 Then – This is a circa 1930 photo (#0183) of the Bunnell Monument Works at 113 E. Church St., reported to be oldest continuous business in Urbana. It was founded in 1868 by D.M. Bunnell. The building was built the same year. The business was acquired by John Enright in the late 1940s. At that time the name of the business was changed to Urbana Monument Company.  Now – This is a 2019 photo of the Urbana Monument Co. at 113 E. Church St.
Photos courtesy of the Champaign County Historical Museum, a not-for-profit organization that depends upon donations and dues to preserve, protect, archive and display the artifacts that tell the Champaign County story. The free public museum, 809 East Lawn Ave., Urbana, is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday.  The “Then” photo, circa 1930 (#0408), shows the Urbana Furniture Company complex located at the corner of South Oakland and Beach streets. It formerly was the Barlow & Kent Company, furniture manufacturer. Barlow & Kent Co. was established at Plain City in 1881 and moved to Urbana in 1889. The complex consisted of two factory buildings, an office building and an oil house, with a total area in excess of 30,000 square feet. Barlow & Kent Co. produced wardrobes, desks, tables and cupboards. E.W. Barlow, owner, was from Kent, Arkansas. In 1910 the company had a lumber company in Kent and 1,200 acres of hardwood timberland in the area. Barlow & Kent Co. ran into financial difficulty in 1915 and was re-organized under new management as the Urbana Furniture Company, which manufactured Happi-Tymes nursery furniture. Source: Champaign Democrat Centennial Edition June 15, 1905, page 21.  The 2019 “Now” photo shows one of the buildings in the former Barlow & Kent Co. complex at the corner of South Oakland and Beach streets, which was later used by the Urbana Furniture Company. The Barlow & Kent name was not removed when Urbana Furniture Co. started using the building.
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Looking Back at Champaign County
The Champaign County Historical Society strives to highlight historical people, places and events throughout Champaign County. If you have photos of historical significance that you believe would be of interest to Champaign Countians, please Contact Us. Archives
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