I thought I’d pass this along as to my knowledge the subject has rarely, if
ever, been discussed on this group in the decades I have participated. It shows
how involved the Q and other RR’s were in citizens daily lives back in the day.
As background last weekend I attended a close cousins’ daughters wedding.
Seated at the same dinner table with me was the third generation family member
of the Schaefer family that owns the large greenhouse and retail store of the
same name that is located very near the site of the Montgomery,IL wreck which
was the subject of one article in BRHS Bulletin 65. My cousin had tipped me off
before hand that the Schaefer family would be at my table so I had already
thought of points I wanted to discuss.
The discussion started with an explanation that this family matriarch was the
3rd generation involved in the business but she was no longer active and that
the fourth and fifth generations were in charge.
I asked about her memory of the greenhouse receiving coal via rail. It would
have been spotted directly across route 31 from the greenhouses on the west
sheep yard lead between Barrett’s water services(which received salt) and Hines
Lumber . Since I have not found a record of a spur across the highway to the
greenhouse I asked if she had any memory of shuttling coal over. She did not.
She did have memories of the retail store receiving its cut flowers by rail.
It’s my assumption the flowers moved via REA and were delivered by Aurora based
REA trucks from the office at the Aurora depot complex. I’m willing to wager
that at Christmas time the greenery and trees likely came the same way.
Leo Phillipp
Ps-all wedding flowers were of course from Schaefer’s.
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