Barrett Block Building - Joliet

History:

Two years after the I&M Canal opened, a young entrepreneur named William F. Barrett opened a small tin shop and hardware store on the corner of Bluff and Jefferson Streets.  As the business grew, Barrett moved the business several blocks east to the Akin Block on Jefferson Street. By the early 1880s, Barrett’s sons had joined the business, and it moved location again to the newly constructed Munroe Building.  Located on the southeast corner of Chicago and Clinton Streets, the three-story building was commonly known as the Barrett Block because the hardware company leased space in the building.  Just before noon, on Saturday, April 4, 1908, a fire broke out in the hardware store, and within minutes, the entire building was in flames.  The cause of the fire is still a mystery.  The top photograph shows the Barrett Block Building before the fire, and the bottom photograph shows firefighters working on the blaze. 

Image Credit:

These photographs are part of the Lewis University Canal and Regional History Special Collection.

We Need Your Help:

David Belden is a history teacher at Minooka Community High School and is currently publishing local postcard books with Arcadia Publishing in his Local History classes, including Grundy County, Joliet, Will County and Princeton.  He and his students are currently looking for I&M photos and postcards for a new publication. If you are interested in contributing a postcard image, please email him at: dbelden@mchs.net or localhistory@mchs.net call 815-467-2140 x260. To view more postcards and images, visit www.localhistoryproject.org or on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/localhistory