Kraker & Tabor’s General Store

This sign once hung at Kraker and Tabor’s general store, on the corner of Market and Main in Shannon, Illinois. John Kraker and George Tabor were both immigrants from Austria. Around 1875, they went into business together, selling just about everything a farm family needed: ready-made clothing, dry goods, groceries, boots, shoes, hats and caps. Tabor moved on to Lena about six years later, and Kraker ran the store for decades more. Look closely at the lettering. It was painted by hand, and the painter ran out of room and tucked the word “Hats” above the line. Nearly 150 years later, this sign still tells you where to shop.