Unusual Echoes Museum items

The Fairbury Echoes Museum in at 126 W. Locust in Fairbury. Normal visiting hours are 1-4 p.m. on Thursdays/Fridays and 9-11 a.m. Saturdays. In January & February, hours are 9-11 a.m. Saturdays.

The Fairbury Echoes Museum's holdings include some very unusual items.

The most unique one is a wreath sculpture made from human hair in the 1870s. In that era, hair wreaths were created from the hair of deceased loved ones as an honor and remembrance item. Mattie Jones and her sister Luvena painstakingly handcrafted the wreath in the museum.

Another very unusual item in the museum is an 1863 Civil War poster. This poster honors the Illinois 129th Infantry Company E, which was comprised of all Fairbury area men. Their Lieutenant Colonel was A. J. Cropsey. Mr. Cropsey was an early real estate developer in Fairbury. Both Cropsey Township and the village of Cropsey are named after him.

Internet searches revealed relatively few of these types of posters were created. Desertion was a significant problem during the Civil War because soldiers could quit and walk home. This poster may have been made during the Civil War to instill pride in their unit and discourage desertion. Relatively few Fairbury men deserted from Company E during the Civil War.

Levi Judson Odell (1855-1919) was a prolific inventor and businessman. Over his lifetime, Mr. Odell invented and manufactured three different product lines. His first product was check row corn planters. In the 1880s, farmers would string a rope line down their fields. The horse-drawn corn planter would drop a seed every time the planter encountered a knot in the rope. Mr. Odell manufactured his check row corn planter in Fairbury until his factory burned down.

Mr. Odell's second invention was an early version of the typewriter. Odell's unique design was advertised as capable of typing 60 words per minute. Mr. Odell sold several million typewriters until a different design won the contest and became the standard design. One of Mr. Odell's unique typewriters is on permanent display at the museum.

Levi Odell's third product line was shaving razors for women. He established a large factory in California and manufactured these razors for many years. One of these women's razors is also on permanent display in the museum.

Mr. Odell made the national newspapers while operating the California razor factory. A beautiful young lady applied for a job in his razor factory. Regular job interviews were conducted in one session. Mr. Odell interviewed this young lady three times. After the third interview, Mr. Odell told the job candidate the only way she could get a job in his factory was to marry him. This story made the national newspapers.

There was just one problem with this story. The problem was that Mr. Odell was still married to his first wife when he proposed to the young job applicant. Historical research found no marriage record, and a few years later, the young lady had moved back home with her parents.

In the early 1900s, Fairbury was still a pretty wild town. In that era, two City Marshals were murdered in the line of duty. In 1899, Sam Rightsell refused to pay Dr. Thatcher's $30 medical bill. Dr. Thatcher obtained a judgment against Mr. Rightsell. The judge directed the Fairbury authorities to sell Mr. Rightsell's animals to pay the doctor's bill. When Mr. Rightsell was not home, City Marshal Joseph Galloway took Rightsell's horse and cow to a livery stable to sell. Upon returning home and finding the authorities had removed his livestock, Mr. Rightsell purchased ammunition and decided to shoot Marshal Galloway. 

Mr. Rightsell confronted Marshal Galloway and tried to shoot him, but his gun would not fire. Marshal Galloway shot and wounded Mr. Rightsell in the leg. Mr. Rightsell limped into the basement of the large house at the southwest corner of Walnut and Fifth Streets. The house occupants phoned the Fairbury police, and Marshall Fred Baird was dispatched to the home. Marshal Baird knew nothing about the previous altercation between Marshal Galloway and Sam Rightsell. When Marshal Baird started down the basement stairs, Sam Rightsell shot and killed Marshal Baird.

The Blade published a sketch of Fred Baird, but the quality of this sketch is inferior. In 2016, an artist was hired to draw a new portrait of Fred Baird using the old Blade sketch. The artist did an excellent job, and the picture of Fred Baird is permanently displayed in the museum.

Carl Goudy and his brother William Goudy were world-class motorcycle racers in the 1908 to 1911 era. Both brothers were eventually inducted into the American Motorcycle Association Hall of Fame. In late 1910, Carl Goudy won the Chicago motorcycle race, the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world. After the race, Carl loaned his fast motorcycle to his brother. Will Goudy took the bike to California to race it. One day, Will Goudy and another professional driver were doing practice laps on the California track. A third professional driver entered the track and passed Will and the other racer. Unfortunately, the third racer dumped his motorcycle in front of Will and the other racer. To avoid running over the fallen driver and his bike, Will swerved one way, and the other driver swerved in the other direction. Both Will and the other racer were instantly killed when they struck objects on the edge of the track.

After the accident, Carl Goudy's Fairbury girlfriend told him that she would not marry him unless he gave up motorcycle racing. Carl followed her wishes and gave up motorcycle racing. The wedding dress of Hazel Dominy Bane, Carl's girlfriend, is on permanent display in the museum. A restored wedding photograph of Carl and Hazel Goudy is also on display.

The Fairbury Echoes Museum has many more unusual and unique items. In the summer months, the museum is open to the public on Thursdays and Fridays from one to four PM and Saturdays from nine to 11 AM. The museum observes its winter schedule in January each year and is open on Saturdays from nine to 11 AM. There is no admission charge for visiting the museum.

Dale Maley's weekly history article on Fairbury News is sponsored by Antiques & Uniques of Fairbury and Dr. Charlene Aaron.