Then & Now: Coleman Hardware Company – Morris

The Coleman Hardware Company began as the Hall Furniture Company in 1867, shortly after the end of the Civil War. After a series of name changes, the company reorganized under the name of the Sherwood School Furniture Company in 1874.

The Sherwood Company would grow rapidly under the direction of F. T. June, and by 1875, would employ nearly 150 workers in the Morris area. Within a year, a fire destroyed a portion of the plant and the financially troubled company sold out to the Ohio Butt Construction Company. Two years later, the Coleman Hardware Company was organized with J. C. Coleman, the former treasurer for Sherwood, serving as president.

Located at the south end of Nettle Street, along the east bank of Nettle Creek, the Coleman Hardware Company, shown in the then photograph, produced pulleys, castings, door hangings, locks, hinges, manholes, iron toys, heating stoves and other specialties.

In the early years, the business utilized the Illinois and Michigan Canal and the Rock Island Railroad to unload raw materials and send products to regional distributors and markets worldwide.

By 1910, the foundry, with its sixty-foot smoke stack, employed nearly 300 specialized workers that honed their talents in the machine shop, molding department, shipping and warehousing department and the company office.

The “U”-shaped foundry complex is made up of three original wings, the northern section dates from 1874, the south wing from 1877, and the west wing was constructed between 1895 and 1900.

Each of the three wings were built upon a limestone foundation and constructed with a one-story common bond brick structure with post and beam interior framing and topped by a gable roof.

According to Sanborn Fire Insurance maps of the era, the south wing is where the manufacturing took place, as it is often labeled as the “machine shop” or “factory.” The building had several bays that were used for various manufacturing jobs.

The west wing at one time had two rooms, the southern section was used as a “press room” while the north portion was most likely used for polishing and plating. A 1927 Sanborn Fire Insurance map labels the spaces as a “stock room.”

The northern wing was used primarily for warehousing and shipping and the east end housed the company offices. The floors throughout northern building were originally both pine planking and oak hardwood, while the floors in the factory wings were concrete.

To the west of the Coleman Building is an open field that once contained a large foundry, connected to the south wing, where it is believed that finishing took place.

While the Coleman Hardware Company prospered for many decades, the economic depression of the 1930s took its toll on the company, and in March of 1933, Coleman Hardware suspended operations. By1935, the company was sold along with the property.

Over the years, different companies operated out of the old hardware facility, including Gilchrist Fertilizer and Gates Manufacturing. In 2008, the building and property was purchased by Jim and Carol Baum, and renovated as the CanalPort Community Center.

In 1994, the old Coleman Hardware Company building was added to the National Register of Historic Places

Today, the surviving remnants of the once large complex are still visible in the now photograph.