Skip to main content

Full text of "Elsah History"

See other formats


.»»%» 


ELSAH  HISTORY 


Number  One 


Fall,  1971 


About  Historic  Elsah 


Historic  Elsah  Foundation  has  had  a  long  begin  - 
ning,  first  as  a  garden  club,  then,  finding  its  direc- 
tion in  the  preservation  and  enhancement  of  the  his- 
toric qualities  of  the  village,  as  Historic  Elsah.    In 
that  phase,  there  was  a  period  of  hesitation,  during 
which  it  was  found  that  meetings  did  not  attract  mem- 
bers, who  were  busy  with  many  other  activities. 
An  opportunity  for  an  annual  house  tour  was  missed, 
during  the  summer  of  1970,  because  of  the  involve- 
ment of  members  in  other  projects. 

But  the  need  for  an  organization  was  too  apparent 
to  allow  the  idea  to  lie  fallow  for  long,  and  during  the 
winter  of  1970-71,  a  revision  of  the  organization  was 
was  designed  by  a  group  of  interested  members.     As 
a  result,  this  past  summer  "Foundation"  was  added 
to  our  name,  and  we  became  a  not  for  profit  corpor- 
ation under  Illinois  law.    Currently  we  are  applying 
to  the  IRS  for  status  as  an  organization  contributions 
to  which  arc  tax  deductible.    We  hope  this  will  come 
about  in  the  near  future.    Our  acceptance  as  such  an 
organization  depends  in  part  on  the  predominance  of 
our  educational  activities,  of  which  this  newsletter 
is  one. 

In  a  meeting  in  August,  the  following  directors 
were  appointed:    Alma  Barnes,  Edith  Belote,  Cyrus 
A.  Bunting,  Josephine  Copeland,  Pat  Farmer,  Char- 
les Hosmer,  Inge  Mack,  Barbara  Swett,  and  Paul  Wil- 
liams.   An  attempt  was  made  to  draw  directors  from 
various  groups  with  an  interest  in  the  village,  and 
this  balance  will  be  maintained,  and  we  hope  improv- 
ed, at  such  time  as  directors  are  replaced.     For  the 
first  year,  Charles  Hosmer  will  act  as  president, 
Paul  Williams  as  vice  president  and  editor,  Edith  Be- 
lote as  secretary,  and  Jo  Copeland  as  treasurer. 
Members  wishing  to  read  the  by-laws  or  articles  of 
incorporation  may  apply  to  any  of  the  directors  to  do 
so. 

What  the  future  holds  is  not  yet  clear,  and  will 
depend  both  on  our  dedication  and  the  amount  of  sup- 
port we  are  able  to  muster.     There  is  much  to  do. 


Elsah  is  an  unusual  historic  community,  abounding 
with  educational  opportunities,  and  in  places  badly 
in  need  of  preservation. 

As  it  turns  out,  our  new  headquarters  is  also 
our  first  preservation  project.    Since  the  village  gov- 
ernment has  moved  its  headquarters  to  the  old  Elsah 
school,  which  has  been  renamed  the  Village  of  Elsah 
Civic  Center,  the  Village  Hall  has  been  made  avail- 
able for  lease  on  extremely  generous  terms.    But  we 
are  also  responsible  for  its  upkeep,  and  must  take 
this  assignment  very  seriously.     The  Hall  is  one  of 
those  buildings  absolutely  necessary  to  the  historic 
appearance  of  the  village.     And  it  needs  much  restor- 
ation, including  (with  Village  Board  approval)  stra- 
ightening, bracing,   reroofing,  resheathing,  paint- 
ing,  rewiring,  and  work  on  the  interior.     To  accom- 
plish this  work,  we  will  need  much  support. 

We  have  already  consulted  with  an  architect  well 
versed  in  preservation  projects,  and  have  gained 
from  him  a  much  clearer  idea  of  what  needs  to  be 
done.     Right  now,  we  are  inquiring  into  the  costs  of 
the  work.  ■ 

We  hope  that  our  program  is  not  all  work  or  all 
education.    The  annual  Christmas  party,  which  has 
proved  to  be  such  a  success  in  the  past,  will  be  con- 
tinued.    We  are  also  planning  slide  shows,  an  old 
movie  night,  and  an  annual  historic  trip.    We  hope 
that  previous  members  will  respond  to  our  new  call 
for  annual  dues,  and  that  many  new  members  will 
join  with  us.    Dues  are  still  $2  per  year  for  indivi- 
duals, $3  for  families.    Sustaining  memberships 
are  $10  or  more.    While  the  newsletter  is  included 
with  individual  and  family  memberships,  sustain- 
ing members  are  also  given  free  all  leaflets  pub- 
lished.    A  form  for  joining  or  renewing  will  be  found 
inserted  in  this  newsletter.     It  can  be  sent  with  dues 
to  P.  O.  Box  117,  Elsah,  Illinois,   62028,  or  given 
to  any  of  the  directors.    Please  join  with  us.    We 
need  everyone's  support. 


ELSAH  HISTORY,  published  quarterly  in  Spring,  Summer,  Fall,  and  Winter  issues  by  Histor- 
ic Elsah  Foundation,  Paul  O.   Williams,  editor.    Subscription  is  with  membership.    Send  to  P.  O. 
Box  117,  Elsah,  Illinois    62028.    Rates:    individual,  $2;  family,  $3;  sustaining,  $10  or  more.  Sam- 
ple copies  available  on  request. 


r 


Elsah  History 


Fall,  1971 


Elsah    Quarry 


As  part  of  its  new  oral  history  program,  HEF 
is  interviewing  elder  Elsah  citizens  about  their 
experiences  in  its  history.    The  first  to  appear  in 
a  newsletter  is  one  with  Dewey  McDow,  who  was 
born  and  raised  in  Elsah,  who  built  the  bungelow 
he  still  lives  in,  in  Elsah,  in  the  early  20's,  and 
who  is  in  retirement  after  many  years  work  on  the 
railroad.    The  Western  Whiting  Mill  operated  a 
quarry  in  Elsah  from  1903  to  1928.    Mr.   McDow  work- 
ed there  during  the  earlier  years  of  its  operation,  and 
gives  his  recollections  in  the  following  interview: 

Interviewer:    Did  you  ever  work  in  the  Elsah  quarry? 
Mr.  McDow:    Yes,   sir. 
Int. :    When  was  that? 

D.   M. :    We  did  that  work  when  we  was  kids  going  to 
school  in  the  summertime.    Didn't  have  nothing  to  do. 
In  summertime  in  them  days  there  was  nothing  to  do. 
Int. :    What  did  you  do? 

D.   M. :    Break  rocks  with  a  sledge  hammer. 
Int. :    That's  hot  work. 

D.  M.:    Yeah.    We  got  fifteen  cents  an  hour  for  it. 
Ten  hours  a  day.     A  dollar  and  a  half  a  day.    I  fired 
two  boilers  down  there.    Had  about  five  or  six  engines 
on  them,  twelve  hours  a  night  for  two  dollars.    Two 
big  boilers.    You  had  your  head  in  the  fire  box  all 
night  long  to  keep  them  going. 
Int. :    Did  you  use  coal? 
D.  M. :    Yeah,  coal. 

Int. :    Did  that  come  on  the  railroad  or  by  river? 
D.  M. :    Shipped  it  in  on  the  railroad.    Slack  coal. 
Yes,  sir. 

Int. :    I've  heard  that  Walter  Cresswell  worked  there. 
D.   M. :    He  was  foreman  in  the  quarry  there. 
Int. :    Do  you  remember  anything  about  blasting  down 
there? 

D.  M.:    Yes.    Willie  Rister  used  to  run  that  steam 
drill  for  years,  he  did.    Bring  the  bits  up  here  to  the 
blacksmith  shop  and  sharpen  them.    The  drill  bits. 
Int.:    Was  that  Tonkinson's? 
D.  M. :    Tonkinson's  blacksmith  shop. 
Int. :    He  had  charge  of  the  blasting? 
D.  M.:    Willie  Rister  drilled  the  holes  and  Walter 
Cresswell  loaded  them.    Put  dynamite  down  there. 
Some  they  lit  the  fuses,  and  some  they  used  batter- 
ies.   Pull  a  battery  up  and  let  it  go. 
Int. :    I  bet  that  made  a  roar. 

D.  M. :  Yeah.  It  sure  did.  I've  seen  it  throw  rocks 
right  over  the  top  of  this  hill  over  here  in  the  early 
days. 

Int. :    Did  they  ever  hit  anything  with  them? 
D.   M. :    No.    They  never  hit  anything  that  I  know  of. 
They'd  come  over  here  and  light  in  the  streets  or  some 


thing  like  that. 

Int. :    How'd  the  people  like  that? 
D.  M. :    Well,  they  couldn't  do  nothing  about  it.    In 
them  days  they  was  working  there  for  a  living.    You 
know.     Nothing  else  to  do  in  them  days.    You  know  a 
dollar  and  a  half  a  day  was  a  lot  of  money  in  them 
days.    Fifty  years  ago. 
Int. :    How  often  did  they  blast? 

D.  M. :    Two  or  three  times  a  day.    Have  some  great 
big  rocks  three  or  four  times  bigger  than  that  stove, 
and  put  two  or  three  sticks  of  dynamite  on  there  and 
put  some  mud  on  top  of  it,  then  put  a  fuse  on  it,  and 
light  her  off  and  get  away.    Maybe  ten  or  fifteen  at  a 
time.    Somebody  would  just  touch  a  match  to  it  and 
light  it  and  that  powder  would  go  right  down  to  it. 
Give  you  a  chance.    The  fuse  was  made  to  burn  a  foot 
a  minute,  or  something  like  that. 
Int. :    How  did  they  do  the  drilling? 

D.  M.:    They'd  start  from  the  top  and  work  down,  then 
shoot  off  eighteen  feet  or  so  at  a  time.    You've  seen 
where  those  trees  are  growing  halfway  up  the  side  of 
the  quarry?    Well,  that's  where  they  stopped  when  they 
quit  working. 

Int. :    Then  the  drill  bits  were  eighteen  feet  long? 
D.  M.:    No,  they'd  start  off  with  a  short  one,  you  see, 
then  when  it  run  out  they'd  take  it  off  and  put  a  longer 
one  in,  you  see.    Then  they'd  shoot  off  a  ledge,  maybe 
ten  foot  back— shoot  it  right  off.     In  Grafton,  at  one 
time  they  drilled  by  hand.    Just  stand  there  and  keep 
turning,  put  a  little  water  in,  and  turn. 
Int. :    Did  they  use  a  machine  in  Elsah? 
D.  M. :  Oh,  yes.    They  had  a  steam  drill  here.    Pipe 
steam  up  on  the  top  of  that  bluff.    Then  when  air  come 
in  they  had  one  of  these  air  hammers. 
Int. :    Then  you  broke  up  the  smaller  pieces  with  a 
sledge  hammer? 

D.  M. :    Yeah.    Until  they  were  about  the  size  of  a  loaf 
of  bread.    If  they  were  too  big  they  wouldn't  go  through 
the  crusher. 

Int. :    Did  that  crush  them  into  powder? 
D.  M.    No,  just  crush  it  into  gravel.    Then  they'd  run 
it  through  a  big  screen  and  different  sizes  would  go  in 
different  bins.    They  had  dust,  then  quarter  inch,  half 
inch,  and  three  quarters.    They  used  it  for  concrete, 
just  the  way  they  do  the  rock  from  Grafton  quarry  to- 
day.   Just  crushed  it  the  same  way.    There  was  too 
much  flint  in  it,  though.     Flint  don't  make  good  con- 
crete, you  know. 

Int. :    So  that  helped  to  close  down  the  quarry? 
D.  M. :    Yes,  that's  right.    The  state  wouldn't  pass  it. 
Int. :    Did  they  make  whitewash  with  it? 
D.  M. :    Well,  they  made  whiting,  or  putty,  out  of  it, 
and  stuff  like  that.    And  that  was  all  shipped  out  on 
the  railroad. 

Int. :    Did  they  ship  any  at  all  on  the  river? 
D.  M. :    No. 

Int. :    Were  most  of  the  men  that  worked  in  the  quarry 
from  Elsah? 

D.  M. :    Everybody  was  from  Elsah. 
Int. :    Did  any  men  move  to  Elsah  to  work  there? 
-D.  M. :    Ch,  yeah,  everybody  moved  here  because  it 


Fall,  1971 


Elsah  History 


Page  Three 


was  handy  and  they  had  no  roads  in  here,  really,  in 
them  days. 

Int. :  Then  they  moved  out  when  the  quarry  closed? 
D.  M. :  Yeah.  Some  of  them  did.  Some  worked  at 
Grafton  or  around  Grafton.    You  know  there  was  no- 


thing to  do  here  then. 

Int. :    Thank  you  very  much  for  talking  with  me  about 

the  old  days  in  the  quarry. 

D.  M. :    You're  welcome. 


Elsah  workers  pose  in  the  quarry.    The  quarry  building  in  the  background  was  originally  built  as    the  Knapp 
and  Goodrich  flour  mill  in  1857.    Later   it  was  the  home  of  Enos  Doron's  celebrated  Silver  Moon  flour  before 
being  converted  for  quarry  uses  by  the  Western  Whiting  Company.    Picture  courtesy  of  Mrs.  Walter  Cresswell. 


News  Notes 


Log  Cabin  Uncovered 

The  construction  of  apartments  at  the  far  end  of 
the  Elsah  Hills  subdivision  has  resulted  in  the  taking 
down  of  an  old  white  frame  house  in  bad  condition  be- 
hind the  apartment  site.    The  razing  process  revealed 
that  inside  the  walls  of  one  section  of  the  house  was  a 
log  cabin,  which  formed  a  core  structure  around  which. 
as  is  so  often  the  case  in  the  rural  midwest,  the  rest 
of  the  structure  was  built.    It  formed  an  interior  of 
fourteen  by  sixteen  feet,  and  was  built  over  a  native 
stone  basement  still  in  good  condition.    The  brick  and 
stone  arch  over  the  basement  stairway  was  in  fine 
shape.    Almost  all  the  logs  were  oak,  both  white  and 
black.    One  short  one  was  sycamore.    Although  the 
logs  were  squared,  fitted,  and  pegged,  some  bark  still 
adhered  to  the  horizontal  edges.    Carol  Belden,  owner 
of  the  structure,  has  given  HEF  a  log,  with  pegs  in 
place,  as  an  item  for  our  museum.    Initial  specula- 
tion puts  the  age  of  the  cabin  at  considerably  more 
than  a  hundred  years.    Further  investigations  will 
be  reported  in  our  next  newsletter. 


A  Course  Involving  Elsah 

A  half  course  project  in  research  and  writing 
local  history,   using  Elsah  as  its  material,  will  be 
offered  for  the  first  time  this  fall  at  Principia  Col- 
lege.   This  will  provide  students  a  chance  to  do  ori- 
ginal research,  which  might  lead  to  publication;  will 
teach  research  techniques,  and  will  incidentally  great- 
ly speed  the  rate  at  which  new  information  about  Elsah 
is  uncovered.    The  present  instructor  is  Paul  Williams. 
With  continued  interest,  the  course  will  be  offered 
each  quarter. 

A  Gift  to  HEF 

The  Elsah  Volunteer  Emergency  Corps  was  recent- 
ly disbanded,   their  work  now  being  taken  over  by  the 
emergency  corps  of  Alton  and  Grafton,  and  by  the 
Quarry -Elsah  Volunteer  Firefighters'  Association. 
In  closing  out  their  funds,  the  Emergency  Corps 
donated  to  several  organizations,  including  Histor- 
ic Elsah  Foundation,  which  received  a  check  for 
$55.  63.    We  are  very  grateful  for  this  gift,  which 
has  been  put  toward  the  publication  of  this  news- 
letter. 


Page  Four 


Elsah  History 


Fall,  1971 


Publications  Planned 

Elsah  History  the  newsletter  of  Historic  Elsah 
Foundation,  gets  underway  with  this  issue.    It  will 
appear  four  times  a  year,  with  occasional  supple- 
ments, and  will  contain  news  and  information  of  the 
organization,  as  well  as  short  historical  articles  about 
the  area  and  reprinted  materials. 

In  addition,  leaflets  are  planned.  These  will  be 
issued  as  conditions  permit.  They  will  be  of  no  pre  - 
determined  size,  but  will  take  their  dimensions  from 
the  subject  they  cover.  Thus  they  may  range  from  a 
folded  sheet  of  four  pages  to  a  considerable  pamphlet. 
It  is  hoped  that  they  will  provide  a  continual  flow  of 
new  information  on  subjects  related  to  the  past  of  the 
Elsah  area.  Leaflets  will  be  free  to  sustaining  mem- 
bers. 


constitute  a  considerable  part  of  the  activity  in  the 
town  each  summer. 

Professor  Struever  welcomes  visitors  and  pro- 
vides guides  for  them  at  the  Koster  site.    The  foun- 
dation also  welcomes  and  needs  financial  support 
from  interested  citizens.     As  the  most  intense  prob- 
ing into  the  prehistoric  past  in  our  area,  it  certainly 
deserves  the  aid  of  all  who  would  preserve  our  his- 
tory.   Friends  of  the  Koster  Expedition  receive  news- 
letters about  the  progress  of  the  dig. 

During  the  winter  months,  the  Kampsville  archa- 
eological museum  has  been  transferred  to  Carrollton, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  local  chamber  of  commerce. 
It  may  be  visited  there. 

Museum  Planned 


Acknowledgements 

We  are  grateful  to  Mr.  W.  Philip  Cotton  for 
advice  on  the  restoration  of  the  Village  Hall.      We 
are  also  grateful  to  James  Schmidt  for  the  design 
which  heads  the  first  page  of  this  newsletter ',  and 
which  we  will  use  elsewhere  as  a  symbol  of  the  or- 
ganization.   Thanks  also  are  due  to  Gene  Shultz  for 
printing  the  newsletter,  and  for  the  many  valuable 
suggestions  he  made  in  the  process. 

Elsah  in  California 

This  past  summer,  Charles  Hosmer  had  the  op- 
portunity to  interview  Mr.  Byron  Brock  in  Vallejo, 
California.     Mr.   Brock  was  born  in  the  Brock-Belote 
house,  on  LaSallc  Street,  Elsah,  in  1893.    His  fam- 
ily moved  to  Washington  when  he  was  four,  and  re- 
turned in  1W4  for  a  visit.     Although  Mr.   Brock  has 
not  seen  Elsah  since,  his  memories  of  the  area  were 
vivid  ;is  recorded  on  tape  for  our  oral  history  collec- 
tion.   He  also  had  some  old  Elsah  pictures,  which  he 
allowed  us  to  copy.    One  especially,  of  the  waterfront, 
is  a  valuable  document. 

Another  Elsah  native  now  living  in  California 
is  Mrs.   lieulah  Carpenter,  granddaughter  of  Elsah' s 
diarist  and  inventor,  William  McNair.    She  has  given 
much  valuable  information  and  pictures  of  Elsah' s 
past. 

Koster  Site 


The  Village  of  Elsah  is  planning  to  use  the  former 
upper  room  of  the  Elsah  School,  now  part  of  the  Village 
of  Elsah  Civic  Center,  as  a  museum  for  materials  of 
historical  interest  relating  to  Elsah' s  past. 

The  new  Civic  Center  is  now  being  refurbished  and 
repainted.    On  volunteer  Saturdays,  complete  with  a 
fish  fry,  a  number  of  villagers  contributed  their  time 
and  muscle  in  interior  painting  and  cleaning  up.    Our 
picture  below  shows  Mayor  Edward  Keller  puttying  in 
the  upper  room  in  preparation  for  painting. 


Under  the  direction  of  Professor  Stuart  Struever, 
of  Northwestern  University,  the  Koster  expedition, 
working  near  Eldred,   Illinois,  has  progressed  great- 
ly this  past  summer,  its  second  full  summer  of  opera- 
tion.   Since  the  dig  is  only  about  a  forty  -five  minute 
drive  from  Elsah,  it  is  a  good  place  to  visit  during 
the  summer — next  summer  now. 

The  Foundation  for  Illinois  Archaeology  has  been 
based  in  Kampsville  for  several  years.     A  growing  or- 
ganization, it  promises  to  enhance  greatly  the  archaeo- 
logical knowledge  of  the  area.     At  Kampsville,  a  mu- 
seum open  to  the  public,  as  well  as  four  field  labs,