Dublin Core
Title
Apron
Subject
Industry
Description
This apron is from the Silver Lake retail yard of the Wilbur Lumber Company, which had more than a dozen locations in southeast Wisconsin and northern Illinois, including Waukesha. The firm was founded by George Wilbur in 1875. The Waukesha Lumber yard opened in 1893 and became a hub of the company, growing to include a millwork and jobbing department, as well as the main office. The firm remained in Waukesha through three generations, with offices throughout southeast Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois.
The Arts and Crafts movement of the early 20th century drove the demand for specialty wooden fixtures. The Wilbur millworks produced a range of sashes, doors, frames, interior and exterior trim, case work, stair work, and moldings. The jobbing department finished pieces for distribution by other dealers, as well as through Wilbur’s own yards. Shifting architectural styles during the post-war suburbanization moved away from milled wood finishes. By 1962, the Waukesha millworks closed, followed by the jobbing department the next year. In 1970, George Wilbur, grandson of the founder, announced the firm’s closure. The yard and millworks buildings were located north of the river between Madison St. and Barstow along St. Paul Avenue. The buildings were razed gradually from the 1950s - 1981, to make room for the present Waukesha State Bank location, and several grocery stores.
Donor: Unknown
Adopt an Artifact Sponsor: Waukesha State Bank
The Arts and Crafts movement of the early 20th century drove the demand for specialty wooden fixtures. The Wilbur millworks produced a range of sashes, doors, frames, interior and exterior trim, case work, stair work, and moldings. The jobbing department finished pieces for distribution by other dealers, as well as through Wilbur’s own yards. Shifting architectural styles during the post-war suburbanization moved away from milled wood finishes. By 1962, the Waukesha millworks closed, followed by the jobbing department the next year. In 1970, George Wilbur, grandson of the founder, announced the firm’s closure. The yard and millworks buildings were located north of the river between Madison St. and Barstow along St. Paul Avenue. The buildings were razed gradually from the 1950s - 1981, to make room for the present Waukesha State Bank location, and several grocery stores.
Donor: Unknown
Adopt an Artifact Sponsor: Waukesha State Bank
Creator
Wilbur Lumber Company
Publisher
Waukesha County Historical Society & Museum
Rights
Waukesha County Historical Society & Museum