It was in his Effingham blacksmith shop that founder Conrad Boos developed what would become the original Boos Block. Having harvested sycamore from local wooded areas, Conrad then processed it in his sawmill and brought it to his blacksmith shop for finishing. That first block of sycamore slab placed on three legs would function as a block to absorb the shock of a smith’s hammer against the anvil. A local butcher, having seen and admired Conrad’s block, became intrigued and requested one for his meat market. Conrad’s son, John, would fulfill the request and, in turn, take the John Boos brand into the infancy of its more than 130-year reign of serving customers in the commercial market sector.