Hawthorne Works
Encyclopedia
The Hawthorne Works, in Cicero, Illinois
, was a large factory complex built by Western Electric
starting in 1905 and operating until 1983. It had 45,000 employees at the height of its operations. Besides telephone equipment, the factory produced a wide variety of consumer products, including refrigerators and electric fans. Hawthorne Works was named for Hawthorne, Illinois, a small town that was later incorporated into Cicero. The facility was so expansive, it contained a private railroad to move shipments through the plant to the nearby Burlington Northern Railroad
freight depot. Workers regularly used bicycles for transit within the plant. It was purchased in the mid-1980s by the late Donald L. Shoemaker and replaced with a shopping center. One of the original towers remained at the corner of 22nd Street and Cicero Ave.
In addition to its enormous output of telephone equipment, Hawthorne Works was the site of some well-known industrial studies. The Hawthorne effect
is named for the works.
, tells the story of the Hawthorne Works facility - its products and its employees. Exhibits include Western Electric
products such as telephones, communications and electronics equipment, inventions by Bell Laboratories, local immigrant workers and local history.
Cicero, Illinois
Cicero is an incorporated town in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 83,891 at the 2010 census. Cicero is named for the town of Cicero, New York, which in turn was named for Marcus Tullius Cicero, the Roman statesman and orator....
, was a large factory complex built by Western Electric
Western Electric
Western Electric Company was an American electrical engineering company, the manufacturing arm of AT&T from 1881 to 1995. It was the scene of a number of technological innovations and also some seminal developments in industrial management...
starting in 1905 and operating until 1983. It had 45,000 employees at the height of its operations. Besides telephone equipment, the factory produced a wide variety of consumer products, including refrigerators and electric fans. Hawthorne Works was named for Hawthorne, Illinois, a small town that was later incorporated into Cicero. The facility was so expansive, it contained a private railroad to move shipments through the plant to the nearby Burlington Northern Railroad
Burlington Northern Railroad
The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996....
freight depot. Workers regularly used bicycles for transit within the plant. It was purchased in the mid-1980s by the late Donald L. Shoemaker and replaced with a shopping center. One of the original towers remained at the corner of 22nd Street and Cicero Ave.
In addition to its enormous output of telephone equipment, Hawthorne Works was the site of some well-known industrial studies. The Hawthorne effect
Hawthorne effect
The Hawthorne effect is a form of reactivity whereby subjects improve or modify an aspect of their behavior being experimentally measured simply in response to the fact that they know they are being studied, not in response to any particular experimental manipulation.The term was coined in 1950 by...
is named for the works.
Hawthorne Works Museum
The Hawthorne Works Museum, operated by Morton CollegeMorton College
Morton College is a community college located in Cicero, Illinois. It is the second oldest community college in the state. While the campus itself was constructed in 1975, the College was established in 1924. Currently, the college has an enrollment of approximately 5,000 students, about 25% of...
, tells the story of the Hawthorne Works facility - its products and its employees. Exhibits include Western Electric
Western Electric
Western Electric Company was an American electrical engineering company, the manufacturing arm of AT&T from 1881 to 1995. It was the scene of a number of technological innovations and also some seminal developments in industrial management...
products such as telephones, communications and electronics equipment, inventions by Bell Laboratories, local immigrant workers and local history.