 |
||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||
|
OHS Newsletter Volume 5, Issue 2, July 2001
In this issue: Officers and Directors 2001
Newsletter Editorial Staff
President's Message - Brian Keller The first half of 2001 has certainly been a busy one! Our flagship operation, so to speak, the museum, continues to be an important cultural attraction in downtown O'Fallon. There's always lots to see and, considering the steady flow of many interesting donations, always something new. If you haven't dropped by in a while, come and see what you're missing! We can always use your help too. Our most ambitious project this year was the moving of the old Weighmaster Building (better known as the money shack) from the Community Park. In the way of a planned parking lot, the city had planned to raze it. Our Society came to the rescue and convinced the city to let us move it to a compromise location--on the city parking lot in the 200 block of E. 1st Street. Special thanks goes to Syd Spengler who arranged for the pouring of a substantial concrete footing for the building. Spengler Plumbing and O'Fallon Lumber donated materials and Ott Mersinger, Marc Warchol, Ed Bernreuter, Jim Taylor (all of Labor Local 670) and Ryan Gross (Cement Masons Local 90) donated their labor. The actual moving of the building was coordinated by Bill Peach. Using donated equipment and labor, he was helped by Kevin Peach, Jerome Lehman and Frank Fohne. A masterful job! Thanks also to Karen Titter who took numerous pictures. And I don't want to forget to thank the O'Fallon police department for providing a police escort, City Engineer Sid LeGrand for working out a relocation spot and Alderman John West for taking a great interest in our efforts. Of course, thanks to the City of O'Fallon for their cooperation. There's much to do yet, though. The next step is to assess the building and plan renovation. It will take a while but we hope to restore it as much as possible to its original look when it was built in 1906 and was used as a public scale house. The parking lot on which it is now located is scheduled for redevelopment in a few years with the old building being somewhat of its centerpiece. We have set up a special fund to help pay for the renovations and established a committee to oversee them. Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. Finally, I want to mention Rock Spring Cemetery. Once again, $1000 was approved at the annual O'Fallon Township Town Meeting in April for upkeep of the cemetery. Thanks to the township officials for their support! But efforts to have the City of O'Fallon annex the property and possibly help with its upkeep have stalled for the moment. Nevertheless, Tom Brennan, the cemetery caretaker, continues to do an exceptional job of keeping the grounds looking beautiful. Thank you, Tom! And also thanks to Sandi Bennett of Coldwell Banker Brown who provides us with flags for the cemetery and to Mary Dodd who has helped place them. Oh, did I mention that we still have 2001 calendars left? You can still pick up copies at the museum at the reduced price of $5.00 each. Have an enjoyable summer! Special Thanks We would like to thank the Richard and Dorcas Cecil Fund for the generous dontation. Thanks to Girl Scout Troop 163 for 3 boxes of Girl Scout cookies. (They had visited the Museum on November 8th). Thanks to the 2 girls and their third grade class from the St. Clare School. They were honoring "People Who Serve" and had brought us "thank you" cards and a basket of fruit, cookies, and nuts. A special "Thank you" to everyone who helped to move the "Scale House," poured the foundation and floor, and those who paid for materials. (Their names are listed in the President's Message). We would also like to thank everyone who helps at the Museum in any way and those who donate articles. Items of Interest March 6 Brian keller, Joyce and Ralph Lurtz, Maurice Hesse and Doris Johnson took items from the Museum to display at "Museum Day" in Springfield, Illinois. May 13 Girl Scouts from the E. K. School visited the Museum and then Ralph Keller took them on a tour of the O'Fallon Cemetery. May 19 The O'Fallon Historical Preservation Committee presented Landmark Award plaques to Steven and Lizbeth Brown, Charles and Susan Hertich, Bruce and Theresa Nix and to the City of O'Fallon for the old City Hall. Programs January 16 We had our Christmas party. (Our December meeting had to be canceled becuse of the ice and snow). The Christmas music and Christmas cookies were great. February 20 President, Brian Keller, showed the videotape "Guide to Depression Era Art in Post Offices". March 20 No program. April 17 Gary Olds gave a short presentation on an Art and Craft School that he would like to see started in O'Fallon. It has been five years since we started the Museum and so refreshments were served. May 15 Brian played the interesting tape that was made when Josephine Shaw told the Society about her Willard family. Exhibits and Collections - Brian Keller We've had quite an assortment of donations in 2001 so far. Here's some (but certainly not all) the highlights. A 1900 Century Electric ceiling fan; 1940 George Bender autographed baseball; 1940s handkerchief apron; Bob Cryder football jersey; framed painting of Peach farm; Illinois Central Gulf and Norfolk & Western switch locks; Independent Engineering desk; Lebanon Advertiser Index Card compilation (1900-44); First National Bank metal bank; Minnesota A treadle sewing machine; numerous real estate tax receipts; ornate antique upright piano; papers from Ernest Tiedemann family and documents from E. Tiedemann Grocer Co.; Shiloh Cemetery deed; War bonds saving book with stamps; WWI AEF complete uniform; WWII army jacket; and WWII army uniform with cap. Many thanks to the following who have made donations the first half of 2001 and help make our museum one of the best around. Charles Bevirt, John Bode, Deb Cooper, Bob Cryder, Cindy Davis, Irving Dilliard, First Bank, Nora Ferguson, Elizabeth Fulford, Gary Graham, Ruth Grandcolas, Lucille Gross, Ben Hamm, Wayne Heilig, Edith Hock, Doris Johnson, Brian Keller, Mariann Lawler, Arline Magee, Main Street, Lynda McIntosh, Janice Lillie, Judy Meier, Virginia Monken, Bill Peach, Beth Reidelberger, Leslie Schau, Chris Schildknecht, Kathy Scott, LaDoris Sturman, Gene Thomas, Karen Titter, UCC Women's Guild, Joan Weinel, and Fred and Mary Wiechert. Special thanks to Mayor Gary Graham and Dean Rich for arranging to have the piano donated by Chris Schildknecht moved to the museum. That's one item that wouldn't fit in the trunk! As always thanks to Doris Johnson, Ralph Keller and Edna Wright who volunteer their time to keep the museum open. Also thanks to Candace Kirkman and son Aaron who are spending most Friday afternoons this summer at the museum helping out with whatever needs to be done. Library Committee - Doris Johnson I keep adding to the scrapbooks that I am making for the Museum. Do you have old pictures or postcards of O'Fallon, programs or things with names of O'Fallon businesses on them, or other items of interest about O'Fallon? When you find things of that kind, please remember that we are always glad to add them to our growing collections. Membership Committee - Carol Souza Our membership as of July 2001 is 107. We have 21 Family, 43 Individual, 41 Life and 2 Honorary Members. New memberships since our last newsletter are Mr. & Mrs. Gary and Tara Ahle, Dr. & Mrs. Don Joseph, Elizabeth Carson-Bird, Dorothy Falk, Marlene Lautz and Mrs. Vera L. McGuire. We lost one of our Honorary Life Members, Mrs. Mabel Peach, this month. Our sympathy goes out to the Peach Family. Memorials - Bill Jenner January through July 2001 memorials were given in memory of Laverne Hemmer, Josephine Shaw, Helen Hennrichs and Betty Cashman. Calendars - Betty Klingelhoefer The calendar for 2001 features pictures of churches and schools. It will make a nice keepsake. We have quite a few left and since the year is half over the price has been lowered to a donation of $5.00. If you would like to order one call 618-624-8409 or write to O'Fallon Historical Society, Box 344, O'Fallon, Illinois 62269. We will be happy to deliver or mail your order. Thank you. Rock Spring Cemetery - Maurice Hesse Since our January newsletter, the O'Fallon Cemetery Board recommended to the Properties Committee of the O'Fallon City Council that the City of O'Fallon annex the Rock Spring Cemetery and maintain the same. The Properties Committee did not approve, therefore, the Council did not approve the annexation. However, all is not lost. The city administrator suggested that the city officials approve some funding for the maintenance of the cemetery. Township officials have included $1,000 for maintenance of the cemetery in their budget. We thank them for their assistance. The Society appreciates the efforts of Rose and Tom Brennan in maintaining the cemetery. Looking Back - Doris Johnson The "Scale House" or "Weighmaster's Building" stood on East First Street (across from Thomas Hardware) from 1906 until it was moved in back of the old City Hall in 1940 when East First Street was to be widened. There was a scale in front of the building and there were a lot of men who had trucks who hauled coal from the mines and sold it to homeowners. If someone wanted coal the driver weighed the load, shoveled the coal into the basement or coal shed and then went back and weighed the truck to find out how much coal they had delivered. If they didn't want the whole load the trucker could go to the Scale House, weigh, and then deliver the rest of the coal to someone else. The building also served as the City Clerk's office for many years. In 1940 the City Clerk's office was moved to the City Hall. The City tried to sell the building in 1955. When no one was interested, it was donated to the Park Board and the building was moved to the Community Park. Organizations who had picnics in the park used the building to count money and it was called "The Money Shack". The building was about to be torn down to make room for more parking at the park when the Historical Society and the O'Fallon Preservation Committee stepped in to save it. After the Booster Mayfest, the building was loaded onto a truck and moved to the second block of East First Street where we hope to make it into a mini-museum. O'Fallon History Website Member Nancy Cole (Josephine Shaw's daughter) is generously donating the development and upkeep of our very own website. We're not actually "online" yet but our internet address will be http://www.ofallonhistory.org. It's a natural extension of our mission and will include lots of pictures and historical information. We will also have an email address, too. Nancy has done wonders with it so far. We'll let everyone know when it is up and running. Thank you, Nancy! ATTENTION: Please remember to stop in to visit the Museum. We are always getting in new things to see. Bring friends and relatives. Our hours are Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 1 to 4 P.M. |
 |
|
||||||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||
