Brooms and pickles seem like an unlikely combination for a manufacturing company, but C. N. McHugh produced both in this building, located just north of the intersection of Main Street and U. S. Highway 57.

The building had many uses. It was constructed in 1862 for the production of cornstarch and it was later used for the manufacture of wooden pump, oatmeal and washing machines. It finally became a broom factory in 1905. McHugh was in the broom business for about 40 years in Cedar Falls.

The broom and pickle factory has been converted into The Olde Broom Factory Restaurant, a practical use for one of Cedar Falls' last remaining riverfront industrial buildings. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.