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Richard Schmidt arrived from Germany in 1881 seeking employment. He
soon found work as a blacksmith with Demer Rhodes and continued to
learn his trade for several years. After marrying Minnie Butler in
1985, Mr. Schmidt purchased the blacksmith shop from Mr. Rhodes. The
first story of the building was used for blacksmith work and the
second story was a complete wagon and buggy manufacturing facility.
In 1915 a gas engine was purchased to run several machines once
powered by hand. This was the beginning of automation for the
business. Eventually, an electric motor replaced the gas engine
further propelling the business into a full-blown factory.
Paul Schmidt, son of Richard
and Minnie, graduated from High School in Atlanta, and joined his
father in the business. After serving a year in the armed forces
during WW I, Paul returned to the business to find that Richard had
added horse drawn devices to the blacksmithing line, manufactured by
the Emerson-Braningham Company. The addition of horse drawn gang
plows, sickle mowers, and disk harrows began the family farm
implement business that is still thriving today.
Paul took over the family business in 1926, following his father’s
death. His first act as owner was to sign the first contract with
the J.I. Case Company, formerly the Emerson-Braningham Company,
beginning 97 years of service to the local farm community. Paul and
Ruth’s son, Richard E. Scmidt was born in 1927. The great Depression
in the 1930’s put a halt to innovation and profitability. Few
tractors and machines were sold at this time. The late 1930’s
brought rubber tractor tires, Case two row corn pickers, and modern
combines that could be pulled by a tractor. WW II saw production of
farm equipment halted to produce war equipment. By the end of the
war in 1946, Paul Schmidt had added a modern tractor shop, parts
room, and an office facility.
Paul’s son, Richard E. Schmidt
graduated from Atlanta High School in 1946 and attended the
University of Illinois for one year before returning to manage the
family business. Richard E. was drafted into the United States Army
in 1950. Upon his return from the war in 1953 Richard married Dema
Smith and in 1954 their son Steven Paul Schmidt was born.
The late 1950’s was a time of tremendous growth for the business.
Case introduced their first automatic tractor transmission in 1958
and the “New Idea” farm equipment line in 1960 increased the
customer base tremendously, to a larger farming community and to
seed corn producers. Due to the increase, a second building was
added at the downtown location and Paul A. Schmidt and son employed
five people at the time. Paul A. Schmidt passed in 1969, officially
passing the business to the third generation.
Richard E. “Dick” Schmidt’s
son Steven P. Schmidt joined the family business in 1976 after
graduating from Illinois Wesleyan University with a degree in
business administration. An eight-acre parcel of land was purchased
on the south edge of Atlanta and an 11,200 square foot building was
erected to keep up with the growth of the business. That location,
once the northwest corner of the Atlanta fairgrounds is marked with
a cornerstone. Steven and his wife welcomed a son, Michael in 1977
and a daughter, Jenni in 1979.
Dick was elected as President of the J.I. Case Dealer Council in
1978.
J. I. Case and International Harvester merged to form Case
International in 1985. On November 1, 1987, two Logan County farm
equipment dealers merged to form Schmidt -Marcotte International,
Inc. This merger saw the closing of Marcotte on Woodlawn Road in
Lincoln and the construction of two more buildings and many more
employees for Schmidt. William “Bill” Marcotte graduated from
Southern Illinois University in 1966 with a degree in agriculture.
He worked for International Harvester as a sales rep in their Peoria
location and was transferred to Lincoln in 1973 where he briefly
served as manager before purchasing the business in 1974.
In 1992 Schmidt-Marcotte
merged with Evans Implement of Lawndale.
David Evans’ family has been in the implement business since 1953.
In 1953 his grandfather and uncle John Cox and John R. Cox opened
Cox Implement in Lincoln, an Allis-Chalmers dealership. In 1966 they
moved the business to Lawndale to accommodate growth and in 1979
David and his father Tom bought the business.
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The dealership grew to include
Allis-Chalmers, Steiger, Kinze, New Holland, and many other short
line companies. Tom retired in 1991 and that same year David’s son
Tim Evans joined the family business. The closing of the Lawndale
location and merger with Schmidt-Marcotte in 1992 resulted in
tremendous growth of the customer service and parts departments.
Michael and Steve Schmidt
In 1998 Michael Schmidt graduated from Western Illinois University
with an agriculture degree and joined his dad, Steve, in the
business. The addition of Michael to the company marked five
generations of Schmidt’s in the implement business.
Mr. and Mrs. George Dunn
The year 2001 brought George H. Dunn and Schmidt-Marcotte together
to form Central Illinois Ag, Inc. George H. Dunn was an
International Harvester dealer in Farmer City and Clinton. He was
born in Beardstown and received his education at the University of
Illinois.
In 1947 he bought the Farmer City machinery business from Robert
Cord and the George H. Dunn Implement business began.
A second location was opened in Clinton in 1977. Tim Reeser and Mike
McCartney, both sons-in-law to George both joined the family
business.
Tim managed the Clinton location and George stepped down to allow
Mike to run the Farmer City Location.
Fire ravaged the Central Illinois Ag building in Atlanta in 2013,
burning the main building to the ground. Work continued and trailers
were used as make-shift shops during the re-build. The beautiful new
building was built at the same location, off I-55 and US 66.
Brian Reeser
Tim Evans
Manager Steve Schmidt, Michael Schmidt, Brian Reeser, and Tim Evans
continue to serve Logan County with locations in Atlanta, Clinton,
Farmer City, and Mason City, Illinois.
[Photos provided by Abby
Coers, Central Illinois Ag]
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