{"title":"Robert Mazrim","description":"Robert Mazrim has worked in Midwestern archaeology and history for thirty years. He currently serves as Associate Scientist Historic Resources Archaeologist at the Illinois State Archaeological Survey, and is the Executive Director of the Foundation for Colonial and American Studies. Mazrim is the author of six books and numerous journal articles concerning the archaeology and history of the Midwest.","products":[{"product_id":"lake-springfield-in-illinois-public-works-and-community-design-in-the-mid-twentieth-century","title":"Lake Springfield in Illinois: Public Works and Community Design in the Mid-Twentieth Century","description":"A lake is a body of water, but it can also be the place of community. During the 1930s, a small creek in central Illinois was dammed and flooded to provide water and power to a growing nearby city. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe place was already rich with history, dotted with 10,000 years of archaeological remains, crossed by a 300-year French colonial road, and the encompassing farms and small towns frequented by a young Abraham Lincoln. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe vision for Lake Springfield included much more than a source of drinking water and power for the city of Springfield. During a nationwide depression, city planners and engineers thoughtfully created a unique municipal, recreational, and residential community along the new shores. Parks, beach houses, numerous organizational clubs, scouting camps for children, a memorial garden, a nature preserve, an outdoor theater, and even a public zoo soon skirted the 4000-acre lake. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow, eighty-five years after its construction, Lake Springfield is a community with its own rich history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e[authors] Author(s): \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/robert-mazrim\"\u003eRobert Mazrim\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/curtis-mann\"\u003eCurtis Mann\u003c\/a\u003e [\/authors]","brand":"America Through Time","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39420084813906,"sku":"9781634992930","price":23.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0020\/9171\/2594\/products\/9781634992930.jpg?v=1621534408"},{"product_id":"pillsbury-abandoned","title":"Pillsbury Abandoned: Art and Ruin in the Industrial Midwest","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Pillsbury Flour Mill in Springfield, Illinois, operated between 1930 and 2001. What began as a flour mill expanded into prepared mixes, artificial sweeteners, and convenience food products during the 1950s and 1960s. At its peak, the factory employed 1,500 workers and encompassed 750,000 square feet in over 15 buildings across 18 acres.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLike many such facilities of the time, the Pillsbury plant contained large amounts of carcinogenetic asbestos. The EPA conducted a massive cleanup in 2017. However, the buildings continued to decay, and their reputation loomed darkly in the community. In 2020, a small not-for-profit was formed to clean up and demolish the abandoned mill. In 2023, the author recognized the site’s impressive historic and artistic potential. A multi-faceted program followed, resulting in a variety of history and art exhibits.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book illustrates the site as it looked in 2023 and 2024, after decades of abandonment, decomposition, salvage, and theft. The emphasis is not only on the remnants of history, but on what the empty place had become. The images in this book reflect two years of exploring and documenting abandoned architecture, residual history, technological extinction, post-abandonment graffiti, and the remarkable aesthetic vistas found in the decaying factory.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e[authors] Author(s): \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/robert-mazrim\"\u003eRobert Mazrim\u003c\/a\u003e[\/authors]\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Abandoned Union","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42396042887250,"sku":"9781634996303","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0020\/9171\/2594\/files\/9781634996303.jpg?v=1778412867"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.through-time.com\/collections\/robert-mazrim\/abandoned-union.oembed","provider":"America Through Time","version":"1.0","type":"link"}