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A small canning factory was established in Eureka, Illinois,
in 1895, but that enterprise was short-lived. In 1898, Roger Burrus Dickinson acquired the site and expanded the
facilities as he established the Dickinson and Sons Canning Company. The Dickinson factory
initially canned corn, peas, and tomatoes, but stopped canning tomatoes after
1903. In an effort to diversify its product line and expand the seasonal
activity of the site, the Dickinson
factory experimented with the canning of pumpkin that was locally produced.
That venture proved so successful, that pumpkin became the primary item that
was canned at the Dickinson
factory though corn and peas continued to be canned as well.
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When Roger Burrus Dickinson
died in 1911, his sons continued to run the factory. In 1929, the Dickinson family sold its
factory to the Libby Corporation. The factory continued its regular product
line and the town of Eureka
became known as the “Pumpkin Capital of the World.” An annual
Pumpkin Festival and parade became hallmarks of the harvest season in Eureka. The actor
Ronald W. Reagan, an alumnus of Eureka
College (Class of 1932), returned to
Eureka in
1947 to serve as grand marshal of that year’s Pumpkin Festival parade.
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The factory was historically one of the largest
employers in both the town of Eureka and in Woodford County where it is situated.
Particularly during the seasonal demands of the harvest time, the factory
hired additional part-time employees, many of whom were Eureka College
students or local residents who “moonlighted” at a second job
during the second shift at the factory. Curiously, during the winter of
1944-1945 a number of German POWs worked at the Libby Canning Factory in Eureka. The POWs were
housed in the basement of Pritchard Gymnasium on the Eureka College
campus and they were marched daily to their work detail at the canning
factory.
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In 1960 the Libby Corporation announced its intention
to close the canning factory in Eureka and
relocate its operations to Morton,
Illinois. At that time the
community lost not only its factory, but also its annual festival and parade
that came with being the “Pumpkin Capital of the World.” Since
1960 the factory site has remained largely idle. Intermittent businesses have
used a small portion of the site at one time or another, but the factory site
largely sits as a silent reminder of the community’s early history.
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