Galesburg, IL: Maytag closed the refrigerator plant in 2004

A Maytag plant that had a peak employment of nearly 5000 in the early 1970 had its refrigerator production moved to Reynosa, Mexico."The former Appliance City site—the size of over 40 football fields packed together—is now mostly rubble and weeds." [TheAtalantic] "Back in 2004, we went to Reynosa, Mexico, to trace Maytag's ill-fated plan to make refrigerators. Maytag's idea was a bust, but the damage had already been done locally." [wqad]

Dave Bevard, former union president of the Machinists in Galesburg, Illinois, with the last refrigerator ever produced at the Maytag plant there. (Chad Broughton)
[This last refrigerator is at the Galesburg Antiques Mall.]

Note the refrigerator was a cheaper model with the freezer on top. More expensive models are still American made.

I assume the plant was located on this land scar. Note there is an industrial spur in the northeast corner so that it could use both the BN/CB&Q and the Santa Fe Railroads. I checked a 1938 aerial photo, but the plant was not yet built.

Satellite