FIRST - To Sell Honda Motorcycles - Greenville, IL
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 38° 53.569 W 089° 24.777
16S E 290730 N 4307650
Shoe shop that grew and even sold motorcycles
Waymark Code: WMW00Z
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 06/19/2017
Views: 2
County of first: Bond County
Location of marker: N. 3rd St. & W. College Ave., Greenville
Marker erected by: Greenvill Main Stree
Historical Marker Text:
"John Posch
Shoemaker from Austria
"In 1912, at age 24, John Posch came to the United States with a dime in his pocket and a bag of tools. In Austria he had apprenticed for four years as a shoemaker and passed his test to work the trade. In Greenville, he started up his business in a two room house at the corner of East South and First Streets. In 1947, Posch bought the building at this location and started selling ready-made shoes from the International Shoe Company.
"John Posch, his sons Carl and Louie, and employee Ed Merrifield would work from 7:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. repairing bushel baskets full of shoes, sometimes upwards of 150 pairs of shoes a day. With $1500 in inventory, they added hardware and plumbing to the business and at one time employed five people. Later they would be the first to sell Honda motorcycles. John Posch and Son is Greenville’s oldest continuing family-operated business.
"In its earliest days this building housed F.H. Wheeler’s Harnes Shop."
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