Acme Steel, Chicago Coke Plant
The following article is taken from the Feburary 1965 edition of the Interlake Steel Corporation Reporter. This was volume 2, number 2 for this intracompany newsletter. The article is uncredited; the only by-line is on the last page of the newsletter, stating only “Published monthly by the Public Relations Department, Interlake Steel Corporation”. Director: H. […]
There is a saying amongst urban explorers (not sure if I count myself amongst their ranks) which says “leave things better than you found them”. To me, this especially applies to raiding a site for ‘souvenirs’. I think everyone has to stop and question their motives before removing an artifact from a site, but carry […]
A couple months ago as part of my general scouring of the internet for info on the coke plant, I came across a historical society based in the far south suburbs that had some valuable information. The South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society (SSGHS) has a variety of newsletters from Acme and Interlake spanning almost […]
In months of recovering documents, I have been lucky to find some really interesting information. Plenty more went directly into the trash, if I didn’t reject it while initially vetting it when I was still at the plant. It is rare that I come across something that could be personally damaging to an employee. I […]
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” – so goes the old adage. What if ‘it’ is the drive for a massive motor used to control a pusher ram in a coke plant? Broke or not, if it does and you are unprepared, that is a whole lot of overcoked material burning away in your […]
Some time ago, I came across a substantial pile of expense reports from the assistant division manager. These were notable as they included hotel and restaurant bills and detailed explanations for some expenses. I have yet to add the scans to the document archive because after long thought, I feel that it is somehow too […]
I recently got a hot tip that I was not the first owner of acmecoke.com (Thanks Steve!). This was big news – so I quickly checked archive.org – and there it was! Classic webdesign for 20 years ago and a real snapshot of the times. I couldn’t help myself but to set out and recreate […]
When I started this site, my hope was that some ex-employee would find me and tell me their story. I really lucked out when Steve found me. I knew well of his many exploits over decades at the coke plant and he was eager to tell me about the other 99%. Apparently you found my […]
During my last visit I continued to attempt to unearth documents from the BP Office. These are the worst condition of any in the plant, largely attributed to the building being in very bad condition with a wooden roof which is collapsing. This means more and more precipitation has made it’s way into the building […]
This sign was a real mess. Unlike all the others I have found, this one showed some serious corner cutting to save a few bucks. The backing is a painted steel plate. But the lettering is just attached to a cheap transparency which was somehow adhered to the steel. It wasn’t adhered very well, that […]