Did you know one of downtown’s busiest corners used to be a family grocery store? ????
By 1910, the corner of York and First was home to Baethke Grocery and Dry Goods, run by William Baethke.
Inside, the shelves were packed floor to ceiling with canned goods, and they also sold fabric and all sorts of odds and ends. They even had a creamery in the back!
One longtime resident, Bessie Hilliard, remembered buying thick cream there for just 25 cents!
The whole family worked in the store, and they even made deliveries around town in a horse-drawn cart!
Eventually, the original building was torn down and the Fischer Building was built in its place, which is what you see today.
Next time you’re at York and First, remember this is where Elmhurst families did their grocery shopping over 100 years ago!
???? Share with a fellow history lover!
Transcript
Hey Elmhurst, did you know that one of downtown's busiest corners used to be a family grocery store? If you're new here, my name's Amara and I do video marketing for small businesses. And I keep up on all things Elmhurst, so you don't have to.
By 1910, the corner of York and First was home to Baethke Grocery and Dry Goods, and was run by William Baethke. Inside, the shelves were packed floor-to-ceiling with canned goods, and they also sold fabric and a bunch of other odds and ends. They even had a creamery in the back. And one long-term resident, Bessie Hilliard, remembered buying thick cream there for just $0.25. The whole family worked in the store, and they even made deliveries around town in a horse-drawn cart.
Eventually, the original building was torn down, and the Fischer Building was built in its place, which is what you see today. So next time you're here at York and First, remember, this is where Elmhurst families did their grocery shopping over 100 years ago.
