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The Case of the Corpse in the Basement You just never know what you’ll find when you start cleaning out the basement. That’s a sentiment that could have been echoed by downtown merchants on October 9, 1923 when an unusual discovery was made in the Keil Building (109 E. 1st St.). The Progress reported that apparently when workmen started on alterations to the building, they found the corpse of a man in the basement. Naturally, word spread quickly with everyone coming to see the remains and give their thoughts on who it might be. One man claimed it was the father of “Old King Tut”. Howard Carter had just found Tutankharnun’s tomb the previous November, but there were some obvious logistical problems with that identification. Billy Williams said he was positive he had seen the man before because his face was familiar. Billy was “an old settler” in O’Fallon, and he would know. But when the excitement died down, it was learned that the “corpse” was actually made of wood. It was well-groomed and nicely laid in a cheap wooden casket. The facial features were exceptionally well-executed, and at first sight resembled those of a real person, but closer examination proved that it was just a “dummy”.
It wasn’t known how the coffin and contents came to be in the basement, but speculation was that it was used “many years ago” in lodge initiation rites since a number of lodges met in the building in years past. Over the years, O’Fallon has had many lodge organizations which were a vital part of the social and civic life of our community. Here’s a list of a few of them and the year they were founded in O’Fallon: Order of Easter Star (1902), Ancient Free and Accepted Masons (1867), Degree of Pocahontas Lodge (1904), Rebekah Lodge (1917) and Royal Neighbors of America (1898).
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