Important dates in Rockford Air-brush History:

  July 4, 1844 - Liberty Walkup is born on a farm south of Mt. Morris, Illinois.

  1878 - Abner Peeler, a jeweler in Webster City, Iowa, works on a "paint distributor"

  December 1880 - Mr. and Mrs. Liberty Walkup move from Mt. Morris, Illinois to Rockford, Illinois 

  1881 - Abner Peeler sells his rights to a patent he has applied for of an imperfect "Paint-Distributor" made of 
  household items to brothers Charles and Liberty Walkup for $850.  Charles is the major financial backer to the 
  younger Liberty.

  April 25, 1882 - Abner Peeler is granted a patent for his Paint-Distributor

  December 6, 1882 - Liberty Walkup further perfects Peeler's design and repatent's the device under his own name 
  as the "Air-Brush".

  March 29, 1883 - The Rockford Manufacturing Company is formed to manufacture Walkup's paint distributor with 
  $50,000 in common stock shares.

  October 6, 1883 - The stockholders vote to change the name of the company to The Air-Brush Manufacturing 
  Company.  Brother Charles Walkup leaves the company to return to the family farm in Mt. Morris to resume farming.

  Summer 1884 - the air-brush is demonstrated by Phoebe Walkup at the World Exposition in New Orleans.

  Fall 1884 - Will McEntee, an air-brush artist and Walkup ally, attends the Clover Club in Philadelphia where he 
  prepares a portrait of author Mark Twain in less than 5 minutes astounding Twain and all the other banqueters.

  May 1884 - Walkup patents the "double action" air-brush whereby a single trigger is depressed to obtain air and 
  toggled back to deliver pigment.

  1884 - Walkup receives the Award of the Silver Medal for Contribution to Art from the Franklin Institute exhibition 
  in Philadelphia

  1886 - Walkup receives the Award of the Gold Medal of Honor from the Franklin Institute exhibition in Philadelphia. 

  1888 - Phoebe Walkup opens The Illinois Art School with 50 easels to offer air-brush instruction.

  1890 - Some directors of the company try to force Walkup out but the stockholders side with Walkup and he buys 
  out those directors who differ with him.

  January 1891 - the first "Air-Brush Journal" is published by the Walkups

  January 1893 - the "Air-Brush Journal" becomes a larger publication know as "The Progressive Art Journal"

  Summer 1893 - the Walkup's air-brush is displayed as one of the 32,000 exhibits of the World Fair in Chicago in 
  the Liberal Arts Building.

  1922 - Liberty Walkup dies and is laid to rest at Mt. Zion Cemetery south of Mt. Morris.

  1927 - The Air-Brush Manufacturing Company closes its doors.