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For
a short while, Peter went into the produce business with his brother, Michael,
in the 300 block of South Water Street.
Next Mr. Spurck built a distillery, at Wesley City on the east side of
the river. The very successful
distillery operated for three years when it was destroyed by fire. At that time Peter associated himself with
the distillery that his father had founded at the foot of Chicago Street and
quickly rose to management. In fact,
Peter was instrumental in making the business prosper for thirty years. In 1887, the Distillers and Cattle Feeders
Company bought out Peter's company in the "Whiskey Trust".
Instead
of helping run the Trust, Peter opted to go into business for himself. He opened the Spurck Street Paving Company,
which produced the much-needed brick and paved the streets of Peoria, Mr.
Spurck became one of the most prominent men of early Peoria.
The
house stayed in the family until 1901 when it was purchased by Dr. John Hensly. Then in 1904, Abraham Schradzki
bought the property. Mr. Schradzki is
best remembered for his clothing store.
The
next distinguished owner was Mr. Joseph F. Faber, the President of the
well-known company, Faber-Musser. The
final owner of the house, while it was a single family dwelling, was Theodore
Plack, a civil engineer for the State Highway Department. In 1934 William Sinclair of P & PU
Railroad converted the house into apartments.
Mr. Sinclair sold the house to his son-in-law, John Murphy, of
Prudential Insurance. John sold the
house to the Family House Board of Directors in 1984.
Today
the mansion is owned by Family House, Inc., in keeping with the home's
prestigious owners and rich heritage.
The Junior League of Peoria and Peoria's three hospitals, Saint Francis,
Methodist, and Proctor, sponsored this not-for-profit project. The home is used to help ease the emotional
and financial stress of families with loved ones in the local hospitals by
providing low-cost sleeping accommodations.
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