Skip to main content

Full text of "O'Fallon centennial celebration, 1854-1954, August 25-26-27-28-29 ... Souvenir program and history of O'Fallon"

See other formats 


,amO.S  HISTORICAI  SURVW 


OFALLON.    ILLINOIS 


lUIKSIS  HISIGRIGAL  %mil 


IS54   CENTEMHIAt  CEtElfellA^^riOM   -'?•?* 
AUGUST  25  -  26  -  27  -  28  -  29 


Fealuring  

THE  DRAMATIC  HISTORICAL  PAGEANT 

''^^cd  ^d  Our  ^acun" 

THURSDAY  and  FRIDAY  _  8  P.  M. 

Parades  -  Rides  -  Dances  -  Entertainment 

5  DAYS  OF  GALA  EVENTS  AND  FUN 

SOUVENIR  PROGRAM 

AND 

HISTORV  of  O'FALLON 
PRICE  —  50c 

1854  -  100  YEARS  OF  PROGRESS   -  1954 


/4  ^^ttteMncal   t<M^t 
7*  0"PaUxm 


The  charm  of  O'Fallon,  keeps  calling  me  home, 
It  calls  to  me  sweetly,  wherever  I  roam. 
On  highways  and  byways,  or  out  on  the  sea 
The  charm  of  O'Fallon,  keeps  calling  to  me. 
You're  only  a  town,  with  an  Old  Irish  name. 
You  have  your  faults,  but  you're  great  just  the  same. 
There  k^nd  hearts  and  true  friends,  I  meet  every  day. 
That's  why  I  miss  you,  when  I  am  aWay. 
Just  one  hundred  yeais,  have  now  come  and  gone, 
Since  you  as  a  village.  Were  cradled  and  born. 
The  charm  of  O'Fallon,  with  each  passing  year. 
Grows  ever  more  precious,  and  ever  more  dear. 

Wm.  Gash  WillarrJ 

Feb.  13,  1954 


Delbert  C.  Corbier 
ADVISORY 


Executive  Committee 


JOHN  L.  ANHEUSER 

GENERAL  CHAIRMAN 


Mayor  Henry  M.  Hesse 
ADVISORY 


^lerle  C.  Hesse 

TREASURER 


J.  i:.  Hiiuheliffe,  Sr. 
SECRETARY 


Col  John  OTallon 


Biography  of  John  OTallon 


John  OTallon.  from  whom  the  city  of  O' Fallon  derived 
cal  characters.  He  was  a  soldier,  a  business  man.  a  real  estate 

His  father,  James  O'Fallon,  was  a  physician  who  came 
served  as  a  surgeon  in  Washington's  army.    After  the  war  he 
Frances  Clark,  a  sister  of  George  Rogers  Clark  and  William 
ment  of  the  Mississippi  Valley. 

John  O' Fallon's  father  died  when  John  was  but  a  child 
With  this  army  background  it  was  only  natural  that  he,  too, 
rose   to   the   rank   of   Captain. 

After  the  war  ended  he  came  to  St.  Louis  and  became 
and  Clark  Expedition  fame.    Later  John  O'Fallon  was  a  conl 
a    profitable    business    and    he    accumulated    a    considerable 
ber  of  very  lucrative  enterprises,  among  them  railroads.    He 
Missouri   Pacific)    as  well   as   the   North   Missouri   Railroad 
more  and  Ohio)  and  was  the  first  president  of  each  of  these 
of  land  now  part  of  north  St.  Louis  which   he   subdivided 
a  large  country  home  which  he  named  Athlone  for  the  town 
later  acquired  by  the  city  of  St.  Louis  and  is  now  O'Fallon 

John  O'Fallon  is  remembered  for  his  many  charitable 
St.   Louis   University,   Washington   University,    and   particular 
institution  was  the  forerunner  of  the  St.  Louis  high  schools 
of  which  he  was  a  member  and  built  the  Methodist  Church 
Louis  of  which  is  wife  was  a  member. 

John  O'Fallon  died  December  17,  1865  at  his  home,  1125 


its  name,  was  one  uf  St.  Louis'  most  interesting  and  histori- 
owner.  and  public  minded  citizen. 

to  this  country  shortly  before  the  Revolutiona  -y  V  ar  and 
went   to   Louisville.    Kentucky,    where    he   met    and    mirried 

Clark,   Army  officers,   who   became  famous   in  the  develop- 

and  be  was  reared  and  educated  by  his  mother  and  uncles, 
became  a  soldier.    He  fought  in  the  War  of   1812   where   he 

assistant  Indian  Agent  to  his  Uncle  William  Clark  of  Lewis 
ractor,  buying  and  selling  supplies  to  the  Amriy.  This  proved 
fortune.    He  invested   his  newly  acquired   wealth   in  a   num- 

was  one  of  the  promoters  of  the  Pacific  Railroad  mow 
(now  the  Wabash)  and  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  (now  Balti- 

railroads.  His  most  gainful  investment  was  two  large  tracts 
into  building  lots.    On  a  part  of  one  of  these  tracts  he  built 

in  Ireland  from  which  his  father  had  come.  This  estate  was 
Park. 

and  educational  benefactions.  Among  these  were  gifts  to 
ly  a  large  gift  to  O'Fallon  Polytechnic  Institute.    This  latter 

and  public  library.  He  also  assisted  the  Episcopal  Church 
at  the  corner  of  Fourth  Street  and  Washington  Avenue  in  St. 

Washington    Avenue,   St.    Louis,   Missouri. 


(^aCe^dci%  a^  S^e^e^ 


WEDNESDAY,  AUGUST  25 

7:00  p.m.       Silver  Harvest  drawing  First  Street  and  Lincoln  Avenue. 

7:30  p.m.        Old  Timers    Parade.    Ancient  vehicles,  sponsored  by  Kiwanis  Club. 

Parade  to  be  followed  by  crowning  of  Centennial  Queen  and  awarding  of  prizes  to 

best    beards    and    old    fashioned    dress  costumes. 

Downtown  stores  to  cooperate  by  remaining  open  for  open  house. 

Dancing  in  the  streets.    Refreshments  for  remainder  of  evening. 

THURSDAY,   AUGUST  26 

12:00  Noon      Refreshment   stands,   Woman's   Club  Inform.ation  Booth  and  Friendship  Tent  open. 
12:00  Noon      Industrial    and    Scott    Air    Force    Base    exhibits    open. 

5:30   p.m.        Buckeye  Four  Jamboree.    Second   show  at  10:30  p.m.    Free. 

8 :00  p.m.        Historical  pageant  on  baseball  field.    Admission  is  free. 
10:15   p.m.        Exhibition  of  folk  dancing  by  the  Cosmopolitans. 

FRIDAY,  AUGUST  27 

10:00  a.m.  Industrial  tours  until  noon. 

10:00   a.m.  Mine    Rescue    display    truck    on    exhibit    throughout    day. 

10-00   am  Scott  Air  Force  Base  and  Industry  displays. 

12:00  Noon  Refreshment  stands,   Woman's   Club  Information  Booth  and  Friendship  Tent  open. 

2:30  p.m.  Buckeye   Four  Jamboree.     Shows   also   at   5:30   p.m.   and   10:30   p.m.    Free. 

8:00  p.m.  Historical    pageant    on    baseball    field.     Admission    is    free. 

10:00   p.m.  Free  square  dancing.    Callers  Joan  and  Frank  Keeser. 

10:30  p.m.  Exhibition   of   round    dancing   by  R.  H.  Rounders. 

SATURDAY,  AUGUST  28 

9:00  a.m.  Live    Stock    display    by    Friendly  Farmers,  4-H  Club  and  Soil  Conservation  group. 

9:00   a.m.  Industrial    and    Scott    Air    Force    Base    exhibits    open. 

10:00   a.m.  Woman's   Club   Information  Booth  and  Friendship  Tent  open. 

12:00  Noon  Refreshment  stands  open. 

1 :00   p.m.  Western  Parade. 

1:30  p.m.  Children's   Parade,   sponsored   by  Rotary  Club. 

2:30   p.m.  Wild  West  Rodeo. 

7:00  p.m.  First    Mardi    Gras   Parade.     Giant  float  parade.    All  organizations  to  participate. 

8:30   p.m.  Centennial    Hoedown    on    Tennis    Courts,  Harold  Mainor,  caller,  until  11:30  p.m. 

9:00   p.m.  Dancing  until  1:00  a.m.  to  Walter  Schlemmer's  orchestra. 

SUNDAY,  AUGUST  29 
Attend   church    in   the    morning.     Centennial    dress   welcome. 

9:00   a.m.  Live    Stock    display    by    Friendly  Farmers,  4-H  Club  and  Soil  Conservation  group. 

9:00  a.m.  Scott  Air  Force  Base  displays  until  4:00  p.m. 

9:00   a.m.  Refreshment  stands,  AVoman's  Club  Information  Booth  and  Friendship  Tent  open. 

1:00  p.m.  Western  Parade. 

2:30  p.m.  Wild  West  Rodeo. 

6:00  p.m.  Second  big  Mardi  Gras  Parade. 

8:00   p.m.  Dancing  until  midnight  to  Freddie  Fischer's  orchestra. 

8:00  p.m.        Centennial  Hoedown.    Square  Dancing  until  11:00  p.m.  on  Tennis  Court.    Joan  and 
Frank  Keeser,   callers. 

9:30   p.m.  Exhibition  of  square  dancing  (intermission)   by  R.  H.  Rounders. 

6 


City  Officials 


Aldermen:  Charles  Miller,  Charles  Heitman,  G.  G.  Budiiiu;  City  Clerk  Edwin  H.  Hesse;  City  At- 
torney P.  K.  Johnson,  Sr. ;  Mayor  Henry  M.  Hesse;  City  Treasurer  J.  Emmett  Hinchcliffe;  Alder- 
men: Edward  R.  Hemmer,  John  Fuchs,  and  Arnold  Dickinson 


Police  Department 


At  left.  Chief  of  Police  James  Tiley 
At  rijrht.  Patrolman  Eugene  Ferguson 


Candidates  for  Centennial  Queen 


At  the  time  this  booklet  went  to  press  the  Queen  Contest  had  not  yet  ended.  O'Fallon  Centennial, 
Inc.,  owes  these  young  ladies  a  debt  of  gratitude  for  their  efforts  in  advertising  the  Centennial. 
First  row,  from  left:  Claudette  Napier,  Virginia  Armstrong,  Norma  Lee  Warma,  Patsy  Eck.  Sec- 
ond row,  from  left:  Dorothy  Scott,  Darlene  Moore,  Barbara  Little,  and  Joan  Shea. 


Wedding  Dresses  "Thru  the  Years" 


Naomi  Poser,  Roberta  Ruth, 
Carrie  Peers,  Edna  Songer  and 
Kuth  Warma. 


Theodora  Zinkgraf,  Lucille 
Barrow,  Ann  Thomas,  Alma 
Hesse  and  Vera  McGuire. 


Audrey  Klein,  Marlene  Lautz, 
Theodora  Zinkgraf  and  Naomi 
Poser. 


-8- 


Early  History  of  OTallon  and  Surrounding  Area 


JAMES  DI3TLER,  ok.,  lirst  boy  born  in  O'Fallon  standing  in  front  of  the  first  school  house 
located  on  South  Lincoln  Avenue.  The  house  was  removed  from  the  site  in  May  1935.  (Pic- 
ture taken  in  1927) 


The  first  surveys  of  land  under  the  supervision  of  the 
government  of  the  United  States  were  made  in  this  section 
oi  the  country  in  1808.  The  surveying  of  Congressional 
Townships  was  not  completed  until  1814.  Later  the  town- 
ships were  divided  for  political  purposes  into  precincts. 
O'Fallcn  Precinct  situated  in  the  northern  part  of  St. 
Clair  County  was  irregular  in  form  and  contained  40  sec- 
tions or  about  25,600  acres  of  rich  productive  land.  The 
greater  part  of  the  precinct  was  contained  within  the  area 
known  as  Ridge  Prairie.  The  land  in  Ridge  Prairie  had 
sufficient  timber  and  water  to  make  it  desirable  for  set- 
tlement and  agricultural  purposes. 

The  first  settlement  in  the  O'Fallon  area  was  made 
in  Ridge  Prairie  in  1802  by  Captain  Joseph  Ogle.  In  1809, 
James  Lemen  with  other  members  of  his  family  settled 
in    the   precinct    and    constituted    Bethel    Baptist    Church. 


These  two  settlements.  Ridge  Prairie  and  Bethel,  had  a 
profound  influence  on  the  establishment  and  development 
of  O'Fallon. 

The  city  of  O'Fallon  received  its  name  in  honor  of 
John  O'Fallon,  a  prominent  and  wealthy  gentlemen  of 
St.  Louis,  and  who  was  at  that  time  interested  in  the 
promotion  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Railroad  which  is 
now  known  as  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad. 

In  1854  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Railroad  built  a 
depot  and  water  tank  on  the  present  site  of  the  city  and 
named  the  location  O'Fallon  Station  in  honor  of  Mr.  John 
O'Fallon.  Town  lots  were  platted  by  Ernest  Tiedemann 
under  the  direction  of  Frederick  A.  Carpenter  and  Hugo 
O.  Sheerbarth.  On  May  13,  1854,  under  the  big  elm  on  the 
commons  located  south  and  east  of  the  present  depot,  lots 
were  sold  at  public  auction.  The  top  price  paid  for  a  lot 
was  $10.00. 


The  first  residence  erected  in  O'Fallon  was  that  of 
John  and  Sarah  Distler  which  was  built  in  1851.  This 
house,  built  of  logs,  was  located  about  half  way  1..:- voen 
the  mill  and  the  present  IlUnois  Terminal  tracks.  Later 
this  house  was  moved  to  the  east  end  of  town  and  was 
made  part  of  a  dwelling  built  by  George  Slater.  John 
Distler  drove  a  team  of  oxen  and  assisted  in  the  grading 
and  preparation  of  the  road  bed  for  the  O&M  Railroad. 
Their  son,  James  Distler,  was  the  first  boy  born  in  O'Fal- 
lon. 

The  first  building  erected  after  the  town  was  platted 
was  a  small  frame  dwelling  built  by  Anderson  Umbarger 
in  1855  at  the  corner  of  State  and  Cherry  streets.  This 
house  is  presently  owned  by  Doctor  Edward  Trippel. 

The  second  building  was  a  residence  and  store  erected 
by  Henry  S.  Gordon  of  Randolph  County  in  the  fall  of 
1856.  Mr.  Gordon  soon  sold  out  the  store  to  his  son-in-law, 
S.  Mace,  who  continued  to  operate  it.  This  building  was 
n  the  site  of  the  building  presently  occupied  by  Ralph 
Thomas  at  112  West  State  street. 

In  1857,  Peach  and  Simmons  built  a  two  story  brick 
building  which  was  used  for  a  general  store.  On  June  3, 
1863,  the  building  was  destroyed  by  fire  and  Levi  Sim- 
mon's built  another  brick  building  on  the  same  site.  Th'i 
building,  at  the  corner  of  State  and  Lincoln,  is  the  present 
bus   station. 

Anderson  Umbarger  was  the  first  postmaster  when 
the  post  office  was  estabUshed  in  1855.  The  first  restau- 
rant was  operated  by  Mrs.  Clarissa  Knowlton  in  one  side 
of  the  depot,  and  she  served  meals  to  the  railroad  men. 
In  July,  1859,  Dr.  Columbus  Hixon  became  the  first  -!si- 
dent  physician  of  O'Fallon. 

In  1859,  the  following  families  were  residents:  ...ider- 
son  Umbarger,  Williaiu  Peach,  Mrs.  C.  Knowlton,  John 
Daily,  John  Salter,  Dr.  C.  Hixson,  Henry  Stocker,  Philip 
Schildknecht,  Cornelius  Neville,  Henry  Farr,  John  Distler, 
C.  Powell,  Benjamin  Orcutt,  Henry  Mace,  and  G.  W. 
Rawson. 

O'Fallon  was  incorporated  as  a  village  on  January 
27,  1874  and  the  first  election  of  village  officials  was  held 
on  April  21st  of  the  same  year.  The  following  officials 
were  elected:  President,  Frank  Poignee;  Trustees,  Charles 
Tiedemann,  Daniel  Schaefer,  Thomas  Mackin,  John  Feder. 
and  John  Powell. 

On  March  14,  1905,  at  a  special  election  called  for 
that  purpose,  the  citizens  by  a  vote  of  175  to  63  signified 
their  desire  to  change  to  the  city  form  of  government.  At 
the  first  city  election,  April  18,  1905,  the  following  city 
officials  were  selected:  Mayor,  John  Seddon;  Aldermen, 
William  Hampton;  Charles  Ahrens,  and  Jacob  Bernhardt; 
City  Clerk,  W.  R.  Lawrence;  City  Treasurer,  Joseph  Tay- 
lor; City  Marshall,  Horace  Evans;  and  Superintendent  of 
Streets,  D.  Zitzmann. 

Following  is  a  list  of  Presidents  of  the  Village  Board 
and  the  years  they  were  elected: 

1874  Frank   Poignee  1882     Charles  Tiedemann 

1875  Charles  Tiedemann  1884     Ernst  Tiedemann 

1876  Ernest  Tiedemann  1885     Louis  Landwehr 

1877  Charles  Tiedemann         188o    Peter  Weil 

1878  Frank  Poignee  1888    Levi  Simmons 

1879  Charles  Tiedemann         1889    James  E.  Owen 

1880  Ernst  Tiedemann  1890     Levi  Simmons 


1891     John  Lawrence  1899    Wilford  Ward 

1893     C.  H.  Darrow  1900     John  Seddon 

1896  Philip    Heyde  1902    William  Housam 

1897  William  Lehman 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  Mayors  of  the  City  of  O'Fal- 
lon and  the  years  they  were  elected: 

1905    John  Seddon  1919    John  Seddon 

1909    Joseph   Taylor  1921     Ralph  Kampmeyer 

1911     D.  L.  Thomas  1935     John  Budina 

1913     John  Seddon  1937     Reginald  Smith 

1915    C.  E.  Tiedemann  1945    Henry  M.  Hesse 

The  present  City  officials  are  as  follows: 
Mayor  Henry  M.  Hesse 
City  Clerk  Edwin  H.  Hesse 
City  Treasurer  J.  Emmett  Hinchcliffe,  Sr. 
Aldermen 
First  Ward— G.  G.  Budina  and  Edward  R.  Hemmer 
Second  Ward— Charles  Heitman  and  Charles  Miller 
Third  Ward— John  Fuchs  and  Arnold  Dickinson 
Stories  of  the  weather   are  always  topics  of  conversa- 
tion.   Stories  of  the  weather  of  today  are  much  less  inter- 
esting than  those  of  the  past.    Today  scientific  instruments 
furnish   information   which    is   undebatable.    but   of   earlier 
times  the  information  came  from  the  older  residents  who 
had  lived  during  that  time  and  remembered  the  days  that 
were  colder,  the  rains  that  were  heavier,  and  the  summers 
that  were  hotter. 

On  June  30,  1877,  a  tornado  struck  O'Fallon.  Much 
damage  was  done  to  homes  and  business  places.  The 
Catholic  Church,  school  house,  and  parish  home  were 
badly  damaged.  The  upper  part  of  the  Methodist  Church 
steeple  was  blown  away. 

Blizzards  during  the  winters  of  1856,  1890,  and  1912 
piled  snow  in  tremendous  drifts  and  paralyzed  the  area 
for   many   days. 

On  April  16,  1918,  a  severe  hailstorm  struck  the  St. 
Clair  County  area  and  did  great  damage  to  vehicles,  roofs, 
and  window  panes. 

Many  residents  remember  the  tornado  of  March  15, 
1938  that  struck  and  did  much  damage  in  the  Glenview 
area  to  the  west  and  in  the  rural  areas  north  of  O'Fallon. 
The  cloud  burst  of  August  15,  1946  is  still  remembered. 
After  a  night  of  torrential  rain,  streets  and  basements 
were  flooded:  roads  and  railroads  were  blocked  by  flood 
waters.  The  rain  storm  was  the  worst  in  the  109  year  his- 
tory of  the  weather  bureau.  During  the  week  of  August 
15th,  14.7  inches  of  rain  fell  and  the  rainfall  for  the  month 
of  August  amounted  to  20.25   inches. 

The  altitude  of  O'Fallon  is  550  feet  above  sea  level. 
The  average  yearly  temperature  is  56,3  degrees  fahrenheit. 
The  seasonal  range  in  temperature  is  from  a  January  mean 
of  31.9  to  a  July  mean  of  89.3  degrees  fahrenheit.  The 
growing  season  extends  from  April  4th  to  October  27th  or 
about  190  days.  The  annual  rainfall  is  about  39.7  inches 
(the  past  two  years  have  been  below  normal),  while  the 
average  humidity  is  70  per  cent. 

O'Fallon  now  represents  the  result  of  100  years  of 
growth.  It  has  never  been  a  boom  town,  but  has  reached 
its  population  and  size  through  a  steady  unaltering  advance 
which  has  given  it  stability.  The  official  census  of  1950 
credited    the    city   with    a    population    of   3232. 

Much  of  the  steady  growth  of  O'Fallon  has  been  due 


-10— 


to  the  operation  of  the  coal  mines,  the  manufacturing  of 
the  Willard  Stove  Foundi-y  and  Tiedemann  Milling  Coni- 
pan>,  ana  the  rich  faiw  land  which  surrounds  it. 

The  nearness  of  the  city  to  S  .  Louis  has  influenced 
many  people  to  move  to  O' Fa  lion  and  commute  to  their 
work  in  St.  Lx>ui.;.  Many  subdivisions  have  been  devel- 
oped and  the  modern  homes  I  lus  built  have  added  much 
to  the  charm  and  beauty  of  the  city. 

Within  a  few  rruies  of  the  city  of  O'Fallon  are  several 
settlements  and  places  of  historical  interest  which  merit 
discussion. 

Shiloh  as  a  village  does  not  seem  to  be  older  than 
1845,  but  the  immediate  vicinity  was  the  site  of  some  of 
the  very  early  settlements  in  St.  Clair  County.  Among  the 
first  people  to  locate  in  this  region  were  several  families 
of  Scotts.  James  Scott  settled  south  of  Shiloh  in  180Z  and 
in  1805  Joseph  Scoti  came  to  the  same  area.  In  1809,  Jos- 
eph Scott  built  a  grist  mill  and  powder  mill  on  a  branch 
of  Silver  Creek  which  ran  thiough  his  land.  Other  early 
settlers  were:  Joseph  Dixon.  Hugh  and  William  Alexander, 
the  Jourdon  family,  Silas  bankson.  Matthew  Cox,  John 
Middlecoff.  Joseph  Gritfin,  the  Michel  family,  and  the 
Knoebel   family. 

The  village  of  Shiloh  liad  its  origin  in  1845  when  the 
first  house  was  built  by  Edwin  Pierce.  A  store,  post  office, 
and  blacksmith  shop  were  soon  established  and  in  1847  a 
steam  sawmill  was  erected  by  Edwin  Pierce,  Philip  Scott, 
and  Charles  Alexander.  The  village  was  platted  by  Mar- 
tin Stites  and  James  Atkins.  Most  of  the  village  stiU  lies 
on  a  single  street  which  has  several  business  establish- 
ments to  supply  the  needs  of  the  inhabitants. 

Pernaps  the  most  important  thing  in  Shiloh  is  its  old 
Methodist  Chuich.  The  site  of  the  church  was  early  sel- 
ected for  a  camp  meeting  ground  because  of  the  three 
abundant  springs  at  the  foot  of  the  hill.  The  place  was 
then  called  "Three  Springs."  A  Methodist  Church  was 
established  here  in  1807  and  its  continuous  existence  makes 
it  without  question  the  oldest  Methodist  Church  in  the 
state   of   Illinois. 

Still  standing  today  on  Route  50  about  two  miles  east 
of  O'Fallon  is  a  historic  landmark — the  site  of  the  Rock 
Springs  Theology  Seminary  and  High  School  and  the  home 
of  the  late  Rev.  John  W.  Peck,  its  founder.  Directly  across 
the  road  was  located  the  old  stage  coach  barn  where 
horses  were  changed  on  the  route  from  St.  Louis,  Missouri 
to  Vincennes,  IndianjL 

In  the  spring  of  1822.  Rev.  Peck  settled  at  Rock  Springs 
and  built  his  first  double  log  house.  In  1827  he  completed 
and  opened  the  Rock  Springs  Seminary  with  the  follow- 
ing faculty:  Joshua  Bradley,  Principal,  John  M.  Peck, 
Professor  of  Theology,  and  John  Messinger,  Professor  of 
Mathematics.  Soon  there  were  100  students  in  attendance. 
In  1831  the  school  was  transferred  to  Alton  and  became 
Shurtleff  CoUege. 

In  1827  a  post  office  was  established  at  Rock  Springs 
with  John   M.   Peck  as   postmaster.    In    the  lobby   of  the 


O'Fallon  Post  Office  may  bo  found  a  mural  depicting 
John  Mason  Peck  distributing  mail  to  the  early  residents. 

In  the  winter  of  1828-29  Rev.  Peck  established  a  print- 
ing office  and  published  a  religious  paper  called,  "The 
Pioneer." 

Alma,  or  Carbon  as  it  is  known  at  the  present,  was 
a  coal  mining  village  of  considerable  size  in  the  1850's. 
It  was  located  about  a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  O'Fallon 
on  the  O.  &  M.  R.  R.  and  on  St.  Louis  Road,  now  Route 
No.  .50.  The  village  consisted  of  about  one  hundred  resi- 
dences, all  built  and  looking  very  much  alike.  The  houses 
were  arranged  in  five  double  rows,  with  ten  houses  on 
each  side  of  the  street,  and  each  house  numbered.  There 
was  a  post  office,  general  store  kept  by  Joseph  Taylor,  a 
saloon,  and  a  boarding  house.  The  coal-mining  company 
had  a  machine  shop,  blacksmith  shop,  and  carpenter  shop. 

There  were  several  mines  located  here  at  different 
times.  The  first  shaft  was  sunk  at  Alma  by  the  Gartside 
Coal  Company  about  1851.  This  company  sank  three  mine 
shafts  here.  The  average  depth  of  these  mines  was  a  little 
over  200  feet  and  the  vein  of  coal  full  seven  feet  thick. 
The  coal  was  of  excellent  quality.  About  200  men  were 
employed  in  the  operation  of  the  mines.  Besides  the  Gart- 
side mines,  there  were  Alma  1.  Alma  2,  Cross  Roads,  Hen- 
ry Taylor,  Great  Western  Taylor,  and  Carbon  mines  all 
located   in  the  same  vicinity. 

The  village  was  probably  named  after  the  Battle  of 
Alma  which  occurred  during  the  Crimean  War  in  1854. 
Most  of  the  residents  of  Alma  were  formerly  from  Eng- 
land, or  descendants  of  English  immigrants.  To  mention 
a  few  of  these  early  settlers:  Joseph  Gartside  who  sank 
the  first  shaft  in  1851;  Joseph  Taylor,  merchant  and 
saloon  keeper  and  afterward  mine  owner  and  operator; 
Dan  D.  Gartside  and  his  wife.  Helen  Taylor;  William 
Skinner,  engineer  at  Gartside  mine;  John  Bell,  pit  boss; 
Thomas  Millet,  Superintendent  at  the  mine;  James  Ward, 
his  father  and  brothers,  who  later  in  1873  became  County 
Inspector  of  Mines. 

Alma  had  a  public  school  and  employed  two  teachers. 
The  school  building  was  a  two  story  frame  building. 
Charles  A.  Thompson  was  the  principal  at  Alma  in  1880. 
On  the  night  of  February  21,  1881,  the  school  building  was 
entirely  destroyed  by  fire.  It  was  replaced  by  a  better 
building.  Alma  school  was  one  of  two  schools  in  the  dis- 
trict, the  other  being  Franklin  school  located  in  tlie  south- 
eastern part  of  the  district.  In  recent  years  the  two  schools 
were  consolidated  and  became  Central  SchooL 

Alma  residents  held  religious  services  in  their  own 
community  and  visited  churches  in  other  communities. 
They  attended  services  at  Unity  and  BcUiel  Baptist 
churches  and  also  came  to  O'Fallon  to  church.  At  a  very 
early  date  the  Latter  Day  Saints  of  St.  Louis  formed  a 
branch  for  religious  services  in  the  village. 

The  earliest  mention  of  Alma  is  that  there  was  a 
block-house  in  the  chain  of  forts  for  Indian  protection 
erected  there  in  1811. 


-11- 


Growth  of  the  City 


City  Hall  built  in  1890. 


In  1859  there  were  less  than  twenty  families  in  O'Fal- 
lon.  The  population  soon  began  to  increase,  and  with  this 
increase,  the  people  soon  discovered  they  had  no  hall  ade- 
quate to  meet  the  needs  for  entertainments,  pubUc  meet- 
ings, and  the  Ulte.  There  was  considerable  opposition  to 
the  proposed  new  Town  Hall,  but  it  finaUy  carried  and 
the  present  Town  Hall  was  constructed  at  the  comer  of 
Lincoln  Avenue  and  Washington  Street  in  the  fall  of  1890. 
On  Wednesday,  December  31,  1890,  the  new  Town  HaU 
was  formally  dedicated  with  a  program  suitable  for  the 
occasion.  The  village  officers  listed  on  the  programme  in- 
cluded Levi  Simmons,  President;  Wilfred  Ward,  Joseph 
Landgraf,  Daniel  Schaefer,  Joseph  P.  Isch,  August  Behrens, 
Jacob  Bernhardt,  trustees;  J.  A.  Schalter,  clerk.  The  fol- 
lowing "Programme"  was  presented: 

MUSIC 

Serenade  -  Pleasant  Dreams  Band 

ADDRESS 
Benefits  of  Public  Improvements  -  Hon.  Jehu  Baker 

MUSIC 
Waltz Best  of  All  Band 


The  New  O'Fallon 


Quiclcstep 


ADDRESS 

Hon.  L.  D.  Turner 

MUSIC 

"Capiscolus"  Band 

"TURN  HIM  OUT" 

G.  W.  Lienesch 

L.  M.  Scott 

.  G.  E.  Remick 


Kicodemus  

Eglatine  Roseleaf  

Mackintosh  Moke - — 

Julia  Moke  -..._ Jessie  Umbarger 

Susan      .- -- - Mariana  Fischer 

Two  Porters 

In  1900  O'Fallon  had  a  population  of  1267.  By  May  of 
1904,  the  Village  Board  was  considering  applying  for  a 
city  charter  and  taking  O'Fallon  out  of  the  village  class. 
With  continued  growth  the  population  had  reached  a  total 
of  2018  by  April  1911— an  increase  of  751  over  the  1900 
census.  In  June  of  1920,  O'Fallon's  population  was  2,379 
according  to  the  census  figures  from  Washington — it  was 
now  considered  the  third  largest  city  in  St.  Clair  County. 
(The  1920  census  gave  St.  Clair  County  a  population  of 
136,411).    A  marked  increase  was  again  noticeable  by   1936 


-12- 


when  the  population  reached  2500.  New  Building  sites  were 
opened,  subdivisions  added  to  the  still  giuwinK  community 
whose  population  in  1950  numbered  3232. 

The  growth  and  expansion  of  the  city  is  not  ques- 
tioned when  we  consider  the  subdivisions  that  have  been 
added  within  its  boundaries  since  the  first  addition  May 
12,  1854  to  the  latest' subdivision  opened  on  October  tj,  19.53. 

SUBDIVISIONS 

May  12,  1854— O'Fallon  Station— Hugo  O.  Scheerbarth. 
Frederick  A.   Carpenter. 

September  2,   1854 — North   O'Fallon — John   Mace. 

May  18,  1863— Bond's  First  Addition  to  North  O'Fallon 
—Joshua  S.  Bond. 

October  8,  1863 — Bond's  Second  Addition  to  town  of 
North   O'Fallon— Joshua   S.  Bond. 

March  17,  1866— Deppe  Addition  to  O'Fallon  Station- 
Henry  S.  Deppe. 

March  18.  1866 — Fcldmann's  and  Hoffmann's  Addition 
to  O'Fallon- J.  M.  Feldman,  Chas.  D.  Hoffmann. 

May  4,  1867— Mace's  First  Addition  to  North  O'Fallon 
— John  Mace. 

June  13.  1873 — Tiedemanns  Addition  to  Town  of 
O'Fallon   Station — Chas.   A.  Tiedemann. 

January  3U,  1874 — Mace's  Second  Addition  to  North 
U'Fallon— John  Alace. 

Febiuary  23,  1878— Mace's  Third  Addition  to  North 
O'Fallon— Rebecca  W.  Mace,  widow  of  John  Mace,  de- 
ceased. 

September  12,  1891— Penn's  Addition  to  O'Fallon— 
Joseph  Penn. 

May  3,  1898— Joseph  Penn's  Second  Addition  to  the 
Village   of   O'Fallon — Joseph   Penn. 

January  12.  1901 — Atkinson's  Addition  to  the  Village 
of  O'Fallon — James  H.  Atkinson. 

April  2,  1902— Michael  Wachters  AddiUon  to  the  Vil- 
lage of  O'Fallon — Michael   Wachter. 

May  9,  1903— Atkinson's  Second  Addition  to  the  Vil- 
lage 01   O'Fallon — James  H.  Atkinson. 

June  7,   1904 — Penn's  third  Addition   to  the  Village  of 


O'Fallon— John  Penn,  W.  C.  Ponn.  Georgia  McNulty. 

August  4,  1904— Wachter's  Second  Addition  to  the  Vil- 
lage  of   O'Fallon — Michael    Wachter. 

April  5,  190.5— Smiley's  Addition  to  the  City  of  O'Fal- 
lon— Andrew  B.  Smiley,  E.  H.  Smiley. 

January  10,  1907 — Begolc's  Subdivision— Heirs  of  Eliza- 
beth  Begole. 

October  15,  1907— Tiedemann's  Subdivision  of  Pt.  SE^i 
Sec.  30  T2  Nr7W— Jennie  Tiedemann,  Geo.  W.  Tiedemann, 
Helene  Tiedemann,  Louise  Tiedemann,  Ernestine  Tiede- 
mann. 

February  8,  1908— Penn's  Fourth  Addition  to  O'Fallon 
— John  Penn. 

September  9,  1912 — Schwarz  Place,  An  Addition  to  the 
City  of  O'Fallon — Michael  Schwaiz  and  Leonhard  Schwarz. 

September  17.  1921— East  Park  Place— Edward  N. 
Thomas. 

April  19,  1922 — Joseph  Subdivision,  A  Subdivision  of 
Part  NWVi  Sec.  29  T2  NR7W— B.  Joseph. 

October  21,  1924— Lincoln  Heights- Edward  N.  Thom- 
as 

October  14.  1927— Sunset  Terrace— Edward  N.  Thomas 
and  Anne  Thomas. 

December    29,     1931 — Tiedemann's    Second    Addition 

Helene,  Louise,  George,  Ernestine,  Charles,  and  Catherine 
Tiedemann. 

.August  5,  1936 — Thomas  Acres— Edward  N.  Thomas  and 
.^nne   Thoma& 

July  19,  1937  — Thomas  Park  Gardens  —  Edward  N. 
Thomas   and  Anne   Thomas. 

July  30,  1946— Fitzgerald  Place— Archie  Fitzgerald  and 
Oma   Fitzgerald. 

February  27.  1950— Ait  Fauss  Homesites — Arthur  J. 
lauss  and    Evelyn   B.   Fauss. 

August  30,  1950— Parkview  Gardens— William  Gash 
Willard. 

April  12,  1951— Budina  Place — Gustave  G.  Budina  and 
Julia   E.   Budina. 

October  6.  1953— Asbiu'y  Park— E.  C.  Asbury,  M.  D., 
and  Josephine  L.  Asbury. 


RAILROADS 


Most  cities  of  any  size  or 
importance  attained  that  import- 
ance and  continued  to  thrive  as 
a  city  because  of  location.  That 
was  and  is  true  of  O'Fallon.  Lo- 
cated about  twenty  miles  east  of 
St.  Louis,  it  began  as  a  station 
on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Rail- 
road. 

1  lu  uliin  ;i ii't  .vii.-.-i.ssippi  was  planned  to  extend  west- 
ward from  Cincinnati  to  a  point  on  the  yrcat  river  directly 
opposite  St.  Louis,  with  a  branch  from  North  Vernon, 
Indiana  to  Louisville,  Kentucky.  Although  a  railroad  be- 
tween the  most  important  cities  of  th»  then  known  West 
was  dimly  projected  as  early  as  1832,  the  railroad  was  not 
chartered  in  Indiana  until  February  14,  1848;  in  Ohio, 
March  15,  1849;  and  in  Illinois,  February  12,  1851.  Prelim- 
inary surveys  were  commenced  on  November  1,   1849,  but 


actual  construction  on  the  west  end  and  was  not  started 
until  February  1852.  By  the  terms  of  the  charter  granted 
by  the  Legislature  of  Indiana,  the  company  was  author- 
ized to  locate  and  survey  a  railroad  on  "the  most  direct 
and  practical  route  between  Laurenceburg.  on  the  Ohio 
River,  and  Vincennes.  on  the  Wabash  River.' 

The  organization  of  the  Ohio  and  Indiana  portions  of 
the  new  line  was  completed  in  18.50,  and  Abner  T.  Ellis, 
of  Vincennes.  was  elected  president.  A  number  of  promi- 
nent citizens  of  Vincennes  and  Cincinnati  and  the  towns 
between  were  chosen  as  directors.  The  contract  was  let 
in  January  1851  for  the  building  uf  the  road  between  the 
Ohio  and  the  Wabash.  Actual  construction  was  started  In 
April    of    1852. 

In  1850,  the  Ohio  and  Mi.ssissippi  Railroad  was  char- 
tered to  build  a  line  from  lllinoistown  (East  St.  Louis)  to 
Cincinnati  to  connect  with  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail- 
road. Col.  John  O'Fallon  of  St.  Louis  was  president  of 
the  western   division   of   the   line.    Through   his   influence 


-13- 


the  i-oi'te  was  laid  out  via  Ciii^yville  and  Lebanon,  rather 
than   via    Belleville. 

Ground  was  broken  January  7,  1852  at  a  point  near 
Main  Street  and  Brady  Avenue,  East  St.  Louis.  Charles 
D.  Drake  of  St.  Louis  served  as  master  of  ceremonies. 
Col  O'Fallon  tm-ned  the  first  spadeful  of  earth,  then 
handed  the  spade  to  Judge  Ellis  of  Vincennes,  president  of 
the  eastern  division.  The  contractor,  Seymour,  completed 
filling  the  first  wheelbarrow,  and  Mayor  Luther  Kennett 
of  St.  Louis  wheeled  it  to  the  dump.  The  whole  party  and 
a  throng  of  onlookers  spent  a  hilarious  evening— later  re- 
ferred to  as  the  -Birthday  of  East  St.  Louis." 

The  construction  of  the  line  was  marked  by  financial 
difficulties.  Of  $9,000,000  estimated  for  the  whole  project, 
$3  000  000  was  to  be  used  for  the  western  division.  It  was 
financed  bv  Page  and  Bacon  of  St.  Louis.  The  eastern 
division  experienced  losses,  and  Page  and  tacon  icok  that 
over  also.  They  pushed  the  construction  until,  January 
1855,  when  they  were  forced  into  suspension  However. 
they  raised  $500,000  and  completed  the  line  to  Vincennes, 
June  1,   1855,  in  time  to  meet  the  charter  requirements. 

This  struggle  was  not  without  its  humorous  .side.  An 
interesting  incident  has  been  preserved  to  prove  that 
fact— "Railroad  builder  kidnaps  sheriff- 
All  but  seven  miles  of  the  brand-new  railroad  laid— 
and  no  more  rails!  That  was  the  situation  which  confronted 
Daniel  R.  Garrison,  contractor  for  the  Ohio  and  Missis- 
sippi Raih-oad,  the  first  through  line  into  East  St.  Louis 
from   the   east,   in   1855. 

A  shipment  of  rails  from  England  had  been  made,  but 
it  might  be  months  before  it  arrived  at  the  construction 
site.  The  Terre  Haute,  Alton,  and  St.  Louis  Railroad  was 
also  under  construction,  and  had  a  large  supply  of  good 
strong  steel  rails  just  arrived  by  packet,  and  lying  on  the 
St.  Louis  levee.  Garrison  looked  over  his  resources,  but 
the  bank  account  of  the  O  and  M  was  too  low  to  pay  for 

any   rails. 

The  Terre  Haute's  rails  were  shipped  to  the  East 
St.  Louis  side  by  ferry.  On  the  way,  by  some  means  never 
satisfactorily  explained,  sufficient  rails  to  lay  seven  miles 
of  track  became  separated  from  the  rest  of  the  consign- 
ment, and  landed  at  the  O  and  M  construction  camp,  where 
they  were  promptly  put  to  use. 

The  Terre  Haute  missed  their  rails  when  the  shipment 
was  checked  and  immediately  started  the  sheriff  of  St. 
Clair  County  with  a  writ  of  replevin  and  a  posse,  to  bring 

back  their  rails. 

The  sheriff  found  Garrison  on  board  his  private  car, 
and  demanded  the  rails.  "Why,  of  course,  we'll  send  them 
back,"  Garrison  assured  him.  -'They  just  came  to  us  by 
mistake.  But  you  aren't  in  any  hurry  are  you.  Sheriff? 
I  thought  while  you're  here,  you  might  enjoy  a  little  trip 
on   the    railroad." 

"Well,  yes,  I  would.    I've  never  ridden  on  one  before." 

Garrison  ordered  the  engine  headed  eastward,  and 
gave  the  sheriff  a  fascinating  explanation  of  the  workings 
of  a  railroad.  After  45  minutes  or  so,  the  sheriff  said, 
"Well,  to  get  back  to  business,  I  have  a  writ  of  replevin 
to  get  back  those  railroad  rails,  and  I'm  going  to  have  to 
take  them." 

"I'm  sorry,  sheriff,"  Garrison  replied,  "but  we're  in 
CUnton  County  now.  I  have  to  go  East  on  business  but 
I'll  see  that  you  get  home  safely!" 


By  the  time  the  sheriff  reached  home,  the  last  seven 
miles  of  track  had  been  laid  with  the  borrowed  rails. 

At  the  completion  of  the  hne  from  Vincennes  to  Illi- 
noistown  (now  known  as  East  St.  Louis),  invitations  were 
sent  out  by  the  president  of  the  line.  H.  D.  Bacon.  The 
following  was  received  by  Benjamin  F.  Van  Court,  who 
made  his  home  in  O'Fallon  for  a  number  of  years: 

Office  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Railroad 
St.  Louis,  June  30.  1855 
Dear  Sir: 

On  the  opening  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  and  Wa- 
bash rivers  in  Iron  Bonds,  and  forming  a  direct  route  to 
the  East  by  rail,  the  Directors  have  decided  that  the  oc- 
casion is  one  calling  for  a  public  demonstration,  and  have 
determined  to  run  a  train  through  from  lUinoistown  to 
Vincennes. 

I  have  the  pleasure  to  inclose  you  an  Excursion  Ticket. 

The  train  will  leave  the  Depot  at  lUinoistown  on 
Wednesday  Morning,  July  4th,  at  7  o'clock. 

The  Ferry  Boat  will  leave  the  Wiggins  Ferry  Landing, 
foot  of  Spruce  street,  at  6%  o'clock  A.M.  You  will  please 
show  your  Ticket  to  the  Collector  on  the  Ferry  Boat  and 
the  Conductor  before  taking  a  seat  in  the  cars.  It  is  de- 
sirable that  those  who  cannot  participate  notify  me  of  the 
fact   at   once. 

H.  D.  Bacon,  President 

The  charter  of  the  State  of  Illinois  provided  that  the 
building  of  the  western  division  should  be  begun  before 
February  12,  1852,  and  actual  construction  was  started  on 
January  7,  1852.  The  western  division  was  the  first  to  be 
completed  and  the  city  of  Vincennes  had  to  wait  nearly 
two  years  for  the  eastern  division  to  be  completed.  A 
group  of  New  York  capitalists  came  to  the  rescue  and 
furnished  funds  to  complete  the  Cincinnati-Vincennes  line. 
The  final  cost  of  the  whole  line  was  nearly  $20,000,000. 
On  April  15,  1857.  the  city  of  Vincennes  witnessed  the  join- 
ing of  the  rails  whiih  completed  a  railroad  all  the  way 
from  Cincinnati  to  St.  Louis.  By  connection  at  Cincinnati 
with  the  Mariette  and  Cincinnati  Railroad,  which  in  turn 
connected  at  Parkersburg,  Virginia,  with  the  Baltimore 
and  Ohio  Railroad  completed  a  rail  route  that  ran  all  the 
way  from  the  eastern  seaboard  to  the  Mississippi  River. 
The  route  was  the  old  "Great  Western  Mail  Route." 
and  has  given  rise  to  the  common  saying  that  "The 
boundary  of  Egypt  lies  south  of  the  B  &  O."  At  the  time 
of  its  dedication  it  was  called  the  "American  Centi-al 
Route." 

The  first  through  train  from  the  East  arrived  at  lUi- 
noistown on  June  4,  1857.  bearing  a  large  group  of  dis- 
tinguished guests,  reporters,  and  special  writers,  artists, 
etc.,  including  such  persons  as  George  Bau  croft,  the  his- 
torian. 

The  first  parlor  car  built  was  attached  to  this  train. 
and  was  reserved  for  the  families  of  the  directors.  It 
included  four  compartments  fitted  with  richly  upholstered 
sofas  and  chairs,  a  washroom.,  and  a  patent  heating  furn- 
ace, "with  the  faculty  of  keeping  out  the  dust  and  cooling 
the  air."  This  apparently  made  it  also  the  first  air-con- 
ditioned  railroad    car. 

The  trip  from  Cincinnati  to  lUinoistown  was  made  in 
18  hours,  from  6:00  A.  M.  to  midnight.  Extra  locomotives 
were  stationed  at  convenient  points  along  the  line,  ready  to 
take  the  place  of  any  that  should  be  disabled. 


-14- 


Refreshments  were  served  all  day  long  on  the  train, 
with  a  stop  for  dinner  at  Vinccnnes  at  3:00  P.  M.  Loco- 
motives were  changed  there.  As  the  party  crossed  the 
VVahash  River,  former  Governor  Reynolds  welcomed  them 
to  Illinois. 

As  the  train  passed  across  Illinois  in  the  twilight,  the 
right  of  way  was  lined  with  men,  women,  and  children, 
even  babies  in  arms.  Houses  in  the  towns  along  the  way 
were  bright  with  candles.  Tar  barrels  were  burned  for 
illumination  where  no  other  means  was  available. 

On  either  side  was  a  prairie  waving  emerald  blades, 
soon  to  ripen  into  marketable  golden  grain,  where  five 
years  earlier  hardly  a  plow  could  have  been  seen. 

The  special  train  dropped  out  of  the  bluffs  at  Casey- 
ville  to  the  thunder  of  a  battery  of  cannon,  and  pulled  into 
Illinoistown  station.  It  was  nearly  midnight,  but  the  track 
was  lined  for  several  hundred  yards  with  a  brilliant  fence 
of  pine  torches.  A  great  crowd  of  people  stood  at  the 
station,  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  train  Four  Mississippi 
river  steamboats  were  lined  up  at  the  East  St  Louis  wharf 
to  accomodate  the  distinguished  visitors  overnight,  but 
few  of  them  slept,  for  all  night  long  a  succession  of  fan- 
tastic fireworks  displays  was  kept  up  for  their  entertain- 
ment. 

The  Ohio  and  Mis.'sissippi  was  originally  built  as  a 
six-foot  gauge  line.  This  made  interchange  with  standard 
gauge  railroads  a  bit  difficult,  as  through  cars  had  to  be 
jacked  up  and  the  trucks  changed.  To  overcome  this,  it 
was  decided  to  change  the  pntire  railroad  to  standard 
gauge  in  one  day.  This  was  done  on  Sunday,  July  13.  1871. 
At  daylight  three  gangs  of  men  began  work  on  each  sec- 
tion of  about  three  miles  in  length,  the  first  gang  drawing 
spikes  and  throwing  rails,  the  second  gang  spiking,  and 
the  third  sang  setting  rails  to  gauge  and  lining  up  the 
track.  The  change  in  the  entire  340  miles  of  track  was 
made  in  about  eight  hours.  Changing  engines  and  cars 
had  begun  about  eight  months  previously  and  there  was 
no    interruption    to    business. 

The  O  &  M  was  formally  taken  into  the  Baltimore 
and  Ohio  family  on  November  1.  1893  and  merged  with 
the  M  &  C  to  form  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Southwestern 
Railway  Company.  This  company  was  reorganized  in  1899 
as  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Southwestern  Railroad  Com- 
pany and  is  one  of  the  wholly-owned  subsidiaries  of  the 
Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad. 

The  first  station  was  named  after  John  J.  O'Fallon. 
a  resident  of  St.  Louis  and  an  officer  of  the  O  and  M  rail- 
road.   This  building  was  located  on  the  north  side  of  the 


tracks  directly  opposite  the  present  station.  To  the  west 
of  this,  at  the  rear  of  the  former  location  of  Biltlcs'  drug 
store,  stood  the  tank.  Here,  they  remained  until  the  station 
was  destroyed  by  fire;  after  which  the  station,  located  on 
the  south  of  the  tracks,  was  erected  and  the  tank  moved 
to  its  present  location  in  the  western  part  of  the  city. 

Shortly  after  the  steam  road  came  into  being  a  large 
loading  platform  for  shipping  wheat  was  erected  on  the 
present  site  of  the  depot.  This,  in  rainy  seasons,  was 
practically   in    the   center   of   a   lake. 

Traffic  on  this  road  continued  and  flourished.  By  1910, 
Ordinance  No.  62  pertaining  to  the  protection  of  the  public 
on  Vine,  Depot,  and  Cherry  streets  was  introduced  at  the 
council  meeting.  This  ordinance  demanded  from  the  B  &  O 
railroad  to  station  a  watchman  at  each  of  the  crossings. 
For  a  number  of  years,  the  watchman  was  a  familiar 
figure.  Gates  were  provided  and  operated  by  a  watchman 
from  a  tower  located  in  the  200  block  between  State  and 
First  Street.  These  were  later  replaced  by  automatically 
controlled    gates. 

A  branch  of  the  Louisville  and  Nashville  furnished 
transportation  from  Tiedemann  Mill  to  Belleville.  Two 
trains  daily,  morning  and  evening,  made  it  possible  to  haul 
flour,  and  express  between  O'Fallon  and  Belleville.  Pass- 
engers on  the  B  &  O  traveling  from  the  east — Carlyle, 
Rreese,  Trenton.  Lebanon — frequently  got  off  the  "Ac- 
commodation" at  the  L  &  N  crossing  and  boarded  the 
train  to  be  taken  to  Belleville  direct  rather  than  going 
into  East  St.  Louis.  The  service  offered  the  mill  by  the 
L  &  N  was  discontinued  when  trucks  came  into  promi- 
nence. On  January  1,  1941,  the  L  &  N  was  granted  per- 
mission by  the  Interstate  Commerce  Commission,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.  to  abandon  its  line  in  this  city.  The  old 
L  &  N  depot  was  a  familiar  landmark  for  many  years 
serving  passengers  desiring  transportation  to  and  from 
BelleviUe. 

Due  to  a  decrease  in  passengers  using  the  trains  to 
commute  from  points  east  through  O'Fallon  to  St.  Louis, 
services  offered  by  the  local  "Accommodation"  were  dis- 
continued September  23.  1939.  Boarding  a  train  in  O'Fallon 
for  a  trip  to  St.  Louis  ceased  to  be  a  reality — the  service, 
too.  became  a  record  in  the  annals  of  the  past. 

Beginning  in  1940.  the  streamlined  enainos  began  to 
replace  the  familiar  steam  engine  with  its  bell  and  smoke 
stack.  At  present,  the  Diesel  seems  to  have  priority — 
the  puffing  train  attempting  to  make  the  grade  from  the 
east  has  almost  ceased  to  be  a  community  sound. 


TROLLEY  CAR 


First  Street  Car  to  enter  city  -  Dec.  19,  1903 

The  new  interurban  line  between  O' Fallon  and  Leb- 
anon was  formally  opened  December  19,  1903.  It  served 
the  communities  between  Lebanon,  O' Fallon.  Edgemont, 
and  East  St.  Louis  to  St.  Louis.  Tracks  were  laid  down 
the  Main  Street  of  Lebanon,  turning  south  at  the  Methodist 
Church,  and  westward  passing  WiUard's  Foundry  (now- 
Independent  Engineering).  The  track  turned  and  came 
through  O'Fallon  on  Second  Street.  The  troUey  stopped 
at  Apple,  Vine,  Depot,  (now  Lincoln),  Cherry,  and  Oak 
Streets  to  pick  up  or  discharge  passengers  after  which 
it  turned  following  a  road  bed  a  number  of  miles  west, 
about  a  mile  south  of  the  present  Route  50.  but  parallel 
to   it. 

Every  morning  at  5:00  A.  M.  the  trolley  left  O'Fallon 
for  St.  Louis  so  as  to  enable  residents  of  this  community 
to  get  a  morning  paper.  Hourly  service  continued  for 
many   years. 

Diu-ing  the  time  of  the  1904  World's  Fair  in  St.  Louis, 
bargain  prices  to  the  Fair  were  offered  by  the  East  St. 
Louis  and  Suburban  Railway.  The  round  trip  including 
transportation  to  and  from  the  Fair  grounds  cost  60c. 
Many  of  the  O'Fallonites  took  advantage  of  this  offer.  The 
services  afforded  by  this  convenient  means  of  transporta- 
tion were  made  pleasant  by  the  friendliness  and  coopera- 
tive spirit  of  its  employees.  A  number  of  residents  of  this 
community  served  in  the  capacity  of  motorman  or  con- 
ductor for  many  years.  Among  them  were  L.  R.  Friend, 
a  motorman  on  the  line  for  twenty-five  years,  Charles 
'White,  Shorty  Reiss,  A.  B.  Young,  Otis  and  Sidney  Yar- 
brough,  L.  E.  Coffman,  Dan  Van  Houten,  Jacob  Middleton, 
George  Campe,  Charles  Buckles,  Walter  Yearwood,  Roy 
Alexander,  Charles  Heman,  Otto  Rainey,  Art  Schachner, 
and   Frank   Thorp. 

The  Interm-ban  line  continued  to  operate  between 
Lebanon,  O'FaUon,  and  St.  Louis  until  1925.  The  service 
was  discontinued  when  other  means  of  transportation  had 
leplaced  the  troUey. 

On  February  21,  1929  the  job  of  tearing  up  the  troUey 
tracks  on  Second  Street  was  completed. 


BUS  LINE 

The  third  step  in  transportation  in  O'FaUon,  the  Bus 
Line,  was  started  in  1920.  Several  young  men,  WilUam 
Harris,  George  Warma,  and  Hugo  Rule,  organized  under 
the  name  of  the  Superior  Bus  Company  for  the  operation 
of  buses  between  O'Fallon,  Shiloh,  Belleville,  and  Edge- 
mont. The  terminals  for  this  line  were  the  Belleville  Hotel 
and  Rothkegel's  Confectionery  in  O'Fallon.  stopping  en- 
route    at   Shiloh. 

The  first  bus  purchased  from  a  dealer  in  St.  Louis  had 
all  the  appearances  of  a  patrol  wagon  including  screened 
sides  and  back  step,  with  seats  arranged  along  the  sides, 
accommodating  eight  or  ten  passengers.  You  entered  and 
alighted  from  this  vehicle  by  means  of  a  step  attached  to 
the  rear.  The  body  of  this  bus  had  been  placed  on  a 
Dodge   truck   chassis. 

The  "P  &  G"  line  operated  for  a  short  time  from 
O'Fallon  to  BeUeville  along  with  the  Superior  lines.  The 
former  was  soon  abandoned.  Warma  and  Rule,  of  the 
Superior  Company,  sold  out  to  Harris  who  ran  the  bus  to 
Belleville  for  some  time. 

In  1925,  the  bus  was  changed  from  an  eight  passenger 
into  a  sixteen  passenger  station  wagon  with  lengthwise 
seats.  A  twenty  passenger  sedan  was  also  purchased  in 
1925.    In  1926,  two  new  buses,  also  sedans,  were  purchased. 

In  1934,  the  present  bus  line  was  started  by  Loved 
Cavins,  with  Katy's  Motor  Coach,  a  seven  passenger  car, 
in  operation  between  O'FaUon  and  BelleviUe  via  Shiloh. 
This  proved  to  be  a  service  deluxe — passengers  were 
picked   up   and   dropped   off   at   their   own   homes. 

The  first  Greyhound  Super-Coach  to  be  placed  in 
service  between  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis  stopped  in  O'Fal- 
lon July  29,  1936  to  give  visitors  an  opportunity  to  in- 
spect the  coach  enroute  to  St.  Louis.  It  was  parked  in 
front  of  the  Greyhound  terminal,  Rothkegel's  Confection- 
ery   (the  present  Woods'  Confectionery  i . 

In  1939,  the  bus  Une  operated  by  "Katy"  was  incor- 
porated and  became  known  as  the  O'Fallon-BelleviUe 
Coach  Company.  In  1941.  the  company  acquired  the  Belle- 
viUe to  Carlyle  Une.  The  Industrial  Bus  Line  between 
Lebanon  and  Edgemont  was  acquired  in  1943.  This  opera- 
tion between  O'FaUon  and  Lebanon  was  discontinued  in 
1950.  Since  Loyed  Cavins  purchased  the  lines  in  1934,  the 
citizens  of  O'FaUon  have  enjoyed  the  excellent  services 
of  this  company.  Schools,  organizations,  and  civic  groups 
are  privileged  to  charter  Katy's  buses  for  a  nominal  fee 
at  any  time. 


WATER  SUPPLY 

Prior  to  1929,  the  city  of  O'FaUon  was  furnished  water 
from  a  well,  frequently  referred  to  as  underground  lake, 
located  near  the  present  old  water  tank.  Originally  an 
attempt  was  made  to  sink  a  mine  shaft  on  this  site.  The 
idea  was  abandoned  when  it  proved  impossible  to  pump 
out  the  water.  This,  then,  proved  to  be  the  source  of  the 
city's  water  supply  for  a  number  of  years.  The  water  was 
pumped  to  the  consumers  after  a  franchise  was  granted  to 
the  O'Fallon  Light  Power  Heat  and  Water  Company. 

It  was  necessary  for  the  B  &  O  to  furnish  its  o\vn 
pumper  previous  to  the  construction  of  the   Power  Plant. 


George  Deischer  served  in  this  capacity  for  many  years. 

In  September  1911.  the  city  engaged  G.  A.  Stookey  to 
superintend  the  laying  of  2300  feet  of  4  inch  and  600  feet 
of  8  inch  water  mains. 

On  January  17.  1929  officials  of  the  East  St.  Louis 
Water  Company  went  over  plans  with  the  city  for  the 
purpose  of  furnishing  water  from  the  Mississippi.  By  a 
unanimous  vote  the  city  council  on  May  23,  1929  favored 
a  proposal  for  piping  Mississippi  river  water  to  O'Fallon 
to  alleviate  the  water  shortage  experienced  from  the  well 
system    then    in   use 

An  ordinance  dated  Sentember  5.  1929  states  that  water 
would  be  provided  from  East  St.  Louis  Water  Company 
at  an  estimated  cost  of  $130,000.  This  proposed  water  pro- 
ject passed  over  the  mayor's  veto  on  September  19,   1929. 

O'Fallon's  present  waterworks  system  was  established 
and  constructed  in  1929.  the  bonds  bein;;  dated  February 
1.  1930  and  running  for  twenty  years.  The  first  of  this 
series  were  not  due  until  1932.  the  last  bonds  to  mature 
in  1949.  At  the  time  some  difficulty  was  experienced  in 
financing  due  to  the  uncertainty  of  the  revenue,  but  after 
operating  for  just  six  years,  the  records  showed  that  the 
plant  was  netting  a  good  return  on  the  investment,  far 
better  than  other  municipalities  of  similar  size.  Mainte- 
nance of  the  system  is  more  than  self-sustaining  according 
to  the  city  clerk's  records. 

The  city  retired  nine  $1,000  bonds  with  interest  in  less 
than  three  years,  although  only  $3,000  was  due — bringing 
the  water  department  indebtedness  from  $119,000  to 
$110,000.  By  February  of  1935.  the  city  supplied  470  con- 
sumers in  O'Fallon  and  the  territory  along  the  line  between 
here  and  French   Village,  the  source   of  supply. 

At  a  city  council  meeting  in  May  of  193.5,  a  new 
position  in  appointive  offices  was  created  with  the  appoint- 
ment of  William  Remelius  to  be  in  charge  of  the  water 
department.  His  duties  included  making  taps,  repairing 
leaks,  and  supervising  construction  work  on  the  water 
lines.  Heretofore  this  office  was  included  with  that  of 
superintendent   of   streets. 

The  city  has  recently  expended  more  than  $160,000 
for  improvements  which  consist  of  a  second  water  main 
of  twelve  inches  in  diameter  running  from  the  source  of 
supply  at  French  Village  to  a  point  of  connection  with 
the  old  line  at  Bunkum  Road  and  U.  S.  Route  50,  installa- 
tion of  pressure  pumps  and  construction  of  a  large  500,000 
gallon  tank  located  near  the  site  of  the  old  tank.  As  a 
result  of  these  improvements,  the  city  is  able  to  provide 
all  customers  with  a  sufficient  supply  of  water  under 
adequate  pressure.  The  present  facilities  are  sufficient 
for   proper   service    to   30,000   people. 

The  city  has  a  contract  with  East  St.  Louis  and  the 
Interurban  Water  Company  to  purchase  all  water  rctjuired 
in  the  entire  territory  for  thirty  years  commencing  in  1953. 
This  contract  was  approved  by  the  Illinois  Commerce 
Commission.  The  agreement  cannot  be  broken  either  by 
the  city  or  the  company  except  with  mutual  consent. 

The  city  of  O'Fallon  owns  all  water  mains,  fire  hy- 
drants, all  meters,  and  appurtenances  of  the  O'Fallon  Water 
Department.  The  city  has  continued  to  use  all  earnings 
of  the  water  system  for  maintenance  and  improvements  to 
the  water  system. 


New  500,000  gallon  Water  Storage  Tank  and 
Water  Tower. 


LIGHTS 

Between  the  years  1894  and  1896,  Samuel  Smiley,  Jos- 
eph Porter,  Philip  Heyde,  and  Ernest  Tiedemann,  con- 
structed a  light,  power,  heat,  and  water  plant  near  the 
present  site  of  the  B.  &  O.  water  tank.  This  building 
housed  a  dynamo,  water  pump  and  other  machinery 
necessary    for   operation. 

Oliver  Darrow  served  as  the  first  electrician  in  this 
olant 

In  October  1904,  Ordinance  No.  87  granted  a  franchise 
to  O'Fallon  Light  Power  and  Water  Company,  the  suc- 
cessor of  the  original  operators  of  the  plant.  The  fran- 
chise was  accepted  by  George  W.  Tiedemann,  President, 
and  Chas.  T.  Smiley,  Secretary  of  the  Company. 

The  stockholders  of  the  company  m  January  1910 
elected  the  following  officers:  George  W.  Tiedemann, 
president:  H.  E.  Tiedemann.  vice-president:  E.  H.  Smiley, 
seci-etary:    and  C.  E.  Tiedemann.    treasurer. 

O'Fallon  Light  Power  and  Water  Comoany  served  the 
residents  of  O'Fallon  until  the  early  1920s  when  electrical 
service  was  supplied  by  the  Illinois  Lit-ht  and  Power 
Company. 

The  number  of  homes  being  serviced  was  increasing: 
electric  lights  replacing  kerosene  lamps. 

By  December  1933,  during  the  depression  years,  the  city 
council  was  seeking  a  P.W.A.  loan  of  $145,000  to  build  a 
municipal  light  and  power  plant.  An  election  was  held 
November  29  1933  with  an  approved  vote  of  621  for  and 
427  against 


-17- 


This  plan  was  not  realized.  Records  show  that  thp 
members  of  the  city  council  at  a  meeting  on  Februpary 
4.  1935  were  advised  by  Engineer  W.  A.  Fuller  of  St.  Louis, 
that  they  could  still  entertain  hopes  for  the  erection  of  a 
municipal  electric  plant.  In  the  event  the  city  intended 
to  build  the  plant.  Engineer  Fuller  stated  he  had  con- 
tacted a  party  who  would  negotiate  with  the  city  to  take 
the  bonds.  Later  the  Pubhc  Works  Administration  advised 
that  no  government  loan  on  a  steam  plant  could  be  enter- 
tained but  that  consideration  for  a  loan  on  Deisel  engines 
would  be  given.  Deisel  engines  could  be  installed  for 
approximately  $20,000  less  than  steam  and  was  far  more 
economical  in  operation.  With  this  information  no  further 
progress  was  made  by  the  administration,  which  con- 
tended that  O'Fallon  is  in  a  coal  mining  district  and  as 
such  would  be  interested  in  consuming  fuel  produced  in 
this   locality. 

For  five  weeks  O'Fallon  was  affected  more  or  less 
by  the  strike  of  the  Illinois  Power  Light  Company  in  the 
spring  of  1935.  Three  weeks  of  this  period,  the  town  was 
in  complete  darkness,  being  affected  along  with  some 
other   50   cities.     When   it   was    officially   learned    that    the 


strike  was  over  and  oower  would  be  restored,  at  midnight, 
June  12.  1935.announcement  was  immediately  made  by 
the  Perry  Coal  Company  that  St.  Ellen  mine  would  re- 
open the  morning  of  June  14,  with  several  hundred 
miners  returning  to  their  work  that  morning.  Arrange- 
ments were  hurriedly  completed  for  resumption  of  work 
at  the  plant  of  the  Eureka  Steel  Range  Company  which 
experienced  a  shut  down  of  five  weeks  resulting  from 
low  voltage  and  complete  suspension  of  power.  At  the 
time  of  the  forced  .shut-down  the  range  company  had  535 
people  on   its  payroll  and  was  operating   steady. 

The  council  in  July  1938  rejected  a  P.WA.  grant  of 
$76,000  because  of  inability  to  raise  an  additional  $100,000 
necessary  to  build  a  light  and  power  plant.  N"o  other 
attempt  has  been  made  to  revive  the  project  for  a  muni- 
cipal plant. 

In  June  of  1950.  the  city  council  granted  a  50  years 
lighting  franchise  to  the  Illinois  Power  Company.  Since 
that  time,  the  company  has  erected  "a  white  way"  on  the 
main  thoroughfares  of  the  city  of  O'Fallon  and  has  furn- 
ished more  adequate  street  lighting  for  the  entire  com- 
munity. 


Plant  of  O'Fallon  Light  Power  and  Water  Company.    Located  opposite  present  water  tank. 


-18- 


TELEPHONE 


Telephone  Building,  housing  dial  equipment  for 
O'Fallon. 

In  1902.  Ernest  H.  Smiley,  and  Charles  C.  Smiley  de- 
veloped and  started  the  Smiley  Brothers  Telephone  Com- 
pany in  O'Fallon.  The  first  office  was  located  in  the 
former  Bittlcs'  Drugstore  building  at  the  southeast  corner 
of  Lincoln  and  State.  The  company  occupied  offices  in 
this  location  for  several  years,  later  moving  across  the 
street  to  the  second  floor  of  the  First  National  Bank 
building.  Smiley  Bros,  continued  to  operate  and  provide 
service  to  the  communit.v  until  they  sold  to  Southwestern 
Bell  who  assumed  ownership  December  26,   1947. 

On  April  13.  1949  land  for  a  new  and  modern  telephone 
building  was  acquired  from  Dr.  E.  C.  Asbury  of  New 
Baden.  It  has  a  frontage  of  120  feet  on  Lincoln  Avenue 
and  179  feet  on  .ith  Street  Construction  on  the  new  build- 
ing and  dial  equipment  was  started  in  January  of  1952— 
the  cost  estimated  at  $170,000. 

The  building,  located  at  410  South  Lincoln  Avenue 
houses  plant  equipment  and  serves  as  traffic  office  for  the 
company.  The  business  office  is  still  maintained  on  the 
second  floor  of  the  First  National  Bank  building. 

By  July  25,  1952  there  were  1166  subscriber.^  of  O'Fal- 
lon scheduled  to  use  dial  phones  in  October  or  November. 
This  conversion  to  dial  officially  began  October  7,  1952. 

On  May  15,  1954,  all  O'Fallon  subscribers  were  given 
telephone  numbers:  a  Mercury  2  prefix  followed  by  four 
figures.  This  change  over  was  made  for  two  reason.": — In 
help  pave  the  way  for  O'Fsdlon  to  join  the  nationwide 
long  distance  dialing  network  and  to  tie  in  O'Fallon's 
telephone  numbering  system  with  those  of  its  Illinois  and 
St    Louis  neighbors. 

As  of  June  1954,  there  are.  in  O'Fallon,  1,371  sub- 
scribers to  the  communication  services  offered  by  South- 
western  Bell   Telephone  Company. 


SEWERS 

Before  1926.  the  cily  was  undermined  with  a  number 
of  small  sewers  serving  as  cellar-drains,  which,  in  turn, 
emptied  into  an  open  branch  in  the  western  part  of  the 
city. 

The  assessment  roll  for  O'Fallon  Sanitary  Sewer 
System  was  confirmed  by  Judge  W.  R.  Weber  in  the 
county  court  in  December  1926.  The  estimated  cost  of  the 
proposed  improvement  was  $101,644.  A  septic  tank  was 
constructed  in  the  northwest  city  limits  at  the  time  the 
sewer   lines   were   laid. 

Improvement  of  the  sewage  disposal  plant  was  neces- 


sary in  1935  as  the  city  had  been  instructed  by  the  State 
Department  of  Heallli  to  conform  with  the  Slate  require- 
ments regarding  the  disposal  of  sewerage  into  a  creek. 
This  stream  runs  along  the  Mace  land,  the  owner  of  which 
complained  of  the  contamination  of  the  water.  The  sec- 
ondary system  as  proposed  eliminated  this  condition, 
accordmg  to  engineers  of  the  State  Department  of  Health. 

Russell  &  Axon,  of  St.  Louis,  consulting  engineers 
were  engaged  to  make  a  preliminary  survey  for  the  pro- 
posed secondary  treatment  plant  on  the  sanitary  sewer 
system  estimated  to  cost   from  $18,000  to  $20,000. 

In  October  1936.  the  council  voted  for  the  improvement 
to  the  sewerage  plant,  according  to  the  plans  and  specifi- 
cations, providing  for  the  construction  of  what  is  known 
as  a  secondary  treatment  system  to  the  Imhoff  tank  as  a 
sanitation  measure.  Russell  &  Axon,  a  St.  Louis  engineer- 
ing firm  prepared  the  plans  and  specifications  providing 
sufficient  tanks  and  equipment  for  future  growth  in  popu- 
lation for  years  to  come,  being  based  on  3500  inhabitants, 
a.s    against   the    city's   2500. 

Additional  ground  was  purchased  in  1952  so  as  to  en- 
large the  septic  tank  and  add  new  lines. 


POST  OFFICE 

The  first  post  office  was  established  in  1655  at  O'Fallon 
with  Anderson  Umbarger  as  postmaster.  Since  that  time 
O'Fallon  has  had  many  postmasters,  changes  being  made 
in  accordance  with  political  shifting  of  powers  between 
the  "ins"  and  the  "outs". 

In  the  early  days,  the  location  of  the  post  office  did 
not  remain  static  very  long  for  it  was  moved  from  time 
to  time.  The  first  post  office  was  located  in  the  home  of 
Anderson  Umbarger;  in  the  1870's  in  the  general  store 
at  the  corner  of  State  and  Lincoln  (now  present  bus  sta- 
tion) ;  in  1880's  in  the  Allen  Building  on  West  First  Street; 
in  the  early  1900's  several  locations  on  West  State  Street; 
then  the  Bechtold  building  'present  library)  "ontil  April 
1938  when  the  present  post  office  building  was  completed. 

House  to  house  delivery  of  mail  was  inaugurated  in 
O'Fallon  on  August  I,  1925.  Julius  Schalter,  Jr.  was  ap- 
pointed carrier  for  the  north  side  and  Wilbur  Scott  carrier 
on  the  south  side  of  the  city.  Mr.  Schalter  still  serves  as 
carrier  on  the  north  side  and  Mr.  Scott  is  employed  as 
a  clerk  in  the  post  office.  Two  deliveries  were  made  daily. 
John  Lawrence  was  postmaaster  at  that  time. 

Two  rural  carriers  service  the  lural  community  from 
the  O'Fallon  Post  Office.  Charles  Schildknccht.  carrier 
on  Route  No.  1.  has  served  as  a  carrier  since  November 
1920.  Chester  Mayberry.  carrier  on  Route  No.  2.  has 
served    as   such    since    November    1923. 

The  present  post  office,  which  cost  $70,000.  was  form- 
ally dedicated  on  Saturday.  April  9.  1938.  Due  to  the  cold 
weather  the  dedication  ceremonies  were  carried  out  in 
the  State  Theater  which  had  been  donated  by  the  man- 
agement. About  450  persons,  including  30  postmasters 
from  other  cities,  were  in  attendance. 

Adolph  Ohlendorf,  Jr.,  president  of  the  Civic  Club, 
sponsors  of  the  dedication,  served  as  chairman  while  Post- 
master John  L.  Anheuser  officiated  as  master  of  cere- 
monies. 

Postmaster  Anheuser  introduced  those  on  the  speakers' 
platform    as   follows;    Frank    J.    Buckley.    Deputy    Fourth 


-19- 


Assistant  Postmaster-General  of  Washington,  D.  C:  E.  P. 
Kline,  president  of  the  Association  of  Postmasters,  22nd 
District;  Melvin  Price,  secretai-y  to  Congressman  Edwin 
M.  Schaefer;  Mayor  Ridge  Smith  of  OFallon;  Sheriff  H.  E. 
Siekmann;  and  E.  H.  Runkwitz,  County  Superintendent 
of  Schools. 

After  the  exercises  in  the  theater,  the  crowd  moved 
to  the  post  office  where  the  H.  Edward  Fischer  Post  Ko. 
137,  Americon  Legion,  officiated  in  the  flag  raising  cere- 
mony. John  Sapp  and  E.  C.  Schobert  led  their  comrades 
in  a  salute  as  the  colors  reached  the  top  of  the  staff  while 
the  WPA  band  played.  "Stars  and  Stripes  Forever."  After 
this  the  building  was  opened  for  inspection.  About  1200 
persons  visited  the  building  during  the  inspection  period. 

Efforts  to  secure  the  post  office  for  O' Fallon  were 
begun  in  May  1935  and  with  the  assistance  of  Congressman 
Edwin  M.  Schaefer  the  project  became  a  reality  in  less 
than  three  years.  In  June  1936.  the  proposal  was  approved 
by  Congress  and  |70,000  appropriated  for  the  project. 

The  site  for  the  post  office  was  purchased  in  October 
1936  from  OUver  C.  Joseph  for  $6,675.00.  On  June  24.  1937 
the  general  contract  to  build  the  building  was  awarded 
tc  the  Langlois  Construction  Company  of  Berwyn.  Illinois 
on  their  bid  of  $46,160.00. 

The  sealing  of  the  cornerstone  was  accomplished  on 
January    17.    1938,    at    which   time    a    nimnber   of    records, 


brief    history    of    O'Fallon.    .inu    several    copies    of    The 
Progress   were    placed    in    a    copper    compartment. 

The  building  has  a  frontage  of  60  feet  on  Lincoln 
Avenue  and  extends  58  feet  on  East  Third  Street.  In 
addition  there  is  a  canopied  loading  platform  22  feet  long 
and  six  feet  in  width.  The  structure  is  of  buff-colored 
brick   and   stone   trim. 

In  the  lobby  of  the  post  office  may  be  found  an  ex- 
cellent mural  (oil  on  canvas)  drawn  by  Merlin  F.  Pollack 
of  Chicago,  Illinois.  The  mural  shows  John  Mason  Peck, 
who  in  1827  became  the  first  postmaster  of  the  Rock 
Springs  Post  Office  (located  about  two  miles  east  oi 
O'Fallon  on  Route  No.  50),  distributing  mail  to  residents 
of  the  area.  The  mural  was  executed  under  the  program 
of  the  Section  of  Fine  Ai'ts.  Federal  Works  Agency,  Public 
Buildings  Administration,  which  decorated  federal  build- 
ings with  murals  and  sciUpture. 

The  present  personnel  of  the  post  office  is  as  follows: 
Postmaster,  Earl  Thompson  (a  postal  employee  since  Oc- 
tober 1926) ;  City  Carriers:  Julius  Schalter,  Jr.,  Wihner 
Anheuser,  and  Substitutes  Ralph  Carson,  Kenneth  Schwarz, 
and  Benjamin  Hamm;  Rural  Carriers:  Charles  SchUd- 
knecht,  and  Chester  Mayberry;  Clerks:  Dorothy  McArdle. 
Wilbur  Scott,  Helen  Perry,  Evelyn  Brasher,  and  Substitute 
Margaret   Vest;    Janitor,    Robert  Berens. 


isSi^&J 


Present  Post  Office.    Inset  mteriur  view  ul  po^t    office  taken  ia   1'J(.'4,  ,.  u^tmn.-lei■  '. ,  .  ...  .v-^..- 
igstein  and  Clerk  Elizabeth  Fischer.    Located   on  West  State  Street  in  National  Bank  Building. 


-20- 


PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

The  present  public  library  was  established  by  the 
O'Fallon  Woman's  Club  in  April  1930.  It  was  supported 
by  club  funds  and  some  financial  aid  from  private  indi- 
viduals and  organizations  over  a  period  of  years 

During  the  period  from  1939  to  1942.  the  W.P.A.  gave 
aid  to  the  library.  After  the  discontinuance  of  W.P.A. 
the  Woman's  Club  again  assumed  the  responsibili.y  for  the 
operation  of  the  library  for  a  short  period 

The  Woman's  Club  was  instrumental  in  placing  a  plan 
before  the  voters  of  the  rommuniiy  to  assume  the  main' 
tensince  of  the  library  by  public  taxation.  On  April  22, 
1943,  the  voters  approved  the  proposition  and  on  July  1. 
1943  the  city  assumed  the  management  of  the  library. 

The  library  is  managed  by  a  library  board  of  nine 
members  who  are  appointed  by  the  Mayor  with  the  ap' 
proval  of  the  City  Council. 

From  1930  to  1945  the  liorary  occupied  quarters  on  the 
second  floor  of  the  First  National  Bank  building.  On 
March  1.  1945.  it  was  moved  to  larger  quarters  at  119  East 
First  Street.  iU  present  location. 

At  the  present  time  the  library  has  5.000  books  on  its 
shelves;  has  an  average  monthly  circulation  in  excess  of 
900;  and  ha.<:  1.039  registrants.  Library  cards  are  free  to 
all  persons  residing  in  the  city  and  are  issued  to  non-resi- 
dents for  a  fee  of  $1.00  per  year.  Mrs.  Edna  Ayres  has 
served  as  librarian  since  1945. 

The  O'Fallon  Public  Library  is  now  a  permanent  in- 
stitution of  which  the  City  of  O'Fallon  may  well  be  proud. 
Its  existence  in  the  community  is  due  largely  to  the  efforts 
and  financial  support  given  it  by  the  O'Fallon  Woman  .s 
Club  through  its  humble   beginning  and  struggling  yp=\rs 


SCOUTING  MOVEMENT 

The  Boy  Scouts  were  organ' zed  in  O'Fallon  in  De- 
cember 1930.  The  sponsor  was  the  O'Fallon  Community 
Boy  Scout  Council.  This  council,  a  group  of  loal  cil  zens 
mterested  in  Scouting,  chose  Thomas  Gordon  as  President 
of   the   Council 

Walter  C.  Hartman  was  named  first  Scoutmaster  with 
Albert  Hartman  as  his  assistant.  The  committee  members 
were:  Nat  Isenberg.  Dr.  E.  J.  Pecaut,  John  S.hneider. 
Ben  A.  Schmidt,   and  G.  B.  Gieser. 

The  first  charter  issued  contained  the  names  of  twenty 
O'Fallon  boys.  Since  that  first  charter  m  1930,  the  Troop 
has  had  a  varied  existence — sometimes  prospering  and 
sometimes   inactive. 

Under  the  leadership  of  Robert  Munier  in  the  mid  and 
late  1930's.  Troop  35  became  the  outstanding  troop  in  \he 
area,  producing  several  Eagle  Scouts  and  winning  a  number 
of  high  awards  in  the  field  of  First  Aid. 

In  1938,  the  First  Aid  team  of  Don  Willard,  Don  Jos- 
eph, Paul  Keller,  and  Don  Bevirt  won  first  place  honors 
in  the  district,  Kaskaskia  Council,  and  Southwestern  Illi- 
nois. They  placed  second  in  the  meef  at  Chicago  which 
included  teams  from  Illinois.  Indiana.  Wisconsin,  and 
Michigan. 

In  1939.  a  team  consisting  of  Don  Joseph.  Paul  Keller, 
Don  Bevirt.  Dale  Willard,  and  William  Bechtold  duplicated 
the   feat   of   the   team    of   the   previous   year. 

Another  earlier  first  aid  team  won  all  the  local  meets 
and   went   to   Chicago   to   the   finals 

At  present  the  Troop  is  under  the  sponsorship  of  the 


Parent-Teachers  Association  and  has  approximately  15 
members.  The  troop  is  presently  being  reorganized  with 
the  view  of  increasing  its  activity.  Leslie  Canterbury, 
native  son  and  formerly  active  in  scouting,  who  has  re- 
turned to  O'Fallon  to  teach  in  the  high  school,  is  slated  to 
be   the   new   scoutmaster. 

The  charter  was  granted  to  Cub  Scouts,  Pack  35,  on 
May  31.  1948.  The  sponsoring  organization  was  the  Ameri- 
can  Legion.    The  first   Cubmaster   was   Willford   Eckert. 

In  succeeding  years  the  following  have  served  as 
Cubmasters:  Howard  Davison,  Lawrence  E.  Lord,  Vernon 
Scheibel,  Lowell  Maggine  and  Carl  Motchan.  The  pres.-n*. 
sponsor  is  the  Rotary  Club. 

At  the  present  time  Pack  35  has  p  membership  of  32 
boys  divided  into  five  dens. 

The  present  Den  Mothers  are:  Mesdames  Wilbur 
Thompson,  Clarence  Eberhardt,  Fred  Schrameck,  Albert 
Diekroetger,  Clarence  Lurtz,  and  Wilmer  Mannz.  The 
current  committeemen  are:  Wilbur  Thompson.  Herbert 
Lurtz.  Clarence  Eberhardt,  Albert  Diekroetger.  Roy  Hall. 
Don   Sartor,    and   Harry   Frievogel. 

Weekly  den  meetings  are  held  in  the  homes  of  the 
Den  Mothers  and  pack  meetings  are  held  monthly.  During 
the  summer,  campfirc  meetings  with  group  singing  and 
refreshments   are   featured. 

Some  of  the  activities  of  the  Cub  Scouts  are:  study 
and  practice  of  conservation:  serving  as  Color  Guards 
in  civic  parades,  music  shows,  Indian  Pow-Wow;  construc- 
tive  hobbies,    and   games. 

Good  sportsmanship,  brotherly  love,  and  reverence  to 
God  and  country  form  the  foundation  for  all  Cub  Scout 
activities. 

The  O'Fallon  Girl  Scouts  were  registered  in  May 
1938  by  Miss  Mary  Margaret  Carson,  one  of  the  grade 
school  teachers  at  that  time.  There  were  75  girls  registered 
in  three  troops:  Troop  I — Senior  Scouts  led  by  Miss  Carson: 
Troop  2 — Intermediates.  Miss  Lee  Pierce,  leader;  and 
Troop  3 — Miss  Sophie  Coupin,  leader. 

A  Girl  Scout  Council  was  organized  in  September 
1938  under  the  direction  of  Mrs.  P.  C.  Otwell,  District 
Commissioner  from  Belleville.  The  members  were:  Mrs. 
E.  A  .Grodeon.  commissioner;  Mrs.  C.  G.  Herzberger, 
secretary-treasurer:  and  Mesdames  C.  O.  Schenk,  Cecil 
Lienesch,  Theodore  Sollis,  Bertha  Lawrence.  William  Bech- 
told, Fred  C  Bevirt.  M.  Kuehn,  Jacob   Mueller,  members. 

The  Girl  Scouts  have  had  camp  experience  at  Camp 
Wangelin.  Waterloo;  Camp  Joy,  Carlyle;  Camp  Ouatago. 
Grafton;  and  this  year  at  the  Collinsville  Girl  Scout  camp 
on  Route  1.59.  The  present  troop  is  sponsored  by  the  Wo- 
m.an's  Club  and  holds  its  meetings  in  the  Methodist  Church 
basement  each  Thursday  afternoon  during  the  school 
year. 

O'Fallon  now  has  only  one  troop  of  Girl  Scouts,  Troop 
2,  with  45  active  members  between  the  ages  of  10  and  14 
years.  It  is  now  registered  as  a  home  troop  with  Miss 
Lee  Pierce  as  leader  and  Me.sdames  Helen  Distler,  Virginia 
Morgan,  Ruth  Moore,  and  Mi.ss  Velma  Pitt  as  assistant 
leaders. 

The  Brownie  Scout  Troop  of  25  girls  between  th-;  ."ps 
of  7  and  10  years  was  registered  in  September  1951 
with  Mrs.  Robert  Beren.«  a.v  leader.  Subsequent  leaders 
were:  Mrs.  Cyril  Wolfersberger  and  Mrs.  Victor  Rein- 
hardt.  The  Brownies  now  have  37  active  members.  They 
are  sponsored  by  the  V.F.W.  Auxiliary 


-21- 


Business  and  Industry 


Weisbrod  Barber  Shop,  West  First  Street  Bar- 
bers, from  left:  Henry  Weisbrod  and  Julius 
Weisbrod.  In  chairs,  from  left:  John  Weisbrod 
and  George  Bender. 


Landgraf  Millinery  Store,  East  State  Street. 
From  left:  Lola  Krause,  Marie  Schildknecht, 
Katie  Landgraf,  Bernetta  Joseph,  and  Marshall 
Horace  Evans. 


Interior  Tiedemann  Store,  West  State  Street. 
From  left:  Louise  Tiedemann,  Henry  Tiede- 
mann. and  Oscar  Krause. 


Roseberry  Saloon  (now  Friendly  Tavern).  From 
left:  John  Knerrer,  Medley  Guest,  Emil  Cook, 
Ben  Amann,  Sam  Taylor,  John  Erwin,  Robert 
Wessel,  George  Keck,  Arthur  Kimes,  William 
Guest.   Behind  bar,  Edvi'ard  Roseberry. 


Richland    Hotel,     William     Quinn,     proprietor. 
Corner  of  West  First  and  Oak  Street. 


OLD  BUSINESS  PLACES  OF  O'FALLON 
22 


EARLY   BUSINESS  PEOPLE 
OF  O'FALLON  —  1860-1S9U 

Early  stores  in  O'Fallon  were:  Peach  and  Simmons  in 
the  building  now  occupied  by  the  bus  station;  Salter 
Brothers  in  building  now  occupied  by  George  Thomas; 
Rudolph  Kampmeyer  in  a  building  east  of  building  now 
occupied  by  Pitt's  Tavern,  he  sold  the  first  Deermg  binders 
in  this  locality;  Richard  Remelius  had  a  hai'dware  store 
in  the  building  known  as  the  Remelius  building;  and  Gor- 
don and  Mace  operated  in  a  building  on  the  site  now 
occupied  by  the  Thomas  Tavern. 

Early  druggists  were  Horace  "Holly"  Hyde.  B.  Krause 
and  Lynn  Hibbard.  Then  in  the  1890's  George  Remick  and 
E.  H.  Smiley. 

Horace  Hyde  operated  a  drug  store  in  the  building 
now  occupied  by  Taylor's  Market.  Before  that  L.  Hoering 
had  a  furnitui'e  store  in  the  building.  Later  in  the  1880's. 
Dan  Gartside  operated  a  grocery  store  in  the  building. 

East  of  the  Gartside  store  was  the  St.  Clair  Hotel  and 
Saloon  operated  by  Michael  Bernhardt.  Other  hotels  were 
the  "O'Fallon  House"  operated  by  Charles  Fischer  (corner 
First  and  Lincoln  Avenue);  and  the  "Farmei's'  Home" 
operated  by  Charles  Link  on  the  corner  of  State  and  'Vine. 
One  of  the  early  saloons  and  boarding  houses  was  operated 
by  Joseph  Landgraf. 

There  were  two  brick  yards,  Michael  Wachter  and 
Jacob  Brewer,  the  former  where  the  B.  &  O.  and  the  Illi- 
nois Terminal  intersect  and  the  latter  on  the  corner  of 
West    Fifth    and    South   Hickory. 

Early  postmasters  and  postmistresses  were  Eliza  Ruth- 
erford. Mrs.  John  Schachner,  Phillip  Schildknecht.  B. 
Muehlhausen.  Brice  McGeehon,  Nellie  McGeehon.  and 
James   Owens. 

Early  bakers  of  O'Fallon  were  Frederick  Kuntzman. 
and  Jacob  Hammer. 

Early  blacksmiths  were:  Levi  Ladd,  Simon  Kirgan, 
Achille  Bequeret.  Christ  Jacob.  Christ  Hellman,  Herman 
Gross,  and  August  Behrens. 

Some  of  the  early  doctors  were:  Columbus  Hixon. 
James  McGeehon,  O.  C.  Bates,  Ed.  Moore,  James  Lemen, 
Ed  and  Charles  Oatman,  B.  Krause,  and  D.  C.  Dunn. 

Dr.  Russell  H.  Mac©  early  practiced  dentistry  in 
O'Fallon. 

Early  barbers  were  Reinhardt  Strub,  Jake  and  Arnold 
Simon,  John  Hoffmann,  and  later  Jule  Schalter  and 
William   Lehman. 

The  shoemakers  of  the  early  times  were  Christian 
Obst,   John  Drozda,   and   Philip  Jungblut. 

Early  harness  makers  were  Philip  and  Henry  Schild- 
knecht, Nick  Thomas,  and  D.  C.  McFarland.  The  early 
wagon  makers  were  Andrew  Molles,  John  Bernum.  and 
Louis   Landwehr. 


of  Bernett  Joseph;  the  grocery  store  of  Henry  E.  Tiedc- 
mann;  the  livery  and  storage  business  of  George  Schobert 
and  his  sons,  A.  A..  Eli'win,  Oscar,  and  George;  the  wagon- 
maker  Andrew  Molles;  the  meat  market  of  George  Britsch; 
the  recreation  business  of  Frank  Harlman  and  Fred  Reaka; 
the  Charles  Tiedemaiin  Milling  Company;  the  harness 
business  of  Henry  Scbildknecht:  the  Central  Hotel  operated 
by  William  Bertram:  the  First  National  Bank  of  O'Fallon; 
M.  Schwarz  and  Sons,  funeral  directors  and  dealers  in 
fuiniture;  the  firm  of  Behrens  and  Thomas,  dealers  in 
horses  and  mules  ;the  City  Bakery  operated  by  Ernst 
Budina;  Allen's  Department  Store;  Stauffer's  Restaurant; 
The  Eureka  Stetl  Range  Co..  operated  by  William  G.  Will- 
ard;  the  harness  and  horse  furnishings  business  of  Nick 
Thomas;  the  Ohlendorf  and  Thomas  Hardware  Store;  the 
jewelry  store  of  John  Schneider;  the  contracting  business 
of   James   W.    Asbury   and    Sons. 


BUSLNESS   PEOPLE    OF   O'FALLON 
IN  THE  EARLY   1900's 

other  early  established  business  and  those  operating 
in  the  early  1900's  were  ihe  butcher  shop  of  Charles  D. 
Schafer;  the  general  merchandise  store  of  S.  E.  McGeehon; 
the  Schuetz  Steam  Bakery  of  Charles  J.  Schuetz;  the  O'Fal- 
lon Creamery  owned  by  John  Munier;  the  hardware  store 


BARROW  PEONY  FARM 

The  Barrow  Peony  Farm,  one  of  the  largest  in  ths 
nation,  was  established  in  1928  by  Dr.  Edward  Trippel. 
Four  years  later  he  was  joined  by  his  son-in-law,  James 
E.  Barrow,  who  now  actively  manages  the  extensive  opera- 
tion. 

Dr.  Edward  Trippel  was  bom  in  New  Baden,  Illinois 
on  August  30,  1888.  After  graduation  from  the  Medical 
Institute  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri  in  1912.  he  started  his  medi- 
cal piactice  in  O'Fallon.  He  has  continued  from  that  time 
to  faithfully  administer  to  tht-  medical  needs  of  the  people 
of  O'Fallon. 

The  idea  of  growing  peonies  sprang  from  a  kindly 
thought  as  the  doctor  has  many  times  explained:  "I  used 
to  keep  a  little  present  to  give  my  little  patients.  Usually 
some  candy  for  the  kiddies — to  take  the  pain  out  of  the 
earaches.  Then  I  figured  it  might  be  nice  to  have  some- 
thing for  the  mothers  too-  -so  I  started  growing  peonies.' 

"Pinies"  the  patients  called  them,  and  looked  forward 
to  the  parting  gift  of  the  doctor's  gay  blossoms,  grown 
then  on  five  acres  of  what  is  now  his  present  farm.  Dr. 
Trippel  learned  that  the  blossoms  had  commercial  possi- 
bilities when  wholesale  florists  began  to  ask  him  to  sell  the 
flowers. 

When  the  doctor  decided  to  go  into  the  business  in 
1928,  ho  went  about  it  in  a  systematic  manner,  traveling 
to  famous  farms  throughout  the  country,  observing  stock 
and  sturdiness  of  various  types  of  plants,  and  consulting 
with  successful  growers  on  the  multitude  of  problems  con- 
fronting a  peony  grower. 

Today  the  Barrow  Peony  Farm  has  under  cultivation 
4.'i  acres  of  peonies,  harvests  over  50,000  dozen  flowers 
a  season,  and  affords  employment  to  over  100  persons 
during  the  harvesting  period. 

The  gorgeous  peony  blossom,  traditional  floral  decora- 
tion of  Memorial  Day.  is  the  reward  of  four  years  painstak- 
ing culture.  The  plant  is  propagated  from  cuttings. 

Early  in  March  cultivation  begins  A  coating  of  com- 
mercial fertilizer  insures  large,  perfect  blossoms.  Then 
before  the  blooming  .reason  begins,  the  sniall  buds  are 
clipped  from  stem  branches,  so  the  "strength"  of  the 
plant  goes  to  one  big  blossom  at  the  top  of  each  stem. 
When  the  cutting  sea."!on  begins,  usually  about  the  first 
week  in  May.  workers  with  long  curved  knives  cut  the  un- 


-23- 


opened  bud;,  leaving  about  a  lOui-ch  to  blossom  in  order 
that  the  plant  may  not  be  weakened  by  too  much  cutting. 
At  this  stage  the  flower  develops  at  a  breaktaking  clip 
and  a  delay  of  as  little  as  two  hours  can  ruin  the  product. 
Starting  early  in  the  morning  and  working  until  night- 
fall, the  pickers  carefully  comb  each  field  at  least  four 
times  a  day.  Hauled  in  from  the  fields  in  special  wagons, 
the  peony  stalk.<!  are  first  machine  stripped  of  their  lower 
leaves  and  then  laid  on  long  tables  where  they  are  graded 
and  sorted  into  dozens  of  each  variety.  To  arre.st  develop- 
ment of  the  harvested  peonies,  the  graded  and  bunched 
buds  are  put  into  cold  storage  until  they  can  be  packed 
for  shipment  to  the  flower  markets  of  St.  Louis.  Chicago, 
Detroit,  and  New  York  City.  At  low  temperatures,  the  buds 
can  be  preserved  for  several  months. 

Perhaps  the  order  best  remembered  by  the  owner 
of  the  peony  farm  was  the  rush  order  from  Detroit  for 
250  dozens  of  special  variety  peonies  for  the  funeral  of 
Edsel  Ford. 

Although  Dr.  Trippel  may  insist  he  now  grows  peonies 
as  a  commercial  enterprise  and  that  the  days  of  giving 
them  away  are  over,  many  festive  occasions  in  O'Fallon 
are  made  more  decorative  by  large  vases  of  beautiful 
peonies  sent  over  by   "Doc'  Trippel. 


FIRST  NATIONAL  BANK 
OF  O'FALLON 

In  1903  a  number  of  citizens  felt  that  one  of  the  chief 
needs  of  the  city  of  O'Fallon  was  a  financial  institution. 
There  had  been  a  private  bank,  owned  and  managed  by 
outside  persons,  in  the  late  90's  which  had  failed  rather 
disastrously.  "While  its  deposits  were  not  large  the  bank's 
closing  had  seriously  affected  the  community  and  its  citi- 
zens. The  primary  purpose  of  the  organization  of  the  First 
National  Bank  was  to  give  the  people  of  O'Fallon  and 
vicinity  a  safe  and  sound  banking  institution  and  to  pro 
vide  for  its  patrons  every  convenience  and  favor  that  con- 
servative banking  would  permit. 

That  their  efforts  have  been  appreciated  is  evidenced 
by  the  steady  growth  of  its  resources  and  deposits  through 
the  years  as  shown  by  comparaU^e  operating  statements. 
The  following  is  a  list  of  the  original  stockholders:  A.  B. 
Smiley,  S.  C.  Smiley,  George  W.  Tiedemann,  C.  E.  Tiede- 
mann,  E.  H.  Smiley,  Charles  T.  Smiley,  Dr.  H.  T.  Bech- 
told,  Joseph  Taylor,  H.  E.  Tiedemann,  Julius  A.  Schalter, 
C.  F.  Behrens,  "W.  R.  Dorris,  Charles  Reiss,  Sr.,  William 
Reiss,  Mathias  Schwarz,  Sr.,  W.  A.  Darrow,  John  Munier, 
John  Peach,  George  Reiss,  and  John  Koch,  Sr.  Of  these, 
seventeen  are  deceased.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the 
majority  of  the  shares  issued  to  the  above  are  still  held  by 
the  original  owners  or  their  heirs. 

The  Bank  was  opened  for  business  September  1,  1903 
with  the  following   officers: 

President  E.    H.    Smiley 

Cashier. W.  R.  Dorris 

Vice  President George  W.  Tiedemann 

Vice  President Dr.  H.  T.  Bechtold 

Mr.  E.  H.  Smiley  owned  and  operated  a  drug  store 
after  he  started  the  bank.  The  first  telephone  office,  bank, 
and  light  and  power  office  were  in  the  building  with  the 
drug  store  during  the  time  Mr.   Smiley  owned  the  store. 


In  1905  the  bank  moved  to  the  corner  of  Lincoln 
Avenue  and  State  Street.  The  exterior  of  the  building  was 
remodeled   in   1921   and  the   interior  in   1945. 

The  First  National  Hank  observed  its  Fiftieth  Anni- 
versary on  September  1.  1953.  Mr.  E.  H.  Smiley,  Chairman 
of  the  Board  for  eleven  years  and  President  of  the  bank 
for  thirty-nine  years,  died  December  25,  1953.  At  the 
present  time  Mr.  W.  R.  Dorris  is  President  of  the  bank, 
a  position  he  has  held  for  the  past  eleven  years. 

INDEPENDENT  ENGINEERING 
COMPANY,  INC. 

Prior  to  1937  the  foundations  of  the  Independent  En- 
gineering Company  were  laid  in  the  C  &  R  Engineering 
Company  and  the  Puritied  Gas  Company  both  of  which 
had  developed  a  small  business  devoted  to  general  gas 
engineering.  In  1937  the  Independent  Engineering  Com- 
pany was  organized  and  incorporated  witli  the  following 
officers: 

Mr.   L.    R.    Cartier President 

Mr.  B.  R.  Christopher Vice-President 

Mrs.  E.  M.  Cartier , Secretary 

Miss  FeUcita  Streck Asst.  Secretary 

The  normal  peace  time  business  of  the  Company  was 
the  manufacturing  of  Acetylene  Cylinders.  Through  1937 
and  1938  the  Company  manufactured  these  Acetylene  Cyl- 
inders. During  this  time  the  President  had  conceived  the 
idea  of  manufacturing  Mobile  Gas  Generators  to  avoid 
shipping   and    reshipping    empty    gas    cylinders. 

During  World  War  II  the  Company  manufactured 
Mobile  Oxygen  generators  in  addition  to  the  other  products 
mentioned.  These  Mobile  Oxygen  generators  were  sent 
to  every  fighting  front  in  the  World  War  and  along  with 
them  went  trained  operators,  who  were  trained  by  the 
Company  for  this  special  service.  In  all,  1,007  men  were 
trained  for  this  special  service. 

Following  the  close  of  World  War  II.  the  Company 
began  to  devote  more  lime  to  the  production  of  stationary 
gas  generators  and  research  in  the  production  of  Argon. 

On  June  29.  1948,  President  L.  R.  Cartier  died  and  on 
March  19,  1951,  his  wife,  Mrs.  Effie  Mae  Cartier,  who  had 
served  as  Secretary  of  the  Company,  also  passed  away. 
Following  the  death  of  these  two  original  officers,  the 
Corporation  elected  the  present  officers  who  are  as  fol- 
lows: 

Mr.    B.    R.   Christopher ...President 

Mr.  Raymond  R.  Richardson  Vice-President 

Mr.  O.  M.  Randel  _      _   Vice-President,Sales 

Miss  Margaret  Egger..      Secretary 

Mj-.  H.  T.  Glenn Comptroller 

Research  was  continued  on  the  production  of  Argon, 
and  at  present,  the  Company  is  one  of  a  very  small  number 
of  firms  in  the  United  States  producing  Argon.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  industrial  aas  generators  mentioned  and  the 
industrial  gases,  both  of  which  are  produced  by  the  Com- 
pany, other  products  are  a  full  line  of  accessory  materials 
for  the  industrial  gas  business,  such  as  various  types  of 
cylinders,  rechargers.  valving  machines,  test  boards,  and 
other  types  of  testing  equipment. 

The  products  of  the  Independent  Engineering  Com- 
pany, Inc.,  today,  are  not  only  distri'outed  through  out  the 
United  States,  but  to  many  points  in  South  America, 
Europt-    and   Asia. 


-24- 


O'FALLON  Bl^ILDING  AND  LOAN 
ASSOCIATION 

The  O'Fallon  Building  and  Loan  Association  received 
its  charter  from  the  state  of  Illinois  in  May  1891.  On  May 
8.  1891.  in  the  drug  store  of  George  E.  Remick.  the  follow- 
ing stockholders  met  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  and 
electing  the  first  officers:  E.  Tiedemann.  S.  C.  Smiley. 
Philip  Heyde.  George  E.  Remick,  Dr.  J.  W.  Scott,  Julius  A. 
Schalter.  James  E.  Owen.  Henry  Kuntzmann,  John  G.  Mar- 
tin, Chas.  Basshard.  H.  C.  Begole,  Joseph  Taylor,  Chas.  T. 
Smiley.  R.  I  Collins,  and  A.  B.  Young.  The  officers  elected 
at  this  time  were:  H.  C.  Begole.  president.  Ernest  Tiede- 
mann. vice-president;  Dr.  J.  W.  Scott,  secretary,  and 
George  E.   Remick.  treasurer. 

E.  F.  Staats  received  the  first  loan  amounting  to  $800.00 
at  a  rate  of  11'.'  jntere.<:t  After  one  month's  business  the 
receipts  of  the  Association  amounted  to  $!S8.25  in  stocs 
payments  compared  to  approximately  $7,000  per  month 
at  the  present  time.  Joseph  Taylor.  S.  C.  Smiley,  and  Philip 
Heyde  were  the  first  appraisal  committee. 

In  the  first  year  the  organization  borrowed  $1,000  from 
Ernst  Tiedemann  at  3';  to  meet  the  demand  for  loans  on 
property.  Meetings  of  the  board  were  held  the  first  Mond.ay 
of  the  month  in  Beaumont  Hall  'now  the  bus  station  at 
the  corner  of  State  and  Lincoln  Avenue).  In  September 
of  the  first  year,  the  meeting  date  was  changed  to  the 
third  Monday  of  the  month,  the  same  as  the  present  time. 

During  the  first  year  loans  were  made  to  John  Den- 
nerlein,  Sr.,  William  Lehmann,  and  Christ  Schachner. 

At  the  end  of  the  first  year  the  association  had  346 
shares  of  stock  in  for:e  with  total  receipts  amounting  to 
$2,644.58.  At  the  end  of  the  fiscal  year  (May  31.  19.53t  the 
association  had  8,681  shares  of  stock  in  force  and  had  as- 
sets of  approximately  $233,000. 

The  practice  during  the  first  two  years  was  to  sell  the 
money  to  the  applicant  making  the  highest  interest  offer 
which  often  ran  to  21'"-  premium.  However,  this  practice 
was  discontinued  in  the  third  year  whon  the  directors 
decided  to  make  loans  to  borrowers  indiscriminately. 

The  following  have  records  of  long  service  as  officers 
of  the  association: 

John  Seddon 28  years 

John  Schneider  -  -  -  -  41  years 
Edward  N.  Thomas  -  -  -  30  years 
George  B.  Gieser  -  -  -  -  35  years 
E.  H.  Smiley     -----     52  years 

The  present  officers  and  directors  are:  Dr.  Edward 
Trippel,  president;  Joseph  P.  Keck,  vice-president;  Mose 
K.  E;kert.  secretary;  John  Lawrence,  treasurer;  and  direc- 
tors, Charles  Heitman,  Clarence  Distler,  G.  B.  Gieser, 
William  P.  Lehman,  Harvey  Klingel,  Arthur  J.  HuUer,  and 
William   K.   Schmidt. 

A  good  Building  and  Loan  Association  is  a  valuable 
asset  to  a  community.  It  provides  source  of  funds  for  many 
citizens  from  which  to  secure  money  to  finance  the  pur- 
chase of  homes.  It  provides  for  investors  a  safe  investment 
for  their  funds.  Through  the  years  of  its  existence  the 
O'Fallon  Building  and  Loan  Association  has  efficiently 
provided  these  services.  Its  record  for  sound  business 
operation  is  second  to  none.  It  has  done  much  to  promote 
the   growth    and    welfare   of   O'Fallon. 


THE  O'FALLON  PROGRESS 

It  is  understood  that  the  first  newspaper  in  O'Fallon 
was  printed  by  Sebastian  Mace.  Later  his  brothers.  Harry 
and  Eugene  Mace,  printed  a  little  paper  known  as  the 
"O'Fallon  Advance." 

About  1890,  Adolph  Bunsen  and  the  McGeehon  Broth- 
ers iBrice  and  Sam>  had  a  store  where  Allen's  Clothing 
Store  was  formerly  located  on  First  Street.  They  printed 
a  little  monthly  bulletin  called  the  "Rustler"  which  carried 
a  set  line  of  church,  Sunday  School,  and  lodge  notices, 
and   other   items   of   interest. 

In  1895,  two  young  men,  John  Hanley  and  John  Wag- 
ner, came  to  O'Fallon  upon  the  encouragement  of  several 
of  the  business  men  to  start  a  newspaper.  Bunsen  and  the 
McGeehons  helped  in  securing  about  150  subscribers  for 
the  paper  in  and  around  O'Fallon,  Ridge  Prairie,  and 
Shiloh  and  solicited  seme  advertising  from  the  local  mer- 
chants and  other  business  men  of  the  county.  The  paper 
was  then  given  the  name  "O'Fallon  Progress"  and  is  still 
known  by  that  name.  The  first  issue  of  the  O'Fallon 
Progress  was  printed  on  February  7.  1895.  Irwin  A.  'Yare, 
the  present  owner  of  the  paper,  has  a  copy  cf  this  paper 
on  display  in  his  office.  The  Progress  office  was  located 
in  the  Keil  Building  on  Ea^t  First  Street,  the  building  now 
occupied  by  the  George  Thomas  Electric  Shop. 

Messrs.  Hanley  and  Wagner  operated  the  paper  for  a 
short  time  when  they  sold  it  to  H.  P.  Gibbs.  In  March 
1902,  Mr.  Gibbs  sold  the  paper  to  A.  H.  Doran  and  moved 
to  Oklahoma.  Mr.  Doran,  principal  of  the  Millstadt  schools 
and  editor  of  the  Millstadt  Enterprise,  took  possession  in 
June  when  his  contract  with  the  school  board  expired. 
He  located  in  the  Alex  Thomas  Building  east  of  where  the 
O'Fallon  Locker  Company  is  now  located". 

In  1902  the  paper  was  changed  from  four  to  eight 
pages.  Ml-.  Doran  sold  the  paper  in  1915  to  R.  A.  Everett 
of  Boston.  Massachusetts,  who  published  it  until  February 
23,  1917  when  he  sold  it  to  Marcel  F.  Kuehn.  The  Progress 
was  located  in  the  Wachter  Building  on  West  Statu  Street 
before  being  moved  by  Mr.  Kuehn  to  the  location  at  HI 
West  State  Street. 

Mr.  Iiwin  A.  Yare  bought  the  Progress  from  Mr 
Kuehn  on  September  1.  1950.  Mr.  Yare  has  been  connected 
with  the  newspaper  business  for  25  years.  In  addition  to 
publishing  the  Progress  he  also  publishes  "The  Reporter," 
a  legal  publi:alion,  which  he  started  nine  yeprs  ago.  Since 
Mr.  Yare  has  owned  the  Progress  the  capacity  of  the  print- 
ing plant  has  been  doubled.  A  second  linotype  machine, 
a  folding  machine,  and  two  automatic  presses  have  bei-n 
added  to  the  shop  equipment.  On  April  5,  1954  the  Prog- 
ress moved  to  its  new  location  at  119  West  Slate  Street, 
the  former  site  of  the  Star  Bakery. 


O'FALLON  QUALITY  DAIRY 

In  1922  George  Schwarz  purchased  the  O'Fallon 
Creamery  from  Mr.  John  Munior.  The  previous 
operations  of  Hie  plant  were  the  making  of  ice  cream  and 
butter  There  were  also  facilities  for  ice  making.  All  of 
these  operations  had  been  discontinued  for  some  time 
when   the  olant   was   purchased   by   Mr.  Schwarz. 

The  plant  was  located  on  West  Second  Street.  At  that 
time  the   loc.ition  was  advantageous  because  of  the   Inter- 


-25- 


urban  car  line  which  had  a  switch  into  the  creamery  plant. 
Coal  lor  tne  plant  and  a  great  deal  of  the  coal  used  by  the 
people  of  O'Fallon  was  delivered  from  this  switch  out  of 
railroad  cars  brought  in  from  St.  Ellen  and  the  Prairie 
mines.  The  mines  at  that  time  did  not  have  truck  load- 
ing facilities. 

Because  of  the  available  refrigeration  a  milk  receiving 
station  was  started  for  the  Illinois-Missouri  Co-Op.  The 
Co-Op  after  a  few  years  went  into  bankruptcy.  This  pre- 
sented a  problem  for  the  milk  producers  in  this  locality 
and  they  asked  Mr.  Schwarz  to  go  into  the  milk  business. 
In  1923,  the  first  milk  route  was  pui'chased  with  a  list  of 
150  customers. 

Of  the  first  three  producers  (Joseph  Thoman,  Sr., 
George  Munier,  Sr.,  and  Mike  Obernuefemann)  from  whom 
Mr.  Schwarz  started  buying  milk.  Mike  Obernuefemann  is 
still  a  shipper  today. 

From  that  time  on  expansion  in  the  milk  business  con- 
tinued making  it  necessary  to  build  new  and  larger 
quarters. 

Construction  work  was  started  after  World  War  II  on 
the  new  building  located  on  the  corner  of  Oak  Street  and 
Route  50  and  the  building  had  its  formal  opening  on  May 
1,  1948.  The  new  plant  of  the  O'Fallon  Quality  Dairy  is 
recognized  by  the  industry  as  one  of  the  finest  processing 
plants  in  the  State  of  Illinois. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  after  returning  from  service 
with  the  Armed  Forces,  Mr.  Schwarz's  three  sons.  Robert, 
Jack,  and  William  came  into  the  business.  The  present 
corporation  officers  are:  George  Schwarz.  president;  Robert 
and  William  Schwarz,  vice  -  presidents;  Jack  Schwarz 
treasurer;  and  Sue  Schwarz,  secretary.  This  makes  the 
O'Fallon  Quality  Dairy  a  family   corporation. 

Today  the  O'Fallon  Quality  Dairy  distributes  its  pro- 
ducts in  most  of  the  cities  of  St.  Clair,  Madison,  Clinton, 
and  Bond  counties.  The  plant  employs  36  persons,  has  37 
distributors  and  drivers,  and  collects  milk  from  303  pro- 
ducers. 


O'FALLON  TOOL  &  DIE  COMPANY 

The  O'Fallon  Tool  &  Die  Company  is  owned  by  a  part- 
nership consisting  of  James  J.  Lautz,  Ivan  S.  Meyer,  and 
Maurice  H.  Helen.  The  business  began  in  1945  at  127  West 
First  Street,  and  at  that  time  business  was  on  a  very  mode- 
rate scale  with  the  three  partners  actually  performing  the 
work  in  the  shop.  One  apprentice  was  hired  and  as  work 


increased  more  men  were  Viiied  until  a  total  of  ten  men 
were  on  the  payroll. 

By  October,  1950,  the  company  had  outgrown  t.ie  quart- 
ers at  127  West  First  Street  and  purchased  ihe  Independent 
Engineering  Company  building  at  111  West  Second  Street, 
their  present  location.  At  the  present  time  the  company 
employs  thirty-five  persons.  The  company  has  the  neces- 
sary machinery  for  t'ne  manufacture  of  dies,  jigs,  tools, 
fixtures,  gages,  and  special  machinery. 

The  O'Fallon  Tool  &  Die  Company  is  now  considered 
one  of  the  best  equipped  in  the  St.  Louis  area. 


SEL-MOR  GARMENT  CO.,  INC. 

On  February  6.  1953,  the  O'Fallon  plant  of  the  Sel-Mor 
Garment  Co..  Inc.,  began  operation  ,n  ihe  hall  at  Com- 
munity Park  with  about  50  women  employed. 

Sel-Mor  Garment  Company  is  a  manufacturer  of  all 
types  of  ladies'  and  children's  lingerie.  Lingerie  in  its 
broadest  terms  as  it  is  used  by  the  firm,  includes  such 
items  as  ladies'  and  children's  slips,  half-slips,  petticoats, 
gowns,  pajamas  Un  long  or  short  lengths),  bed  jackets, 
dusters,  and  robes. 

Under  its  trade  style  of  "Miss  Elaine,"  Sel-Mor  Gar- 
ment Company  distributes  its  products  in  each  of  the  48 
states  and  the  Territory  of  Hawaii.  A  permanent  sales  force 
covers  the  country  from  one  end  to  the  other,  and  many 
years  ago  the  company  added  a  permanent  New  York 
show    room    which   it    still    maintains. 

Its  diversified  products  consisting  of  fabrics  ranging 
from  plain  cotton  and  quilted  materials  through  all  the 
synthetic  fibres  of  acetate,  rayons,  and  nylon,  and  now 
the  most  recent  of  them  all — Dacron.  are  manufactured  in 
five  different  pla^its  of  which  the  O'Fallon  location  is  very 
important  in  the  company's  present  structure. 

The  firm  was  organized  some  29  years  ago  and  continues 
at  this  time  under  the  leadership  of  the  founder.  Mi'.  Her- 
man  C.    Seldtn,    president. 

The  O'Fallon  plant,  only  a  little  over  a  year  old,  has 
already  grown  to  2'''2  times  its  original  size  and  there  are 
plans  in  the  discussion  stage  to  make  it  an  even  larger 
unit.  The  main  operation  and  headquarters  are  at  1136 
Washington  Avenue,  St.  Louis,  Mo.  There  besides  a  main 
sewing  and  sampling  plant,  general  offices,  show-room 
and  designing  offices  are  maintained.  All  purchasin"^  xr..'. 
designing  is  done  in  the  St.  Louis  plant  and  then  di"- 
tributed   to    the    various    locations. 


Amusements 

Moonlight     Recreation,      104      South 

Cherry 
State   Theatre,   122   East   State 

Architect 
William   G.   Potter.   315   East   Third 
Auto  Repair,   Sales  and  Service,  Parts 
Corbier   &   Scheibel,   304    South   'Vine 
Arthur    J.    Huller    Garage,    615    South 

Lincoln 
M.  &  S.  Auto  Body,  403  South  Walnut 
Munie    Garage,    502    South    Lincoln 


Business  Directory 

O'Fallon  Motor  Co.,  510  South  Lincoln 
Schmidt  Motor  Co.,  201   East  State 
Western   Auto   Store,    135   West  First 

Ranking    and    Loans 
The    First    National    Bank,    101    West 

State 
O'Fallon   Building   and   Loan   Associa- 
tion,   110   West    State 
Bakery 
St.-^r    Bakery,    113    West    First 

Barber    and    Beauty    Shops 
Beckman's  Barber  Shop,  123  West  First 


Edith's   Beauty  Shop.   103   West   Wash- 
ington 

Lehman's  Barber  Shop.  117  East  State 

Lil's  Beauty  Shop,  1st  Natl.  Bank  Bldg. 

State   Beauty    Shop,    108   West    State 

Vi's  Beauty  Shop,   214  East  State 
Building    Materials 

O'Fallon  Concrete  Block  Co.,  608   East 
State 

O'Fallon     Lumber     Sz     Material     Co., 
Route    50    and    I.T.     R.R. 


-26- 


Chinchilla   Ranch 

K  &  A  Chinchilla  Ranch.  R  F  D  No.  2 
Clothing,   Dry   Goods,  and   Variety 

Ben   Franklin   Store,    109   West   First 
Keek's   Dept.    Store,    133   West   First 
Jack  Louppe's.  107  West  First 
Nold's  Variety  Store.   117  East   First 
Bertha   Schmidt.    115  East  State 
Tiny   Tot    Shop.    116   East   State 

Confectionery 
Wood's  Confectionery,   108   South   Lin- 
coln 
Contractors,    Millwork,    Cabinets 
Elmer   Asbury.    511    Parkview   Drive 
Ed.  Bohnenstiehl.  R  F  D  No.  2 
Budina  Construction  Co..  213  No.  Oak 
Archie    Fitzgerald.    425    West    Fifth. 
T.  E.  Greiner.  110  East  Third 
Harry  E.  Morton  &  Sons.  R  F  D  No.  2 
Robert  Morton.  R  F  D  No.  1 
Clarence  &  Les  Rieckenberg.  401   East 

Jefferson 
Everett  Truttman.   505  South  Walnut 

Dairy   Products 
O'Fallon  Quality  Dairy,  Oak  &  Rt.  .50 
Willford  J.  Eckert.  Distr..  302  East  4th 

Dentists 
Dr.    Jon    Orwig.    311    South    Lincoln 
Dr.   A.   J.   Rehberger.    121A   East   First 
Dr.  Paul  J.  Feder.  in  Armed  Services 
Dr.     Charles     M.     Zeigler.     in    Armed 
Services. 

Drngs 
Bittles'   Drug   Store.    101    West   First 
Electrical   Contractors   and   Appliances 
O'Fallon    Electric   Co..    106   West   State 
Rays'   Radio  and  Appliances.   125  West 

First 
Schaefer   Radio  and  Electric   Co.,    306 
South   Lincoln 

Thomas    Electric    and    Gift    Shop.    109 
East  First 

Farm   Equipment 
SoUis    Hardware    and    Equipment,    105 
East   Second. 

Funeral  Homes 
Schildknecht  Funeral  Home,  301  South 

Lincoln 
Wolfersberger-Meyer    Funeral    Home, 
102   West   Washington 
Furniture 
Schwarz  Furniture.  225   West  First 

Florists 

Dressel's  Friendly  Gardens.  RFD  No.  1 

Fitch   Florist.    119    East   State 

Gas  and  Appliances 

Purified   Gas   Co..   210   South   Lincoln 

Grain   and    Feed 
Oberbeck   Feed  Co..   320   West   State 

Grocery    and    Meat    Markets 
Clover  Farm  Store,  129  West  First 
Economy   Food   Mart.   105  East  First 
First   Street  Market.   123   East   First 
Friend's    Market,    103   East    First 


Ben  Schmidt  &  Son,   118  East  State 
Seipps  Market,   125  East  State 
Taylor's  Market,    102   East  State 

Hardware 
Thomas  Hardware.  113  East  First 

Hatchery 
O'Fallon  Hatchery  Co.,  226  West  State 

Ice 
Wieinann  Ice  &  Fuel,  118  East  Second 

Jewelry  and  Watch  Repair 
John  Schneider,  109  West  State 
Bob  Williams  Jewelry,  104  So.  Lincoln 

Laundry  and   Dry   Cleaning 
Hinchcliff  Wash  House,  115  No.  Cherry 
Lil's  Cleaners,   227  West  First 
O'Fallon  City  Cleaners.  313  No.  Lincoln 
Quality  Cleaners,   121    West   First 
Retting   Cleaners.    203   South    Lincoln 
Wiskamp  Cleaning.  106  West  State 

Lawyers 
Johnson  &  Johnson.  1st  National  Bank 

Building 
Jones.   Ottesen   and    Fleming,    1st    Na- 
tional   Bank    Building 
Locker  Service 
O'Fallon  Locker  Co..  216-22  East  State 

Manufacturers 
Independent     Engineering     Co..     Inc., 

R  F  D  No.  1 
O'Fallon    Tool    &    Die    Co..    115    West 

Second 
Sel-Mor     Garment     Co..     Community 
Park 

Newspaper   and    Printing 
O'Fallon  Progress,  119  West  State 

Nursing  Home 
Loretto     Haven     Nursing     Home,     308 
West  State 

Painters  and  Decorators 
Charles  C.   Korinek.  406  East  Fourth 
Oscar  Meyer,   312  East   Washington 
Scheibel  and  Warner.  116  No.  Lincoln 

Physicians 
Dr.  I.  S.  Hiebert.  311  South  Lincoln 
Dr.   Edward  Trippcl.    118   West   State 

Photographer 
William    F.    Morton    Studio,    202    East 

State 
Plumbing,  Heating,   and   Sheet   Metal 
Birkner   Sheet   Metal.   105   South  Vine 
O'Fallon  Sheet  Metal  Works,   117  West 

Second 
Dhlendorf  &   Son  Plumbing,    111    East 

Second 
Warma     Plumbing     and    Heating,     114 
East    State 

Public   Service 
Baltimore     and     Ohio     Railroad,     East 

First  and  B.  &  O.  R.R. 
Illinois   Power   Co.,    115    East    First 
O'Fallon-Belleville      Coach      Co.,      102 

West  State 
O'Fallon  City  Water,  200  No.  Uncoln 
O'Fallon   Fire   Department.   200   North 


Lincoln 
O'Fallon  Police  Department,  200  North 

Lincoln 
Southwestern  Bell  Telephone  Co.,  408 

South    Lincoln 

Real  Estate  and  Initurance 
Mose  R    Eckert  Agency,   110  W.  State 
G.    B.    Gicser    Insurance    Agency,    1st 

National    Bank    Bldg. 
Waller   Meiners,    121   West  First 
Lucy  Parmenter  Agency.  200  E.  Third 
Ray   L.   Schmidt,   125   West   First 
E.   N.   Thomas.   305   Alma 
Earl  J.  Thompson,  R  F  D  No.  1 

Restaurants 
Shamrock  Cafe.    113   West  State 
Two  Sisters  Cafe,  South   Lincoln  and 

Route   50 
IVaiting  Room  Cafe.   102  West  State 

ScraD   Iron 
J.  Middleton  and  Son,  RFD  No.  2 

Service    Stations 
Hildebrand   Service   Station.    110   East 

Eighth 
Hilles  Service  Station,  West  Fifth  and 

Route   50 
Kampmeyer  Service  Station,  716  S.iuth 

Lincoln 
O'Fallon    Gas    and    Oil    Supply,     102 

South   Vine 
Plab   Service  Station,  204  So.   Lincoln 
Rutledge   Service   Station,   South    Lin- 
coln  and   Route  50 

Shoe    Repair 
Loyet  Shoe  Store,   121  East  State 

Signs 
McManemy  Signs,  304  West  Second 

Taverns 
Corral   Inn,   RFD   No.   2,   Route  .50 
Chick's  Tavern,   125   East   State 
Foy's   Tavern,   220  West   State 
Friendly  Tavern,  108  East  State 
Jim's  Tavern,   224   West  State 
Pitt's  Tavern,    101   East   First 
Ralph  and  Blanche's  Tavern,  127  East 

First 
Swope's   Tavern,    113   North    Lincoln 
Thomas'  Tavern.  112  West  State 

Trailer   Conrts 
L  &  M  Trailer  Court.  505  East  State 
OFC  Trailer  Court,  313  North  Lincoln 
Prather's   Trailer   Court.   Route  50 
Schmidt's     Trailer     Court.     419     East 

Washington 
Truck   Service   and    Hauling 
Charles    Distlcr    and    Sons.    114    West 

Fourth 
Cleon   Drcssel.    121    West  Sixth 
Frjcdcrlch  Truck  Service.  P.O.  Box  86 
H  &  H  Truck  Service.  227  West  First 
Ferd   Lampe.   424  West  Fourth 
Ed.  Schwaegel.  RFD  No.  2 

Welding    and     Blarksmithing 
Leo  Lickenbrock.  328  West  State 


-27- 


Coal  Mines  of  the  Area 


Van  Court's  Mine 


Governor  Reynolds,  one  of  the  early  governors  of  Illi- 
nois, in  a  sketch  written  in  1857,  says  coal  was  discovered 
in  St.  Clair  County  in  the  following  manner:  "A  citizen 
of  the  American  Bottoms  discovered  smoke  issuing  from 
the  ground  for  weeks  together,  which  attracted  his  atten- 
tion. He  saw  the  coal  in  the  bluff  outcroppings  on  fire, 
and  supposed  it  had  caught  from  the  dry  roots  of  a  tree 
ignited  by  a  prairie  fire.  The  fire  had  communicated  to 
the  coal  from  the  burning."  It  is  of  interest  to  note  that 
in  early  times  coal  was  always  referred  to  as  "stone-coal." 

Under  three-fourths  of  the  surface  of  St.  Clair  County, 
especially  in  the  central  and  eastern  parts,  coal  is  found. 
Several  seams  have  been  developed,  the  thickest  of  which 
measures  11  feet.  The  coal  around  O'Fallon  was  usuall.v 
found  from  150  to  200  feet  below  the  surface  with  a  vein 
about  7  feet  thick  on  the  average.  The  first  mines  sunk 
around   the  O'Fallon   area   were   shaft  mines. 

The  first  shaft  was  sunk  at  Alma  (Carbon)  by  the 
Gartside  Coal  Company  about  1851.  This  company  sank  a 
number  of  mines  in  this  same  area:  Alm.a  No.  1  and  No. 
2:  Cross  Roads,  Henry  Taylor,  Great  Western  Taylor,  and 
Carbon.  The  Carbon  Mine  was  sunk  in  1856  and  aband- 
oned in  the  late  1930's.  At  the  time  of  its  abandonment 
it  was  the  oldest  operating  mine  in  the  state.  In  August 
1935,  the  Carbon  Mine  had  a  record  of  operating  24  years 
v.'ithout  a  single  fatal  accident  during  which  time  it  had 
hoisted   2.304,172   tons   of   coal. 

B.  J.  Van  Court,  who  owned  the  property  now  occupied 
by    the    Independent    Engineering    Company,    and    erected 


Carbon  Mine 


-28- 


the  large  home  there,  sunk  a  n-ine  north  of  the  O  &  M 
tracks  anc!  east  cf  the  present  overhead  bridge  in  1863. 
The  mine  was  operated  by  Sharp  and  Thompson  for  many 
years  and  later  by  the  Savitz  Brothers. 

About  1370  the  Nichols  or  Morriss  Mine  was  sunk 
further  east  o^  O'Fallon  along  the  O  &  M  Railroad.  This 
mine  onerated   for  a  short  period  of  time. 

Ecnnett's  Coal  Mine  located  about  three  miles  east 
of  O'Fallon  on  the  old  Lebanon  road  was  sunk  in  1871  by 
Jeremiah  Pennett.  He  came  to  St.  Clair  County  in  1835 
and  settlec.  >ii  the  Silver  Creek  area.  He  very  early  be- 
came one  uf  the  largest  wheat  growers  in  the  county.  Mr. 
Bennett  struck  coal  at  a  depth  of  180  feet.  The  vein  was 
about  5'2  feet  thick  and  of  excellent  quality.  The  mine 
operated  for  about  30  years. 

The  Darrow  Mine  about  2 '2  miles  east  of  O'Fallon 
on  the  O  &  M  Railroad  was  sunk  about  1892.  The  mine 
operated  about  20  years. 

Joshua  Bond,  a  descendant  of  Shadrock  Bond,  the  first 
governor  of  Illinois,  owned  land  north  of  the  O  &  M  Rail- 
road and  east  of  Lincoln  Avenue.  In  December  1868,  Mr. 
Bond  granted  a  16  year  lease  to  Cyrus  O.  Godfrey.  Edward 
Price,  and  Martin  W.  Willis  to  sink  a  coal  mine.  The  mine 
called  "Bond  Mine"  was  sunk  in  1869  at  the  then  eastern 
edge  cf  the  village  (present  soutliwest  corner  of  East 
State  and  Orange  streets  on  the-  propei  ly  commonly  known 
as  the  Herman  Gross  property  J.  The  air  shaft  for  this 
mine  was  located  directly  north  in  the  300  block  of  East 
Adams  street.  The  mine  was  operated  by  the  Bartlett  Coal 
and  Mining  Company.  The  mine  was  in  operation  for 
only  a  comparative  short  period  of  time. 

'I'he  Consolidated  Coal  Company  sank  two  mines  west 
of  Carbon  in  the  1890's,  namely:  the  "Menter"  and  "Ridge 
Proirie"  mines. 

The  Taylor  Miiie,  located  about  ^k.  mile  north  of  the 
Carbon  Mine,  was  sunk  m  1883.  This  mine  operated  for 
over   50   years. 

In  1902  the  "Prairie"  or  "Angel"  Mine  was  sunk  west 
of  O'Fallon  along  the  old  interurban  car  line.  H.  Angell, 
J.  Siddall.  J.  Daniels.  C.  G.  Brechnitz,  and  J.  Herzler  were 
instrumental  in  the  development  of  the  mine.  In  pros- 
perous days  the  mine  hoisted  between  2,200  and  2,400  tons 
of  coal  daily  and  employed  between  200  and  300  men. 
Prairie  Mine  was  never  mechanized,  being  operated  as  a 
"hand"  mine  until  it  closed.  The  mine  was  abandoned 
and  dismantling  operations   begun   in   October   1942. 

On  July  15,  1903.  James  F.  Thomas.  Isabella  T.  and 
Moses  Stafford  granted  a  25  year  lease  to  Joseph  Taylor 
to  sink  a  coal  mine.  The  shaft  was  sunk  and  St.  Ellen  Mine 
was  in  operation  before  the  end  of  the  year.  The  mine  is 
still  in  operr-ticn  and  has  been  one  of  the  better  producing 
mines   in    this   area. 

C-\  November  13,  1916,  St.  Ellen  Mine  was  sold  at 
auction  to  Henderson  and  Fischer  of  St.  Louis  for  a  sum 
of  $46,100.00.  On  April  13.  1931.  the  tipple  was  destroyed 
by  fire  at  a  loss  of  $100,000.00.  On  June  19,  1931.  work  was 
resumed,  a  new  tipple  having  replaced  the  wooden  struc- 
ture destroyed  by  fire.  Again  on  February  27,  1939,  fire 
destroyed  the  engine  room  with  a  resulting  loss  of  $7.S.- 
000.00.  On  March  4.  1938.  work  wns  completed  on  a  $200. 
000.00  coal  washer. 

During  the  last  six  years  the  St.  Ellen  Mine  has  been 
modernized  so  that  today  it  is  producing  coal  at  efficien- 


cies comparable  to  the  best  underground  mines  in  the 
State.  The  improvcmcnl  program  includes  a  new  slope  in 
u  hich  coal  is  brought  to  surface  by  a  42"  conveyor  belt 
instead  of  being  hoisted  up  the  shaft  in  small  mine  cars. 
A  new  wash  house  has  been  constructed,  the  shop  has  been 
enlarged  and  modernized,  and  all  underground  equipment 
has  been  put  in  first  class  condition.  Timberim;  has  been 
largely  discontinued  with  the  installation  of  four  roof 
bolting  machines.  Ventilation  is  improved  by  the  .'limina- 
tion  of  timbers  and  the  mine  is  a  safer  place  for  men  to 
work. 

During  the  present  year  prepartion  facilities;  on  the 
surface  are  being  niodernized  by  the  inst.->llation  of  a 
Roberts  and  Schaefer  air  cleaning  plant  to  handle  "k." 
minus  coal.  This  unit,  which  is  nearing  completion  at  the 
present  time,  will  enable  the  St.  Ellen  Mine  to  produce 
the  best  quality  coal  possible.  The  whole  proeram  has  been 
designed  to  improve  coal  quality  and  to  reduce  production 
costs. 

At  present  the  mine  employs  300  Progressive  Mine 
Workers  and  26  supervisory  and  clerical  personnel.  It 
operates  two  shifts  per  day.  producing  on  the  average  of 
2  630  tons  per  shift 

About  1900  Nigger  Hollow  Mines  No.  1  and  No.  2  were 
sunk  west  of  O'Fallon  on  the  St.  Louis,  Belleville,  and 
O'Fallon  Railroad.  It  is  interesting  to  note  several  early 
state  hoisting  records  established  by  Nigger  Hollow  No.  2: 
On  March  17.  1905  the  mine  established  a  new  record  by 
hoisting  2,039  tons  of  coal  in  7>4  hours.  The  coal  was 
moved  to  the  shaft  by  16  mules  and  the  cars  were  dumped 
on  top  by  hand.  The  mine  employed  about  250  men  ai 
that  time.  Officers  of  the  company  at  that  time  were: 
Edward  L.  Thomas.  David  O.  Thomas,  and  John  Taylor. 
On  November  6.  1913  the  mine  established  a  new  state 
record  by  hoisting  4,400  tons  of  coal  in  seven  hours  and 
15  minutes. 

Nigger  Hollow  No.  1  has  been  worked  out.  but  Nigger 
Hollow  No.  2.  now  known  as  the  Black  Eagle  Mine,  is 
still   working. 

In  August  1867,  Mine  Operators  Booth  .ind  Atchinson 
in  an  effort  to  sink  a  mine  shaft  near  the  western  ed^je 
of  O'Fallon  struck  a  subteranean  lake  and  the  shaft  was 
flooded.  Many  years  later  this  source  was  utilized  as  a 
water  supply  when  the  cit>  established  its  first  water  dis- 
tribution system. 

On  September  20,  1918,  the  Penn  Heirs  granted  a  lea.^e 
to  Samuel  Meister.  representing  a  group  of  business  men 
from  Bay  City,  Michigan,  on  80  acres  to  carry  on  mining 
operations.  The  O'Fallon  Coal  Company  was  to  begin 
operations  within  one  year  from  the  date  of  the  lease. 
The  mine  sunk  by  this  company  on  East  State  Street  was 
locally  known  as  the  "Tin-can  Mine  "  This  mine  operated 
for  intermittent  intervals  for  about  ten  years  brfore  it 
was   abandoned. 

St.  Clair  County  coal  is  being  used  less  today  tii.in  it 
was  in  the  past.  The  principal  reason  for  the  loss  of  con- 
sumers market  seems  to  be  the  introduction  of  natunil 
gas  and  oil   from  Louisiana.  Oklahoma   and   Texas. 

On  March  12.  1954.  J.  J.  Forbes.  Director  of  the  U.  S. 
Bureau  of  Mines  in  a  report  on  the  coal  industry  made 
the  following  comments:  The  ever-increasing  trend  on 
the  part  of  industrial  and  residential  consumers  to  depend 
more  and  more  on  natural  gas  and  oil  and   less  and   less 


-29- 


upon  coal  as  a  source  of  energy;  coal  which  supplied  70 
per  cent  of  the  total  fuel  requirements  in  1926  dropped  to 
34  per  cent  in  1952;  meanwhile,  natural  gas  and  oil  in- 
creased their  contribution  from  25.8  per  cent  to  almost  62 
per  cent;  the  dieselization  of  the  railroads  has  drastically 
reduced  the  amount  of  coal  used;  that  the  answer  to  the 
problems  of  the  coal  industry  lies  in  research  leading 
toward  the  perfecting  of  new  synthetic  liquid  fuels  thus 
opening  new  markets,  better  marketing  metliods,  and  more 
efficient    mining   methods. 

The  coal  mines  and  coal  miners  have  played  an  im- 
portant role  in  the  development  of  O'Fallon.  Old  King 
Coal  has,  indeed,  left  his  impress  on  O'Fallon,  one  which 
shall    always   remain. 


. 

^ 

w 

LA 

^ 

-^ 

r 

i 

- 

■ 

^ 

\ 

T 

u 

;  1* 

1^ 

^_ 

^_ 

^_ 

•■v. 

^   . 

1 

•  i 

m 

ss 

_M 

^ 

^ 

^ 

"! 

-i         '  ■  i 

^N 

L 

■ 

Im 

m 

m 

" 

M 

« 

m 

zl 

bL:-;1 

r ' 

M 

■ 

■ 

m 

■ 

1 

1 

m^M 

1 

Hi 

m 

■ 

■1 

m 

■1 

HEmpI^^^*? 

^H-^ 

r 

■ 

k 

St.  Ellen  Mine 


Miners  at  Taylor's  Mine 
30 


Present  School  Buildings 


ST.  CLARES 


CAFETERIA 


EAST  GRADE 


GYMNASIUM 


llU.ll    .SLlllHJL 


WEST  GRADE 


-31- 


History  of  Schools 


A  small  frame  house  on  Lincoln  Avenue,  across  from 
the  present  Methodist  parsonage,  was  used  as  a  school 
before  the  city  of  O'Fallon  was  platted.  This  building  was 
originally  a  residence  and  then  turned  into  a  school.  It 
was  a  subscription  school.  Miss  Louise  Ahly  being  the 
first   teacher. 

The  first  school  building,  erected  in  1861  after  the 
town  was  laid  out.  was  a  two  room  brick  structure  located 
in  the  middle  of  town,  on  the  site  of  the  present  post- 
office.  At  first,  only  the  lower  room  was  used  as  a  school- 
room, the  upper  room  serving  as  a  lodge  room,  and,  at 
times,  as  a  meeting  place  for  church  services.  However, 
as  the  school  population  grew,  additional  rooms  were 
needed,  and  in  1875  two  rooms  were  added.  This  building 
was  torn  down  in  1918  to  make  room  for  the  garage 
building  now  occupied  bj'  John  L.  Anheuser.  Close  to  the 
school  was  a  shallow  pond  to  which  the  pupils  were  at- 
tracted, especially  in  the  winter,  when  it  became  a  natural 
skating    rink. 


AMELIA   V.    CARRIEL 

One  of  the  best-loved  teachers  at  this  time  was  Amelia 
V.  Carriel.  She  was  born  near  Trenton  on  January  31, 
1856  her  parents  having  moved  to  that  place  from  Pennsyl- 
vania. When  her  parents  died  in  1858  she  went  to  live 
with  her  Grandmother  Scott  on  a  farm  a  short  distance 
south  of  0"Fallon.  She  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
O'Fallon  and  later  took  a  course  at  McKendree  College 
at  Lebanon.  She  left  college  in  her  Sophomore  year,  how- 
ever, to  become  a  teacher. 

Miss  Carriel  taught  in  the  public  schools  of  O'Fallon 
for  fifty-one  years.  She  began  her  teaching  in  the  O'Fal- 
lon schools  in  1874.  in  the  old  brick  building  where  the 
post  office  now  stands.  Although  she  taught  in  a  number 
of  grades,  she  specialized  in  primary  grade  work.  At  the 
close  of  her  fortieth  year  in  the  schools  of  O'Fallon,  a 
homecoming  of  former  pupils  was  held.  She  continued 
to  teach  until  a  few  months  before  her  death.  January 
16,  1926. 

By  the  middle  90's,  to  accomodate  the  pupils  then 
enrolled,  an  additional  room  was  rented  a  few  blocks 
away,    on    West    Second    street    near   the   present   Schwarz 


Furniture  warehouse.  This  one  room  building  was  used 
until  1899  when  a  frame  structure  on  East  State  street 
that  had  been  used  as  a  Turner  Hall  was  converted  into 
a  two-room  school,  housing  the  6th,  7th,  and  8th  grades. 
By  this  time  the  number  of  teachers  had  increased  to  six. 

It  was  at  this  time,  1899,  that  Mr.  W.  R.  Dorris,  now 
President  of  the  First  National  Bank,  became  principal 
of  the  O'Fallon  Public  Schools.  He  had  previously  held 
a  similar  position  at  Okawville. 

Gradually  additional  studies  were  added  to  the  curri- 
culum, students  remained  in  school  longer,  and  another 
school  building  became  a  necessity.  The  first  of  the 
present  group  of  buildings  was  erected  in  1901-1902.  The 
old  school,  on  East  Third  street  having  been  vacated,  was 
sold  September  13.  1902.  The  new  building,  the  present 
West  grade  building,  had  eight  rooms,  and  soon  a  two-year 
high  school  was  added.  On  May  22,  1903,  the  first  com- 
mencement of  O'Fallon  High  School  was  held  at  Wachter's 
Hall.  Diplomas  were  awarded  to  Edna  Thurston,  Ethel  Ev- 
ans, Henry  Poignee.  Thomas  Gordon,  and  Ralph  Evans.  The 
commencement  address  was  given  by  Dr.  H.  W.  Shyrock 
of  Southern  Illinois  Normal,  who  was  considered  a  very 
learned  and  effective  speaker.  The  principal.  W.  R.  Dorris. 
was  presented  with  a  gift,  a  rocking  chair,  by  the  grad- 
uating class. 

By  1904  the  public  schools  had  an  enrollment  of  343 
and  the  Board  of  Education  changed  the  two-year  High 
School  to  a  three-year  school.  Once  more  the  schools  were 
faced  with  over  crowding,  and,  September  19C4,  the  Board 
of  Education  voted  to  rent  the  German  Evangelical  school 
building  for  the  remainder  of  the  term  for  the  sum  of 
$100.  During  the  period  1903-1910  Mr.  C.  M.  Wilton  and 
Mr.  J.  H.  Yarbrough  were  the  superintendents. 

In  May  of  this  year,  1904,  O'Fallon  was  astir  with 
visitors  who  came  to  attend  the  first  High  School  Athletic 
and  Intellectual  meet  of  surrounding  towns.  A  half  holi- 
day was  declared  and  business  houses  closed.  Pingree 
Reeble  won  the  pole  vault  and  John  Budina  won  the  ham- 
mer throw.  Elsa  Schilling  was  awarded  first  in  declama- 
tion. However,  Trenton  carried  off  first  honors  and  Maris- 
sa  second  in  the  meet. 

By  1911  another  school  buildiiig  was  needed.  In  June 
1911.  the  Board  of  Education,  District  No.  92,  sold  bonds 
for  a  new  building  to  Holtz  and  Company  of  Chicago  on 
their  bid  of  $18,869.00.  The  issue  was  for  $18,000,  the  dis- 
trict receiving  a  premium  of  $869.00.  This  building,  be- 
sides housing  the  upper  grades,  also  served  as  a  high  school. 
In  the  1920's  the  rooms  became  so  crowded  that  classes 
were  held  in  the  basement  and  cloak  rooms.  In  1920  the 
High  School  became  a  Township  High  School. 

O'Fallon  continued  to  participate  in  Athletic  and 
Intellectual  meets  through  the  years.  In  the  192C's.  meets 
were  held  at  McKendree.  and  schools  from  all  southern 
Illinois  attended.  Soon  colleges  were  not  permitted  to 
hold  Intellectuals,  and  a  County  Association  was  formed. 
At  the  time  the  County  Association  died  out,  a  State  As- 
sociation was  formed.  O'Fallon  often  won  high  honors  at 
these  contests.  O'Fallon  contestants  at  times  won  the  right 
to  participate  in  the  National  Association  contests.  At  the 
National  Contest  held  at  Anderson.  Indiana  in   1939.   O'Fal- 


-32- 


Ion  was  represented  by  the  boys'  chorus,  the  boys'  quartette, 
and  a  soloist,  Stanley  Kimes.  who  won  first  place  in  the 
men's  vocal  division:  in  1540.  at  Springfield.  Illinois,  the 
girls'  chorus  and  mixed  chorus  competed:  and  in  1941,  at 
Flint.  Michigan.  Shirley  Greene.  Marion  Redd.  Vivian 
Payne  and  the  mixed  chorus  represented  O'Fallon.  Be- 
cause of  their  consistent  winning  the  National  High  School 
Association  selected  O'Fallon  as  one  cf  the  schools  for 
special  mention  for  training  and  practice  methods. 

During  the  period  of  1911  to  1921,  Mr.  John  Arras  and 
Mr.  L.  A.  Sehafer  were  superintendents.  At  this  time  Mr. 
Erwin  Runkwitz  was  active  in  school  affairs.  He  spent 
his  life  in  education  work  in  the  vicinit.v  of  his  own  home 
which  was  between  Lebanon  and  O'Fallon.  For  over  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  he  taught  in  the  schools  of  O'Fallon 
retiring  from  teaching  in  1938.  He  was  County  Superin- 
tendent of  Schools  for  eight  years.  In  his  lifetime,  he 
taught  over  1.000  children.  He  made  a  wonderful  contri- 
bution to  O'Fallon's  youth  by  whom  he  was  much  loved. 

An  account  of  the  schools  during  this  period  would  be 
incomplete  without  mentioning  George  Deischer.  whom 
the  school  children  loved  so  much  and  called  "Grampa." 
As  janitor  he  worked  conscientiously  for  many  years.  He 
didn't  limit  his  duties  to  the  janitorial  service  alone.  He 
cared  for  the  children  as  if  they  were  his  own. 

At  school  there  was  a  pump  with  a  pipe  about  10  to 
15  feet  long  connected  to  it.  At  lunch  time  he  would  pump, 
and  the  water  would  come  cut  of  approximately  40  holes 
in  the  pipe.  This  way  he  could  "water"  about  40  children 
at  a  time. 

William.  <  Bill  I  Whitehead  has  served  as  janitor  of  the 
high  school  since  the  building  was  opened  in  1925  and 
Richard  <Dicki  Titter  has  served  equally  as  long  as  jani- 
tor at  the  grade  school. 

By  1924.  there  was  much  discussion  concerning  an  ad- 
ditional building.  On  March  22.  1924.  a  special  election 
to  decide  the  question  of  a  new  high  school  was  called,  the 
voters  being  asked  to  vote  on  the  propositions.  The  result 
of  the  vote  was  as  follows: 

For         Against 
Proposition    1 — To  purchase   site  651  308 

Proposition  2— Build  school  670  307 

Proposition  3 — Location   iMary  Atkinson 

tract  selected  I 
Proposition  4— Issued  SIOO.OCO  bonds  635  303 

The  people  having  approved  thf?  erection  of  a  new 
building,  the  present  hish  school  was  built,  and  was  used 
for  the  first  time  in  September  1925. 

Mr.  J.  E.  Hinchcliffe.  Sr.  became  superintendent  of 
the  O'Fallon  Schools  in  1921  and  remained  until  July  1943 
when  he  submitted  his  resignation  to  the  school  boards 
and  started  to  work  for  Independent  Engineering  Com- 
pany, where  he  is  employed  at  present.  It  was  largely 
through  his  efforts  that  our  playgrounds  were  equipped 
with  proper  playground  equipment  for  the  children.  At 
the  time  Mr.  Hinchcliffe  came  to  O'Fallon  there  were  65 
students  in  the  High  School.  Enrollment  rose  rapidly  as 
students  from  the  rural  districts,  although  attending  rural 
grade  schools,  attended  high  school  in  O'Fallon. 

In  1938  the  present  gymnasium  was  added  to  the  group 
of  school  buildings.  In  August  1938.  a  special  referendum 
vote  was  held  on  a  $44,000  bond  issue  for  an  S80.000  addi- 
tion of  a  gymnasium  and  auditorium    ithe  school  received 


a  grant  of  money  from  the  Fedcial  government*.  The 
vote  to  build  was  409  for  and  241  against;  the  vote  to 
issue  bonds  was  400  for  and  248  against.  In  October  1938, 
the  Safe-T  Construction  Company  of  Collinsville  was 
awarded  the  contract  for  building  the  new  addition.  With 
the  addition  of  the  new  gynin.isium.  the  old  pym  was  con- 
verted into  an  industrial  Art.s  Department,  thus  once  more 
permitting  an  expansion  of  the  curriculum. 

Mr.  R.  H.  Braun  was  superintendent  from  1943  to  1948. 
Mr.  John  F.  Miller  was  superintendent  from  1943  to  1950. 
It  was  at  this  time.  April  22,  1949,  that  the  O'Fallon  High 
School  became  a  member  of  the  North  Central  Association 
of  Colleges  and  Secondary  Schools. 

Mr.  Elmer  D.  Murray  served  as  superintendent  from 
1950  until  the  end  of  this  school  year.  He  resigned  as  head 
of  the  O'Fallon  school  system  to  accept  a  position  as 
superintendent  of  elementary  schools  on  the  islands  of 
Japan. 

Since  1950  a  Drivers'  Training  Course  has  been  added 
to  the  curriculum.  The  course  is  sponsored  by  the  Ameri- 
can Automobile  Association.  Mr.  A.  Huller,  Ford  dealer, 
and  Mr.  Wayne  McKinley.  Chevrolet  dealer,  furnish  the 
cars.  The  cour.se.  in  the  past  year,  was  taught  by  Mr. 
Murray  and   Mr.  Hammonds. 

One  of  the  innovations  in  our  present  school  system 
is  the  provision  of  bus  service  for  studen'^  in  outlying 
districts.  Nearly  6.300  miles  are  covered  monthly  in  trans- 
porting O'Fallon  students  to  and  from  school.  Almost 
300  grade,  parochial,  and  high  school  students  ride  the 
buses  daily.  The  buses  are  also  used  for  purposes  other 
than  bringing  students  to  school  each  day.  The  service 
is  utilized  in  taking  basketball,  baseball,  track  personnel, 
and  fans  to  and  from  games.  For  a  minimum  fee.  buses 
may  be  used  for  field  trips  and  other  educational  purposes. 
The  nine  buses  at  the  school  system's  disposal  are  owned 
and  operated  by  the  O'Fallon-Bellevillc  Coach  Company. 

In  I9.i3  the  much-needed  cafeteria  was  built,  the  cost 
of  which  was  $160,000.  It  seats  160  children  and  employs 
five  adult  workers  and  22  student  workers.  The  building 
itself  contains  four  classrooms,  an  all-purpose  room,  a 
kitchen,  two  rest  rooms,  and  a  superintendent's  office.  It 
is  a  very  attractive  building  and  a  very  nice  addition  to 
the    communit.v. 

In  regard  to  the  size  of  the  teaching  staffs  in  our 
public  schools,  at  the  present,  there  arc  21  grade  school 
teachers  and  14  high  school  teachei-s.  The  enrollment  is 
435  in  the  grade  school  and  243  in  the  high  sihool. 

The  history  of  our  schools  would  be  incomplete  with- 
out a  statement  of  future  plans.  The  Board  of  Education 
has  asked  an  architect  for  preliminary  plans  for  adding 
six  class  rooms  on  the  northwest  corner  of  the  Main  build- 
ing cf  the  High  School  to  take  care  of  the  enrollment 
which  is  expected  to  be  over  3fO  by  1959.  This  addition 
would  require  about  two  years  to  build  and  should  be 
started  scon  in  order  to  be  ready  for  the  increased  en- 
rollment. 

This  increased  enrollment  will  mean  larger  band, 
dramatics,  and  athletic  activities.  Therefore,  the  Improve- 
ment plans  will  call  for  a  stage  in  our  present  high  school 
auditorium.  Additional  facilities  for  metal  and  electric 
shops  adjacent  to  our  present  shop  will  be  added.  Also 
these  extra  rooms  will  make  it  possible  to  enlarge  the 
business  department  to  accomodate  the  increased  number 


-33- 


of  pupils  who  want  business  education. 

This  history  has  recorded  the  forward  strides  our 
schools  have  made  since  their  inception  one  hundred 
years  ago.   The  citizens  of  OTallon,  no  doubt,  will  continue 


to  give  their  utmost  support  to  the  advancement  of  edu- 
cation in  OTallon,  so  that  the  schools  will  continue  to 
forge  ahead  in  the  second  century  of  their  growth. 


Churches 


FIRST  BAPTIST  CHURCH 


The  first  meeting  place  of  record  looking  toward  the 
organization  was  held  July  30,  1866,  place  of  meeting  not 
recorded.  At  this  meeting  Elder  D.  D.  Roach  was  chosen 
moderator  and  J.  G.  Scott  secretary  pro-tem.  A  resolution 
was  adopted  to  invite  the  CoUinsville.  Bethel,  Unity,  Belle- 
ville, Lebanon  and  Oak  Hill  churches  to  send  delegates  to 
sit  with  the  brethern  in  council  at  the  school  house  in 
OTallon  the  lUh  day  of  August,  1866,  at  2:C0  P.  M.  to 
advise  as  to  the  propriety  of  organizing  a  Baptist  Church 

at  this  place. 

Pursuant  to  call,  as  noted  above,  a  meeting  was  held 
August  11,  1866  and  all  the  invited  churches  were  repre- 
sented by  delegations.  Elder  D.  D.  Roach  serving  as  mod- 
erator and  J.  G.  Scott,  secretary.  The  council  voted 
unanimously  to  recommend  that  the  local  Baptists  proceed 
to  organize  a  church  in  OTallon. 

On  January  12,  1867  interested  parties  met  at  the 
home  of  William  S.  Scott,  near  OTallon,  to  further  con- 
sider the  matter  of  organizing  a  church.  J.  G.  Scott  was 
chosen  moderator  and  G.  W.  Darrow,  secretary.  Some 
sixteen  persons  registered  as  desiring  to  go  into  an  organi- 
zation. Adjournment  was  taken  to  meet  in  the  German 
School   House    on    January    26,    1867. 

Pursuant  to  call  and  vote  as  above,  the  interested 
parties  met  in  the  German  School  House,  OTallon,  on 
January  26,  1867  and  proceeded  to  organize  a  church  to 
be  known  as  "The  Baptist  Church  of  OTallon."  Elder 
J.  W.  Swift  was  chosen  moderator  and  William  S.  Scott, 
clerk  pro-tem. 

The  following  named  persons  presented  letters  from 
their  respective  churches  and  were  registered  as  charter 
members  of  the  new  church:  Elder  D.  D.  Roach,  Delpha 
Roach,  A.  I.  Roach,  C.  A.  Roach,  G.  W.  Darrow,  Druzilla 
Darrow,  Lois  Simmons,  Jane  Smiley,  Elzina  Enda,  William 
S.  Scott,  Mary  E.  Scott,  Micha  A.  Scott,  John  G.  Scott, 
Sallie  B.    Scott   and   Edwin   Swift. 

On  June  23,  1867  the  newly-built  house  of  worship  was 
duly  dedicated.  Rev.  Dr.  Reed  preaching  the  dedicatory 
sermon  from  the  text  found  in  Ephesians  2:20. 

The  cost  of  the  church  building  was  $4,050.50  and  was 
built   by   Contractor    Charles   Bailey. 

The  first  pastor.  Elder  J.  W.  Swift,  served  about  two 
years;   the  second  pastor  serving  was  Rev.  T.  W.  Green. 

During  the  winter  of  1930-1931  a  basement  was  built 
under  the  church,  and  Sunday,  April  12,  1931  was  set  apart 
for  the  dedication.  Dr.  G.  M.  Potter,  President  of  Shurt- 
leff  College.  Alton,  Illinois,  made  an  appropriate  address 
at  the  morning  hour  of  worship.  After  a  fellowship  dinner 
in  the  new  basement,  enjoyed  by  a  large  gathering  of 
people,  the  basement  with  other  improvements  to  the  house 
of  worship,  amounting  all  told  to  some  $4,000  in  value, 
was  dedicated  at  2:30  P.  M.   Rev.  N.  J.  Hilton,  our  District 


Superintendent,  Alton,  Illinois,  delivered  the  dedicatory 
sermon.  Pastor  Rev.  A.  J.  Rendleman  presided  at  the 
service  and  conducted  the  dedicatory  exercises. 

On  January  2.  1946  the  church  became  incorporated 
as  a  Baptist  Church.  On  February  27,  1946  the  church 
members  decided  on  the  corporate  name  of  "First  Baptist 
Church  of  OTallon." 

On  April  6,  1946  a  fire  of  undetermined  origin  was 
discovered  in  the  basement  of  the  church  which  caused 
considerable  damage  to  the  interior  of  the  building.  On 
April  14,  1946  a  special  meeting  of  the  church  was  called 
and  members  decided  to  raze  the  old  church  and  replace 
the  frame  building  with  a  modern  brick  structure. 

Special  ceremonials  in  conjunction  with  the  laying  of 
the  cornerstone  for  the  new  church  building,  then  under 
construction,  were  held  in  the  City  Hall  on  Sunday,  Jan- 
uary 26,  1947  at  2:30  P.  M.  Laying  of  the  cornerstone  wa.= 
made  by  Rev.  A.  L.  Kirkwood  of  Granite  City,  Illinois.  It 
was  eighty  years  ago  on  this  same  date,  January  26th. 
that    the    church   was    organized. 

On  October  19.  1947  the  new  $31,000  church  building 
was  dedicated.  The  morning  message  was  delivered  by 
Rev.  Percy  Ray,  CoUinsville,  Illinois.  The  dedicatory  ad- 
dress was  by  Dr.  Noel  M.  Taylor.  The  services  were  large- 
ly attended  by  local  citizens,  members  of  the  church,  and 
friends    from    surrounding    towns. 


EVANGELICAL  &  REFORMED  CHURCH 

As  early  as  in  the  1860's  German  Evangelical  people 
settled  in  OTallon  and  vicinity.  While  their  number  was 
not  sufficient  to  warrant  the  organization  of  a  congrega- 
tion, their  spiritual  needs  and  desires  were  satisfied  by 
neighboring  Evangelical  pastors.  These  pastors  came  oc- 
casionally on  Sunday  afternoons  and  conducted  services. 
In  the  middle  of  the  seventies  the  desire  for  regular  ser- 
vices was  met  by  the  Rev.  Hanff,  the  teacher  of  the  Ger- 
man School  Association,  volunteering  to  conduct  .'lervices. 
This  he  did  for  about  two  years. 

Finally  under  the  leadership  of  Rev.  J.  H.  Maul,  located 
at  Ridge  Prairie,  definite  steps  were  made  towards  or- 
ganizing a  congregation.  On  October  29,  1876,  a  number 
of  Evangelical  people  met  in  the  old  German  school  house, 
and  completed  the  organization  of  the  congregation.  The 
charter  members  were:  Daniel  Schaefer,  Ernst  Tiedemann, 
John  Eckert,  John  Graf,  John  G.  Schwarz.  Karl  Fischer, 
William  Ahring,  Christopher  Obst,  Jacob  Schmidt,  Karl 
Deri,  Peter  Reitz,  Charles  Mueller,  George  Eckert,  F.  O. 
Tiedemann,  Karl  Tiedemann,  John  Koch,  Charles  Hoff- 
mann, Karl  Link,  Karl  Ruedlin,  August  Behrens,  Michael 
Bernhardt,  Leonard  Schwarz,  and  Peter  Gieser.  When  the 
permanent  organization  had  been  accomplished,  the  fol- 
lov>?ing  were  selected  as  members  of  the  church  council: 
Daniel  Schaefer.  John  G.  Schwarz,  John  Graf,  and  John 
Eckert 


-34- 


The  first  church  building  was  erected  in  1878.  The 
architncture  was  Gothic  style,  the  size  35  feet  by  69  feet, 
and  the  rost  $7,500  Shortly  after  the  completion  of  the 
church  buildine.  a  parsonage  was  erected. 

On  March  2i>.  1D05  a  fire  of  unknown  origin  partly 
destroyed  the  church.  Fixtures  and  furnishings  were 
saved.  The  congregation  immediately  set  forth  to  rebuild 
the  church,  increasing  the  size  by  20  feet.  The  rededica- 
tion  was  on  November  26,  1905. 

In  1924  the  church  was  remodeled  and  a  large  base- 
ment added.  Work  was  begun  in  August  1924  and  on 
September  21st  the  new  cornerstone  was  laid  with  appro- 
priate services.  The  entire  cost  of  remodeling  was  be- 
tween $31,000  and  $32,000. 

The  25th  Anniversary  of  the  congregation  was  ob- 
served in  1901.  The  50th  Anniversary  was  celebrated  on 
November  14,  1926.  The  75th  Anniversary  was  observed 
during  the  entire  month  of  October  1951. 

During  the  78  years  the  O'Fallon  Evangelical  and  Re- 
formfd  Church  has  had  14  pastors.  The  present  pastor. 
Rev.  A.  E   Xlemme,  has  served  since  1927. 

Organizations  nf  the  church  were  instituted  as  follows: 

The  Ladies'  Aid April  6,  1877 

Mary  and   Martha   Society  Jan.   24,    1907 

The  Sunday  School 1876 

The  Church  Choir March  20,   1889 

Young  People's  i  Youth  Fellowship) ..  .    Dec.  1,  1904 
Churchmen's  Brotherhood  - June,  1919 

Through  a  sound  system  located  in  the  church  tower 
a  concert  of  sacred  music  is  played  each  Saturday  evening. 
This  sound  system  with  organ  and  record  attachm.ents 
was  a  gift  of  the  Schwarz  fan^ily  in  memory  of  their  par- 
entc,    Mathias   and    Caroline    Schv/arz. 

This  church  with  its  organizations  has  been  an  intri- 
cate part  of  the  life  of  this  community  It  has  contributed 
greatly  to  the  spiritual  welfare  of  many  of  the  citizens 
of  O'Fallon  for  78  years  of  the  city's  existence. 


METHODIST  CHURCH 

The  following  early  history  of  the  church  was  v.'rillen 
by  Miss  Amelia  V.  Carriel  before  her  death  in  1926 

"The  historic  old  Mother  of  Methodism  in  Illinois — the 
church  of  Shilch  is  also  the  mother  of  the  church  at 
O'Fallon.  The  pastors  there,  fired  by  true  missionary 
spirit,  were  constantly  reaching  out  to  points  where  people 
might  be  gathered  together  to  hear  the  gospel.  The  first 
Methodist  Class  in  this  vicinity  was  organized  by  "Grand 
Daddy  Redman"  as  he  was  universally  called.  The  meet- 
ings were  held  in  his  home  and  then  at  Mr.  Ogle's  and 
later  at  the  Old  Vernon  School,  all  being  located  just  west 
and  north  of  O'Fallon  near  what  is  now  known  as  Peters- 
burg. 

"Class  meetings  were  held  on  week  day  afierrioons 
the  school  being  dismissed  for  that  purpose.  Preachint? 
services  were  also  held  in  the  evening  at  early  candle 
lighting.  The  good  old  Methodists  would  load  Iheir  fami- 
lies and  neighbors  into  farm  wagons  and  drive  to  meetings, 
not  forgetting  to  take  with  them  a  candle  or  two  to  aid  in 
furnishing  a  dim  religious  light  for  the  congregation. 
After  listening  to  a  soul  stirring  sermon  by  one  of  the 
old  time  circuit  riders  the  return  trip  was  made  and  the 
ride  home  was  frequently  enlivened  by  the  singing  of  in- 


spiring hymns  and  the  fervor  which  had  been  aroused 
during  the  service  was  often  fanned  into  a  warmer  glow 
in  this  manner.  This  class  belonged  to  the  Shiloh  Circuit 
as  did  the  church  here  in  O'Fallon  in  after  years. 

"Quarterly  meeting  was  a  day  looked  forward  to  by 
all  with  joyful  anticipation.  People  for  miles  around  came 
flocking  to  the  place  of  worship.  Those  from  a  distance 
went  home  for  dinner  with  those  living  nearby  and  the 
."social  features  of  the  occasion  often  rivaled  the  spiritual. 
In  the  early  si.xtics,  after  the  first  brick  school  house  was 
built  in  O'Fallon,  all  the  various  religious  denominations 
used  it  for  Sunday  services.  Memorial  services  were  held 
in  the  building  for  the  martyred  President  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, the  sermon  being  preached  by  Rev.  C.  M.  HoUiday. 
then  pastor. 

"In  this  room  the  first  Methodist  Sunday  School  was 
organized.  Friends  from  Shiloh  came  over  and  assisted. 
A  young  man  named  Marion  Mansfield  was  the  first 
Superintendent. 

"The  church  was  built  in  1865  largely  through  the 
eenerosity  of  a  few  of  the  more  prosperous  members  at 
3  total  cost  of  about  $5,000.  The  church  was  dedicated  by 
Rev.  T.  F.  Houts,  the  pastor  being  Rev.  E.  Joy.  Early 
pastors  were  A.  Ran.som,  W.  F.  Davis,  Wm.  Van  Cleave. 
J  Copcland.  Samuel  Walker,  J.  Mcintosh,  R.  H.  Massey, 
and  David  Caughlon.  The  church  was  partially  destroyed 
by  a  tornado  in  1877  but  soon  repaired. 

A  parsonage  was  built  from  funds  furnished  by  Mrs 
Rebecca  Forman  who  also  was  responsible  for  the  base- 
ment in  the   church.    This  was   done  in   1894." 

The  matter  of  the  remodeling  and  enlargement  of  the 
church  was  made  a  matter  of  special  business  at  a  meeting 
of  the  Church  Board  held  April  28,  1948,  when  E.  H. 
Smiley  (now  deceased)  made  known  his  desire  to  do 
jomething  to  relieve  the  crowded  quarters  used  for  the 
Sunday  School  and  offered  a  cash  donation  of  $25,000  to 
Yo  used  in  the  construction  of  an  Educational  Building. 
The  offer  was  accepted  and  steps  taken  immediately  to 
secure  the  services  of  an  architect.  This  was  done  and 
Charles  Thurston,  a  prominent  architect  of  St.  Louis  and 
a  former  O'Fallon  boy,  was  engaged.  Thomas  E.  Greiner. 
a  contractor  of  O'Fallon,  was  chosen  to  do  the  work.  As 
the  work  progressed,  quite  a  number  of  changes  and  ad- 
ditions to  the  original  plans  were  made  from  time  to  time 
necessarily  resulting  in  greatly  increased  costs.  With  the 
approval  of  the  Church  Board  and  the  membership,  and 
the  financial  backing  of  Mr.  Smiley,  the  expenditures  wore 
authorized  and  the  work  went  on  to  completion.  Dedica- 
tion of  the  Education  Building  was  made  on  December  II, 
1949,  with  a  sermon  by  Dr.  H.  G.  Hurley.  District  Super- 
intendent, at  the  morning  service  and  the  Dedicatory  Ad- 
dress by  Dr.  Rockwell  Smith  of  Chlcego  In  the  afternoon. 
The  Education  Building  was  dedicated  to  Mr.  Smiley  in 
appreciation  of  his  interest  in  the  building  program. 

The  total  cost  of  the  building  program  was  over 
$90,000.  Through  generous  conations  from  Mr.  Smiley, 
donations  from  the  general  church  membership,  and  un- 
tiring assistance  from  the  various  church  organizations 
the   entire   debt   was   cleared. 

Formal  Rededicatory  Services  of  the  church  were  held 
Sunday,  June  8,  1952  with  Bishop  Ivan  Lee  Holt  delivering 
the   dedication    sermon. 

The  church  has  always  been  proud  of  its  fine  Sunday 
School.    The  average  attendance  in  Sunday  School   is  2C0 


-35- 


pupils.  Miss  Amelia  V.  Carriel  served  as  Superintendent 
of  the  Sunday  School  for  over  40  years;  Mr.  William  Ried- 
elberger.  Jr.,  for  13  years  prior  to  his  death  in  1937;  and 
Mr.s.  Edna  Ayres  from  1937  to  the  present. 

The  church  has  a   membership  of  380   persons  at   this 
time.   The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  Mayo  Bowles. 


ST.  CLARE'S  CHURCH  AND  SCHOOL 

The  first  Mass  was  said  in  18.58  in  the  residence  of 
Thomas  Mackin  by  Fr.  August  Reineke,  who  resided  in 
Breese.  Illinois.  Later  Fr.  Clement  Sieghardt  came  once 
a  month  from  Carlyle.  About  the  middle  of  the  year  1866, 
St.  Clare's  was  taken  care  of  by  Fr.  Anton  Rustige  from 
Lebanon  who  came  twice  a  month.  In  the  beginning  of 
1867  four  lots  were  bought  for  the  price  of  $700  from  John 
Mersinger.  The  cornerstone  of  the  new  Church  was  laid 
on  the  first  Sunday  of  September  of  that  year.  It  was 
dedicated  by  the  Most  Reverand  Bishop  Junker  of  Alton, 
Illinois  on  December  17,  1867,  and  the  first  Mass  in  the 
church  was  on  December  29,  1867.  The  cost  of  the  new 
church  was  $5,000  and  the  dimensions  were  56  feet  by  36 
feet.    Membership   of   the   parish   was   40   persons. 

In  the  early  part  of  1868  the  residence  of  the  pastor 
was  transferred  from  Lebanon  to  Q-Fallon.  From  then 
services  were  held  in  Lebanon  every  third  Sunday  and 
one  day  during  each  week  by  the  new  pastor  of  O'Fallon. 
Both  places  were  served  by  Fr.  Theodore  Kamann  from 
the  year  1868.  The  first  Catholic  school  was  begun  by  Fr. 
Kamann  in  the  year  1868.  He  himself  was  the  first  teacher. 
Some  time  later  a  man  by  the  name  of  Baumann  taught 
thp   school   for    a    year. 

St.  Clare's  Cemetery  was  begun  in  1870.  .St.  Clare's 
Parish  was  without  a  pastor  from  the  middle  of  August 
1870  until  December  1st  of  the  same  year,  when  Fr.  Wil- 
liam Drube  became  the  permanent  pastor. 

In  1870  a  new  school  was  built  for  the  sum  of  $1600. 
The  teacher  for  one  year  in  this  new  school  was  John 
Goel7,  grandfather  of  the  present  pastor. 

A  new  rectory  was  built  in  1872.  Foundation  for  a 
new,  the  present  church,  was  begun  in  March  of  1890.  The 
cornerstone  was  laid  on  June  6,  1892.  Its  dedication  was 
on  October  23,  1895.  The  tower  of  the  present  church  was 
built  in  1899.  The  completed  church  and  tower  cost  $35,000. 
Membership  of  the  parish  at  this  time  was  70  families. 

The  first  Baptism  was  recorded  on  May  21,  1868,  that 
of  Caroline  Bishof,  by  Fr,  Theodore  Karnann. 

The  first  death  recorded  was  that  of  Elizabeth  Rieget 
on  January  21,  1870. 

The  first  Marriage  on  September  24,  1868  was  that  of 
James   Bumueller    and   Catherine   Clemens. 

Fr.  William  Drube  died  on  June  19,  1915.  Fr.  Henry 
Muenster  was  pastor  from  the  time  of  Fr.  Drube's  illness 
and  death  until  August  20,  1919.  Fr.  Muenster  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Fr.  Anthony  Powell  in  1919.  His  pastorate  ex- 
tended until  his  death  on  December  8,  1930.  During  Fr. 
Powell's  illness  and  after  his  death  the  parish  was  admin- 
istered by  Fr.  Bernard  Loepker,  until  the  appointment  of 
the  present  pastor,  Fr.  John  Goelz,  which  became  effec- 
tive  February   4,    1931. 

During  Fr.  Powell's  administration  the  present  convent 
was  built  in  1920,  the  new  Mt.  Calvary  Cemetery  in  1923, 
and  the  present  St.  Clare's  School  in  1925.  A  new  rectory 
was  erected  in  1950. 


The  number  of  families  at  the  present  time  is  about 
325  with  an  enrollment  in  St.  Clare's  School  of  196  chil- 
dren taught  by  five  Sisters  of  the  Most  Precious  Blood 
Order.  The  first  Order  of  Sisters  represented  at  St.  Clare's 
were  the  Poor  Handmaids  of  Christ  from  Fort  Wayne, 
Indiana.  In  October  1876  four  Sisters  arrived,  two  to  nurse 
the  sick  in  their  homes  and  two  to  teach  school.  A  con- 
vent was  erected  prior  to  this,  which,  located  south  of  the 
church,  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1944.  In  September  1883, 
three  Sisters  from  the  Order  of  the  Most  Precious  Blood 
in  Ruma,  Illinois,  began  teaching  St.  Clare's  School  with 
65  pupils.  The  Order  has  been  represented  here  contin- 
uously   since    that    time. 


BETHEL  BAPTIST  CHURCH 

The  deed  to  this  church  ground  dates  back  to  a  land 
patent  by  President  John  Qiiincy  Adams.  The  valuable 
old  church  record  books  began  in  1806. 

An  event  leading  up  to  the  founding  of  Bethel  Church 
occurred  in  1787  when  James  Lemen,  Sr.,  and  a  few  of 
his  Baptist  friends,  who  wei'e  seeking  homes  in  this  re- 
gion, camped  for  the  Lord's  Day  in  a  grove  of  trees  near 
the  present  city  of  Belleville.  They  held  a  religious  ser- 
vice which  was  probably  the  first  act  of  associated  worship 
performed  by  Baptists  in  what  is  now  St.  Clair  County. 
James  Lemen  with  his  wife,  six  sons  and  two  daughters 
comprised  one  of  the  first  families  to  form  the  settlement 
of  New  Design,  and  in  1796,  he,  with  other  early  settlers 
in  Monroe  County,  organized  the  New  Design  Baptist 
Church  which  was  the  first  Protestant  church  in  Illinois. 
A  number  of  years  later,  this  same  James  Lemen,  Sr. 
wivh  others,  founded  a  church  known  as  "The  Richland 
Arm  of  the  Church  of  Christ  at  New  Design."  The  first 
record  of  its  proceeding  is  dated  June  14,  1806  and  these 
minutes  became  the  first  recorded  in  the  record  book  of 
Bevhc-i  Church. 

On  July  8,  1809,  James  Lemen  arose  in  church  session 
U  the  Richland  Creek  Church  and  denounced  slavery  as 
a  practice  in  which  he  could  not  fellowship.  This  caused  a 
division  of  opinion  among  the  members.  After  two  con- 
ferences the  church  agreed  to  an  amicable  separation  and 
on  December  9,  18C9,  Lemen,  with  four  others,  withdrew 
from  the  Richland  Creek  Church,  and  these  five,  with 
two  others,  composed  Bethel  Church,  which  was  consti- 
tuted on  December  10,  1809,  by  Elders  James  Lemen,  Jr. 
and  John  Baugh.  under  the  name  of  "The  Baptized  Church 
of    Christ    Friends    to    Humanity." 

The  constituent  members  were:  Jame.s  Lemen,  Sr., 
Catherine  Lemen,  Robert  Lemen,  Hetty  Lemen,  Joseph 
Lemen,  Polly  K.  Lemen,  and  Benjamin  Ogle.  James  Lem- 
en, Jr.,  joined  the  evening  after  the  constitution.  At  this 
time  James  Lemen,  Sr.,  Joseph  Lemen  and  Benjamin  Ogle 
were  licensed  preachers  and  James  Lemen,  Jr.,  was  an 
ordained    minister. 

The  first  five  years  of  the  church  was  a  time  of 
Indian  alarms  and  war;  many  families  removed  froni  the 
cujntiy  .thfc  population  that  remained  war,  scattered,  and 
for  six  years  or  mere  itW  immigrants  came  into  the  area. 
The  membership  of  the  church  at  the  end  of  this  period 
numbered    38. 

In  1824  the  church  erected  their  house  of  worship  at 
a  cost  of  $500.  It  was  a  fran-.e  building  30  by  40  feet  in 
size,  which  they  occupied  in   an  unfinished  state  for  sev- 


-36- 


eral  years.    The   first    meeting   in   the   new    building,  was 
held  in  July  1825.    After  the  opening  of  the  new  church  a 
x-evival  was  held  which  continued  for  several  months,  ro 
suiting  in   twenty  converts.    At  this   time   the  church   re- 
pjrted   86   members. 

In  1838  the  congregation  adopted  measures  to  erect 
i.  new  building.  One  acre  of  ground  was  procured  from 
James  Lawrence  for  the  purpose  and  the  church  was  con- 
structed. A  large  part  of  the  money  needed  was  raised 
and  the  building  erected  at  a  cost  of  $1,100.  The  whole 
country  experienced  a  sudden  and  unexpected  financial 
leversal  and  the  members  had  to  nwke  many  sacrifices 
>L  (.idti  t..  iui>  tht  xcmaining  debt  nf  Sl.'iOO.  which  was 
not  entirely  liquidated  until  1846.  The  building  was  dedi- 
cated on  September  5,  1840.  John  Mason  Peck  preached 
the  dedicatory  sermon.  A  revival  continued  for  ten  days 
during  which  18  members  were  added  by  baptism,  four 
by  letters,  one  by  experience. 

In  1851  Rev.  Peck  became  pastor  of  Bethel  and  served 
until  1853  when  he  was  forced  by  ill  health  and  infirmi- 
ties to  resign.  In  1854  the  church  bought  from  James 
Lawrence  nine  adjoining  acres  of  land.  A  parsonage  was 
erected  and  about  three  acres  of  land  were  set  aside  as  a 
burying  ground  with  about  one  acre  laid  out  in  lots.  A 
small  section  on  the  north  side  of  the  burying  ground 
was   designated   as   a    Potters    Field. 

A  Sunday  School  was  started  in  1866.  The  church  con- 
tinued regular  services  until  1927.  Then  followed  a  time 
of  darkness  and  spiritual  dearth  for  the  doors  of  the  church 


were  closed  for  eleven  years.  The  doors  were  re-opened 
by  Rev.  Percy  Ray  on  August  7,  1938.  and  he  served  as 
pastor  and  advisor  for  two  years.  The  church  is  an  active 
church  at  the  present  time. 


OAK  HILL  BAPTIST  CHURCH 

Through  the  tntitulies  and  pursuasicns  of  Madison 
Ely  and  W.  D.  Ross,  Elder  R.  C.  Keele  visited  the  Oak  Hill 
settlement  several  times  regarding  the  organization  of  a 
church.  During  the  month  of  February,  1851,  he  visited 
again,  held  a  protracted  meeting  and  constituted  the. 
church  called  "The  Baptist  Church  of  Oak  Hill".  The 
church  was  located  two  and  one-half  miles  east  of  O' Fal- 
lon. Elder  R.  C.  Keele  was  aided  by  Deacons  Martin  and 
Luther  Badgley  in  the  organization. 

The  first  officers  were:  Pastor,  Elder  R.  C.  Keele,  Dea- 
con.  W.  D.  Ross,  and  Clerk,  G.  W.  Darrow.  The  meetings- 
were  held  in  the  Oak  Hill  school  house  until  November 
12.  1854  when  a  chuich  house,  ccsliiig  $1.2(:0  was  com- 
pleted and  formally  opened  for  wo>-ship  by  the  Rev.  John 
Mason  Peck,  assisted  by  Elder  Keele. 

On  January  25,  1867  a  number  of  the  most  active  mem- 
bers withdrew  by  letter  to  join  the  O'Fallon  Baptist  Church 
which  was  organized  at  that  time.  Many  historical  asso- 
ciations cluster  around  the  vicinity  where  it  was  located 
as  being  the  place  where  the  illustrious  Dr.  John  Mason 
Peck  resided  for  a  good  portion  of  his  life,  and  by  reason 
of  this  an  influence  for  good  in  the  Baptist  cause  radiated 
which  was  felt  throughout  Illinois  and  the  West. 

The  church  building  was  razed  in  1953. 


Organizations 


AMERICAN  LEGION 

The  charter  members  of  H,  Edward  Fischer  Post  No. 
137  of  the  American  Legion.  Department  of  Illinois  were: 
Emmett  Hess.  Christ  Zinkgraf,  Harry  Carriel,  Wilbur  Scott, 
F.  L.  Minor.  William  Bechtold.  George  P.  Zinkgraf.  Melvin 
Sturman.  Jerome  Munie,  Fred  Suever,  C.  W.  Bertram. 
Joe  A.  Schobert,  H.  L.  Siekmann,  Charles  J.  Ochs,  A.  G. 
Moergen,  Sam  Metcalf.  and  Charles  F.  Lienesch. 

The  original  post  was  named  after  H.  Edward  Fischer, 
who  was  the  first  casualty  of  O'Fallon  in  World  War  I. 
After  World  War  II,  the  name  of  Fischer  was  combined 
with  SoUis,  to  form  the  present  name  of  Fischer-Sollis 
Post  No.  137.  Vernell  SolUs  was  the  first  casualty  of 
O- Fallon   in    World   War   II. 

The  Post  members  first  met  in  1919  at  the  City  Kail. 
Later  meetings  were  held  at  the  Masoric  Hal).  KcClana- 
han's  Garage  (now  O'Fallon  Bus  Station),  Shamrock  Hotel, 
and  in  members'  homes  until  1935.  In  that  year  the  Legion 
Home  was  built  on  the  northv.'est  corner  of  Washington 
and  Vine  Streets.  This  hut  is  built  of  old  telephone  poles. 
The  major  part  of  the  labor  was  done  by  the  Legion  mem- 
bers and  citizens  of  O'Fallon. 

The  present  membership  of  the  Post  is  234.  The  Com- 
mander at  present  is  Raymond  F.  Keller  and  the  Adjutant 
is  Robert  L.  Lillie. 


AMERICAN  LEGION  AUXILIARY 

H.  Edward  Fischer  Unit  of  the  American  Legion  /  ujf- 
iliary  was  organized  in  1926.  The  American  Legion  Post 
at  that  lime  was  named  for  H.  Edward  Fischer,  son  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  Fischer,  who  lost  his  life  in  France 
during  World  War  I.  His  mother  and  five  sisters  were 
charter  members  of  the  auxiliary.  The  first  officers  were: 
Elizabeth  Gordon,  President;  May  me  Schobert,  Secretary: 
and  Kate  Tiedcmann,  Treasurer.  There  were  38  charter 
members. 

After  World  War  II,  another  name  was  added  to  the 
Unit  title  to  form  the  present  name.  Fischer-Sollis  Unit. 
Vpi-nell  Sollis,  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clarence  Sollis,  lost  at 
sea  was  O'Fallon's  first  casualty  in  World  War  II. 

The  Unit  has  been  active  through  the  years  in  all 
local  activities,  worked  on  all  drives  ir  the  community 
provided  parties  and  sponsored  contests  for  the  children 
of  the  area,  aided  families  in  the  community  who  have 
suffered  fire  losses  (financial  as-'-istance  was  given  to  the 
families  and  men  who  suffered  losses  in  the  Shamrock 
Hotel  fire>.  The  Unit  has  regularly  visited  patients  at  the 
Alton,  Pleasant  View,  and  Scott  Air  Base  Hospitals,  sup- 
pUed  yearly  eleven  hospitals  with  magazines,  and  given 
100  per  cent  support  to  all  the  Ueparlmcnt  welfare  pro- 
grams for  the  benefit  of  the  serviceman  and  his  family. 
The  Unit  held  the  first  Tag  Day  in  O'Fallon  with  the  street 
Poppy  Sale  in  1927.    During  World  War  II  the  ITnit  «...V,.H 


-:>7- 


constantly   in   sending    gift   packages   to    the   boys    in    the 
service   and   in   the   hospitals. 

The  Unit  presently  has  a  membership  of  103.  The 
p-esent  officers  are:  Betty  Klingelhoefer,  President;  Dor- 
othy Seipp.  Secretary;  and  Virginia  Monken.  Treasurer 


PAST  PRESIDENTS 
AMERICAN  LEGION  AUXILIARY 

The  Past  Presidents  Parley  of  the  American  Legion 
Auxiliary  of  the  Fischer-SoUis  Post  was  organized  in  1942 
with  Mrs.  Inez  Rea  serving  as  the  first  president. 

The  members  of  the  parley  are  Past  Presidents  of  the 
Fischer-Sollis  Unit  or  another  unit.  Each  year  anotiier 
member  is  added  to  the  group  when  the  retiring  presiden', 
is  eligible  for  membership. 

There  have  been  26  Past  Presidents  who  have  been 
members.  Thi-ee  mem.bers  have  passed  away:  Anna  Wilk- 
ening,  Rae  Thompson,  and  Florence  Schobert. 

The  group  has  raised  funds  in  many  ways.  These 
funds  have  been  used  to  further  relief  in  the  community 
and  to  remember  thirty  veteran  nurses  who  are  patients 
at  Norbury  Cottage,  Jacksonville,  with  gifts  at  holiday 
time.  The  group  has  brought  cheer  to  the  patients  through 
visits  to  Scott  Air  Force  Base  Hospital.  It  has  assisted  in 
all  local  charity  drives  and  supported  all  auxiliary  pro- 
grams- 
Mrs.  Carrie  Mayhill  is  the  centennial  year  President, 
with  Mrs.  Marie  Thoman,  serving  as  Secretary-treasurer. 


EASTERN  STAR 

O'Fallon  Chapter  No.  487,  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star, 
was  instituted  under  a  dispensation  issued  by  Alex  G.  Hug, 
Worthy  Grand  Patron,  on  January  20,  1902.  The  Chapter 
continued  to  work  under  dispensation  until  the  next  ses- 
sion of  the  Grand  Chapter  at  which  time,  October  8,  1902, 
the  charter  was  issued.  The  sixteen  charter  members  were: 
Elizabeth  Moore  Enos,  E.  H.  Smiley,  NelUe  Behrens  James, 
Alice  Dorris,  Ferd  Reiss,  Carrie  Smiley,  Carrie  Peach, 
Cora  Begole  Darrow,  Delia  Smiley,  Louisa  Moore,  Tillie 
Stephani,  Clarrisa  Behrens,  George  Moore,  Andrew  Moore. 
Emily  Reiss,  and  Cora  Behrens.  Three  charter  members 
are  living  at  this  date,  namely:  Elizabeth  Moore  Enos. 
Nellie  Behrens  James,  and  Emily  Reiss.  The  first  officers 
of  the  Chapter  were  installed  by  members  of  Rob  Morris 
Chapter  98,  of  East  St.  Louis,  Illinois. 

The  first  class  of  candidates  initiated  on  April  19,  1902. 
was  made  up  of:  Jeannette  M.  Reiss,  W.  E.  Peach,  Hartley 
Scanland,  and  Charles  Behrens.  A  second  class  of  candi- 
dates initiated  on  November  1.'',  1902  wa.=  comprised  of- 
J.  C.  Louden,  C.  T.  Smiley,  W.  R.  Dorris,  and  Minnie 
Koenigstein. 

The  Chapter  meetings  during  the  period  from  January. 
1902,  to  June.  1908,  were  held  in  the  Masonic  Hall  then 
located  on  the  second  floor  of  the  building  commonly 
known  as  the  L.  Allen  and  Sons  store  which  was  destroyed 
by  fire  on  May  23,  1953.  From  July,  1908,  to  the  present 
time  the  Chapter  has  occupied  quarters  in  the  Masonic 
Hall  located  on  the  second  floor  over  Joseph  Keek's  store 
at  123  East  First  Street. 

Prior  to  the  institution  of  an  Eastern  Star  Chapter  at 
Lebanon,  Illinois  a  number  of  Lebanon  residents  were 
members  of  O'Fallon  Chapter.    In   1912   fourteen  of  these 


mem)3ers    demitted    from    O'Fallon    Chapter    and    became 
Charter    members    of   Lebanon    Chapter. 

O'Fallon  Chapter  has  shown  steady  growth.  The  six- 
teen charter  members  built  a  chapter  on  a  firm  founda- 
tion.   Today  the  chapter  has  a  membership  of  253. 

.  O'Fallon  Chapter  No.  487,  observed  its  golden  anni- 
versary on  May  3,  1952  with  a  banquet  and  program  at 
the  Evangelical  and  Reformed  Church.  Seven  50-year 
members,  including  five  charter  members,  were  the  guests 
of  honor.  One  hundred  eighty-two  members  of  the  order 
were  in  attendance.  Charter  members  present  were:  Eliza- 
beth Moore  Enos,  now  of  Chicago,  the  first  Worthy  Matron 
in  1902;  E.  H.  Smiley,  the  first  Worthy  Patron  in  1903. 
Nellie  Behrens  James,  now  of  Belleville  and  a  member  of 
LaHarpe  Chapter,  LaHarpe,  Illinois,  the  first  Associate 
Matron;  Alice  Dorris,  the  first  Secretary,  and  Erniiy  Reiss. 
the  first  Organist.  Also  present  were  Jeannette  Reiss,  a 
Past  Matron,  and  W.  R.  Dorris,  a  Past  Patron,  who  became 
members  during  the  first  year  of  the  Chapter's  organiza- 
tion. 

The  Chapter  has  had  the  good  fortune  of  having  had 
the  services  of  officers  v/ho  filled  their  positions  with 
honor  and  distinction.  This  history  would  not  be  complete 
without  paying  tribute  to  the  many  years  of  faithful  ser- 
vice contributed  by:  Sylvia  Joseph,  Louise  Koch,  Viola 
Moore,  Florence  Asbury,  Elsie  Schaefer,  Effie  Meehan, 
the  Gordon  family.  (Mary,  A.  B.,  Agnes,  Elizabeth  and 
Thomas).  Frances  and  Xellie  Eckert,  B.  J.  Joseph,  William 
Reidelberger,  and  Irving  M.  Baker.  In  1953,  Eve  Schuetz 
bought  great  honor  to  our  chapter  and  herself  by  being 
commissioned  a  Grand  Lecturer  by  the  Grand  Chapter. 
She  presently  is  serving  as  Inslructress  of  the   chapter. 

The  principal  officers  of  the  Chapter  for  Lhe  year  1954 
are:  WortJiy  Matron,  Inez  Vitale;  Worthj'  Palrcn,  O.  Man- 
ley  Eike;  Associate  Matron,  Nina  Lee  Pfeifer;  Associate 
Patron,  Robert  Brown;  Secretary,  Katherine  O'Brien; 
Treasurer,  Bertha  Distler;  Conductress,  Shirley  Greene, 
and   Associate   Conductress,    Gertrude   Beary. 

O'Fallon  Chapter  looks  back  retrospectively  with  pride 
upon  the  past  history  of  the  chapter  and  is  proceeding 
to   plan    for   a   great   future. 


KIWANIS  CLUB 

The  Kiwanis  Club  of  O'Fallon  was  chartered  the  even- 
ing of  June  12,  1950  with  a  charter  roster  of  29  members. 
Twelve  of  the  original  charter  members  are  still  active  in 
club  affairs.   At  this  date  there  are  27  active  members. 

The  club  was  organized  with  the  following  corps  of 
officers:  President,  William  K.  Schmidt;  Vice-Piesident, 
L.  B.  Sample;  Secretary,  Arnold  D.  Dickinson;  and  Treas- 
urer. Bernard  Taylor.  The  succeeding  presidents  were: 
Arnold  Dickinson.  Phillip  Schildknecht,  Jr.,  and  Earl 
Perschbacher.  Arnold  Dickinson  is  now  serving  as  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor of  Division  14  of  the  Illinois-Iowa  District. 

The  Kiwanis  Club  is  a  civic  organization.  The  club 
has  given  expression  to  its  civic-mindedness  by  donating 
the  stop-light  at  the  Lincoln  Avenue-State  Stieel  intersec- 
tion and  refreshment  stand  at  the  Community  Park;  aid- 
ing in  procuring  the  welcome  signs  at  either  end  of  the 
cit.v.  sponsoring  many  worth  while  projects  for  under- 
privileged children,  and  assisting  in  the  organization  of 
ibe  Key  Club  for  boys  of  the   Junior  and   Senior  Classes 


-38- 


E*.  the  O' Fallon  Township  High  School. 

The  O'Fallon  Club  is  also  the  paieiit  of  the  Fairview 
Kiwanis  riuh  which  was  oreanizod  in  January  1953. 


MASONIC  LODGE 

O'Fallon  Lodge  No.  576.  Ancient  F'ree  and  Accepted 
Masons,  was  instituted  under  a  dispensation  issued  by 
Jerome  R.  Gorin.  Most  Worshipful  Grand  Master  of  the 
State  of  Illinois,  on  June  19,  1867.  The  dispensation  was 
issued  to  Benjamin  J.  Van  Court,  Worshipful  Master:  John 
Mace,  Senior  Warden;  and  George  Crosby,  Junior  Warden 
The  lodge  worked  under  dispensation  until  October  6 
1868  when  the  charter  was  issued.  The  thirty  charter 
members  were  B.  J.  Van  Court,  John  Mace,  George  Crosb.v. 
J.  W.  Swift.  W.  Peach.  Jr..  George  Smith.  Jos.  Palfreyman. 
M.  D.  Knowlton.  A.  J.  Roach.  Lewis  Williams.  W.  S.  Scott, 
J.  Mills.  S.  Smiley.  H.  Simmons,  A.  B.  Smiley.  C.  T.  I  ang- 
ford.  W.  B.  Powell,  Levi  Simmons,  O.  C.  Bates.  J.  H.  At- 
kinson, J.  S.  Bond.  L.  P.  Bowler,  E.  Joy.  R.  H.  Mace.  J. 
Whaley.  P.  Schildknocht,  George  D.  Thnir,!i.=.  W  S,  Nor- 
cross.  Joab  Elliott,  and  J.  W.  Scott. 

The  lodge  first  met  in  a  building  owned  by  Joseph 
Penn.  The  location  of  this  building  has  not  been  determ- 
ined. In  April  1875,  the  lodge  moved  to  the  Treu  Bund 
Building  located  in  the  2C0  block  of  West  Second  Street 
(commonly  known  as  the  German  School  building).  In 
December  1879.  the  lodge  dedicated  a  new  hall  in  the 
building  commonly  known  as  the  L.  Allen  &  Sons  building 
on  West  First  Street  (destroyed  by  fire  May  23,  1953).  In 
July  1908  the  lodge  moved  into  the  second  floor  of  the 
new  Bechtold  Building  at  123  East  First  Street  (now  Jos- 
eph Keek's  Food  Market)  and  hps  occupied  these  quarters 
to  the  present  time. 

The  original  by-laws  set  the  date  and  time  of  the 
regular  meeting  as  follows:  "The  regular  communication 
of  this  lodge  shall  be  held  on  Wednesday  on  or  before  the 
full  moon  of  every  month.  The  hours  for  working  shall 
be  from  7  o'clock  until  10  o'clock  in  the  evening  between 
the  25th  of  March  and  the  25th  of  September  and  from 
6%  o'clock  until  10  o'clock  in  the  evening  from  the  25th 
of  September  to  the  25th  of  March."  In  August  1908  the 
regular  meeting  date  was  changed  to  the  second  Wednes- 
day of  the  month.  At  the  present  time  the  lodge  holds  its 
regular  meeting  on  the  second  Wednesday  and  such  other 
special  meetings  as  required. 

In  1872,  O'Fallon  Lodge  indorsed  the  petition  of  a 
group  of  brethern  from  Collinsville  who  were  seeking  to 
form  a  lodge  there.  Several  members  of  O'Fallon  Lodge 
dimitted  to  become  charter  members  of  Collinsville  Lodge 
No.  712  chartered  on  October  8,  1873. 

During  its  86  years  O'Fallon  Lodge  has  been  presided 
over  by  .50  Worshipful  Masters  of  whom  22  are  living  at 
this  time.  Benjamin  J.  Van  Court,  our  first  Worshipful 
Master,  served  as  Master  for  the  first  six  years  and  at 
other  intervals  numbering  13  years  in  total.  He  also  served 
as  District  Deputy  Grand  Master  of  the  27th  Masonic 
District  (St.  Clair,  Monroe,  and  Randolph  Counties"  from 
1872  to  1874  inclusive.  John  Schneider,  Worshipful  Master 
in  1919,  1931  and  1942,  was  commissioned  a  Grand  Lecturer 
in  1923  and  also  served  as  District  Deputy  Grand  Master 
of  the  90th  Masonic  District  from  1933  to  1941  inclusive, 
Alfred  E.  Tiedemann  served  as  Treasurer  of  O'Fallon  Lodge 
from  1921  to  1951  inclusive. 


At  the  present  time  O'Fallon  Lodge  has  two  members 
who  have  been  Masons  for  over  50  years:  William  R. 
Dorris  and  George  A.  Rciss.  Mr.  Dorris  and  Mr.  Reiss 
became  members  of  the  lodge  on  May  31,  1902. 

The  lodge  at  the  present  time  has  227  members. 

The  principal  officers  for  the  year  1954  are:  Robert 
Brown,  Worshipful  Master; John  Bcary.  Senior  Warden: 
Delbert  Corbier,  Junior  Warden:  Clarence  Distler,  Treas- 
urer: and  Charles  Schuet?.  Secretary. 


O'FALLON   CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE 

The  O'Fallon  Chamber  <>f  Commer:c  was  organized 
on  April  4.  1946.  The  first  officers  of  the  organization  were 
as  follows: 

President  L.  R.  Cartier 

Vice-President  George  N.  Schwarz 

Secretary George   M.  Thomas 

Treasurer  Felicita    Streck 

By-laws  for  the  organization  were  approved  and 
adopted  at  the  meeting  of  May  27,  1946.  The  original 
membership   was   44   members. 

On  June  4,  1946  a  charter  was  applied  for  under  the 
general  not  for  profit  corporation  act  of  Illinois.  The 
purposes  for  which  the  corporation  was  organized  were 
stated   as   follows: 

1.  To  advance  the  civic,  commercial,  industrial 
business,  and  commerce  interests  of  the  City 
of   O'Fallon    and    its   vicinity. 

2.  To  educate,  and  disseminate  information  to 
persons  interested  in  the  civic,  commercial,  in- 
dustrial, and  business  advancement  of  the  City 
of   O'Fallon    and    it   environ. 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  was  preceded  by  several 
business  men's  organizations,  such  as:  Business  Men's 
League,  Commercial  Club,  Business  Men's  Association,  and 
O'Fallon  Civic  Club.  The  following  is  taken  from  the  files 
of  the  O'Fallon  Progress,  issue  of  September  18,  1898: 
"E.  H.  Smiley,  J.  A.  Schalter  and  a  number  of  other  busi- 
ness men  have  organized  a  Business  Men's  League  and 
are  working  up  the  eight  o'clock  closing  hour  for  business 
places  here,  and  are  meeting  considerable  encouragement." 
The  Chamber  of  Commerce  has  ever  been  active  in 
civic  affairs  and  interested  in  retail  business  and  other 
trade  developments.  The  present  membership  is  70  mem- 
bers.   Officers  at  the  present  time  are: 

President  Clarence  Lurtz 
Vice-President  Irwin  A.  Yare 
Secretary  John  Hunter 

Treasurer    ..„ Ray    Schmidt 


O'FALLON   HIGH  SCHOOL  ALUMNI 

The  O'Fallon  High  School  Alumni  Associaliun  was 
organized  in  1908  at  a  meeting  held  by  the  graduates  in 
the  O'Fallon  Methodist  Church.  There  were  twenty-nine 
of  the  forty  graduates  present  at  that  time. 

Thomas  Gordon  of  the  Class  of  1903  presided  and  the 
following  officers  were  elected:  President,  Thomas  Gor- 
don; 1st  Vice  President,  Edith  Housam;  2nd  Vice  Presi- 
dent, Eleanor  Deischer;  Secretary-Treasurer,  John  Zapf. 
and  Alumni  Speaker.  Jessie  Harper. 

From  the  inception  of  the  High  School  to  the  present 
time  1560  students  have  graduated   from   the  school.    The 


-39- 


Alumni  Association,  therefore,  now  has  a  large  potential 
membership.    The  annual  reunion  is  always  well  attended. 

In  1953  the  Alumni  at  the  annual  reunion  observed 
the  Golden  Anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the  high  school. 
The  honored  guests  were  members  of  the  Class  of  1903. 

In  1927  the  Association  erected  a  granite  Memorial 
Drinking   Fountain   on  the   school   grounds   honoring    Miss 


HOMECOMING  ASSOCIATION 

In  1919,  a  group  of  interested  citizens  met  and  or- 
ganized the  Welcome  Home  and  Memorial  Association,  the 
purpose  of  which  was  to  sponsor  a  celebration  to  welcome 
home  the  service  men  of  Wo«-ld  War  I.  The  celebration 
was  held  in  August  1919.  The  streets  were  beautifully 
decorated,  a  large  arch  was  constructed  on  South  Lincoln 
Avenue,  the  parade  drew  very  favorable  comment,  in 
short,    the    celebration    was    a    huge    success. 

In  September,  1920.  The  O'Fallon  Progress  editorially 
advocated  an  annual  Homecoming  and  Fall  Festival  but 
nothing  was  done  about  it.  In  1922,  the  O'Fallon  Home- 
coming and  Fall  Festival  Association  was  formed  and 
sponsored  a  homecoming  for  that  year  and  subsequent 
years  until  1942.  The  profit  from  these  affairs  over  the 
years  has  been  utilized  in  the  development  of  beautiful 
Community  Park.  In  addition  to  the  expenditure  of  money 
by  the  Association,  time  and  money  has  been  generously 
donated  by  various  organizations  and  individuals  of  the 
city  to  promote  and  develop  the  park. 

On  September  24,  1924,  the  trustees  of  O'Fallon  Home- 
coming and  Fall  Festival  bought  from  Mrs.  Mai\y  E.  At- 
kinson 20  acres  of  land  for  a  consideration  of  $10,000.00. 
This  land  composes  the  original  portion  of  the  present 
park.  On  August  28,  1926,  the  association  purchased  from 
James  T.  and  Elizabeth  A.  Holliday  sufficient  land  to 
make  the  north  entrance  into  the  park  from  Fourth  street 
by  way  of  Apple  street.   The  consideration  paid  was  $100.00. 

In  July  1925,  a  colored  drawing,  61/2  by  SVz  feet, 
showing  the  proposed  plan  for  the  O'Fallon  Community 
Park  was  prominently  displayed  in  the  window  of  W.  W. 
Thomas  Hardware.  For  a  time,  these  plans  had  to  be  set 
aside  for  lack  of  funds.  In  recent  years,  funds  again  being 
available,  many  improvements  have  been  made  to  the 
park.  Perhaps,  some  time  in  the  near  future,  our  Com- 
munity Park  will  possess  all  those  improvements  shown 
in  the  original  plan. 

The  first  carload  of  structural  steel  for  the  building 
of  the  hall  at  Community  Park  arrived  on  May  27,  1926. 
The  building  80  by  120  feet  was  estimated  to  cost  between 
$12,000  and  $15,000.  Much  of  the  labor  on  the  building  was 
donated  by  interested  citizens. 

In  1926,  the  Homecoming  was  held  in  the  new  park. 
Prior  to  that  time  the  celebrations  had  been  held  in  City 
Park. 

In  1942.  the  Homecoming  were  suspended  as  it  was 
deemed  advisable  to  discontinue  the  celebration  with  so 
many  of  the  community's  men  away  from  home  serving  in 
the  Armed  Forces.  However,  the  spirit  was  kept  alive 
during  the  war  period  by  a  group  known  as  the  O'Fallon 
Welcome  Home  Association  which  made  plans  for  a  wel- 
come home  to  the  returning  service  men.  On  August  24 
and   25,    1946    this    celebration   was    held    after    which    the 


Amelia  V.  Carriel.  a  veteran  teacher  of  the  school  system. 
The  Association  has  maintained  for  over  25  years  a  Stu- 
dent Loan  Fund  which  has  made  loans  to  graduates  seek- 
ing a  higher  education. 

As  a  group  the  Association  has  always  been  ready  to 
sponsor  any  movement  for  the  good  of  our  schools  and 
the  community. 


'^,- 


.^•fct^ 


First  Homecoming  —  August  1919 


homecoming  was  reestablished  under  the  sponsorship  of 
the  O'Fallon  Homecoming  and  Fall  Festival. 

During  the  period  1942  to  1946  the  hall  at  Community 
Park  was  leased  to  the  Independent  Engineering  Company 
for  use  as  a  warehouse. 

On  November  1,  1945,  Walter  W.  Thomas,  treasurer  of 


-40- 


the  association,  paid  off  the  remaining  bonds  totaling  $2,300 
and  the  Community  Park  for  the  first  time  was  debt  free. 
The  association  on  March  15,  1946  voted  to  deed  to  the 
City  of  O'Fallon  the  park  which  was  then  debt  free.  At 
an  election  held  May  28.  1946.  the  citizens  of  O'Fallon  by  a 
vote  of  163  to  40  sanctioned  the  transfer  of  the  park  to 
city  ownership.  Accordingly,  on  November  1.  1946  the 
association  conveyed  to  the  City  of  O'Fallon  title  to  the 
park. 

The  first  Park  Hoard  named  by  Mayor  Henry  M. 
Hesse  on  September  12.  1946  to  govern  the  park  was  com- 
posed of  the  following:  I,,  R.  Cartier.  John  L.  Anheuser, 
Harry  Klingelhoefer.  L.  E.  Schwarz.  and  Delbert  Corbier. 

On  August  I.  1950,  the  association  bought  15.7  acres  of 
.land  from  William  G.  Willard  for  $1,000.00  an  acre.  This 
land  joins  the  original  park  on  the  east.  Some  of  the 
funds  necessary  to  make  this  purchase  were  raised  by  the 
sale  of  bonds  to  citizens  of  O'Fallon.  These  bonds  have 
now  been  retired  through  payments  from  current  earnings. 
The  land  was  immediately  conveyed  by  deed  to  the  City  of 
O'Fallon. 

The  current  droam  of  the  association  is  the  construc- 


tion of  a  swimming  pool.  In  September  1953,  the  associa- 
tion set  aside  $1,000.00  as  the  first  funds  toward  such  a 
project. 

In   May    1954,   a    permanent   concession    building    was 
built  in  the  park.    This  building  complete  with  fine  facili- 
ties for  the  serving  of  food  and  drinks  will   be  available 
for  use  by  all  organizations  using  the  park  for  picnics 
O'Fallon  is  proud  of  its  community  park — built  and  paid 

for  by  the  labor  of  the  citizens  of  the  eity  Here  may  be 
found  playground  equipment,  modern  barbecue  pits  and 
picnic  tables,  tennis  courts,  horseshoe  pits,  baseball  dia- 
m.onds,  outdoor  basketball  court,  beautiful  shade  trees, 
clean  surroundings,  and  convenienrp.c  which  make  for  an 
excellent  park.  During  the  past  .several  years  the  Park 
Board  has  sponsored  a  supervised  play  program  during  the 
summer  months  Many  children  of  O'Fallon  have  taken 
advantage  of  this  program. 

The  funds  earned  by  the  association  at  the  annual 
homecoming  celebrations  have  been,  indeed,  invested 
wisely  and  well  as  evidenced  by  beautiful  Community 
Park. 


O'FALLON  VOLUNTEER  FIRE  DEPT. 


1 


O'Fallon    Volunteer    Fire    Department.      riiUUL      takv  ii    alx.ul    IS'.).'.,      li,;^.;.;,    .1......      i.-daie. 

Seated  from  left:  .Julius  Bernum,  Frank  Kerijran,  John  Schachner,  Otto  Weisbrod.  George  Brock- 
hahn,  Willif  Weichert,  Charles  Dressel,  Chri.st  Schachner,  William  Coupin.  Standing,  from  left: 
Julius  Schalter,  Sani  McGeehon.  William  Quinn,  Harry  Daniels,  John  Seddon.  George  Feder,  Fred 
Schau,  Joe  Spry,  and  William  Lehman. 

Jl 


The  recorded  history  of  the  Vohinteer  Fire  Depart- 
ment dates  from  the  year  1891  when  a  definite  organiza- 
t'on  was  made  under  a  charter  granted  by  the  state. 
Prior  to  this,  the  organization  had  existed  as  a  group 
of  volunteers  that  was  an  outgrowth  of  the  old  "bucket 
brigades."  Their  equipment,  such  as  it  was,  was  housed 
in  a  frame  building  in  the  first  block  of  East  First 
Street. 

In  1890,  O'Fallon 
built  a  town  hall  and. 
along  with  it,  quarters 
for  the  fire  depart- 
ment. In  February, 
1891  the  department 
composed  of  15  mem- 
bers, occupied  their 
new  quarters. 

For  equipment  the 
early  fire  department 
possessed  a  hand 
pump,  hose  reels,  and 
ladders  all  housed  in 
the  town  hall.  Of  the 
original  members  of 
the  department,  only 
one  is  still  surviving. 
Charles  Dressel.  He  is 
the     father    of    Elton 

Dressel    who   has    just    completed    eight    years 
Chief  of  the  Fire  Department   (1946  to  1954K 

In   1904  the  department   was   reorganized,    added   new 


CHARLES    DRESSEL 


service    as 


members,  and  secured  the  charter  under  which  they  now 
operate.    Among  the  new  members  added  at  this  time  was 

He3-man  Hemmen  who 
owns  the  longest  ser- 
vice record  of  anyone 
to  the  department.  He 
joined  the  department 
in  1905  and  was  ap- 
pointed Chief  in  1909 
by  Mayor  Joseph  Tay- 
lor. He  acted  in  that 
capacity  until  1946  ex- 
cept for  the  year  1941 
in  which  he  did  not 
seek  office  and  Fred 
B  u  d  i  n  a  served  as 
Chief. 

In     1919     the     de- 
partment      purchased 
i  t  s     first     motorized 
HERMAN    HEMMEN  equipment,  a  1919  Re- 

public purchased  from  the  Ohlendorf  Hardware  Co.  It 
was  equipped  by  the  Central  Fire  Equipment  Company 
and  delivered  on  July  4,  1920.  One-half  the  purchase  price 
of  $4750.00  was  provided  by  the  department  and  the  bal- 
ance   was    raised    by    public    subscription. 

In  subsequent  years  additional  equipment  was  added: 
In  1929  a  Chevrolet  truck,  and  in  1949  the  Disaster  Unit 
and  Mack  truck 

The  disaster  unit.  GMC  panel  truck,  is  equipped  with 
inhaltor.    rescusitator.    cutting  tools.    2-way  radio,    and  an 


Architect's  drawing  of  new  Fire  Station  now  under  construction. 


emergency  light  plant.  It  has  answered  many  local  calls 
to  administer  oxygen  and  assist  in  time  of  disaster  and 
has,  on  numerous  occasions,  answered  calls  to  nearby 
communities.  All  members  of  the  department  are  required 
to  be  graduates  of  the  Red  Cross  First  Aid  Course. 

O'Fallon  has  many  times  been  reminded  quite  graphi- 
cally of  the  importance  of  being  adequately  protected 
against  fire.  Early  in  the  history  of  the  town,  before  the 
town  had  a  water  supply,  the  Tiedemann  Ice  House  fire — 


with  a  temperature  of  six  degrees  below  zero  and  a  six- 
inch  coating  of  ice  over  the  pond  that  had  to  furnish  the 
water  supply — etched  itself  into  the  memory  of  the  towns- 
people. Then  the  O&M  Depot  fire,  the  Ohlendorf  Hard- 
ware, and  the  Thomas  Hardware  fires  are  all  vivid  mem- 
ories to  those  who  witnessed  them.  The  most  disastrous 
fire  of  recent  times  took  place  on  May  23.  1953  when  the 
Shamrock  Hotel  and  Allen's   Store  were  destroyed. 

In   1950,  a   group  of   rural   residents   petitioned   County 


-42- 


Judge  Dreman  to  form  the  O'Fallon.  Shiloh  Valley,  Casey- 
ville  Rural  Fire  Protection  District.  The  district  received 
the  approval  of  the  rural  residents  and  a  board  of  three 
trustees.  Erwin  Hartman,  Cyril  Pfoiffor.  and  Walter  Sei- 
bert.  was  appointed.  The  district  purchased  a  fire  truck 
which  is  housed  in  O'Fallon  and  manned  by  the  same  25 
volunteers  that   compose   the  O'Fallon    Fire   Department. 

With  the  acquiring  of  this  additional  equipment,  the 
department  had  outgrown  the  quarters  provided  in  1890 
In  1953  the  citizens  of  O'Fallon  approved  a  bond  issue  to 
build  a  new  fire  department  building.  The  building  is 
now  under  construction  and  it  is  hoped  to  be  completed 
in  time  to  be  dedicated  as  part  of  th^  O'Fallon  Centennial. 
This  observance  will  mark  the  growth  of  the  department 
from  a  "bucket  brigade"  beginning  to  a  department  equal 
in  equipment  and  building  to  any  department  that  can 
be    found    in    a    community   of   our   size. 


POCAHONTAS  LODGE 

Illinois  Council  No.  51,  Degree  of  Pocahontas  Lodge 
of  O'Fallon  was  organized  on  March  4,  1904  when  a  group 
met,  elected  officers  and  took  necessary  steps  toward  the 
instituting  of  a  degree.  The  following  officers  were 
elected: 

Pocahontas  Mae  Creed 

Wenonah Victoria   Ahrens 

Powhatan    John   Koch 

Prophetess    Mrs.   Usher 

Keeper  of  Records Edna  Thurston 

Keeper  of  Wampum Louise  Koch 

Collector  of  Wampum Clara  Kimes 

Trustees Elva  Able 

Gertrude  Guest 
Mary  Neville 
On  March  !9,  1904,  Mrs.  Lizzie  Moseley  of  East  St. 
Louis  with  a  degree  team  from  St.  Louis  instituted  the 
local  council.  The  following  were  charter  members;  Vic- 
toria Ahrens,  Charles  Ahrens,  Arnold  Ahrens,  Elva  Able, 
Fanny  Alexander,  Walter  Alexander,  Annie  Brewer.  Jima 
Brockhahn,  Susie  Boyce,  Nettie  Bittles,  Ed  Begole,  Hilda 
Eegole.  Bessie  Begole,  Bena  Beckmann,  Mae  Creed.  Kelsa 
Cartwright,  Alex  Campbell,  Lou  Campbell,  Nellie  Daniels. 
Mina  Eckert.  George  Eckert.  Jessie  Guest,  Gertrude  Guest, 
Mary  Hermann,  Clara  A.  Kimes,  Clara  M.  Kimes,  May 
Kimes,  Maggie  Kimes.  Louise  Koch.  John  Koch.  Laurine 
Kampmeyer,  Celly  Killefer.  Gertie  Lasater.  William  La- 
quet.  Mary  Neville.  Elizabeth  Stauffer.  Edna  M.  Thurston, 
and  Mary  Thurston. 

At  the  present  time  the  lodge  has  a  membership  of 
4G  and  meets  on  the  second  and  fourth  Thursday  of  each 
month.  Clara  A.  Kimes  is  the  only  living  charter  member 
still  belonging  to  the  lodge. 

At  this  time  the  principal  officers  are: 

Pocahontas  Mary   Taylor 

Wenonah  Tennye    Andricks 

Pov'hatan  Stella   Mackey 

^lophetess  Jenny    Baker 


Odd  Fellows  with  45  charter  members  who  were;  Brothers 
Louis  Allen.  Daniel  Murphy.  Christ  Schempp.  Thomas 
'litter,  Philip  Schildknecht,  William  R.  Sanspeur.  Wright 
Bail.  J.  R.  Thomson.  Adolph  Schilling.  Sam  Metcalf.  G.  H. 
Locfflcr.  William  Winter.  Arthur  Kunze.  Delbert  Shaw. 
John  R.  Rock.  George  Kuhn,  Harry  Daniels,  Emil  Herman, 
William  Agles  and  Sisters  Anna  Winter,  Anna  Loeffler, 
Martha  Mayer,  Lucy  Sanspeur,  Martha  Sihildknechl,  Mabel 
Walters,  Gabriella  Titter,  Edna  Metcalf.  Kate  Alberts. 
Sessie  Kunze,  Charlotta  Murphy.  Agnes  Herman.  Carrie 
fthring,  Emma  Ahring.  Jeanette  Bittles.  Mary  Greiner. 
I'ressa  Metcalf.  Nellie  Harper,  Bertha  C.  Schilling,  Fannie 
Kemp,  Mary  Huhn,  Nellie  Daniels,  Carrie  Schau,  Jessie 
vJuest.  and  Kate  O'Brien. 

In  1924-1926  the  O'Fallon  Rebekah  Lodge  was  quite 
active  in  lodge  work  with  a  degree  staff  and  drum  and 
fugle  corps.  The  lodge  has  a  membership  of  29  members 
at  the  present  time  including  six  charter  members  who 
are:  Mary  Greiner.  Gabriella  Titter.  Carrie  Ahring.  Emma 
.^hring.  Kate  Alberts,  and  Bertha  C  Schilling.  O'Fallon 
Hebekah  Lodge  contributes  to  the  Old  Folks  Home  at 
Mattoon.  Illinois,  to  the  Children's  Home  at  Lincoln.  Illi- 
nois, and  to  the  Community  Christmas  Party  here  in 
O'Fallon.  Delegates  are  sent  each  year  to  the  Rebekah 
State  Assembly  meetings. 

The  principal  officers  for  the  year  of  1954  are:  Doro- 
thy Cavins.  Noble  Grand;  Elsa  Gro<:>.  Vice  Grand;  Gladys 
Hallam.  Secretary;  Edna  Monken.  Financial  Secretary; 
and  Sarah   Feicht.  Treasurer. 


ROTARY  CLUB 


REBEKAH  LODGE 


O'Failoi.  Rebekah  Lodge  No.  806  was  instituted  May 
■<i,  1917  by  A..  Otis  Arnold.  Grand  Master  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  the  State  of  Illinois  of  the  Independent  Order  of 


The  O'Fallon  Rotary  Club  was  organized  April  29. 
1925.  The  club  membership  consists  of  a  cross-section 
representation  of  the  business,  professional,  and  agricul- 
tural interests  of  our  community. 

The  club  meets  each  week  on  Monday  noon.  The 
objectives  of  the  club  arc  the  development  of  friendship 
and  acquaintance  among  its  members,  high  ethical  stand- 
ards among  business  and  professional  people,  service  to 
o;ir  city  and  community,  and  the  fostering  of  a  better 
understanding  among  the  nations  of  the  world. 

The  members  of  the  O'Fallon  Rotary  Club  have  served 
as  citizens  in  .various  capacities  in  the  administration  of 
our  schools,  our  churches,  our  city,  township,  and  county 
governments.  Particular  emphasis  has  been  placed  on 
our  youth  program  through  aid  to  our  school  band,  scouts, 
the  recreational  program  of  our  Community  Park,  the 
student  loan  fund  of  our  club,  and  the  conduct  of  the 
children's  parade  each  year  on  Home  Coming  Day. 

The  Charter  members  were;  James  Bittles.  George  B. 
Gieser.  Marcel  F.  Kuehn,  Walter  Mcincrs,  Jerome  Munic. 
Julius  E.  Nold.  John  F.  Rock.  Charles  Schuclz.  M.  K. 
Schwarz.  Edward  N.  Thomas.  George  M.  Thomas.  Walter 
W.  Thomas.  Victor  Trares.  Dr.  Edward  Trippi-1.  and  Geort-'e 
Willard. 

ROYAL  NEIGHBORS 

St.  Elmo  Camp  No.  865.  Royal  Neighbors  of  America 
was  organized  on  March  3.  1898.  Twenty-one  of  O'Fallon's 
most  prominent  citizens  assembled  at  Odd  Fellow.^  Hall 
I  hall  above  the  present  Thomas  Electric  Shop  at  109  East 
First   Street  I    where   Mrs.    Mary    Adams.    Deputy   Supreme 


-43- 


Oracle  proceeded   to   initiate    them   in   the  beautiful   work 
of   the   order. 

The  following   officers   were  elected   and  installed: 

Past  Oracle Mary   E.  Housam 

Oracle Amelia   Lehmann' 

Vice  Oracle - Lillie  M.  Loeffler 

Chancellor Lutie    L.    Wade 

Maishal Gertrude   Seddon 

Recorder Cora  Reidelberger  Twiss 

Receiver  Hannah  E.  Gibbs 

Inner  Sentinel Annie   Behrens 

Organist Anna    Davison 

Managers- Jessie  B.   Darrow 

Mary  E,  Housam 
Anna  Davison 
Other  charter  members  initiated  at  that  time  were: 
Katie  M.  Weil,  Carolina  Weil,  Alice  Whitehead,  Mary 
Reidelberger,  Mary  Behrens,  Katie  Bolbach,  Minnie  Keck, 
Anna  Hocher,  Louisa  Hocher,  Augusta  H.  Gardner,  and 
Adolph  E.   Loeffler. 

The  following  charter  members  are  still  living:  Lillie 
M.  Loeffler,  Lutie  L.  Wade,  Cora  L.  Twiss,  and  Katie 
Bolbach. 

The  Order  of  the  Royal  Neighbors  of  America— a 
fraternal  order  with  life  insurance  benefits  was  organized 
nationally  in   1895. 

At  the  present  time  the  lodge  consists  of  67  adult 
members,  13  juveniles  and  30  members  holding  paid-up 
policies.  Mrs.  Mary  Ball  Beedle  (mother  of  William 
Holden,  OTallon's  contribution  to  the  movie  industry) 
is   a   member   of   this   order. 

At  this  time  the  principal  officers  of  the  lodge  are: 
Oracle,  Agnes  Fuchs;  Vice  Oracle,  Caroline  Ki-amer;  Past 
Oracle,  Matilda  Wood. 


VETERANS  OF   FOREIGN  WARS 

At  a  meeting  held  on  June  6,  1946  at  the  City  Hall 
arrangements  were  made  for  the  establishing  of  a  V.F.W. 
Post  in  O'Fallon.  The  meeting  was  attended  by  40  veterans 
of  whom  27  signed  the  initial  membership  roll.  Roger 
Batty  was  named  temporary  chairman.  Another  meeting 
was  planned  for  June  12th. 

At  an  organization  meet  held  June  12,  1946  at  the 
Luhning  Hotel  the  following  officers  were  elected: 

*ConMnander -- Roger   Batty 

Senior  Vice  Commander Virgil  Scheibel 

Junior  Vice  Commander     __  Ralph   Niederecker 

Quartermaster --  Jack    Foy 

Advocate Robert    Lurtz 

Chaplain.-- -- William  P.  Riley 

Trustees -----    Matthew   Polites, 

Robert  Lillie,  and  LaVergne  Seipp 
*Roger  Batty  was  unable  to  complete  his  full  term 
of   office    and   the    Senior   Vice    Commander 
Virgil  Scheibel  finished  the  year. 
On  June   26,   1946   O'Fallon   Post  No.   3468  received   its 
charter    and    the    officers    were    formally    installed.     There 
were  46  charter  members.    One  of  the  charter  members, 
Elwood  Lunsford,  was  a  veteran  of  the  Spanish-American 
War. 

The  Post  during  its  first  several  years  of  existence 
had  a  number  of  meeting  places.    The  first  meetings  were 


held  at  Riley  Hall,  City  Hall,  and  Legion  Hut.  On  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1950  the  present  V.F.W.  Home  at  223  West  First 
Street  was  purchased.  It  was  necessary  for  the  post  to 
borrow  money  to  complete  the  transaction.  Immediately 
a  building  committee  was  appointed  and  the  job  of  re- 
modeling was  begun.  The  first  project  was  to  dig  out  and 
complete  a  basement  which  is  now  used  for  the  bar  and 
recreation  room.  Each  passing  year  has  seen  new  im- 
provements in  the  building  so  that  now  the  Post  has  a 
building  of  which  it  can,  indeed,  be  proud. 

The  Annual  Picnic  and  Fish  Fry  has  proved  success- 
ful and  profitable.  Accordingly,  the  Post  paid  off  the 
mortgage  on  the  original  purchase  by  September  20,  1952. 

The  present  membership  of  the  Post  is   100  members. 

The  principal   officers  at  the   present   are: 

Commander Maurice  Reaka 

Senior  Vice  Commander Robert  Gribler 

Junior   Vice  Commander Joe   Lapka 


VETERANS  OF  FOREIGN  WARS 
AUXILIARY 

The  O'Fallon  Auxiliary  was  formed  on  April  22,  1948 
at  the  T-egion  Hut  and  the  first  officers  were  elected  on 
May  6.  1948.  At  a  special  meeting  with  the  Veterans  of 
Foreign  Wars,  the  auxiliary  was  instituted  on  May  17, 
1948.  There  were  30  charter  members  as  follows:  Jennie 
Baker,  Daisy  Bertram,  Evelyn  Bertam,  Violet  Bunge,  Alice 
Distler,  Laura  Feltman,  Beatrice  Graham,  Rose  Guenther, 
Gladys  Hallam,  Colleen  Hangsleben,  Stella  Hangsleben, 
Elizabeth  Hemmer,  Mary  Ann  Hemmer,  Mary  F.  Hemmer, 
Theresa  Lampe,  Anna  Jorn,  lone  Mannz,  Anna  Nail,  Mon- 
ica Nail,  Nancy  Nail,  Kathryn  Roach,  Jacqueline  .Rogers, 
Adella  Scheibel,  Blanche  Scheibel,  Lena  Scheibel,  Margaret 
Scheibel,  May  Scheibel,  Virginia  Scheibel,  Marie  L.  War- 
ma,  and  Emma  Wessel. 

The  Auxiliary  has  been  active  since  its  formation  in 
many  activities.  It  sponsors  the  "Buddy"  poppy  sales, 
the  annual  Salvation  Army  Drive,  and  the  "Brownies" 
(girl  scouts).  The  unit  has  also  been  active  in  hospital 
work   for   veterans. 

The  Auxiliary  has  70  members  at  the  present  time. 
The  principal  officers  at  the  present  time  are:  Dorothy 
Clark,  President;  Lucille  Gross,  Secretary;  and  Betty 
Nail,   Treasurer. 


WOMAN'S  CLUB 

The  O'Fallon  Woman's  Club,  one  of  the  outstanding 
organizations  in  the  civic  life  of  the  community  was  or- 
ganized in  1910  when  twelve  local  ladies  met  at  the  home 
of  Mrs.  Jacob  Yoch  to  organize  a  Darning  Club.  The 
ladies  were:  Mesdames  C.  M.  Porter,  W.  R.  Dorris,  W.  H. 
Bassett,  J.  B.  Yoch,  Cora  Darrow,  William  Crosby,  Olyve 
Van  Houten,  Walter  Beedle,  G.  H.  Doane,  Carrie  Smiley, 
Jane  Willhite,  and  Miss  Gertrude  Beedle.  At  the  first 
meeting  a  resolution  was  offered  to  do  something  for  the 
young  people  of  the  town  and  the  suggestion  was  made 
to    start   a   reading   room. 

A  short  time  later  twelve  more  members  were  accepted 
and  in  June  1911,  the  name  was  changed  to  the  O'Fallon 
Woman's  Club.  The  new  members  were:  Mesdames 
Louis  Fink,  A.  B.  Gordon,  William  Reidelberger,  Charles 
Schaefer,  Albert  Pierce,  B.  Joseph,  and  the  Misses  Helene 


44- 


and  Louise  Tiedemann.  Jeanette  Roiss,  Annie  Simmons, 
Lee  Pier.e  and  Winnie  Reidelberger. 

The  first  officers  of  the  chib  were:  Helene  Tiedemann, 
President;  Cora  Lee  Porter,  Vice-President;  Jeannettc 
Reiss.  Secretary;   and   Mary   Gordon,  Treasurer. 

The  first  big  project  of  the  club  was  the  establishment 
of  a  library.  At  the  beginning  the  library  was  operated 
by  members  of  the  club  and  then  later  the  W.P.A.  was  in 
charge.  After  W.P.A.  the  club  again  maintained  the  library 
and  paid  the  salary  of  a  librarian.  Finally  the  club  was 
instrumental  in  placing  a  plan  before  the  voters  of  the 
community  to  assume  the  responsibility  of  maintaining 
the  library  by  taxation.  On  April  22,  1943  the  voters  ap- 
proved the  proposition  and  on  July  1,  1943  the  City  as- 
sumed the  management  of  the  library.  From  that  date 
the  library  has  been  managed  by  a  library  board,  the 
members  of  which  are  appointed  by  the  Mayor  with  the 
approval  of  the  City  Council. 

The  club  establi.ihed  a  park  along  the  B.  &  O.  Railroad 
property  which  eliminated  an  eyesore  and  created  a 
beauty  spot  in  the  middle  of  the  city.    Several  years  ago 


the  city  converted  this  area  into  needed  parking  space. 

Through  the  years  the  club  hiJs  worked  to  benefit  the 
community  by  sponsoring  many  things,  such  as:  Red 
Cross  sewing  room  during  World  War  I;  Lyceum  Courses; 
Home  Talent  shows;  cooking  schools,  fly  swatting  contest 
(97  pints  of  flies  swatted  in  3  weeks) ;  Bird  House  and 
Window  Box  contests;  and  Girl  Scout  troop.  The  club 
provided  benches  for  the  Community  and  City  Parks, 
shrubbery  and  playground  equipment  for  the  schools. 
The  members  have  contributed  their  services  in  War  Fund 
Drives,  the  Mothers'  March  on  Polio,  and  other  chari- 
table  drives. 

The  latest  project  of  the  club  is  a  collection  being 
made  for  funds  to  be  used  for  the  restoration  of  rooms  at 
Independence    Hall    in    Philadelphia. 

The  club  presently  has  a  membership  of  96.  The  pres- 
ent officers  are:  Mrs.  Harold  Yaeger.  President;  Mrs. 
C.  W.  Marxer,  Vice-President;  Mrs.  Ray  Schmidt,  Treas- 
urer; Mrs.  Benjamin  Hamm.  Secretary;  and  Mrs.  William 
Schmidt,    Corresponding    Secretary. 


OTallon's  Participation  in  the  Major  Wars 


CIVIL  WAR  VETERANS.  Members  of  Col.  Raith  Po.st  No.  587,  G.A.R.  fVom  tht^  left:  William 
Reidelberjrer.  Sr.,  Loui.s  Fi.'^cher,  Peter  Rietz,  Bernhard  Scheibel.  Krnst  Sewald,  Steve  Gossett, 
(unknown),  Andrew  MoUes.  Richard  Remeliu.s. 

i5 


CIVIL  WAR 

O'FaJJon  men  took  an  active  part  in  ihe  Civil  War. 
Company  -'I",  17th  Illinois  Volunteer  IrJantry  was  organiz- 
ed at  OTallon  on  August  12,  1862.  The  group  had  informal- 
ly organized  as  early  as  May,  1862  and  drilled  evenings 
and  Saturdays  on  the  commons  south  of  the  railroad  track 
and  east  of  the  present  railroad  station.  The  ladies  of  O'Fal- 
lon.  Ridge  Prairie,  and  Shiloh  presented  a  silk  flag  to  the 
company.  The  company  left  O' Fallon  and  marched  114  miles 
to  Camp  Butler  arriving  there  on  August  26.  1862.  On 
September  19,  1862  the  company  was  officially  called  into 
the  service  of  the  United  States.  The  company  was  chiefly 
engaged  in  campaigns  in  Tennessee,  Arkansas,  and  Louisia- 
na. It  was  mustered  out  at  Camp  Butler  on  August  5.  1865. 
The  following  were  members  of  the  company:  Cap- 
tains: David  McFarland,  and  John  R.  Thomas;  First  Lieu- 
tenants: Samuel  M.  Stites,  Edward  C.  Lemen;  Second  Lieu- 
tenant: Jasper  Messinger;  Sergeants:  Robert  Salter,  Philip 
Davis,  Harvey  Umbarger;  Corporals:  D.  C.  McFarland, 
Samuel  Smiley.  George  R.  Scott,  William  Richmond,  James 
Knowlton,  Thomas  Whiteside,  Samuel  Beedle.  Delos 
Knowlton:  Musicians:  Albert  McFarland,  Benjamin  Orcutt; 
Wagoner:  George  Smith;  Privates:  C.  E.  Alexander.  Wil- 
liam Arnold.  Alex  Altman.  Frank  Abend,  .John  Altman. 
Robert  Brooks,  LaFayette  Bowler.  H.  B.  Bevirt,  H.  H.  Be- 
virt,  William  Badgley,  John  Boynton,  Kaspar  Bornberg, 
LaFayette  Bridges,  August  Byer,  Wesley  B.  Dorey.  Joseph 
Evans,  Simon  Evans,  Felix  Falkner.  August  Godfrey,  J.  S. 
Hughes,  Thomas  Harris.  Robert  Hankins,  George  Bar- 
ber, William  Hamilton,  Theodore  Hart,  George  Hilt,  I. 
Hirsihberger,  W.  A.  Isascs,  Thomas  Kenedy,  Fred  Linson, 
James  Moore,  Samuel  McGuire,  William  Million,  James 
C.  Moore,  R.  H.  Mace,  Monroe  Miller,  Wayde  McCom- 
mons,  G.  S.  Pomeroy.  William  Powell,  Daniel  Phillips, 
Mames  Philips.  George  Prentice,  James  Rankin,  W.  H. 
Rutherford,  G.  D.  Rettinghouse.  F.  M.  Rettinghouse,  John 
Scott.  William  D.  Smith,  Louis  Shatlain,  Jacob  Snider,  Ed- 
ward Scott.  Elmer  Shaner,  Samuel  Tuttell,  John  Umbar- 
ger, Michael  Waris.  William  Williamson,  James  Wilder- 
man,  William  Yates,  William  Abbott,  John  Black,  John 
Higgins.  Andrew  Melvin.  E.  J.  Owens,  H.  Richardson.  Wil- 
liam Woods.  John  Tuttell. 

Captain  David  McFarland  died  May  10,  1864  at  Ale- 
xandria. Louisana  while  engaged  in  the  Red  River  Expedi- 
tion. 

There  were  several  other  men  of  O'Fallon  who  served 
with  distinction  but  were  not  members  of  Company  "I". 
Colonel  Julius  Raith.  who  originally  operated  the  Richland 
Mill  with  Charles  Tiedemann,  organized  the  43rd  Infanti-y 
Regiment  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  and  served  as  its 
commanding  officer.  He  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of 
Shiloh  and  died  at  Pittsbm-gh  Landing  on  April  11,   1862. 

Louis  L.  Fischer,  bookkeeper  and  secretary  of  the 
Charles  Tiedemann  Milling  Company,  was  a  Lieutenant 
in  Co.  "B",  9th  Illinois  Infantry  Regiment  which  was 
organized  within  a  week  after  President  Lincoln's  call 
for  troops  in  April,  1861.  The  9th  Regiment  engaged  in 
over  110  battles  and  skirmishes. 

Dietrich  Tiedemann  was  Captain  and  Commanding 
Officer  of  Co.    "C",  9th  Illinois  Infantry   Regiment. 

WilUam  Reidelberger  enlisted  at  the  age  of  19  in  the 
22nd  Illinois  Regiment  and  afterwards  in  the  154th  Illinois 


Infantry.  He  served  from  1861  to  1865.  He  was  Ihe  com- 
mander of  the  Raith  Post.  G.A.R.  for  many  years.  He  died 
in    1926.  ., 

Sebastian  Mace,  son  of  John  Mace,  was  a  member  of 
Co.  "D",  22nd  Illinois  Infantry  organized  at  Belleville  on 
May  11,  1861. 

Chris  Schalter  was  a  veteran  of  Co.  "B",  43rd  Illinois 
Infantry  Regiment.  He  was  mustered  out  November  30, 
1865   as  a   First  Sergeant,   Commanding. 

Bernhard  Scheibel,  August  Henry,  and  Isacs  C.  Houser 
were  other  Civil  War  veterans. 

On  Tuesday.  September  11,  1906  the  annual  reunion 
of  the  117th  lUinois  Volunteer  Infantry  was  held  in  O'Fal- 
lon. A  number  of  old  veterans  arrived  the  day  before  and 
gathered  on  the  S.  C.  Smiley  lawn  in  campfire  fashior 
with  members  of  the  local  Raith  Post.  G.A.R.  The  meet- 
ings were  held  in  the  Baptist  Church.  The  O'Fallon  Male 
Quartette  of  Rev.  R.  Morris,  W.  A.  Koenigstein,  O.  A 
Darrow,  and  W.  E.  Peach  fm-nished  music  for  the  occasion 
The  ladies  of  the  city  served  dinner  at  the  City  Hall  to 
150  guests.  The  meeting  adjoui-ned  in  the  afternoon  to 
accompany  the  Governor  of  Illinois,  C.  S.  Deneen.  to  the 
City  Park  where  he  addressed  an  audience  of  more  than 
1,000  persons. 

The  Colonel  Julius  Raith  Post.  G.A.R.  and  its  auxil- 
iary. Ladies  Relief  Corps,  were  active  until  the  late  1920's. 
The  G.A.R.  for  many  years  planned  and  had  charge  of  the 
Memorial   Day   programs   in   O'Fallon. 

Samuel  H.  Beedle.  the  last  surviving  Civil  War  veteran 
of  the  O'Fallon  area,  died  on  May  20,  1933  at  the  age  of 
92  years.  He  was  the  last  survivor  of  the  Colonel  Raith 
Post  Ko.  587,  G.A.R.,  and  of  Co.  "I",  117th  IlUnois  Volun- 
teer  Infantry. 


WORLD  WAR  I 


On  June  28.  1914,  World  War  I  burst  forth  in  Europe. 
When  the  United  States  entered  the  war  on  April  6,  1917, 
O'Fallon  men  played  a  part  in  the  conflict  as  they  served 
On  the  far-flung  battle  fronts.  On  June  16,  1917  more  than 
14,000  men  from  St  Clair  County  registered  for  the  draft. 
The  O'Fallon  area  provided  208  men  for  service  in  the 
vaious  units  and  the  honor  roll  of  war  dead  lists  8  names 
as  follows: 

Killed  in  action — H.  Edward  Fischer,  Samuel  Scruggs, 
Henry  Love.  Alva  O.  Neely.  Died  in  service — Arthur  S. 
Meyer,  Frank  Titter,  Philip  W.  Fritz,  Alfred  Spargo. 

H.  Edward  Fischer,  Marine  Corps,  was  the  first  World 
War  I  casualty  from  O'Fallon.  He  was  the  son  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  George  Fischer.  He  enlisted  in  the  Marines  on  May  2B, 
1917  and  was  killed  in  action  on  June  15.  1918  being  2D 
years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  death.  The  American  Lejion 
Post  was  originally  named  H.  Edward  Fischer  Post  until 
the  term.ination  of  World  War  II  when  the  name  was  chang- 
ed to  Fischer-Sollis  Post  to  further  commemorate  O'Fallon's 
first  casualty  in  World  War  II,  Milton  VerneU  SoUis. 

Manv  of  the  men  called  into  service  from  this  area 
were  inducted   at  Camp   Taylor.   Kentucky. 

War  brings  many  hardships  to  the  people  at  home  and 
World  War  I  was  no  exception  in  this  respect.  Food  ration- 
ing was  started  very  early.  In  February,  1918  the  Food 
Conservation  Program  called  for  "wheatless"  and  "meat- 
less"  days.   In   August.    1918    a   program   was  advanced  to 


46- 


L>  "^JuLioii  (Ldntd/i/iLuL,  Lhic. 


Presents 


THE  DRAMATIC  HISTORICAL  PAGEANT 

AUGUST  26  and  27,  1954 

8:00  P.  M. 


STAFF 


Chairman     

Director  and  Stage   Manager 

Script J. 

Music    


Director:     J.    E.   Hinchcliffe,   Sr. 
Accompanist:     Carrie   Warma 


Narrators 


Casting  Nancy  Nail 

Lucille  Randel,  Stanley  Feist 

Scenery 

Art  Work-Designs       Carl  McManemy 

Velma  Hartman,  Edna  Avers 


Properties  Procurement 


Howard  Glenn 
Josephine  Shaw 

Wardrobe Erna  Scheibel 

Virginia  Gruchalla,  Mabel  Hobbs, 
Cecil  Lienesch,  Elva  Uhles 

Electricians  Ray  Richardson 

Richard  Richardson,  Raymond  Scheibel 

Vernon  Scheibel,  Arthur  Stein 

John  Donovan,  L.  E.  Nail 


Stage  and  Set  Construction 

Sound  and 

Lighting  Supervisor 


F.  J.  Hangsleben 
L.  B.  Sample 

Howard  Glenn 


Stage  Property 


Wiimer  Mann'/, 
Erwin  Schmidt,  Lucille  Randel, 
Josephine  Shaw 

Liaison  to  Scott  Air 

Force  Base Capt.  Robert  J.  McDougall 

Liaison  to 

Executive  Committee  Delbert  Corbier 


James   M.   Segraves 

Velma  Hartman 

E.  Ilinchcliffe,  Sr.,  Velma  Hartman,  Joan  Bevirt 

O'Fallon  Choral  Singers 


James  M.  Segraves,  Irene  Segraves 

Synopsis  of  Scenes 
'THIS   IS   OUR  TOWN" 


EPISODE    I. 

OUT  OF  THE  PAST 


Grand  Opening 
'This  is  My  Country"   (Jacobs) 


Choral  Singers 


The  Spirit  of  O'Fallon,  assisted  by  Father  Time,  takes 
us  back,  through  the  years,  to  the  Highlights  in  the  His- 
tory of  our  City  and  its  surrounding  Communities.  The 
Dance  of  Hours  brings  back  the  past  for  us. 

Dance — "Waltz  of  the  Flowers"  Tchaikowsky 

Dance  created  by  Mrs.  Selma  Heinemann  Kissel — 
School  of  Dancing,  Belleville,  lU. 

Accompanist  —  Mrs.  Warren  Werner 

EPISODK    II. 

DRUSILLA  AND  THE  INDIANS  —   1786-1820 

The  history  of  O'Fallon  goes  back  to  the  late  1700's, 
to  the  Indian  raids  on  the  pioneer  homesteads.  Wc  see 
such  a  massacre  of  the  Andrews  family  near  what  is  now 
(.ailed    Mace's   Grove. 

Indians  Spoyie  Clan  Indians.  St.  Clair  County 

Music — "Home  Sweet  Home"   tBishop>  Choral  Singers 


(Continued  from  preceeding  page) 
EPISODE  ni. 


EPISODE  vni. 

SCOTT  FIELD  AND  O'FALLON 


1900-1920 


OLD  KING  COAL 


1820-1854 


The  migrations  Westward  brought  to  the  pra'ri elands 
the  staunch  English,  Scotch,  and  Welsh  who  settled  and 
later  opened  the  vast  mineral  resources  of  this  area.  Coal 
mining  was  one  of  the  eai-liest  and  most  important  of 
O'Fallon's  industries.  The  Gartsides  and  Taylors  were 
among  the  first  to  develop  coal  mining  here. 

Music— "Men  of  Harlech"   (Welsh  Airs)  Choral  Singers 

"All  Through  the  Night" 

EPISODE  rv. 

THE  IRON  HORSE  COMES  TO  TOWN  —  1854 

The  actual  settlement  of  O'Fallon  as  a  village  was  the 
direct  result  of  the  Mines  and  the  Ohio  &  Mississippi 
Railroad  which  was  built  through  the  efforts  of  Col.  John 
J.  O'Fallon.  The  City  was  named,  lots  were  sold  and 
O'Fallon   became    a   reaUty. 

Music — I've  Been  Working  on  the  Railroad"    (Old 
Plantation  Ditty)  Choral  Singers 

EPISODE    V. 

ON  THE   ROAD   TO   FREEDOM   —   1854-1862 

The  O'Fallon  area  played  an  important  part  in  the 
history  of  the  War  between  the  States.  Bethel  Church  in 
the  Community  North  of  O'Fallon  was  a  link  on  the 
Underground   Railroad. 

Music— "Abide  With  Me"  (Monk^  Choral  Singers 

Spirituals— Medley  from  the  Sunny  South   (Harris) 

EPISODE    VI. 

O'FALLON  DURING  THE  CIVIL  WAR  —  1862-1865 

In  1862  Gen.  Grant  himself  recruited  Co.  I.  117th 
Regiment,  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  in  the  basement  of 
Shiloh  Church  Many  pioneer  family  names  appear  on  the 
Roster  of  those  who  marched  away  to  War.  There  was  a 
gay  celebration  when  the  War  was  over. 

Music — 
"Battle  Hymn  of  the  Republic"  (Wilhousky)  Choral  Singers 

"Tenting  on  the  Old  Camp  Ground"    (Kittredge) 

Gettysburg    Address— Lincoln    (Mueller) 
Narrator  —  Clarence  Distler 

"Johnny    Comes    Marching    Home"     (Wilhousky) 

EPISODE    VII. 

THE  GAY  NINETIES— WE  GROW  —  1865-1900 

We  recall  inventions  and  events  of  the  period.  Many 
businesses   were   born    in    this   period. 

The   O'Fallon   Volunteer   Fire    Laddies    put    out    a   fire 
and   rescue   an   imperiled    and    frightened    female. 
Music— "Scotland's  Burning"   (Anon)  Choral  Singers 

"There'll  Be  A  Hot  Time  in  the  Old  Town  Tonight"  (Anon) 


Of  great  economic  interest  to  O'Fallon  and  the  sur- 
rounding area,  was  llie  bviilding  of  Scolt  l''ield.  The  field 
trained  many  fliers  who  saw  duty  in  Fian-.e  daring  the 
first  World  War.  The  Armistice  was  greeted  wildly  by 
O'Fallonites. 

Music — "Over   1'here"    (Cohan)    _  Choral    Singers 

"Keep  the  Home  Fires   Burning    (Nobello) 

EPISODE    IX. 

SCOTT   AIR   BASE   AND  O'FALLON   —   1920-1954 

The  "Roaring  2U's"  followed,  'i'lit  v  uild  lliought  it 
had  been  made  safe  for  Democracy,  but  Pearl  Harbor 
proved  how  false  the  hope  was.  The  people  of  America 
again  had  to  prove  that  their  country  was  as  strong  as 
any  aggressor.  Again  Scott  Air  Force  Base  played  an 
important  part  in  winning  a  war.  O'Fallon  is  proud  of 
its  herci:  warriors  and  citizens  who  helped  in  the  War 
effort.  A  Memorial  Service  pays  tribute  to  all  O'Fallon 
citizens    who    have    died. 


Music — "Air  Corps  Song" 
Lord's    Prayer    (Malotte) 


Choral  Singers 


The    Committee    requests    that    there    be    no    applause 
following  the  rendition   of  the   Lord's  Prayer. 


Dance — Charleston 
Air  Corps  Drill  Team 


High  School    Students 
Scott  Air  Force  Base 


EPISODE    X. 

FINALE 

The  Spirit  of  O'Fallon  and  Father  Time  have  led  us 
through  the  years,  along  the  paths  of  history  and  have 
shown  us  our  glorious  heritage.  The  hope  for  our  future 
lies  within  each  of  us  --  if  v.'e  remember  to  hold  dear  the 
traditions  and  heritage.'  that  have  been  handed  down  to 
us  through  our  past  by  those  who  so  zealously  guarded 
them  for  us.  May  we  be  able  to  hand  them  on  to  those 
coming  after  us,  is  our  prayer  for  the  future. 

Music— "America   the   Beautiful"    (Bates-Ward)    Choral 

Singers  and  Cast 

FIREWORKS 


NOTES 

The  Pageant  Committees  wish  to  express  their  appre- 
ciation to  Mrs.  Selma  Heinemann  Kissel  for  so  graciously 
donating  her  time  and  efforts  to  help  with  the  Dance  of 
the  Hours  and  the  Lord's  Prayer  interpretations. 

The  Chairmen  of  the  various  committees  wish  to  thank 
each  and  everyone  for  his  cooperation.  It  was  due  to  the 
splendid  spirit  of  cooperation  that  the  pageant  is  a  success. 

The  oxen  and  covered  wagon  was  made  available 
to  us  by  the  State  of  Illinois  Salem  Park  Service.  Thanks 
are  due  to  Scott  Air  Force  Base  for  the  Drum  and  Bugle 
Corps,  Drill  Team,  large  balloon,  and  section  of  bleachers. 


O'FALLON  CHORAL  SINGERS 


Lois    Andricks 
Ruth   Barth 
Robert    Bittles 
Imelda   Berens 
Joan    Bevirt 
Robert   Buck 
Delbert    Corbier 
Bob   Fitzgerald 
Oma   Fitzgerald 
Bernice   Gindler 
Carolyn   Glenn 
LaDoris   Glenn 
Kathryn   Hall 
Roy    Hall 
Dorothy    Hartman 
Clayton   Henry 
Dixie    Hertenstein 
Hope   Heuman 
Ross   Heusler 
Dolores   Hillesheim 
Joan    Hillesheim 
J.   E.   Hinchcliffe.   Jr. 
Sara   Mae   Hinchcliffe 

Violinists 
Marie  Schaefer.  Vera  Neiman 


Lyman    Ketchuni 
William    Koch 
William    Lehman 
Christine    Linhorst 
Mary    Lugge 
Velma   Marvel 
Dean   Marxer 
Gloria   Miller 
Martha    Ogden 
Vivian    Payne 
Mildred    Richardson 
Gloria    Schunimer 
John    Schutzenhofer 
Josephine    Shaw 
Carol    Souza 
Ruth    Thompson 
Mildred    TrammeU 
Charles    Volrain 
Verna    Votrain 
Norma    Lee    Warma 
Theodore    Warma 
John    Zielinski 
Ronald   Zinkgraf 

Trumpeters 

Ralph    Keek   and 

Jerry  Schumacher 

Air    Force   Trumpeters 


Spoyies  Clan  Indian  Dancers: 
William    Bach 
Dale    Anna 
Don    Hcnnings 
Ed.    Richards 
Don    Richards 
Jim    Gathers 
Carl    Bostick 


Norman    Friese 
Earl   Compton 
Richard    Hodges 
Bob    Dintleman 
Dick    Dmtlcman 
Carl    Rickells. 


EPISODE    III. 


Mr.  Gartside 
Mrs.  Gartside 
Gartside  children 

Mr.  Joseph  Taylor 

Mrs.  Taylor 

Side  Saddle  Rider 

Pioneer   Women: 
Lucille    Rasp 
Bea    Von    Hatten 
Laura    Plab 
Verna   Schmidt 
Rose   Ann    Thoman 


Edgar  Brockhahn 

Lizzie  Scheurer 

Donna  Taylor. 

Kenneth  Taylor,  Jimmie  Nail 

Bernard  Taylor 

Sally  Taylor 

Lena  Gindler 


Loretta   Louis 
M.   Songer 
Tillie    Retting 
Helen   Schilling 
Lena   Gindler 


CAST 

EPISODE    I. 

Scott  Air   Force   Drum   and   Bugle   Corps   and    Drill   Team 

Spirit   of  O'Fallon  Anna   Lee  Hesse 

Father  Time  Fred  Han«sleben 

Herald  O.  M.  Randel 


Dancers: 

Rita  Davis 
Pat  Simon 
Pat  Trame 
Ruth  HuUer 
Saline   Busch 
Shirley  Huller 
Carol   Mayer 
Jean   Mitchell 
Jean  Tiley 
Frances  Armstrong 
Carol  Koehler 
Joan   Meinkoth 


Dolores    Donato 
Donna    Hornberger 
Jean   Brauer 
Jo    Ann   Richichi 
Jean   Hamm 
Ruth    Bernreuter 
Sandy   Glenn 
Carol   Noland 
Kay   Glenn 
lanza   French 
Bobbie   Ruth 
Joan    Glenn 


Mrs.  Andrews 
Mr.  Andrews 
Andrews  children 

Men  visitors 
Government  Agent 
Squaws 

Indian  children 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry 
French  Fur  Traders 
British  Soldiers 
Pioneer 


EPISODE    II. 

Martha  Bode 

Fred  Andricks 

Andrea   Randel, 

Michele  Randel,  Pat  Davis 

Cletus  Schau.  Jr..  August  Neff 

Edwin  Hesse 

lone  Mannz.  Dorothy  Clark, 

Gene  Thomas,  Lucille  Gross 

Ronnie  Mannz,  Mark  Diekroetger, 

Garry  Retting,  Bob  Brauer 

Mace  Wilbur  and  June  Retting 

Bob  Gray.  W'lliam  Sharp 

Vic  Logan,  Glenn  Loyet 

Albert  Louis 


Pioneer  Men  and  Miners: 
Lee   Voland 
Edward    Hemmer 
David   Carson,   Jr. 
Syl   Elliott 
Henry    Baumgartner 
Carl    Owens 
Lyman    Dainton 
Stanley   Feist 


Bernard   Taylor 
Lawrence   Foy 
Gary    Mackey 
Edward    Nail 
Henry    Seipp 
Robert   Sharp 
Charles    Heitman 
John   Fuchs 


EPISODE    IV 


Col.  John  O'Fallon 

Surveyor 

Auctioneer 

Deed  Recorder 

Engineer 

Speaker 

Populace: 
Harry  Keys.  Pearl  Keys. 

and    Daughters 
Ray   Christopher 
Mildred    Christopher 
Vera    McGuire 
LaVerna    Evans 
Blanche   Schmidt 
Jane    Morrison 
Christopher   children 
Frances    Mueller 
George    Mueller 
Katherine    Keck 
Joo   Keck,    Sr. 
Evelyn    Schaller 
Gene   Thomas 
Bob    Morrison 
Al   ivieckfessel 
Irma   Meckfessel 


Charles  Schuetz 

Edward  N.  Thomas 

Harold  Evans 

Philip  Bell 

.Allison   McGuire 

Elmer  Hartman 


Ed   Hasemann 
Anita   Hasemann 
Edith   Stein 
Arthur   Stein 
Ann   Thomas 
Estelie    Kampincycr 
A  Ida    Mayer 
Pat    .Mannz 
Hazel    Schwarz 
Lavinia   Schwarz 
Joyce    Greene 
Joan   Keck 
Sue   Schwarz 
Gary    Mueller 
Jerry    Bailey 
L.    M.    Wolfersberger 
Marian   Schmidt 


EPISODE    V 


Minister 
James  Lemen 
Negro  men  , 
Negro  women 
Wagon  drivers 

Church  attendants: 

Fern   Lemen 
Carolyn    Lemen 
Ljrace    Ketchrem 
Albert    Ketchrem 
Edna  Hunter  and  Sons 
Lillian    Stebbs 
Lee    Stebbs 


John  Hunter 

Frederxk  Lehn  (descendant) 

Harold  Cavins,  Ronald  Stein 

_  Marian  Bevirt,  Anna  Nail 

Joseph  Louis  and  Fred  Bevirt 


Kathryn   Roach 
Kenneth    Brauer 
Elton    Rothkegel 
Cleola    Rothkegel    and 

Daughter 
Theodora    Zinkgraf 
Meredith  Brown  and  Children 


EPISODE    VI 


Soldiers : 

John    Schanherr 
Harold    White 
Virgil    Scheibel 
Page   Coleman 
Joe   Lapka 
Maurice    Reaka 
Robert   Lillie 
Earl   Thompson 
Bob    Gribler 
Bob    Berens 
Eddie    Nail 
Charles    Bevirt 
Dave    Carson 


Walter   Hartman 
Ronald   Zinkgraf 
Ray    Distler 
Leland  Johannes 
John    Chester 
Wilbui-    Scott 
Paul   Gutsgel 
Bob    Williams 
Tim    Feltman 
Lewis    Adair 
Arthur    Schroeder 
Ravmond    Keller 


Drummer  —  Norman  Horenkamp 
Boys  of  Cub  Scout  Troop  No.  35  play   soldier 

Musicians  - Walter  Gindler 

Wilmer  Knewitz,  J.  H.  VanBuren 


Populace: 

Frieda    Schmidt 
Laurene    Anheuser 
Dorothy    Roth 
Doris   Schwarz 
Mary   Ruth 
Betty    Suever 
Maxine    Brockhahn 
Gladys   Fritz 
Ruth    Ann    Schwarz 
Elvera    Schmidt 
Alice    Rasp 
Edna    Wright 
Hazel    Nave 
Ruby    Keller 
Mildred    Schrameck 
Leona   Warma 


Lena   Gindler 
Carrie    Tichenor 
Lee   Pierce 
Gloria   Knewitz 
Margaret    Thompson 
Marian   Ellis 
Nina    Lee    Pfeifer 
Betty   Lehman 
Mildred   Zimmerman 
Lola    Taylor 
Eileen   Hearne 
Francis   Hearne 
Hearne    children 
Eve    Schuetz 
Florence   Johannes    and 
Children 


Squaredancers 

Doris  and  La  Verne  Sturman 
Nina  and  James  Pfeifer 
Dorothy  and  Mike  Schwarz 
A-deline  and  Russell  Hauch 
Kathryn  and  Roy  Hall 
Marie  and  Louis  Voruz 
Louella  and  Harold  Moore 
Billie  and  Lee  Neal 
Elaine  and  Vincent  Maibes 


Doris  and  Dan  Hertenstein 
Lavonne   and   Alan   Bott 
Dorothy    and    Walter 

Moellman 
lone  and  Lester  Richter 
Marion  and  Ben  Hamm 
Gladys   and   Ray   Besse 
Katherine    and   Victor 

Reinhardt 


Caller:   Frank  Keeser 


EPISODE    VU 


Firemen: 

William    Suever 
Cletus    Schau 
Benjamin   Hamm 
Fred   Budina 
Herman   Hemmen 
Jack   Taylor 


Fred   Andricks 
Forrest    Schroeder 
William    Remelius 
Earl    Friederich 
Bernard   Henry 
Ferd    Lampe 


Inventions  ..  .     Virginia  Scheibel, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wesley  Hangsleben 
Street  Car: 

Nidra  Lurtz  Luci:ida    Glenn 

Dorothy    Oulvey  Steven    Lurtz 

Helen  Glenn  Meredith    Brown    and 

Suzie  Lurtz  children 

Old  Car  Louise  and  Ray  Scheibel, 

Leona  and  LaVergne  Diefenbach 

Miller  - -  Wilbur  Retting 

Bank  Teller  and  Two  Women  John  Hunter. 

Thora  Quinn.  Vera  McGuire 
Louis  Allen  and  Customer   —-  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elton  Rothkegel 

Bicyclists Betty  and  Joe  Hubbard 

Model - Edith  Depping 

EPISODE  vin. 

Airmen  World  War  I  Bill  Sharp,  Glen  Loyet 

Victor  Logan,  Don  Kirsch,  Bob  Grau 

Gold  Star  Mother  - -  - Eleanor  Franke 

Senators  Gerald  Poser,  Joe  Keck,  Jr., 

Walter  Zinkgraf,  Richard  Hartman,  Dean  Heitman 

Girls  Janet  Munie,  Joyce  Anheuser, 

Pat  Cruse,  Juanita  Woods.  Jean  Bernreuter 

Messenger  Wesley  Hangsleben 

Draft  Scene  Dean  Heitman,  Joe  Keck. 

Richard  Hartman 


EPISODE    IX. 

Harry  and  Helen  Freivogel  and  Sons 

.    Willford  Eckert  and  Class 

La    Veda   Benish 
Nell    Rose   Waters 
Anna  Nail 
Betty    Maibes 
Betty    Suever 
Ruth    Greene 

Scott  Air  Force  Drill  Team 

At  Altar    _ .    Carol  Braun,  Gloria  Lautz,  Edith  Depping 

Shirley  Roberts,  Delores  Clover,  Monetta  Smith 


Family      — 

First  Aid   . 
Bill  Nave 
Hazel    Nave 
Julia    Hays 
Kathleen    Green 
Frances    Eckert 
Margaret   Thompson 

Men  in  Blue  


Lord's    Prayer: 

Selma  Heinemann  Kissel 
Pat    Trame 
Betty   Thomas 
Kay    Glenn 


Jean  Brauer 
Jo  Ann  Richichi 
Jean  Tiley 
Joan   Meinkoth 


Service  men  at  attention: 

Preston  Gross  Marine 

Wayne  Jung Navy 

Bill  Meinkoth  ^ -  Air  Force 

Bob  Seipp  -.- Army 

Nurses  Delores  Kuehn.  Arvey  Brockman 


Charleston    Dancers: 

Bill   Sharp 
Glen    Loyet 
Victor    Logan 
Don    Kirsch 
Bob    Grau 


Janet    Munie 
Joyce   Anheuser 
Pat   Cruse 
Juanita   Woods 
Jean   Bernreuter 


conserve  on  fuel  and  lights.  Stores  closed  at  an  earlier 
no'.ir  and  householders  were  urged  to  save  fuel.  Women 
and  children  entered  enthusiastically  into  Red  Cross  work, 
preparing  bandaijos  and  dressintjs.  knitting  sweaters,  pack- 
ing gift  packages,  etc.  Many  persons  still  rcmciiibcr  the 
influenza  epidemic  with  its  resulting  sickness,  deaths,  and 
quarantines.  Public  institutions  were  closed  for  a  number 
of  weeks  in  the  fall  winter  of  1918. 

The  people  at  home  also  gave  their  financial  support  to 
the  war  effort.  Red  Cross  drives  wei'e  oversubscribed  and 
O'Fallon  in  all  instances  exceeded  the  quota  set  for  the 
sale  of  Liberty  Bonds  in  the  various  drives.  In  May.  1918 
O'Fallon  citizens  oversubscribed  by  205';  their  quota  in 
the  3rd  Liberty  Loan  Drive.  The  quota  set  for  the  city  was 
S63.300  and  the  subscriptions  amounted  to  $133,150. 

News  of  the  armistice  came  on  Monday  morning. 
November  Uth,  at  3  A.  M.  announced  by  mine  whistles 
and  passing  trains.  People  began  to  flock  into  the  streets, 
many  partly  dressed.  Shouts,  yells,  clanging  bells,  whistles, 
drums,  dish-p?.ns,  and  every  conceivable  noise  maker  added 
to  the  din.  By  4  A.  M.  a  parade  was  under  way  and  it  mov- 
ed from  street  to  street  through  the  town  people  falling 
into  line  This  was  continued  to  daybreak.  Miners  ready 
to  gc  lo  work,  shfd  their  work  clothes  to  join  in  the  re- 
joicing. Mayor  Tiedemann  issued  a  proclamation  setting 
forth  that  all  business  houses  should  close.  A  courier  read 
the  proclamation  to  the  merchants  and  stores,  which  had 
already  opened,  closed.  Sobriety  began  to  v;ane  and  the 
Mayor  ordered  the  saloons  to  close  for  the  rest  of  the 
day. 

Gloom  for  awhile  was  spread  over  the  celebration  wncn 
an  automobile  oc:upied  by  Irvin  Cox.  George  Koch,  Ed. 
Knoebel.  William  Hardy,  W  i  1  li  a  m  Hornberger,  John 
Schneider,  Albert  Hawes  and  his  daughter,  Helen  Hawes 
2H  years  old,  crashed  into  the  interurban  express  car  at 
the  corner  of  Lincoln  Avenue  and  Second  Street.  No  one 
was  seriously   injured. 

An  effigy  of  the  Kai.«:er  was  swung  from  a  telephone 
pole  at  the  corner  of  Lincoln  and  State  bearing  a  sign. 
"Good-By  Boys,  I'm  going  to  Hell." 

At  a  late  hour  celebrants  returned  to  their  homes  mark- 
ing a  full  day   of  wild  celebration. 

World  War  I  was  fought,  we  were  told,  to  save  the 
world  for  democrac-y.  History  dictated  this  not  to  be  so 
and  about  twenty  years  later  the  world  was  plunged  into 
a  greater  struggle  in  World  War  II. 


WORLD  WAR  II 

In  1940  when  World  War  II  was  looming  on  the  hori- 
zon, draft  boards  were  created  to  arrange  for  the  induction 
of  men  into  the  Armed  Services.  The  Burke-Wadsworth 
Selective  Service  Act  required  all  men  between  the  ages 
of  21  and  35  years  to  register  for  army  service  on  October 
16.  1940.  Again  on  July  1,  1941,  boys  who  had  attained 
the  age  of  21  since  October  16,  1940  were  required  to  reg- 
ister. On  February  16,  1942.  men  between  20  and  45 
registered,  and  on  April  27,  1942  those  men  from  21  to 
6fi  years  of  age  were  required  to  do  so. 

The  first  group  to  leave  the  O'Fallon  area  for  one 
year's  service  under  the  Selective  Service  Act  included: 
Eugene  Browning.  Robert  Simon,   Harvey  Kreutzer,  Lloyd 


Geiger,  George  Hangsleben,  Louis  Rasp,  George  Jung,  and 
Lyman  Dainlon.    This  group   left   on   February   27,    1941. 

World  War  II  had  been  raging  for  two  years  and  three 
months  or  some  828  days  when  the  United  States  was 
precipitated  into  the  conflict  by  the  attack  on  Pearl  Har- 
bor, December  7.  1941.  The  United  States  declared  war 
against  Japan  on  December  8,  1941  and  against  Germany 
and   Italy  on   December  11,   1941. 

The  first  O'Fallon  man  wounded  in  action  was  Robert 
Mertz  injured  in  action  at  Pearl  Harbor,  Territory  of 
Hawaii,  on  December  7,  1941  when  the  Japanese  attacked 
that  naval  installation. 

The  first  man  from  O'Fallon  to  lose  his  life  in  World 
War  II  was  Seaman  Second  Class  Milton  Vernell  Sollis 
of  the  U.  S.  Navy.  He  was  the  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Clarence  Sollis.  He  enlisted  in  the  Navy  on  January  8, 
1941  at  the  age  of  17  years  and  was  reported  missing  in 
acti'c.ii   on    April   25,    1942. 

During  World  War  II,  521  men  and  women  from  the 
O'Fallon  area  were  called  into  service  of  which  the  11 
men  listed  below  gave  their  all  for  their  country.  The 
following  were  casualties  in  World  War  II; 

Vernell    Sollis    iNavy^ 

Leroy  Franke   i  Air  Corps) 

Glendle  Miller   iNavy) 

Russell  Kuehn   i  Marines* 

Fred  Schempp  (Navy) 

John   Schneider    (Army) 

J..averne  Bernhardt  (Army) 

Elsworth   Gartside   (Army) 

Dale  Willard   (Air  Corps" 

Harry   L.  Camp   (Army 

Pat  H.  Lewis   (Army) 

Delbert  Schaperkoetler  (Marines) 
When  a  nation  is  in  an  "all-out"  war  the  united  efforts 
of  the  military  and  civilian  population  are  required. 
O'Fallon  was  not  a  laggard,  she  gave  at  once  unstintingly 
of  her  resources  and  stoically  accepted  the  worry,  sorrov/. 
hardships  and  deprivations  of  war. 

The  rationing  of  sugar,  meat,  canned  foods,  shoes,  cloth- 
ing, tires,  gasoline,  etc.,  were  accepted  as  a  necessary 
contribution  to  the  war  effort.  In  1945  the  "brown-out" 
program  to  conserve  fuel  and  power  by  curtailing  use  of 
imnecessary  lights  was  agreeably  accepted.  Plasma  came 
into  wide  usage  in  World  War  II  and  the  citizens  gave 
blood  as  the  Red  Cross  collection  units  came  to  the  city. 
Bond  drives,  U.S.O..  Red  Cross,  and  other  drives  were 
given   genero".is   support. 

The  school  children  participated  in  scrap  drives  and 
countless  number  of  tons  of  paper  and  metal  were  col- 
lected. The  high  school  organized  the  Junior  Commandos 
to  collect  scrap.  One  of  the  Commandos,  Dick  Richardson, 
fell  from  a  truck  and  fractured  his  right  arm.  The  coal 
miners  at  St.  Ellen,  on  their  own  time  and  after  duty 
hours,  gathered  scrap  down  in  the  mine  and  thus  salvaged 
over  100  tons  of  valuable  material  needed  to  feed  the 
machines  of  war.  The  industrial  plants  in  the  area  did 
excellent  jobs  as  shown  by  the  Army-Navy  "E's"  awarded 
them  for  quality  and  quantity  of  production. 

The  following  chart  shows  how  O'Fallon  supported 
the  war  effort  by  the  purchase  of  bonds: 


47- 


Drive 

First 
Second 
Third 
Fourth 
Fifth 
Sixth 
Seventh 
Victory    Bond 
In    November 
organized.    Their 


Quota  Total  Sales 

Not    recorded  Not    recorded 

$113,700.00  $499,366.00 

$350,000.00  $503,471.25 

$350,000.00  $1,504,787.30 

$400,000.00  $646,855.00 

$395,000.00  $484,818.28 

$471,950.00  $565,800.00 

$202,840.00  $310,000.00 

1942  the  Service  Men's  Mothers'  Club 
first  project  was  to  lease  the  Eechtold 
Building  (old  Post  Office)  on  East  First  Street  and  furn- 
ish it  as  a  club  for  service  men— particularly  men  from 
the  Bertram  School  of  Gases  at  the  Independent  Engineer- 
ing plant  and  Scott  Field.  The  club  continued  to  operate 
until  August  1944.  In  July,  1943  the  club  erected  at  the 
corner  of  State  and  Lincoln  Avenue  a  large  outdoor  honor 
roll  with  the  names  inscribed  of  all  men  serving  in  the 
Armed  Forces  and  this  sign  was  kept  current  by  adding 
names  as  the  men  left  for  service.  The  sign  was  20  feet 
long  and  eight  feet  wide. 

In  1942  the  High  School  Manual  Training  classes  built 
hundreds  of  model  airplanes  for  the  Navy.  These  planes 
were  used  for  instructional  purposes  and  in  airplane 
recognition    classes. 

Germany  unconditionally  surrendered  to  the  Allies  on 
May  7,  1945.  In  O'Fallon  the  glad  tidings  telling  that  tRe 
day  had  come  at  last — one  for  which  the  peoples  of  the 
Allied  world  had  prayed  for — was  received  with  restrained 
rejoicing,  the  citizens  being  fully  aware  that  while  half 
the  battle  was  over,  we  still  had  the  task  of  subduing 
another  foe — Japan.  The  next  day.  President  Truman 
officially  announced  the  surrender  of  Germany.  By  the 
terms  of  a  proclamation  issued   by  the  Mayor  of  the  city 


the  schools,  business  houses,  and  mines  closed.  Many 
citizens  visited  their  churches  to  offer  thanks  and  prayers 
for  an  early  cessation  of  all  hostilities. 

Japan  accepted  unconditional  sui^render  terms  on 
August  14,  1945.  On  Tuesday  evening,  August  14,  1945  at 
7  p.m.,  the  people  of  O'Fallon  received  the  word  from 
President  Harry  S.  Truman  via  radio  that  Japan  had  sur- 
rendered. Citizens  at  first  took  the  news  with  reserved 
calm,  but  when  church  bells,  whistles,  and  automobile 
horns  began  to  sound  it  was  a  signal  for  celebration. 
People  started  to  gather  in  the  downtown  section  and  in 
a  short  time  the  streets  were  crowded  with  tooting  cars 
and  trucks  and  the  sidewalks  were  lined  with  hundreds 
of  people. 

A  parade  formed  at  the  Methodist  Church  corner  with 
cheering  youths  and  older  folks  and  started  the  march 
through  the  business  section.  It  was  not  long  until  another 
parade  came  on  the  scene,  this  time  headed  by  members 
of  the  school  band  who  marched  to  the  corner  of  State 
and  Lincoln  Avenue.  Bedlam  raged,  and  the  noise  of  re- 
joicing reached  its  height  amid  showers  of  confetti  and 
scraps   of   paper. 

The  old  Homecoming  lights  on  State  Street  which  had 
been  dark  since  the  advent  of  the  war  were  turned  on. 
The  city  officials  assisted  by  others  provided  a  place  for 
dancing  on  the  corner  of  State  and  Lincoln.  A  "juke" 
box  was  carried  from  the  bus  station  and  placed  on  the 
sidewalk,  and  old  and  young  danced  to  its  strains. 

With  all  the  excitement  and  the  immense  crowd,  not 
a  single  accident  or  incident  occurred  to  mar  the  happiness 
of  the  occasion.  Well  after  the  midnigtt  hour  the  crowd 
dispersed  to  go  quietly  to  their  homes  with  all  thankful 
for   this   momentous   August    14,    1945. 


Entertainment  and  Sports 


ENTERTAINMENT 

For  the  first  twenty  years  or  so  of  its  existence  O'Fal- 
lon had  very  little  in  the  way  of  professional  theatricals  or 
entertainment.  There  was  not  a  suitable  place  in  town 
that  had  a   stage  or  scenery. 

Sometime  in  the  1870's,  Jack  Shinton  located  here  and 
began  the  operation  of  a  saloon  at  the  corner  of  State 
and  Lincoln  Avenue.  At  that  time  the  hall  on  the  second 
floor  of  the  building  was  used  for  dances,  dancing  schools, 
public  meetings,  lodge  room,  and  various  other  purposes. 
Mr.  Shinton  made  improvements  to  the  building,  en- 
larged the  hall,  and  put  in  a  stage  of  about  10  by  12  feet. 
At  the  southeast  corner  of  the  building  he  built  a  ticket 
office  and  a  stairway  which  gave  entrance  to  the  hall  from 
the  porch  above.  Traveling  show  companies  then  began  t. 
take  notice  of  O'Fallon  and  gave  performances  here.  In 
the  fall  of  1877,  posters  appeared  all  over  town  announc- 
ing that  J.  A.  Simon's  Star  Comedy  Company  would  play 
a  week's  season  at  Shinton's  Opera  House.  Their  reper- 
toire consisted  of  six  popular  plays,  each  one  given  one 
night  only,  as  follows:  "The  Hidden  Hand,"  "Rip  'Van 
Winkle,"  "Gilded  Age,"  "Oliver  Twist,'  "Fanchon  the 
Cricket."  and  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin."  They  were  accom- 
panied by  the    "Superb  Silver  Cornet  Band." 


The  O'Fallon  City  Hall  was  built  in  1890— dedicated  on 
December  31,  1890.  When  the  hall  was  built,  a  small  stage 
was  provided.  There  were  no  curtains,  wings  or  scenery  of 
any  kind.  Nevertheless,  the  dramatic  organizations  were 
duly  appreciative  of  having  some  place  to  give  their  plays. 
In  January,  1891,  a  dramatic  gi'oup,  called  the  Crescent 
Club,  was  organized  and  gave  the  first  play  after  the  dedi- 
cation of  the  city  hall.  The  play  was  "Fielding  Manor"  by 
Edgar  Fawcett. 

In  the  absence  of  scenery  at  the  Town  Hall,  the  Cres- 
cent Club  sent  to  New  York  for  a  wood  land  scene  print- 
ed on  heavy  paper  which  was  to  be  pasted  on  cloth.  George 
Remick  was  then  operating  the  drug  store  which  was 
the  club's  headquarters.  He  sold  wall  papar  and  he  and 
E.  H.  Smiley  volunteered  to  paste  the  paper  on  the  cloth. 
After  they  had  finished  they  pronounced  it  the  toughest 
job  they  had  ever  tackled.  Their  work  didn't  look  very 
good  as  it  was  unusually  rough  and  wrinkled,  but  that  prov- 
ed an  advantage  after  it  was  put  up  because  it  looked  like 
the    real    thing. 

With  the  building  of  Wachter's  Building  the  dramatic 
clubs  found  a  new  home.  At  this  time  there  were  several 
active  clubs  which  gave  very  fine  plays  In  April,  1904, 
the  play  "Down  in   Dixie"  was  presented  by  the  following 


48- 


O' Fallon  Dramatic  Club.  Front. row,  from  left: 
Harry  Carriel,  Clara  Zitzmann,  Edna  Thurston, 
Bessie  Carriel,  Adam  Young.  Back  row,  from 
left:  Ben  Amann,  Henry  Hartman,  Fred  Land- 

wehr,  Arthur  Schlinger,  Frank  Evans,  Dan 
Thomas,  James  Bradley. 


company:  H.  J.  Martin,  A.  F.  Brewer,  George  and  Oscar 
Schobert,  Joe  Mackin,  George  Schmidt.  William  and  Ben 
Amann,  Minnie  Streck,  TiUie  Coupin,  Bessie  Carriel,  and 
Clara  Zitzman.  In  April,  1905.  "Lady  Darrel"  was  given 
by  another  club  composed  of:  George  Brockhahn,  Joe  Mac- 
kin,  W.  R.  Lawrence,  Walter  Alexander,  Ralph  Kamp- 
meyer,  Louis  Proffitt.  William  Lacquet,  George  Eckert, 
Edna  Thurston,  Grace  Burkhart.  Flora  Ahrens,  and  Rose 
Alexander. 

From  time  to  time  home  talent  plays  have  been  given 
and  have  been  the  means  of  raising  funds  for  worthy 
projects  and  giving  opportunity  for  expression  of  latent 
talents.  The  high  school  has  presented  a  number  of  excel- 
lent operettas  and   class  plays. 

The  old  silent  motion  pictures  were  presented  m  the 
Wachter  Hall  until  in  August,  1910,  the  Lyric  Theater 
moved  its  operations  to  the  new  Taylor  Opera  House.  In 
the  period  1910  to  192C,  silent  motion  pictures  were  pre- 
sented by  the  Moonlight  Theater — open  air  under  the  stars- 
four  times  weekly  during  the  summer  season.  This  open  air 
theater  was  located  on  the  site  of  the  present  State  Thea- 
ter. 

The  Opera  House  built  by  Joseph  Taylor  was  com- 
pleted December  27.  1908.  It  was  formally  dedicated  and 
opened  for  use  in  1909.  This  building,  when  completed,  was 
the  wonder  of  the  area  as  it  far  surpassed  in  equipment 
and  appointments  any  theater  in  any  of  the  surrounding 
towns  The  Opera  House  at  first  presented  "live  shows" 
during  a  portion  of  the  year-opening  in  the  fall  and  clos- 
ing with  the  coming  of  hot  weather.  Professional  troupes 
usually  brought  their  own  scenery  and  actors.  Admission 
was  10c  for  adults  and  5c  for  children.  Later  under  the 
management  of  Henry  Schwarz.  Sam  Taylor,  and  Leroy 
Hiles  the  Opera  House  was  devoted  almost  entirely  to  the 
showing  of  motion  pictures  Patrons  of  the  Opera  House, 
perhaps,  can  recall  the  piano  accompaniment  of  Meta  Dist- 


O  Falion  Stock  Co.  Front  row,  from  left:  E.  C. 
Asbury,  Walter  Ayers,  Edward  Thomas,  Helen 
Zinkgraf,  Edgar  Schalter,  Walter  Ale.\ander. 
Back  row,  from  left:  Harry  Carriel,  Thomas 
Gordon,  Elizabeth  Fischer,  Peter  Galloway, 
Elsie  Schilling,  J.  T.  Lilly,  Be.ssie  Carriel,  Jack 
Blackett. 

ler  and  the  solo.'  of  Sam  Taylor. 

In  the  late  1930"s  the  Taylor  Opera  House  ceased  as 
a  theater  and  stood  idle  for  some  time  until  1945  when 
Wilbert  H.  Tschudy  purchased  the  building  and  converted  it 
into  a   modern   food   locker    plant. 

On  November  9,  1937.  the  State  Theater  was  formally 
opened  by  Leroy  Hiles  and  Sam  Taylor.  The  theater  today 
i.o  owned  by  Goldman  and  Tobcn  from  St.  Louis.  The  pre- 
sent manager  is  Francis  Berry. 

Street  fairs  and  carnivals,  tent  shows,  medicine  shows, 
masque  balls,  the  circus,  lyceum  courses,  and  chautau^ua 
brought  entertainment — good  and  bad — to  O'Fallon. 

In  September.  1920,  O'Fallon  had  its  lirst  chautauquas 
season.  Officers  of  the  Chautauqua  association  were:    Rev. 

F.  J.  Langhorst,  president:  S.  E.  McGcehon.  vice-president; 

G.  B  Gieser,  secretary,  and  George  W.  Tiedemann,  tre.isur- 
er.  The  United  Chautauqua  System  gave  a  series  of  en- 
tertainment under  a  big  tent  in  City  Park.  In  later  years 
the  Redpath  Chautauqua  was  engaged  and  their   tent  was 


49- 


Stars  and  Stripes  Band,  iibuut  l'JU5.  Sealed  from  lelt  :  Frank  .Mai'tiii,  Frank  Evans,  John  Koch, 
George  Brockhahn,  Fred  Landwehr,  Henry  Martin.  Standing,  from  left:  William  Amman,  Emil 
Cook,  Medley  Guest,  Edward  Tiedemann,  Horace  Evans,  Henry  Hartman,  Fred  Morgenstern,  L.  J. 
Bridges,  Director. 


set  up  on   the  grade   schoo)  gi-ounds.  The  last  chaiitauqua 
series  was  presented  in  1S25. 

Through  the  years  O'Fallon  has  had  a  number  of  or- 
ganizations that  have  done  fine  work  in  vocal  music;  the 
Liederkranz  Society;  the  Harmony  Club;  the  Abholt  Sing- 
ing Society,  church  choirs,  O'Fallon  Community  Chorus,  and 
as  of  today,  the  O'Fallon  Choral  Club.  ,T.  Emmett  Hinch- 
cliffe  has  done  much  to  promote  vocal  music  in  our  com- 
munity since  he  came  to  O'Fallon  in  1921. 

Lyceum  courses  have  been  sponsored  over  the  years 
by  the  Woman's  Club,  Alumni  Association,  and  classes  at 
the  High  School.  Many  fine  artists  have  appeared  in 
O'Fallon   as   a   result   of   the   Lyceum    Courses. 

The  first  operetta  presented  was  "The  Mikado"  given 
on  April  2.  1889  by  the  Harmony  Club.  It  was  given  in  the 
old  brick  warehouse  at  the  Tiedemann  Mill  as  it  was  the 
only  place  in  O'Fallon  large  enough  to  accommodate  the 
production.  Flour  barrels  were  placed  in  the  south  end 
of  the  warehouse  and  planks  placed  upon  them  to  make 
a  stage.  Tarpaulins  were  borrowed  from  farmers  and  im- 
plement dealers  to  fix  curtains,  chairs  were  obtained  from 
churches  and  lodge  halls,  hanging  lamps  were  borrowed 
for  lighting,  and  planks  were  placed  on  nail  kegs  to  make 
seats  for  the  unreserved  section.  The  following  took  part 
in  the  production:  John  Lienesch.  D.  W.  Caughlan,  George 
Caughlan.    Charles    Peach,    George    Darrow,   Nellie    Bates, 


Je.ssie  Umbarger,  Fannie  Umbarger,  Ada  McFarland, 
Master  Walter  Lienesch;  in  the  chorus,  Henry  Tiedemann, 
Alonzo  Bridges,  William  Lehman,  Don  Parker,  George 
Lienesch.  John  Dunnivan,  Andy  Entrekin,  Oliver  Darrow, 
Leila  Scott.  Julia  Shaw,  Lutie  Wade,  Annie  Simmons, 
Lizzie  Powell,  Fannie  Darrow,  Louise  and  Marianna  Fisch- 
er, Irene  Parker,  Daisy  Bates;  accompanists,  Emma  Scott, 
Alf  and  Oscar  Ginzel  of  Trenton;  prompter,  Amelia  Car- 
riel;  carpenters,  Emil  Wittig,  L.  M.  Scott,  and  James  T. 
HoUiday. 

Among  the  vanished  glories  of  the  "olden  tyme"  are 
the  torchlight  processions.  Torchlight  processions  in  the 
middle  west  date  back  to  the  1830's— the  days  of  hard 
cider,  "Old  Tippecanoe  and  Tyler  Too,"  the  Lincoln  cam- 
paign and  others.  O'Fallon  had  a  number  of  these  parades 
in  the  1880's  and  1890's. 

The  young  men  of  the  various  communities  formed 
marching  clubs,  drilled  faithfully  to  perfect  themselves 
in  marching  techniques,  wore  striking,  brilliant  uniforms, 
and  carried  torches.  One  of  the  companies  in  O'Fallon 
wore  black  military  slouch  hats  with  white  plumes,  red, 
white  and  blue  sashes,  and  carried  tin  swing  torches.  These 
clubs  were  the  means  of  arousing  great  interest  in  the 
politi(;al   compaigns. 

One  time  when  the  Belleville  clubs  were  expected  in 
full  force  at  a  political  rally  at  O'Fallon,  the  O'Fallon  Clubs 


-50- 


gathered  at  the  Belleville  and  O'Fallon  Railroad  Depot  to 
act  as  a  reception  committee.  They  waited  for  some  time 
for  the  train  to  pull  into  the  station,  although  they  could 
hear  it  down  the  track.  When  the  train  finally  arrived, 
the  OTallon  people  were  told  that  when  the  train  struck 
the  grade  at  McFarland's  timber  about  2 '2  miles  southwest 
of  town,  it  was  discovered  that  someone  had  greased  the 
rails.    The  engine  ran  out  of  sand,  and  the  crew  and  pass- 


engers had   to  carry    water   from    the   creek   to   wash    the 
grease  off  the  rails  before  the  train  could  proceed. 

Today,  our  entertainment  comes  into  our  living  rooms 
via  our  radio  and  television  sets.  I  wonder  if  it  has  the 
same  value  and  gives  as  much  satisfaction  as  entertain- 
ment gave  to  our  fathers?  Our  fathers  made  their  enter- 
tainment, they  did  not  believe  in  spectator  sports. 


-P 


f>.      iwciNllK  Mii-lW1<ich- 


I  'ioMH  Lang 

^PPRtWTlCf 


VvctFCAWC  Stock       ^1»n 


KiqHT-VVAICHMVI 


-|   Mo<Kr  Ixmrs 


.1   /m   -      it. -r-.  ..,'..-'1  Tt-vw  y^cyiH. 

2    ,    I'     roAl.   Dri..v»»Y|    fwa     gVHACKWtl 

f.«  i  ■  ■  ^  *  QJos-  r>,r  Ti 


wVu«Dr~ 


J     Cum  DwnlEi 


'uia  L«»c. 
i»r  wiiiDpioo 

■~iAPP 

rtoVN  M- 

DCMiUtN  I        E»'  ' 
-tTTTi. 


WJH  lUIHHHgfl: 


-51- 


S^<x%t^ 


Gun  clubs  were  very  popular  around  the  turn  of  the 
century.  The  Shiloh  Valley  Gun  Club  was  organized  in 
1881.  The  first  officers  were:  George  Crosby,  president; 
Col.  Adolph  Engelmann,  vice-president;  and  Albert  C. 
Reuss,  secretary.  Their  grounds  were  in  the  pasture  at 
the  Ferd  L.  Reuss  farm,  about  half  a  mile  east  of  Shiloh. 
Among  their  members  were  the  best  shots  in  the  country: 
George,  Will,  Tom  and  Ned  Crosby,  Albert  and  Ferd  Reuss. 
Col.  Engelmann,  Fred  Herbst.  Carl  Jaeger.  John  Haase, 
Adolph  Schott,  William  Bug.  Rudolph  0;hs.  James  Curry, 
Charles  Glaser.  Guy  and  John  Fierce.  Herman  Bergfeld. 
Adolph  Weil,  Herman  Hoppe,  Thrift  Quick,  and  Charles 
Herbst. 

V/illiam  R.  Crosby  won  na- 
tional and  international  cham- 
pionships in  trap-shooting.  Old 
issues  of  the  Belleville  Daily 
Advocate  give  details  of  the 
various  championships  as  fol- 
lows: In  1899,  he  won  a  state 
championship  at  a  m.eet  in 
Peoria  and  also  won  a  S200 
pm-se  at  Kansas  City,  Mo.  The 
1902  files  show  that  the  pro- 
fessional star  carried  off  cham- 
pionships in  Atlanta.  Georgia 
Asheville,  Korth  Carolina,  an 
Vicksburg,  Mississippi,  captui- 
ed  a  $1,000  purse  at  Blue  Rive: 
Park.  Kansas  City.  Missouri. 
and  was  second  in  the  Omaha. 
Nebraska  meet. 

Shortly  before  Crosby  lef; 
for  the  1901  meet  in  England, 
he  won  the  DuPont  trophy  and 
a  world's  championship  event 
in  the  shoot-off  of  a  tie  of 
three  perfect  lOO's  at  the  an- 
nual tournainent  of  the  Illinois 
Sportsmen's  Association  in 
Springfield,    Illinois. 

In  July  1905,  he  took  top 
honors  in  the  first  days  pre 
liminary  of  the  Grand  Ameri- 
can Handicap  in  Indianapolis. 
He  broke  199  out  of  a  possible 
200,   missing   his   first   target. 

Until     1924     the    American 
Trapshooting   Association,    now 
known   as   the   Amateur  Trap- 
shooting  Association,  was   controlled   by  manufacturers   of 
guns  and   ammunition,  and  Crosby  was  in  the  employ  of 
such   manufacturers    as   a    professional   trapshooter. 

Following  are  some  of  the  stories  on  Crosby  which 
appeared  in  the  Belleville  Daily  Advocate  concerning  his 
participation  in  international  competition  in  1901  in  Eng- 
land   and    Scotland:      Friday,    May    31,    1901— William    R. 


Crosby,  of  O'Fallon.  and  other  members  of  the  American 
trapshooting  team,  selected  to  represent  the  United  States 
in  the  match  with  British  experts  for  $2500  a  side  at 
the  Middlesex  Gun  Club  near  London  on  June  11th.  and 
following  days,  sailed  from  New  York  for  Liverpool  on 
Sunday,  on  board  the  steamship.  Canadian.  The  match 
will  be  at  5.000  inaminate  targets  a  side,  the  Englishmen 
to  have  the  use  of  both  barrels  and  the  Americans  to  use 
but  one  barrel. 

Friday,  June  14,  1901 — In  the  Anglo-American  trap- 
shooting  meet,  the  Americans  defeated  the  Britons  in 
the  leading  events.  As  usual,  William  R.  Crosby,  of 
O'FaHrin,  made  a  record  for  himself  and  was  ranked  well 

up  among  the  very  best  shots 
of  the  contest.  In  the  team 
shoot,  Crosby  took  19  out  of 
the  first  20.  and  17  out  of  the 
second  20.  In  a  preliminary 
sweepstake.  Crosby  tied  for 
second    with   22    out   of   25. 

Friday,  June  21,  1901— In 
the  individual  championship 
event  between  the  members  of 
the  American  and  British 
teams  of  trapshooters  which 
took  place  at  Hendon,  London, 
last  Monday,  William  R.  Cros- 
by was  the  most  successful 
contestant,  taking  the  world's 
championship  event  and  win- 
ning a  gold  cup  valued  at 
S500. 

Friday,  June  28,  1901— The 
match  held  Saturday  at  Glas- 
gow, Scotland,  between  Wil- 
liam R.  Cros'oy  and  the  Scotch 
champion,  Faulds,  for  100 
pounds,  resulted  in  a  victory 
for  the  American.  The  con- 
ditions were  100  pigeons  from 
ground  traps  and  50  pigeons 
from  tower  traps.  At  the 
ground  traps.  Crosby  scored 
97,  while  Faulds  had  93;  at  the 
tower  traps  Crosby  got  42  birds, 
Faulds  41.  The  world's  record: 
as  held  by  Crosby:  345  straight 
at  inamimate  targets,  193 
straight  at  live  birds,  and  110 
William    R.    Crosby  from  the  31  yard  line. 

The  O'Fallon  Gun  Club  was  organized  in  1904  with  Ned 
Crosby  as  president.  The  club  continued  to  meet  and 
sponsor  shoots  until  the  late  1930's  when  it  disbanded.  At 
various  times  the  club  had  shooting  grounds  on  the  John 
Louis  farm,  Schwaegel  farm,  Christ  Porter  farm,  and  the 
Klein  farm  on  Route  50.  east  of  O'Fallon.  Persons  who 
were   members  at   various  times   were    as   follows:     Ernst 


-52- 


Linde.  Ben  Amann,  John  Schneider,  Ned  Crosby,  Adolph 
OhlenUorf.  Sr.,  Louis  Plab,  Walter  Thomas,  Charles  Buck- 
les, Alfred  Tiedemann,  George,  Edward,  Joe.  Nap,  and  Ted 
Willard,  S.  E.  McGeehon.  Robert  Ruth,  George  Scheibel, 
Ben  Schmidt,  L.   Ernst  Tiedemann,   and   Lyman  Joseph. 


^eiiiitaxHeil  S^aitA 


The  first  baseball  club  in  O'Fallon  was  the  "Comets" 
organized  in  the  1860's.  Their  grounds  were  north  and 
opposite  the  present  Methodist  Church.  Later  the  diamond 
was  located  where  the  Schildknecht  Funeral  Home  is 
now  located  after  which  it  was  moved  across  the  street. 
Some  of  the  early  ball  players  were:  Henry  and  Andrew 
Rutherford.  Anderson  Umbarger,  Henry  Needles.  Henry 
Simmons.  Charles  Neville,  James  Distler,  Albert  and 
George  Ogle,  "Win"  Bowler,  Johnny  Cormack,  and  Wil- 
liam Bowler. 

Ball  diamonds  were  later  located  at  Koch's  Crossing 
east  of  town  on  the  old  interurban  line,  then  on  Willard 
land  on  East  Second  Street  <East  End  Park),  and  finally 
at  Community  Park. 

O'Fallon  until  the  past  few  years  has  ahvays  shown 
great  interest  in  the  "town  team."  The  O'Fallon  Mer- 
chants in  the  1920-30  period  and  the  Legion  team  of 
1946-48  period  were  fine  teams  and  had  a  large  following 
of    fans. 

Names  such  as:  Yaegers,  Ladd,  Harters,  Bender.  Prof- 
fitt.  Corbier.  Schoberts,  Andricks,  Barlh,  Meyer.  Schmidt, 
Bell,  Siekmann,  Schachner,  Wheatley.  Kampmeyer,  Dunn, 
Landgraf,  Mayer,  Boyce.  Reeble,  McKjnley.  Pannier,  Gart- 
sides,  Schneider,  Taylors,  Warma,  Million  and  Busch  should 
bring  back  many  memories  to  baseball  fans. 

In  the  1930's,  O'Fallon  was  very  tennis-minded.  .A.t 
various  times  during  the  period  there  were  a  half  dozen 
tennis  courts  located  in  different  sections  of  the  city.  City 
tournaments  were  annually  held  and  drew  a  fine  field 
of  entries.  In  the  early  1930's,  the  O'Fallon  Ramblers,  an 
independent  tennis  team  played  scheduled  matches  with 
Lebanon,  Carlyle,  Greenville.  Trenton,  Fairview.  Belle- 
ville, Waterloo,  and  Breese.  The  mainstays  of  the  Ramb- 
lers were:  Edward  Boyce,  Walter  Batty,  Edward  Creed, 
and  Clarence  Distler.  Other  players  during  this  period 
were:  Harry  Schneider.  Robert  Munier.  Elmer  Yanda, 
Edwin  Schilling,  Gustave  Budina.  Melvin  Allen,  Edgar 
Kiederecker,  L.  E.  Morris,  Frank  Rea,  the  Clow  Brothers, 
and  Herman  Miller.  Martha  (Mickey)  Schlinger  was  the 
outstanding  woman  player  in  the  city. 

Interest  has  been  ai-oused  again  in  tennis  since  the 
construction  of  two  all-weather  courts,  soon  to  be  lighted, 
in  the  Community  Park. 

O'Fallon  has  been  a  city  always  interested  in  bowling. 
During  the  bowling  season  the  Moonlight  and  Central 
idestroj'ed  by  fire  in  1953)  were  always  busy.  Our  bowlers 
have  been  quite  successful  in  intercity  match  play  and 
have  always  made  a  creditable  showing  at  the  ABC 
Tournament.  Names  which  bring  back  memories  to 
bowling  fans  are  such  as:  Hartman,  Ladd,  Yanda,  Schnei- 
der. Schuetz.  Evans,  Titter.  Dressel.  Ledford.  Elliott, 
Kuehn,    and    Proffitt. 

During  the  1930's.  the  American  Legion  sponsored  a 
marble  tournament.  The  winner  of  the  local  toiu-ney  went 
on   to  further   tournaments   in    the   St.    Louis   area    which 


led  up  to  the  selection  of  the  national  marbles  champ. 
A  news  item  of  May  23,  1935  tells  us  that  Kenneth  Pfeif- 
fer,  age  10  years,  won  the  city  marbles  championship  for 
the  second  straight  year.  Francis  Titter.  Jr..  age  12  years, 
was  the  runner-up. 

O'Fallon  also  in  the  1930's  had  a  ping-pong  league. 
Chief  paddle  wielders  were:  Elmer  Yanda,  Henry  Hesse, 
Herman  Miller.  Jake  Mueller,  .\rthur  Ladd,  and  Ray 
Schmidt. 

If  you  remember  the  miniature  golf  ci'aze  of  1929-30, 
you,  perhaps,  will  al.so  remember  that  "Les"  Proffitt 
operated    a    course   on    South    Lincoln   Avenue. 

Several  leagues  of  softball  teams  (men  and  women) 
were  in  action  during  the  1932-40  period.  Lighting  equip- 
ment, bleachers,  and  diamonds  wei-e  prepared  and  installed 
in  Community  Park.  League  and  exhibition  play  was 
scheduled  four  or  more  times  a  week.  This,  however, 
slowly    faded   away. 

At  the  present  time,  chief  interest  in  sports  centers 
around  the  high  school  and  the  summer  youth  baseball 
league.  Articles  which  follow  will  give  fuller  discussion 
of  these  programs. 

Sfrart^  ^K   O'pa.UaK  "^c^^  School 

The  Historical  Committee  is  indebted  to  Mr.  Ernest 
Bigge'-staff,  present  baseball  coach  at  the  high  school,  for 
much  of  the  basic  information  contained  in  the  following 
account. 

The  sports  calendar  really  started  on  May  15.  1903. 
The  first  recorded  sports  event  was  an  Athletic  Field  and 
Track  Meet.  Prof  W.  R.  Dorris  was  clerk  and  scorer  for 
the  meet.  The  list  of  contestants  included:  Henry  Poignee. 
John  Budina.  Walter  Schachner.  Gustav  Budina,  Louis 
Lorenz,    and    Ralph    Evans. 

In  May  1904.  the  first  High  School  Athletic  and  In- 
tellectual Meet  was  held  in  O'Fallon.  Trenton  carried 
off  first  place  honors,  and  Marissa  placed  second  in  the 
meet.  In  a  similar  meet  held  at  Marissa  in  1910.  William 
Beedle  had  a  field  day  winning  seven  gold  medals  in 
various   athletic   events. 

During  the  early  years  of  the  high  school  the 
girls  had  successful  basketball  teains.  They  played  teams 
from    neighboring   schools   and   St.    Louis.     Members   of   a 


1904  tilKLS'  B.ASKl  rn.VI.I.  TK A.M.  Front 
row,  from  left:  Helen  Zinkgraf,  Lenora 
Stites,  Eleanor  Deischer.  Anna  Neville,  Mary 
Hautrow,   Annice  Corbridge. 


-53- 


1954  Basketball  Team.  Front  row,  from  left: 
Don  Kirsch,  Don  Schmidt,  Bill  Wessel,  Dave 
Warner,  Bill  Sharp,  Jerry  Schumacher.  Back 
row,  from  left:  Coach  Harley  Culberson,  Har- 
old Cavins,  Paul  Ping,  Ronnie  Stein,  Art  Hin- 
richs,  John  Richardson,  Don  Dzengolewski. 


"BILL"  WHITEHEAD  always  root- 
ing for  the  team.  Janitor  at  high 
school  since  1925,  (Picture  taken 
in  1925) 


1940  Basketball  Team.  Kneeling, 
from  left  Roger  Clayton  and  Le- 
on Harter,  manager.  Seated,  from 
left:  Ralph  Hall,  Jack  Taylor, 
Floyd  Tiedemann,  Francis  Titter, 
Floyd  Rogers.  Ralph  Niedereck- 
er,  Stanley  Kuehn,  John  Schnei- 
der, William  Gribler,  Benjamin 
Ham,m.  Back  row,  from  left: 
Coach  Curtis  L.  Smith,  Edward 
Woods,  Dale  Rea,  Jack  Schwarz, 
Bill  McGrath,  Walter  Wilkening, 
Howard  McCandless,  Rodney 
Jung,  Carl  Barth,  Charles  Mein- 
koth,  Donald  Heitman,  Laverne 
Anderson. 


1935  Basketball  Team.  Seated,  from 
left:  Harry  Schneider,  John  Budina, 
Delmar  Warma,  Bill  Willard,  Robert 
Million,  Leslie  Schneider,  Melyin  Allen, 
Barnett  Clow.  Standing,  from  left:  Del- 
bert  Corbier,  Harold  Canterbury,  Wil- 
bur Wiemann,  Coach  Conrad  O.  Schenk, 
George  Bender,  Paul  Greene,  Lee  Keck. 


-54- 


school  team  in  1904  were:  Helen  Zinkgraf,  Lenora  Stites, 
Eleanor  Deischer,  Anna  Neville,  Mary  Hautrow,  and  An- 
nice  Corbridge.  Their  big  game  was  playing  the  famous 
Indian  Girls  from  the  World's  Fair  at  St.  Louis.  The  game 
was  played  at  the  Fairgrounds  in  Belleville.  The  girls 
wore  uniforms  of  red  flannel  blouses,  full  bloomers,  and 
long   stockings. 

During  the  year  1915  an  Athletic  Association  was 
organized  by  the  members  of  the  High  School.  The  pur- 
pose of  the  organization  was  to  create  interest  in  all  school 
activities.  The  first  meeting  was  held  en  October  12,  1915 
and  the  following  officers  were  elected:  President,  Walter 
H.  Trippel;  Vice-President,  James  S.  Bittles;  Secretary. 
Lucynthia   A.   Herzing. 

The  basketball  team  of  1916  composed  of  Wilbur 
Widicus,  Walter  Harlman,  George  Bernreuter,  Ernest 
Tiedemann,  R.  G.  Davidson,  L.  G.  Keck  and  R.  F.  Mueller 
enjoyed  a  successful  season.  They  played  Marissa,  Leb- 
anon, Granite  City,  Shurtleff,  Belleville,  Trenton,  East 
St.  Louis,  Alton,  and  Rankin  Trade  School. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  1922  season  Walter  (Happy) 
Hartman  agreed  to  act  as  coach  for  the  school  with  Prof. 
J.  E.  Hinchcliffe  serving  as  manager.  The  team  was  out- 
fitted with  new  suits  and  proceeded  to  have  a  successful 
year.  The  team  was  composed  of:  Robert  Munier  (Capt.>. 
right  forward;  Edwin  Schilling,  left  forward;  Elmer  Yan- 
da.  center;  Adolph  Ohlendorf,  right  guard;  Melvin  Brewer, 
left  guard;  Albert  Zimmerman  and  George  Darrow  sub- 
stitutes. The  individual  scoring,  a  far  cry  from  the  fire- 
house  playing  and  scoring  of  today,  was  as  follows: 
Yanda.  135;  Munier,  74;  Schilling,  38;  Ohlendorf.  16; 
Brewer,  2;  Zimmerman.  3;  and  Darrow,  2  points  respective- 
ly. 

In  1922  there  was  great  agitation  on  the  part  of  the 
students,  principal,  and  faculty  to  secure  a  good  gymnas- 
ium for  the  school.  Dr.  Bechtold  pledged  $2,000  if  the 
balance  required  to  build  a  .?ym  could  be  raised  but  the 
campaign  to  solicit  funds  did  not  prove  successful.  With 
the  opening  of  the  present  high  school  building  in  192.'5, 
the  basketball  team  for  the  first  time  had  its  own  gym 
in  which  to  practice  and  play  its  games.  The  first  game 
played  in  the  new  high  school  (October  23,  1925)  resulted 
in  a  High  School  victory  over  an  Alumni  team  by  a 
score    of   20-11. 

In  1922  the  baseball  team  finished  second  in  the 
Mascoutah-Trenton-Lebanon-O'Fallon  League.  The  players 
were:  E.  Yanda,  E.  Reider,  R.  Munier,  G.  Darrow,  E. 
Schilling,  A.  Ohlendorf,  C.  Corbier,  M.  Brewer,  E.  Schmidt, 
H.  Proffitt,  J.  Borkievicz,  A.  Zimmerman,  and  H.  Willhite. 

In  1925,  O' Fallon  became  a  member  of  the  South- 
western Conference  which  was  then  made  up  of  Collins- 
ville.  Belleville,  Granite  City,  Wood  River,  Alton,  Edwards- 
ville,  Mascoutah,  Madison,  Jerseyville.  and  O'Fallon.  In 
1926.  O'Fallon,  Mascoutah,  and  Madison  dropped  out,  but 
East  St.   Louis  joined   the  conference. 

In  1927,  at  O'Fallon,  the  Cahokia  Conference  was  in- 
stituted. The  original  members  of  the  conference  were: 
Madison,  Lebanon.  New  Baden,  Mascoutah,  Dupo,  Free- 
burg  and  O'Fallon.  Later  Madison  dropped  out  and  wa." 
replaced  by  Marissa.  Waterloo  then  took  Marissa's  place 
which  gives  us  the  present  membership  of  the  conference. 

In  1929.  tennis  was  organized  for  the  first  time  as  a 
conference  sport  and   two  singles  and  one  doubles  match 


were  played  with  each  school  in  the  conference.  Edward 
Creed  and  Clarence  Distler  represented  the  school  in  ten- 
nis in  1929.  In  1932  the  team  of  Harry  Schneider,  Edgar 
Niederecker  and  Gustave  Budina  were  Co-Champions  of 
the  Cahokia  Conference— the  first  tennis  championship 
for   the   school. 

The  1935  basketball  team  coached  by  Conrad  O.  Schenk 
won  the  school's  first  Cahokia  Conference  basketball 
championship,  co-champs  with  Lebanon.  The  team  lost 
one  conference  game  and  finished  with  a  record  of  26 
wins  and  five  defeats  for  the  season  against  strong  opposi- 
tion. The  thundering  triumvirate  of  "Monk"  Million,  "Del" 
Warnia,  and  "Bill"  Willard  scored  811  of  the  1093  points 
scored  by  the  team.  The  Panthers  held  their  opponents 
to  739  points.  The  conference  game  lost  was  to  Lebanon, 
25-23  in  an  overtime.  Members  of  the  squad  were:  Del 
Warma,  Leslie  Schneider,  Bill  Willard,  Robert  Million. 
Harry  Schneider.  Melvin  Allen,  Barnett  Clow,  Wilbur 
Wiemann,  George  Bender.  I^e  Keck,  John  Budina,  Paul 
Greene,  Harold  Canterbury.  Charles  Rubin,  and  Delbert 
Corbier. 

In  1939.  the  present  gymnasium  was  dedicated  and  the 
school  had  a  basketball  team  (1939-40  season  i,  coached  by 
Curtis  L.  Smith,  which  went  to  the  semi-finals  of  the 
sectional  tournament  at  Highland  before  being  defeated  in 
state  tournament  eliminations. 

The  team  won  23  and  losi  three  during  the  season. 
Marissa  defeated  OFallon  twice  (35-17  the  first  game 
played  in  the  new  gymnasium)  and  again  later  in  the 
season  at  Marissa  and  the  loss  to  Wood  River  in  the  sec- 
tional. O'Fallon  defeated  Dupo,  Belleville,  and  CoUins- 
ville  to  win  the  championship  of  the  Regional  Tourna- 
ment held  at  Belleville.  The  Panthers  defeated  Green- 
ville in  the  first  round  of  the  sectional  and  then  lost  to 
Wood  River  in  a  double  overtime.  O'Fallon  led  30-28  in 
the  Wood  River  game  with  only  seconds  remaining  in  the 
regulation  game.  Astroth.  Wood  River's  star,  intercepted 
a  pass  thrown  in  by  O'Fallon.  he  was  fouled  and  then 
coolly  made  the  two  free  throws.  This  tied  the  game  at 
30  all  and  sent  the  contest  into  overtime.  Neither  team 
scored  in  the  first  overtime.  The  final  score  was  32-31 
with  Wood  River  the  winner.  The  next  night  Wood  River 
was  defeated  by  Granite  City  who  then  went  on  to  win 
the  state  championship  at  Champaign.  Members  of  the 
squad  were:  Floyd  Rogers,  Ralph  Niederecker,  Francis 
Titter,  William  Gribler,  Ralph  Hall,  John  Schneider.  Ben- 
jamin Hamm,  Stanley  Kuehn.  Floyd  Tiedemann,  and  Jack 
Taylor.  Individual  scoring  was  as  follows:  Rogers,  230; 
Niederecker,  220;  Titter,  213:  Gribler,  202;  Hall,  33;  Schnei- 
der, 26,  and  Hamm.  26  points  respectively. 

In  1950  the  baseball  team  coached  by  Ernest  Bigger- 
staff  made  school  history  by  becoming  the  first  baseball 
team  to  go  through   a  conference  schedule  undefeated. 

In  1952,  the  Panther  track  team,  coached  by  Harley 
Culberson,  won  the  first  Cahokia  Conference  track  cham- 
pionship  for   the   school. 

O'Fallon  High  School  over  the  years  has  actively 
engaged  in  track.  An  endeavor  was  made  to  compile 
track  records  for  the  school,  but  a  lack  of  recorded  in- 
formation made  an  authoritative  listing  impossible.  The 
following  are  offered  as  records  which  have  been  re- 
corded. They  are  listed  according  to  Event,  Individual 
setting  Record,  the  Record,  and   the  Year  set. 


-55- 


50-yard  dash  —  William  Beedle.  6.0  sec,  1910;  L.  Owns- 
by  6.0  sec,  1954. 

100-yard    dash   —   William    Beedle,    10.4   sec,    1910;    B- 
Rowan,   10.4  sec,    1952. 

220-yard  dash  —  L.  Ownsby,   22.7   sec,    1954. 

440-yard   dash  —  B.  Rowan,   53.4  sec,   1952. 

880-yard  run  —  D.  Beckman,   2  min.,   12.8   sec.   1952. 

Mile  run  —  G.  Kieter,  4  min.,  59.9  sec,   1954. 

120yard  Low  Hurdles  —  J.  Schumacher,  14.9  sec,  1953. 

120-yard  High  Hurdles  —  W.  Meinkoth,   16.2  sec,   1953. 

180-yard  Low  Hurdles  —  W.  Meinkoth,  21.8  sec,   1953. 

220-yard  Low  Hurdles  —  Clarence  Crosby,  33  sec,  1910. 

Running  High  Jump  —  George  Ladd,  6  ft.,  61/2  in.,  1916. 

Standing  High  Jump  —  John  Zapf,  4  ft.,  SVz  in.,  1908. 

Running    Broad    Jump    —    George    Bernreuter,    21    ft., 
8Vi   in.,  1916. 

Standing  Broad  Jump  —  John  Zapf,  9  ft.,   9  in.,   1908. 

Hammer  Throw   (12  lb.)   —  John  Coupin,  111  ft.,  4  in., 
1908. 

Shot  Put  (12  lb.)  —  William  Beedle,  45  ft..  11   in.,  1910. 

Discus  —  H.  Klein,  117  ft.,  3  in.,  1951. 

Javelin  Throw  —  Howard  Taylor.  151  ft.,  2  in  ,  1925. 

880-yard  Relay  —  Berton  Sperry,  Klbert  Begole,  Elmer 
Asbury,  William  Beedle,  1  min.,  35  sec,   1910. 

Mile    Relay    —    Rowan,    Marshall,    Conklin,    HuUer,    3 
min.,  48.8  sec,    1952. 

Cahokia  Conference  Championships  in  basketball,  base- 
ball, track  and  tennis  were  won  as  follows: 
Year  Sport  Finish  Coach 

1932  .  Tennis  Co-champs  Schenk 

1932  Baseball  Champs  Schenk 

1934  Tennis  Champs  Schenk 

1935  Basketball  Co-champs  Schenk 

1935  Tennis  Champs         —  Schenk 

1936  - -        Basketball  Champs  Schenk 

1936  Baseball  Champs       - Schenk 

1939 -  Basketball  Co-champs  Schenk 

1940  Basketball  Champs  -  Smith 

1942  Basketball  Champs  Smith 

1945  Baseball  Champs  Biggerstaff 

1950  __    ...  Baseball  - ___.  Champs  Biggerstaff 

1951 --  Baseball  ..- Champs  Biggerstaff 

2952  Track  Champs   Culberson 

1953  ...„ Basketball   Co-champs  Culberson 

1953  Track  Champs  Culberson 

1953  ..      Baseball Co-champs  Biggerstaff 

1954  Basketball  Champs  .._ Culberson 

The  1954  baskeball  team  had  a  wonderful  year  win- 
ning 29  (28  straight)  and  losing  two  games.  The  team  lost 
the  first  conference  game  to  Waterloo  and  then  continued 
undefeated  in  conference  play  to  win  the  title.  They  won 
the  Cahokia  Conference  Tournament  held  at  Dupo,  the 
O'Fallon  Christmas  Tournament,  and  at  Mascoutah  were 
crowned  District  Champions  by  defeating  Freeburg,  70-57 
in  the  finals.  In  regional  play  at  East  St.  Louis  the  Pan- 
thers defeated  Lincoln  High  of  East  St.  Louis  before  losing 
to  Belleville,  72-54  in  the  semi-finals.  The  team  set  a 
new  conference  scoring  record  tallying  1028  points  in 
leauge  play.  Art  Hinrichs  who  established  a  new  school 
scoring  record  of  493  points,  and  Ronnie  Stein  who  scored 
425  points  during  the  sea.son,  were  given  honorable  men- 
tion on  several  all-state  teams.  The  members  of  the  team 
were:   Don  Kirsch,  Bill  Wessel,  Dave  Warner,  Jerry   Schu- 


macher, Don  Schmidt,  Bill  Sharp,  Ronnie  Stein,  Art 
Hinrichs,  Paul  Ping,  John  Richardson,  Don  Dzengolewski, 
and   Harold   Cavins. 

Around  the  hot  stove  league,  discussion  often  centers 
about  the  question,  "What  basketball  team  of  the  high 
school  was  the  best?"  This  question  is  hard  to  answer 
because  many  factors  must  be  taken  into  consideration 
such  as,  the  type  of  basketball  played  at  a  particular  time, 
playing  conditions,  strength  of  opposition,  etc.  The  teams 
most  often  nominated  for  the  honor  of  being  the  "best" 
are  the  teams  of  1922.  1935,  1940,  or  19.54.  What  is  your 
choice? 

In  1947,  Charles  Niblock,  then  basketball  coach,  in- 
stituted the  eight-team  Christmas  Tournament  which  has 
proved  so  popular  and  has  been  continued  to  the  present 
time.    The  winners  of  the  tournament  are  as  follows: 

1947 Troy 

1948  .     -..- New  Athens 

1949 Marissa 

1950  to  1953 O'Fallon 

The  Lettermen's  Club,  or  "O"  Club,  as  it  is  often 
called,  is  made  up  of  students  who  have  earned  a  letter 
in  one  of  the  major  sports  at  O'Fallon  High  School.  The 
present  sponsors  of  the  Club  are  Basketball  and  Track 
Coach,  Harley  Culberson,  and  Baseball  Coach,  Ernest 
Biggerstaff. 

The  G.A.A.,  Girls'  Athletic  Association,  under  the 
sponsorship  of  Miss  Irma  Veath,  is  one  of  the  many  active 
clubs  at  O'Fallon  High  School.  Its  membership  of  59 
girls  is  made  up  of  those  girls  interested  in  athletics, 
sportsmanship,  and  health.  Each  year,  during  the  summer 
vacation,  two  members  of  the  club  are  sent  to  the  Southern 
Illinois  G.A.A.  Camp.  They  learn  new  sports  and  games 
to  bring  back  to  their  club  to  further  the  improvement 
of    their    own    group. 


The  O'Fallon  Youth  Baseball  Program  was  begun  in 
the  summer  of  1944  and  has  been  in  operation  ever  since. 

The  origin  of  the  program  is  quite  interesting.  Two 
young  lads,  Robert  Seipp  and  James  Rohr,  now  living  in 
Carlyle,  appealed  to  Ardell  (Buck)  'Vogel  to  help  them 
with  their  baseball  team.  After  several  evenings  with  the 
boys,  'Vogel  realized  the  necessity  of  forming  additional 
teams  so  that  more  boys  might  be  accommodated.  Ac- 
cordingly, he  organized  the  O'Fallon  Junior  City  Twilight 
League  which  consisted  of  four  teams  comprised  of  boys 
from  12  to  17  years  of  age.  At  the  outspet  the  boys  them- 
selves financed  the  program  by  paying  15  cents  each 
week  to  the  Treasurer,  Jack  White.  From  this  small  fund 
a  few  bats  and  balls  were  purchased. 

During  the  winter  of  1944-45  an  appeal  was  made  to 
the  people  of  the  town  for  financial  help  and  enough 
money  was  secured  to  buy  softball  shirts  and  caps  for  the 
boys  in  the  Twilight  League  and  baseball  uniforms  for 
the  All-Star  team  entered  in  the  American  Youth  Baseball 
League  in  which  teams  from  East  St.  Louis,  Belleville, 
Collinsville,   Cahokia,   and   O'Fallon  participated. 

In  1946  a  second  playing  field  was  made  available 
in  the  Community  Park.  In  1947  enough  money  was 
raised  to  buy  60  complete  baseball  uniforms  and  all  play- 


-56- 


ing  equipment  necessary  for  the  season. 

In  1949  the  progi-am  expanded  to  include  Girls"  sofi- 
ball  and  to  form  another  league  known  as  the  Junior  "B" 
League  for  boys  between  10  and  14  years  of  age.  In  1949 
the  original  "A"  League  was  supervised  by  Charles  Nib- 
lock,  then  basketball  coach  at  the  High  School  and  recrea- 
tion supervisor  employed  during  the  summer  months  by 
the    Community   Park   Board. 

In  1950  the  "A"  League  disbanded  and  the  "B"  League 
expanded  to  six  teams  to  take  in  the  Fairview  Phils  and 
the  Fairview  Cubs  and  the  league  name  was  changed  to 
O'Fallon-Fairview  Community  Junior  Baseball  League. 
In  1952  the  league  again  expanded  to  permit  the  entry  of 
a  Trenton  team — the  Trenton  Giants  who  proceeded  to 
win  the  championship.  The  League  name  was  changed 
to   the   Twin-Counties   Junior  Baseball   League. 

In  1953  complete  uniforms  were  purchased  for  CO 
players.  In  October  the  Rotary  Club  sponsored  a  baseball 
banquet  at  which  trophies  provided  by  the  Rotary  Club, 
Kiwanis  Club  and  an  anonymous  donor  were  presented  to 
the  teams  finishing  first,  second,  and  third  for  the  season. 

Championship    teams   for    the    various   years   together 
with  their   managers  and   captains  were  as  follows: 
"A"   League 

1944  —  O'Fallon   Tigers  —    Robert   Poignee   and    Sam 

Carroll. 

1945  —  O'Fallon  Blue  Jays  —  James  Higgins  and  Her- 

bert  ( Sonny )    Whitehead. 

1946  —  O'Fallon  Tigers  —  Rogers  Meyers  and  Walter 

Woods. 

1947  —  O'Fallon  Dodgers  —  Jack  White. 

1948  —  O'Fallon  Cubs  —  Russell  Elliott. 

1949  —  O'Fallon  Tigers  —  Walter  Schmidt. 

"B"   League 

1949  —  O'Fallon  Cardinals   —  Ardell    (Bucki    'Vogel. 

1950  —  O'Fallon  Indians  —  Jack  Goodman. 

1951  —  O'Fallon  Tigers  —  Sam  Kaxzm,  Clem  W.  Har- 

ris,   and    Victor    Logan.    Sr. 

1952  —   Trcntcn    Giants  —   Charles    (Jeff)    Davis   and 

Bill   Winkler. 

1953  —  Cross  Roads  Cardinals  —  Ednar  Patton,  Adam 

Becherer,  Jr.,   and  Herbert  Hood. 
Several  boys  and  one   girl  have  gone   from  this  pro- 
gram to  professional  baseball:    Roy  Hawes  reported  in  1954 
to  the  Washington  Senators  of  the  American  League;  Jack 
Feltman   to  play   in    1954  with  Borger,  Texas   in   the   West 


Texas-New  Mexico  League  and  William  Barth,  Rogers 
Meyers,  Don  Donato,  Jr..  and  Wayne  Beckman  went  from 
minor  league  ball  into  the  Armed  Services.  Barbara  Hoff- 
man who  played  on  the  1948  O'Fallon  Girls'  softball  team 
has  been  playing  proiessional  baseball  several  years  with 
Sounth  Bend.  Indiana  in  the  Ail-American  Girls'  League. 
This  program  has  also  been  instrumental  in  giving  early 
valuable  training  to  boys  who  later  became  the  main  stay 
of  the  fine  High  School  baseball  teams  we  have  had  at 
O'Fallon  Township  High  School.  It  is  estimated  that 
approximately  1.000  boys  and  girls  have  taken  part  in 
this  program  over  the  span  of  years  the  program  has  been 
in  existence. 

At  the  present  time  the  Community  Park  provides 
four  playing  fields.  The  Girls'  softball  team  known  as 
the  O'Fallon  Jets,  managed  by  Clarence  Klucker,  has  been 
provided  with  regular  baseball  uniforms  and  a  playing 
field    of   its   own. 

The  following  persons  have  throughout  the  years 
given  generously  of  their  time,  ability  and  money  to  keep 
the  baseball  program  going:  John  Seipp,  Roland  Strat- 
man,  Billie  Warma,  Dick  Diekroetger,  Clifford  Becherer. 
Jack  Thompson,  Don  Donato.  Sr..  Howard  White.  John 
Miller.  Ernest  Biggerstaff,  R.  P.  Hinkle,  Lee  Cavins, 
Maurice  Cocker.  Dave  Vogel.  Mayor  Henry  Hesse.  Don 
Bastendorf,  Oscar  Cox,  Don  Kirsch,  Ronnie  Hillen,  Burt 
Maxfield,  Wilmer  Knewitz,  Don  Schiindt.  Ralph  Trinckel. 
Laverne  Anderson.  Arthur  Stein.  Orin  Wessel.  Leroy 
Howser,  James  Lautz.  Delbert  Corbier.  Adolph  Ohlendorf. 
Wally  Schmidt.  Clifford  Corbier.  Francis  Swope.  Ardell 
Smith.  Robert  Sharp.  Ralph  Battoe.  Pete  Neff.  Gus  Neff. 
Barney  Maibes.  Maurice  Heien.  Dr.  Charles  Zeigler.  Her- 
bert Whitehead.  Sr..  Leroy  White.  Billy  Magec.  Don  Don- 
ato. Jr.,  Bill  Feltman,  the  late  Arthur  Funcke,  Bill  Votrain 
the  late  Clifford  Corbier.  Sr..  Merle  Hesse,  Bob  Miller 
and   the   late   L.    R.   Cartier. 

Much  credit  is  due  "Buck"  Vogel  who  has  worked 
unceasingly  and  untiringly  to  promote  this  program.  He 
has  given  unstintingly  of  his  time  and  ability  to  continue 
this  successful  project.  That  his  efforts  have  been  ap- 
preciated is  evidenced  by  awards  given  to  him  by  the 
Kiwanis  and  Rotary  Clubs  and  a  radio  given  by  parents 
cf  the  boys  participating  in  the  baseball  program.  On 
behalf  of  the  people  of  O'Fallon  in  appreciation  of  a  fine 
job  we  say.  "Well  done.  Buck,  you  have  provided  a 
healthful  outlet  for  youthful  energy.    Thanks  a  million." 


-57- 


OTALLON  THEN 


,       '^»L 


IN  THr  BUSINCaS  SCCTION        o'nLtON  lU. 


-58- 


.   .   AND  NOW 


Scott  Air  Force  Base 


DIRIGIBLE  HANGAR 

Scott  Air  Force  Base  (the  name  officially  changed  from 
Sr-ott  Field  on  February  4,  1948^  had  its  inception  in  the 
s'lmmer  of  1917  when  the  government  opened  one  of  its 
first  schools  for  training  pilots  to  fly  planes,  the  newest 
weapon  of  war.  It  was  appropriately  named  for  Corporal 
Frank  S-  Scott  who  lost  his  life  in  an  aircrpft  accident  at 
College  Park,   Maryland  in  1912. 

Actual  construction  work  was  begun  June  27,  1917. 
Congress  appropriated  $10,€OO.000  for  its  construction  and 
2,000  laborers  and  carpenters  were  immediately  put  to 
v-ork.  Work  was  pushed  with  such  feverish  haste  that  the 
project,  a  maze  of  frame  buildings  on  approximately  a 
square  mile  of  land,  v/as  completed  by  September  1917. 
In  September,  four  of  the  72  airplanes  ordered  for  the 
field  arrived  and  soon  the  actual  training  of  airplane 
pilots  began.  Wartime  "crates,"  a  far  cry  from  the  sleek, 
fast  planes  of  today,  became  a  familiar  sight  to  O'Fallon 
people. 

In  1920,  the  government  decided  that  the  field  should 
be  turned  over  to  the  ligl>ter-than-air  branch  of  the  Air 
Corps.  The  field  became  the  only  inland  airship  port  in 
the  nation.  Here  the  lighter-than-air  development  was 
carried  on,  balloon  observers  and  airship  pilots  trained. 
It  was  the  day  of  the  blimps,  sausage  balloons,  and  round 
free   balloons. 

In  March.  1920,  the  government  purchased  outright 
the  land  on  which  Scott  Field  was  located.  The  purchase 
price  for  the  640  acres  was  $119,28.5.00.  about  $170.00  per 
acre. 


The  center  of  the  lighter-than-air  developn-.ent  was 
the  gigantic  hangar  which  was  completed  in  1922  at  a  cost 
of  $1,360,000.  The  inside  measurements  of  the  building 
were  810  feet  long,  200  feet  wide  and  172  feet  high.  Its 
floor  had  space  enough  for  100,COO  men  to  stand  in  forma- 
tion. The  two  doors  at  its  entrance  v.-eighed  almost  2.000.- 
OCO  pounds  each  and  it  took  electrically  driven  motors 
71/2  minutes  to  open  them.  The  old  hangar  dominated  the 
countryside  for  miles.  It  was  a  greater  attraction  than  the 
dirigibles  themselves. 

On  May  14,  1937.  the  lighter-than-aircrafts  were  dis- 
continued at  the  field  and  the  War  Department  changed 
Scott  to  a  heavier-than-air  field. 

On  June  2.  1938  the  field  was  designated  a.s  the  new 
home  of  the  General  Headquarters  of  the  Air  Forces  of 
the  entire  United  States  Army,  making  the  field  the  nerve 
center  of  the  entire  Army  Air  Corps.  In  preparation  for 
this  new  role,  down  went  the  old  Scott  Field.  Demolition 
of  the  old  building.s  began  July  18,  1938.  The  huge  hangar, 
now  useless  to  the  army,  was  sold  to  the  wreckers  for 
$20,051.00.  The  mooring  mast,  the  old  wooden  barracks  and 
administration  buildings  were  all  wrecked.  Colonial  style 
administration  buildings,  family  quarters,  barracks,  to- 
gether with  nev/  hangars  and  othe,-  buildin.gs  (in  all  73 
major  buildings)  were  erected  through  a  $7,500,000.00  build- 
ing program. 

On  June  1.  1939,  Scott  was  designated  as  the  Scott 
Field  branch  of  the  Army  Air  Corps  Technical  Schools, 
and  the  basic  section  of  the  school  which  was  located  at 
Chanute  Field,  Rantoul,  Illinois,  was  transferred  to  Scutt 
Fjpld. 

In  August,  1941  an  allotment  of  $l,71O.15C.O0  was  made 
fo-  the  construction  of  160  new  buildings  for  with  the 
designation  of  Scott  as  the  communications  training  center 
of  the  Air  Force  more  housing  was  needed  for  students. 
Cantonment  areas  were  constructed  in  the  southeast  and 
northeast  sections  of  the  field.  A  short  time  later  the 
Army  built  an  induction  center  across  the  Southern  Rail- 
road tracks.  This  area  was  later  annexed  to  Scott  Air 
Force   Base. 

In  1952,  two  additional  housing  areas  were  added: 
Paeglcw  Apartments,  80  units  for  officers,  and  a  1,000  unit 
"city"  north  of  the  base  under  the  provisions  of  the  Wher- 
ry Housing  Act.  Also  in  1952  a  modernization  program 
was  begun  to  provide  quarters  for  bachelor  officers  and 
bachelor  non-commissioned  officers,  training  areas,  and 
warehouse  space  at  a  cost  in  excess  of  $14,000,000.00. 

Scott  today,  as  Headquarters  for  Air  Training  Com- 
mand, a  vital  link  in  the  Military  Air  Transport  Services 
air  evacuation  program,  a  training  center  for  Air  Force 
reservists  in  this  area,  as  well  as  a  great  communication 
center,  is  undoubtedly  downstate  Illinois'  largest  "indus- 
try." 


-60- 


\lamdisi  of  O'\fa[[on 


Woven  into  the  fabiic  of  the  century-old  community  life 
of  O'Fallon  have  been  an  untold  number  of  families  who  chose 
to  make  it  their  home.  To  this  place  came  hardy  pioneers  of  the 
mid-nineteenth  century,  and  here  their  number  grew  as  there  were 
born  and  reared  the  members  of  each  new  generation  across  one 
hundred  years  of  time. 

The  O'Fallon  Centennial  is  proud  to  present  the  stories  of 
some  of  the  families  whose  names  are  linked  with  OTallon  s 
history — earlv  and  late — though  it  is  regretted  that  many  other 
worthy  family  stories  could  not  be  included  in  this  book. 

Proudly,  and  conscious  of  the  honor  to  our  city  which  all 
of  these  families  have  contributed  to  the  life  of  our  community 
through  the  century,  we  present  "Families  of  O'Fallon." 


-61- 


LOUIS  ALLEN 

When  Louis  Allen  came  to  this  country  as  a  poor 
immigrant  in  the  1890's  he  was  about  23  years  old.  He 
left  his  wife  in  the  old  country,  and  while  he  was  here 
in  the  United  States,  his  son,  Harry,  was  born.  Harry  was 
four  years  old  when  Mr.  Allen  saw  him  for  the  first  time. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allen  have  four  children:  Harry,  Al,  Ben, 
and  Bessie   (Mrs.  Ben  Sterneck  of  Salem,  111.). 

Mr.  Allen  began  his  career  as  a  peddler  of  household 
goods   and   wearing   apparel. 

On  the  first  day,  after  stocking  up  with  merchandise 
at  the  St.  Louis  wholesale  houses  and  walking  across  the 
Eads  Bridge.  Mr.  Allen  found  himself  in  the  Relay  Depot 
in  East  St.  Louis.  His  net  cash  on  hand  amounted  to  50c. 
Where  the  best  market  lay  was  a  mystery  to  this  new- 
comer to  the  area.  Approaching  the  ticket  window,  he 
laid  down  the  50c  piece  and  asked  for  50c  worth  of  trans- 
portation. 

O'Fallon  was  exactly  50c  away  from  East  St.  Louis, 
so  Mr.  Allen  arrived  hero  by  train  and  began  what  was 
to  prove  an  unusually  successful  business   career. 

However,  the  start  was  not  easy.  For  one  thing,  Mr. 
Allen  was  met  at  the  train  by  the  village  marshall  who 
demanded  that  he  buy  a  peddler's  license.  The  cost  was 
$L75,  but  the  train  ride  had  exhausted  Mr.  Allen's  resources. 

The  Town  clerk  and  the  marshall  knew  that  to  put 
Mr.  Allen  in  jail  would  not  put  money  in  the  village 
treasury,  so  they  released  him  to  sell  his  goods  so  that 
the    license    could    be    paid. 

The  first  day's  business  was  successful  and  Mr.  Allen 
returned  that  night  and  bought  a  license  for  three  months. 

For  the  first  four  years  he  walked  from  farmhouse  to 
farmhouse  throughout  the  area,  going  to  Shiloh,  Lebanon, 
Summerfield,  and  other  places  in  the  vicinity.  However, 
after  four  years  he  was  able  to  buy  a  horse  and  wagon 
and   started   his  business   career  in   earnest. 

In  1901,  Mr.  Allen  was  able  to  take  the  plunge  and 
start  a  store  of  his  own.  The  store  was  opened  where 
Beckman's  Barbershop  is  now  located.  It  was  a  general 
store  which  stocked  everything  from  stoves  to  beans.  In 
1904  be  moved  to  the  familiar  location  on  First  Street 
using  only  one-half  the  downstairs  space.  He  later  used 
the  complete  store  by  including  a  line  of  clothing.  The 
three  sons  assisted  their  father  in  the  store. 

In  the  early  1940' s  the  family  started  in  the  wholesale 
food  business.  The  business  was  started  in  O'Fallon  and 
moved  to  St.  Louis  in  1949. 

On  May  23,  1953  the  clothing  store  on  First  Street 
was  destroyed  by  fire.  Mr.  Allen  and  his  sons  decided 
against  opening  another  dry  goods  store,  and  Harry  went 
to  work  with  Al  and  Ben  in  Allen  Foods,  Inc. 

During  the  early  part  of  his  business  career,  Mr.  Allen 
also  operated  Stop  and  Shop  Markets  in  Breese,  Trenton. 
Belleville,  East  St.  Louis,  and  O'Fallon. 

In  the  year  1929,  the  Aliens  operated  a  clothing  store 
in  Chicago.    This  store  was  later  sold. 

The  Aliens  are  now  operating  two  places  of  business  in 
St.  Louis  located  on  South  Seventh  and  Palm  Streets. 


JOHN  L.  ANHEUSER 

John  L.  Anheuser.  general  chairman  of  the  O'Fallon 
Centennial,  and  an  active  worker  in  civic,  charity  and 
church  work  in  O'Fallon,  was  born  in  Summerfield  on 
December  19,  1893,  th"  son  of  .Jacob  and  Elizabeth  Steuber 
Anheuser.  Jacob  Anheuser.  a  coal  miner,  was  killed  in 
pn    accident    in    Taylors    Mine   in    1922. 

John  Anheuser  married  Miss  Lsurene  Daniel  of  O'Fal- 
lon on  September  14,  1922.  They  have  two  children:  Dor- 
othy (Mrs.  Jon  McArdle)  now  assistant  postmaster;  a  son, 
Ronald;  and  one  granddaughter,  Kathleen  Ann  McArdle. 

After  graduation  from  high  school,  Mr.  Anheuser  at- 
tended Rahe's  Automobile  School  in  Kansas  City  where 
he  received  his  diploma.  He  came  to  O'Fallon  in  the  spring 
of  1917  and  accepted  a  position  as  chauffeur  for  the  late 
K.  H.  Smiley.  He  later  entered  the  employ  of  Oliver  C. 
Joseph  as  an  automobile  mechanic.  On  February  12,  1919, 
he  entered  the  automobile  sales  and  service  business  in 
partnership  with  Robert  Ruth.  In  1938  this  partnership 
was  terminated  and  Mr.  Anheuser  has  continued  in  the  auto 
business  selling  Dodge  and  Plyn.outh  automobiles  until 
the  present  time.  In  1940,  he  entered  the  bottle  gas  and 
appliance  business  in  O'Fallon.  and  in  1948  opened  a  simi- 
lar  store   in    East   St.   Louis. 

He  is  past  president  and  secretary  of  the  O'Fallon 
Civic  Club,  and  has  served  as  president  of  the  Rotary  Club 
and  the  Business  Men's  Association.  Mr.  Anheuser  served 
as  Postmaster  of  O'Fallon  for  19  years  being  commissioned 
for  that  office  by  the  late  President  Franklin  D.  Roosevelt. 
He  was  separated  from  the  postal  service  on  January  23, 
1954.  He  was  instrumental  in  the  organization  of  the 
O'Fallon  Playground  League,  and  at  present  is  the  presi- 
dent of  the  O'Fallon  Park  Board.  He  is  active  in  all  civic 
affairs  and  takes  a  great  interest  in  everything  pertaining 
to  the  welfare  and  advancement  of  the   community. 


ASBURY    FAMILY 


The  Asbury  family  has  been  one  of  the  prominent  civic 
minded    families    of    O'Fallon    for   many   years. 

James  W.  Asbury  was  born  in  Philisty,  Ohio  on  May 
26.  1862,  the  son  of  William  P.  and  Catherine  (Steele) 
Asbury.  He  came  from  a  well  educated,  prominent  fam- 
ily whose  ancestor  was  Bishop  Francis  Asbury.  James 
was  educated  in  Salem  and  Southern  Illinois  Normal  at 
Carbondale.  While  at  Salem,  he  attended  school  with 
William  Jennings  Bryan  and  his  brother,  Charlie  Bryan. 
His  son,  Ernest,  today  has  many  of  Bryan's  school  books 
which   were   left   to   him   by   his   father. 

James  Asbury  taught  school  for  23  years,  18  years  in 
the  O'Fallon  Community  at  Rock  Springs,  Oak  Hill  and 
Enterprise  schools.  In  1908  he  retired  from  teaching  and 
went  into  the  real  estate  and  insui'ance  business.  He  was 
elected  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  O'Fallon  which  position 
he  held  for  almost  20  years. 

On  February  4,  1886  at  Salem,  Illinois  he  married 
Nellie  G.  Evans,  the  daughter  of  a  prominent  Salem  fam- 
ily. Her  father  had  received  honors  in  the  Civil  War  and 
her  ancestors  had  fought  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  They 
had  six  children:  Cecil  H..  Ernest  C.  Elmer  E.,  Earl  E., 
Lieu  T.,  and  Lillian.  In  1889,  the  family  moved  from 
Summerfield   to    O'Fallon. 

In  1909,  James  and  his  sons  started  a  contracting  busi- 


-62- 


ness.  They  built  many  buildings  anrt  bonnes  in  O'Fallon 
Their  own  home  was  one  of  the  show  places  in  O'Fallon 
for   many   years. 

Elmer  is  carrying  on  the  building  tradition  of  the 
family  in  O'Fallon  today.    He  married  Florence  Keck. 

Cecil  is  in  the  building  business  in  Miami,  Florida 
He  married  Olive  Swoffoi-d  of  DuQuoin.  Illinois,  a  des- 
cendant of  Button  Gwinnett  and  President  James  Polk. 
To  this  union  was  born  Evelyn  (Mrs.  Russell  Gansmani  of 
Carterville:  Helen  (Mrs.  Howard  Glenn':  and  Velma,  (Mrs. 
Elmer  Hartman"'    of  O'Fallon. 

Dr.  Ernest  C  Asbury  married  Nellie  Smith  of  St. 
Louis.  Their  children  are:  Virginia  (Mrs.  Frank  Deniing 
of  Alliance.  Ohio>:  and  Ruth  Ellen  (Mrs.  Robert  Bann  of 
New  Jersey). 

Earl  married  Josephine  Lienesch  of  O'Fallon.  They 
hi.d  three  children.  Earl  and  Mar>  who  now  live  in  Colo- 
rado, and  James  who  lives  in  Nebraska. 

Lieu  married  Margaret  Glaeser  of  Belleville.  Their 
children.  Charles  and  Lois,  live  in  Belleville. 

Lillian  married  Leslie  Bailey  of  DuQuoin.  Their  chil- 
dren are:  Ernest  of  Mascoutah.  Illinois:  Dale  of  DuQuoin; 
and  LucUle  (Mrs.  Ralph  Bann)   of  New  Baden,  Illinois. 

James  Vf.  Asbury  died  in  1926  and  his  wife  in  1928. 
They  had  14  grandchildren,  two  of  whom  still  live  in 
O'Fallon:  Helen  Glenn  and  Velma  Hartman,  daughters  of 
Cecil.  Velma  has  followed  in  her  grandfather's  steps  as 
a  teacher.  She  has  taught  school  in  and  near  O'Fallon 
for  15  years.  She  has  also  been  quite  active  in  the  produc- 
tion of  our  Centennial  Pageant,  "This  is  Our  Town,"  as 
stage  director  and  manager,  script  writer,  and  scenic  artist. 
Both  granddaughters  further  carry  on  the  tradition  of  being 
greatly  interested  in  the  civic  welfare  of  the  community 
and    working   in    the   Methodist   Church. 


JAMES  H.  ATKINSON 

James  H.  Atkinson,  born  in  ia32,  was  the  son  of  Wil- 
liam Atkinson,  who  settled  the  old  homestead  just  south 
of  O'Fallon  city  limits  in  1828.  At  present  this  property 
belongs  to  Richard  Schaeffer.  Jan:es  Atkinson  was  a 
prominent  man  in  the  community.  He  was  one  of  the 
organizers  and  president  of  the  St.  Clair  County  Mutual 
Fire  Insurance  Company.  He  was  also  president  of  the 
St.  Clair  County  Aericul'.ural  Board.  He  held  the  office 
of  supervisor  cf  O'Fallon  Township  for  twenty-six  years. 
He   died    in    1906. 


MRS.   EDNA  AYERS 

Mrs.  Edna  Thurston  Ayers  is  a  true  citizen  of  O'Fal- 
lon. She  has  worked  faithfully  throughout  the  years  for 
the  community  and  has  always  been  willing  to  give  gen- 
erously of  her  time  and  talonts  toward  the  promotion  of 
any   worthwhile   civic    project. 

While  she  was  born  in  Lebancn,  her  parents.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Nelson  Tharstcn.  brcught  her  to  live  in  this  city 
in  early  infancy.  She  received  her  early  education  here, 
graduating  in  the  firs',  class  of  the  O'Fallon  High  School 
in  1903.  She  has  always  taken  active  part  in  the  affairs 
of  the  O'Fallon  High  School  Alumni  Association.  She  has 
appeared  in  many  home  talent  plays  over  the  span  of 
years.  She  has  worked  closely  with  the  Homecoming 
Association  and  for  a  number  of  years  has  been  responsi- 


ble for  some  of  the  very  fine  floats  which  grace  our  Home- 
coming Mardi  Gras  parade.  For  22  years  she  has  been 
the  Superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School  of  the  Methodist 
Church. 

In  1943  the  city  took  charge  of  the  library  which  the 
O'Fallon  Woman's  Club  had  organized  and  sponsored.  Mrs. 
Ayers  was  appointed  Librarian  in  1945,  a  position  she  has 
held   since   that   time. 

Her  son,  Orville,  grew  to  adulthood  in  O'Fallon  but 
is  now  living  in  St.  Louis  where  he  is  employed  in 
governmental  work.  Her  daughter.  Mildred  Ayers  Zim- 
merman,  is   an    O'Fallon   resident. 

Mrs.  Ayers  has  made  a  great  contribution  to  our 
Centennial  Program  through  her  work  with  the  Centen- 
nial Pageant  Committee  and  in  designing  and  decorating 
a    number   of   floats    for   the    Mardi    Gras   parade. 


BADGLEY   FAMILY 

The  Badgley  Settlement  southwest  of  O'Fallon  was 
composed  of  a  group  of  people  who  helped  shape  the 
future  of  O'Fallon.  The  Badgleys,  who  were  among  the 
early  settlers  of  St.  Clair  County,  are  the  descendants  of 
Anthony  Badgley,  of  New  Jersey,  who  later  settled  in 
Virginia   and   died   there   about   1800. 

Rev.  David  Badgley.  a  Baptist  preacher,  visited  Illinois 
in  1796.  He  preached  in  the  New  Design  settlement  and 
found  there  the  first  Baptist  church  in  Illinois.  He  also 
visited  Missouri,  and  on  liis  return  from  there  he  preached 
a  sermon  from  a  rock  in  the  Mississippi  River,  the  people 
gathering  to  hear  him  from  either  shore.  This  was  a 
most  imique  way  of  dispensing  the  gospel.  Returning  to 
Virginia,  he  gave  such  a  favorable  account  of  the  country 
that  his  sons  and  a  number  of  other  people  decided  to 
emigrate  to  Illinois.  The  colony  which  came  to  Illinois  at 
that  time  included  a  large  number  of  families,  among 
whom  were  the  Teters,  Carrs,  Millers,  Strouds,  and  Ey- 
mans.  They  floated  down  the  Ohio  River  from  Browns- 
ville, Pennsylvania,  to  Shawneetown,  and  thence  made 
their  way  across  the  country  to  Kaskaskia,  where  they 
arrived  on  July  4.  1797.  Their  journey  across  .Southern 
Illinois  was  full  of  difficulties.  Nothing  but  an  Indian  trail 
at  that  time  led  from  Shawneetown  to  Kaskaskia.  They 
were  compelled  to  sivini  streams  swollen  with  recent  rains 
Their  household  goods,  with  the  women  and  children, 
were  ferried  over  on  temporary  rafts.  David  Bad^icy 
settled  in  the  American  Bottom,  west  of  Moredock  Lake. 
in  present  Monroe  County,  in  the  year  1797.  but  after  a 
few  years,  he  moved  in  I8P4  to  a  place  t  few  miles  south- 
west of  O'Fallon,  where  he  improved  the  farm  on  which 
he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died  December  16, 
1824,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years. 

Anthony  Badgley.  a  youn.eer  brother  of  David,  cann- 
with  him  from  Virginia  and  settled  first  at  New  Design, 
but  later  moved  with  his  brother  to  a  farm  near  O'Fallon. 

At  that  time  he  built  a  log  house  which  was  for  many 
years  a  well-known  land  mark  in  the  country.  One  of  his 
sons,  Hiram,  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812.  His  son. 
Simeon,  lived  on  the  same  farm  where  his  father  settled 
until  his  death,  near  the  close  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

Aaron  Badgley.  one  of  the  sons  of  David,  came  with 
the  original  colony  to  Illinois  in  1797  and  settled  in  Horse 
Prairie,  west  of  Red  Bud.  There  his  wife  and  two  children 
died.    In   1800   he   married    Catherine   Stroud    and    settled 


-63- 


on  the  bluff  south  of  Waterloo.  But  in  1804  he  moved  to 
th«  neiPhbcrhood  of  the  other  Badgleys.  near  O'FaUon. 
He  served  in  the  War  of  1812.  In  1830  he  was  chosen  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace,  and  afterwards  reelected.  He  and  his 
son.  Adam,  hauled  the  first  soods  from  Belleville  tc 
Springfield  for  Governor  Edwards.  It  was  in  winter  and 
they  were  oblieed  to  sleep  out  on  the  prairie  and  came 
near  aerishinS  with  cold  and  exposure.  He  died  in  18d8 
at  the  age  of  eighty-five.  Kis  three  sons,  Elijah.  Adam, 
and   Strander    all    lived    to    a    good    old    age    in    St.    Clair 

County. 

Aaron  Badgleys  four  brothers.  Ichabod,  David,  Job, 
and  Abraham,  all  sons  of  Rev.  David  Badaley,  were  among 
the  early  pioneers  of  the  Illinois  countrv.  Ichabod  lived 
on  a  farm  and  served  as  Justice  of  the  Peace;  David  was 
killed  bv  accident  while  riding  horse  back:  Job  built  an 
ox  mill  near  Unity  Church;  and  Abraham  repeatedly  hela 
the    office    of    Assessor.    Treasurer,    and    County    Commis 

sioner.  . 

Mr.  Lee  Badgiey,  a  great  great  grandson  of  David 
Badgley,  is  now  a  resident  of  O'Fallon.  In  his  youth  he 
Uved  in  the  original  home  of  his  ancest-r.  although  it 
had  been  remodeled  and  changed- to  modernize  it.  He 
married  Miss  Christine  Schachner  and  they  have  two 
daughters,  Virginia  and  JUldred  who  reside  with  their 
parents   in   O'Fallon. 

DR.  O.  C  BATES 

Dr.  O.  C.  Bates,  a  native  of  Belleville,  v/as  born  in 
1844.  He  attended  the  pubUc  schools  in  that  city  and  later 
was  a  student  at  Antioch  College  in  Ohio,  and  a  medical 
student  in  Ohio.  Later  he  entered  the  St.  Louis  College 
of  Medicine  and  upon  graduation  began  the  practice  of 
his  profession  in  O'Fallon  in  1865.  He  achieved  great 
success  as  a  pnysician.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of 
the  St.  Clair  County  Medical  Society.  He  gave  much  at- 
tention to  scientific  research  and  surgical  procedure  and 
was  recognized  as  one  of  the  foremost  physicians  in  St. 
Clair  Coimty.  He  opened  the  first  prescripUon  drug  store 
in    O'Fallon. 


DR.  H.  T.  BECHTOLD 

Dr.  Herman  T.  Bechtold  was  born  in  Belleville  on 
November  10,  1853.  His  parents.  Fred  and  Eugenia  Bech- 
told,  came  from  Germany  to  the  United  States  in  1849. 
The  family  Uved  for  a  short  time  in  New  York,  then  came 
to  Illinois  and  located  in  Belleville.  Dr.  Bechtold  received 
his  preliminary  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Belle- 
ville and  his  professional  training  in  St.  Louis.  He  grad- 
uated from  the  St.  Louis  School  of  Pharmacy  in  1875  and 
was  in  the  drug  business  until  1877.  In  1880  he  graduated 
from  the  Missouri  Medical  College  and  began  the  practice 
of   medicine   in   O'Fallon   that   same   year. 

Dr.  Bechtold  was  a  man  of  great  personal  worth  and 
was  highly  esteemed  in  the  community.  His  forceful  per- 
sonality, his  knowledge  of  the  theory  and  practice  of 
medicine,  his  practical  ideas  regarding  education,  and  his 
capacity  for  financial  matters  secured  for  liim  a  place 
among  the  foremost  citizens  of  the  city.  He  was  Vice 
President  and  Director  of  the  First  National  Bank:  served 
a  number  of  years  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion, three  terms  as  President;   and  for  four  years  was  a 


Trustee  of  McKendree  College  at  Lebanon.  He  was  a 
valued  member  of  the  St.  Clair  County  Medical  Society. 

Dr.  Bechtold  was  twice  married.  On  September  3. 
1883,  he  married  Miss  Kate  Pfeffer  of  Lebanon  who  died 
in  1904.  In  1910  he  married  his  brother  Adolph's  widow. 
Mrs.   Ella  Merck  Bechtold. 

Dr.  Bechtold's  step-son,  William,  is  an  O'Fallon  resi- 
dent. He  married  Dosia  Men^  of  Belleville.  Their  daugh- 
ter. Doris,  and  her  husband,  William  Schwarz,  are  also 
O'Fallon  residents.  Their  son.  Dr.  W.  G.  Bechtold.  grew 
to  adulthood  in  O'Fallon  but  now  lives  in  Decatur  where 
he  practices  Dentistry.  Dr.  H.  T.  Bechtold's  step-daugh- 
ter, Margaret,  married  Clarence  Crosby  and  lives  in 
Festus,   Missouri. 


WALTER  BEEDLE 

For  many  years,  a  familiar  and  pleasant  figure  on  the 
streets  of  O'Fallon  was  that  of  Walter  Beedle.  He  endeared 
himself  to  the  people  by  his  many  kind  and  helpful  acts 
of  friendship.  Many  were  the  jokes  he  tcld  and  pr.inks 
he  participated  in  at  the  Schalter  Barber  Shop. 

Mr.  Beedle  was  born  in  1857  on  a  farm  about  four 
miles  west  of  O'Fallon.  His  ancestors  were  early  settlers 
in  this  vicinity.  His  grandfather.  Joseph  Beedle,  came 
from  Ohio  to  Ridge  Prairie  about  1812  and  settled  on  a 
fann  on  the  old  Vincennes  and  St.  Louis  Road  (now  Route 
50>.  Walter  Beedle  was  the  son  of  Franklin  and  Rebecca 
Wastfield  Beedle.  He  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm 
but  came  to  O'Fallon  early  in  life. 

Walter  Beedle  in  lf!34  married  Cynthia  Begole,  a 
daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth  Porter  Begole,  a  great 
granddaughter   of   Captain   Joseph   Ogle. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beedle  had  three  children.  Their  son, 
Ralph,  resides  in  Kansas  City.  Their  daughter,  Mary 
Gertrude,  married  Joseph  Snodgrass  who  later  became 
Superintendent  of  Schools  of  Collinsville.  Another  .son, 
William,  married  Mary  Ball  of  Litchfield  and  are  the 
parents  of  William  Holden  of  motion  picture  fame.  Mr. 
Beedle  died  in  1942.  His  wife  preceded  him  in  death 
many   years    earlier. 


WARREN  BEEDLE 


Warren  Beedle  came  from  Ohio  to  Ridge  Prairie  pre- 
cinct in  1818  and  bought  a  large  tract  of  land.  He  was 
well  educated,  liberal,  wealthy  and  highly  esteemed  by 
all  who  knew  him.  Mr.  Beedle  was  one  of  the  group  who 
helped  maintain  the  Bethel  Church.  His  wife  was  Mary 
Hunter.  They  had  several  children.  Their  daughter. 
Katherine,  married  Oliver  Look  of  Collinsville;  a  son. 
Lycm-gus,  married  Susan  Begole.  daughter  of  William 
Begole;  another  son.  Samuel,  married  Ellen  Bowler  and 
continued  to  live  on  his  father's  farm.  His  son,  Samuel 
II.  is  still  farming  in  that  vicinity.  Samuel  II's  son, 
Loring.  a  great  grandson  of  Warren  Beedle.  is  presently 
a  teacher  in  the  O'Fallon  Grade  Schools. 


WILLIAM  BEGOLE 


William  Rivers  Begole  was  born  in  Ridge  Prairie  in 
1824.  He  was  the  son  of  Joshua  and  Mary  Begole.  All  his 
life  was  spent  in  Ridge  Prairie.  He  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  was  among  the  best  known  farmers  of  this  county. 
He   was   thrifty,   prosperous,   and   bought   much   land  that 


-64- 


each  of  his  children  might  have  a  farm.  For  a  period  of 
about  forty  years,  he  was  an  active  member  of  the  Bethel 
Baptist  Church  and  by  his  earnest  and  Christian  life 
proved  himself  to  be  a  consistent  member  of  that  faith. 
He  held  various  public  offices.  At  the  time  of  his  death 
he  was  a  member  of  the  County  Board  of  Supervisors,  a 
position  he  had  held  from  the  time  of  the  adoption  of 
township   oruanization. 

In  1848,  William  Begole  married  Elizabeth  Porter, 
great,  granddaughter  of  Ridge  Prairie's  first  settler,  Cap- 
tain Joseph  Ogle.  They  had  eleven  children,  one  child 
died  in  infancy.  The  other  ten  children  have  been  closely 
associated  with  the  history  of  O'Fallon.  Mary,  married 
Horace  Simmons  and  lived  in  O'Fallon  the  remaining 
years  of  her  life  as  did.  Cynthia,  who  married  Walter 
Beedle,  and  Laura,  who  became  the  wife  of  Dr.  John  B. 
Scruggs.  The  other  daughters  married  men  of  this  vicinity 
and   lived   near      O'Fallon. 

A  son,  Henry,  left  O'Fallon  and  located  in  Belleville 
in  1891.  He  was  prominent  in  politics.  He  served  as 
County  Treasurer  and  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate. 

Some  years  after  Mr.  Begole's  death  in  1887,  Mrs. 
Begole  and  her  daughter,  Cora,  left  the  farm  and  made 
their  home  in  O'Falloh.  Later  Cora  Bcgolc  married  Oliver 
Darrow.    All   are   now   deceased. 

Mrs.  Ines  Scruggs  Rea,  wife  of  Elsworth  Rea,  is  the 
only  member  of  this  prominent  family  now  living  in 
O'Fallon.  She  may  well  feel  pride  in  her  ancestry  and 
has  in  her  possession  the  Coat  of  Arms  of  her  great-great- 
great-grandfather,  Captain  Joseph  Ogle. 


AUGUST  BEHRENS 


No  village  ever  grew  or  prospered  without  a  village 
blacksmith  shop.  The  smith  of  the  story  is  usually  a  man 
of  great  strength,  good  humor,  and  tireless  energy.  Such 
a  man  was  August  Behrens  who  came  to  O'Fallon  in  1874 
to  open  a  blacksmith  shop.  Mr.  Behrens  was  born  at  Old- 
enburg. Germany  on  February  19.  1848  and  came  to  this 
country  in  1869.  His  parents  were  Johann  and  Elizabeth 
Behrens.  He  received  a  good  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Oldenburg  and  spent  three  years  learning  the 
blacksmith  trade.  When  he  came  to  this  country,  he  went 
to  Milwaukee  where  he  lived  for  a  short  time  before 
moving  to  St.  Louis.  He  soon  became  tired  of  working 
for  other  people  and  looked  around  for  a  good  location 
to  open  a  shop  of  his  own  and  decided  that  O'Fallon  of- 
fered good  opportunities.  His  work  was  good  and  his  shop 
prospered.  The  shop  was  well  patronized  by  the  farmers 
and  townspeople. 

Mr.  Behrens  was  twice  married,  first  to  Louise  Kloess, 
and  after  her  demise  to  Mary  Eadel.  He  had  five  chil- 
dren, William,  Gustav,  Otto.  Anna,  and  Mary  Behrens. 
Miss  Mary  Behrens  is  the  only  living  member  of  the 
family.  She  still  resides  in  O'Fallon.  Also  residents  of 
O'Fallon  are  two  grandchildren,  Charles  Schuetz  and 
Margaret  Schuetz  Yaeger.  children  of  Anna  Behrens 
Schuetz. 


MICHAEL  BERNHARDT 

Michael  and  Mary  Bernhardt,  natives  of  Germany, 
were  among  the  early  settlers  of  O'Fallon.  For  a  number 
of   years   they   conducted   one   of   the   best   hotels   in    this 


locality,  the  St.  Clair  House.  The  St.  Clair  House,  hotel 
and  tavern,  was  located  at  108  East  State  Street.  Mr. 
Bernhardt  ran  the  O'Fallon  and  Belleville  hack  and  car- 
ried the  mail  for  O'Fallon  and  Shiloh  to  and  from  Belle- 
ville. Two  sons,  Jacob  and  Henry,  were  born  in  O'Fallon. 
Jacob  Bernhardt  was  born  in  1865.  Jacob  found  early 
employment  in  the  mines  but  later  was  employed  by  the 
Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad.  In  1889  he  purchased  the 
Richland  Hotel  (corner  First  and  Oak  Streets)  which  he 
operated  for  a  tuimber  of  years.  Mr.  Bernhardt  was  the 
first  president  of  the  Coal  Miners'  Local  Union,  No.  705. 
In  1899  he  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Greiner  of  Alma  and 
to  this  union  four  children  were  born:  Mattie,  Peter,  Ern- 
est, and  William. 

Henry  Bernhardt  was  born  in  1871.  Henry  early  es- 
tablished a  business  for  himself  opening  a  livery  stable 
which  was  very  popular  and  well  patronized.  He  conducted 
this  business  for  about  twenty  years  and  then  became 
express  agent  for  the  Interurban  Railway  and  distributor 
for  the  Central  Brewing  Company.  Mr.  Bernhardt  mar- 
ried in  1896  Miss  Julia  Roberts  of  O'Fallon.  The  Bern- 
hardts  had  seven  children:  Minnie.  Maude,  Hazel,  Mayme. 
Henry,  Paul,  and  Allen.  Of  their  seven  children,  Mayme 
(Mrs.  Albert  Schobcrt)  and  Allen,  live  in  O'Fallon.  Mrs. 
Julia  Bernhardt  still  resides  in  the  old  homeplace  on  East 
Washington. 


GUSTAV  BUDINA 

Three  generations  of  building  contractors  are  found 
in  the  Budina  family.  Gustav  Budina,  born  in  Saxony, 
came  to  this  country  when  he  was  seven  years  of  age, 
and  located  in  O'Fallon  with  his  family.  He  entered  the 
lumber  business  with  F.  O.  Tiedemann,  brother-in-law  of 
Charles  A.  Tiedemann,  and  married  Sophie,  sister  of  F.  O. 
Tiedemann.  After  the  death  of  Mr.  Tiedemann,  he  car- 
ried on  the  lumber  business  for  a  time  and  later  entered 
into    the   general   contracting   business. 

Three  of  his  sons,  all  born  in  O'Fallon  and  life  long 
residents,  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  from  their  father. 
Fred,  wjio  married  Corinno  Berry,  continued  the  carpenter 
trade  until  retirement  a  few  years  ago.  Ernest  followed 
the  trade  of  carpentry  until  1907  when  he  engaged  in  the 
bakery  business  for  a  time  after  which  he  returned  to 
his  trade.  Ernest  married  Katherine  Bender  (now  de- 
ceased! and  their  daughter,  Ernestine,  is  a  teacher  in  the 
CoUinsville  schools.  Gustav  followed  his  father  in  the 
contracting  business.  He  has  erected  many  homes  and 
numerous  commercial  buildings  which  are  a  credit  to 
his  workmanship.  He  has  been  a  city  alderman  since  1947 
to  the  present.  Ih-  married  Julia  Hemmer  (now  deceased) 
and  they  have  three  children.  Lulrene.  Jenvicve,  and 
Gustave.  Gustave  is  following  the  vocation  of  his  father  and 
grandfather  and  is  carrying  on  his  contracting  business 
in  the  efficient  Irndilion  of  the  Budina  family.  He  married 
Evelyn   Muck  and   they  reside  in   O'Fallon. 

The  Budina  family  a.s  contiactors  have  ever  striven 
to  prove  their  efficiency  by  giving  high  quality  workman- 
ship. 


LIONEL  R.  CARTIER 


The  story  of  the  life  of  Lionel  R.  Cartier  is  of  interest 
to  the  world,  but  of  special  interest  to  O'Fallon  since  "it 


-^5- 


happened  here."  He  was  born  in  Adams,  Massachusetts 
in  1899  of  French  Canadian  parentage.  His  parents.  Ed- 
ward and  Pamelia  Cartier,  moved  from  Montreal,  Canada 
to   the    United    States   in    1890. 

Young  Lionel  Cartier  graduated  from  the  High  School 
at  Willimantic,  Connecticut.  He  took  special  training  in 
chemical  engineering,  devoting  intense  study  to  the  field 
of  industrial  gas  production,  particularly  the  production 
of   oxygen   and   acetylene. 

At  age  nineteen,  he  entered  military  service  with 
World  War  I.  After  the  war,  he  entered  government 
service  in  the  capacity  of  gas  engineer  at  Scott  Field  (now 
Scott  Air  Force  Base)  and  served  for  seventeen  years  as 
chief  engineer  at  the  gas  plant  there.  During  this  time 
Mr.  Cartier  showed  amazing  aptitude  in  mastering  the 
details  of  gas  production  and  started  a  small  business  in 
O"  Fallon  which  at  that  time  was  known  as  the  C&R 
Engineering  Co.  He  was  the  inventor  of  a  number  of  im- 
provements in  the  manufacturing  and  processing  of  acety- 
lene cylinders.  His  work  soon  attracted  nation  wide  at- 
tention and  the  business  expanded  until  in  March  1937 
the  present  corporation.  The  Independent  Engineering 
Company    (of  which  he  became  president),  was  formed. 

In  1939,  Mr.  Cartier  served  as  chief  engineer  in  the 
designing  and  building  of  the  first  portable  helium  puri- 
fication unit  ever  made.  This  proved  to  be  so  successful 
that  the  Army  Air  Corps  immediately  ,placed  orders  for 
a  number  of  these  units.  In  June  1941,  prior  to  the  onset 
of  World  War  II,  Mr.  Cartier  was  requested  to  design  and 
build  a  portable  generator.  Other  large  industrial  gas 
companies  in  the  U.  S.  said  such  a  unit  was  impossible  to 
build.  In  January  1942,  immediately  after  Pearl  Harbor, 
the  first  portable  oxygen  generator  was  delivered.  So 
successful  did  this  prove  that  the  government  immediately 
called  for  many  more  of  these  plants  and  the  company, 
in  order  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  government,  expanded 
their  facilities  greatly,  taking  over  and  improving  the 
entire  plant  formerly  occupied  by  the  Eureka  Products 
Corporation. 

In  addition  to  the  manufacturing  of  oxygen  a  tre- 
mendous demand  was  made  on  the  company  for  acetylene 
cylinders  during  the  war  and  in  every  case  the  government 
requirements  were  met.  A  school  for  the  training  of 
soldiers  was  established  at  the  company  plant  and  soon 
trained  personnel  were  going  from  the  Independent  En- 
gineering Company  to  every  fighting  front.  Four  times 
the  government  recognized  the  outstanding  work  of  the 
company  by  awarding  the  Army-Navy  "E"  to  the  company 
and  its  employees.  A  special  citation  was  given  to  the 
Bertram  School  of  Gases  for  their  marked  contribution 
to  the  war  effort.  Mr.  Cartier's  achievements  were  further 
recognized  by  the  government  when  he  was  selected  as 
one  of  twelve  American  industrialists  to  assist  the  Navy 
on  its  special  mission  "Operations  Frostbite"  in  March 
1946.  Mr.  Cartier  was  frequently  called  as  a  consultant 
by    the    U.    S.    Government. 

Mr.  Cartier  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors 
of  the  following  companies:  Trinity  Oxygen  Co.  of  Fort 
Worth,  Texas,  Bird  Gas  Corporation  of  Detroit.  Michigan, 
Steele  Gases,  Inc.,  of  Chicago,  Illinois,  Cia  Production 
ele  Oxigeno,  Monterey,  Mexico,  and  International  Acety- 
lene Association.  In  addition  he  was  secretary  of  the 
American  Carbide  and   Chemical  Corporation   of  Arkansas 


City.  Kansas. 

Mr.  Cartier  did  not  permit  his  numerous  business 
duties  to  prevent  him  frcm  taking  an  active  part  in  the 
civic  life  of  the  community.  He  was  a  past  president  of 
the  Rotary  Club  which  he  represented  at  the  International 
Convention  in  Rio  dc  Janeiro  in  May  1948.  He  was  a  past 
adjutant  of  Post  No.  137  of  the  American  Legion  and  was 
the  first  president  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  re- 
mained active  in  its  work  until  his  death.  He  was  the  first 
president  of  the  City  Park  Board.  He  made  numerous 
contributions  to  the  Community  Park  and  the  creation 
and  maintenance  of  the  park  became  one  of  his  most 
cherished   projects. 

Mr.  Cartier  died  in  1948.  His  wife,  Mi-s.  Effie  Mae 
Cartier,  died  in  19.51.  Through  Mrs.  Cartier's  will,  a  trust 
fund  was  created  for  O'Fallon  Township  High  School 
graduates  and  a   recreation   fund  for  Community  Park. 


META  OCHS  CROSBY 

Mrs.  Meta  Ochs  Crosby  represents  two  much  esteemed 
families  of  this  vicinity.  Her  father,  Rudolph  Ochs,  was 
supervisor  of  O'Fallon  Township  from  about  1906  until 
his  death  in  1925.  He  married  Emily  Blanck  of  Lebanon. 
Rudolph  Ochs'  father,  Johann  Ochs,  born  in  1804  in  Alsace, 
came  with  his  wife  and  son,  George,  to  this  community 
about  1835.  Because  of  his  artistic  tendencies,  he  chose  a 
scenic  farm  with  hills,  valleys,  and  winding  stream.  He 
was  an  artist,  musician,  and  lover  of  French  literature. 
He  was  known  to  have  walked  to  St.  Louis  to  sell  some 
of  his  pictures.  He  painted  a  portrait  of  Rev.  John  M. 
Peck  for  which  he  received  a  shot  gun  and  some  other 
articles  in  payment.  He  made  a  self  portrait  by  sitting  in 
front  of  a  mirror.  This  portrait  and  one  of  his  wife  are 
now  in  possession  of  Mrs.  Crosby.  He  died  in  1879.  Mrs. 
Crosby  is  the  only  living  member  of  the  Rudolph  Ochs' 
immediate  family.  She  with  his  granddaughter,  Mrs. 
Lucille  Braun,  and  great  granddaughter.  Miss  Carol  Koeh- 
ler,  are  residents  of  O'Fallon. 

Mrs.  Crosby's  husband,  "Ned,"  was  the  grandson  of 
Thomas  Crosby  who  came  to  this  country  from  England 
in  1844  and  to  this  community  in  1852.  Thomas  Crosby 
started  a  nursery  on  the  old  Vincennes  and  St.  Louis  Road 
(now  Route  No.  50)  about  two  miles  east  of  O'Fallon.  His 
farm  adjoined  the  Ochs  farm.  When  Mr.  Crosby  died 
in  1880,  his  son,  George,  operated  the  business.  George 
Crosby  continued  the  business  until  an  advanced  age 
when    he    retired    and    moved   to    O'Fallon. 

Mr.  Crosby  was  fond  of  debating  and  often  took  part 
in  this  form  of  entertaininent  in  the  literary  societies  of 
Ehiloh,  Rock  Springs  and  O'Fallon.  He  was  also  a  noted 
shot  as  were  his  sons,  Will,  Ned,  and  Tom.  Mr.  Crosby 
was  instrumental  in  the  organizing  of  the  Shiloh  'Valley 
Gun  Club  and  became  the  first  president  of  that  body, 
an  office  held  later  by  his  sons,  Ned  and  Tom.  Will  be- 
came champion  shot  of  the  United  States  and  later  of 
the  world  by  defeating  all  contestants.  Mr.  Crosby's  old- 
est daughter,  Sarah,  (Mrs.  Ed.  Redhan)  and  his  youngest 
daughter,  Viola,  (Mrs.  George  Moore)  are  the  only  living 
members  of  his  family.  Mrs.  Viola  Moore  is  a  resident 
of   O'Fallon. 


-66- 


REV.   ZADOC   DARROW 

Rev.  Zadoc  Darrow,  a  Daplisl  minisli-r.  came  from 
Connecticut  at  an  early  date  and  settled  about  two  miles 
east  of  O'Fallon  in  1817.  He  and  his  sons  obtained  land 
through   government   grants. 

Besides  farming  and  preaching  he  followed  his  trade 
as  a  carpenter.  He  was  zealously  devoted  to  the  interests 
of  the  Baptist  Church  and  preached  somewhere  every 
Sabbath.  He  frequently  held  services  at  Rock  Springs 
Seminary  founded  by  Rev.  John  M.  Peck  in  1827.  His 
grandsons  helped  to  organize  the  Oak  Hill  Baptist  Church. 
He  died  in  lfA9  at  the  home  of  his  daughter.  Mrs.  Horace 
Look,   in   CoUinsville,    Illinois.  ■ 

Rev.  Darrow  had  two  ."^ons.  Lemuel  and  Charles,  who 
farmed  this  land  cast  of  O'Fallon.  Lemuel  died  in  18.58. 
Lemuel  was  the  father  of  C.  H.  Darrow.  a  business  man 
of  O'Fallon,  and  Julia  who  married  George  C.  Magee. 
Rev.  Darrow's  second  son,  Charles,  married  Sarah  Peach 
and  they  had  six  children.  Lucinda,  George  Washington, 
William  Augustus,  Lucy,  Mary,  and  Charles  Brown  Dar- 
row. 

Lucinda  Darrow  married  Charles  Bridges.  Their  son. 
Leonard,  was  conductor  of  the  O'Fallon  Band  for  many 
years.  George  Washington  Darrow  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing near  Van  Court's  mine.  He  devoted  much  time  and 
energy  to  church  work  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  O'Fallon  Baptist  Church.  His  daughter,  Alice,  married 
Sherman  Miller  and  lived  in  O'Fallon  until  her  death  at 
the  ajc  of  ninety-one  years.  Another  daughter,  Lutie, 
married  Frank  Wade,  a  teacher  in  the  O'Fallon  Schools. 
William  Augustus  Darrow  was  a  successful  farmer  and 
liberal  contributor  to  the  Oak  Hill  Baptist  Church.  He 
married  Melvina  Simmons.  They  had  three  children. 
Elijah,  George,  and  Lora  Darrow.  Charles  Brown  Darrow 
continued  to  live  on  the  old  homestead  and  upon  retiring 
moved  to  East  St.  Louis.  His  son,  Oliver,  spent  most  of 
his  life  in  O'Fallon.  Oliver  was  an  electrical  worker.  He 
married  Maude  Umbarger  and  their  daughter,  Olive,  was 
a  teacher  in  the  local  schools.  Oliver's  second  marriage 
was  to  Cora  Begolo.  daughter  of  William  Begole.  They 
were   ardent   workers   in    the   Baptist   Church. 

Parts  of  the  original  Darrow  land  are  now  owned  by 
three  of  Zadoc  Darrow's  great  grandchildren.  George,  son 
of  Elijah  Darrow,  Arthur  Magee,  and  Carrie  Magee  Tiche- 
nor,  children  of  Julia  Darrow  Magee.  The  original  home 
site   is   owned    by    Mr.    Eugene   Reno. 


JOHN  AND  SARAH  DISTLER 

In  the  year  1849  John  Distler  and  several  young  men 
from  Germany  emigrated  to  America.  They  came  by 
sail-boat  to  New  Orleans,  and  up  the  Mississippi  River 
to  lUinoistown  (now  known  as  East  St.  Louis).  Mr.  Distler 
first  located  in  the  High  Prairie  Settlement  just  south  of 
Belleville.  There  he  met  and  married  Sarah  Powell, 
daughter  of  Constance  and  Mary  Lyons  Powell.  The 
Powell  family  had  come  from  Montgomery  County,  Ten- 
nessee in  1839. 

Soon  after  the  Distler  marriage  they  and  the  Powell 
family  moved  to  Ridge  Prairie  and  settled  in  the  Badgley 
Settlement.  After  the  birth  of  their  first  child  in  1851. 
John  and  Sarah   Distler  along  with  several  other  German 


families  settled  in  O'Fallon.  Mr.  Distler  came  to  0'F"allon 
to  do  teaming  in  connection  with  preparing  the  road  bed 
for  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Railroad  which  was  being 
conjtructed  through  O  Tallon  Precinit.  Mr.  Powell  owned 
an  ox  team.  He  joined  his  son-in-law  in  O'Fallon  and  he 
and  Mr.  Distler  hauled  material  and  supplies  for  the 
railroad.  Whe;i  the  railroad  was  completed,  Mrs.  Distler 
was  one  of  the  passengers  on  the  first  train  to  take  the 
trip   to   the   terminal   at    lUinoistown. 

Later  John  Distler  and  his  sons  hauled  for  the  Ticde- 
mann  Milling  Company  and  the  Wachter  Brick  Cpmpany. 
Much  of  the  hauling  was  to  transport  materials  to  and 
from  St.  Louis.  The  Mississippi  River  was  crossed  over 
by  ferry  boats.  Often  the  river  was  filled  with  floating 
ice  and  this  caused  long  and  tiresome  delays.  Mr.  Distler 
was  known  to  have  driven  his  team  across  the  river  on 
the   ice. 

The  Distlers  lived  in  the  first  house  built  in  O'Fallon. 
It  was  built  of  logs  and  was  located  half  way  beUveen  the 
site  of  the  present  mill  and  the  Illinois  Terminal  tracks. 
In  this  house  on  August  24,  1855  their  first  son.  James, 
was  born.  James  Distler  was  the  first  boy  born  in  the 
village  of  O'Fallon.  In  1868,  the  Distlers  built  a  home  just 
west  of  the  Methodist  Church.  This  home  at  115  West 
Fourth  Street  is  still  occupied  by  descendants  of  the  fam- 
ly.  Mrs.  Sarah  Distler,  the  last  original  settler  of  O'Fallon, 
passed  away  December  29,  1908.  The  last  of  her  eight 
children,  Frank  Distler,  passed  away  on  June  21,  1946. 
There  are  numerous  Distler  descendants  still  living  in  or 
near   O'Fallon. 

The  Distler's  eldest  daughter.  Mary,  married  William 
Boggy.  Their  only  child,  Nellie,  became  the  wife  of 
Harry  Alexander.  Their  son.  V.  Ray  Alexander,  lives  in 
St.   Louis.  Missouri. 

James  and  Caroline  Mertcns  Distler  had  thirteen 
children  and  twelve  of  these  children  lived  to  help  cele- 
brate their  parent's  golden  wedding  anniversary  in  1928. 
Six  daughters  and  three  sons  are  still  living.  They  are 
Maud,  Elizabeth,  and  James  Distler  of  O'Fallon,  Lutie 
Streck,  Elsie  Mojcr.  and  Ralph  Distler  of  Belleville.  Inez 
Plassmann  of  Centralia,  Margaret  Gassmann  of  Affton, 
Missouri,  and  Peter  Distler  of  St.  Louis.  Missouri. 

Sella  Distler  first  married  Henry  Owens.  The  only 
living  survivor  of  that  union  is  a  grandson.  Carl  Owens. 
Sella  later  married  Henderson  Albert.  Mrs.  Maymc  Bent- 
ley,  a  daughter  survives.  Carl  Owens  and  Mayme  BitiIIcv 
are    both    residents   of   O'Fallon. 

Emma  Distler  married  Henry  Schildknecht.  Seven  of 
their  eight  children  are  still  living.  The  eldest  daughter. 
Essie,  recently  passed  away.  Philip,  Charles.  Maud.  Kate, 
and  Olivia  SchiUlkiucht  live  in  O'Fallon;  Claude  Schild- 
knecht lives  in  CoUinsville.  and  Mary  Bertram  in  Sparta, 
Illinois. 

Nora  Distler  married  John  Carroll  of  Vandalia.  Illi- 
nois. Their  eldest  son.  John,  pa.ssed  away  a  few  years 
ago.  Chailcs  C.  and  Nellie  M.  Carroll,  and  Frances  V. 
Mcinkoth  live  in  O'Fallon.  and  Florence  A.  Seppi  resides 
in  East  St.  Louis,   Illinois. 

Charles  Distler  married  Mabel  Parker.  Their  children 
are  Clarence.  Charles,  Glenn.  Raymond.  Donald,  and  Russ- 
ell Distler  of  O'Fallon.  Nellie  May  Gauss  of  Shiloh.  and 
Florence  Lee   Waters  of   Phoenix.   Arizona. 

Two  sons.  Frank  and  John  Distler.  left  no  d..scin,I.Tn;>; 


-67- 


WILLIAM   R.  DORRIS 


LOUIS  F.  FISCHER 


Alter  holding  a  number  of  responsible  positions  in 
the  teaching  profession  including  the  superintendency  of 
the  schools  at  Okawville,  William  R.  Dorris  came  to 
O'Fallon  as  superintendent  of  the  local  schools  in  1899. 
In  1903  he  gave  lAp  the  teaching  profession  and  became 
assocjated  with  the  First  National  Bank  of  O'Fallon,  serv- 
ing as  cashier  and  director  of  that  institution  at  its  found- 
ing. He  is  now  president  of  the  bank,  a  position  he  has 
held  lor  fifteen  years. 

Mr.  Dorris  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Greencastle, 
Missouri  in  1873,  a  son  of  August  and  Harriet  Dorris.  His 
father  died  in  1874  and  the  family  returned  to  Okawville, 
Illinois,  their  former  home.  After  receiving  his  early 
education  in  Okawville,  his  mother  moved  to  Lebanon 
where  William  attended  McKendree  College  graduating 
from  that  institution  in  1S94.  He  also  attended  the  Uni- 
versity   of    Illinois. 

In  1898  he  was  married  to  Alice  Louden  at  Lebanon. 
Mrs.  Dorris  passed  away  in  1954. 

Since  coming  to  O'Fallon,  Mr.  Dorris  has  always  been 
prominent  in  civic  affairs.  He  helped  to  organize  the 
Commercial  Club  (forerunner  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce) and  was  its  first  president.  He  served  as  director 
and  secretary  of  the  Building  and  Loan  Association  for 
many  years.  He  also  served  as  president  and  member  of 
the    Board   of   Education. 

He  has  also  been  prominent  in  banking  circles.  He 
was  president  and  treasurer  of  the  Illinois  Bankers'  Asso- 
ciation and  served  two  terms  as  president  of  tlie  St.  Clair 
County  Bankers'  Federation.  He  is  a  member  of  the  St. 
Louis   Chapter   of   the   American  Institute   of  Banking. 


ECKERT  FAMILY 

Two  of  our  most  enterpris'ng  young  business  men  of 
O'Fallon  are  Mose  and  Willford  Eckert.  Mose  is  engaged 
in  the  insurance  and  real  estate  business.  His  accommo- 
dating and  Irelpful  attitude  has  made  for  him  many 
friends. 

Willford  is  the  local  distributor  for  O'Fallon  Quality 
Dairy.  His  cheerfulness  and  amiable  manner  has  found 
for  him  a  warm  place  in  the  hearts  of  liis  customers  and 
many  friends.  Both  of  these  men  Irave  a  keen  interest  in 
the   progress    of    O'Fallon. 

Their  grandfather,  George  Eckert,  came  from  Columbia, 
Illinois  and  for  awhile  lived  on  a  fann  south  of  O'Fallon 
where  their  father,  William,  was  born.  George  Eckert 
worked  at  the  Tiedemann  mill  for  many  years.  William 
Eckert  also  worked  at  the  mill  and  for  fifty  years  was 
engaged  in  mining.  He  is  now  retired  and  lives  in  O'Fal- 
lon. 

William  Eckert's  two  daughters  have  also  made  a 
place  for  themselves  in  the  community.  Frances  is  a 
graduate  of  McKendree  College  and  a  teacher  in  the 
Belleville  Grade  Schools.  Nellie,  a  familiar  figure  in 
Allen's  Store,  held  a  position  there  as  booklveeper  until 
the  store  was  destroyed  by  fire.  She  is  now  employed  in 
Belleville.  Both  she  and  Frances  are  O'Fallon  residents 
living    at    home    with    their    father. 


Louis  F.  Fischer  came  to  O'Fallon  in  1869.  He  was 
born  in  Groessen  Schoenen  near  Hanover  in  Germany  in 
1839.  His  father  was  a  botanist  and  his  grandfather  a 
doctor.  He  received  a  good  education  and  was  conversant 
in  four  languages.  He  came  to  this  country  shortly  before 
the  Civil  War  and  lived  near  Turkey  Hill  with  an  uncle 
by  the  name  of  Fiedler.  He  enlisted  very  early  in  the 
Civil  War  in  the  9th  Illinois  Regiment.  He  served  under 
Sherman  and  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  the  siege 
of  "Vicksburg,  and  other  engagements  in  the  west.  He  had 
attained  the  rank  of  Lieutenant  when  he  was  discharged 
at  the  end  of  the  war.  He  then  got  a  job  working  in  the 
Planters  Hotel  in  St.  Louis.  One  of  his  Civil  War  friends 
from  southeast  Missouri  persuaded  him  to  take  a  job  in 
a  grocery  store.  While  in  Bloomfield.  Missouri,  he  mar- 
ried in  1867  Miss  Laura  Owen,  daughter  of  Judge  R.  P. 
Owen.  The  climate  in  southeast  Missouri  caused  Mr. 
Fischer  to  suffer  with  malaria,  so  he  and  his  bride  settled 
in  St.  Louis  and  he  returned  to  work  at  the  Planters 
Hotel.  There  a  friend  from  O'Fallon,  Mr.  Ernst  Tiede- 
mann. induced  him  to  come  to  O'Fallon  and  work  in  his 
grocery  store.  Mr.  Fischer  worked  in  the  Tiedemann  store 
until  1884,  at  which  time  he  accepted  the  position  of 
Secretar.y  of  the  Charles  Tiedemann  Milling  Co.,  which  he 
continued  to  hold  until  his  retirement  in  1914.  Mr.  Fisch- 
er's wife.  Laura,  died  in  1872  leaving  two  small  children, 
Charles  Owen  and  Louise  Mary  Fischer.  In  November 
1873,  he  married  Miss  Josephine  Engelmann  of  Shiloh 
Valley  and  two  children  were  born  to  this  union,  Louis 
E.   and   Marianna  Fischer. 

Mr.  Fischer  was  a  highly  respected  citizen  of  O'Fallon. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Church,  Masonic 
Lodge,  and  G.A.R.  He  died  in  1918  and  was  buried  in  the 
Engelmann  Cemetery  south  of  Shiloh.  His  two  daughters 
still  stirvive.  Louise  married  George  W.  Lienesch  and  has 
been  a  life  long  resident  of  O'Fallon  and  the  vicinity. 
Marianna  married  Stanley  Black  and  has  lived  in  Bryon 
City,   North  Carolina  for  more  than  fifty  years. 


GEORGE  B.  GIESER 


Mr.  and  Mi-s.  George  B.  Gieser  have  been  residents 
of  O'Fallon  for  thirty-six  years.  For  more  than  fifty-two 
years,  Mr.  Gieser  has  been  engaged  in  the  banking  busi- 
ness. He  served  as  Assistant  Cashier  in  the  First  National 
Bank  at  Pinckneyville,  Illinois  and  Cashier  at  the  First 
TCational  Bank  at  Percy,  Illinois  before  coming  to  O'Fal- 
lon. He  came  to  the  First  National  Bank  at  O'Fallon  as 
Assistant  Cashier  in  1918.  He  was  elected  Cashier  in  1939 
and    'Vice-President    and    Cashier    in    1944. 

Mr.  Gieser  has  been  prominent  in  many  of  the  activi- 
ties of  O'Fallon  and  the  surrounding  area.  He  is  a  charter 
member  of  the  O'Fallon  Rotary  Club  and  attended  every 
meeting  of  the  club  for  twenty-eight  years.  He  served  as 
President  of  the  Rotary  Club  in  1927-28  and  ten  years 
later  became  the  District  Governor  of  Rotary  in  this  area. 
He  has  been  a  director  of  the  O'Fallon  Building  and  Loan 
Association  for  thirty-five  years  and  was  the  secretary 
for  more  than  twenty  years.  He  served  as  president  of 
the  High  School  Board  for  three  terms.  He  served  one 
term  as  president  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce.  For 
fifteen  years   he   was  a   member   of   the   Executive   Board 


-68- 


of  the  Kaskaskia  Area  of  Boy  Scouts.  He  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Baptist  Church  and  serves  as  Treasurer 
of   the   church. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gieser  are  the  parents  of  two  daughters. 
Gertrude  (now  deceased)  married  George  Darrow.  and 
Flcrene  married  Dr.  Herbert  Glenn  and  now  lives  in  Troy, 
Illinois. 

Mr.  Gieser  has  contributed  much  to  the  welfare  and 
growth   of   O'Fallon. 


THOMAS  E.   GREINER 

Thomas  E.  Groiner  is  a  well  known  contractor  in 
O'Fallon.  He  has  built  a  number  of  fine  homes  and  num- 
erous commercial  buildings  in  O'Fallon.  All  display  good 
workmanship  and  have  earned  for  him  an  enviable  repu- 
tation in  the  construction  business.  He  is  the  son  of  Tom 
and  Mary  Titter  Greiner,  also  life  long  residents  of 
O'Fallon.  His  grandfather.  Pete  Greiner,  was  a  native  of 
Alsace-Lorraine  and  came  here  at  an  early  age. 

Thomas  married  Miss  Iva  Puffer  in  1911.  Three  of 
their  children  are  residents  cf  O'Fallon:  Maurice,  a  cabi- 
net maker;  Mary,  wife  of  Vernon  Scheibcl:  and  Tommie 
at  present  in  the  Armed  Service  serving  in   Germany. 


FRANK  J.  HARTMAN 

Frank  J.  Harlman.  born  in  Pilot  Grove,  Missouri  in 
1873,  came  to  O'Fallon  in  1890,  and  took  employment  in 
the  mines  for  ten  years.  In  1900  he  became  engaged  in 
the  liciuor  business  at  Carbon  and  in  1904  with  his  brother. 
John,  as  a  partner,  opened  a  similar  establishment  in 
O'Fallon.  In  1909,  Mr.  Fred  W.  Reaka  bought  a  half  interest 
in  the  business  and  continued  in  the  business  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  In  1908  the  building  at  the  corner  of  First 
and  Oak  Streets  was  enlarged  and  a  large  hall  was  ar- 
ranged on  the  second  floor  (Moonlight  HalU.  This  hall 
besides  being  used  as  a  ball  room  was  used  for  public 
meetings,  carnivals,  poultry  shows,  ba.skotball  games,  and 
many  other  social  events.  Other  facilities  for  entertain- 
ment offered  were  the  bowling  alleys,  pool  tables,  and 
fine   restaurant. 

In  1896.  Mr.  Hartman  married  Katherinc  Reaka  and 
they  had  six  children,  Charles,  Albert,  Walter,  Arthur, 
Raymond,   and    Clara. 

Mr.  Hartman  turned  over  the  O'Fallon  establishment 
in  1929  to  his  son,  Albert,  and  opened  a  similar  business 
in  Troy.  Illinois.  Mr.  Hartman  is  now  retired,  but  his  son, 
Arthur,  and  daughter.  Clara,  still  operate  a  cottage  camp 
and    skating    rink    in   Troy. 

Albert  Hartman  assumed  the  O'Fallon  business  in 
1929.  and  with  the  growing  popularity  of  bowling.  Hart- 
man's  Bowling  Alleys  have  become  a  most  popular  gather- 
ing place.  He  is  a  past  president  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  and  of  the  Rotary  Club.  In  IG.W  he  moved  to 
Hot  Springs.  Arkansas,  but  still  is  owner  of  the  local 
business  operating  through  a  manager.  His  moving  to 
another  city  has  not  lessened  his  interest  in  O'Fallon  and 
his  many  friends  here.  His  wife  is  the  former  Florence 
Scheibcl  and  they  have  one  son,   Donald   Hartman. 


J.  E.  HINCHCLIFFE.  SR. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  Emnietl  Hinchcliffe,  Sr..  have  been 
residents  of  O'Fallon  for  thirty-three  years.  They  came 
to  O'Fallon  in  1921  when  Mr.  Hinchcliffe  was  appointed 
Superintendent  of  the  O'Fallon  Schools.  He  held  this 
position  until  1943  when  he  retired  from  teaching  and 
entered  the  business  world.  At  that  time  he  became  the 
Personnel  Dire;  tor  of  the  Independent  Engineering  Co., 
a    position    he   still   holds. 

Mr.  Hinchcliffe  has  always  been  active  in  civic  af- 
fairs. At  the  present  time  he  is  a  member  of  the  Rotary 
Club,  Secretary  of  the  Homecoming  Association.  Secretary 
of  the  O'Fallon  Centennial.  Inc.,  and  Treasurer  of  the 
City   of   O'Fallon. 

Mr.  Hinchcliffe  has  done  much  to  promote  the  culture 
of  music  in  O' Fallen.  He  is  an  excellent  voice  teacher 
and  has  trained  many  of  the  fine  voices  of  O'Fallon. 
A  number  of  his  students  have  gained  great  honors  in 
the  music  world.  Ho  organized  the  O'Fallon  Choral  Club 
and  serves  as  the  director.  The  O'Fallon  Choral  Club  is 
one  of  the  outstanding  choral  groups  in  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois. 

Mrs.  Hinchcliffe  has  also  made  a  great  contribution 
to  O'Fallon  by  her  participation  in  many  civic  activities. 
She  is  an  active  member  and  Past  President  of  the  'Wo- 
man's Club,  and  the  vice-president  of  the  Woman's  Society 
of  Christian  Service  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hinchcliffe  have  three  children:  J.  E., 
Jr..  Alice,  and  Jane.  Their  son.  J.  E.,  Jr..  has  chosen 
O'Fallon  as  his  place  of  residence.  He  is  employed  by  the 
Southwestern  Bell  Telephone  Company  as  an  ecjuipmcnt 
engineer.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Fire  Department  and  the 
Grade  School  Board  of  Education.  He  married  Miss  Sara 
Mae  Bolbach  and  they  have  two  daughters.  Jean  and  Janet. 


WILLIAM  (BILL)   HOLDEN 

O'Fallon  is  proud  of  its  native  son.  Bill  Holden,  winner 
of  the  best  actor  award  at  the  26th  Academy  Award  cere- 
monies held  on  March  25,  19.'54  in  Hollywood.  Ho  received 
the  "Oscar"  as  the  best  actor  in  19'i3  for  his  work  in 
"Stalag  17". 

Bill,  a  son  of  William  Franklin  and  Mary  Ball  Beedle, 
was  born  in  O'Fallon  on  April  17,  1918  at  319  North 
Cherry  Street.  At  that  time  the  home  was  owned  by  his 
grandfather,  Walter  Beedle,  and  is  now  occupied  by  Mr. 
and   Mrs.  Victor  Logan. 

Bill  Holden's  father,  William  Franklin  Beedle  (quite 
an  athlete  in  his  school  days  and  a  1910  graduate  of  O'Fal- 
lon High  School!  is  a  retired  chemist,  and  his  mother,  the 
former  Mary  Ball  of  Litchfield,  is  a  former  school  teacher. 
His  parents  met  while  b«th  were  students  at  McKcndrec 
College  and  were  married  in  the  Walter  Beedle  family 
residence  here.  They  presently  are  living  in  Los  Angeles. 
California.  His  grandfather.  Walter  Beedle.  was  h  mining 
engineer   at   the   Taylor   Mine. 

Bill  Holden  is  a  direct  descendant  of  the  late  Captain 
Joseph  Ogle,  pioneer  St.  Clair  County  settler,  who  came 
to  the  area  in  the  early  1800's  and  acquired  a  large  tract 
of  land   in   the   Ridge  Prairie  area. 

Bill  is  the  oldest  of  the  Beedle  children.  A  brother, 
Bobby,  also  was  born  in  O'Fallon.    The  family  moved   to 


-69- 


California  when  Bill  was  about  four  years  old.  Bobby 
was  killed  during  World  War  II  while  serving  as  a  Kavy 
Pilot. 

Another   brother,   Richard,   resides  in   California. 

Bill  Holden  has  two  sons  by  his  wife,  Brenda  Mar- 
shall, who  has  a  daughter  by  a  previous  marriage.  They 
are  S:ott  Porter  and  Peter  Wakefield— both  named  after 
prominent    O'Fallon    pioneer   families. 

Bill  made  his  debut  16  years  ago  when  he  was  just 
20  years  old.  Fresh  from  a  job  as  a  parking  lot  attendant, 
a  talent  scout  spotted  him  in  a  small  production  at  the 
Pasadena  Playhouse.  He  was  playing  the  part  of  an  80- 
year-old  man.  Paramount  promptly  signed  him  and  be- 
cause his  name,  William  Beedle,  wasn't  glamorous  enough, 
it  was  changed  to  William  Holden.  Loaned  out  to  Colum- 
bia Studios,  Bill  made  his  big  splash  as  the  prize  fighter 
in,    "Golden    Boy",    his    first   major    film. 

Unlike  most  of  his  contemporaries.  Bill  has  had  only 
one  wife.  He  married  actress  Brenda  Marshall  and  she 
is  now  retired  from  the  movies.  Today  Bill,  his  wife,  and 
their  three  children  live  in  a  fine  home  in  San  Fernando 
Valley. 


resides  in  O'Fallon.  They  were  the  parents  of  Russell  and 
Hortense,  neither  of  whom  live  in  O'Fallon  at  the  present 
time. 


WILLIAM  HOUSAM 

William  Housam  was  born  near  O'Fallon  in  1859,  a 
son  of  Jacob  and  Margaret  Penn  Housam.  After  receiv- 
ing his  early  education  in  the  public  schools,  he  turned 
his  attention  to  the  business  of  engineering  and  was 
employed  for  a  number  of  years  at  the  Taylor  mines  as 
hoisting   engineer. 

Mr.  Housam  took  an  active  part  in  civic  affairs  of 
the  city  and  served  as  alderman  for  eight  years.  He  was 
elected  President  of  the  'Village  Board  in  1902  and  served 
for  two  terms.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Education.    He   died   in    1929. 

In  1881,  Mr.  Housam  married  Mary  Ellen  Dunkerly, 
a  native  of  England.  They  had  three  children,  Mrs.  Jessie 
M.  Behrens,  Oscar  W.  Housam,  and  Mrs.  Edith  M.  Pierce. 
Mrs.  Jessie  M.  Behrens,  and  a  granddaughter,  Mrs.  Dean  M. 
Carson,    are   residents   of   O'Fallon    at   the   present   time. 


BERNETT  JOSEPH 

When  Bernett  Joseph  first  came  to  live  in  O'Fallon 
he  worked  in  the  store  of  Ernst  Tiedemann.  In  1893,  he 
bought  a  half  interest  in  the  hardware  business  of  John 
Gaenteur.  When  Mr.  Gaenteur  died  in  1904,  Mr.  Joseph 
bought  his  interest  in  the  store  from  the  estate.  In  1911, 
he  erected  a  modern  commercial  building  on  East  State 
street  and  conducted  his  business  in  that  building  until 
the   time   of  his   death. 

Mr.  Joseph  was  born  near  O'Fallon  in  1867,  the  son  of 
Sebastian  and  Anna  Stark  Joseph.  He  worked  on  the  farm 
with  his  father  until  he  was  25  years  of  age  when  he  be- 
gan his  business  career  in  O'Fallon.  He  served  as  City 
Treasurer  for  two  years  and  was  also  a  member  of  the 
school  board  for  several  terms.  He  twice  married.  His 
first  wife  was  Elizabeth  Landgraf  whom  he  married  in 
1890.  Their  daughter,  Bernetta,  married  Emil  Bode  and 
their  sons  are  both  residents  of  O'Fallon.  Robert  Bode 
m.arried  Martha  Schildknecht  and  Howard  Bode  married 
Lois   Schaefer. 

Mr.   Joseph's   second   wife    was   Sylvia   Bode   who   still 


OLIVER  C.  JOSEPH 

Born  in  St.  Clair  County  in  1890,  Oliver  C.  Joseph  is 
the  son  of  Frank  and  Elizabeth  ('Voisoni  Joseph,  both 
also  natives  of  the  county.  His  father  was  a  farmer.  Mr. 
Joseph  was  an  outstanding  athlete  in  his  school  days. 
He  began  his  education  in  the  rural  schools  of  St.  Clair 
County  and  was  graduated  from  the  O'Fallon  High  School 
in  1909.  He  inajored  in  science  at  McKendree  College, 
Lebanon,  Illinois,  and  studied  biology  and  public  speaking 
at  the  University  of  Illinois  at  Urbana.  For  six  years  he 
was  an  educator,  four  of  them  as  principal  in  the  schools 
at  Summerfield,   Illinois. 

In  1914,  Mr.  Joseph  married  Irma  M.  Seger,  a  native 
of  St.  Clair  County  and  daughter  of  Fred  and  Mary  Seger. 
Three  children  were  born  to  their  marriage;  Oliver  Dee, 
Elmo  Louis,  and  Norma  (now  Mrs.  Julius  Brown).  The 
younger,  Oliver  Dee  Joseph,  is  a  talented  flutist.  Four 
times  he  has  won  the  Gold  Medal  in  the  Illinois  State 
Sectional  Music  Contest.  In  the  United  States  Merchant 
Marine  in  World  War  II.  he  now  aids  his  father  in  the 
automobile  business.  Elmo  L.  Joseph,  who  is  a  graduate 
of  Washington  University  in  St.  Louis.  Mo.,  was  an  aide 
to  General  Rutledge  in  the  Italian  Campaign  in  World  War 
II,  and  is  now  associated  with  the  Chrysler  Corporation 
as  Regional  Manager  for  the  State  of  Florida  with  head- 
quarters at  Jacksonville,  Florida.  Mrs.  Norma  Brown  is 
associated  with  her  father  in   the  automobile  business. 

In  1914,  Oliver  C.  Joseph  entered  the  automobile 
business.  Having  begun  with  Dodge  Brothers  automobiles, 
he  is  today  the  oldest  Dodge  Brothers  dealer  in  point  of 
service  in  the  state  of  Illinois,  with  offices,  salesrooms, 
and   service   shops   in   Belleville. 

In  19.'52,  Mr.  Joseph  was  honored  by  being  elected 
chairman  of  the  Dodge  Dealer  Advisory  Conference  for 
the  St.  Louis  area.  He  is  also  vice-president  of  the  St. 
Clair  National  Bank  in  Belleville.  At  the  present  time 
he  is  president  and  chairman  of  the  Belleville  Memorial 
Hospital  Organization  that  is  raising  $2,000,000  for  the 
erection  of  a  new  hospital  in  Belleville.  A  persuasive 
public  speaker,  Mr.  Joseph  is  in  constant  demand  at  lunch- 
eons,   banquets    and    other   sessions. 

In  addition  to  his  many  activities,  he  owns  and  op- 
erates several  farms.  He  figured  prominently  in  estab- 
lishing the  first  soil  conservation  district  in  the  state.  At 
the  present  time  he  is  developing  a  wild  life  refuge  on  one 
of  his  farms  and  has  recently  received  four  buffalo  from 
Clark's  Buffalo  Ranch  of  Independence,  Kansas. 


RUDOLPH  C.  KAMPMEYER 

Rudolph  C.  Kampmeyer  was  born  April  16,  1844  in  St. 
Louis.  He  received  a  public  school  and  commercial  college 
education.  He  then  learned  the  trade  of  tinner,  working 
with  his  father  in  St.  Louis.  In  1865  he  came  to  O'Fallon 
and  opened  a  tin  shop.  In  1868  he  added  a  line  of  farm 
implements  and  other  merchandise  to  his  stock,  and  con- 
ducted this  store  until  1887.  At  this  time  he  became  a 
traveling  salesman  for  the  Deering  Harvester  Machinery 
Co.    and   introduced   this   line    of   machinery    to    this   area. 


-70- 


He  retired  from  business  in  1904.  In  1907  he  was  elected 
City  Clerk  and  served  until  1914.  He  also  served  as  Villase 
Clerk  from  1876  to  1879.  Mr.  Kampmeyer  was  married  to 
Laura  Ogle  on  May  10,  1870  and  liiey  had  four  children — 
Ralph  R.,  George  C  Nellie  N.,  and  Bertha  N.  Kampmeyer. 
George  Kampmeyer  continues  to  mako  O  Fa!U>n  h's  home. 

Ralph  Kampmeyer.  now  deceased,  served  as  City  Al- 
derman from  1908  to  1916  and  as  Mayor  from  1921  to  1935. 
As  Mayor  he  was  credited  with  a  number  of  much  needed 
improvements  for  the  city.  He  also  served  as  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Education  for  several  years.  He  had  two 
daughters,  Vera,  who  married  Ralph  Brown  and  now 
lives  in  Caseyville.  and  Estc-Ue.  who  teaches  in  the  0"Fal- 
lon    Public    School. 

George  Kampmeyer  worked  in  the  mines  for  some 
time  before  opening  a  service  station  on  South  Lincoln 
Avenue  which  he  has  operated  for  a  number  of  years. 


DR.  B.  KRAUSE 


KRAUSE  DRUG  STORE 


1873 


Dr.  B.  Krause,  one  of  the  first  physicians  in  O'Fallon, 
was  born  in  Germany  in  1834.  His  education  in  Germany 
was  thorough  and  of  high  quality  After  attending  the 
public  schools  he  was  a  student  in  the  gymnasium  of 
Gmuend  from  1847  to  185).  From  1851  '.u  .S'A.  he  was  an 
apprentice  in  the  pharmacy  at  Lorch.  He  later  studied 
medicine  and  pharmacy  in  the  University  of  Tuebingen 
and  graduated  in  August  1859.  He  came  to  this  country 
in  1859  and  located  in  Lebanon  where  in  1861  he  married 
Henrietta  Elanck.  In  1863  he  located  in  OFallcn.  At  first 
he  followed  his  profession  as  a  physician  but  had  to 
keep  a  supply  of  medicines  to  make  his  own  prescriptions. 
The  town  was  growing  so  fast  a  drug  store  was  a  necessity 
and  he  accordingly  started  one.  In  1873,  he  visited  Europe 
and  upon  his  return  quit  country  practice  and  spent  most 
of  his  time  in  the  drug  store.  His  first  place  of  business 
was  located  in  the  300  block  of  West  First  Street,  but  as 
more  space  was  needed  he  had  a  new  building  erected  in 
1873  at  the  corner  of  State  and  Lincoln  Avenue.  This 
building  has  been  used  as  a  drug  store  for  the  past  81 
years.  Dr.  Krause  was  a  member  of  the  St.  Clair  County 
Medical  Society  and  the  Pharmaceutical  Association  of 
Illinois. 

His  first  wife  having  died.  Dr.  Krause  in  1880  mar- 
ried   Miss    Mary    Henkel    at    St.    Louis.     Dr.    Krause    had 


three  children,  Oscar  and  Estella  by  the  first  marriage  and 
Lola  by  his  second  marriage.  Mrs.  Estella  Munier  and 
Miss  Lola  Krause  are  residents  of  O'Fallon.  Miss  Lola 
Krausi-  livi?;  in  the  old  homestead. 


MARCEL  F.  KUEHN 

Marcel  F.  Kcuhn  was  born  August  3,  1887,  the  son  of 
Frank  and  Margaret  Kuehn.  He  married  Miss  Mary  Meyer 
in  New  Baden,  Illinois  on  February  1.  1910.  They  had 
three  childien;  Marine  PFC  Russell  Kuehn.  killed  Jan- 
uary 28,  1943  on  Guadalcanal;  Stanley,  now  employed  by 
The  Journal.  East  St.  Louis:  and  Kathryn  (Mrs.  Cyril  R. 
Wolf  ersberger) . 

A  native  of  Mascoutah,  Mr.  Kuehn  came  to  O'Fallon 
in  1915  and  became  the  publisher  of  the  O'Fallon  Progress 
on  February  10,  1917.  He  sold  the  newspaper  and  printing 
plant  on  August  31,  19.50  to  Irwin  A.  Yare.  Mr.  Kuehn 
continued  with  the  newspaper  as  mechanical  superintend- 
ent of  the  plant  until  his  death  August  20,  1952.  He  was 
stricken  while  on   duty   at  the  newspaper  plant 

Mr.  Kuehn  was  a  printer  for  many  years,  beginning 
his  apprenticeship  at  the  age  of  13  years  with  the  Mas- 
coutah HersH.  Later  he  worked  for  the  Con.  P.  Currant 
Printing  Co.  in  St.  Louis. 

When  Mr.  Kuehn  purchased  the  O'Fallon  Progress 
the  type  was  set  by  hand.  He  soon  installed  a  linotype 
machine  and  made  other  improvements  which  resulted 
in  the  production  of  a  fine  newspaper  which  truly  was 
representative   of   the   community. 

He  was  a  c.iarter  member  and  first  president  of  the 
O'Fallon  Rotary  C.uh  and  maintained  a  perfect  attendance 
record  since  the  local  club  started  on  May  19,  1925.  For 
n-.any  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors 
of  the  O'Fallon  Building  and  Loan  Association.  Mr. 
Kuehn  was  intensely  interested  in  anything  that  would 
benefit  our  community  and  often  took  an  editorial  stand 
which  resulted  in  the  adoption  of  propositions  leading  to 
civic   betterment. 


LEHMAN  FAMILY 

The  Lehman  family  through  three  generations  has 
operated  a  barber  shop  in  O'Fallon. 

William  H.  Lehman,  born  in  Terre  Haute.  Indiana, 
learned  the  harboring  trade  in  St.  Louis  at  the  age  of  14 
years.  Before  opening  a  shop  in  O'Fallon  in  1880.  he 
operated  shop.-^  in  Caseyville  and  Troy.  Illinois.  His  first 
shop  was  located  on  West  State  street  (now  a  residence 
between    Foy's   and   McCaw's   taverns). 

Mr.  Lehman's  son,  Gordon,  began  his  trade  with  his 
father  in  1906.  They  moved  their  shop  to  its  present 
location  at  117  East  State  Street  in  1926.  William  H. 
Lehman  worked  at  his  trade  until  a  few  years  before  his 
"^teath    in    November   1934. 

William  H.  Lehman  took  an  active  interest  In  civic 
affairs.  He  served  as  a  member  of  the  village  board  in 
1894-1895  and  presided  as  president  of  the  board  in  1897- 
1898. 

Mr.  Lehman's  sons,  Gordon,  Darwin,  and  Everett,  as 
well  as  their  families,  are  residents  of  O'Fallon.  A  daugh- 
ter Willa    (Mrs.  Jacob  Middleton)    died  in   1924. 

Gordon  Lehman  and  his  son,  William  P.,  are  operating 
the  shop  at  the  present  time.    William  P.  Lehman  started 


-71- 


barbering  in  1941  and  has  followed  the  trade  continuously 
with  the  exception  of  a  three-year  period  spent  in  military 
service. 


LEMEN  FAMILY 


Among  the  early  settlers  in  Ridge  Prairie  were  Rob- 
ert, Joseph,  and  James  Lemen,  sons  of  Rev.  James  Lemen, 
one  of  the  pioneer  Baptist  preachers   of  Illinois. 

James  Leraen,  Sr.,  was  born  in  Berkley  County,  Vir- 
ginia, in  the  year  1760.  He  served  two  years  in  the  war  of 
the  Revolution,  after  which  he  went  to  the  vicinity  of 
Wheeling,  West  Virginia,  where  he  married  Catherine 
Ogle,  an  older  daughter  of  Captain  Joseph  Ogle.  He  came 
to  Illinois  in  1786,  the  year  after  his  father-in-law.  The 
family  arrived  at  Kaskaskia,  July  10,  1786  and  shortly  af- 
terward settled  at  New  Design,  in  the  present  county  of 
Monroe.  He  was  a  prominent  religious  leader  among  the 
Baptists. 

Robert  Lemen,  the  oldest  son  of  James,  '.vas  reared 
at  New  Design.  In  1805  he  married  Hester  Tohn,  and 
settled  in  Ridge  Prairie,  about  four  miles  north  of  O'Fal- 
lon.  Under  the  administration  of  John  Quincy  Adams  he 
scted  as  Marshall  for  the  State  of  Illinois.  He  also  served 
as  Justice  of  the  Peace.  In  early  times  he  acted  as  clerk 
of  the  Richland  Baptist  Church,  and  he  was  an  original 
member  of  the  Bethel  Church,  organized  in  1809,  of  which 
h9  was  clerk  until  1845.    He  died  in  1860. 

Rev.  Joseph  Lemen  was  born  in  September,  1785,  and 
v/as  less  than  a  year  old  when  the  family  came  to  Illinois. 
He  became  a  minister  of  the  Baptist  Church  and  settled 
in  Ridge  Prairie,  north  of  O'Fallon  and  near  the  home 
•d  his  brother,  Robert.  His  wife  was  Mary  Kinney,  the 
youngest  daughter  of  Joseph  Kinney  and  a  sister  of  Wil- 
liam Kinney,  who  was  once  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Illi- 
nois. He  traveled  over  this  part  of  the  country  extensively, 
and  organized  a  number  of  Baptist  churches.  He  died 
in    1861. 

Rev.  James  Lemen,  Jr.,  was  born  in  the  New  Design 
settlement,  in  1787,  and  received  a  good  education  for  that 
time  under  the  guidance  of  Rev.  John  Clark,  who  was  one  of 
the  most  active  and  useful  of  the  pioneer  preachers  of 
Illinois.  Mr.  Lemen  v/as  said  to  be  the  first  ordained 
preacher  in  Illinois,  born  in  the  territory.  He  married 
Mary  PuUiam  in  1813.  and  settled  in  Ridge  Prairie.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Territorial  Legislature  at  Kaskaskia, 
and  also  filled  the  sam.e  office  after  the  organization  of 
the  state  government.  Twice  he  was  a  member  of  the 
state  senate.  He  was  also  a  m^ember  of  the  convention 
which  framed  the  first  constitution  of  the  state.  He  died 
in   February,   1870. 

It  should  be  mentioned  that  one  cause  of  the  removal 
of  the  Ogle  and  Lemen  families  to  Illinois  was  their  oppo- 
sition to  slavery.  This  was  also  the  case  with  a  number 
of  other  prominent  families  of  the  county  who  came  at  a 
later  date.  At  that  early  day,  half  a  century  before  there 
was  any  general  agitation  of  the  ciuestion.  they  became 
opposed  to  the  system,  liberated  their  slaves,  and  moved 
to  a  place  where  they  believed  they  would  be  forever  free 
from   the    curse   of   slavery. 


JOHN  T.  LIENESCH 

Although  never  residing  within  the  city  liinits  of 
O'Fallon  John  T.  Lienesch  was.  perhaps,  more  loyal  and 
interested  in  the  city  than  many  of  its  actual  residents. 
He  wrote  a  series  of  articles  called,  "  My  Early  Memories" 
which  were  published  in  the  O'Fallon  Progress  from  July 
11,  1935  to  February  21,  1936.  The  Historical  Committee 
has  found  these  articles  full  of  useful,  interesting  informa- 
tion, truly  a  somxe  of  material  of  great  use.  It  is,  indeed, 
wonderful  that  Mr.  Lienesch  saw  fit  to  put  down  in 
written  form  his  "Early  Memories"  and  thus  permit  us 
to   share   them   with   him. 

John  T.  Lienesch  was  born  at  Locust  Grove  Farm 
(now  the  home  of  his  son,  Ralph  Lienesch)  in  Shiloh 
Valley  Township  in  1859  where  he  lived  all  of  his  life 
except  for  the  fifteen  years  from  1892  to  1907  which  were 
spent  living  on  his  uncle's  farm  not  far  away  in  O'Fallon 
Township 

He  was  the  son  of  George  P.  Lienesch  who  emigrated 
to  this  country  from  Ankum,  Germany  in  1839  arriving 
in  St.  Clair  County  about  1840.  His  mother,  Mary  Ann 
Thomas  Lienesch.  was  t'ne  daughter  of  Colonel  John  and 
Isabella  Kenny  Thomas.  Colonel  Thomas  came  to  St. 
Clair  County  with  his  parents  in  1818. 

In  1890,  John  Lienesch  was  married  to  Miss  Ada  R, 
McFarland  of  O'Fallon.  daughter  of  David  C.  and  Betty 
Ann    Rayhill    McFarland. 

John  Lienesch  had  many  associations  and  connections 
with  the  people  of  O'Fallon  and  many  of  his  fondest  re- 
membrances in  the  late  years  of  his  life  were  of  events 
and  people  connected  with  O'Fallon.  He  died  February 
22,  1944  and  is  buried   in   Shiloh  Cemetery. 

John  and  Ada  Lienesch  had  four  children:  John  lives 
in  Massachusetts,  Charles  in  California,  Ruth  Lienesch 
Neill  is  a  member  of  the  East  St.  Louis  Schools  teaching 
staff,   and  Ralph  resides  on  the  old  homestead. 


HENRY  MACE 


Henry  Mace  was  a  well  known  pioneer  in  this  vicinity. 
He  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1776  and  came  to  Illinois  at 
a  very  early  date.  He  was  a  tailor,  and  followed  that  trade 
at  Kaskaskia  where  he  first  located.  He  married  Drusilla 
Andrews,  a  daughter  of  James  Andrews,  who.  with  all  his 
family,  except  Drusilla.  v/ere  killed  by  the  Indians,  She 
was  taken  captive,  and  remained  with  them  for  over  two 
years,  when  she  v/as  ransomed  by  the  French  at  Kaskaskia. 
Later  her  uncle,  Joseph  Ogle,  purchased  her  freedom  and 
brought  her  to  his  home  near  O'Fallon.  In  retribution  for 
her  treatment  by  the  Indians,  the  government  gave  her 
a  large  tract  of  land  north  of  O'Fallon.  She  and  her  hus- 
band  came   to    live   on   this   land    in    1810. 

Henry  and  Drusilla  Mace  had  one  child,  Elizabeth, 
who  married  James  Tolley.  Drusilla  Mace  died  in  early 
womanhood. 

Henry  Mace  married  a  second  time  and  had  nine 
children,  seven  of  whom  grew  to  maturity.  The  daughters 
all  married  men  of  this  vicinity,  whose  names  are  familiar 
to  the  older  residents  of  O'Fallon — Hilt,  Stites,  Umbarger, 
Hart  and  Needles. 

Mr.  Mace's  son.  John,  married  Rebecca  Wait  and  they 
made  their   home   on   the   old   homestead.    John   and  Re- 


-72- 


becca  Mace  had  two  sons.  Eugene  and  Harry.  The  boys 
grew  to  manhood  on  the  old  Mace  farm.  Eugene  married 
Fannie  Simmons,  a  daughter  of  Levi  Simmons  and  to  them 
two  children  were  born;  Clarence,  and  Alice  mow  Mrs. 
Cecil  Nowland  of  East  St.  Louis >.  Eugene  Mace  died  in 
1951.  the  last   grandson  of  Henry  Mace. 

John  and  Rebecca  Mace  during  the  period  1867  to  1878 
subdivided  some  of  their  land  and  added  three  subdivi- 
sion's to  O'Fallon,  namely;  Mace's  First.  Second,  and 
Third    Additions   to   North   O'Fallon. 


THOMAS  MACKIN 

The  "Mackin  House",  still  a  landmark  in  O'Fallon 
I  corner  First  and  Lincoln  Avenue>,  was  operated  by 
Thomas  Ma:kin  for  forty  years.  Mr.  Mackin  was  born  in 
Blan  Castle.  Ireland.  When  he  came  to  O'Fallon  in  1859 
he  worked  for  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Railroad.  He 
married  Catherine  Linskey  in  Massachusetts  in  1857  and 
they  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children.  He  served  six 
years   as   a   member   of  the   Village   Board. 

Joseph  Mackin,  son  of  Thomas  Mackin,  was  born  in 
O'Fallon  in  1875.  He  was  a  leader  in  the  Democratic 
Party  in  O'Fallon.  His  political  career  made  him  known 
throughout  the  county  as  he  was  elected  to  various  offices. 
At  the  age  of  21  he  was  elected  Collector  of  O'Fallon 
Township,  an  office  he  held  for  nine  years.  For  22  years 
he  served  as  Deputy  Recorder  of  Deeds  and  Deputy  County 
Clerk  of  St.  Clair  County.  He  was  Co.unty  Central  Com- 
mitteeman of  the  Democratic  Party  for  12  years.  In  1908, 
he  assumed  management  of  Mackin  House  and  continued 
to  operate  the  saloon  until  1919  when  he  moved  to  East 
St.  Louis.  He  married  Miss  Anna  Reuter  of  Lebjinon  on 
March  2,  1908.  He  died  April  23,  1954  survived  by  his 
widow  and  two  sons,  Jerome  and  Leo,  of  East  St.  Louis. 

Thomas  Ma:kin's  daughter.  Nan.  married  Lawrence 
Phillips,  lived  in  O'Fallon  for  awhile  but  later  moved  to 
East  St.  Louis.  His  daughter.  Loretto,  inow  deceased) 
married  William  Crowson.  Miss  Lucille  Crowson  lives  with 
her  aunt,  Miss  Rose  Mackin.  Miss  Rose  Mackin  resided  in 
the  old  family  residence  on  East  First  Street  until  195) 
when  she  moved  into  a  smaller  house  next  door. 


JAMES  P.  McGEEHON 

James  P.  McGeehon.  a  native  of  Tennsylvania,  came 
to  this  country  in  1846.  He  married  Rebecca  Scott,  a 
daughter  of  Winfield  Scott  and  followed  the  carpenter's 
trade  for  some  time.  Later  he  practiced  medicine  for 
forty  years. 

His  son.  Brice,  was  born  in  1855  and  lived  near  and 
in  O'Fallon  all  his  life.  He  was  a  respected  citizen  and 
active  in  the  affairs  of  the  town.  He  was  employed  as  a 
clerk  in  a  store  for  13  years  and  then  engaged  in  the 
merchandise  business  with  S.  E.  McGeehon  for  10  years 
before  retiring  on  account  of  health.  He  was  appointed 
postmaster  under  President  Harrison  and  again  under 
President  McKinley.  Later  he  conducted  a  retail  shoe 
business.  His  daughter.  Oral,  (Mrs.  Clarence  Bell)  is  a 
resident  of  O'Fallon. 

Another  son,  Samuel  E.,  was  bom  in  O'Fallon  in  1869. 
He  received  his  education  in  the  local  schools  and  was 
employed   by    the    Terminal    Railroad    for   six    years.     He 


BUKK    .MiGtl  IIO.V    .NllDl.    >ll)KE 

then  returned  to  O'Fallon  and  worked  for  the  E.  Tiede- 
mann  Grocery  Company  until  1893  when  he  opened  a 
grocery  store  of  his  own.  He  operated  a  store  for  many 
years  in  the  building  now  occupied  by  the  First  Street 
Market.  Mr.  McGeehon  was  a  member  of  the  City  Coun- 
cil for  six  years  He  served  as  City  Clerk  of  O'Fallon  for 
eight  years.  He  married  Louisa  Wittig  in  1899  and  they 
had  three  children:  Els\vorth.  Evelyn  'Mrs.  Julius  Schal- 
ter.  Jr.),  and  Elizabeth  (Mrs  Eugene  Oulvey).  Elsworth 
and   Evelyn    are   residents   of   O'Fallon. 


ANDREW  MOLLES 


MOLLES    WAGON    SHOP 


Andrew  Molles.  a  wagon  ir.aker,  came  to  O'FalJon  in 
1868  and  started  a  business  on  East  State  Street  which  he 
conducted  for  many  years  He  was  born  in  Flums,  Canton 
St.  Gall,  Switzerland  on  February  25,  1840  and  came  with 
his  parents.  Ambrosius  and  Mary  Molles  to  this  country 
in  1848.  The  public  schools  of  Belleville  furnished  his 
education.  After  leaving  school  he  learned  the  wagon 
making  trade  and  worked  at  this  employment  until  he 
enlisted  in  1860  in  the  Civil  War — Company  B,  12th  Mis- 
souri Infantry.  He  served  until  1864  when  ho  was  Kiven 
his  honorable  discharge.  He  returned  to  Belleville  and 
worked  there  until  1868  when  he  came  to  O'Fallon.  He 
continued  in  his  trade  in  O'Fallon  until  1923  when  he 
retired. 

Mr.  Molles  married  Barbara  Pfiffner  in   1873.    He  had 


-73- 


four  sons  and  two  daughters.  His  oldest  sons,  Henry.  John, 
and  Edward  became  Pnarmacists.  They  are  now  deceased. 
His  daughters.  Kary  and  Arnelia  (Mrs.  John  F.  Becker) 
live  at  the  present  lirne  near  Cross  Roads,  west  of  O'Fal- 
lon     Mi,  Molies  died  at  the  age  of  86  years. 


JOHN   MUNIER 

John  Munier  was  born  near  O' Fallon  on  June  2,  1862, 
the  son  of  H.  P.  and  Anna  Hesse  Munier.  After  finishing 
his  education  in  the  public  and  parochial  schools  and 
the  Belleville  Commercial  College  he  worked  on  his  lath- 
er's farm  just  east  of  O'Fallon  until  he  was  24  years  of 
age,  operating  a  threshing  machine  for  the  neighboring 
farmers.  In  1892.  he  came  to  O'Fallon  having  purchased 
a  half  interest  in  the  creamery,  located  on  North  Cherry 
Street  opposite  the  EvangeUcal  Church,  and  owned  at 
that  time  by  Parker  and  Darrow.  'fhe  name  of  the  cream- 
ery was  changed  to  Parker  and  Munier  and  later  to  Mun- 
ier Brothers.  At  a  later  date  the  business  was  moved  to 
West  Second  and  Westwood  Streets,  and  was  known  as 
the  O'Fallon  Creamery.  Mr.  Munier  made  butter,  ice 
cream  and  other  creamery  products.  In  connection  with 
the  creamery  he  made  ice  and  supplied  most  of  O'Fallon. 
He  sold  the  OFallon  Creamery  in  1922  to  Mr.  George 
Scbwarz. 

He  served  as  a  member  of  the  village  board  from  1896 
to  1902;  tax  collector  for  one  year,  and  township  clerk 
for   five   yecirs. 

On  February  19,  1900,  he  married  Miss  Estella  Ki-ause, 
daughter  of  Dr.  B.  and  Henrietta  Blanck  Krause.  They 
had  one  son,  Robert  Munier.  Robert  Munier  married 
Miss  Helen  Baum  and  they  make  their  home  in  O'Fallon 
as  does  Mrs.  Estella  Munier,  Mr.  Munier's  widow. 


OGLE   FAMILY 


The  first  known  settlement  in  Ridge  Prairio,  a  few 
miles  west  of  O'Fallon,  was  made  by  the  Ogles  in  1802. 
Captain  Joseph  Ogle  was  born  in  'Virginia  in  1741.  He 
commanded  a  company  of  'Virginia  troops  during  the 
Revolutionary  War,  holding  his  commission  from  Govern- 
or Patrick  Henry.  He  came  to  Illinois  in  1785  and  first 
settled  in  what  is  now  Monroe  County.  In  1802  he  moved 
to  Ridge  Prairie  and  located  a  short  distance  west  of 
O'Fallon.  He  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  Methodist  in 
Illinois.  During  the  early  years  of  hi:-  residence  he  took 
part  in  several  Indian  fights.  Captain  Ogle  was  twice 
married.  His  first  wife,  Drusilla.  had  five  children,  and 
his  second  wife,  Jemima  Meiggs  had  four  children.  All 
the  children  were  born  in  'Virginia.  They  came  to  Illi- 
nois where  they  married  and  lived  in  the  vicinity  of 
O'Fallon.  They  reared  large  families  and  many  of  their 
descendants  became  prominent  people  of  the  area.  Captain 
Ogle  died  on  his  farm  in  Ridge  Prairie  in  1821  at  the 
age   of   eighty. 

Ben.iamin  Ogle,  the  oldest  son,  took  part  in  several  of 
the  early  Indian  contests,  in  one  of  which  he  was 
wounded.    He   lived  on  a  farm   northwest   of   O'Fallon. 

Another  son,  Joseph,  married  Lucinda  Pulliam,  daugh- 
ter of  John  Pulliam,  in  1804.  They  lived  on  a  farm  east 
of  O'Fallon.  He  served  in  the  Blackhawk  War.  He  died 
in    1846. 


Still  another  sen,  Jacob,  m-rritci  Elizabeth  Teter  and 
settled  west  of  O'Fallon.  He  was  a  man  of  considerable 
intelligence  and  popularity  and  served  for  a  number  of 
years  as  Justice  cf  the  Peace.  He  and  the  Rev.  .Tames 
Lemen  built  a  mill  for  grinding  wheat  and  corn.  This 
mill  was  situated  on  Ogle's  creek,  three  miles  north  ol 
O'Fallon.    and    was    run    by    water    power.     Owing    to    vhe 


OS'-Vw.r^^lt.W' 


■m 


RESIDENCE   OF   CAPT.   JOSEPH   OGLE 


scant  supply  of  water,  the  milling  business  was  carried 
on  for  only  a  short  time.  Later  he  had  a  mill  on  his  farm 
which  was  run  by  horse  power.  For  many  years  this  mill 
was  patronized  by  the  farmers  of  the  community. 

Of  the  daughters  of  Captain  Ogle,  Nancy  married 
Larkin  Rutherford,  Prudence  was  the  wife  of  Peter  Cast- 
erline,  Drusilla  man-ied  William  Porter,  Polly  became 
the  wife  of  General  James  Moore,  and  Jemima  married 
Rev.  Charles  Mathey.  a  resident  of  St.  Clair  County  and 
a  member  of   the   Methodist  ministry. 


ADOLPH  OHLENDORF,  SR. 

Adolph  Ohlendorf,  Sr.,  was  born  near  MiUstadt  on 
February  28,  1870.  He  was  the  son  of  Henry  and  Matilda 
Shuck  Ohlendorf.  He  was  married  on  February  28,  1899 
at  Belleville  to  Miss  Matilda  Tecklenburg.  They  had  two 
children:  a  daughter,  Arta  (Mrs.  Theodore  Sollis),  and  a 
son.    Adolph,    Jr. 

In  his  young  manhood  he  was  employed  by  C.  A.  Monk 
of  Belleville  who  was  then  in  the  implement  business.  He 
was  much  interested  in  this  type  of  business  and  in  1904 
came  to  C  Fallon  to  open  a  hardware  store  and  implement 
business  in  partnership  with  John  A.  Thomas.  About  1920, 
he  bought  Mr.  Thomas'  interest  in  the  business  and  was 
the  sole  owner.  In  1926,  he  sold  the  hardware  business 
to  Walter  Thomas  and  moved  froin  East  First  Street  to 
East  Second  Street.  At  this  time  he  took  his  son,  Adolph, 
Jr.,  into  a  partnership.  Adolph,  Jr..  conducted  the  plumb- 
ing   department    of    the   business. 

In  1946,  Adolph,  Jr.  went  into  business  for  himself 
and  is  thus  engaged  at  the  present  time.  He  carries  a 
full  line  of  plumbing,  heating,  and  electrical  appliances. 
He  married  Miss  Susan  Evanka  of  Collinsville,  Illinois. 
They  have  one  son.  Robert,  a   law  student  at   Washington 


■74- 


University  in  St.  Louis. 

After  his  son  left  the  firm.  Mr.  Ohlendorf  found  an- 
other partner,  this  time  his  son-in-law.  Theodore  SolUs. 
Mr.  Ohlendorf  maintained  an  interest  in  this  partnership 
until   his   death   in    1951. 

Theodore  and  Arta  SoUis.  now  operating  the  business 
as  Sollis  Hardware  and  Equipment,  carry  a  full  line  of 
farm  implements,  hardware,  electrical  appliances  and 
sporting  goods.  They  have  two  daughters,  Jacqueline, 
and  Jo  Ann. 


MR.  AND  MRS.  LOUIS  PLAB 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Plab  came  to  O'Fallon  in  1916.  Mr. 
Plab  conducts  a  well  equipped  service  station  on  South 
Lincoln  Avenue.  He  has  been  chairman  of  the  Civilian 
Police   since   the    end   of   World    War   IL 

Mrs.  Plab  is  a  member  of  a  family  of  early  settlers 
in  this  vicinity.  Her  grandfather.  Peter  Weil,  came  from 
Germany  about  1840  and  settled  on  a  farm  of  40  acres  of 
unimproved  land  about  two  miles  southeast  of  O'Fallon. 
He  cleared  the  timberland  at  night,  as  he  worked  for  a 
neighbor  farmer  through  the  day.  Throughout  the  years 
he  acquired  more  land  until  he  was  the  owner  of  six 
farms.  In  1845,  Peter  Weil  married  Anna  Pausch.  They 
had  twelve  children,  all  of  whom  grew  to  adulthood  and 
lived  in  the  immediate  area.  One  daughter,  Susan,  mar- 
ried Brice  McGeehon  and  lived  in  O'Fallon.  A  son. 
Adolph.  born  in  1860,  lived  on  the  home  farm  until  he 
retired  from  farming  and  came  to  live  in  O'Fallon.  Ad- 
olph married  Miss  Anna   Vitt  from  Iowa. 

All  of  the  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adolph  Weil  grew 
to  adulthood  on  the  farm  of  their  grandfather.  Three  of 
the  daughters  live  in  O'Fallon,  namely:  Bertha  (Mrs. 
Adolph  Schillingi;  Erna  (Mrs.  Emil  Scheibel).  and  Laura 
I  Mrs.   Louis    Plab). 

Mrs.  Louis  Plab  has  been  very  active  in  civic  affairs 
of  O'Fallon.  She  will  be  remembered  for  her  work  in 
decorating  floats  for  the  annual  Homecoming  Mardi  Gras 
parades.  She  began  this  work  for  the  first  "Welcome 
Home"  parade  given  in  honor  of  the  soldiers  of  World 
War  I,  and  has  continued  to  do  this  throughout  the  years 
with  the  exception  of  three  years  when  it  was  turned 
over  to  a  professional  decorator.  Mrs.  Plab  has  served 
twice  as  president  of  the  Woman's  Club  and  has  been 
chairman  of  many  important  committees.  For  eight  years 
.she  has  been  chairman  of  the  Home  Service  of  the  Red 
Cross. 


FRANK  POIGNEE 


Frank  Poignee  was  an  important  man  in  O'Fallon 
in  the  late  1860's  and  70's.  In  1865  he  was  appointed  Dep- 
uty Assessor  and  was  reappointed  every  year  until  he 
was  elected  Constable  and  chosen  Justice  of  the  Peace 
in  1871.  When  O'Fallon  was  incorporated  as  a  village  in 
1874.  Mr.  Poignee  became  the  first  President  of  the  Vil- 
lage Board  and  served  two  terms  in  that  office.  In  1875 
and  again  in  1879  he  was  elected  County  Commissioner 
of   St.    Clair   County. 

Mr.  Poignee  was  born  in  Bavaria  in  1831  of  German 
and  French  ancestry.  When  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age 
he  came   with   the   family    to    America.     They   arrived    in 


New  Orleans  in  April  1847,  came  by  boat  to  St.  Louis,  and 
settled  in  the  vicinity  of  O'Fallon  where  his  father,  Frank, 
bought  a  farm.  He  lived  on  his  father's  farm  until  his 
marriage  to  Salome  Daehn  in  1854.  After  a  few  years 
of  farming  for  himself,  he  became  a  resident  of  O'Fallon 
where   he  lived  until  his  death. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Poignee  had  eight  children.  Two  sons, 
John  and  George,  were  employed  at  the  Tiedemann  Mill 
for  many  years.  A  daughter,  Mary.  (Mrs.  John  Martini 
is  the  only  living  member  of  his  family.  She  is  ninety-two 
years  of  age  and  resides  in  O'Fallon  with  her  daughter, 
Marie,  (Mrs.  Herbert  Whitehead*.  Besides  Mrs.  White- 
head, two  other  grandchildren  of  Mr.  Poignee  living  in 
O'Fallon  are,  Carl  Poignee  and  Mrs.  Mamie  Schmidt, 
children    of   George   Poignee. 


PORTER  FAMILY 

Five  generations  of  the  Porter  family  have  lived  in 
the  O'Fallon  community.  John  Porter  came  from  Ireland 
before  1800.  He  settled  first  at  Cahokia  and  afterward 
located  in  the  Ogle  Settlement  where  he  resided  until  his 
death.  His  son,  William  Porter,  married  Captain  Ogle's 
daughter,  Drusilla.  James  Porter,  son  of  William  and 
Drusilla  Porter,  married  Mary  Christy  who  had  come  from 
Ohio  in  1830.  Miss  Christy  was  a  sister  of  Andrew  Christy, 
a  member  of  the  Wiggins  Ferry  Company,  whose  boats 
plied  the  Mississippi  River  for  so  many  years. 

Joseph  Porter,  son  of  James  and  Mary  Christy  Porter, 
was  born  in  1833  on  a  farm  two  miles  northwest  of  O'Fal- 
lon. In  1863  he  married  Minerva  Scott,  a  daughter  of  Isaac 
and  Elizabeth  Penn  Scott  and  they  had  two  sons,  Christy 
and  Scott,  who  grew  to  adulthood  on  their  father's  farm. 
Joseph  Porter  was  one  of  O'Fallon's  most  highly  respected 
citizens  and  a  good  man  in  every  respect.  He  resided  on 
the  farm  for  more  than  seventy  years  after  which  he  re- 
tired and  moved  to  O'Fallon.  Mrs.  Porter's  mother,  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Scott,  had  built  the  residence  in  which  the 
Wolfersberger-Meyer  Funeral  Home  is  now  housed  and 
lived  there  until  her  death.  It  was  in  this  house  that  Jos- 
eph Porter  and  his  wife  lived  when  they  moved  to  O'Fal- 
lon. 

Scott  Porter  engaged  in  business  in  St.  Louis  and  left 
O'Fallon   in    early   manhood. 

Christy  Porter  was  connected  with  the  Pullman  Car 
Company  for  more  than  seventeen  years  when  he  left  the 
service  there  and  returned  to  O'Fallon  to  devote  his  time 
to  the  management  of  the  Porters  land  interests  in  O'Fal- 
lon   and   southeast    Missouri. 

In  1897  Christy  Porter  married  Cora  Lee  Barnes  of 
Minneapolis.  Mrs.  Porter  became  a  leading  member  of 
the  activities  of  women  in  the  city.  She  is  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  O'Fallon  Woman's  Club  and  gave  much  time 
and  energy  in  promoting  the  establishment  of  the  library. 
After  Mr.  Porter's  death  in  1933  she  has  continued  to 
remain   a    resident   of   O'Fallon. 


JEANNETTEE   REISS 

Miss  Jeannette  Reiss,  treasurer  of  the  Library  Board 
and  one  time  librarian  comes  from  a  family  of  old  settlers 
in  this  vicinity.  Her  grandfather  settled  near  FloraviUe 
on  a  land  grant.  Her  father,  Charles  J.  Reiss.  came  to 
Ridge   Prairie   Precinct   at  an  early   date   and  worked  on 


-75- 


several  different  farms  in  that  vicinity.  In  1866  he  mar- 
ried Eva  Dintelman  and  rented  the  Koch  farm  (near  In- 
dependent Engineering)  east  of  O'Fallon.  Later  he  rented 
the  Penn  farm  where  he  lived  for  many  years.  Part  of 
the  Penn  farm  was  some  of  the  land  grant  given  to  Dra- 
silla  Andrews  Mace.  Through  marriage  and  purchase  the 
land  had  been  acquired  by  Joseph  Penn.  Mr.  Reiss  and 
his  sons  farmed  the  land  owned  by  Joseph  Penn.  Mr. 
Reiss-  son,  William,  now  86  years  of  age  and  livmg  m 
Lebanon,  remembers  plowing  and  cultivating  land  up  to 
what  is  now  the  outer  portion  of  East  State  Street. 

The  Penn  family  during  the  period  1891  to  1908  sub- 
divided some  of  their  land  and  added  four  subdivisions 
to  O'Fallon.  Accordingly,  with  much  of  the  acreage  taKen 
away  from  the  farm,  Mr.  Reiss  bought  a  farm  northwest 
of  O'Fallon  from  Andrew  Begole  and  lived  there  until 
his  retirement  in  1910.  when  he  moved  to  O'Fallon.  Later, 
his  son  Ferd  Reiss.  bought  the  remainder  of  the  old  Penn 
farm  and  farmed  it  until  his  death.  Mrs.  Ferd  Reiss  now 
lives  at  the  location  of  the  old  Joshua  Bond  homestead  at 
Vine  and  Madison  streets. 


RICHARD  REMELIUS 

Richard  Remelius,  son  of  Jacob  and  Abina  RemeUus. 
nee  Stark,  was  born  October  16.  1843  on  the  family  farm 
five  miles   northeast  of   O'Fallon. 

On  October  19.  1861.  at  the  age  of  18  years,  he  enrolled 
as  a  private  in  Company  -A",  22nd  Regiment,  Ohio  Vol- 
unteer Infantry  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  On  August  9,  1864 
he  was  transferred  to  Company  '■H"  which  was  mustered 
out  of  service  on  November  18,   1864  at  Victoria,  Missouri.^ 

Upon  his  return  from  the  army,  he  farmed  his  father's 
land  until  1874.  On  August  1.  1874,  he  entered  the  imple- 
ment business  in  O'Fallon  at  the  present  site  of  the  Re- 
melius Building.  He  built  the  present  building  in  1878 
which  then  became  the  R.  Remelius  Hardware  and  Farm 
Implement  Store.    He  also  served  as  constable  of  O'Fallon 


REMELIUS  HARDWARE  STORE 


Township  from  1874  to  1894  and  was  well  known  as  an 
auctioneer.  He  retired  from  business  in  1907.  Two  sons, 
Charles  E.  and  Martin,  operated  the  hardware  store  until 
it  was  closed  in  1912.  They  were  one  of  the  first  local 
firms  to  operate  a  motor  truck. 


Mr.  Richard  Remelius  Vv-as  married  to  Bertha  W.  Loef- 
ter  in  1878.  Mrs.  Remelius  died  November  14.  1907  at  the 
age  of  57  years.  Mr.  Remelius  died  December  12.  1915  at 
the  age  of  72  years  and  is  buried  in  the  family  private 
cemetery   on   his   home   site. 

William  Remelius  operated  a  sheet  metal  and  heating 
business  at  the  above  location  (223  West  First  Street)  from 
1928  until  his  retirement  in  Augvist  1949.  This  location 
has  been  in  the  Remelius  family  for  the  past  80  years  and 
at    present    is    owned    by    William    RemeUus. 

William  Remelius  married  Bertha  Gaston  and  they 
have  one  son,  Elton  Remelius.  Elton  Remelius  married 
Virginia  Mantle  and  they  as  well  as  their  daughter,  Mrs. 
Nina  Lee  Pfeifer,  her  husband.  James,  and  two  daughters 
are   residents   of   O'Fallon. 


CHRIST  SCHACHNER 


Christ  Schachner,  born  in  St.  Louis  in  1859,  came  as 
a  youth  to  O'Fallon  and  was  employed  by  the  Tiedemann 
Milling  Company.  He  was  an  employee  of  that  company 
for  fifty-five  years.  At  one  time  he  left  his  work  at  the 
mill  to  operate  the  Commercial  Hotel  at  the  corner  of 
Lincoln  and  State.  His  management  made  this  a  popular 
place  and  many  of  the  older  residents  can  recall  the 
pleasant  hours  spent  there.  He  operated  the  hotel  for 
approximately  three  years  and  then  returned  to  his  work 
at    the    mill. 

In  1882,  he  married  Sophia  Lucksinger  in  O'Fallon. 
Before  Mrs.  Schachner  died  in  1944.  they  had  celebrated 
their  sixty-second  wedding  anniversary.  Although  Mr. 
Schachner  was  92  years  of  age  when  he  died,  he  seemed 
never  to  grow  old  always  being  young  in  spirit  and  heart. 
His  birthday  celebrations  were  always  happy  occasions 
for   a    crowd   of   relatives   and   friends. 

Mr.  and  Mrs  Schachner  had  four  children.  All  grew 
to  adulthood  in  O'Fallon.  Amelia  married  Fred  Landwehr 
and  moved  to  Lebanon.  Walter  L.  is  located  in  Los 
Angeles.  California.  Ann  (Mrs.  Edward  Thomas)  is  an 
O'Fallon  resident,  as  is  Irma  (Mrs.  Al.  Meckfessel),  as- 
sistant   cashier   at   the   First   National   Bank. 

He  was  one  of  the  very  early  members  of  the  O'Fallon 
Volunteer  Fire  Department  and  took  an  active  part  in  all 
cf  its  activities. 


CHARLES  SCHAEFER 

Charles  Schaefer  was  born  in  St.  Clair  County  on 
October  15,  1875,  the  son  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth  Walter 
Schaefer.  Between  the  time  of  leaving  school  and  at- 
taining his  majority,  he  worked  for  his  father.  After  his 
21st  birthday  he  farmed  on  his  own  accord  until  1910.  At 
that  time  he  left  the  farm  and  came  to  O'Fallon  to  work 
for  the  firm  of  Ohlendorf  and  Thomas.  In  1913.  when  the 
firm  was  incorporated  he  was  taken  in  and  made  an 
officer  of  the  corporation.  Later  he  operated  a  grocery 
store  with  Arthur  Schlinger.  At  a  still  later  time  he  en- 
gaged  in   the   painting   business. 

Mr.  Schaefer  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Reno  on  October 
28,  1896.  They  have  three  daughters:  Irene,  who  married 
Leshe  Bevirt;  Elsie,  an  employee  of  the  First  National 
Bank:  and  Marie,  a  teacher  in  the  local  public  schools.  All 
are  residents  of  O'Fallon.  Mr,  Schaefer  has  been  seriously 
ill   for    an    extended    period    of   time. 


-76- 


DANIEL  SCHAFER 


JULIUS  A.  SCHALTER 


The  oldest  established  business  in  the  history  of 
O'Fallon  was  the  Schafcr  Meat  Market.  It  was  in  exis- 
tence for  94  years  and  operated  by  four  generations  of 
the  Schafer  family,  each  occupying  the  same  building 
which  is  still  in  good  condition  and  occupied  at  the  pres- 
ent time  by  Morton  Studios.  During  the  early  times  the 
Schafers  did  their  own  slaughtering,  cut  ice  in  the  winter, 
and  stored  it  for  use  in  the  meat  market. 

The  first  Mr.  Schafer.  Daniel,  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
many and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1856.  His  wife 
followed  him  the  next  year.  He  opened  the  meat  market 
in  1858  and  combined  butchering  and  farming  as  his 
vocations. 

In  1888  Charles  D.  Schafer  bought  the  meat  market 
and  grocery  store  from  his  father.  Charles  D.  Schafer 
was   born    in   O'Fallon    Township   on    December    18,    1858. 


ir 


^^^  ^1  n  u  fTEf 


SCHAFER   MEAT   MARKET 


He  was  married  on  October  3,  1883  to  Miss  Emelie  Schroe- 
der  at  Summerfield,  Illinois.  They  had  two  children,  Dan 
A.  and  Wanda  A.  Schafer.  He  served  his  home  town  well. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Republican  County  Central 
Committee,  served  as  Assessor,  Village  Treasurer,  Town- 
ship Supervisor,  member  of  the  school  board,  and  for  ten 
years  was  chief  of  the  volunteer  fire  department.  He 
served  as  president  of  the  fire  department  for  many  years 
and  might  be  called  "The  Father  of  the  Fire  Department" 
for  through  his  efforts  and  untiring  work  the  department 
was  held  together  during  periods  of  discouragement. 

Dan  A.  Schafer  was  born  on  November  27,  1885  and 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  O'Fallon  and  Belleville 
Commercial  College.  He  entered  business  with  his  father 
and  finally  took  over  complete  management  of  it.  He 
died  in  1949  leaving  the  business  to  his  son,  Kenneth. 
Kenneth  operated  the  store  for  three  years  after  his 
father's  death.  He  then  closed  the  business  and  sold  the 
building  which  had  housed  his  family  for  so  many  years 

Kenneth  Schafer  still  continues  the  family  heritage 
of  working  in  the  meat  business.  He  was  a  meat  cutter 
during  his  15  months  service  in  the  U.  S.  Army  during 
World  War  II,  and  now  has  a  similar  position  at  Scott 
Air  Force  Base.  His  wife  is  the  former  Aurelia  Knerrer. 
He  is  an  active  member  of  the  American  Legion  and  a 
good    worker   in   the    Evangelical   Church. 


Julius  A.  Schalter,  proprietor  of  a  barber  shop  in 
O'Fallon  for  many  years,  was  born  in  this  city  in  1866. 
He  was  the  son  of  Adam  and  Rosa  Simon  Schalter,  na- 
tives of  Germany  who  came  to  O'Fallon  at  an  early  period. 
Adam  Schalter  followed  the  occupation  of  a  cooper.  Julius 
learned  the  barber  trade  and  for  years  conducted  a  popular 
shop — a  gathering  place  for  the  men  of  the  community.  As 
a  young  man  Mr.  Schalter  was  keenly  interested  in  sports, 
especially  baseball,  and  played  on  the  O'Fallon  town  team. 
Later  he  took  an  active  part  in  politics  and  all  of  the 
town  activities.  He  held  the  office  of  City  Clerk  for  six 
years  and  served  as  City  Treasurer  for  three  years.  He 
also  served  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  for 
three  years.  He  married  Catherine  Landwehr  in  1890 
and  they  had  three  sons,  Raymond,  Edgar  and  Julius,  Jr. 
Julius,  Jr.  is  the  only  son  presently  living  in  O'Fallon  and 
is  employed  as  a  city  mail  carrier.  Julius.  Jr.  married 
Evelyn  McGeehon,  daughter  of  S.  E.  McGeehon,  and  they 
have   one   son.    Robert   Schalter. 


PHILIP  SCHILDKNECHT 

Philip  and  Katherine  Schildknecht  came  from  Ger- 
many to  this  country  in  1853.  They  came  to  O'Fallon  in 
1859  and  Mr.  Schildknecht  engaged  in  the  harness  business. 
Their  son,  Henry,  learned  this  trade  from  his  father 
after  which  he  traveled  extensively  over  the  country 
working  at  his  trade  in  larger  cities.  In  1879,  he  assumed 
his  father's  business  in  O'Fallon.  His  shop  was  a  popular 
meeting  place  for  the  men  of  the  community.  Mr.  Schild- 
knecht was  a  good  citizen  and  took  an  active  interest  in 
local  projects.  He  served  as  City  Clerk  for  two  terms, 
Township  Collector  for  eleven  years.  Township  Clerk  foi 
four  years,  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  for  two 
years,  besides  acting  as  County  Coroner  and  Postmaster. 
He  also  conducted  an  insurance  agency  and  was  a  notary 
public.  In  1878,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Emma 
Distler,  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  Distler.  To  this  union 
eight  children  were  born:  Philip,  Charles,  Claude,  Essie, 
OUvia.  Kate,  Maud,  and  Mary.  All  except  two  of  these 
children  chose  OFallon   as  a  permanent  residence. 

Philip  conducted  a  grocery  store  for  many  years  and 
retired  in  1945.  He  married  Martha  Whitehead  and  they 
have  three  children:  Charles,  Martha  and  Philip.  Charles 
married  Alma  Thomas,  daughter  of  George  and  Julia 
Thomas,  and  they  live  in  Worthington,  Ohio.  Martha  mar- 
ried Robert  Bode  and  they  live  in  O'Fallon.  Phihp  has 
operated  a  mortuary  in  the  former  home  of  Dr.  H.  T. 
Bechtold  since  1949.  He  married  Miss  Frances  Battoe  in 
1944. 

Charles  has  a  position  in  the  postal  service.  He  has 
served  as  rural  mail  carrier  on  Route  Ko.  1  from  the 
O'Fallon  Post  Office  since  November  1920. 

Claude  has  employment  with  the  Illinois  Power  Com- 
pany and  lives  in  CoUinsville.  Illinois. 

Olivia,  Kate,  and  Maud  live  in  O'Fallon  in  the  old 
homestead.  Olivia  teaches  art  in  the  Maplewood  Schools, 
and  Maud  is  employed  in  St.  Louis.  Mary  (Mrs.  Mary 
Bertram)  live.s  in  Sparta.  Illinois.  Essie  (deceased)  passed 
away    in    1954. 


— 77- 


GUSTAVE  A.  SCHILLING 

Gustave  A.  Schilling  came  to  St.  Clair  County  in  1868. 
He  was  born  in  Germany  in  1848,  the  son  of  William 
Schilling,  a  professor  in  a  Boys'  School.  In  1875,  he  mar- 
ried Christine  Trefzer  who  lived  in  Shiloh  Valley.  After 
living  on  several  farms  in  St.  Clair  County,  they  moved 
to  the  Smiley  farm  near  O'Fallon.  Mr.  Schilling  was  a 
successful  farmer,  practicing  scientific  farming  methods 
ahead  of  his  time.  He  loved  the  land  and  good  horses.  He 
was  a  well  informed  person  and  served  on  the  O'Fallon 
School  Board  for  a  number  of  years.  He  died  in  1923  and 
his  wife  followed  him  in  death  in  1935  Of  their  eight 
children,  three  became  O'Fallon  residents,  namely:  Theo- 
dore,   Carolina,    and    Adolph. 

Theodore  (now  deceased)  married  Elizabeth  Thomas. 
He  was  employed  at  the  Eureka  Range  Company,  and 
Tiedemann  Milling  Company.  Their  daughter,  Theodora 
(Mrs.  Chris  Zinkgraf),  is  active  in  club  and  church  work. 
Their  son,  Edwin,  is  District  Supervisor  of  the  South- 
western Bell  Telephone  Company,  St.  Louis. 

Carolina  (now  deceased)  married  William  Behrens. 
Their  two  daugliters.  Willia  and  Jessie  (Mrs.  Jessie  Nold) 
operate   Nold's   Variety    Shop    in    O'Fallon. 

Adolph  married  Bertha  Weil  and  is  now  retired.  Their 
daughter,  Helen,  is  employed  by  the  Southwestern  Bell 
Telephone   Company   in  O'Fallon. 

JOHN  SCHNEIDER 

John  Schneider  was  born  at  Harrisonville,  Illinois 
on  February  9,  1883,  the  son  of  Nicholas  and  Maggie  Bick- 
elhauot  Schneider.  He  secured  his  early  education  in  the 
schools  of  Waterloo,  Illinois.  After  leaving  school  he  took 
employment  in  a-  jewelry  store  and  learned  the  jeweler's 
trade.  Later  he  moved  to  Breese,  Illinois  and  there  worked 
at   the    same   trade. 

In  1903  he  decided  to  make  O'Fallon  his  home,  came 
to  this  city,  and  opened  a  store  which  he  is  still  conduct- 
ing. 

Mr.  Schneider  was  married  twice  and  both  wives  are 
now  deceased.  He  first  married  Miss  Flora  Ahrens  and 
they  had  two  children,  Anita  and  Flora.  His  second  wife 
was  Miss  Helen  Zinkgraf  and  they  were  the  parents  of 
three  boys:  Harry,  John,  and  Carl.  Their  son,  John,  was 
killed  in  World  War  II  and  is  buried  in  England.  Harry 
is  presently  res-ding  in  Belleville,  and  Carl,  who  married 
Miss  Faye  Brasel,  is  an  O'Fallon  resident. 

Mr.  Schneider  stands  high  in  the  estimate  of  the 
people  of  O'Fallon  and  has  many  friends.  He  served  on 
the  High  School  Board  of  Education  for  many  years  and 
was  an  officer  and  director  of  the  O'Fallon  Building  and 
Loan  Association  for  41  years  prior  to  his  retirement  from 
the  board  several  years  ago.  For  thirty-one  years  he  has 
been  commissioned  as  a  Grand  Lecturer  by  the  Grand 
Masonic  Lodge  of  Illinois.  In  his  earlier  years,  Mr. 
Schneider  took  an  active  Interest  in  athletics,  pa'rticularly 
baseball  and  bowling.  In  past  years  he  also  was  active  in 
trap-shooting  and  was  interested  in  the  sport  of  hunting. 


GEORGE  SCHOBERT 


beth  Strube. 

In  1913,  he,  with  his  four  sons  as  partners,  opened  a 
business  which  included  livery  service,  moving,  storage, 
and  the  sale  of  coal,  brick,  and  lime.  The  business  satis- 
fied a  wide  range  of  interests  and  was  a  decided  success. 
They  made  a  specialty  of  hauling  and  moving,  serving 
well  an  area  with  a  radius  of  20  miles  or  more  around 
O'Fallon.     In    1917    the    business   was    sold. 

Albert  and  Erwin  Schobert  are  the  only  sons  now 
living  in  O'Fallon.  George  is  deceased  and  Oscar  Schobert 
moved  to  Belleville.  Albert  and  Erwin  served  in  World 
War  I,  returning  to  make  O'Fallon  their  home. 

Albert  takes  a  prominent  part  in  politics.  He  has 
served  as  Precinct  Committeeman  of  the  Republican  Party 
for  a  number  of  years  and  is  Deputy  Fire  Marshall  for 
the  State  of  Illinois.  He  married  Mayme  Bernhardt, 
daughter  of  Henry  Bernhardt  who  was  a  long  time  resi- 
dent of  O'Fallon.  They  have  one  daughter,  Jean,  who 
makes   her   home   in   O'Fallon. 

Erwin  worked  for  some  time  at  the  Special  Products 
Laboratory  in  O'Fallon  and  later  conducted  a  service 
station.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  Democratic  Party  and 
has  held  several  county  offices  among  them  Chief  Deputy 
Probate  Clerk.  He  is  now  the  Clerk  of  O'Fallon  Township. 
He  married  Florence  Bohannon  in  1919.  Mrs.  Schobert 
died  in  1943.  Their  daughter,  Ines  (Mrs.  Alex  Clabia)  re- 
sides   in    O'Fallon    with    her    family. 


CHARLES  J.  SCHUETZ 

Charles  J.  Schuetz  was  born  January  7,  1871  in  Hun- 
gary. Early  in  life  he  came  to  this  country  and  learned 
the  trade  of  baker  in  St.  Louis.  He  traveled  over  the 
country,  working  at  his  trade  in  many  cities,  and  finally 
decided  that  O'Fallon  would  be  the  right  place  to  locate 
permanently.  He  came  to  O'Fallon  in  1898  and  worked 
in  a  bakery  for  a  few  years,  until  in  1901  he  opened  a 
shop  of  his  own.  He  knew  his  business  thoroughly,  he  was 
well  liked  by  his  neighbors  and  friends,  and  his  venture 
proved   successful.    He  took  an  active  part  in  the  town's 


SCHUETZ    BAKERY 


George  Schobert,   who   came   to   O'Fallon   in   1912,  was 
born   in  Trenton,   Illinois  in  1860.    He   married   Mis   Eliza- 


activities,   especially   the  Homecoming.    He   served  as   City 
Treasurer    of    O'Fallon. 

In  1903  he  married  Anna  Behrens,  daughter  of  August 
Behrens,    and   they   had   three   children,   Wanda,   Margaret, 


-78- 


and  Charles.  Charles  holds  the  position  of  Purchasing 
Agent  for  the  Independent  Engineering  Co.  He  married 
Eve  Smissoman  of  St.  Louis  and  they  have  one  child. 
Margaret  was  employed  for  many  years  by  the  Eureka 
Range  Company  and  now  holds  a  clerical  position  with 
the  Board  of  Education.  She  married  Lercy  Yaeger,  now 
deceased,  and  has  two  children.  Wanda,  now  living  in 
Chicago,  married  William  Pickham  and  they  have  three 
children. 

In  February  1929,  Mr.  Schuetz  retired  after  being  in 
business  for  28  years  and  leased  the  bakery  and  confec- 
tionery to  Tony  Machetta  and  Tony  Banchi. 


DR.  JOHN   B.   SCRUGGS 

Dr.  John  B.  Scruggs  was  born  in  Cornishville.  Ken- 
tucky in  1867.  He  received  his  early  education  in  Corn- 
ishville and  later  at  a  college  in  Lexington,  Kentucky.  His 
medical  training  was  received  in  The  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  in  St.  Louis.  Missouri.  Upon  graduating 
from  that  institution  in  1898  he  came  to  O' Fallon  to  begin 
his  practice.  His  genial  manner  and  friendliness  soon  won 
for  him  a  place  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  O'Fallon 
and  he  established  a  large  practice  both  in  the  town  and 
the  surrounding  area.  In  1899  he  was  married  to  Laura 
Begole,  a  direct  descendant  of  Capt.  Joseph  Ogle  and  a 
member  of  a  prominent  family  of  this  area.  To  this  mar- 
riage one  child  was  born,  Ines.  who  is  now  Mrs.  Elsworth 
Rea  of  O'Fallon.  Several  years  after  the  death  of  his 
first  wife,  Dr.  Scruggs  moved  to  Belleville,  where  in  1925 
he  married  Virginia  Winkleman.    He  died   in   1938. 


JOHN  SEDDON 

John  Seddon  was  born  at  Reeb  Station  in  1862  and 
attended  the  public  schools  there.  He  was  the  son  of  Isaiah 
and  Lucy  Davis  Seddon,  natives,  respectively  of  England 
and  Wales. 

Mr  Seddon  followed  farming  for  ten  years  and  after- 
ward was  engaged  in  the  coal  mining  business.  He  learned 
the  trade  of  hoisting  engineer  and  in  1891  came  to  O'Fallon 
to  work  as  an  engineer  in  the  Ridge  Prairie  Mine  owned 
by  Joseph  Taylor.  He  served  as  president  of  the  Village 
Board  in  1900-02.  He  was  elected  as  the  first  Mayor  of 
O'Fallon  in  190.5  serving  until  1909;  and  served  in  the 
same  position  from  1913  to  191.5.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  O'Fallon  Building  and  Loan 
Association  for  28  years  and  served  as  president  many  of 
those  years.    He    was  active   in   the   Baptist   Church. 

In  1887.  he  married  Gertrude  Eisloffel  at  Mascoutah. 
Their  one  daughter.  Irene,  married  Carl  Herzberger  and 
lived  in  O'Fallon  for  a  number  of  years.  At  the  present 
time  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Herzberger  are  living  in  Alton    lUino-s. 


a  grocery  store  at  the  corner  of  State  and  Lincoln.  He 
erected  the  present  building  now  housing  the  bus  station. 
The  post  office  alrfo  occupied  the  building  for  a  time. 

Mr.  Simmons  became  Police  Magistrate  in  1874  when 
the  Village  of  O'Fallon  was  incorporated.  He  held  this 
position  for  forty  years.  In  1861  he  was  elected  Justice 
of  the  Peace.  Later  he  served  as  Assessor  and  Supervisor. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  village  board  from  1886  to  1890 
and  was  president  of  the  board  when  the  Town  Hall  was 
built.     Mr.    Simmons    died    in    1902. 

Mr.  Simmons  married  Sarah  Houser  ,a  member  of 
the  pioneer  Isaac  Houser  family.  Their  daughter,  Fannie, 
married  Eugene  Mace.  Another  daughter,  "Miss  Annie" 
spent   all   of   her   life   in   O'Fallon. 


ERNEST  H.  SMILEY 


LEVI   SIMMONS 

Levi   Simmons  came   to   O'Fallon    in    1858   and  opened 


Ernest  H.  Smiley,  son  of  Samuel  and  Jennie  Simmons 
Smiley,  was  born  in  O'Fallon  Township  on  May  25.  1865. 
He  attended  grade  school  at  Ogle  Creek,  and  later  Smith 
Academy  of  St.  Louis  and  the  St.  Louis  School  of  Phar- 
macy from  which  he  was  graduated.  For  a  niuiiber  of 
years  he  conducted  a  drug  store  on  the  corner  of  State 
and  Lincoln  Avenue.  In  1903  he  organized  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  and  became  its  first  president,  an  office  he 
held  until  1939.  In  1939.  he  was  elected  Chairman  of  the 
Board  and  retained  that  position  until  his  death  in  1953. 

Mr.  Smiley  was  a  leader  in  many  business  projects  in 
O'Fallon.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  O'Fallon 
Electric  Light  Co.  and  an  officer  and  director  of  that 
company  until  it  was  sold  to  the  Southern  Illinois  Light 
and  Power  Company.  He  served  as  Director  and  Treas- 
urer of  the  O'Fallon  Building  and  Loan  Association  for 
over  50  years.  He  and  his  brother,  Charles  T.  Smiley,  were 
owners  of  the  Smiley  Brothers  Telephone  Company  until 
it  was  sold  to  the  Southwestern  Bell  Telephone  Co.  in 
1947. 

An  extensive  landowner,  Mr.  Smiley  took  an  active 
interest  in  farming  and  was  a  pioneer  in  farm  conserva- 
tion practices.  He  was  one  of  the  leaders  instrumental 
in  the  establishment  of  the  Shiloh-O'Fallon  Soil  Conserva- 
tion District,  now  a  county-wide  organization  but  original- 
ly the  first  such  organization  in  Illinois. 

Mr.  Smiley  was  interested  in  politics.  He  served  as 
Central  Committeeman  of  St.  Clair  County  for  the  Re- 
publican party,  was  a  delegate  to  the  1920  Republican 
nominating  convention,  attended  a  number  of  national 
conventions,  and  served  as  treasurer  for  many  years  of 
the  St.  Clair  Republican  Committee.  He  served  as  treas- 
urer of  the  O'Fallon  Township  school  district  from  1901 
to   the   date   of   his   death. 

Mr.  Smiley  took  an  active  part  in  the  affairs  of  the 
First  Methodist  Church  in  O'Fallon.  He  was  a  trustee  for 
many  years.  He  contributed  generously  to  the  remodeling 
and  enlarging  of  the  church  in.stitution  several  years  ago. 
The  Education   Building  was  dedicated   in    his   honor. 

Mr.  Smiley  was  never  married.  Hi-  died  December 
25,  1953  at  the  age  of  88  years. 


-79- 


I 


I 


■    t   \j   s 


' 

• 

■i 

m 


All  members  of  the  Schwarz  Family  appear  on  this  picture.  From  left:  Leonhard  E.,  Matt  K., 
George  N.,  Rose  (Mrs.  Al  Larson),  Karolene  (Mrs.  Elsworth  McGeehon),  Henry,  Mathias.  Sr., 
and  Caroline  Schwarz. 

80 


MATHIAS   SCHWARZ 

The  oldest  existing  business  in  O'Fallon  is  that  of 
the  Schwarz  Furniture.  They  have  operated  in  the  same 
building  for  sixty  years.  The  third  generation  of  the 
Schwarz  family  is  now  in  charge. 

Mathias  Schwarz  was  born  in  Wuertemberg,  Germany, 
on  May  13.  1860.  His  parents  were  John  George  and  Rose 
Moessner  Schwarz.  He  came  to  this  country  in  1873,  to 
O'Fallon,  where  he  finished  his  public  school  education. 
He  was  a  pupil  of  Miss  Amelia  Carriel  and  was  the  oldest 
pupil  participating  in  the  parade  given  in  her  honor  upon 
coir.pletion  of  40  years  of  teaching  in  the  O'Fallon  Schools. 

In  1883,  Mr.  Schwarz  opened  a  saloon  in  O'Fallon 
and  engaged  in  th=s  business  until  1890  when  he  sold  his 
business  and  with  his  family  took  a  trip  to  Germany, 
where  he  spent  the  year  visiting  friends  and  boyhood 
acquaintances  In  the  following  year  he  returned  to  the 
United  States  and  opened  a  retail  shoe  business  at  Anna, 
Illinois.  He  conducted  this  business  until  1894,  when  he 
sold  out,  returned  to  O'Fallon,  and  bought  the  undertaking 
and    furniture    business   of   Charles   Ruedlin. 

Mr.  Schwarz  was  particularly  interested  in  sports.  He 
organized  the  O'Fallon  Turner  Society,  the  main  center 
of  gymnastic  sports  in  O'Fallon  for  over  twenty  years. 
He  instructed  the  members  in  boxing,  horizontal  bars, 
weight  lifting,  trapeze,  and  rings.  He  was  ever  alive  to 
the  progressive  interests  of  the  city.  He  platted  the 
Schwarz  Addition  to  Glenview,  served  on  the  school  boa,rd 
for  several  terms,  was  a  director  of  the  O'Fallon  Build- 
ing and  Loan  Association  for  10  years,  and  was  active  in 
all   civic   enterprises. 

He  married  Miss  Caroline  Huber  on  January  30.  1883. 
They  had  six  children:  Henry,  Leonhard,  Mathias,  Jr., 
George.    Rose,    and    Karolene. 

Henry  Schwarz  passed  the  state  examination  at  Peoria 
in  1902  and  received  a  license  as  embalmer  at  the  age  of 
14,  the  youngest  person  to  be  so  licensed.  He  later  left 
the  business  and  operated  the  motion  picture  theater  in 
O'Fallon  for  a  number  of  years.  George,  selling  his  in- 
terest in  the  business  (the  sons  had  bought  the  business 
in  19191,  bought  the  O'Fallon  Creamery  from  John  Munier. 
Leonhard  and  Mathias,  Jr.,  continued  in  the  furniture  and 
undertaking  business.  Their  manner  of  conducting  fun- 
erals was  most  impressive  and  their  ability  as  directors 
was  recognized  throughout  the  area.  They  carried  on  the 
business  according  to  their  father's  high  ideals. 

In  1946,  the  undertaking  business  was  sold  to  Wolf- 
ersberger  and  Meyer  who  conduct  the  business  at  the 
present  time. 

Leonhard  continued  in  the  furniture  business  until 
1950  when  the  third  generation  took  over.  Leonhard  and 
wife.  Hazel  Verbeek  Schwarz,  have  two  daughters.  Nidra 
married  Clarence  Lurtz  and  LaDoris  married  Clyde  Glenn. 
Mr.  Lurtz  and  Mr.  Glenn  are  now  conducting  the  business 
of  Schwarz   Furniture. 

Leonhard  Schwarz's  retirement  from  business  has  not 
lessened  his  vital  interest  in  O'Fallon's  growth.  He  has 
been  associated  with  the  Park  Board  since  its  organization 
and  is  now  vice-president  of  that  body.  He  has  taken  a 
prominent  part  in  the  projects  of  the  Homecoming  Asso- 
ciation. He  is  chairman  of  the  program  committee  of  the 
O'Fallon    Centennial. 

Mathias,    Jr..   will   always   be   remembered  as   a   most 


competent  director  of  funerals.  When  the  mortuary  es- 
tablishment was  sold.  Mat  turned  his  attention  to  selling 
automobiles  for  a  short  tin.e,  but  is  now  the  Treasurer 
of  the  Southern  Illinois  Synod  and  Benevolent  Corporation 
of  the  Evangelical  and  Reformed  Church,  a  responsible 
and  important  position.  He  is  chairman  iif  the  special 
events  committee  of  the  O'Fallon  CenLennial  and  has  been 
instrumental  in  raising  funds  to  linance  the  Centennial. 

George  Schwarz  from  a  small  beginning  has  expanded 
into  one  of  the  largest  dairy  processing  firms  in  this  part 
of  the  country.  Farming  is  his  hobby  and  he  operates  a 
stock  farm  and  raises  muih  of  his  own  feed.  He  inariied 
Sue  McFarland.  Their  three  sons:  Robert  .Jaclc,  and  Wil- 
liam are  corporate  officers  of  Quality  Dairy.  The  building 
in  which  they  operate  their  business  is  a  show  place  of 
the  city  and  a  credit  to  the  industry  and  the  community. 

Henry  married  Louisa  Schmidt  and  they  have  three 
children:  Helen,  Henry,  Jr.,  and  Edith.  Helen  married 
Raymond  Schilling  and  is  a  resident  of  O'Fallon.  Henry, 
Jr.,  is  interested  in  the  operation  of  the  M  &  S  Body  Shop 
in  O'Fallon  and  lives  in  New  Baden.  Edith  married  Mike 
Politis  and  now  lives  in  Belleville. 

Rose  Schwarz  married  Al  Larson  and  now  lives  in  St. 
Louis.  Karolene,  who  married  Elsworth  McGeehon,  is  a 
resident  of  O'Fallon.    They  have  one  son,   William. 

All  the  children  of  Mathias  Schwarz  have  always  taken 
a  deep  interest  in  all  things  tending  to  make  O'Fallon  a 
better  city  in  which  to  live. 


SAMUEL  C.   SMILEY 


SAM   SMILEY   KESIDENCE 


Samuel  C.  Smiley  was  born  in  Ridge  Prairie  in  1841. 
He  was  the  son  of  Mathew  and   Mary  Christy  Smiley. 

Mr.  Smiley  was  engaged  in  farming  until  1884,  when 
he  moved  to  O'Fallon  and  was  interested  in  the  Tiede- 
mann  Milling  Company  for  several  years.  He  soon  retired 
but  remained  prominent  in  civic  affairs.  He  was  one  of 
the  promoters  of  the  O'Fallon  Electric  Light  Co.  and  was 
the  manager  for  eight  years.  During  the  Civil  War  he 
served  in  the  Union  Army  and  afterward  was  a  Repre- 
sentative for  one  term  in  the  state  legislature.  He  was 
twice  married.  His  first  wife,  Jennie  Simmons  Smiley, 
was  the  mother  of  his  four  children.  Ernest,  Charles. 
Josephine  (Mrs.  George  Remick)  and  Jennie  (Mrs.  W.  T. 
Lee).  Mr.  Smiley "s  second  wife  was  Miss  Dehlia  McGulre. 
He   died   in    1916. 


-^1- 


JOSEPH  TAYLOR 

The  history  of  O'Fallon  would  not  be  complete  with- 
out a  story  of  Joseph  Taylor.  He  played  an  important 
role   in   the   development   of   the   city. 

Mr.  Taylor  was  born  in  Lancashire,  England  on  Feb- 
ruary 8,  1840.  His  parents,  Samuel  and  Allen  (Spencer) 
Taylor,  were  also  of  English  birth,  and  came  to  this  country 
in  1865,  being  sent  for  by  their  son,  Joseph. 

Joseph  Taylor  worked  in  the  coal  mines  in  England 
and  upon  coming  to  the  United  States  in  1860  worked  for 
a  time  in  the  mines  around  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania.  He 
came  to  O'Fallon  in  1866  and  worked  in  the  mines  tmtil 
1874  when  he  bought  the  general  store  and  saloon  operated 
by  Charles  Gartside  at  Alma.  In  1877,  he  purchased  the 
Alma  mine,  in  1888  the  Taylor  mine;  and  in  1898,  the 
Ridge  Prairie  mine.  In  August,  1903,  Mr.  Taylor  opened 
St.  EUen  mine  which  continues  in  active  operation  today 
These  mines  were  operated  under  the  firm  name  of 
Joseph   Taylor   Coal   Co. 

Mr.  Taylor  always  took  a  great  interest  in  his  adopted 
city  and  did  everything  in  his  power  to  benefit  O'FaUon. 
He  was  a  stockholder  and  director  of  the  First  NaUonal 
Bank,  director  and  treasurer  of  the  OFallon  Building  and 
Loan  Association;  and  one  of  the  promoters  and  strong 
advocate  of  the  light  and  power  plant  for  O'FaUon.  He 
served  as  Mayor  for  one  term,  1909-1910,  as  City  Treasurer 
for  ten  years,  and  was  always  interested  in  the  welfare 
of  the  city.  He  operated  a  store  selling  general  merchan- 
dise and  a  private  bank  operated  by  Mr.  Henry  Seiter  of 
Lebanon  occupied  part  of  the  store  premises.  He  erected 
more  than  one  hundred  dweUing  houses  for  his  employees 
as  weU  as  building  the  Taylor   Opera  House. 

Mr.  Taylor  married  Mary  Gartside  in  1872.  They  had 
no  childi-en.  He  died  in  1925.  His  nieces  and  nephew 
living  in  O'FaUon  are:  Sam  Taylor,  Mrs.  A.  B.  Gordon, 
Miss   Mai-y    Taylor,   and   Mrs.   Jessie   Behrens. 


JOHN  A.  THOMAS 


John  A.  Thomas  was  a  son  of  Anthony  and  Mary 
Kauffmann  Thomas,  and  was  born  near  Shiloh,  September 
8,  1877.  He  worked  on  the  farm  until  1904  when  he  came 
to  O'FaUon  and  went  into  the  farm  implement  business. 
For  sixteen  years  he  was  associated  with  Adolph  Ohlen- 
dorf,  Sr.,  in  the  hardware  and  implement  business  under 
the  firm  name  of  Ohlendorf-Thomas  &  Co.  In  1923  the 
firm  dissolved  the  partnership  and  Mr.  Thomas  entered 
the  heating  and  plumbing  business  which  he  conducted 
until   his   death   in   1935. 

Mr.  Thomas  was  united  in  marriage  on  October  28, 
1916  to  Miss  Edna  Rhein  of  BeUeville.  They  had  three 
children,  LuciUe,  (Mrs.  Leroy  Kruse  of  Mascoutah);  Har- 
old, who  married  Mildred  Joseph,  is  a  machinist  at  the 
O'Fallon  Tool  and  Die  Co.;  and  Gene,  who  Uves  at  home 
with  her  mother,  is  saleslady  and  bookkeeper  at  Schwarz 
Furniture   store. 

Mr.  Thomas  died  September  25,  1935  as  a  result  of 
injuries  received  when  struck  by  a  car  on  Route  50  west 
of  O'Fallon. 


NICK  THOMAS 

Nick  Thomas   conducted   a   harness   shop   in    O'Fallon 


for  many  years.  He  was  born  in  Germany  in  1850  and 
came  with  his  parents  to  this  country  in  1855.  After  re- 
ceiving his  education  in  the  BeUeviUe  pubUc  schools,  he 
learned  the  harness  making  business  and  opened  a  saddlery 
and  harness  shop  in  O'FaUon  in  1894.  His  work  was 
superior  and  he  was  weU  patronized  by  the  community. 
In  1877  he  married  Louisa  Huber  of  Casey vUle  Township. 
They  have  five  children  and  four  have  become  prominent 
residents   of   O'Fallon. 

■Walter  Thomas  owns  and  operates  a  weU  equipped 
hardware  store.  He  married  Frieda  W/M  who  is  deceased. 
Their  son.  Jack,  is  a  partner  in  his  father's  business. 

George  Thomas  operates  an  Electric  and  Gift  Shop. 
He  married  Julia  Braun.  Their  daughter,  MarUyn,  is  a 
teacher  of  Home  Economics  in  the  Evanston  Schools. 
Another  daughter.  Alma,  married  Charles  ScMldknecht 
and   resides  in  'Worthington,  Ohio. 

Edward  Thomas  conducts  a  real  estate  business.  Per- 
haps his  gi-eatest  contribution  to  O'Fallon  lies  in  the 
subdivisions  he  has  developed  which  have  been  a  great 
incentive  to  the  growth  of  O'Fallon.  He  married  Ann 
Schachner.    They   have   no   children. 

All  the  sons  of  Nick  Thomas  are  pubUc  spirited  and 
participate  in  aU  the  activities  of  the  city.  They  are 
members  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Rotary  Club,  and 
the  Homecoming  Association.  George  is  a  leader  in  the 
March  of  Dimes,  both  locally  and  in  the  St.  Clair  County 
chapter. 

Mr.  Thomas'  daughters  are  Sophia  (Mrs.  'VViUiam 
Hughes  of  Webster  Groves,  Missouri),  and  Elizabeth,  widow 
of  Theodore  Schilling.  Mrs.  Schilling  and  her  daughter, 
Theodora  (Mrs.  Chris  Zinkgraf)  are  residents  of  O'Fal- 
lon. 


CHARLES  A.  TIEDEMANN 

Charles  A.  Tiedemann  was  born  in  Germany   in  1833. 
He   was  a   member  of   a   highly   educated   and   prominent 


COOPER   SHOP   —  TIEDEMANN   MILL 


family  in  Hanover.  His  grandfather  was  a  Professor  of 
Anatomy  in  Heidelburg  University.  His  father  was  an 
officer  in  the  army  of  Jerome  Bonaparte  and  received  from 


-82- 


Napoleon   I    the   Cress   o(   the   Legion   of   Honor. 

Charles  came  to  America  in  184y  and  apprenticed 
himself  to  Capt  Julius  Raith  of  Belleville  as  a  wheel- 
wright and  later  went  into  partnership  with  him.  In  1860, 
Mr.  Tiedemann  and  his  partner  began  work  on  the  con- 
struction of  a  flour  mill  at  O' Fallon.  The  mill  was  com- 
pleted   in    1861. 

After  President  Lincoln's  call  for  volunteers,  Col. 
Raith  responded  and  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh. 
Mr.  Tiedemann  then  bought  out  the  interest  of  Col.  Raith 
and  tock  into  partnership  Philip  H.  Postel.  This  partner- 
ship then  conducted  the  business  until  1876.  when  Mr. 
Tiedemann  bougiit  Mr.  Postel's  share  of  the  business  and 
continued  to  run  the  business  as  his  own  property  until 
the    time    of   his   death   in   1890. 

After  the  death  of  the  founder  the  business  was  in- 
corporated in  1891  under  the  firm  name  of  Charles  Tiede- 
mann Milling  Company.  The  paid  up  capital  was  $50,000 
and  the  following  officers  were  elected:  Jennie  Tiedemann, 
president;  Samuel  C.  Smiley,  vice-president;  and  Louis 
F.   Fischer,   secretary-treasurer. 

In  1883,  Mr.  Tiedemann  established  a  modern  mill  In 
CoUinsville  which  was  known  as  the  Valley  Mills.  The 
mill  at  O'Fallon  was  known  as  the  Richland  Mills.  The 
leading  brands  of  flour  produced  by  the  mills  were:  Rich- 
land  Lily;    Richland  Mills  and  Shiloh  Valley. 

On  June  18.  1942,  the  mill  property  was  sold  to  the 
Obcrbeck  Feed  Co.  of  Highland.  Illinois.  The  Oberbeck 
Feed  Co.  has  continued  to  operate  the  property  as  a  grain 
elevator   and    outlet    for   the   sale   of   feed. 

In  1867,  Mr.  Tiedemann  was  married  to  Miss  Jennie 
Tiedemann.  Of  this  union  five  children  were  bom:  Helene, 
Lou'sa.  George  W.,  Charles  Edwin,  and  Ernestine.  After 
their  father's  death,  George  and  Edwin  engaged  in  the 
milling  business.  They  were  prominent  citizens  of  the 
town.  George  acted  as  president  of  the  Milling  Co.,  was 
a  director  of  the  First  National  Bank,  and  served  as  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Education.  He  was  never  mar- 
ried.   He   died   in    1951. 

Edwin  was  also  a  director  of  the  bank,  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  milling  Co..  Mayor  of  O'Fallon  from  1915 
to  1919,  and  an  active  member  of  the  Evangelical  Church. 
He  died  in  1950.  In  1918.  he  married  Mrs.  Catherine 
Gruetzemacher.  Their  daughter,  Ruth,  married  Russell 
Warma  who  conducts  a  plumbing  business  in  O'Fallon. 
Their  son.  Charles,  lives  on  the  Tiedemann  farm  in  Shiloh 
Valley.  This  farm  has  been  in  the  possession  of  the  Tiede- 
mann  family   for  many   years. 

The  daughters  of  Charles  A.  Tiedemann  have  also 
gained  prominence  in  O'Fallon.  Miss  Helene  was  instru- 
mental in  the  organization  of  the  Woman's  Club  and 
served  three  times  as  president  of  the  organization.  She 
was  especially  interested  in  establishing  a  library  for 
O'Fallon  and  gave  much  time  and  energy  to  this  work. 
She  was  chairman  of  the  library  board  from  the  time 
of  its  organization  until  the  library  was  taken  over  as  the 
responsibility   of   the   city. 

Miss  Louisa  was  mo.st  active  in  church  work,  especially 
in  the  Sunday  School.  Misses  Helene  and  Louisa  continue 
to  live  in  O'Fallon  where  their  family  has  played  such 
a  big  part  in  the  growth  and  development  of  the  com- 
munity. 


ERNST  J.  TIEDEMANN 

Ernst  J.  Tiedemann  was  born  in  Germany  in  1831. 
His  family  background  has  been  outlined  in  the  biographi- 
cal sketch  of  his  brother.  Charles  A.  Tiedemann.  Ernst  J. 
Tiedemann  lived  in  Germany  until  he  was  21  years  of 
age.  His  education  included  a  thorough  preparation  for  a 
business  career.  He  came  to  America  in  1852  and  settled 
in  St.  Clair  County.  He  made  his  home  in  Belleville  and 
served  as  a  surveyor  for  the  county.  He  surveyed  the 
original  town  of  O'Fallon  when  it  was  platted  in  1854. 
He  did  surveying  for  the  government  in  Nebraska  and  for 
several   years   lived   in    Nebraska    and    then   Colorado. 

In  1865  Mr.  Tiedemann  returned  to  O'Fallon  to  live 
and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business.  His  general 
store  which  handled  groceries,  dry  goods,  glassware,  and 
hardware  was  popular  with  all  the  country  side  for  miles 
around.  It  was  the  largest  retail  store  in  O'Fallon  at  that 
time. 

He  was  married  to  Marie  Bauman  of  Nebraska  in 
1862.  Their  sons,  Charles  F.,  Henry  E.,  and  Louis  as  well 
as  their  daughters  assisted  their  father  in  the  store  vintil 
the  elder  Mr.  Tiedemann's  death  in  'i902.  The  family 
continued  to  carry  on  the  business  until  the  death  of  Mrs. 
Tiedemann  in  1916  when  the  estate  was  settled.  Charles 
F.  Tiedemann  bought  the  interests  of  the  heirs,  but  later 
sold   the   store. 

For  a  few  years  Louis  conducted  a  grocery  store  of 
his  own  and  later  sold  out  to  his  brother,  Henry  E.,  who 
operated  the  store  for  a  number  of  years.  Henry  E. 
Tiedemann    died   in    1929. 

Four  of  the  children  of  Ernst  J.  Tiedemann  are  still 
residents  of  O'Fallon:  Lena,  Louis,  Sophie,  and  Martha 
Tiedemann.  They  live  in  the  imposing  residence  at  218 
West  Washington  which  was  built  by  their  father  in  1884. 

A  grandson,  Alfred,  son  of  Henry  Tiedemann,  is  also 
an  O'Fallon  resident.  He  is  an  assistant  cashier  at  the 
First  National  Bank. 


B.  J.  VAN  COURT 


Benjamin  J.  Van  Court  was  born  in  Mifflin  County, 
Pennsylvania,  December  19.  1820.  The  ancestors  of  his 
father,  Benjamin  Van  Court,  came  from  Holland.  His 
mother,    Mary   Lindsey,    belonged    to   an    Irish   family. 

When  19  years  old  he  left  McVeytown.  Pennsylvania 
and  started  west  with  his  brother,  Alexander.  The  boys 
built  a  boat,  the  "A  and  B  J  Van  Court"  and  floated  down 
the  Ohio  River.  At  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  they  fastened 
their  boat  to  the  tug  "Smelter"  and  had  just  started  the 
tow  when  the  boat  sank  takmg  all  the  goods  of  the  two 
brothers  with  it.  The  brothers  then  went  to  Rock  Island, 
Illinois  where  they  managed  the  "Rock  Island  House."  In 
1841  they  moved  to  Portsmouth,  Ohio  where  they  con- 
tinued the  hotel  business  running  the  "Ann  House."  Af- 
ter two  years,  Benjamin  returned  to  St.  Louis  and  with 
T.  V.  Cannon,  leased  the  National  Hotel  on  the  corner  of 
Third  and  Market,  which  they  operated  until  July.  1848. 
when  he  leased  the  Missouri  Hotel,  on  the  corner  of  Main 
and  Morgan  streets.  This  was  the  hotel  where  the  state 
government  of  Missouri  was  organized  in  August  1821. 

Mr.  Van  Court  operated  the  Missouri  Hotel  until  1850. 
after  which   he  engaged   in   the   real   estate   business.    On 


-S3- 


January  17,  1853  he  married  Miss  Amelia  Mittnacht  of 
Baltimore.  Their  wedding  journey  was  a  trip  to  California 
where  they  remained  until  the  spring  of  1854.  They  re- 
turned to  St.  Louis  and  in  1856  came  to  O'Fallon  where 
he  purchased  a  farm  east  of  town  and  opened  a  coal  mine, 
Van  Courts,  which  was  operated  for  a  number  of  years. 

In  1883  the  family  returned  to  St.  Louis  and  lived  at 
1801  Kennett  Place.  Mr.  Van  Court  died  July  23,  1899,  sur- 
vived by  his  widow  and  three  daughters;  Hallie  (Mrs. 
Edwin  Poindexteri;  Carrie  Virginia  (Mrs.  H.  G.  Finley) : 
and    AmeUa   M.    (Mrs.    D.   K.   Reinhold). 


MICHAEL  WACHTER 

Michael  Wachter  was  a  prominent  business  man  in 
the  early  years  of  OFallon.  He  was  born  in  Germany  in 
1831  and  came  to  O'Fallon  in  1867  after  having  lived  in 
Lebanon  for  a  few  years.  In  OFallon  he  operated  a 
bakery,  a  saloon,  and  a  brickyard.  The  brickyard  was 
located  near  the  intersection  of  the  B.  &  O.  and  lUinois 
Terminal  Railroads.  He  was  a  member  of  the  village  board 
in  1876  and  1877.  He  was  married  in  1854.  He  had  ten 
children,  four  of  whom  grew  to  maturity  and  remained  as 
citizens  of  O'Fallon.  His  son,  Henry,  carried  on  his  fath- 
er's business  and  Uved  to  be  88  years  of  age.  He  died  in 
1951.  Mr.  Wachter  has  a  number  of  grandchildren  living 
in  O'Fallon.  Four  children  of  Katherine  Wachter  Ober- 
nuefemann  are:  Mrs.  Jcsie  Schmidt.  Mrs.  Alice  Mantle. 
Mi-s.  Louise  Huller.  and  Mike  Obernuefemann.  Another 
grandson  is  Ervin  Schmitt.  son  of  Josephine  Wachter 
Schmitt. 


WILLIAM  G.  WILLARD 

In  1896  William  G.  Willard  entered  the  range  manu- 
facturing business  at  his  plant  east  of  O'Fallon  on  the 
old  Van  Court  property.  He  put  up  a  smaU  range  works, 
designed  by  himself,  and  made  from  five  to  six  ranges  per 
day.    From  time  to  time  he  added  to  his  factory  until  the 


plant  turned  out  as  many  as  two  hundred  and  fifty  ranges 
per  day.  He  employed  several  hundred  workers,  as  weU 
as   his   seven   sons. 

Mr.  Willard  built  twenty-three  residences  for  his  em- 
ployees. He  was  loved  by  all  his  employees  for  they  knew 
he  had  their  interests  at  heart.  He  believed  and  lived  up 
to  thp  theory  that  a  man  should  not  devote  his  life  to 
makinsi  money  alone,  but  it  should  be  his  duty  and  his 
pleasure  to  be  good  to  his  workers  and  look  after  t'neir 
comfort   and   welfare. 

Mr.  Willard' s  life  story  is  more  like  fiction  than  fact. 
Ke  was  born  m  New  Jersey  on  June  7,  1852.  At  the  age 
of  eleven  he  was  hired  out  to  a  farmer.  This  work  v.'as 
hard  and  irksome.  He  ran  away  from  his  home  and  em- 
ployer and  made  his  way  to  the  Jersey  Canal  v/here  he 
worked  as  a  mule  driver.  Later  he  did  the  same  kind  of 
work  on  the  Erie  Canal,  driving  mules  from  Syracuse  to 
New  York  City.  He  worked  in  New  York  until  he  was 
fifteen  and  then  came  west  to  McLean  County,  Illinois, 
where  he  worked  on  a  farm  until  he  was  eighteen  years 
of  age.  He  then  came  to  St.  Louis  and  was  employed  on 
the  Eads  Bridge  then  in  the  course  of  construction.  Ths 
gave  him  his  first  experience  in  structural  iron  work.  He 
later  worked  on  the  St.  Charles.  Missouri  and  the  Reck 
Island.    Illinois   bridges. 

In  Rock  Island,  he  and  a  young  partner  built  a  flat 
boat  and  started  on  a  cruise  down  the  Mississippi  Rivegr. 
Their  boat  was  equipped  as  a  work  shop  and  on  the  way 
down  to  St.  Louis  they  did  various  kinds  of  work  such 
as  tinning,  etc. 

Upon  their  arrival  in  St.  Louis  the  two  young  men 
began  the  manufacturing  of  wash  wringers.  After  a  year, 
Mr.  Willard  bought  the  intere.'^t  of  his  partner  and  con- 
tinued the  business  by  himself.  He  did  business  on  the 
installment  plan  and  carried  a  stock  of  wringers,  bed 
springs  ,rugs,  clocks,  etc.  In  1904  he  bought  a  building 
at  219  Chestnut  Street  in  St.  Lolu.<!  which  was  later  used 
as  a  warehouse  for  ranges.  At  first,  Mr.  Willard  sent  out 
men  with  wagons  to  sell  his  ranges  throughout  the  country 
side.  Later  he  shipped  ranges  all  over  the  country.  In 
the  O'Fallon  Progress,  issue  of  April  7.  1905.  the  following 
advertisement  was  noted:  "W.  G.  Willard  Steel  Raiiges, 
complete  range  with  Japanned  trimming  $15.00;  nickel 
front  $16.00;  full  nickel  trimming  $17.00.  Send  $1.00  and 
I  will  ship  a  range  to  your  freight  office  wherever  you 
are  for  your  examination.  If  you  are  satisfied  remit  the 
balance   due." 

Mr.  Willard  died  in  February  1919.  His  sons  continued 
to  operate  the  business  for  several  years  after  his  death. 
The  business  was  discontinued  in  the  late  1930's. 

In  1869  Mr.  Willard  married  Augusta  Weber  of  St. 
Louis.  They  had  nine  children.  Four  sons.  Wm.  G.,  Joe, 
Nap.  Ted  and  their  families  are  residents  of  O'Fallon  at ' 
the  present  time  as  is  one  daughter.  Miss  Albertina  Willard. 
Another  daughter.  Dora,  (now  deceased  >  married  Bernard 
Funk    and    their    children    reside    in    O'Fallon. 

O'Fallon  is  a  better  city  because  of  the  Willard  enter- 
prise. 


-84- 


1 

■^  "H 

1 

-*-> 

%—    .^ 

"o 

'2 

■^  H 

> 

c     • 

V 

c 

c   ^ 

0) 

!-      -^ 

a 

U 

V-      cu 

o 

f'          ^ 

>-■ 

C    '^ 

*"* 

__ 

"  57 

^ 

.-^ 

-r;    v. 

c 

^    o 

0; 

"   "-J 

0) 

o 

X 

L. 

o 

V3 

r3 

73  ii 

.2 

.— '        n 

"I-* 

~* 

S  K 

«— . 

1) 

3 

O     3 

o 

'u 

J=   X 

O 

H    t: 

s 

JS 

=    < 

1" 

1  s 

"oj 

o 
t; 

(5  s 

s 
s 

^ 

-  o 

■^    o 

S-t 

♦^ 

s-S 

H 

0) 

;^  >. 

-i-^ 
M 

c  — 

^ 

H 

0) 

W    c3 

O 

^    >H 

N 

*-/ 

U 

CJ 

0)     C 

03 

^ 

^ 

^ 

—      ? 

<J 

i  ^^ 

en 

_,-«-■ 

.  -e 

a 

c; 

>.  5 

« 

0) 

^~ 

1*   "X 

3 

p 

u;  2 

S 

PQ 

i_ 

b  ^ 

c 

c 

"^ 

o  .5 

c 

> 

? 

^  ■■$■ 

E 

<L> 
U3 

•a 
o 

-::; 

1)   ",    CS 

3 

a,  _a) 

i-H 

r^ 

.«_) 

^-  -x 

X 

-o 

3        Q> 

E 

*d 

^1 

s:  > 

■^ 

w 

E 

c 
o 

■r. 

E 

.2 

0 

-J     r^ 

1 

u 

^          . 

'~^ 

3     i. 

O 

^ 

^M 

JZ      4) 

X 

.2 

c 

V3    c 

f- 

>♦ 

c 

c 
u 

0.^ 

o 

cs 

a 

E 

c 

u 

*^    "-5 

<*-. 

Pi 

0 

01 

c 

05    - 

E 

o 

cd 

U 

'3 
u 

CO 

if 

o 
u 

at 

E 

-S3- 


Centennial  Committees 

EXECUTIVE  .COMMITTEE 


JOHN    L.    ANHEUSER,   General    Chairman 

Born:  Summerfield,  Illinois,  December  19,  1899. 
Parents:  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  Steuber  Anheuser. 
Education:     Grade    and    High    School,    Rahe's    Automobile 

School,   Kansas  City,  Mo. 
Occupation:     Merchant— Auto    dealer,    bottle    gas    and    ap- 
pliances. 
Presently  serving  as  President  O'Fallon   Park  Board. 
Past  Activities:  Pcstmasier  of  O'Fallon  for  19  years. 

President  and  Secretary  O'Fallon  Civic  Club 

President    Rotary    Club 

President   O'Fallon   Business   Men's   Assn. 

President  St.  Clare's  Holy  Name  Society 


HENRY  M.  HESSE,  Advisory 
Born:   Lebanon,   Illinois,   January   31,   1910 
Parents;   Christ  J.  and  Minnie  Dressel  Hesse. 
Education:     Graduate   O'Fallon   Township   High  School   in 
1928,   Missouri   Institute   of   Accountancy   and   Law,   St. 
Louis,  Mo. 
Occupation:    Comptroller,  The  G.   S.  Suppiger  Co. 
Presently    serving    as    Mayor   of    O'Fallon.     Has    held    this 

office   since   1945. 
Past  activities:  President  Homecoming  Assn.— 1941  and  1942 
President  High  School  Board  of  Education, 

1937  to  1945  and  member,  1945  to  1949 
President    Church    Coimcil    of    Evangelical 

and   Reformed   Church 
Past  Master  O'Fallon  Lodge  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 


DELBERT  C.  CORBIER,  Advisory 

Born:    O'FaUon,  Illinois,  May  24,   1918 

Parents:    Robert  and  Lillie  Kendall  Corbier 

Education:    Graduated   O'Fallon   Township   High   School   in 

1936 
Occupation:     Carload     Sales    and    Procm-ement     Manager, 

Hunter  Packing  Company,  East  St.  Louis,  Illinois 


Presently   serving   as  President  O'Fallon  Homecoming   As- 
sociation,  President  O'Fallon   Choral   Singers,   member 
O'Fallon  Park  Board,  Junior  Warden,   O'Fallon  Lodge. 
A.  F.  &  A.  M. 
Past    activities:    Commander    Fischer-SoUis    Post    No.    137, 
American    Legion 
President    O'Fallon    High    School    Alumni 
Association 


J.   E.  HINCHCLIFFE,  SR.,  Secretary 

Born:  Williamson  County,  Illinois,  October  29.  1892. 
Parents:  William  and  Lucretia  Mitchell  Hinchcliffe 
Education:    Graduated    Southern    Illinois    University,    Car- 

bondale,  Illinois;  McKendree  College.  Lebanon,  Illinois; 

advanced   study   at   University   of   Illinois,    Champaign, 

Illinois  and  University  of  Chicago,   Chicago,   Illinois. 
Taught  in  the  public  schools  for  32  years.    Superintendent 

of   O'Fallon    City    Schools   and    Principal    of    the    High 

School  for  22  years,   1921-1943. 
Occupation:     Personnel  Director.   Independent   Engineering 

Company,   Inc. 
Presently  serving  as  Secretary  of  the  O'Fallon  Homecoming 

Association,  Director  of   O'Fallon   Choral   Singers,   and 

O'Fallon  City  Treasurer. 
Past  Activities:   President  Rotary   Club 

President  Homecoming  Association 
Past  Master  O'Fallon  Lodge  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 


MERLE   C.    HESSE,   Treasurer 

Born:    O'Fallon,    Illinois,    September   3,    1926 

Parents:    Barney  and  Agnes  Hesse 

Education:  Graduated  O'Fallon  Township  High  School  in 
1944,  Washington   University   in   1949. 

Occupation:  Accountant,  St.  Louis  Chevrolet  Division  of 
General   Motors,   St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Presently  serving  as  treasurer  of  the  O'Fallon  Homecom- 
ing Association,  vice  president  Churchmen's  Brother- 
hood of  Evangelical  and  Reformed  Church. 


Program  Committee 


Leonard  E.  Schwarz,  Chairman 
John   Hunter 
Priscilla    Gribler 
Arthur    Stein 
Margaret    Busch 
Howard    VanBuren 
Jack    Louppe 
Melvin   Rogers 
Maurice   Helen 


Advertising  and  Promotions 
Committee 
Irwin  Yare,   Chairman 
Warren  Dale  Thomas 
Adam  Becherer 
Lucille  Randel 
Walter  W.  Meiners 
William  Morton 
Carl  McManemy 
Bernard  Fuchs 


Special  Events  Committee 

M.  K.  Schwarz,  Chairman 
W.   R.  Dorris 
James   Bittles 
George   M.    Thomas 
Wayne   McKinley 
Adolph    Ohlendorf 
Ray    Christopher 
C.   W.   Marxer 
George    N.    Schwarz 
Edward   Hasemann 
John   Haukapp 
Harvey   Klingel 
Al.   Wolfe 
Ai-thur   J.   Huller 


Annice   Willard 


Historical  Committee 

Clarence  Distler.  Chairman 
Philip   W.    Schildknecht 
Frances   Eckert 
Nellie   Carroll 
Carrie    McGee    Tichenor 
Edward   Hemmer 

86 


Pageant  Committee 

James   E.   Segraves,   Chairman 
J.   E.  Hinchcliffe,   Sr. 
Velma   Hartinan 
Lucille    Randel 
Edna    Ayers 
F.    J.    Hangsleben 
L.    B.    Sample 
Carl    McManemy 
Joan    Bevirt 
Erna    Scheibel 
Virginia   Gruchalla 
Cecil    Lienesch 
Elva   Uhles 
Mabel   Hobbs 
Josephine    Shaw 
Carrie   Warraa 
Delbert   Corbier 
Nancy   Nail 
Wilmer   Mannz 
Erwin   Schmitt 


O.    M.    Randel 
Howard    Glenn 


Bushleaguer  Committee 

(Sponsored  by  O'Fallon  Fire  Dept.) 
Wilbur  Retting,  Chairman 
Orville   Friend 
Forrest   Schroeder 
James   Schroeder 
Fred    Andricks 
Cletus   Schau 
Bernard   Henry 


Bonnetted  Belles  Committee 

(Sponsored   by    P.T.A.) 
Eve    Schuetz,    Chairman 
Mildred    Schrameck 
Maxine   Brockhahn 
Betty   Suever 
Edna   Hunter 
Doris    Hertenstein 
Elaine   Maibes 
Gladys   FriU 
Nidra   Lurtz 
Pearl   Keys 
Hazel   Nave 
Albertine   Dressel 
Ruby   Keller 
Marjorie   Johannes 
Nina    Lee   Pfeifer 
Louise   Scheibel 
Ruth   Warma 
Margaret   Thompson 
Lois   Andricks 


Information,    Registration, 
and  Sale  of  Brochure 

'Sponsored   by    Woman's   Club) 
Marcella  Yaegcr,  Chairman 

Francis  Hesse 

Loretta   Trippel 

Lucille   Heien 

Alice   Marxer 

Laura   Plab 

Irene   Segraves 

Betty   Schmidt 

Marian   Hamm 

Verna   Schmidt 

Eloise   Bittles 


Old  Timers  Parade 

(Sponsored  by  Kiwanis  Club) 
William  Schmidt,  Chairman 
Carl    McManemy 
Wayne   McKinley 
Clyde   Glenn 
Truman   Bailey 
Joe    Bittles 
L.   B.    Sample 


Grounds  Committee 

Leonard   VoUmer,   Chairman 

0 

stand    Erection    and    Locations 

Oscar  Busch,  Chairman 
Harry   Klingelhoefer 
Louis   Fritz 
Harold   Wilt 
Leonard   VoUmer 
Stanley   Mullett 
Fred   Hangsleben 
Cletus   Schau 


Arthur   Stein 
Ray    Scheibel 
Leroy    Hiles 
Vernon    Scheibel 

Parking  Streets  and   Park 

A'elvin  KoKers,  Chairman 
Otto   Jung 
Edward    Funk 

Policing  City  and  Park 

James   Tiley.   Chairman 
Louis  Plab 
Ralph    Lee   Titter 
Otis   Hertzler 
Clcon    Dressel 
Ruben   Cavins 
Ei'gene   Ferguson 

Maintenance,  Repairs  and  Clean-Up 

John  Keller,  Chairman 


Concessionss  Committees 

Earl   Thompson,    Chairman 

Purchasing   and    Storekeeping 

Joseph   Kock   and    Les   Proffit, 
Co-Chairmen 

John    Haukapp 

Joe    Mayer 

Philip   BeU 

Ralph    Thomas 

Ben   Schmidt 

Bernard   Taylor 

o 

Local  Concessions 
Clyde   Glenn,   Chairman 

J.  S.  HiU 

Harry    Keys 

C.   J.   Lurtz 

Ray   Keller 

Stanley    Feist 

Fred    Hangsleben 

Dorothy    Clark 

Russell    Warma 

Bernard   Taylor 

Helen   Munier 

Gene   Thomas 

Don    Donate 

Adolph   Panz 

Ollio   B.    Fink 

William    Sharp 

Hap    Bossier 

Marcella    Yaeger 

Charles   Kauffmann 


Outside    Concessions 

Walter  W.  Thomas,  Chairman 


Special  Concessions 
Committees 

Ervin    C.    Schobert,    Chairman 


Lighting  Streets  and  Park 
Ray  Richardson,  Chairman 
Richard   Richardson 


Auto   Raffle 

Wayne   McKinley   and    Arthur   J. 
Huller,  Co-Chairmen 
John  L.  Anheuser 
Laurent    Anheuser 
Dorothy    McArdle 
Ronald    Anheuser 
Kathryn    Sidel 
Joyce    Anheuser 
Agnes    Bccherer 
Lucille   Schmidt 
Russell    Nail 
Mildred    Huller 
Betty    Peter 
Darwin    Huller 

87 


Shirley   Huller 
Jack    Lehman 
Jerry   Wise 
Kdwin    Pfeiffer 
Oscar   Munie 
L.    R.    McKinley 
Gloria      McKinley 
Dean    McKinley 
Leland    McKinley 
Leroy    Hamm 
Raymond    Brockman 
Dorothy    Scott 
Harry    Klingelhoefer 
Elmer   Gauch 
Wendell   Thompson 
Helen   Freivogel 
Victor   Thoman 
Eleanor   Thoman 


Hope   Chest    Raffle 

Priscilla  Griblcr.  Chairman 
Erna    Scheibel 
Alma    Hesse 
Lavinia   Schwarz 
Viola    Lautz 
Clara    Obcrnuefemann 
Naomi    Dressel 
Leola    Titter 
Pearl   Gribler 
Edna    Hesse 
Thora    Quinn 
Alma    Heitman 

Jacqueline    Rogers 
Helen    Distler 
Daisy    Bertram 
Clara    Hartman 
Emma    Mallard 
Grace   Heck 
Dorothy    Clark 
Aurelia    Schafer 
Velma    Marvel 
Ella    Keller 
Gladys    Fritz 
Gladys   Hallam 
Margaret    Heitman 
Florence    Busch 
Margaret   Transano 
Mary    Ellen    McCandless 
Edna    Hunter 
Agnes    Fuchs 
Opal   Wessel 
Mljllic    Heien 
Naomi    Poser 
Anna    Nesbit 
bhirley    Sibcrt 
LaDori::   Adair 
Shirlej    Coleman 
Marjorie   Johannes 
Vera    McGuire 
Julia   Thomas 
Rose    Hughes 
Bertha    Tiedemann 
Dorothy    Hartman 
Linda    Lehman 
Dorothy   Cavins 
Irene    Dunbar 

Coal    Raffle 

Edward  Hasemann,  Chairman 
Anita    Hasemann 
Velma    Porter 
James    Porter 
Willard    Nail 
Robert   Haukapp 
Clarence    Huller 
Viola   Hauptman 
Walter    Hauptman 
Benjamin    Klamm 


Queen   Contest 

Maurice   Reaka,    Chairman 
Barbara   Little 
Patsy   Eck 
Joan   Shea 
•Claudette   Napier 
Dorothy    Scott 
Virginia   Armstrong 
Norma   Lee   Warma 
Darlene   Moore 

0 

Bingo 

Milton  Hillesheim,  Chairman 
Jacob   Mueller 
Leroy    White 
Albert   Louis 
Leo   Lickenbrock 
Joe   Louis 
Walter   Hesse 
Ferd   Lampe 

o 

Games 
Charles   Lowe,    Chairman 
— o 

Dancing 

(Sponsored  by  O'Fallon  MoonUghi- 
er  Square  Dancing  Group) 
Kathryn    Reinhardt,   Chairman 
Elaine   Maibes 
Vincent   Maibes 
Doris   Hertenstein 
Dan   Hertenstein 
Dorothy   Schwarz 
Mike   Schwarz 
Victor   Reinhardt 
Ray   Scheibel 


Wild  Life  Exhibit  Committee 
(Sponsored    by    Sportsmen   Club) 
Clifton   Joseph,   Chairman 


Committee 

Howard   VanBuren,    Chairman 
Walter   Gindler 
George   Kurtz 
Kenneth   Johnson 
William   Bergmann 
Julius    Runkwitz 


Industry,   Displays   and 
Tours   Committee 
Maurice  Helen,  Chairman 
Ray   Richardson 
Jack   Schwarz 
Elmer   Keck 


Childrens   Parade 
Committee 

(Sponsored   by    Rotary   Club) 
Clarence  J.  Lurtz.  Chairman 
John   L.   Anheuser 
Robert   Morrison 
Jack   Louppe 
Irwin   A.    Yare 
Maurice   Helen 


Western  Parade  Committee 
T.     W.     Trammel     and     Ray     K. 
Frailey,   Co-Chairmen 
F.   K.  Dzengolewskl 
Kenneth   C.    Bevirt 
Robert   Schwarz 
Walter   Gindler 
Dr.   L.   W.    Roth 
Douglas   Metz 
Donald   Frailey 
Floyd   Metz 
Tom   Boldt 
Orrin   Joseph 
J.   H.    VanBuren 


Leland    Reimann 
Burrell   Hoehner 
Charles   J.    Schuetz 
Hawley    Canterbury 
Harold   Yaeger 
O.   M.    Randel 


Mardi  Gras  Parade 

Committee 

Clarence     J.     Lurtz     and     George 
Fritz,  Co-Chairmen 
Elmer   Keck 
Warren   D.    Thomas 
Milton   Hillesheim 
Arthur   Huller 
Edward    Hasemann 
Ray   Richardson 
Gerald   Poser 
L.   M.   Wolfersberger 


First  Aid  and  Safety 
Committee 

W.   J.   Eckert^  Chairman 
Fred    Budina 
Dorothy    Canterbury 
J.  E.  HinchcUffe,   Jr. 
Melville   Mayhill 
Robert    Notz 
Ray    Scheibel 
Henry    Seipp.    Sr. 
Virginia    Smith 


Live   Stock   Exhibit,   Four-H 
Clubs,  Soil   Conservation 


Rodeo  Committee: 

Walter    Gindler.    Chairman 


Finance  and   Auditing 
Committee 

Russell  Thoman.   Chairman 
John   Hunter 
Alfred   Tiedemann 
Charles   Etherton.    Jr. 
G.    B.    Gieser 
Frances   Bell 
J.    E.    HinchcUffe,    Si. 
Margaret    Egger 
Merle    Hesse 


-88 


FINAIdEq 


r\ 


J*- 


This  historical  booklet  represents  the  combined  work  of  many 
people  of  OTalion.    Its  contents  were  compiled,  evaluated,  and  writ- 
ten by  the  committee  which  also  supplied   ma- 
terial   for    the  historical  pageant  to    be  staged 
here  during  the   Centennial   Celebration. 

Feeling  that  much  of  the  data  would  be 
lost  unless  preserved  in  some  permanent  form, 
the  Program  Committee  very  early  suggested 
that  information  obtained  by  the  Historical 
Committee  be  published  in  printed  form. 

The  Historical  Committee  feels  that  this 
history  is  far  from  complete.  Nb  committee, 
however  efficient,  could  record  in  so  short  time 
and  in  so  short  space,  a  complete  account  of 
O'Fallon's  progress  over  the  last  century.  The  Committee  has  tried 
to  check  the  material  as  closely  as  possible,  but  we  know  it  would  be 
almost  impossible  to  present  a  book  without  some  errors.  Errors  of 
omission  and  commission,  misspellings,  and  oversights  will  be  recti- 
fied and  acknowledged  in  the  next  Centennial  Booklet  to  be  published 
in  2054.  So  if  you  feel  slighted  about  anything,  just  make  a  note  of  it 
and  contact  the  committee  at  that  time. 

We  wish  to  thank  the  many  people  who  so  kindly  offered 
assistance,  and  furnished  information  and  pictures  that  we  might 
present,  "The  History  of  O'Fallon." 

THE   CENTENNIAL  HISTORICAL   COMMITTEE 

CLARPLNCE   DISTLER.   Chairman 
NELLIE  CARROLL 
CARRIE  TICHENOR 
FRANCES  ECKERT 
PHILIP   SCHILUKXECHT 
ANNICE  WILLARD 
EDWARD  HEMMER 


-89- 


CHILD/^£NS'   rA/^ADE         

/.■  30  fM     S^ftirc/^^    Aug^  28 

OLD      T/MEf?s'  FAf^AOe 

7-30  rM      iVrdnrsd^i^     Aug    '25 


Smeer    dancing         /si  St  /i-^  /me  S/.  fo  Cf,t:rn, 

8'30PM      y^ednejJsLf       Aug  2S 
PA  &£ANT  -      Commi//!/^u    P'Sr-k 


c/rr     Of    n'FALLON.    /lljjloiA 


P) ogress  Press 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 

9773e90Fio  cnm 

0  FALLON  CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  1854-19 


"  7  "X'-"  .■;«B>i-»a  <t«<4anM