HS Board

Does MPHS have photographs: Yes

Address: 3 E. Northwest Highway

Is building standing: Yes, but now on Pine Street

What is at site: Condos

When was business founded: 1882

Is business still operating: No

Who owned business: John Conrad Moehling

Interesting stories, facts, history:

John C. Moehling owned the first general store in Mount Prospect. It was a small store located at the corner of Main Street and Northwest Highway. The store was originally started by Cook County Commissioner Christian Geils, who did not enjoy the store. In 1882 Moehling bought it from him. He found that he enjoyed being a store keeper and he soon became an major part of the community. He began selling farm tools, coal, seed, feed, groceries, shoes, etc. and built a warehouse along a side track to help bring in and ship out materials.

John C. Moehling was one of Mount Prospect’s biggest promoters. Throughout his career he worked hard to improve Mount Prospect and bring in new services and businesses. He persuaded John Meyn to move to Mount Prospect and start a blacksmith shop. Moehling also convinced the Chicago Northwestern Railroad to build a new Depot in Mount Prospect and was appointed the first depot agent, a position he held from 1887 until 1902. Moehling was also appointed the first Postmaster of Mount Prospect on December 31, 1885 and based the local post office in his store. He served as Postmaster for twelve years or until 1897. According to legend, Moehling was also the person who brought dairy cows to Mount Prospect. Seeing that the area was appropriate for milk cows, he went off in search of the best breed and eventually brought them back, kicking off Mount Prospect’s role as a major dairy center.

 

Does MPHS have photographs: Yes

Address: Central Road

When was business founded: Founded 1911, incorporated 1929

Who owned business: Otto and Oscar Milburn

Interesting stories, facts, history:

The main point of interest in the Milburn Brother’s Paving Company is that they paved the first stretch of road in Mount Prospect and what this symbolizes. In the 1920s, as the idea of a luxury suburb was beginning to develop in the minds of America, prominent developers in the Mount Prospect area, such as Axel Lonnquist, began paving roads. This signified a very different relationship with nature, landscape and transportation. It also signified a much more common ownership of cars. This radically changed Mount Prospect, Chicago and America. Keeping pace with the changes that were going on around, William Busse brought in the Milburn Brothers to start paving parts of Mount Prospect. This shows Mount Prospect’s adoption of Lonnquist’s concept and a different type of municipal government. William Busse, twenty years earlier, had convinced John Biermann to move to Mount Prospect and act as a the towns teamster, keeping the roads level and graded. John Biermann became a part of the community and eventually his son married William Busse’s daughter in William Busse’s parlor. The Milburn Brothers, on the other hand were treated as professional associates and were never considered anything else or expected to be anything else. They are symbolic of the shift from a small town to a suburban community. They later went on to pave part of O’Hare International.

 

Does MPHS have photographs: Yes

Address: 101 S. Main

Is building standing: Yes

What is at site: Central Continental Bakery

When was business founded: 1925

Is business still operating: No. Closed 1984.

Who owned business: Fred Meeske and family, sold in 1973.

Interesting stories, facts, history:

Meeske’s Market was a fixture in downtown Mount Prospect for 59 years. The store was begun in 1925, when William Busse Jr. sold the grocery part of his business to Fred Meeske. At that time, the market was located in the Busse Building on Main Street. In 1950 the building on the corner of Busse and Main was built to house what was then the main grocery store in Mount Prospect. The store was famous for its exceptional butcher shop and the family’s celebration of the community’s German roots. In 1973 the Meeske family sold the business, although the store maintained the name. The shop was closed in 1984 after going through a series of owners. The small locally-owned grocery store in downtown was not able to compete against massive chain stores in shopping plazas at the outskirts of town. After a renovation Central Continental Bakery moved into the space and has been there ever since.