Acme Steel, Chicago Coke Plant
The BP office is the last area of the plant where documents can still be found. But so many are waterlogged and it seems like the majority are of little interest anyways. But somewhere around my 50th visit (recently) I poked around a bit and I found something interesting. A speech from the desk of […]
Bill Fox worked in the electrical department at the coke plant for years – I was lucky enough to be introduced to him by Steve Buckner. Bill – thanks so much for reaching out! I am a friend of Steve Buckner’s – we were coworkers for 26 years at the coke plant. How long were […]
Using more material from the lumber I took for my thermometer stand, I wanted to build a display for the golf balls you can see above, which I purchased on ebay for next to nothing. I had seen the Interlake golf ball for sometime and was tempted, but passed. Once I saw the Acme ball, […]
During an investigation of the collapsed electrical shop, I located this beautiful specimen. It is still in it’s original box and seemingly never opened after 20 years in a natural landfill, and some years even older than that. It not only works but seems quite accurate when compared to another thermometer. It would not be […]
The mystery of TQI/TQIP began with a brief mention in the training video I found sometime ago. After that, I found a number of relics (including duplicates), all of which needed to be restored, and with each I found another small piece of the puzzle. But here, I have found the Rosetta Stone. You can […]
I came across this item on ebay and watched it for about 10 days. They wanted $35 plus $5 shipping. This is a big price for what I knew would amount to probably 1 page of coke related content. This item does however offer some other info just at face value. It seems to insinuate […]
I look at loads of Acme/Interlake related ‘stuff’ on ebay everyday. Most of it I do not buy and just add to the Ephemera page. But once in a while I see something so cool I just have to have it. The photos are really cool but whoever wrote that ad copy got a Cleo […]
In about two years of hunting for documents and sharing them with the world via this website, I have come across a small handful that I just wasn’t sure what to do with. These documents seem to have some historical significance but are only a piece to a puzzle – and the other pieces are […]
In late August 2022 I got some insider info that the CCLBA (who I knew had taken possession of some part of the plant since winter 2021-2022) had one of the two parcels on the market. Their website allows you to make a formal request for permissions to physically visit and view the property so […]
Surveyors have a language all of their own. Once upon a time, people needed a way to express via the written word where a piece of land was, and how large it was. I don’t know if surveyors still write like this or not. Then again, at least in South Deering, nothing has changed in […]