By Chad Boehlke
The unique aroma, the unparalleled freshness and the beloved mini loaves that Ideal Bakery would generously distribute during special events—these were the distinctive features that set the ‘Only Bread Baked in Town’ Ideal Bakery apart. As a local institution from 1909 to 1974 at 211-213 South West St., it left an indelible mark on Jacksonville.
Before it became a bread factory, the building on South West Street started as the Jacksonville Bottling Works in 1899, and then in 1905, it became poultry company W. C. Ennis.
Four years later, the building became the first of two locations of the Ideal Bakery factory under the partnerships of Homer Haxby, Mr. Fitch, and the Bergschneider and Kumle grocery store. A year later, the partnership ended with Haxby buying out all the partners, becoming the sole owner.
Between 1909 and 1912, William A. Jenkinson, a local wholesale grocer, became a new partner of Haxby.
This new factory on South West Street was built in 1912 for $40,000 and opened on August 2, 1913. The new factory was making over 6,000 loaves in a three-story, concrete-and-brick, fireproof building. It was said that Robert Smith of South West Street was the first to buy bread from this new factory.
At one time, Ideal had two locations. A small storefront bakery at 228 East State St., which opened in 1887 as English and Farwell’s Bakery, operated until 1897. It was afterward that Ideal Bakery bought this small shop, which became the second location. Only after the bakery was closed were the ovens located in the rear removed.
Both locations sold pies and other bakery items. The employees of both factories were members of Bakers Union No. 47, organized in May of 1902.
One of the most enduring figures in Ideal Bakery’s history was James Nelson Conover. He assumed the manager role in 1919 and, by 1922, became the new owner of the Jenkinson Baking Company, which he added to the Ideal Baking Company. This addition added 12,000 loaves a day. He steered the bakery through numerous changes until 1955, the last known date of his tenure.
The cost of a loaf of bread over the years is hard to determine, but between 1913 and 1920, it was 10 cents.
Many Jacksonville residents might know that Ideal Bakery had the “Lucky Boy Bread” brand, which debuted in the early 1950s. During this time, Ideal also incorporated many innovations into its bread products, constantly striving to improve and adapt to the changing times.
In a 1952 advertisement, the company boasted that it took seven hours to make bread from start to store shelves, using locally sourced flour from the Beardstown grain silos.
The 1960s introduced a “cross-grain” process in hamburgers and hot dog buns. Also, by this time, Ideal had truck routes to Galesburg, Kewanee, Canton and Springfield. The bakery had products all over western Illinois, a testament to its growth and adaptability. Also in the 1960s, the company and its employees were part of several local sports teams.
The 1970s marked a significant shift in Ideal Bakery’s management. With C. F. Brewster taking the reins as president and A. W. Applebee serving as vice president, the bakery underwent a change of management. This period of transition eventually led to the bakery closing its doors in 1974, marking the end of an era.
By the 1920s, when most independent bakeries were out of business or had been bought out, the “Only Bread Made in Jacksonville” slogan had emerged.
Today, the factory building at 213 South West St. looks very different, a testament to the passage of time. It is now a single-story building with metal sides and a roof, but the east side of the building still proudly displays its original entrance with stone columns.
