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OHS Newsletter Volume 2, Issue 2, July 1998
In this issue: Officers and Directors, 1997-1998
Newsletter Editorial Staff
President's Message I want to thank everyone who has helped at the Museum these past six months and those who have donated articles to display. Please try to come to our meeting on the third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. We need your input. Please invite your friends and neighbors to visit the Museum, come to our meetings and to join the Society. We can always use more help at the Museum and on committees.
Bill Peach Special Thanks A special thanks to Thomas Hardware for donating display units and to Angie Klohr and Chris Denneot of Natural Wonders at the Mall for donating several display cases. A special thanks to Frances Zotz and Carol Souza for the excellent job that they did in cleaning the second floor of the Museum. It is now open for tours, upon request, thanks to all of that hard work! A special thanks to Ralph Lurtz for seeing to it that the new lights were installed in the basement - now we can see what we are doing down there! A special thanks to Carol Souza and Betty Lehman for all of the hours that they spend cataloging all of those incoming artifacts! A special thanks to Mary Dodd for filling out those papers to enter our Rock Springs Cemetery Project in the Midwest Living's 1998 Homecoming Pride Award Contest. Our Society was 1 of 72 (out of 700 entries) to receive an Honorable Award Certificate! Memorials This fiscal year, in memory of: Louise Wiechert, La Dorris Glenn, Henry (Hank) Corbier, De Wayne Lillie, Mildred Schrameck, and William Titter. Items of Interest On April 15, 1998, Girl Scouts from St. Clare School visited the Museum. On April 27, 1998, Girl Scout Troop 455 from the Estelle Kampmeyer School visited the Museum. On April 16, 1998, the William Holden items were put on display. Kathy Danielsen did an excellent job! The display was left in place for about a month, and then some of the items were put in a case for a permanent display. Be sure to look at it. On April 21, 1998, we celebrated the tenth anniversary of our O'Fallon Historical Society. We helped a college student with information about the Illinois Ninth Infantry. Dorothy Rasp of Kirkwood, MO has asked for help in finding out who is buried on the Rasp lot in St. Clare's Cemetery. I found (in Brian Keller's Schwarz Funeral Home list) that Lena Rasp Moore was "buried 2 graves down from Martin Rasp." If you have any other information, please call Doris Johnson at 632-4624. Looking Back Most cities of any size or importance thrived because of their location. O'Fallon was located on the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad. The O'Fallon Station was named for John O'Fallon, a resident of St. Louis and an officer of the O & M Railroad. The Centennial Book states that the first depot was located on the north side of the tracks, opposite the present station. It remained there until the station was destroyed by fire, after which it was located on the south side of the tracks. We haven't been able to determine when the fire occurred, but we have a 1893 insurance map that shows the depot on the south side of the tracks. A brick sidewalk was built in front of the depot in December 1903. The June 12, 1969 Progress stated that the depot was to be repaired. The March 23, 1972 paper stated that the B & O Depot was closed. The October 26, 1972 paper said that it was the end of an era for the B & O in O'Fallon. In December, 1972, Norma Brown opened her 'Good Earth Plants' in the building. In 1994, the City of O'Fallon started its efforts to buy the depot and the 3 parking lots that were owned by the railroad. The O'Fallon Transit Center Project was approved in June, 1998. Programs We have some programs lined up for the next 3 months and hope that you will be able to attend the meetings. July 21, 1998 - Timi Schopp will talk about "Main Street." Aug. 18, 1998 - Brian Keller will show his interesting slides about the Schwarz Furniture Store buildings. Sept. 22, 1998 - Don Joseph will show slides and tell us about the Boy Scout Organization in O'Fallon. Catalog Committee After 10 years of serving, Carol Souza and Betty Lehman have resigned from the Catalog Committee. As of July, 1998, the total number of artifacts is very close to 3,000. Membership Committee Our total membership as of July 21, 1998, is 110. Family 30, Individual 43, Life 22, Life Family 6, Life Honorary 3, Life Individual 3, Life Organization 3. Exhibit Committee As always, the Exhibit Committee has been busy the first half of 1998. Kathy Danielsen spearheaded a major theme display April 17-18 focusing on O'Fallon native son, William Holden, in honor of what would have been his 80th birthday. Featuring a wide range of pictures, movie posters, his baby bed, and other items, the exhibit was well attended and received excellent coverage in the newspapers. We've received an amazing assortment of new historical items since the beginning of the year. Here's a sampling: timbers from the grain bin at the old Tiedemann mill, a 1946 phone book with O'Fallon listings, a crank wall phone from the office at St. Ellen's mine, 1940s railroad timetables, O'Fallon Quality Dairy steel milk cans, 1940s and 1960s polling booths used in O'Fallon, WWII memorabilia from a USAAF pilot, an antique chamber bucket and a bed pan, numerous pictures of life in postwar 1940s by photographer Ken Miller, a 1940 Karo syrup can and roller skates, dinner plates, menu, pool cues, ash tray and fire extinguisher from Hartman's--and much, much more. Donations of historic items are always welcome, and as you can see, can include a wide range of things. A fascinating assortment of wooden chains and "life-like" tools, as well as an exceptional rendition of the Great Seal of the U.S., hand carved by Jack Canterbury, is on display. On loan is a 1920s wicker infant stroller and a late 1940s 6 inch TV set. We've received more display units from Thomas Hardware and are in the process of finding uses for them. There is light--and lots of it--in the basement thanks to the efforts of Ralph Lurtz. The second floor is cleaner than it has been in years thanks to Francis Zotz, Carol Souza, and the cleaning crew. Also, thanks to Ralph Keller who makes sure the museum is adequately staffed during our regular hours, and to Carol Souza and Betty Lehman, who catelogue the never ending influx of new items. We now have a "research corner" complete with bookshelves, table, and chairs near the back exit. Doris Johnson can often be seen there diligently working on scrapbooks for the Society. We hope to have the second floor opened for regular touring sometime this Fall, complete with new exhibits. The panoramic view of historic downtown alone is worth the climb! The annual Homecoming open house is planned for August 15-16, an expanded military display is planned for November (Veterans Day), and the annual Christmas display is scheduled for December. Stay tuned!
Last but not least, thank you to all volunteers who keep the museum going. It's our volunteers and supporters who make our museum one to be proud of, and one of the nicest small town museums in the area! Cemetery Project The O'Fallon Historical Society was recently recognized by Midwest Living Magazine for its community service efforts in the restoration of Rock Springs Cemetery. Midwest Living Magazine, in conjunction with Toyota, sponsors an annual "Hometown Pride" Contest which considers volunteer community projects for cash awards and other recognition. The restoration project was awarded an honorable mention in the historic preservation category. Over 700 projects throughout the Midwest were nominated. Sixteen projects received cash awards, and about 50 projects rated the honorable mention recognition. Readers of Midwest Living Magazine should check their August edition, which will review the contest and identify prize winners and honorable mention projects. Those who travel Hwy. 50 towards Lebanon may have noticed the markers at Commerce Drive providing directional arrows to Rock Springs Cemetery. Thanks to Fred Wiechert for coordinating with appropriate city officials to obtain and post these signs. The results of the ground penetrating radar survey conducted in September, 1997, by students from the University of Missouri, Rolla, were received in January, 1998. The survey identified the location of possible and confirmed the locations of burials at the cemetery. Many thanks to volunteers Tom Brennan and Brian Dodd, OTHS Class of '99, who plotted and staked those locations at the cemetery. On your next visit to the cemetery, you may find it interesting to note the color-coded stakes and their relation to the existing tombstones.
The four Civil War veterans buried at Rock Springs Cemetery were remembered with American flags on their graves during the Memorial Day and Independence Day holidays. The flags were donated by Coldwell Banker Brown Real Estate and placed by Mary Dodd, Tom and Rose Brennan. Be sure to thank the Brennans when you see them for their dedicated efforts in providing maintenance throughout the cemetery and landscaping at the entrace. Homecoming Hours
August 14 (Fri.) 1-4 (regular hours)
Remember to come to our O'Fallon Historical Museum on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 1 to 4. We are always adding artifacts. Look in some of the books - it is always fun to find out more about O'Fallon. If you have a few spare hours, please sign up to work. You will have time to look around to see what is new, and to become re-acquainted with O'Fallon as it used to be. |
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