[2] A rapid increase in population in the Galena area in the 1830s and 1840s, largely a result of the discovery of galena, a kind of lead ore found in the region, had led to a sharp increase in demand for local foodstuffs.

[3] The $2,500 used for initial construction was obtained through the sale of $5 per share stocks, which was enabled by an 1845 act of the Galena City Council.

As an increasing percentage of local citizens bought motor vehicles, households began to "shop around" for foodstuffs.

Local grocery stores, which paid property taxes to the city of Galena, were not interested in helping to maintain their competitors.

[2] It has been refitted by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency to serve as a visitor services information desk and museum of local social history.