Pressed Steel Car Company, World War I bond rally

Pressed Steel, previously known as Western Steel, was an early steel manufacturer of railroad cars located in Hegewisch, currently the southernmost neighborhood of Chicago. Conceived as a company mill town on the model of nearby Pullman, the town was founded by Adolph Hegewisch in 1882. As a businessman, however, Hegewisch was far less successful than industrialist George Pullman. The town of Hegewisch was incorporated into the city of Chicago a few years later. Western/Pressed Steel was heavily involved in military production of shells and tanks during both World War I and World War II. During World War I, immigrant workers were strongly encouraged to buy bonds to help the war effort as shown in this photo of a bond rally in 1918. This series of photographs were donated to the Museum by Hegewisch resident Frank Moll.