Be a part of the Logan County Genealogical and Historical Society December window display
Lend us your Illinois and Stetson China!

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[November 16, 2015]   LINCOLN - Dishes and other memorabilia from the Illinois China Co. and Stetson China Co. Lincoln, IL plants will be featured in the Christmas window display of the Logan County Genealogical and Historical Society.

Area residents are being asked to contribute to this display by donating or loaning dishes or other items relating to the Illinois or Stetson China Co. for this display. Photographs are welcomed.

Items may be brought to the LCGHS office at 114 N. Chicago St. from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 17; Thursday, Nov. 19; or Friday, Nov. 20.

In 1918 subscription Committees of the Lincoln Community Club visited local people to seek subscriptions for the required $50,000 in stock to bring the Illinois China Co. to Lincoln from Roodhouse, IL.

Although originally intended to erect the factory on the old brick yard site at the South Mine, it was decided to locate the factory on the triangular plot near where the old Illinois Central station stood before it burned. The front entrance would face North Kickapoo Street.
 


In 1919 the Illinois China Company received a lease from the Illinois Central railroad to erect its factory on the north and south side of the railroad property. The new location deal was completed in March of 1919 with the Latham Estate.

C. Eastham was named architect for the building and J. Smith the manager of the plant which was to occupy 38,000 feet of floor space.

W. H. Price, an expert sagger maker arrived from Germany and A. W. Hawes of Zanesville, Ohio arrived to take charge of the molding and modeling room. The making of white ware was expected to start Aug. 1.

Saggers are the pottery vessels used to bake white ware. At the time it was anticipated the making of one cup would consume a four week process.

The original building burned in 1922, leaving only the kilns. Stockholders then built a new factory 50 per cent larger and began producing decorated china. A sprinkling system was added.

In 1928 officers were David H. Harts, president; W. W. Houser, vice president; William M. Coogan, secretary; and F. W. Longan, treasurer.
Directors included J. W. McGrath and William Kahn with James Shaw, general manager.

The china was decorated with decal like transfers with each band being painted by hand. The potters were members of the National Brotherhood of Operative Potters, Local 116.

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By 1925 the Illinois China Co. was supplying china to 45 Kresge stores. It occupied 50,000 square feet of floor space and had 80 employees.

It was in 1946 when the company was sold to the Stetson China Co. of Chicago. Reinhold Schweikert was retained as sales manager and William Coogan as plant manager.

J. W. Joe Stetson was a self-made man who had noticed the beehive kiln chimneys of the plant while traveling between Chicago and St. Louis.

Stetson purchased the Lincoln plant because he wanted a steadier supply of blanks, plain dishes, for decorating.

A modern, automated factory was built on the site at a cost of 2.5 million dollars. A shipping, receiving, and finishing plant was built across the tracks.

A second plant was built and later sold to Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co. By 1962 the plant had expanded to 265,000 square feet, had 800 employees, and was the largest manufacturer of hand decorated dinnerware under one roof in the world.

Towards the end of its production years Stetson sold nearly all of its wares to a Chicago firm that resold the dishes to grocery and furniture stores which used the dishes as customer premiums.

As foreign competition stiffened and Melmac was introduced, the factory closed in 1965.

Among noted Stetson China Co. productions were commemorative plates in memory of the 1908 100th and 1959 Sesquicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday and the plate featuring University Hall for the Centennial of Lincoln College.

[Diane Osborn, LCGHS]

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