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Celebrate Women's History Month at the Staley Museum in March.
Colorized photograph of the Staley Pump House. Visible on the roof is the framework for the awning used for rooftop events. If you look closely, you will notice a few individuals on the dock at the back of the building.
You can see a model of the Pump House, complete with the awning, at the museum.
Original photograph taken by Seitz Studio, 1922.
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Today, as in March 23? This is the second to last Sunday of the month. Is it also open again next Sunday from 1-4? The picture says open the last Sunday of each month March-November.
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Original artwork from the Staley Journal, c.1926
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Come explore our newest, temporary exhibit for Women's History Month!
Katherine "Kate" Byers(Starch Packing) was photographed in February 1943 for the Staley Journal while wearing one of the new uniforms for Staley women who worked in the plant.
The Staley Service Flag hung in the lobby of the Staley Office Building and marked the number of enlisted service men and women from the company during WWII.
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Oh my goodness Diane my dad was an engineer at Staley’s also and my parents went to the pump house for dances also! They may have known each other
My Dad was an Engineer at Staleys. Mom and Dad used to go to dances at the pump house
I certainly miss this structure. It shows a part of a man born in the south coming north that had a vision. That Vision happened to be of greatness. That is stood the test of times in the annals of history for Decatur Illinois. Man-made lake, one of the finest Stone art deco buildings downstate of Chicago the castle in the cornfield it's called. The Masonic temple, YMCA on Prairie Street in particular the swimming , 22nd Street Viaduct, world's tallest corn syrup refinery, one of the founding fathers of the National Football League by owning the Decatur Staley's AKA to Chicago Bears, Fansfield baseball known as the Decatur Commodores. This is just a few of the accolades on the resume of A.E. Staley Sr. It's the man I'm referring to that was running with the vision that put Decatur Illinois on the map to this day that holds the moniker as being the Soybean Capital of the World. He was the one who gave seeds to Farmers and had them plant soybeans telling them that you plant it and whatever you harvest I'll buy. Now, I know there's a book out called Supermarket to the World the story of ADM written by Dwayne Andreas, but the AE Staley manufacturing company was the supermarket to the world long before Dwayne Andreas set foot in Decatur Illinois because of AE Staley Sr. As a matter of fact it was AE Staley Jr who invited Duane Andreas to come from Minnesota down to check out a defunct call wet Milling plant owned by Archer Daniels and Midland that's how Dwayne Andreas got to Decatur. Decatur owes a lot of its existence to the Staley family. Oh, and did I mention DMH has a pavilion called the Staley Pavilion. A.E Staley Jr donated a lot of money to Decatur Memorial Hospital after his wife Eva Cottington Staley died in the hospital of cancer. Oh, and did I mention the library that is sitting on Millikin University's campus which is called the Staley Library? So to AE Staley Sr. thank you for having that vision and running with it to help make Decatur what it is to this day. Fine example from a farm boy born in 1863 in North Carolina to have such a vision.