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Here is an excerpt from the Story of Mills published by the company in 1949. THE DIVERSIFICATION OF THE MILLS NOVELTY CO.Īfter a rough beginning, the Mills Novelty Company prospered, but like any big company, Mills soon diversified into other fields. It was a four story building, and it was in this building the Mills organization made rapid strides toward world wide notice. The growing organization known as Mills Novelty Company then moved to a considerably larger plant at Green Street and Jackson Boulevard.

Here many successful arcade machines ere manufactured and sold. Mills then moved to a small plant at Randolph and Desplaines Streets, the scene of the famous Haymarket Riot. A night fire destroyed the entire factory, including blueprints and engineering plans of many future machines, plus a great deal of prefabricated work on Klondikes and Owls.

Three years later a business setback caused them to return to the Jefferson and Lake Streets factory. Mills and his growing staff, five employees in all, moved to larger quarters, 75 x 125 feet, at Clinton and Quincy Streets.

Mills was to make in the following years for operators of the era. Mills started the manufacture of the first counter machine called the 'Klondike' and later that same year he conceived the idea and started the manufacture of the famous 'Owl Lifter', which was the forerunner of all the arcade type machines which Mr. In a small workshop, 20 x 60 feet, at Jefferson and Lake Streets, Chicago, with only two employees, Mr. 'In 1889, the late Herbert Stephen Mills founded the great coin machine company whose name 'Mills' is famous the world over for its Bell and amusement type coin machines. Here is an excerpt from the 'Story of Mills' published by the company in 1949. But, the story of Mills is truly an American success story of a small entrepreneur who made it against all the odds. We all know of the Mills Novelty Company as the 'giant' of the coin machine business.

Mills novelty company slot machine bell fruit