History
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In 1832, Benjamin Godfrey went into business with Winthrop Gilman and founded Godfrey, Gilman & Company to ship fur, livestock, and agricultural goods to New Orleans, bypassing St. Louis as a transportation hub. They constructed a four-story stone warehouse at the end of William Street at the edge of the Mississippi River. By 1835, the company was the most successful shipping company in Illinois, but the nationwide Panic of 1837, one of the greatest economic depressions in United States history, forced it to dissolve in the early 1840s. Within the walls of this warehouse, Elijah P. Lovejoy perished on November 7, 1837, defending his printing press and his right to freedom of speech.
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Alton, Illinois · United States
