It was almost Thanksgiving Day and the candy girls working at the J.D. Russell Candy Co. in Peoria were busy. Irene Bartram was in charge of the hand-dipped candy operations in 1945. The boys were coming home from World War II and would request candy boxes for their sweethearts.
The factory packed nearly a freight carload of candy each day. “If we finished the wrapping and packaging candy, we were sent to the ice cream factory across the street to work on the Eskimo pies,” recalled Alice.
Alice was one of the original group of candy girls. She was one of the 75 mostly women employed to create the Cherry Buds, the Charley Bars, and the Virginia Dare chocolates in every flavor that were packaged in velvet, metal, and mirrored boxes. Some of the girls were packers and wrappers and they earned 1.5¢ a box packing the sweet treats. The highest salary was 35¢ an hour for a day that began at 7 a.m. or 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. with a half-hour lunch break.
Roszell’s was known for the dairy and ice cream they marketed as Sealtest products. The candy company was established in 1916. The women from Pekin took the interurban to work and arrived at Washington Street. They walked up the hill to Oak where the candy factory was housed in a three-story building on the corner. Those who lived in Peoria hired a jitney for a nickel when it was raining.
Soon, the employees could buy a five-pound box of the fancy chocolates for $1.50; as a Christmas bonus, the women received a $2.50 gift certificate at Bergner’s Department store in downtown Peoria. Alice recalled that she bought an aluminum tea kettle with her first bonus certificate. She smiled as she recalled that she still used the tea kettle decades later. Another girl bought her first store-coat at a store for $5. “I really thought I had arrived then,” she said.
Because the chocolate had to be kept cool, working conditions were on the frosty side. The candy girls wore white caps and ankle-length aprons. In addition they wore sweaters and galoshes to try and keep warm. They could consume as much candy as they wanted. “I think the owners thought we would get sick of it after a while, but we never did,” said Alice. “At that time, the bars were much bigger than the ones today and they sold for a nickel each,” Alice said.
One incident involved a stray cat that wandered into the third floor where the caramel was poured on to huge marble-topped tables. The cat somehow got into the caramel. It was Alice’s job to wash the cat. There is no follow-up report of what happened to the cat after that. Maybe he was found sitting in a far corner licking his paws.
This Thanksgiving season had arrived so quickly and there was much work for the candy girls’ willing hands. They would talk about their impending engagements while working and express delight at the chosen locations for their nuptials.
One was to be married at the Peoria County Courthouse with a luncheon reception to follow. Another engaged girl was planning her wedding at St. Joseph’s Church with reception in the church basement. The reception would include white cake and fruit punch with mixed nuts and mints. The mints would be pastel colors to go with her bridesmaid’s dresses.
There was conversation about their Thanksgiving plans. Almost everyone was cooking a fresh turkey with dressing and mashed potatoes. Of course, dessert would include some of the candy they had made. Their memories of past Thanksgivings were sweet and the future looked bright.
Happy Thanksgiving 2018 to you and yours.