mystery anvil

J

jiminy

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Oct 25, 2004
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I was given an (supposedly) very old anvil today. It weighs 41.4 lbs, is 20 1/2" long, 5 1/2" tall, and has a 2 1/2" wide face on it. It says "ILLINOIS STEEL" on one side, with no other markings that I can see (actually, the "L" in "STEEL" is missing ...it appears to have been broken off). The thing rings like a bell, and appears to be rather rudimentarily made. Anyone have any information on this anvil, or maybe have seen another like it? Just curious.
(Don't pay attention to how dirty the hood of my truck is :)

anvil1.jpg

anvil2.jpg

anvil3.jpg
 
something similar to this came up, it turned out to be a railroad track/mine rail. I'm still trying to find a piece of track around here myself :)
 
I've seen a bunch like it, it's a railroad rail anvil. I'm not sure of the marking, but I'd bet that's who made the rail, not the anvil.

Tony
 
According to this article, the Illinois Steel Company came into existence in 1889:

"In 1889, the North Chicago Rolling Mill Company merged with the Union Steel Company and purchased the plant of the Joliet Steel Company to form the Illinois Steel Company. Very soon after, the new steel corporation incorporated several new switching and terminal railroads in Illinois to construct many miles of industrial tracks in Chicago, South Chicago, and Joliet, and to also operate existing ones. These were the Chicago & Kenosha Railway Co., the Calumet & Blue Island Railroad Co., the Chicago & Southeastern Railway Co. of Illinois, and the Joliet & Blue Island Railway Co. (One new company was also incorporated in Wisconsin; the Milwaukee, Bay View & Chicago Railroad.) In July 1894, the Calumet & Blue Island Railroad leased all four of the other ISC-owned railroads."

And operated (at least) under that name until 1901:

"The United States Steel Corporation came into existence in 1901 acquiring the Federal Steel Company and control of Illinois Steel, and with these came ownership of the EJ&E and control of the CLS&E. Construction of the huge steel mill in the new city of Gary commenced in 1906, and in the following year the CLS&E completed a short extension from Clarke Junction to Gary in order to serve the new plant. Kirk Yard on the new extension was laid out in 1908."

Since Illinois Steel appears to have been in the railroad building business, that would fit, as the anvil appears to be constructed out of railroad rail.

http://eje.railfan.net/page_history.html
 
cool anvil....pic saved and printed - thanks!
 
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