I just picked up an 18 size anti-magnetic for railroad service model. It is a 15J gilded movement. Other than what the book says, do we know anything else about this company?

I believe they also made watches for the Non Magnetic Watch Co which sourced it's watches from several places. I "think" this is a Peoria made example. Since it is also 18 size it may have something in common with your example

If I remember correctly, Tom has information about this on his site. Peoria eventually made private label watches exclusively for the Non-Magnetic Watch Co. of Chicago. They made some very high end watches too.

You can trace the lineage of this fascinating company through the Cooksey Sugart book. It started out on the east coast. I think it was the Newark company. Then bought out by the Cornell company in Chicago after the great fire, moved from there to the west coast in an effort to exploit cheap Chinese labor, back to the east coast, and finally died in Peoria. It may have been bought out by a Japanese company after that. It moved from coast to coast twice. The first of a series of articles about this company appeared in the Bulletin a few years ago, but then the author passed away any nothing more was done with it.

The article on the Peoria Watch Company appeared in the NAWCC Bulletin February 1996. It was titled "The Peoria Watch Story Part I-Peoria No. 1" by Eugene T. Fuller. The watchy factory, by the way, was later turned into a watch making school, and later still became Bradley University, of Peoria. Mr. Fuller sent me a detailed chronlogy of the family tree of the Peoria Company in 1984, if you would be interested in seeing it.

Here is a Cornell watch made in Grand Crossing, Chicago:

Here is another Cornell:

Here is a watch made by the Independent Watch Co. of Fredonia, NY between the Cornell Watch Company and the Peoria Watch Company:

Here is a Peoria Non-Magnetic:

Here is another Non Magnetic:

Here is a private lable Peoria with the Paillard's Patent non-magnetic spring:

And here is a regular Peoria open face watch with a fifth pinion:

Here's one made by Peoria Watch Co. for AC Smiths Non Magnetic Watch Co of America. 15 jewel Gold jewel settings, Paillards patent balance and spring. Nickel plates. S/N 22183