1900, the St. Louis Press Brick Co. applied for a permit to dig through the bluff (at the narrow part of Glen Carbon Road just north of the Lahr-Well School) to install a narrow gauge railway to carry bricks from the brick yard to the railroads on the west side of the Village. The railway was never completed or used because of a fire that caused so much damage at the brick yard, it was never rebuilt. The Cut was filled in with trash and soil.

Sanborn map 1902 showing St. Louis Press Brick Co.

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This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical date for this entry is January 11, 1894.

Location. 38° 44.923′ N, 89° 58.983′ W. Marker is in Glen Carbon, Illinois, in Madison County. It is at the intersection of Collinsville Street and South Main Street, on the right when traveling north on Collinsville Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 192 S Main St, Glen Carbon IL 62034, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater St. Louis.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

in the Corn Belt,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: People (here, next to this marker); Industry and Notable Buildings (here, next to this marker); Baseball (here, next to this marker); Coal Mining in Glen (here, next

Historic Glen Carbon Photo Displays image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 22, 2021

2. Historic Glen Carbon Photo Displays

to this marker); a different marker also named People (here, next to this marker); Schools (here, next to this marker); Glen Carbon Volunteer Fire Department (here, next to this marker); Homesteads (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Glen Carbon.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 28, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 28, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 256 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on March 28, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 2. submitted on March 27, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.