This photo gives us a glimpse of the bustling Bad Axe chicory works in the early 1900s, a time when Huron County farmers were busy cultivating chicory root to be roasted and mixed with coffee. The plant, run by E. B. Muller & Co., a Port Huron-based firm, was part of a network of chicory plants spread across Michigan. The plant’s location next to a railroad line sped up the transportation of raw and processed chicory. The chicory industry was a vital part of the local economy, particularly during wartime and periods of commodity scarcity, but by mid-century, changing tastes and market trends led to a decline in production.
In summary, the Bad Axe chicory works, operated by E. B. Muller & Co., played a significant role in diversifying the local farm economy in the early 1900s. The plant was strategically located next to a railroad line for efficient transportation of chicory. Its products were in high demand, especially during wartime and periods of commodity scarcity. However, by mid-century, the industry saw a decline due to changing tastes and market trends.
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To learn more, visit [Bad Axe’s Chicory Plant and the Muller Coffee Substitute Era, c. 1909–1912](https://thumbwind.com/2025/08/17/bad-axes-chicory-plant-and-the-muller-coffee-substitute-era-c-1909-1912/).
This view shows the Bad Axe chicory works in the early 1900s, when Huron County farmers raised chicory root for roasting and blending with coffee. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps confirm a “Chicory Plant” here in April 1909, operated by E. B. Muller & Co., a Port Huron-based firm that ran several Michigan plants.
The tall white processing block and adjacent dryer building anchor the site. At the same time, a steam locomotive sits on plant trackage with root piles stacked nearby—typical of harvest-season delivery before washing, slicing, and drying. Sanborn mapping places the complex beside a railroad wye north of Hilton Street to speed inbound roots and outbound dried product to markets.
Chicory helped diversify the Thumb’s farm economy after the lumber era. E. B. Muller’s Michigan network— including Bad Axe—supplied national demand for a caffeine-free coffee extender used heavily during wartime and tight commodity periods; newspapers and trade accounts document the company’s multi-plant footprint in the 1910s–1930s. Production at Michigan chicory works waned mid-century as tastes and markets shifted.
Notes on dating: The exact year of the photo is not printed, but the plant is mapped in April 1909 and another RPPC identifies a Bad Axe Muller chicory factory in 1912; the image likely falls in this 1909–1912 window
