Being involved with your local historical society is a great way to be involved with your community. Whether you are from a small community or big city, most of these places have a historical society or two. In Wisconsin the majority of historical organizations are affiliated with the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS). If you are… Continue reading Markesan Historical Society
Tag: Machinery
Milwaukee’s Fire & Police Call Boxes
I have recently become fascinated with the old police/fire call boxes on street corners around Milwaukee. My fiance' is from the Milwaukee area, so we run into these old boxes in random areas around the city. I have noticed them before and didn't really think anything of it. While watching an episode of American Restoration, Rick's… Continue reading Milwaukee’s Fire & Police Call Boxes
Reason to Work at Allis-Chalmers in 1952
Allis Sanborn Maps
The American Geographical Society Library at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee has an amazing collection of Sanborn maps of Milwaukee from 1894 and 1910. The E.P. Allis Reliance Works and Allis-Chalmers Company are among the maps in this collection. Each picture below will take you to the page where they can be viewed up close.… Continue reading Allis Sanborn Maps
Construction of the West Allis Works
The merger of E.P. Allis Company, Fraser-Chalmers Works, Dickson Manufacturing Company, and Gates Iron Works formed the Allis-Chalmers Company in 1901. Following subsequently after was the decision to expand the Milwaukee Works. The E.P. Allis Company was operating out of a dated shop near Walkers Point. Location of the E.P. Allis Co. Factory Prior to 1901… Continue reading Construction of the West Allis Works
D-10 Series II Restoration
(If you would like to see some of our other restorations, click here.) Our D-10 was the 4th and most recent restoration job that we worked on. I had done some various work on it in it before the painting part of the project. My brother and I took the head off, only because the… Continue reading D-10 Series II Restoration
Allis-Chalmers Tractor Production Ends
Today is a rather sad milestone in Allis-Chalmers History. On this day back in 1985 the last Allis-Chalmers tractors rolled out of the West Allis Works. The agricultural division had been sold off to Klockner-Humboldt-Deutz (KHD) of West Germany in May of that same year. The tractor plant was not included in the deal. Essentially KHD had bought production… Continue reading Allis-Chalmers Tractor Production Ends
City Man on the Farm
I was going through some photos on my computer, and I couldn't resist making a post about this after I found the pictures from last year. Last Summer my soon-to-be in-laws made a trip to our family farm. According to the dates on the picture, it was the last weekend in July 2011. I remember that being a really… Continue reading City Man on the Farm
#5 La Crosse Works
The humble beginning of the La Crosse Plow Company started in 1860, when John M. Barclay and I.S. Bantan started the Barclay and Bantan Implement Works in La Crosse, Wisconsin. In May 1865, Albert Hirschheimer bought the small shop and carried on making horse-drawn farm equipment there, calling it the A. Hirschheimer and Company.* Hirschheimer partnered… Continue reading #5 La Crosse Works
Markesan Washing Machine in Milwaukee
I ran into a rather interesting article in the Milwaukee Journal from October 13, 1919. It relates to my hometown of Markesan and a wash machine that was built there. This Milwaukee paper was advertising a washing machine, but it wasn't just ANY washing machine, it was a "THE MARKESAN" electric wash machine. What most… Continue reading Markesan Washing Machine in Milwaukee
The Weekend Historian 