Does MPHS have photographs: Yes
Address in Mount Prospect: 115 S. Edward
Birth Date: February 21, 1903
Death Date: February 10, 1970
Marriage
Date: Circa 1924
Spouse: Hilda (Busse) Meeske
Children: Fred Jr., Earl, and Norma
Interesting information on life, career, accomplishments:
Fred Meeske began working in William Busse Jr.’s grocery at the age of 14. As a clerk he made $10 a week. He worked hard and saved his money. He later married William Busse Jr.’s cousin and in 1925 he bought the store from Busse. He changed the name to Meeske’s Market and a local institution was born. Meeske’s was a fixture in downtown Mount Prospect for 59 years. When Meeske first started, the market was located in the Busse Building on Main Street. In 1950 a larger building on the corner of Busse and Main was built to house what was then the main grocery store in Mount Prospect. The store was famous for its exceptional butcher shop and the family’s celebration of the community’s German roots. In 1973 the Meeske family sold the business, although the store maintained the name. The shop was closed in 1984 after going through a series of owners. The small locally-owned grocery store in downtown was not able to compete against massive chain stores in shopping plazas at the outskirts of town.