Questions and Answers (Q&A) Forgotten Chicago Forum
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Kimball Candy Company
Posted by:
shekaago
()
Date: February 28, 2010 04:47PM
Because of another topic on this Forum my mind went off on about a hundred tangents, one of them being the Kimball Candy Company. It was located on Belmont Avenue at about 6600 west up until the 1970's, I believe. Does anyone know the history of the company or have any other information on it? I remember going there trick-or-treating on Halloween when I was a child. Thanks!
Re: Kimball Candy Company
Posted by:
WayOutWardell
()
Date: March 01, 2010 06:32PM
Was the building set back from the street with railroad tracks nearby? I vaguely remember a building that my aunt would call the 'candy company' which we'd pass on the way to the Will Rogers Theater.
Re: Kimball Candy Company
Posted by:
shekaago
()
Date: March 01, 2010 07:21PM
Yes, that is the building! I have searched and searched but haven't been able to find much about it.
Re: Kimball Candy Company
Posted by:
WayOutWardell
()
Date: March 02, 2010 11:55AM
I can't find much on it, either. There is a very small mention found via Google of Kimball in an article from the 40s regarding a DOJ lawsuit against them and some other candy companies for collusion.
Do you know by what kind of candy they made?
Do you know by what kind of candy they made?
Re: Kimball Candy Company
Posted by:
shekaago
()
Date: March 02, 2010 10:00PM
Thanks, WOW, for finding that newspaper article! I don't remember too much about their candy other than they sold to various Chicago outlets. I believe they made chocolate Easter bunnies and assorted fruity flavored, individually wrapped sweets.
Re: Kimball Candy Company
Posted by:
Vern H
()
Date: March 11, 2010 04:57AM
As I mentioned in a different post, I worked there briefly in the mid 70's. The odd thing is, I don't ever remember seeing their candy in the stores. They used a lot of coconut, we had to lift 100 lb bags and dump them into huge mixers. The mixers were on the second floor, feeding press type machines on the first floor by gravity. I vaguely remember a "bob bon" type candy and a type of hard candy too. There was something they made called I believe a "hot Mo", I can't say exactly what it was made of though. I wish I could tell you more but this was a long time ago and I only was there about a month.
Re: Kimball Candy Company
Posted by:
shekaago
()
Date: March 16, 2010 07:43PM
Vern H... Thanks so much for the information on the Kimball Candy Co. Much appreciated! It's just nice to know that there are others out there with memories of places in this very out-of-the-way Chicago neighborhood. It has changed a lot since I was young but still remains a nice, quiet place to live.
Re: Kimball Candy Company
Posted by:
drummer13
()
Date: April 02, 2010 01:08PM
We used to play football on the lawn their when I was a kid. It was ironic, we had to dodge around the keep off the grass signs. We used to get in trouble with our parents for playing around their rail cars. We never did anything bad, but I remember being fascinated by the cars that had sugar leaking out of the valve on the bottom and wondering how they got it out of the tanker and in to the building. Someone mentioned the Will Rogers, we used to spend all afternoon there on a Saturday with a shopping bag filled with popcorn. Can't do that today! Not sure what made me think of that candy company, wow that was a long time ago. I heard Turner Bowl closed, bowled their frequently as a kid. Oh well...
Re: Kimball Candy Company
Posted by:
shekaago
()
Date: April 04, 2010 05:56PM
Yes, you are correct, Drummer13. Turner Bowl is gone. The building was razed and condos now sit on the old site. The high school I attended offered off-site PE credits and I took advantage of that by taking "bowling" at Turners as it was only 3 blocks from my home. They also had a nice gym and one of my childhood friends took gymnastics there. I really miss the old Will Rogers too...
Re: Kimball Candy Company
Posted by:
scottnchgo27
()
Date: May 06, 2010 05:03PM
My neighbor worked at Kimball Candy in the late 60's. I remember she always gave us rock candy. It was a translucent purple color, in a huge rock about the size of a baseball. Not much flavor, but candy none the less. I wonder if it came from Kimball. I too remember playing football on the front lawn of the factory. The bad part was the sidewalk that ran across the grass to the front door. Playing tackle football on the grass would cause the game to turn into 2 handed tag when the ball carrier was on or near the sidewalk. After the game, right next door was a 7-11. A cheery Slurpee went down nicely after each game!!
Re: Kimball Candy Company
Posted by:
dcoleman
()
Date: June 27, 2010 07:20PM
This was my family's candy company. I remember as a kid getting to tour the factory and eat the coconut candies as they came down the line. It is so nice to see other people remembering it!!
Re: Kimball Candy Company
Posted by:
chicagosue
()
Date: July 05, 2010 07:55PM
this was my grandfathers company - Frank J. Kimbell. He passed on in 1975. It was then run by his sons Richard and Jack. They mainly made coconut candies in different shapes and flavors. Alot of it was sold in bulk to discount stores.
I think my aunt was in charge after Jack had his heart attack and later sold it to this man which was a mistake. In the end the parts were sold in auction. I don't get up there much anymore and don't know what has happened to the property. the front yard was rather big and can see guys playing football out there. Tks for the memories. Sue
I think my aunt was in charge after Jack had his heart attack and later sold it to this man which was a mistake. In the end the parts were sold in auction. I don't get up there much anymore and don't know what has happened to the property. the front yard was rather big and can see guys playing football out there. Tks for the memories. Sue
Re: Kimball Candy Company
Posted by:
captain54
()
Date: July 05, 2010 08:43PM
It's interesting how candy and chewing gum became a very vital part of the economy in Chicago, back in the day. The 1905 Directory of Chicago Confectioners lists almost 200 candy or candy related industries, probably due to the easy access and proximity to corn syrup, a vital ingredient in confection.
Among those operating in 1900 was Hershey-Lancaster Caramel Co, @ 119 W Harrison, a descendant of Hershey Chocolate Co.
Among those operating in 1900 was Hershey-Lancaster Caramel Co, @ 119 W Harrison, a descendant of Hershey Chocolate Co.
Re: Kimball Candy Company
Posted by:
shekaago
()
Date: July 09, 2010 02:40PM
Thank you all for the additional information! And dcoleman and chicagosue, thank you for sharing some of your family's history on the company. There are now condos on the old site at Nashville and Belmont.
http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=41.938325,-87.790763&z=18&t=h&hl=en
http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=41.938325,-87.790763&z=18&t=h&hl=en
Re: Kimball Candy Company
Posted by:
shekaago
()
Date: November 15, 2010 06:35PM
My Apologies for the misspelling of Kimbell in the original subject line of this post. For those of you interested in the old Dunning spur train tracks as well as this post, I found the following bit of information on the web today.
[url=http://chicagoswitching.com/v6/articles/article.asp?articleid=127&locationname=Dunning+Line&print=1]Copyright © 2010 The Milwaukee Road (captions by Tom Burke). All Rights Reserved.[/url]
[url=http://chicagoswitching.com/v6/articles/article.asp?articleid=127&locationname=Dunning+Line&print=1]Copyright © 2010 The Milwaukee Road (captions by Tom Burke). All Rights Reserved.[/url]
Re: Kimball Candy Company
Posted by:
WayOutWardell
()
Date: November 17, 2010 02:57AM
Interesting...a Google search of Kimbell Candy pulls up an article from 1948 in, strangely, Billboard Magazine that mentions the 'new' coconut candy bars being made there.
Re: Kimball Candy Company
Posted by:
shekaago
()
Date: November 17, 2010 03:45AM
Thanks for the 1948 article, WOW. Here's a photo of a 1970's era candy wrapper from the Kimbell Co.
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonliebigstuff/4467129043/]Candy Wrapper Photo on Flickr[/url]
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/17/2010 03:58AM by shekaago.
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonliebigstuff/4467129043/]Candy Wrapper Photo on Flickr[/url]
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/17/2010 03:58AM by shekaago.
Re: Kimball Candy Company
Posted by:
peterclau
()
Date: November 17, 2010 10:51PM
While in the army, I would get care packages from the Kimball family with coconut candy bars, there was no company that made them better than Kimball Candy! Dick & Martha were the greast host, when I was in the Chicago area!
Re: Kimball Candy Company
Posted by:
chicagosue
()
Date: November 18, 2010 01:03AM
peter is that you? Haven't heard from you in a long time. what's new.
Re: Kimball Candy Company
Posted by:
peterclau
()
Date: November 18, 2010 07:22AM
Yes, it is! Hope that you recieved my private message! would like to give you an update since the time I ate my last coconut candy bar!
Re: Kimball Candy Company
Posted by:
shekaago
()
Date: November 18, 2010 12:59PM
Thanks for sharing your memories of Kimbell's candy, Peter and so nice to see another connection made here on FC!
Re: Kimball Candy Company
Posted by:
ivan
()
Date: March 05, 2011 04:10PM
hey shekaago, have you visited this site yet,
http://www.chicagoswitching.com/v6/articles/article.asp?menu=14&locationid=15&locationname=Dunning+Line&articleid=127
it shows pictures of the Kimball Candy Company, picture dates back to September 1980.
http://www.chicagoswitching.com/v6/articles/article.asp?menu=14&locationid=15&locationname=Dunning+Line&articleid=127
it shows pictures of the Kimball Candy Company, picture dates back to September 1980.
Re: Kimball Candy Company
Posted by:
shekaago
()
Date: March 06, 2011 12:35AM
Yes, thanks, Ivan! Very cool site! In an earlier entry on this post I had put in a link to those exact 1980's photos of the Kimbell Candy Company you found on chicagoswitching.com.
Re: Kimball Candy Company
Posted by:
mr pep
()
Date: October 23, 2012 02:25AM
I lived a block away and this factory it closed down in the mid / late 80s. We used to also play football there and it really became fun when the kids in the neighborhood realized it was abandoned. We had huge games of hide and go seek throughout the entire factory. There were 2 floors and there was no machinery in there except for a couple of silos that still contained sugar. The fun ended in about 89/90 when someone burned it down and it shortly became condos. We had a blast playing in that neighborhood my parents are still there. Nice to see you guys talking about this and bringing back memories.
