140 Years Ago
October 6, 1884
Last Saturday morning at 1:45 the alarm of fire was sounded by Officer Redd. Hardly was it sounded before Walton Bros. grist mill was enveloped in flames. The flames leaped across the street and set fire to the large mercantile establishment of Walton Bros. It also jumped across the railroad tracks and set fire to the stockyards of Combes & McDonald, the blacksmith shop of George Westervelt, Odell's checkrow factory, J. R. Smith's commission store and Decker's lumber office. The fire engine would not work and the fire had to burn itself out. Walton Bros. loss on the stock and buildings, $125,000. Others burned out were J. D. Hornbeck, restaurant; Mrs. Chas. Sheley, dressmaking; J. M. Hovey, photographer; Joerias Yoe, saloon; M. J. Thompson, harness shop; Mrs. D. Kelly, milliner; A. N. Zane, store building; Louis Werling, store building; C. B. Thompson, sewing machines; Moore sisters, dressmakers; John Rinkle, restaurant; J. B. Lawrence, shoe shop; Mapel Bros., harness shop; Gilbo and Hutson, marble dealers, W. C. Tresize, photographer; J. L. Marsh, building. Total losses about $200,000.
130 Years Ago
October 20, 1894
G. Y. McDowell was in South Bend, Ind. this week on business.
The Odd Fellows have begun to tear down the livery stable on their recent real estate purchase, preparatory to building.
The old Christian Church has been moved into the northwest part of town and is being converted into a residence.
120 Years Ago
October 21, 1904
There will be a Prohibition Rally held in this city Monday evening. Hon. Rob't H. Patton, of Springfield, candidate for Governor will address the people in the new opera house at 8 o'clock Monday evening, Oct. 24th. There will be music by the Fairbury Band and the Prohibition Male Quartet. The quartet will furnish you a rare treat. Admission free, everybody come.
E. D. Powell went to Eppards Point Township to see a new corn husker which was exhibited on the Walters farm. The machine is crude as yet, but the farmers are hopeful that it will be perfected. It works in the field, taking one row of the corn at a time as fast as the horse can walk. The corn is cut any length desired below the ears and is then carried to a set of rollers which snap off the shucks at the ears, from which the latter are elevated into a wagon adjoining. The entire outfit is operated by three horses. With the outfit in smooth running order, from 8 to 12 acres can be husked in a day.
About fifty of the friends and neighbors of Mr. and Mrs. John Ulfers Sr. gathered at their beautiful home last Saturday evening to give them a farewell party before their departure to their new home in Fairbury. Their children presented them with two beautiful rocking chairs and their friends with an elegant centre-table. Refreshments were served and everybody spent an enjoyable evening, long to be remembered.
110 Years Ago
October 24, 1914
Jim Scott ("Death Valley" Jim Scott), one of the best pitchers of the Chicago White Sox team, pitched for the Fairbury Stars, Sunday, in their game against Gridley. Scott, visiting friends and manager Moran hearing of it, asked him to pitch for Fairbury. He allowed Gridley just two hits and Fairbury won 2 to 1.
Carl Goudy will ride in the 300-mile motorcycle race at Savannah, Ga., Thanksgiving Day.
Strawn — The general store of Amacher and Ocley was broken into last Thursday night and a quantity of merchandise stolen.
100 Years Ago
October 24, 1924
At 8 p.m. tomorrow night Fairbury's winter Lyceum course opens with a delightful number at the Presbyterian Church. Miss Emily Waterman will begin this course with a varied program of readings and entertainments. With a laugh that warms the cockles of your heart, with rollicking humor and supreme artistry always, Emily Waterman has delighted audiences in every state in the union, in Canada, and in China and Japan. She is one of the platform's great reader-entertainers.
Henry K. Meyer, of Peoria, but formerly of this city, closed a deal this week whereby he again becomes the owner of the Quality Grocery, having purchased the same of Albert Rusterholtz. Mr. Meyer takes possession this morning, with George Hoffman as manager. Mr. Meyer, who formerly owned this store, will restock the store with a fresh line of groceries, and in every way make this place of business attractive and convenient for the trade. The business will be conducted on the "cash and carry" plan. Mr. Rusterholtz has not yet decided as to what he will do.
James Brown, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ed Brown, a junior in the Fairbury Township High School, and residing northeast of town, had his right arm broken yesterday morning when he went to crank a Case car, which he was going to drive into town. Both bones were broken just above the wrist joint. He was brought to town and the fracture reduced by a local physician.
90 Years Ago
October 19, 1934
The Fairbury Fair grounds were sold at master's sale Monday at Pontiac. There was only one bid, that of the Fairbury Bank, which was for $10,500.
Keith Melvin and another boy, Dean Richardson, were graduated to the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest obtainable rank in Scouting, at the beginning of services in the First Methodist Church in Peoria last Sunday. A very impressive ceremony was used, the Eagle Scout badge being presented by Harry Finney, president of the Peoria Council, to the mothers, who in turn pinned them on the boys' breasts. Reaching this rank in Scouting is considered quite an honor, as only about half of one percent of the members reach this degree.
Two score years as landlord and tenant on the same farm, those are the associations as they still exist and have existed between John Moore of this city, and John Ballard, who resides on Mr. Moore's farm, two miles south of Fairbury. No lease or contract has ever been signed by the gentlemen concerned, and the same rents prevail today on this farm as they did 40 years ago when Mr. Ballard moved onto the farm, having been neither raised nor lowered during that time.
A new mark in farm prices is reported by Robert P. Tate, farm manager of F. A. Tate Realty Company, Bloomington, in the sale of 220 acres in Chenoa Township for a total consideration of $33,100, or an average of $150 an acre. The transaction was completed last Friday.
80 Years Ago
October 20, 1944
The Boy Scouts did a little trading yesterday and thereby made some money for themselves. The Scouts noticed that among the things gathered to go into the bonfire held last night in connection with the pep meeting was a lot of waste paper, pasteboard boxes, etc. The Scouts have a waste paper drive on all the time, so they conceived the idea of trading some old dead tree branches and immediately went to work. The result was the bonfire was bigger and better, a nice lot of paper was salvaged and the Scouts made some money.
Andrew Steffen, residing six miles northeast of Fairbury, had an experience last Thursday morning that could have resulted seriously when his clothing caught in a corn picker. It was frosty and as Mr. Steffen started to step over a part of the picker he slipped and his clothing caught in the power take-off. Mr. Steffen braced himself as the machine tore his clothing from his body, even his socks being torn from his shoes. All that was left on him of his outer clothing were the collar and sleeves. Luckily, he only received a number of cuts and bruises on both of his legs.
Miss Anita Steiner and the Rev. Charles Warren, pastor of Fairbury Baptist Church, were married Saturday in Columbus, Ohio. They are to be back from their wedding trip tomorrow and will be at home in the Gordon apartments on West Oak Street.
Floyd Kamrath, residing north of Forrest, was injured in a combine last Thursday. He caught his right foot in the machine and it was crushed in several places.
70 Years Ago
October 28, 1954
High Masonic and state national government officials will be in attendance here tomorrow night as Tarbolton Lodge No. 351, A. F. & A. M. honors its most exalted member, William B. Decker, at 99, the world's oldest living Master Mason. A 6:30 banquet at the high school with appropriate ceremonies following, has been planned. Over 300 will be in attendance. Mr. Decker, who has been a Mason for 78 years, was initiated into the Masons only 10 days following his 21st birthday, the earliest point of eligibility, On Dec. 7, 1875, at the Columbia Lodge of Chatham, N. Y. He has been a member of the local lodge since April 4, 1898.
Three persons in attendance at a recent auction shall remain anonymous in this taradiddle of their triflings. One, a Fairbury businessman of cheery mien, waved to a friend and found himself paying for a ladies' bright orange hat. A grandfather, steadfast and courageous, successfully bid for a maternity dress. The wager, or rather bid, was only 75c. A lady bargain hunter was so impressed by the suave prowess of the auctioneer that she bought a dollar bill for $1.50. People, especially people at auctions, are incomparable.
Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Bartlett have decided to serve lunches at their store at Third and Locust Streets. The Bartletts took over operation of the store Oct. 16.
60 Years Ago
October 22, 1964
Contractors have been invited to submit new bids on the Helen Lewis Smith Pavilion for Fairbury Hospital on the general construction, plumbing and electrical. The first bids on the project were rejected more than a month ago when the totals ran well over the available funds on the 27-bed convalescent wing which hospital directors hope to add under terms of the late Helen Smith's will. Hartzell Munz, chairman of the Smith Foundation, said that the board has instructed the architect, John H. Geiger, to change the building specifications in an effort to trim costs.
A Fairbury girl is among 10 Illinois State University coeds reaching for the homecoming queen crown during the Halloween holiday theme homecoming Oct. 30-31. Students will be voting on their choices for a queen and court of four to reign over festivities ranging from a pep rally with fireworks Friday night, Saturday morning parades, dances, alumni receptions and a football game with Mankato (Cinn.) State College Saturday afternoon. Queen contestants are Marlena Acerhart of Chicago, Kathleen Pizzimento of Chicago, Barbara Lentz of Chicago, Donna Stickling of Rockford, Barbara Hildreth of Fairbury, Sandra Marquiss of Monticello, Catherine DeYoung of Westen Springs, Sharon Matas of Streator, Audrey Farrell of Elgin and Kathleen Cummings of Naperville. Miss Hildreth is a junior in elementary education and is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ross Hildreth of Fairbury.
Pins representing 50 hours or more of service to the Grey Lady program of the Fairbury Red Cross chapter were presented last week to 11 area ladies by Mrs. Ed Dickey, chapter chairman. Receiving pins were Mrs. Lou Haley, Mrs. Dick Koehl, Miss Joyce Huber, Mrs. Tence Williams, Mrs. Robert Norris, Mrs. Leroy Ward, Mrs. Richard Friedman, Mrs. Hugh Wallace, Dee West, Barbara Koehl and Donna Quedens.
50 Years Ago
October 24, 1974
The Fairbury Blade has been awarded the Verle V. Kramer Memorial Trophy, emblematic of being named the state's outstanding weekly or semi-weekly newspaper of less than 5,000 circulation in the 1974 Illinois Press Association contest. The trophy presentation was made last Friday afternoon during the awards ceremony at the IPA's annual fall conference in Champaign. The Blade won eight individual awards for a total of 29 points to capture the coveted Kramer Trophy, which was inaugurated in 1969 in memory of the late publisher of the Gibson City Courier.
Miss Connie Haas, 1974 F-C homecoming queen reigned at the coronation ceremonies held October 17 in the Fairbury-Cropsey auditorium. Members of her court were Andrea Oprondek, Lisa Maley, Kristi Hoffman, Jeanne Tavener, Sally Wink, Patty Schroeder and Connie Ward. Escorts were Steve Crews, Scott Goslin, Ken Hoffman, Mark Elliott, Alvin Knapp, Mike Kelson, Art Whately and Jim Tribley. Master of Ceremonies was Ray Popejoy and pages were Randy Meador and Curt Mitchell.
Fairbury firemen were called to Honeggers and Company offices on Locust Street Tuesday shortly after 6:00 p.m. to extinguish a fire which is believed to have started in a wastebasket in the company's lower office wing. Although no damage estimate is available, according to Fire Chief Wayne Moser, smoke and water damage is evident throughout the lower office wing. In addition, the walls and ceiling in the area where the blaze broke out are scorched. Firemen were on the scene for two hours, Moser said.
40 Years Ago
October 18, 1984
Stephen C. Weeks was notified this week that he had passed the Illinois Bar exam, and is now awaiting notice of the date on which the Illinois Supreme Court will administer the oath and issue licenses to the successful applicants of this year's class. Since Aug. 1, Weeks has been serving as a law clerk in the office of his uncle, Harvey S. Traub in Fairbury, and following the Springfield ceremony, he will be associated with that firm, Harvey S. Traub, Ltd.
It's FCHS vs. FSW in a Sangamon Valley Conference football showdown Friday night. Showdown?? You betcha. Forget that both teams are 1-5 for the season. This one is for bragging rights along U.S. 24. And this Friday's game could really be a special one since voters in the two adjacent districts, along with Chatsworth, are casting ballots within a month on the question of consolidation.
After nine hours of mediation stretching into the wee hours of the morning last Thursday, a settlement was reached in the Unit 3 teacher contract talks. The contract calls for an increase of slightly less than five percent in the base salary, up to $13,850 from $13,200. Both sides said they were glad the contract talks were settled before the voters go to the polls in early November to decide the fate of a proposed consolidation of the Fairbury-Cropsey, Forrest-Strawn-Wing and Chatsworth districts.
30 Years Ago
October 19, 1994
Thirty-one bicycle riders rode 744 miles and collected a total of $2,270.26 for St. Jude's Wheels for Life Bike-a-Thon held last month at Forrest. Event chairman Denny Vaughan expressed, "special thanks to the Forrest American Legion and the Forrest Lions Club for providing funds to purchase prizes, Prairie Central Jr. High for allowing the use of their football field facility and to Mary Vaughan and the Forrest Lady Bugs 4-H Club for providing refreshments. Prizes went to the top five riders who collected the most contributions and included Colin Vaughan, who collected $233.15; Joey Delaney, who collected $207; Alex Hodges, third place; Mark Schneider, fourth place; and Jason Leman, fifth place.
Once again Prairie Central High School students have excelled in ACT scoring across the board compared not only to state and national averages, but among 13 area school districts as well. Prairie Central 1993-94 ACT Assessment Scores ranked second only to University High School in Normal. The composite score for PCHS was 23.4, while U-High's composite score was 23.6. These scores more than topped the national composite average of 20.8 and Illinois state average of 21.1.
Jason Whitfill, a 1994 Prairie Central graduate, will be playing baseball in the spring for Lincoln College. Jason "walked on" in the early part of September and was placed on the roster early last week after participating in the fall league. He is the son of Tom and Becky Whitfill of Fairbury.
20 Years Ago
October 20, 2004
Prairie Central High School has announced that Kyle Miller, from the graduating class of 1988 is the Prairie Central High School Hall of Fame inductee for the 2004-05 school year. The Hall of Fame was created to recognize former PCHS students who have demonstrated "Pride in Excellence," the motto of Prairie Central. Miller graduated from Prairie Central in 1988. He attended Joliet Jr. College before transferring to Western Illinois University, where he majored in Agriculture Education. Returning to his alma mater, Miller has become an outstanding ag teacher. Additionally, Miller has helped to prepare numerous state and national FFA judging teams.
Selma Bachtold of Fairbury will observe her 90th birthday on Oct. 25. A daughter of Heika and Hannah Winterland Harms, Mrs. Bachtold was born in Yates Township on Oct. 25, 1914. She married Walter Bachtold on March 4, 1941. They made their home in rural Strawn where they worked on the farm for 40 years. She in the mother of two sons, Richard (Dorothy) who lives in Massachusetts; and Terry (Judy) of rural Strawn. She also has five grandchildren and three great-granddaughters.
Vendall Sanders of Chatsworth always wanted to go sky-diving, but waited until his recent 70th birthday to fulfill his desire. With the okay and blessing of his wife Marlene, Sanders got to do his thing, during the World Skydiving competition at Rantoul recently. Prior to the dive, Sanders watched a 10-minute instructional video to acquaint him with what to expect. The day was perfect for a sky ride, according to Sanders who said there was no wind, just white puffy clouds to fall through.
10 Years Ago
October 22, 2014
Selma Bachtold of Fairbury will celebrate her 100th birthday on Oct. 25 at 4 p.m. at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Forrest. A light supper, cupcakes and ice cream will be served.
Laura Zehr of Fairbury and Andy Manz of Paulding, Ohio, were united in marriage on Aug. 3, 2014 at the Fairbury Apostolic Christian Church. The bride is the daughter of Nelson and Amy Zehr of Fairbury, and the bridegroom's parents are Don and Connie Manz, Paulding. Following a reception at the Fairbury Apostolic Christian Fellowship Hall, the couple took a wedding trip to Colorado. The bride is a 2008 graduate of Prairie Central High School and a 2012 graduate of Illinois State University with a degree in biology education. The bridegroom is a 2007 graduate of Paulding High School and a 2011 graduate of Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne University. He is currently employed as an accountant at Do It Best Corporation in Fort Wayne, Ind. The couple resides in Briceton, Ohio.
The new memoir from former Fairbury resident M. Shannon (Spray) Hernandez, “Breaking the Silence,” is a heartbreaking story not only of a devoted and passionate teacher but also of a woefully inadequate educational system that demands miracles from overworked teachers and under-funded schools. While “Breaking the Silence” is a powerful indictment of the U. S. public school system, it is also a deeply personal journey of a woman's quest to transcend the unfair constrictions of her career, as well as seek personal and professional happiness once again. This timely and powerful book will resonate with teachers across the country who must remain silent due to fear of retaliation, parents who want better conditions for their children and policymakers who fail to match rhetoric with reality.
("Looking Back" from Kari Kamrath is sponsored each week on Fairbury News by Duffy-Pils Memorial Homes)
