Editing East Peoria, Illinois (section)

==== Peoria Brick Company ====
Among the natural resources available to extract were clay and shale—important for brickmaking. While numerous small brickmaking plants were scattered around East Peoria in the 1880s, F.R. Carter Brick Yard (later known as Peoria Brick & Tile, and Peoria Brick Company) would sustain itself to the present. In 1899 Frederick R. Carter purchased the Spurck Paving Brick Plant, manufacturing paving and building bricks and shipping them via the Lake Erie & Western Railroad. In the beginning, the brick yard had 60 employees and could produce up to 40,000 bricks a day.<ref>LaKemper, Daniel A., ed. (1984). ''The Centennial History of East Peoria''. East Peoria Centennial Commission. p.&nbsp;17.</ref> In 1909, Carter expanded the business to include an additional plant on Cole Hollow Road; the new location featured 10 dome-like brick kilns that were 30 feet in diameter and 16 feet tall. In addition, Carter purchased Rapp Clay Products in April 1925.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Our History |url=https://peoriabrick.com/our-history/ |access-date=2023-02-18 |website=Peoria Brick Company - Central Illinois |language=en-US}}</ref> Subsequently, Carter decided to close the original plant and had all brick manufacturing occur at the Cole Hollow Road location. By 1939, the company increased daily production to 65,000 bricks a day. They also transitioned from fuel sources such as coal and wood to gas, and used electricity to operate machinery rather than horsepower.

Although brick manufacturing ceased in 1982, the company has diversified its offerings in accordance with community needs. Now, they offer a wide variety of masonry and landscaping materials and have a much broader customer-base. Tom said, "Approximately 40 percent of our sales come from landscaping. You have to have diversity in order to stay with the times". In May 2013, Peoria Brick & Tile was renamed to Peoria Brick Company and expanded again by opening a new location in Mossville, Illinois.<ref name="Lynn">{{Cite web |last=Lynn |first=Greg |date=2013-07-30 |title=Keeping It in the Family |url=https://www.peoriamagazine.com/archive/ibi_article/2013/keeping-it-family-2/ |access-date=2023-02-18 |website=Peoria Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>

The business has remained under the Carter family's management since its creation. Frederick's sons Charles, Raymond, and Ben, and Frederick's son-in-law Harry Maw, joined him in operating the plant. In 1966, the son-in-law of Charles, Thomas J. Carney, purchased the company. Thomas' son Tom Carney Jr. said, "After my grandfather, Charles Carter, passed away in 1964, the business transferred to my mother, Jane Carter, and father, Tom. I started in 1970, and my sister, Mary Pat Turner, and her husband Steve started in 1978. They retired in 2010".<ref name="Lynn"/> As of 2023, Tom Carney Jr., his daughter, and his son-in-law maintain operations.<ref name=":0" />