Moving Pillsbury Forward is holding a signing for a new book on Springfield’s abandoned Pillsbury mill.
The nonprofit will host author Robert Mazrim as he signs copies of his book “Pillsbury Abandoned: Art & Ruin in the Industrial Midwest”. The signing will start 6:30 PM Thursday at the Ursuline Academy.
The event will also feature a preview of the documentary “Ruined” by Los Angeles director Matthew Konicek.
Mazrim said his book aims to capture the derelict mill as a ”dead place,” as well as document art such as graffiti made on the site itself.
“It’s not particularly interested in the history of the mill,” he said. “It’s more interested in the remains as they were when I was first introduced by (Moving Pillsbury Forward President) Chris (Richmond) to the site in 2023.”
The Pillsbury mill was established in 1929, supplying thousands of jobs to Springfield residents at the height of the Great Depression. The site closed its doors in 2001.
Moving Pillsbury Forward purchased the site in 2022 and began tearing down the mill in September 2025. Richmond said demolition is expected to end in a few months.
