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OHS Newsletter Volume 7, Issue 2, July 2003
In this issue: Officers and Directors 2003
Newsletter Editorial Staff
President's Message - Brian Keller It seems we are in a time of anniversaries. This year marks the bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase. Next year is the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the centennial of both the St. Louis World's Fair (more properly, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition) and the Olympics in St. Louis - the first held in the U.S. And it is also the Sesquicentannial (the 150th Anniversary) of the founding of O'Fallon. It was on May 11, 1854 when lots were sold at auction under an elm tree southeast of the railroad depot, which had just been christened "O'Fallon Station". It was that sale that marked the beginning of O'Fallon as a community -- the intent that there would be something more than just a depot and a water tank. The beginnings of O'Fallon. of course, are much more involved than that. Joseph Ogle arrived in this area as early as 1802. John Mason Peck did great things at his headquarters at Rock Spring, and farmers settled the land long before O'Fallon Station was built. But 1854 was the year that began to tie it all together into what we now know as O'Fallon. The Society has been hard at work in preparing for the Sesquicentennial. One of our most ambitious projects is the writing of a new history of O'Fallon. We hope that it will be a resource as treasured as the Centennial Book published in 1954. We are also planning numerous events centered on the anniversary theme for next year. The City of O'Fallon is also planning activities to celebrate the occasion. Details are sketchy at this point, but the Society, with its vast historical archives, will play a pivotal role in the festivities. To make this all come together, however, we will need the help of every Society member. As events and projects are crystallized, we'll be calling on everyone to participate in any way they can. Besides regular updates at our monthly membership meetings, there will also be history book and planning meetings that we hope you will consider being a part of. Stay tuned. On May 18 the Society hosted the O'Fallon Historic Preservation Commission's annual landmark awards ceremony. Plaques were given to the Le Yaeger family for the Behrns House at 109 W. Washington and to Paula Louis for Wiliam Holden's birth place at 319 N. Cherry. Society members Carol Souza, Barbara Nute, and Sara Hinchcliffe provided refreshments. Featured on display were furniture and rugs from the Behrns House and numerous posters from William Holden's many films, plus his baby bed on loan from Nina Barth. The Commission would like to make the presentation an annual event at the Museum -- a natural choice, we think. The Commission plans on designating our Scale House as an historic landmark in the near future. Also this year, the O'Fallon Monument Committee has been formed to erect a monument dedicated to the veterans of O'Fallon. Names of veterans will be engraved in granite. While location and exact design are still being worked out, the Committee is collecting names to be included. Any person who has been honorably discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces and who has at any time lived in O'Fallon, O'Fallon Township, or the OTHS district is eligible. A $75 donation to defray costs is required for each name. Applications can be picked up at the Museum. We were all saddened by the death of Edna Wright on Feb. 11, 2003. A charter member, one of our biggest boosters, and often the conscience of our Society, she will be sorely missed. She donated numerous historically valuable and interesting items to the museum where she spent many an enjoyable afternoon. As usual, the Rock Spring Cemetery looks stunningly beautiful thanks to Tom Brennan. The exterior of the Scale House is nearly complete and work is progressing on the interior. We have had a steady stream of visitors, individuals and tour groups to the Museum. Donations of many interesting items continue to roll in, as well. Haven't been to the Museum in a while? We can always use volunteers during the hours we are open, but even if you can't do that, come on in and look around. There is always something new to see. Special Thanks A special thanks to all who have helped at the Museum in any way -- we couldn't carry on without you. Thanks to those who have been working on the “Obituary and Marriage” project. Nan Cole has been very busy at her work but will continue putting the data on the internet as soon as she can. Thanks for the William Holden display. The baby bed that William Holden slept in, on loan from Nina Barth, added an interesting touch. Thanks to those who have helped refurbish the Scale House. Thank you to all who have donated artifacts -- they make our Museum more interesting. Items of Interest We have had a lot of groups tour the Museum since the beginning of the year: Feb. 19, Girl Scouts from Troop 23 of St. Clare School; Mar. 15, Troop 214; May 13, there were 60 St. Clare School students; June 25, St. Clare Senior Citizens; and Jul. 3, a group from the Y.M.C.A. Thanks to those members who helped with these tours. May 18, we hosted O'Fallon Historic Preservation Commission's landmark award ceremony. We celebrated the 15th Anniversary of the O'Fallon Historical Society at the May meeting. Programs
Exhibits and Collections - Brian Keller Here is a sampling of some of the interesting donations we received in the past 6 months: Theronoid Electromagnetic Solenoid (Quack Medicine), old wooden crutches, large wash tub, hand scythe, O'Fallon Centennial pictures and clippings, square nails and horse shoe nails, Allen's Grand Leader shoe brush, 1938-1939 Girl Scout uniform, Underwood typewriter from First State Bank, old cookbooks and goverment "How to do" booklets, corn shucker, Jaycee Football schedule, 1930 OTHS panorama picture, book Captains of the Wilderness by Carl Baldwin, beads from the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. To our donors, many thanks: Meredith Brown, Thelma Diekroetger, Richard Ellerbrake, John Elliott, Betty Feigenbutz, Larry and Edith Hock, Doris Johnson, Brian Keller, Ralph Keller, Vernon Monken, Mark O'Hara, Bill Peach, and Robert and Kay Pierce. Of special note are numerous items from Edna Wright's estate, including a small trunk filled with letters, pictures and other memorabilia -- many of World War II vintage. Special thanks to Kathy Danielsen and Brian Keller for loaning us many William Holden posters and memorabilia, and to Nina Barth for loaning us his baby bed. Library Committee - Doris Johnson I continue adding items clipped from the O'Fallon Progress, O'Fallon Journal and the Belleville News Democrat to the many scrapbooks at the museum. Do you have any items of interest from the church that you belong to -- special bulletins, membership booklets, pictures, etc.? I have 2 large scrapbooks filled with information about the O'Fallon United Church of Christ, plus directories, confirmation pictures, etc. I would welcome information about "your church" so that when other members come in, they can see things from "your church". We are willing to make copies or have copies made if you wish to keep your information or pictures. It is always nice to share your information with others. Membership Committee - Barbara Nute We have Family 14, Individual 40, and Life 47, for a total of 104 memberships. Rock Spring Cemetery - Maurice Hesse The status remains the same. Tom Brennan is doing a very good job of keeping it clean. Several members helped pick up limbs after a storm. We wish to thank the City of O'Fallon and O'Fallon Township for contributing $1,000 each for the upkeep of the cemetery. Scale House - Bill Peach Brian Keller painted the trim on the outside several weeks ago. The inside has been cleaned so that it is ready to paint. The members of the Historical Society voted to buy a spray paint gun. Bill Peach donated $20 toward that project. The painting will be done after the spray gun has been purchased. Looking Back - Doris Johnson The Schildknecht bulding that I wrote about in the January Newsletter was torn down in June. It is a shame to lose our old buildings, but the Schildknecht building was in such bad repair that it would have required too much money to put it back in shape. We can only mourn its loss. On the other hand, the old Hughes or Keck Department Store at 133 West First Street is being renovated. In 1908 Jacob Cohen bought the H. Rosenberg and Son lot, building, fixtures and stock for $2,800. In 1912 he had the building raised and a new addition built which gave him a 50 foot front. In 1927 Sam Cohen sold his business to Mr. and Mrs. William Hughes. They sold clothing, shoes, sheets, blankets, etc. After operating the store for 20 years, they sold it to Walter A. Keck and his wife. They operated the store for 31 years. (Walter Keck died in 1963). Fern Keck continued operating the store until she had a liquidation sale in 1978. After that the building housed a locksmith, Automated Office Service, Chamber of Commerce office, Schwinn Pedal In Annex, massage therapist, barber, O'Fallon Surplus Electronics, American Leader Computer, W.W. Video Store, and 14 residential rooms on the second floor. Note: This picture of the building was taken on May 30, 1993. At the time it housed the O'Fallon Surplus Electronics store and the American Leader Computer store.
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 1:00 p.m to 4:00 p.m.
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