Lock and Locksmithing History

Locksmith Legends

The Locksmith Ledger recently called for nominations for “Gale Johnson Legends of the Lock Industry Awards,” launched in memory of the magazine’s late editor-in-chief and his lasting impact on the locksmith industry. The 2024 Legends of the Year will be

KEY WORDS

I am a wordsmith hired by a locksmith after our dialogue about his lock catalog. I am a journalist. For four years I wrote a twice-weekly column about Kildeer, the community where the Anderson and Frelk families lived. In 1986,

Crystal and Glass Doorknobs

Today, the faded red barn boards are dusty. Embossed escutcheons appear a little rusty. Aged glass doorknobs gleam in golden and amber hues. A.O. (Andy) Anderson, Cortney’s paternal grandfather, collected antique glass doorknobs, and other heirloom door hardware. He artistically

Lost Tabernacle Key Inspires Unique Key Creation

The tabernacle key was lost. The ornate cast bronze doors could not be opened. Sister Kathleen, of Elevate St. Andrew Senior Living in Niles, called Anderson Lock. Surely, you might reason, amongst the thousands of key blanks hanging on hooks

Painting of Arnold O. Anderson next to Keys

Andy’s Custom Keys

Recent remodeling at our Main Office led to the discovery of the ‘mystery’ keys shown on a ring in the photo collage. I asked our Service Manager, Jim Riddle, who worked with Andy almost 40 years ago, what those oddly

Gumball machine with multi-color gumballs inside

Q. Do you have keys for old bubble gum machines?

A: Most likely, yes, we do have keys for old gumball machines! We have about a million key blanks in stock…however, you will need to bring the gumball machine into our Main Office in Des Plaines, and our lock techs