 Parking lot runoff wasn't a problem when this
photo of the Illinois Watch Co. plant was taken around the turn of the century. The lawns
apparently came right up to the building. At the earlier Springfield Watch Co. the grass
was kept short by sheep grazing around the building.
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 An advertisement in Popular Mechanics magazine
around 1917 offered a 17 jewel thin-line men's Illinois pocket watch in a gold-filled case
for a down payment of a dime. Comparable women's watches were available for $16.50 or $18
for a "bracelet" model.
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 The Illinois Watch Co. boasted its own band, that later became the
Springfield Municipal Band. A clock face adorns the bass drum.
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 This observatory was built near the Ninth
St.-North Grand Ave. intersection on the grounds of the Illinois Watch Co. in Springfield
to verify the accuracy of the railroad timepieces that were the firm's specialty.
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 Sangamo Electric Co.'s management got into the
holiday spirit each year, decorating the building with Santa and his sleigh -- perhaps he
got his guidance equipment locally?
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 A bird's eye view of the extensive and
impressive grounds of the Sangamo complex in its heyday, complete with observatory.
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 This little engine could do something, but no
one seems to remember what that "something" was. The Sangamon Valley Collection
at Springfield's Lincoln Library has an extensive collection of memorabilia relating to
Sangamo Electric Co., including this photo but little information about it.
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