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UNIVERSITY  OF 

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ILL.  HIST.  SURVEY 


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in  2012  with  funding  from 

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'J  I  ^       i 


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.._  THE 

u      ^BlUE  ISLAND  ~ 

STORV 


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AN 

HISTORICAL 

REVIEW 

OF  THE  FIRST  ONE  HUNDRED 
AND  TWENTY-SEVEN  YEARS 

OF 

OUR  CITY  ON  THE  HILL 
BLUE  ISLAND, ILLINOIS 

WRITTEN  AND  PUBLISHED 

AS  PART  OF  THE 

1962  FOURTH  OF  JULY  CELEBRATION 


SPONSORED  BY 
THE  LIONS  CLUB  OF  BLUE  ISLAND 


FOREWORD 

How    'The    Blue    Island    Story"    Came    To    Be 

In  planning  the  1962  Fourth  of  July  Celebration, 
the  Lions  Club  of  Blue  Island  has  believed  that  part  of 
its  duty  was  to  bring  the  history  of  our  city  up  to  date. 
Could  we  not  look  back  and  retell  the  story  of  our 
past?  Could  we  not  catch  again  that  determination  to 
conquer  all  obstacles,  which  has  always  marked  our 
people?  Could  we  not  re-dedicate  ourselves  to  the 
furtherance  of  that  spirit  which  has  brought  us  from  a 
little  pioneer  village  to  our  present  prosperous  city? 
Perhaps  by  studying  again  The  Blue  Island  Story,  and 
rewriting  it  for  others  to  read,  we  might  accomplish  all 
these  aims. 

Thus  inspired,  we  have  herein  attempted  to  tell  of 
our  city's  127  years  growth.  Fortunately  our  committee 
has  been  able  to  lean  heavily  on  the  fine  historical 
efforts  of  the  late  John  H.  Volp,  who  wrote  "The  First 
Hundred  Years."  This  book  not  only  presents  invaluable 
source  material,  but  also  sets  a  standard  of  excellence 
which  we  hope  we  have  met.  The  Blue  Island  Sun- 
Standard  has  been  our  sole  authority  for  happenings 
since  1935,  so  we  owe  the  Volp  family  and  organiza- 
tion a  double  debt  of  gratitude.  Although  our  work  is 
principally  concerned  with  the  years  after  1935,  we 
have  attempted  to  condense  Mr.  Volp's  presentation, 
in  order  to  tell  the  entire  story  of  our  city's  prosperity. 

Our  hope  now  is  that  you,  our  readers,  will  ac- 
cept "The  Blue  Island  Story"  in  the  same  spirit  in  which 
it  is  presented:  that  all  the  tomorrows  of  this  city,  our 
home,  will  be  as  fine  and  as  good  and  as  great  as  have 
been  its  yesterdays. 

The  Lions  Club  of  Blue  Island 

1962  Fourth  of  July  Celebration  Committee 

Henry  G.  Baumann,  General  Chairman 

"The  Blue  Island  Story"  Committee 

Harold  L  Richards  and  Harold  Volp,  Co-chairmen, 


JOHN  HENRY  VOLP 

1868  1938 


In  part  borrowed,  and  in  part  ours  — 

When  John  H.  Volp  wrote  "The  First  Hundred  Years'' 
he   penned  this  dedication: 

"Dedicated  to  the  Men  and  Women  of  a  past  genera- 
tion —  those  sturdy  Pioneers  who  conquered  a  wilder- 
ness and  laid  the  foundations  of  Blue  Island,  The  City  on 
the  Hill;  to  the  Men  and  Women  of  Today,  who  art 
striving  to  make  Blue  Island  a  clean,  prosperous  and  pro- 
gressive community;  and  to  the  little  Citizens  of  the 
Future,  on  whose  shoulders  will  fall  the  duty  to  carry 
on  this  work  and  who  must  set  for  themselves  even  higher 
ideals." 

To  which  the  committee  responsible  for  "The  Blue 
Island  Story"  would  add  these  words  — 

"And  to  the  memory  of  John  H.  Volp,  who  wrote 
so  well  of  our  First  Hundred  Years." 


Printed    by 
The  Blue   Island   Pulishing  Corporation 


THE  BLUE  ISLAND  STORY 


"If  a  cat  held  by  its  tail  is 
swung  in  a  circle,  it  will  touch 
all  four  walls." 

This  description  of  Norman 
Rexford's  first  tavern,  built  in 
1835  in  the  north  section  of  Blue 
Island,  would  not  only  fit  this 
one  building,  but  would  hand- 
somely compliment  any  structure 
in  the  tiny  settlement  at  this  time. 

Even  though  Isaac  Greenacre's 
comment  on  the  four  room  log 
hut  is  certainly  not  flattering,  this 
structure  would  seem  pa  1  a  t  i  a  1 
when  compared  to  the  home  of 
Thomas  Courtney,  the  first  white 
man  known  to  have  settled  in  the 
"Blue  Island,"  in  the  summer  of 
1834.  Standing  alone  in  the  wil- 
derness, this  crude  cabin  had  but 
a  single  room,  no  windows,  only 
one  opening,  a  makeshift  fireplace 
at  one  end,  and  an  earthen  floor. 
When  this  first  home  is  compared 
to  the  beautiful  and  impressive 
First  Lutheran  Church  which  now 
occupies  its  place,  it  seems  scarce- 
ly worthy  of  being  called  a  human 
habitation. 

After  operating  his  little  tavern 
for  about  a  year,  Norman  Rex- 
ford    decided    to    move    nearer 


Courtney's  location,  which  would 
bring  him  close  to  a  well  traveled 
trail,  the  Vincennes  Road,  and  en- 
hance the  business  possibilities  of 
his  inn.  In  1836  he  began  another 
tavern  about  1000  feet  away  from 
Courtney's  place,  on  the  highest 
point  of  the  southeastern  part  of 
the  elevation.  This  would  place 
him  on  the  east  side  of  the  mean- 
dering path  which  is  now  Western 
Avenue,  about  half  way  between 
Grove  and  Fulton  Streets.  No 
crude  cabin  this,  but  a  frame 
building  sided  with  boards  cost- 
ing $40.00  a  thousand  feet,  and 
brought  by  team  from  over  one 
hundred  miles  away. 

This,  the  "Blue  Island  House," 
soon  proved  that  Rexford  had 
chosen  his  site  well.  The  high  part 
of  the  Blue  Island  elevation  wafl 
much  steeper  and  more  abrupt  in 
those  days  than  it  is  now,  and  the 
traveler  could  get  a  grand  pano- 
rama of  much  of  the  low  lying 
country  all  around,  from  the  \cr- 
anda  of  the  Blue  Island  Hon-'-. 
Army  officers  and  settlers,  push- 
ing their  ways  south  and  west 
along  the  Vincennes  Trail,  run- 
ning   nearby,    stopped    overnight. 


and  this  structure,  the  first  of  any 
permanent  character,  became  the 
nucleus  of  the  "city  on  the  hill." 
But  why  the  name  Blue  Island, 
and  when  was  it  adopted?  The 
most  logical  explanation  seems  to 
be  one  made  in  the  Chicago  Demo- 
crat of  February,  1834,  in  this 
description:  "Nearly  south  of  this 
town  (Chicago)  and  twelve  miles 
distant  is  Blue  Island.  This  name 
is  particularly  appropriate.  It  is 
a  table  of  land  about  six  miles 
long  and  an  average  of  two  miles 
wide,  of  an  oval  form  and  rising 
some  forty  feet  out  of  an  immense 
plain  which  surrounds  it  on  every 
side.  The  sides  and  slopes  of  this 
table  as  well  as  the  table  itself, 
are  covered  with  a  handome 
growth  of  timber,  forming  a  belt 


surrounding  about  four  or  five 
thousand  acres  of  beautiful  table 
land. 

"In  summer  the  plain  is  covered 
with  luxurious  herbiage.  It  is  un- 
inhabited, and  when  we  visited  it, 
from  its  stillness,  loneliness,  and 
quiet,  we  pronounced  it  a  vast 
vegetable  solitude.  The  ridge, 
when  viewed  from  a  distance,  ap- 
pears standing  in  an  azure  mist 
of  vapor,  hence  the  appellation, 
'Blue   Island'." 

Geographically  and  geologically 
this  description  is  well  supported. 
Geological  survey  maps  in  John 
Volp's  book,  "The  First  Hundred 
Years,"  show  the  present  city  a 
true  island  for  ages  during  and 
after  the  melting  of  the  ice  cap 
which  covered  it  during  the  glacial 


The  Blue  Island  House 
This  was  the  first  structure  of  a  permanent  character  to  be  erected  in  Blue 
Island.  It  was  built  by  Norman  Rexford  in  1836  and  for  many  years  served  as  a 
hotel  and  as  a  home  for  the  Rexford  family.  The  drawing  above  was  reproduced 
from  a  pencil  sketch  made  during  the  early  years  when  the  building  was  still 
standing.  The  sketch  was  kindly  loaned  by  Fred  K.  Rexford  of  Pasadena, 
California. 


period.  Then  it  was  at  least  eight 
miles  from  the  present  western 
shore  of  the  lake.  At  first.  Blue 
Island  and  Mount  Forest  Island 
were  the  only  islands  in  the  lake, 
with  Lane's  Island  and  Stonv  Is- 
land appearing  out  of  the  reced- 
ing waters  at  a  somewhat  later 
date.  It  is  thought  by  some  that 
Lake  Michigan's  original  shore 
line  was  at  Blue  Island,  receding 
first  to  the  present  Michigan  Ave- 
nue ridge,  and  from  there  finally 
to   its  present  shore  line. 

The  '"Blue"  part  of  the  name 
is  at  least  partly  due  to  another 
story,  told  by  an  early  visitor  to 
the  elevated  part  of  this  region, 
who  remembered  the  acres  and 
acres  of  blue  flags  (wild  iris) 
which  grew  in  the  marshy  spots 
at  the  base  of  the  ridge,  and 
seemed  to  impart  their  color  to 
the  vapor  rising  from  the  stag- 
nant water.  Perhaps  the  most  in- 
teresting of  all  explanations  of 
the  name  might  be  the  one  ad- 
vanced by  H.  B.  Robinson,  mem- 
ber of  a  pioneer  family  which  lo- 
cated here  in  the  early  days.  He 
told  of  a  tribe  of  Indians  former- 
ly living  on  the  ridge,  who  painted 
their  faces  blue,  and  who  were 
referred  to  by  hunters  in  the  area 
at  that  time  as  the  "blues  of  the 
ridge."  While  history  does  tell 
us  that  Blue  Island  was  once  the 
site  of  a  sizable  Indian  village, 
with  a  nearby  important  council 
meeting  place  and  burying  ground, 
there  is  no  other  record  of  the 
"Blue"  Indians.  If  there  were, 
one  might  wonder  why  the  name 


did  not  become  "Blue  Indiana  U 

land."' 

Although  the  name  Blue  [aland 
seemed  well  accepted,  even  be- 
fore the  settlers  came  in  an)  1 

numbers,  its  official  adoption  be- 
came   another    story,    which    has 

caused  no  small  amount  of  con- 
cern and  confusion.  This  was  <lu<-. 
in  part,  to  the  somewhat  grand- 
iose schemes  of  Peter  Barton,  a 
pioneer  real  estate  promoter  who 
came  to  the  area  in  1837.  After 
helping  Norman  Rexford  improve 
the  main  road  leading  south  (now 
Western  Avenue)  he  plotted  the 
section  beginning  at  what  is  now 
our  drainage  canal  and  extending 
south  to  the  present  township 
line,  between  Western  Avenue  and 
the  Calumet  River.  This  section 
he  named  Portland,  laid  out  and 
named  the  streets,  and  "donated" 
a  public  square  —  thereby  caus- 
ing himself  to  be  more  cussed 
than  discussed  for  many,  many 
years  in  the  future.  For,  in  donat- 
ing this  square,  which  he  had  pre- 
sumably meant  for  the  court 
house  location,  it  had  been  "dedi- 
cated to  the  use  of  the  people 
forever."  In  the  first  place  its 
location  placed  it  at  the  later  in- 
tersection of  Broadway  and  Cha- 
tham, making  the  property  four 
small  squares  instead  of  one.  and 
in  the  second  place,  there  was  no 
clear  title  to  the  property,  so  that 
it  could  not  be  sold,  deeded,  or 
disposed  of  in  an\  way.  How 
honest  and  public  spirited  Mr. 
Barton's  intention-  were,  his  vi- 
rions of  developing  Portland  w< 


quite  premature,  as  the  early  set- 
tlers continued  to  prefer  the 
heights  to  the  north  of  his  sub- 
division, and  "Portland"  never 
became  the  important  river  town 
he  had  hoped.  In  fact,  it  was  at 
least  twenty  years  before  fam- 
ilies took  up  claims  here  in  any 
numbers  at  all.  His  early  scheme 
was  effective  enough,  however, 
to  get  the  whole  area  officially 
designated  by  the  post  office  de- 
partment as  Portland.  Unofficial- 
ly and  generally  the  name  Blue 
Island  was  still  used  and  recog- 
nized until  about  1850,  when 
another  name  entered,  to  confuse 
the  issue  still  further.  Legislation 
was  passed  that  year  to  make  the 
post  office  name  the  same  as  that 
of  the  township,  and  so  the  little 
settlement  of  f  i  c  i  a  1  ly  became 
Worth.  This  forced  name  did  not 
fare  any  better  than  that  of  Port- 
land, and  in  1860,  after  the  Rock 
Island  Railroad  had  named  its 
local  stop  Blue  Island,  the  post 
office  department,  evidently  con- 
cluding that  if  "you  can't  lick 
'em,  join  'em,"  finally  gave  its 
blessing  to  this  name,  which  had 
persisted  from  the  very  beginning. 

Some  of  the  names  given  to 
other  sections  of  this  early  settle- 
ment were  neither  as  pleasantly 
descriptive  nor,  fortunately,  as 
lasting  as  that  of  Blue  Island. 
For  instance,  there  were  Bache- 
lors' Grove,  the  "black"  or  "Rob- 
bers' Woods"  and  worst  of  all, 
"Horse  Thief  Hollow." 

Much  to  the  disgust  of  the  elig- 
ible   young    ladies,    many    of    the 


young  men  coming  to  the  settle- 
ment in  its  early  days  preferred 
to  take  up  quarters  in  a  section 
somewhat  removed  from  the  hill, 
hence  the  name,  "Bachelors' 
Grove."  Because  several  farmers, 
returning  from  Chicago  after  hav- 
ing sold  their  produce,  were  rob- 
bed in  the  vicinity  of  a  thick  for- 
est near  the  Vincennes  Road  and 
119th  Street,  this  "Robber's 
Woods"  became  a  place  to  be 
shunned.  "Horse  Thief  Hollow" 
was  a  deep  and  very  steep  ravine 
in  what  is  now  Morgan  Park, 
furnishing  a  hiding  place,  and 
even  a  fortress  for  the  question- 
able nocturnal  activities  of  these 
gentlemen.  Farmers  had  found 
bags  of  horse  feed  here,  many 
hoof  prints,  and  occasionally  a 
horseshoe,  which  was  more  than 
enough  to  cause  them  to  brand 
the  area  thus  descriptively  and  to 
avoid   it,   as   well. 

Now  what  was  the  life  of  these 
pioneer  Blue  Islanders  like?  Some 
of  us  today,  surfeited  by  the  easy 
life  which  we  know,  would  have 
found  the  conditions  which  they 
faced  and  conquered  too  much 
for  us  —  in  fact,  we  would  prob- 
ably have  passed  out  on  the  way 
to  this  elevated  wilderness.  But 
these  elementary  Blue  Islanders 
were  made  of  sterner  stuff.  They 
had  to  eat,  to  build  homes,  to 
earn  a  living,  and  they  wTent 
about  these  tasks  with  courage 
and  dispatch. 

The  men  of  the  Rexford  clan, 
prominent  early  pioneers,  would 
give  some  of  the  best  examples  of 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Norman  Rexford,  Pioneer  Couple 
So  many  of  the  Rexford  families  were  among  the  first  citizens  of  Blue  Island 
that  the  name  is  inseparably  connected  with  the  early  history  of  the  city. 

—  Photo  courtesy  of  Fred  K.  Rexford,  Pasadena,  Calif. 


this  determination.  The  keen  busi- 
ness sense  of  Norman  Rexford 
caused  him  to  locate  his  tavern 
and  inn  near  the  Vincennes  Trail 
—  the  first  to  see  the  great  com- 
mercial and  trading  possibili- 
ties of  locating  in  this  area.  He 
was  also  the  settlement's  first 
postmaster.  His  son,  F  a  y  e  t  te, 
when  only  eleven  years  old,  car- 
ried the  mail  on  horseback  from 
Chicago  to  Bunkum,  a  distance  of 
ninety  miles.  His  brother,  Heber, 
was  one  of  our  earliest  farmers, 
sharing  the  rewards  which  the 
good  black  dirt  of  this  region 
brought  to  all  those  who  tilled 
the  soil.  It  was  he  who  gave  us  an 
almost  idyllic  picture  of  the  na- 
tural   resources    of    the    place — 


All  the  early  settler  had  to  do 
when  he  wanted  fresh  meat  was 
to  take  his  gun  and  walk  a  mile  or 
so  from  his  cabin,  where  his 
wants  were  soon  supplied  .  .  . 
Wild  fowl,  both  land  and  water, 
abounded,  and  the  creek  and  river 
teemed    with   fine   fish." 

The  position  of  this  family  in 
the  little  community  is  further 
shown  by  Heber'a  having  been 
elected  police  magistrate.  At  that 
time  he  and  S.  I).  Huntington, 
chosen  constable,  represented  the 
law.  Commenting  upon  hi-  posi- 
tion, Rexford  stated:  "I  do  not 
think  the  i  I  the  South  ever 

entertained    half    bo    extra 
idea-  of  the  powers    d  bulldozers 
as   did    the   majorit)    <»f    our   then 


population  of  the  functions  of  'Mr. 
Heber  and  Mr.  Sam.'  I  was  cloth- 
ed in  their  minds  with  almost  un- 
limited powers,  but  Sam  was  a 
terror  to  evildoers.  None  were  in- 
sane enough  to  dissent  when  Sam 
indicated  his  wish."  Evidently 
then,  as  now,  Blue  Islanders  were 
a  well  behaved  lot! 

Some  time  later  Heber  received 
a  government  contract  to  carry 
the  mail  from  Blue  Island  to  Iro- 
quoise,  Illinois,  twice  weekly. 
Some  idea  of  the  wages  paid  then 
might  be  gained  by  stating  that 
for  this  service  he  was  paid  the 
sum  of  $598.00  per  year. 

Other  men  soon  put  their  talents 
to  work  in  Blue  Island.  Stephen 


Jones,  one  of  the  three  men  to  set- 
tle here  in  1836,  opened  a  wagon 
shop.  Next  year  John  Brittain 
came  with  his  blacksmith  shop. 
After  four  years  of  farming,  Carl- 
ton Wadams,  perhaps  inspired  by 
the  success  of  the  Blue  Island 
House,  opened  h  i  s  "American 
House"  tavern  in  1844,  on  the 
west  side  of  Western  Avenue, 
north  of  Vermont.  At  one  time 
Wadams  owned  all  the  land  be- 
tween Western  and  Maple,  from 
Vermont  to  Burr  Oak. 

The  Robinson  family  was  an- 
other to  make  its  mark  on  the 
early  days.  Daniel,  coming  here 
in  1836,  was  the  first  to  arrive. 
He  helped   build  Rexford's   Blue 


The  American  House,  Built  in  1844 
This  popular  tavern  and  hotel  stood  north  of   Vermont  on  the  west  side  of 
Western.    Business    was    very    good    during    the    building    of    the    feeder    canal. 
Carlton  Wadhams  was  the  proprietor. 


Island  House,  and  was  later  a 
real  estate  operator,  a  teacher,  a 
school  director,  and  a  justice  of 
the  peace.  C.  D.  Robinson  and  his 
son,  Henry,  might  be  called  the 
fathers  of  Blue  Island  retailing, 
as  they  opened  a  general  mer- 
chandise store  at  the  northwest 
corner  of  Western  and  Grove. 
Here  the  passing  traveler  or  the 
settlers  could  buy  anything  from 
gunpowder  to  trousers.  The  farm- 
ers selling  produce  in  Chicago 
seemed  to  prefer  to  stop  here  on 
their  way  home  to  buy  their  sup- 
plies, and  to  sit  around,  puffing 
on  their  pipes  and  discussing  the 
problems  of  pioneer  times.  The 
popularity  of  the  store  as  a  stop- 
over place  was  undoubtedly  great- 
ly aided  by  the  well  nigh  im- 
passable roads,  especially  during 
certain  seasons  of  the  year.  Des- 
pite these  difficulties  vast  herds 
of  cattle  and  sheep,  coming  in 
over  the  Sauk  Trail  from  the 
south  and  west,  and  destined  for 
the  Chicago  market,  would  strike 
their  northward  course  near  Blue 
Island,  and  pass  over  the  Vin- 
cennes  Trail  through  the  tiny  set- 
tlement. These  enormous  herds  of 
cattle  and  flocks  of  sheep,  some- 
times three  or  four  miles  in 
length,  would  bed  down  for  the 
night  on  the  prairies  near  here, 
giving  both  animals  and  their 
weary  herders  a  welcome  respite 
before  they  pushed  on  to  the  Chi- 
cago  stockyards. 

Two  other  families  still  noted 
for  their  outstanding  successes  in 
the  retail  field  are  the  Schreibers 


and  the  Schappers.  Vugusl  Schrei- 
ber,  who  came  in  1848,  bought 
propert)  belo*  the  hill  on   I 


Herman    Schmitt 
Pioneer   merchant   and  founder  of  a 
mercantile      establishment      which      for 
many   years    was   a   leading   institution 
in  the  village. 

Street  and  opened  the  hardware 
store  which  is  still  doing  business 
there,  and  under  the  same  fam- 
ily's management.  In  1852  Schap- 
per  moved  his  little  drug  store  to 
the  northeast  corner  of  Grove  and 
Western,  where  his  establishment, 
now  the  Pioneer  Drug  Store,  ii 
still  located. 
By  the  late  50*8  there  were  four 

breweries  going,  whir  li  MOWS 
that  the  early  Island,  ra  liked  the 
brew  that  cheers  and  sometime* 
inebriates.  The  Bauer  Brewery 
wa>  the  fir^t.  rather  quickl)  fol- 
lowed 1»\  three  oth< 
Brewer)  onl)  operated  for  i 
time,  but   Busch  and   Brandt,  and 


Robinson  Hall 
C.  D.  Robinson  built  this  hall  in  1860;  it  was  destroyed  in  the  big  fire  of  1896. 


the  Metz  Brewery,  known  for  its 
Bohemian  or  Pilsner  broth,  were 
well  patronized  for  the  noble  tank- 
ards they  put  forth.  One  reason 
for  Blue  Island  becoming  known 
as  a  brewing  town  was  the  easy 
availability  of  the  "hill"  for  tun- 
nels used  to  cool  the  amber  li- 
quid. Those  who  still  like  an  oc- 
casional glass  might  pause  to 
shed  a  silent  tear  for  these  good 
old  days  when  beer  sold  for  three 
to  five  cents  a  glass,  with  the 
harder  stuff  going  for  twenty- 
five  to  thirty-five  cents  a  gallon. 
Housewives  also  depended  upon 
the  brewer's  art  for  their  baking, 
sending  on  Saturday  for  a  pen- 
ny's worth  of  yeast  —  more  than 
enough  to  take  care  of  even  the 
enormous  home  baking  done  in 
those  days. 


Other  infant  industries  flour- 
ished for  a  while  in  the  little 
settlement.  Franz  Schwartz,  and 
William  and  Frederick  Seyfarth 
and  after  them,  Bernhard  Knirsch, 
worked  their  stone  quarries,  with 
the  stone  from  the  latter  being 
used  to  build  the  First  Lutheran 
Church  in  1863,  and  costing  $2.50 
a  cord.  The  Roll  flour  and  grist 
mill  had  to  quit  when  the  dam 
supplying  their  water  power  was 
blown  up.  Henry  Wibben,  and  af- 
ter him  Henry  Tews  and  Carl 
Reusnow,  sold  fine,  handmade 
bricks,  but  later  competitors,  us- 
ing machines,  put  them  out  of 
business.  Jacob  Sauerteig,  early 
locksmith,  fell  before  similar  com- 
petition, as  did  Anton  Baintele, 
with  his  handmade  shingles.  The 
tanneries  of  Waniata  and  Linder 


Bauer's  Brewery 
This   Was  the  first   of  four   such   "thirst   quenchers"   erected   in    Blue   Island 
during  the  1850's. 


The   Old   Union    II 
John  Engelhart   built   this  structure  in    1875.   For   mam 
under  the  name  of  Bairischer  Hof. 

—  Phot'  ^taffel 


were  forced  to  quit  when  the  local 
supply  of  skins  and  pelts  ran  out. 
Even  the  ladies  were  important  in 
early  industry,  with  Edie  Ann 
Jones,  the  first  white  female  child 
born  in  Blue  Island,  and  her 
mother  weaving  rag  carpets  for 
the  floors  of  many  homes.  Be- 
ginnings in  the  cooperage  indus- 
try were  made  by  William  Ben- 
jamin and  Michael  Koenner  about 
this  time.  Other  "homemade"  in- 
dustries included  horseshoe  nails 
made  by  Ferdinand  Luedtke,  and 
baskets,  woven  by  C  h  r  i  s  t  i  an 
Driese. 

Early  Blue  Island  pro  f  i  t  e  d 
greatly  from  its  skilled  trades- 
men. Following  John  Brittain  as 
a  smithy  were  Nathaniel  Sher- 
wood, William  Lowe,  Louis  Brand, 
John  Hartung,  Henry  Boening, 
and  Fred  Dietz,  all  working  here 
by  1852.  Wagon  makers  after 
Stephen  Jones  included  Fred 
Steffes  and  William  Sorgenfrei, 
before  1855.  Carpenters  and  ma- 
sons also  had  plenty  of  work  in 
the  early  days,  building  the  early 
breweries,  the  German  Methodist 
and  the  First  Lutheran  churches, 
as  well  as  some  of  the  more  pre- 
tentious homes.  D.  0.  Robinson 
and  John  Kelly  were  carpenters 
working  in  the  forties,  and  by 
1852  they  were  joined  by  Fred 
Koehne,  Theodore  Guenther,  Er- 
ich Claussen,  Fred  Wuetig,  and 
William  Heckler. 

Among  the  first  bricklayers,  all 
at  work  in  Blue  Island  by  the 
same  year,  were  John  Black,  John 
and  Michael  Heim,  John  Koehler, 


William  Bouri,  and  William  Betts. 
The  shoemaker's  last  also  claim- 
ed such  skilled  workers  as  Peter 
Kich,   Henry  Asche,   Fred   Klein, 


Henry  W .  Schmitt 
This  pioneer  of  the  early  fifties  was 
first  a  blacksmith,  and  a  manufacturer 
of  wagons.  In  1872,  he  operated  a  meat 
market  and  later  ran  a  restaurant  and 
boarding  house  known  as  the  Transient 
House. 

and  Walter  Williams.  John  Popp 
and  William  Bishop  were  known 
far  and  wide  as  the  well  diggers. 
As  with  most  primitive  com- 
munities, professional  men  were 
scarce.  Mr.  Volp  tells  us  that 
there  were  no  doctors  closer  than 
Chicago  for  the  first  eight  or  ten 
years  in  Blue  Island.  In  her  re- 
miniscences, Mrs.  Fuller,  the 
daughter  of  C.  D.  Robinson,  men- 
tions a  Dr.  Bachelder,  and  other 
records  contain  the  names  of  a 
Dr.  Truesdale,  a  Dr.  Henry  Folk, 
Dr.   Henry   Douglas,   Dr.   Adolph 


10 


Bodenstab,  and  Dr.  G  r  a  h  am 
Marr.  There  was  certainl)  enough 

illness,  and  more,  for  those  good 
men  in  the  early  days.  The  years 
1847,  1849,  1853  and  1  8  54 
brought  terrible  sicknesses.  The 
fever  and  ague,  or  the  "shakes," 
as  the  pioneers  knew  this  disease, 
may  have  been  augmented  by  the 
swampy  conditions  of  the  low- 
lands surrounding  the  hill.  The 
50's  brought  the  dreaded  cholera 
morbus,  which  killed  whole  fam- 
ilies. Burials  were  made  as  quicklv 
as  possible,  often  at  night,  and 
flowers  for  the  funeral  were  un- 
known. 

Men  of  the  law  did  not  seem 
to  have  much  activity  before  1850. 
The  power  of  the  magistrate  has 
already  been  attested  by  Heber 
Rexford,  who  served  in  this  capac- 
ity around  1846.  Other  lawyers 
then  assisting  the  settlers  in  legal 
matters  included  Rodney  N.  Day, 
Daniel  0.  Robinson,  Benjamin 
Sanders,   and  Andrew  H.   Dolton. 

While  it  is  difficult  to  give  the 
exact  reason  why  so  many  settlers 
of  German  descent  came  to  Blue 
Ialsnd  in  the  early  days,  the  fer- 
tile soil,  as  reported  by  the  first 
of  these  men  from  the  Fatherland 
to  settle  here,  might  have  been 
the  source  of  attraction.  Perhaps 
August  Schreiber,  coming  in  1848, 
or  perhaps  some  unknown  trader 
or  trapper,  familiar  with  the  lush 
vegetation  of  the  region,  spread 
the  good  news.  At  any  rate,  the 
staid  burghers  came  and  found 
the  region  fair  and  with  abundant 
products.   Soon   they   greatly   out- 


numbered  the  "^  ankees"  who  had 
preceded  them.  In  addition  t..  the 
business,    industrial,    and    p 
sional  leaders  alread)   mentioned, 
some  of  tli,-  German   immigrants 


Mrs.  Stephen  Jones  and  Daughter 
Edie  Ann 

Edie  Ann  Jones  (standing)  was  t lu- 
first  white  female  child  born  in  Blur 
Island.  She  and  her  mother  wove  many 
of   the   rag   carpets    tor   a   number   of 

the    early    homes.    The    mother,    Martha 

Crandall,    married    Stephen    Jones    in 
1837,  with  the  ceremon)  being  the  sec- 

ond  to  be  performed  in  the  little  village. 

Photo  courtesy  of    Mrs.  Peter  Hull 


included    John    Englehardt,    com- 
ing in  L848;  Ernest  I  Inch,  L849; 
William     Baumback,     L850;     Ed 
ward  Seyfarth,  Christian  K> 
and  ¥ni/.  Boeber,  in   L851  ;  Louis 
A.  Krueger,  L852;  H.  W.  and  Her- 
mann  Schmitt,    1854;    and 
erick  Hune  and  Christ    Mil-1  blao- 


11 


At  this  time  it  is  certainly  not 
the  intention  of  the  committee 
charged  with  the  writing  of  this 
history  to  indulge  in  idle  specu- 
lation, or  to  moralize.  But  it  does 
seem  apropos  to  suggest  that  those 
qualities  of  honesty,  hard  work, 
and  good,  sound,  common  "horse 
sense"  which  still  distinguish 
many  of  Blue  Island's  fine  fam- 
ilies today  may  have  had  at  least 
part  of  their  origins  in  these  Ger- 
man Americans  of  this  early  day. 
Certainly  it  can  be  said  that  these 
men  and  women  gave  an  honest 
day's  work  for  their  pay;  that 
such  "necessities"  as  fringe  bene- 
fits, time  and  a  half,  or  double 
time;  such  practices  as  feather- 
bedding,  were  not  only  unknown 
to     these    good     people,     but,     if 


known  would  have  been  frowned 
upon  and  rejected  as  unethical. 
But  if  a  settler  were  not  a  busi- 
nessman, did  not  have  a  trade, 
were  not  a  professional  man,  and 
did  not  farm,  how  could  he  make 
a  living  in  the  pioneer  times? 
Well,  there  was  always  a  job  to 
be  had  on  the  canal,  or  on  the 
roads.  Even  before  the  first  set- 
tler came,  the  Indians  and  the 
French  missionaries  and  traders 
had  used  Stony  Creek  and  the  Cal- 
umet River  for  freighting  sup- 
plies. Even  as  early  as  1830,  the 
Calumet  Feeder  Canal  had  been 
recommended  by  James  M.  Buck- 
lin,  an  engineer  of  that  day,  as  a 
water  supply  source  for  both  the 
Illinois  and  the  Michigan  canals. 
But  the  more  venturesome  of  the 


A   Pioneer   Family 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hart  Massey  and  Children. 

The  Massey  home  was  on  the  present  site  of  the  First  National  Bank,  with 
the  house  facing  south  on  Vermont  Street.  Two  daughters,  Hattie  and  Ella,  were 
teachers  here  in  the  early  days. 


12 


The  Schmitt  Brothers  Department  Store  was  later  expanded  to  include  these 
three  buildings. 


pioneers  did  not  wait  for  the 
completion  of  any  man  made 
channel  to  use  the  waters  of  both 
of  these  bodies.  Peter  Barton,  the 
pioneer  promoter  already  men- 
tioned, had  chartered  a  schooner 
as  early  as  1835  and  brought  sup- 
plies by  water  from  Thornton  to 
Blue  Island.  The  Young  Brothers 
began  operating  their  "Calumet 
Traders"  a  little  later.  A  note  in 
the  Chicago  Democrat  of  August 
15,  1849,  stated  that  the  Calumet 
River  was  navigable  for  as  large 
When  Benjamin  Wright,  a  dis- 
tinguished   engineer    of    the    day. 


schooners  as  enter  the  Chicago 
River  "clean  up  to  the  (anal  dam 
at  Portland  I  Blue  Island  i .  in- 
other  settler.  A.  \\  .  Spies,  fell 
that  the  Calumet  River  had 
ach  anl  r  the  <  In 

er  as  a  means  of  walei  transport- 
ation. 

made  a  surve-   of  the  possibilities 
of  a  feeder  canal,  he  pointed  out 
that   the   Calumet    River   had    its 
in  Indiana,  passed  into  [Hi- 
and    sometimes    dia  h 
A 
■ 

lilt,  Him* 


13 


^ 


Northwest  Corner  of  York  and  Western 
This  building  was  erected  in  1855 
by  Herman  Schmitt.  In  later  years  it 
was  much  improved  and  occupied  by 
the  Schmitt  Brothers  Department  Store. 


C.  D.  Robinson  Home 
This  home,  built  in  the  early  1840^, 
stood  north  of  Burr  Oak,  in  what  was 
then  the  northwest  part  of  the  settle- 
ment. Its  doors  and  window  casings 
were    brought  from   New    York. 

—  Photo  courtesy  of 
Mrs.  George  Pettijohn 


Island  experienced  its  first  busi- 
ness "boom,"  with  any  able  bod- 
ied man  in  the  area  needing  work 
securing  employment  on  the  canal, 
or  in  connection  with  its  build- 
ing. The  great  trouble,  however, 
was  that  the  meandering  course 
described  above  made  the  feeder 
body  both  a  blessing  and  a  curse. 
When  finished,  the  dam  across  the 
Calumet  raised  its  waters  ten  feet 
above  those  of  Stony  Creek.  This 
caused  much  bitter  feeling  among 
the  farmers,  especially  those  in 
nearby  Indiana,  causing  them  to 
make  many  claims  for  damages 
to  their  lands,  which  were  flooded 
by  the  backing  up  of  either  the 
Calumet  River,  Stony  Creek,  or 
tributaries  to  either  body  of  wa- 
ter. Finally  in  1857  the  aroused 
farmers  attempted  to  destroy  the 
dam,  and  while  they  were  not  suc- 
cessful, the  Illinois  legislature 
did  authorize  the  removal  of  the 
dam.  For  some  reason,  this  order 
was  never  enforced,  which  great- 
ly benefited  the  Roll  grist  and 
flour  mill  operated  in  Blue  Is- 
land at  that  time.  Finally  the  en- 
raged farmers  could  stand  no 
more,  and  in  1875  a  group  of  fif- 
ty or  more  banded  together  and 
blew  up  the  dam,  stopping  the 
mill  operations  completely. 

The  plank  roads  and  plank 
sidewalks,  while  they  I  a  sted, 
meant  work  for  many.  Even  af- 
ter action  had  been  taken  to  lay 
out  roads  on  section  or  half  sec- 
tion lines,  roads  were  little  bet- 
ter than  quagmires  during  cer- 
tain seasons  of  the  year,  or  in  the 


14 


swampy  lowlands.  Plank  road 
companies,  to  build  toll  roads, 
were  formed,  laying  down  heavy 
planks  for  roadbeds,  and  hoping 
that  many  would  pay  the  toll 
charged  to  travel  over  them. 
Starting  from  Chicago  in  1850, 
the  Southern,  or  Old  Plank  Road, 
got  as  far  as  Vincennes  near  80th 
Street,  and  did  prosper  for  a 
while.  The  Blue  Island,  or  "New" 
Plank  Road,  beginning  on  West- 
ern a  little  north  of  95th  Street, 
was  to  connect  our  village  with 
the  western  side  of  Chicago,  but 
it  did  not  succeed  any  better  than 
its  mate.  The  coming  of  the  rail- 
roads spelled  the  doom  of  both. 
That  the  early  Blue  Islanders 
were  interested  in  their  churches 
and  schools  was  clearly  evidenc- 
ed. In  1846  Heber  Rexford  wrote: 
"All  attended  religious  meetings, 
whether  Methodist,  Baptist,  or 
Universalist."  He  told  of  the  Me- 


thodisl  farmer-preacher  who  on 
hia  wa)  to  sell  hi-  products  in  Chi- 
cago, would  stop  in  Blue  Island 
on  Saturday  night,  don  hit  store 
clothes  the  next  morning  and 
preach  a  sermon,  then  resume  his 
trek  on  Monday.  This  preachei 
he  described  as  tall,  uncouth,  and 
unlearned,  saying  that  if  the  man 
could  not  think  of  a  word  to  ex- 
press his  meaning  properly,  h<- 
would  make  up  one. 

There  were  no  denominational 
meetings  until  the  early  50's,  when 
the  German  Methodist  Society 
had  the  honor  of  being  the  first 
to  organize,  with  thirty-seven 
members  in  1854,  and  the  first 
to  build  a  church  in  1855.  This 
little  building  was  erected  on  the 
south  side  of  Grove  Street,  west 
of  Artesian,  at  a  cost  of  $1,250.00 
for  both  the  grounds  and  the 
building.  The  Universalists  had 
been  meeting  separately  as  early 


First  Congregational  Churrh,  Built  in  1B6S. 


lc 


as  1849,  but  did  not  build  their 
church  on  Greenwood  and  High 
until  the  60's.  Members  of  the 
Congregational  faith  organized  in 
1860,  and  in  1865  built  their 
church  —  then,  as  now,  on  York 
Street.  The  Catholics  had  their 
first  services  here  in  1854,  with 
St.  Benedict's  being  organized  as 
a  parish  in  1861,  and  the  church 
built  in  1864  on  the  corner  of 
York  and  Gregory,  on  land  which 
had  cost  $125.00.  A  full  time  lo- 
cal priest  began  his  work  with 
this  congregation  in  1883. 

Those  of  the  Lutheran  persua- 
sion held  their  first  services  at 
the  home  of  Peter  Engelland 
around  1861,  effecting  their  or- 
ganization in  1863,  with  a  mem- 
bership in  sixty-six.  In  May  of 
that  year  they  laid  the  corner- 
stone of  their  church  —  then,  as 
now,  on  Grove  and  Ann  Streets. 
The  stone  for  this  building  was 
taken  from  the  local  quarries  and 
hauled  to  the  church  by  mem- 
bers donating  their  services.  One 
of  the  great  sources  of  pride  of 
these  Lutherans  has  continued  to 
be  that,  in  its  first  century,  their 
church  had  been  served  for  forty 
years  of  this  time  by  three  minis- 
ters from  the  same  family  — 
the  Rev.  J.  H.  Doermann  and 
sons,  Henry  and  Martin.  The  last 
of  these  early  church  groups  in 
Blue  Island  was  the  English  Me- 
thodist Society,  organizing  in 
1873  with  twenty-four  members, 
and  dedicating  its  church  home 
the  next   year. 

Early  attempts  at  education  in 


the  little  settlement  were  private 
—  in  more  ways  than  one.  Any 
learning  the  first  children  receiv- 
ed was  from  their  parents,  in  the 
little  time  that  could  be  saved 
from  the  sterner  tasks  of  earning 
a  living  and  making  a  home  in 
the  wilderness.  The  first  school 
was  opened  by  Elizabeth  and  Abi- 
gail Periam  in  1845,  and  was  for 
girls  only,  as  the  dictates  of  the 
time  held  that  boys  old  enough  to 
go  to  school  were  also  old  enough 
to  work.  Mary  Perkins  conducted 
another  private  school  in  her  home 
about  this  time,  as  did  Mrs.  Thom- 
as McClintock  and  her  daughter. 
The  many  German  settlers  com- 
ing into  the  village  around  the 
middle  50's  made  the  several  Ger- 
man schools  established  by  Carl 
Adams,  Samuel  Wuest,  and  Jo- 
seph Abel  fairly  popular  for  a 
short  time. 

No  record  is  left  of  the  teacher 
who  started  the  first  public  school 
here.  In  fact,  even  the  exact  lo- 
cation is  not  known.  But  some- 
time in  1846  or  47,  and  some- 
where in  the  vicinity  of  Grove 
and  Gregory  streets,  Blue  Island 
public  education  did  begin.  In 
1848  came  the  building  of  a  one 
story  schoolhouse,  just  east  of  the 
present  Whittier  school.  This  soon 
became  a  general  purpose  build- 
ing, used  for  the  town  hall,  church 
meetings,  and  public  gatherings  of 
all  sorts  when  school  was  not  in 
session.  Its  first  teachers  included 
William  Hamilton,  Daniel  Bar- 
nard, and  Mary  Perkins,  who 
earlier    had     operated     a   private 


16 


school  of  her  own.  D.  0.  Robin- 
son joined  the  faculty  just  be- 
fore the  "new"  Whittier  school 
was  built  in  1854.  From  its  be- 
ginning, this  was  a  graded  school, 
even  though  it  started  with  just 
two  rooms.  By  the  80's  such 
names  as  Professor  J.  W.  Troeg- 
er,  principal  in  charge;  Misses 
Clark,  Starbuck,  and  Hegan,  in 
the  grammar  grades;  Miss  Bose, 
intermediate  level;  and  Misses 
Keith  and  Swan,  primary  depart- 
ment, were  known  for  their  con- 
tributions to  Blue  Island  educa- 
tion. 

As  proof  of  the  fact  that  boys 
will  be  boys,  especially  in  pioneer 
times,  Rexford  tells  of  an  inci- 
dent at  the  time  when  Professor 
Seymour  and  his  wife  were  in 
charge  of  the  school.  Some  of  the 
students,    perhaps    a   bit    irritated 


at  the  teacher,  attempted  to  leave 
a  large  dead  dog  on  hia  dooi 
step.  Sallying  forth  in  hoi  pur- 
suit of  the  culpi  it-.  Mrs.  Sej  mour 
caught  one  of  them  and  broughl 
him  back  to  the  house,  keeping 
him  there  until  he  promised  to 
mend  his  ways.  1  he  fa<  t  thai  one 
of  the  later  buildings  was  named 
after  Prof.  Seymour,  however, 
seems  to  indicate  that  the  majority 
of  the  settlers  thoughl  ver)  highl) 
of  this  good  man.  Another  edu- 
cator to  be  likewise  honored  was 
Mr.  M.  T.  DeWitt.  for  whom  the 
DeWitt  School  (now  no  longer  in 
operation )   was  named. 

An  effort  to  establish  a  library 
was  also  made  in  the  early  da\s. 
All  the  reading  the  settler-  could 
do  was  from  the  books  each  fam- 
ily had  brought,  plus  copies  oi 
the  Chicago  papers.  At  the  request 


Khi 

Blur  Island's  First  Schoolho 

This    one   story   frame    building   was    built    in 
east  of  the  present  Whittier  School .  It  was  also 
public  gatherings. 


17 


of   some    of   his   friends,   Thomas 
McClintock  offered  to  loan  books 


Pioneer  Educator 
Professor   Seymour,    after    whom    the 
Seymour  School  at  Maple  Avenue  and 
New  Street  was  named. 

—    Photo    courtesy    of 
Mrs.  Albert  Schmidt 


from  his  own  collection,  and  thus 
was  started  Blue  Island's  first  cir- 
culating library.  After  the  school 
was  built  in  1854,  its  library  books 
were  circulated  for  adult  as  well 
as  student  usage.  This  collection 
provided  about  800  volumes.  How- 
ever, it  was  not  until  the  last 
decade  of  the  century  that  a  li- 
brary movement  of  much  conse- 
quence got  under  way,  and  then 
largely  through  the  efforts  of  the 
Current  Topic  Club,  forerunner 
of  the  Blue  Island  Woman's  Club. 
What  did  these  folks  do  in  their 
leisure  time?  Before  answering 
this  question,  one  might  ask,  what 


leisure  time?  Despite  their  hard 
lives,  however,  these  pioneers  did 
take  time  to  enjoy  themselves. 

Even  from  the  time  of  its  erec- 
tion, Rexford's  Blue  Island  House 
was  the  leading  social  center  for 
almost  fifteen  years.  People  would 
come  from  miles  around,  to  at- 
tend the  dances  and  parties  there. 
There  was  also  Englehardt's  Hall, 
built  in  1852;  the  first  school- 
house;  Schubert's  Hall,  built  for 
the  German  Dramatic  Society  in 
1856;  and  one  of  the  most  im- 
posing structures  and  landmarks 
for  many  years,  the  three  storied 
Robinson's  Hall. 

Filled  with  a  love  of  music  and 
the  old  songs  of  the  Fatherland, 
a  group  of  men  calling  them- 
selves the  Saengerbund  had  been 
singing    together    for    some    time. 


Charles  F.  Eidam 
A    pioneer   shoe    merchant    who    was 
active  in  the  Blue  Island  Liederkranz. 


18 


Charles  Ellfeld  had  been  their 
outstanding  member  from  their 
first  rehearsals,  so  when  they 
definitely  organized  in  1853,  un- 
der the  name  of  the  Blue  Island 
Liederkranz,  he  was  their  only 
choice  as  director.  The  success  of 
their  first  public  concert  soon  af- 
terward was  so  pronounced  that 
new  voices  eagerly  sought  to  join 
the  group,  which  had  numbered 
eighteen  singers  by  1857.  In  a 
Saengerfest  held  in  Milwaukee 
that  year,  a  quartet,  composed  of 
the  director,  Herman  Schmitt,  Au- 


gust Schreiber,  and  Gottf  i  ied 
Voightmann  won  first  pri* 
in  a  larger  contest  had  the  fol- 
lowing year  in  Chicago,  the  lo- 
cal Liederkranz  t<><»k  second  place, 
winning  an  enviable  position  in 
the  entire  Northwest.  The  apex  of 
the  group's  development  Mr  at 
probably  reached  !»>  1887,  when 
the  society  was  aide  to  bu)  the 
former  hall  of  the  Blue  Island 
Turnverein  Society,  and  to  pre- 
sent a  gala  two  day  Saengerfest, 
ringing  in  many  singing  societies 
and    visitors    to    Blue    Island    to 


Celebrating  th<-  Saengei 
One  of   the  several  arches   erected  at 
Saengerfest  in  1887.  Looking  west  on  Grove 


19 


participate  in  the  festivities. 

The  growth  of  the  dramatic 
group  mentioned  above  started 
about  the  same  time  of  the  Lieder- 
kranz,  and  included  both  men  and 
women.  Not  only  did  they  want 
to  indulge  their  own  love  for  the 
theatre  and  perhaps  realize  a  lit- 
tle income  from  the  plays  they 
staged,  but  also  they  felt  that 
their  productions  would  be  well 
received  and  applauded  by  the 
entertainment  starved  villagers. 

At  first  they  staged  their  plays 
at   the   Blue    Island   House,   play- 


ing before  appreciative  audiences 
sometimes  as  often  as  once  a  week. 
This  early  success  inspired  the 
group  to  contract  with  August 
Schubert  to  build  a  hall  especial- 
ly designed  for  their  plays.  Schu- 
bert erected  a  two  story  building 
for  this  purpose,  planning  the 
first  floor  for  a  tavern  and  living 
quarters  for  his  family,  and  the 
second  floor  for  the  theatre,  com- 
plete with  footlights  and  dressing 
rooms.  Unfortunately  the  village 
was  building  away  from  the  tav- 
ern location  and  soon  the  crowds 


Rebuilt  after  the  great  fi 


Liederkranz  Hall 

of  1896,  but  destroyed  again  by  fire  in  1918. 


20 


which  had  patronized  it  and  the 
theatre  began  to  fall  off.  Shortly 
afterward  a  fire  of  mysterious  ori- 
gin destroyed  the  building  and 
the  dramatic  group  did  not  long 
survive  this  loss. 

During  these  early  davs  the 
younger  men  of  the  little  village 
were  anxious  to  show  their  excel- 
lence in  gymnastics;  hence  the 
popularity  of  the  Turnverein.  This 
group  had  been  able  to  buy  prop- 
erty and  build  its  own  hall  in 
1872,  but  the  heavy  financial  bur- 
den assumed,  and  some  internal 
dissension  among  the  members 
split  the  group,  with  part  of  the 
membership  forming  a  separate 
organization  called  the  Concordia 
Turnverein,  and  building  a  separ- 
ate  hall. 

Certainly  no  history  of  the  early 
days  of  any  settlement  can  neglect 
the  volunteer  fire  department.  In 
these  times  it  might  be  said  that 
the  social  importance  and  func- 
tions of  the  fire  department  were 
almost  as  impressive  as  its  more 
serious  duties.  To  belong  to  the 
fire  department  was  a  mark  of  dis- 
tinction. It  was  "the"  organization 
of  the  times,  planning  and  arrang- 
ing the  picnics,  dances,  and  other 
public  events,  with  the  Fourth  of 
July  the  greatest,  most  splendid 
celebration  of  all.  The  fire 
department  uniform  of  that 
time  was  especially  colorful  — 
red  flannel  shirts,  with  blue  col- 
lars and  bib  shirt  fronts  on  which 
the  fire  department  insignia  was 
outlined  in  white,  and  leather  hel- 
mets.  The   chief   carried    a   large. 


silver  plated  speaking  trumpet, 
complete  with  long  gill  tassels, 
through  which  In-  gave  his  march- 
ing orders.  The  h«>««k  and  ladder 
wagon  was  bright  red,  and 
ried  ladders,  axes,  pike  hooks,  and 
row-  of  leather  buckets.  It-  mo- 
tive power?  The  proud  firemen 
themselves,  and  horn  the  eyes  of 
the  small  boys  glistened,  as  '-a-  h 
one  saw  himself  a  future  fire  lad- 
die! 

Too,  Blue  Island's  fire  alarm, 
if  a  blaze  were  discovered  at 
night,  was  most  novel.  \1 
someone  would  rush  to  the  home 
of  John  Huppel.  a  tinsmith  living 
at  the  foot  of  the  hill  on  W  eat- 
ern  Avenue,  and  rouse  him.  John 
would  get  up.  sometime-  not  com- 
pletely clad,  hang  his  big  drum 
around  his  neck  and  march  up  and 


21 


down  Western,  banging  as  loud- 
as  possible,  so  that  everyone 
would  know  there  was  a  fire. 

Only  twice  during  those  happy, 
halcyon  days  did  the  horrors  of 
war  touch  Blue  Island,  and  for- 
tunately, the  suffering  caused  by 
either  the  Mexican  War  or  the 
Civil  War,  was  comparatively 
light.  In  1846  Blue  Island  was 
too  small  to  have  been  greatly  ef- 
fected by  the  Mexican  War,  and 
there  is  no  record  of  anyone  from 
this  area  seeing  actual  service  dur- 
ing that  conflict. 

The  Civil  War  came  much  clos- 
er to  Blue  Island.  In  Lincoln's 
call  of  July  4,  1864,  Cook  County 
was  asked  to  furnish  4,259  men 
—  a  quota  far  out  of  line  with 
the  population  in  those  days,  and 
reduced  sharply  because  of  this. 
Certainly,  however,  Worth  Town- 
ship, and  the  surrounding  ones 
of  Bremen,  Calumet,  and  Thorn- 
ton, had  every  right  to  be  proud 
of  their  wonderful  response. 
Worth,  asked  to  send  twenty-one, 
actually  sent  242.  Bremen  sup- 
plied 198  men  against  the  twenty- 
two  requested,  and  the  other  two 
townships  surpassed  their  quotas 
almost  tenfold. 

While  it  is  not  the  purpose  of 
the  present  publication  to  detail 
the  war  record  of  all  the  Blue  Is- 
landers who  served  in  the  Civil 
War,  as  has  been  so  ably  done  by 
Mr.  Volp  in  "The  First  Hundred 
Years,"  it  would  indeed  be  remiss 
to  omit  the  names  and  actions  of 
those  who  paid  the  supreme  sac- 
rifice.   Of  the   fifty-five   listed   in 


"The  First  Hundred  Years"  as 
having  seen  war  service,  four  lost 
their  lives.  Martin  Ocker,  who  en- 
tered his  country's  service  in  1861 
and  took  part  in  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg,  was  killed  in  a  sur- 
prise attack  while  on  his  way 
back  North,  and  was  buried  in  the 
National  Cemetery  at  Nashville, 
Tennessee.  Felix  Durress,  who  en- 
listed in  the  100th  Illinois  Volun- 
teers, was  killed  in  action,  as  was 
William  Berger,  a  member  of 
Company  B  of  the  82nd  Illinois 
Infantry.  Roscoe  E.  Rexford,  taken 
ill  after  a  length  of  active  serv- 
ice, was  given  a  furlough,  but  did 
not  live  to  reach  his  Blue  Island 
home. 


Section     II 
EARLY   GROWTH    (1866-1900) 

Blue  Island  settlers  had  been 
working  for  village  organization 
since  the  close  of  the  Civil  War, 
so  it  was  no  great  surprise  that, 
in  1872,  they  won  this  right.  A 
special  election  for  this  purpose 
was  held  in  the  home  of  Gottlieb 
Klein  on  Saturday,  September  7, 
1872,  with  Christian  Krueger, 
Henry  Bertrand,  and  Hart  Mas- 
sey  having  been  appointed  as 
judges.  Out  of  the  114  votes  cast, 
ninety-nine  favored  village  organ- 
ization, only  thirteen  opposed, 
and  two  ballots  were  not  marked. 
This  meant  that  the  early  Blue 
Islanders  could  then  choose  six 
men  as  members  of  the  first  vil- 
lage  board.    0\it   of  the   fourteen 


22 


who  sought  this  honor,  the  six  re- 
ceiving the  highest  number  of 
votes  were  declared  elected  as  the 
original  Blue  Island  fathers,  and 
included  the  following,  each  list- 
ed with  the  number  of  votes  he  re- 
ceived :  Richard  McClaughery,  194 
votes;  Ludwig  Krueger,  192;  Ben- 
jamin Sanders,  191;  W.  C.  Bauer, 
188;  Jacob  Appel,  119;  and  Wal- 
ter P.  Roche,  115. 

The  early  meetings  of  this  first 
board  were  busy  ones.  Since  the 
rules  governing  organization  pre- 
scribed that  the  members  were 
elected  just  as  members,  they  had 
to  select  their  own  officers.  Ben- 
jamin Sanders  was  named  their 
president  by  unanimous  vote, 
and  Hart  Massey  was  appointed 
clerk  by  the  same  majority.  The 
appointment  of  Peter  Schlueter  as 
treasurer  again  shows  how  im- 
portant the  German  influence  was 
at  that  time,  as  Ludwig  Krueger 
had  made  the  suggestion  that  the 
offices  be  equally  divided  be- 
tween German  and  American  set- 
tlers. The  fact  that  Schlueter  de- 
clined the  post  of  treasurer  did 
not  disturb  this  division,  which 
had  been  acceped  as  equitable  by 
all  concerned.  Herman  Schmitt  ac- 
cepted the  position  and  gave  bond 
for  S3000. 

As  might  be  expected,  the  first 
business  of  the  board  was  con- 
cerned with  the  weighty  problem 
of  finances.  Having  no  money 
whatsoever,  the  board  mem 
appointed  a  committee  to  borrow 
$200.00,  which  the  group  hoped 
would   pay  the   expenses   of  their 


operations    for   the   followin 
months.  Their  w  illii  .1  de- 

termination t..  make  a  go  <<f  the 
infant  government  wen 
their  passage  "f  the  ver)  f 
dinance,  which  pro\  ided  that  the) 
would  serve  withoul  pa\  until  the 
following  \|)iil.  Ha\  ing  do  ided 
to  postpone  one  expense,  the  nexl 
move  was  to  pro\  ide  income.  This 
was  assured  by  the  passage  of  the 
second  ordinance,  providing  thai 
"anyone  riding,  driving,  or  lead- 
ing an  animal  or  a  team  <.wr 
or  across  any  bridge  within  the 
limits  of  Blue  Island  faster  than 
a  walk,  shall  be  fined  no!  less 
than  five  dollars  ($5.00), 
fine  to  be  collected  before  any  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace  and  be  paid  <»\<r 
to  the  village  treasurer."  Mr. 
Volp's  wry  comment  on  this  ordi- 
nance is  too  good  to  leave  un- 
quoted. He  wrote:  "Woe  to  the 
man  who  would  trot  a  horse 
across  a  bridge  those  da\>.  I  he  po- 
lice officer  seemed  to  be  constantly 
on  watch,  the  judge  was  stern  and 
inexorable  and  —  the  village  treas- 
ury needed  the  money! 

During  these  early  days   it  did 
seem  to  the  newl)    elected   board 
members     that     -<>mr<>nr     i 
something  from  the  village-  at  C\  - 
ery  hour  of  the  <la\   <>r  night  De- 
mands   fame    in    for    plank    side- 
walks    (built   at    village   expense, 
of  course  •    better  police  and  fire 
protection;  complaints  ••■ 
about  the  stock  runnin( 
and  man)  other  pel 

■ 

the    b< 


23 


priation,  in  the  amount  of  $2,000, 
to  cover  the  expenses  of  the  fol- 
lowing year  —  a  sum  which  may 
seem  trifling  to  us  today,  but 
which  must  have  been  staggering 
to  these  hard  pressed  early  sol- 
ons. 

In  April  of  1873  the  second  vil- 
lage election  was  held,  to  choose 
the  first  full  term  officials.  Their 
pay  was  also  set  at  this  time,  and 
was  to  be  $50  each  per  year. 
Chosen  as  board  members  were 
Jacob  Appel,  Ferdinand  Dae- 
micke,  Edward  Eichhoff,  Merrill 
Kile,  Christian  Krueger,  and 
Walter  P.  Roche;  with  Appel  and 
Roche  being  returned  from  the 
original  board.  A  police  justice, 
Henry  Bertrand,  and  a  clerk,  F. 
G.  Diefenbach  were  also  chosen. 
What  seems  to  be  the  first  official 
use  of  any  local  newspaper  was 
made  at  this  time,  as  the  trustees 
ordered  that  the  annual  budget 
be  published  in  the  columns  of 
the   Weekly   Herald. 

That  the  board  members  ex- 
pected a  good  deal  from  those 
who  worked  for  the  infant  vil- 
lage can  be  seen  by  the  list  of 
duties  they  gave  their  captain  of 
police.  This  worthy  was  "to  see 
that  the  laws  are  enforced,  to 
make  arrests  and  bring  offenders 
to  trial;  if  fines  were  imposed, 
to  see  that  the  money  was  col- 
lected and  turned  in  to  the  village 
treasury;  to  prevent  tramps  from 
loitering  in  the  village,  and  if 
any  were  found,  to  chase  them 
out;  to  give  no  meals  to  anyone 
except  cripples  or  sick;   to  clean 


off  the  planks  on  Stony  Creek 
Bridge  and  from  time  to  time  to 
tighten  the  nuts  and  bolts  on  said 
bridge;  to  keep  street  crossings 
clean  and  free  from  mud  and 
snow;  to  see  that  dead  animals 
were  removed  from  the  streets; 
to  light  the  street  lights  and  keep 
the  lights  clean  and  in  good  re- 
pair; to  extinguish  street  lights 
each  night  between  eleven  and 
twelve  o'clock"  —  and  all  this  to 
be  done  for  a  salary  of  $35.00  a 
month!  At  this  time  it  should  also 
be  noted  that  this  officer  was  re- 
sponsible for  feeding  any  prison- 
ers held  in  the  village  jail,  a  serv- 
ice for  which  he  was  paid  thirty- 
five  cents  per  day  per  prisoner. 
The  three  meals  stipulated  were 
each  to  consist  of  one-half  pound 
of  boiled  beef,  all  the  bread  want- 
ed, and  one  pint  of  coffee.  Cer- 
tainly the  drunk  and  disorderly, 
the  unfortunates  who  could  not 
pay  fines,  and  the  tramps  who 
seemed  to  infest  the  area  were 
not  liable  to  get  fat  on  this  diet 
or  its  variety. 

If  all  the  demands  of  the  citi- 
zens of  the  infant  village  were  to 
be  listed  in  order  of  their  fre- 
quency, top  priority  would  prob- 
ably go  to  an  adequate  safe  wa- 
ter supply.  In  1877,  after  the  vil- 
lage board  had  purchased  the 
property  where  the  present  city 
hall  is  now  located  from  Charles 
J.  Pochman  of  Washington 
Heights,  and  after  investigating 
the  waterworks  plant  at  Chebanse, 
Illinois,  a  decision  was  made  to 
sink  a  well  on  the  newly  acquired 


24 


lots.  The  excavation  was  forty-five 
feet  deep,  contained  eleven  and 
a  half  feet  of  "good"  water,  and 
cost  the  village  $306.00.  Follow- 
ing the  sample  seen  at  the  Che- 
banse  plant,  a  water  tower  and 
windmill  were  erected,  to  pump 
and  store  the  water.  The  first  wa- 
ter line  was  laid  to  a  hydrant 
near  the  well,  indicating  that  ev- 
en at  this  early  time  the  trustees 
regarded  the  need  for  fire  pro- 
tection almost  as  important  as 
that  for  good  drinking  water. 
Additional  water  lines,  however, 
came  rather  slowly.  About  two 
years  later,  the  first  one  was  a 
six  inch  cast  iron  pipe,  laid  east 
from  the  village  property  to 
Western   Avenue   and   south  from 


there   to  Grove   Street,    with   fire 

hydrants   placed   al   Western   and 

\  ermonl  and  Western  and  Grove. 

Had  a  \  iolrni  storm  nol  deatroy< 

ed  the  windmill  in  L881,  it  i- 
doubtful  that  it  could  l«.M<j  have 
continued     to     pump    enough     w;i 

ter  for  increasing  demands,  The 
trustees  chose  t<>  replace  the  wind- 
mill with  a  power  house  and  a 
steam     engine,     which     furnished 

1200  barrels  of  water  a  day,  when 
the  average  daily  consumption 
was  but  500  barrels. 

The  biggest  early  impetus  \<> 
an  increase  in  water  usage  came 
in  1884,  when  the  village  hoard 
issued  interest-bearing  water 
bonds  to  be  used  to  provide  add- 
ed water  mains.  The  water  tax  of 


Down    the   Hill 
Looking  south  from   Grove   Street,   this   picture   <>i   tin 
was  taken  before  the  big  fire  of  1896.   The  three 
destroyed. 


25 


ten  cents  per  front  foot,  along 
the  streets  or  alleys  where  pipes 
were  laid,  also  was  a  powerful 
stimulant,  as  the  villagers  figured 
that  as  long  as  they  were  going 
to  have  to  pay  the  tax,  they  might 
as  well  use  the  water.  By  this 
time  also  the  village  had  contract- 
ed with  its  first  commercial  users 
of  water,  the  Busch  and  Brandt 
Brewery,  which  it  charged  $20.00 
a  month,  with  no  limit  put  on  us- 
age. 

Feeling  that  the  water  supplied 
by  their  rather  shallow  wells 
would  not  long  be  sufficient,  the 
authorities  next  contracted  for 
two  artesian  wells  by  1895,  which 
would  provide  for  a  great  deal 
more  fire  protection  through  addi- 
tional hydrants,  as  well  as  increase 
the  supply  of  drinking  water.  It 
might  be  pointed  out  at  this  time 
that  the  development  of  adequate 
fire  protection  paralleled  very 
closely  that  of  the  expanding  wa- 
ter system  in  the  village.  In  a  his- 
tory of  the  fire  department  which 
Mr.  Volp  very  graciously  repro- 
duces in  his  book,  John  Link, 
fire  chief  appointed  in  1907,  tells 
us  of  the  early  days  of  its  organ- 
ization. Although  there  had  been 
records  of  volunteer  fire  compa- 
nies as  early  as  1855,  these  groups 
changed  both  their  numbers  and 
personnel  frequently.  Some  of  the 
pioneers  most  active  include 
Charles  Ellfeldt,  John  Huppel,  he 
of  the  loud  sounding  drum,  Char- 
les Johler,  Conrad  Kich,  John 
Staffel,  and  others.  In  1873,  the 
trustees   took    some    steps   toward 


creating  a  fire  department  by,  ap- 
pointing a  committee  to  inspect 
cisterns  and  wells,  determining 
the  amount  and  places  of  water 
available   for   fighting  fires;    and 


"'?■■' 

- 

Ipj 

\  m 

\;    1       imm^^          ■    1 

J*. 

ijpfaSj 

fe  1 

Jacob  Link  and  Fred  Hohman,   Two 
of  the  Old  Fire  Laddies. 

to  inquire  into  the  amount  of 
money  for  buying  fire  fighting 
equipment.  In  1875,  $2,000  was 
budgeted  for  fire  fighting  equip- 
ment, but  as  far  as  can  be  learn- 
ed, only  $200  of  this  amount  was 
actually  allotted  for  this  purpose. 
The  committee  had  a  chance  to 
buy  a  $650  second  hand  fire  en- 
gine, but  available  records  indi- 
cate that  only  several  fire  ladders, 
pike  poles,  and  rubber  buckets 
were  purchased.  To  get  this  equip- 
ment to  a  fire  as  rapidly  as  pos- 
sible, a  public  subscription  was 
taken  up  to  build  a  ladder  wagon, 
costing  $175. 


26 


In  1875  seventeen  men  met  at 
the  village  hall  to  effect  a  defi- 
nite organization  for  fire  fighting, 
electing  Carl  Brand  as  their  cap- 
tain; Mathias  Helbreg,  secretary; 
and  George  Engelhardt,  treasurer. 
There  is  no  record  of  the  date 
that  a  second  fire  company  was 
formed  on  the  south  side  of  Blue 
Island,  but  in  1880  the  two  com- 
panies were  united  in  the  village's 
first  official  fire  department. 
Henry  Gantry  was  chosen  as  fire 
marshal  and  Jacob  T  h  o  e  m  i  n  g 
named  his  assistant.  In  1893,  the 
members  changed  their  uniforms 
from  the  very  colorful  red  flannel 
shirts,  blue  collars  and  fronts, 
with  monograms  ou  1 1  i  n  e  d  in 
white,  to  the  more  sober  attire 
already  adopted  by  the  Chicago 
Fire  Department  —  blue  coat  and 
pants,   with  cap  to   match. 

The  young  department  did  not 
have  to  wait  long  to  meet  a  su- 
preme   test.    On    the    morning    of 


Mas  it.  1896,  a  fire  broke  out  in 
a  bam  back  of  the  I  nion  House, 
on  Western  Vvenue.  Fed  bj 
winds  it  Bpread  rapidl)  to  both  the 
Saengei  and  Turner  halls,  \l 
though  aided  1>\  theii  fire  bud- 
dies from  Chicago,  Morgan  Paik. 
and  \\  est  Pullman,  the  local  de 
partment  could  do  little  against 
the  inferno,  handicapped  u  the) 
were  by  a  water  shortage  at  thai 
time.  Before  the  fire  burned  it- 
self out  at  the  top  of  the  hill  on 
Rexford  Street,  twenty-six  build- 
ings, including  both  stores  and 
homes,  had  been  totally  destroyed, 
and  many  others  were  badh  dam- 
aged.  The  loss  was  estimated  at 
$200,000,  with  most  of  the  busi- 
ness houses  or  homes  only  par- 
tially insured.  Flames  were  so  in- 
tense that  one  entire  area  of  the 
wood  block  paving  on  \\  estern 
had  to  be  replaced. 

Proposals  for  underground 
drainage   or   sewage  disposal    did 


Fire  Department   Equip) 
This  horse  drawn  steam  pumper  wo 
big  fire  of  1896. 


27 


fe; 

4 


8 

•**  =1 
as  5 

w  it?  s     •■ 
■3  .g  ■<  3 

»%» 

lill 


o 
*-*  ft© 


SO, 


♦a   a     , 


28 


not  lag  very  far  behind  the  de- 
velopment of  a  Blue  Island  wa- 
ter system.  In  1880.  propertv 
owners  on  the  south  side,  led  by 
Andrew  Reiner,  asked  permission 
to  install  a  storm  sewer  from  Des- 
Plaines  Avenue  to  Stony  Creek. 
The  appointment  of  a  board  of 
health,  which  was  done  as  the  re- 
sult of  a  petition  filed  with  the 
village  by  members  of  the  local 
school  board,  probably  had  much 
to  do  with  getting  an  additional 
drainage  pipe  laid  along  Western 
from  the  creek  to  the  south  limits 
of  the  village.  Shortly  before  the 
city  council  form  of  government 
was  adopted,  appropriations  were 
made  for  almost  8125,000  for 
sewers,  indicating  that  the  trus- 
tees were  vitally  concerned  in  pro- 
viding health  and  sanitary  pro- 
tection. 


W  ith    adequate   and 
icr    becoming    more    and    more 
available,  othei  i  pub- 

lie  nature  were  not  L 
behind,  both  a^  the  result  <>f  an 
active  board  of  trustees,  and  the 
work  of  interested  citizens.  Foi 
some  time  the  trustees  had  been 
after  the  Rock  Island  to  put  an 
underpass  at  Western,  -tartin^ 
their  conferences  with  Sunt  Rid- 
dle as  early  as  1871.  Despite  th»- 
danger  of  the  grade  crowing  at 
that  point  to  all  foot  traff 
peciaily  children,  nothing  mm 
done  about  this  until  1888.  when 
a  passageway  about  half  as  wide 
as  the  street  was  opened  under 
the  tracks.  Neither  did  the  village 
authorities  have  much  better  tuck 
in  dealing  with  the  railroad  to 
get  two  lyes,  the  number  i>  two) 
viaducts   to    pass   over   the   tracks 


The   Village  Fire  Department   on   Parade 
What  a  grand  day   was   the  Fourth   of    ' 
of  the  features  of  the  big  parade! 


29 


at  Burr  Oak,  and  at  Vermont. 
The  original  agreement  between 
the  village  and  the  railroad  was 
that,  if  the  village  would  vacate 
certain  portions  of  York  and  Un- 
ion streets,  the  railroad  would 
put  in  both  viaducts.  But  for  rea- 
sons unknown  only  one  viaduct, 
the  one  at  Burr  Oak,  was  ever 
constructed,  and  while  the  rail- 
road got  the  two  streets  vacated, 
the  village,  even  until  this  very 
day,  had  to  be  satisfied  with  the 
one  viaduct,  and  auto  and  pedes- 
trian traffic  up  and  down  the  Ver- 
mont hill  must  accommodate  it- 
self to  the  whims  of  the  Rock  Is- 
land train  crews,  who  seem  to 
know  no  law  except  their  own 
sweet  pleasure  in  moving  across 
Vermont  Street. 

Attempts  were  likewise  being 
made  in  improving  roads  and 
highways.  The  particular  hope 
around  1880  was  to  make  Western 
Avenue  a  hard  surfaced  road,  but 
funds    were    so    lacking   to    do    a 


complete  job  that  the  stipulation 
was  to  "begin  at  Grove  Street 
north  as  far  as  we  have  the  mon- 
ey for"  and  the  south  side  to  go 
"one  block  from  Canal  Street 
south."  After  some  attempts  to 
agree  on  action  with  the  trustees 
in  1894,  some  property  owners  on 
Maple  Avenue,  from  Burr  Oak 
south  to  York  Street,  agreed  to 
have  their  street  paved  them- 
selves, thus  avoiding  any  assess- 
ment. This  agreement  went 
through  only  as  far  south  as  Un- 
ion, with  the  rest  of  the  distance 
being  paved  the  next  year  with 
brick.  After  the  unhappy  exper- 
ience of  plank  sidewalks  and 
roads,  and  even  wooden  blocks, 
a  definite  step  forward  was  tak- 
en in  1899,  when  an  ordinance 
was  passed  to  prohibit  the  con- 
struction of  sidewalks  or  cross 
walks  except  those  of  "brick, 
stone,    cement    or    concrete." 

Another  great  step  forward  was 
taken  when  the  Excelsior  Electric 


The  Corner  of  Western  and  Vermont,  in  1890 
The  First  National  Bank  is  now  located  on  this 


site. 


30 


Light  Co.  and  the  Phoenix  Boiler 
Co.  were  awarded  contracts  to 
install  Blue  Island's  first  muni- 
cipal electric  light  plant,  and  pe- 
titions for  the  arc  lights  began 
to  pour  in  from  both  business 
houses  and  private  residences. 
This  municipally  owned  company 
also  had  the  distinction  of  being 
able  to  tell  its  users  when  they 
could  expect  service,  as  in  1894, 
the  customers  were  notified  that 
no  electricity  would  be  furnished 
on  moonlit  nights,  and  further- 
more, that  no  refunds  would  be 
made  in  rates  because  of  this  lack 
of  service. 

The  telegraph  and  the  telephone 
also  had  their  local  beginnings 
about  this  time,  with  the  Postal 
Telegraph  Co.  being  granted  the 
right  to  begin  operations  here  in 
1882  and  the  Chicago  Telephone 
Company  given  the  right  to  erect 


poles   and   string   wires  the  next 
year,   ami   to  expand   theii 
ices  in   L885.  With  ample  electri- 
cit)   available,  offers  t«>  come  in- 
to   the    \  illage    with    street 
were  not  slow  in  coming  in 
and  a  franchise  w  ted  the 

Englewood  and  Chii  sg  Elect]  i<- 
Street  Railwa)  ('<>.  to  operate  a 
line  from  1  l'Jth  Street  through 
Blue  Island  f<>r  twentj  years. 
Since  no  action  seems  t<»  have 
been  taken  by  this  company,  the 
village  retained  it-  $3000  deposit 
and  two  years  later  granted  the 
Chicago  Electric  Traction  Com- 
pany a  franchise  for  its  tracks  and 
street   car   services. 

One  of  the  highlights  of  the 
"good  old  days"  is  no  longer  with 
us  —  and  as  far  as  Blue  Island 
itself  is  concerned,  there  are  per- 
haps quite  a  few  today  who  would 
breathe  a  sigh  of  relief  at  it-  ab- 


Market   Da) 

This  picture  was  taken   along  South    If 


31 


sence  and  say,  "Thank  goodness!" 
This  institution  was  Market  Day, 
always  the  first  Thursday  in  ev- 
ery month,  and  known  far  beyond 
our  limits  as  a  place  to  buy,  sell, 
barter,  trade  livestock  of  all 
kinds  and  description  or  just  a 
place  to  come  and  "rubber-neck," 
have  a  good  time,  or  perhaps 
toy  with  a  glass  or  two  of 
schnapps.  How  or  just  when  Mar- 
ket Day  got  started  no  one  seems 
to  know,  but  originally  it  did  of- 


fer the  farmers  of  the  area  a 
common  trading  post  of  which 
they  took  full  advantage,  some 
driving  all  night  to  get  on  the 
original  grounds,  on  Western  Ave- 
nue near  Canal  Street,  and  secure 
a  favorable  place.  But  unfortun- 
ately for  the  honest  farmer  and 
trader,  the  place  soon  became  in- 
fested with  fakers  and  grafters, 
replacing  honest  farm  products 
with  cheap  and  shoddy  merchan- 
dise. Soon  the  village  was  to  take 


A  Pioneer  South  Side  Corner 
The  Groskopf  corner,  Western  Avenue  and  Broadway.  This  corner  saloon 
was  well  patronized  on  the  old  Market  Days.  Next  to  the  saloon  was  the  grocery 
store  of  Knirsch  and  Groskopf,  and  farther  to  the  right  the  blacksmith  shop  of 
Jacob  Thoming.  In  the  rear  of  the  corner  building  was  the  blacksmith  and 
horseshoeing  shop  of  James  Scherwitz. 


32 


steps  to  exclude  the  market  from 
Blue   Island. 

While  Blue  Island  is  known 
far  and  wide  as  a  railroad  town, 
is  it  a  town  which  was  made  by 
the  railroad? 

\^  hatever  the  answer  to  this 
question  might  he.  the  coming  of 
the  railroad  to  Blue  Island  in 
1852  was  not  exactly  greeted  by 
cheering  and  the  tossing  of  hats 
of  assorted  sizes  in  the  air.  Many 
of  the  early  settlers  openly  op- 
posed the  railroad,  thinking  of 
the  plank  roads  then  in  use  as  the 
only  means  of  developing  the 
country.  In  spite  of  such  opposi- 
tion, however,  everybody  who  was 
anybody  was  down  to  "meet  the 
train"  that  auspicious  morning 
when  the  Little  Rocket,  under  a 
shining  coat  of  paint  and  puffing 
mightily  as  the  proud  head  of 
six  beautiful  coaches,  pulled  into 
the  local  station,  then  located  just 
south  of  Grove  Street.  Stops 
along  the  two  hour  trip  to  Joliet 
included  Junction,  six  miles  from 
Chicago;  Blue  Island,  fifteen 
miles;  Bremen  (now  Tin  ley 
Park),  twenty-three  miles;  and 
Mokena,  twenty-nine  miles. 

Seventeen  years  later  the  sub- 
urban line  went  into  operation, 
giving  Blue  Island  the  advantage 
of  being  served  by  both  the  main 
line  and  the  suburban  line  from 
the  same  station.  One  of  the  ad- 
vantages of  locating  this  station 
at  the  bottom  of  the  hill  was  the 
easy  availability  of  tons  and  tons 
of  gravel  and  sand,  needed  for 
track    ballast.    Cars    were    loaded 


here  by  hand,  with  the  paj  being 
fire!   fift\    cent  and  then 

later.  sevent)  five  I  rack  labor- 
era  at  that  inn.  i  |  ninety 
cents  a  day  which  i  ted  to 
$1.00  and  then  $1.10.  The  rail- 
road needed  other  workers  to 
keep  the  tender  filled  with  Water 
and  wood,  and  sometimes  an  e\ 
tra  flat  ear  filled  with  wood  fol- 
lowed the  tender,  to  make  sure 
that  the  engine  wouldn't  run  out 
of  fuel  between  stops. 

Blue  Island's  "second"'  railroad, 
the  Illinois  Central,  began  it* 
service  to  this  communit)  in  1892, 
when  the  four  mile  branch  from 
Kensington  opened  for  daily  op- 
eration. This  new  line  ga\e  the 
localities  the  opportunity  to  ride 
to  the  gates  of  the  greal  World's 
Columbian  Exposition,  then  trans- 
ferring Chicago's  Midway  into  a 
veritable  fairyland  of  beauty  and 
color.  Until  this  line  was  electri- 
fied Blue  Islanders  could  make 
the  trip  downtown  in  fifty-eighl 
minutes.  Together  with  the  Hoik 
Island,  the  I.C.  brought  the  tin 
est  suburban  rail  Bervice  in  the 
entire  country  to  thi*  village  and 
other  communities  Berved  b)  these 
roads. 

Blue    Island    had   the   additional 

distinction  of  having  it-  name 
as  part  of  the  title  of  two  other 
lines  sen  ing  this  area.  'I  he  firal 
of  these  was  a  remote  forerunner 
of  the  Grand  Trunk,  once  known 
as  the  Chicago,  Blue  I 

Indiana  Railroad  (."in; 

bartered  in    ; 
Illinoi 


33 


under  construction  to  run  from 
Chicago  to  Port  Huron,  Michigan, 
and  across  the  St.  Clair  River  to 
Sarnia,  Ontario.  Various  mergers 
and  transfers  saw  the  little  line 
operate  under  several  titles,  on 
its  way  to  becoming  known  even- 
tually as  the  Grand  Trunk.  In 
1870  the  Peninsular  Railroad  took 
over  the  ownership  and  operation. 
The  next  step  occurred  three 
years  later,  when  the  line  became 
part  of  the  Chicago  and  Grand 
Trunk,  which  is  now  the  Grand 
Trunk  Western. 

The  other  road  to  use  Blue  Is- 
land as  part  of  its  name  was  the 
present  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Chi- 
cago Terminal  Railroad  company. 
In  1889,  a  road  known  as  the 
Chicago  and  Blue  Island  Railway 
Company  obtained  a  franchise, 
but  before  this  group  did  any- 
thing, the  grant  for  a  right  of  way 
between  75th  Street  in  Chicago 
and  the  northern  part  of  Blue 
Island  was  transferred  to  the  Chi- 
cago Central  Railway  Company, 
and  the  right  of  way  was  extend- 
ed through  Blue  Island  in  1890. 
This  line  began  operations  that 
year,  and  the  next  it  was  extend- 
ed to  Harvey.  A  new  company 
now  took  over  —  the  Chicago 
and  Northern  Pacific.  This  line 
offered  a  real  bargain  in  trans- 
portation in  those  days,  for  which 
it  was  known  for  a  while  as  the 
"Nickel  Line,"  as  its  one  way 
fare  between  Blue  Island  and 
Chicago  was  only  five  cents.  Sev- 
eral other  transfers  in  ownership 
occurred    before    the    road    came 


under  its  present  title,  the  Balti- 
more and  Ohio  Chicago  Terminal 
Railroad  Company. 

Street  car  companies  under  var- 
ious names  and  ownerships  also 
had  much  to  do  with  Blue  Is- 
land's progress  during  those 
years.  Records  show  that  a  begin- 
ning was  made  along  this  line 
in  1890,  when  a  group  of  pro- 
moters got  a  charter  for  a  street 
railway  to  connect  Blue  Island, 
Harvey,  Wireton  Park,  Morgan 
Park,  Pullman,  Kensington,  and 
South  Chicago.  This  line  was  to 
be  known  as  the  Chicago,  Blue 
Island,  and  Harvey  Electric  Rail- 
way Company,  but  after  some  pre- 
liminary work,  the  project  came 
to  nothing. 

The  next  step  was  taken  in 
1896,  when  the  Englewood  and 
Chicago  Electric  Street  Railway 
Company  was  granted  a  franchise 
from  the  village  board  to  oper- 
ate a  street  railway  line  from 
119th  Street  to  the  south  limits 
of  Blue  Island  for  a  twenty  year 
period.  Service  over  this  road  was 
first  offered  in  1897,  with  the 
first  cars  operated  by  cumber- 
some and  costly  storage  battery 
power.  Although  the  batteries 
sometimes  failed  before  the  cars 
returned  to  the  charging  station, 
and  this  inconvenienced  and  de- 
layed the  passengers,  these  cars 
were  still  considered  a  vast  im- 
provement over  the  old  cable  car 
types.  In  1902  the  battery  type 
car  was  replaced,  but  when  the 
line  was  extended  to  Kankakee,  fi- 
nances became  involved,   and 


34 


quarrels     with    the     communities 

which    it   served   soon    placed   the 
company  in  disrepute. 

Near  the  end  of  the  19th  cen- 
tury the  villagers  again  began  to 
experience  growing  pains  when  a 
goodly  number  of  them  petition- 
ed the  trustees  to  hold  an  elec- 
tion on  incorporating  under  city 
government.  For  some  unknown 
reason,  however,  some  of  the 
signers    asked    that    their    names 


be  stricken  from  the  petition, 
which  rendered  it  valueless  b\ 
fore  the  matter  was  brought  up 
again,  there  were  other  signs  ih.it 
Blue  [aland  was  trul)  growing 
up.  In  L898,  the  trustees  de*  ided 
to  prohibit  further  burial  within 
the  village  limits,  finall)  settling 
an  old  question  that  had  i  aused 
much  bitterness.  Second,  a  ta\  of 
two  mills  on  the  dollar  was  voted 
for    the    establishment    of    a    free 


An  Interurban  Car 
This    was    the    type    used    on    the    Kankakee    run 
about  1909. 


Battery  Powered  v     i  Cat 

When   the  battery  went 
delayed  —  or  got  out  and  wal 


35 


Honored  Public  Servant 
Fred  Hohmann,  Village  and  City  Clerk  for  over 
Thirty   Years. 


public  library,  with  almost  1000 
ballots  cast.  Elected  as  the  first 
directors  of  this  infant  organiza- 
tion were  Mrs.  A.  C.  Fuller  and 
Mrs.  Henrietta  B.  McGrath,  for 
the  three  year  term;  H.  B.  Rob- 
inson and  Joseph  P.  Eames  for 
two  years;  and  Henry  Biroth  and 
F.  T.  E.  Kallum  for  the  one  year 
period. 

In  February  of  1901  the  ques- 
tion of  a  change  in  government 
form  came  up  again,  this  time 
based  on  a  petition  properly  pre- 
sented, and  calling  for  an  April 
election  of  a  mayor,  a  city  clerk, 


an  attorney,  a  treasurer,  a  magis- 
trate, and  two  aldermen  for  each 
of  the  five  original  wards.  It  is 
rather  interesting  that,  at  the 
same  time  these  officials  were 
voted  on,  what  was  to  be  the 
last  election  under  the  village 
form  of  government  was  also  held, 
with  these  results:  village  presi- 
dent, 0.  W.  Bourke;  village  trus- 
tees, Charles  J.  Heckler,  W.  D. 
Henke,  John  W.  Neibert;  village 
clerk,  Fred  Hohman;  police  mag- 
istrate, Emil  Boehl;  and  directors 
of  the  public  library,  Mrs.  A.  C. 
Fuller,  and  Mrs.  Henrietta  B.  Mc- 


36 


Grath.   Since  the   proposition    for 

the  city  council  form  of  govern- 
ment had  carried,  and  an  election 
for  its  officials  had  to  be  held 
within  sixt)  days,  these  last  offi- 
cers under  the  village  form  of 
government  were  not  seated,  but 
the  old  board  continued  until  the 
new  officials  were  selected. 

At  this  time  it  might  be  inter- 
esting to  present  the  names  and 
positions  of  those  who  served  as 
officials  during  the  years  of  vil- 
lage government,  1872  to  1901. 
Thev  are  as  follows: 


ROSTER  OF  VILLAGE 
OFFICIALS 

1872   to   1901 

The  first  Village  Board,  elect- 
ed immediately  following  the 
election  to  incorporate,  served  on- 
ly from  October  26,  1872.  until 
April  15,  1873,  when  a  full  time 
board  was  elected.  Those  serving 
the  first  six  months  were: 

Trustees  —  Benjamin  Sanders 
(president).  Richard  McClaugh- 
ry,  Ludwig  Krueger,  W.  C.  Bauer, 
Jacob  Appel,  Walter  P.  Roche. 
Clerk  —  Hart  Massey,  Treasurer 
—  Herman  Schmitt. 

1873-1874 
Trustees  —  Merrill  Kile  (presi- 
dent), Christian  Krueger,  Ferdi- 
nand Daemicke,  Edward  Eichhoff. 
Walter  P.  Roche,  Jacob  Appel. 
Clerk  —  F.  G.  Diefenbach.  Treas- 
urer —  Herman  Schmitt.  Police 
Captain  —  Herman   Sieman. 


lice   Justi  Henrj    Bertrand. 

Superintendent    of   Public   \\«.ik- 
—  Win.  B.  Brayton. 

L8744875 
Trustees        George  Lu<  ht< 
it  i  presidenl  i .  Christian  Kruej 
Edward     P.     Hansen,     Ferdinand 
Daemicke,  Ed  m  ard  Eichhoff, 
Thies  Clausen.  Clerk.        •Charles 
Trapp.   Treasurer  —    Herman 
Schmitt.   Police  Captain   —  John 
Sidel.   Police  Justice  Michael 

Arnold.  Superintendent  of   Public 
Works  —  Charles  Ellfeldt 

(*)  Charles  Trapp  resigned  as 
clerk  and  H.  B.  Robinson  was  ap- 
pointed to  fill  the  unexpired  term. 

1875-1876 

Trustees  —  Benjamin  Sanders 
(president),  Peter  Lusson,  Dan- 
iel Klein,  Samuel  I).  Huntington. 
R.  S.  McClaughery.  Jacob  Tlmem- 
ing.  Clerk  —  F.  G.  Diefenba*  h. 
Treasurer  —  Herman  Schmitt. 
(Office  of  Captain  of  Police  and 
Superintendent  of  Streets  declar- 
ed vacant.  Later  both  offi< 
combined  and  George  Hinman  ap- 
pointed  to   combined   »»ffi< 

176-1877 

Trustees         Benjamin   Sanders 
(president),    S.    D.    Huntington, 
Daniel  Klein.  Peter  Lusson,  Jacob 
Thoeming,     R.    S.     Mi (  laughry. 
Clerk        I'.  G.  Diefenbad 
nrer         Herman   Schmitl     I 
Justice        W.  1     D 
perintei 


37 


1877-1878 
Trustees  —  Benjamin  Sanders 
(president),  R.  S.  McClaughry, 
Jacob  Thoeming,  Daniel  Klein, 
Peter  Lusson,  S.  D.  Huntington. 
Clerk  —  F.  G.  Diefenbach.  Treas- 
urer —  Herman  Schmitt.  Police 
Magistrate  —  Charles  Ellfeldt. 
Street  Superintendent  and  Cap- 
tain of  Police  —  George  E.  Hin- 
man.  Constable  —  John  Sidel. 

1878-1879 
Trustees  —  Joshua  P.  Young 
(president),  F.  L.  Bushnell,  Ben- 
jamin Cool,  Charles  Neukirch, 
Henry  Bertrand,  John  Staffel. 
Clerk  —  Fred  Hohmann,  Treas- 
urer —  Herman  Schmitt,  Chief 
of  Police  —  Christian  Peters. 
(George  Hinman  was  appointed 
Superintendent  of  Streets  but  was 
"relieved"  of  his  office  at  the 
following  meeting.) 

1879-1880 

Trustees  —  J.  P.  Young  (presi- 
dent), Benjamin  Cool,  M.  Mc- 
Claughry, Christian  Krueger,  Wil- 
liam Black,  Conrad  Kich.  Clerk 
—  Fred  Hohmann.  Treasurer  — 
Herman  Schmitt.  Captain  of  Po- 
lice —  Christ  Peters.  Street  Su- 
perintendent —  Christian  Zacher. 
Constable   —   F.    C.    Farnum. 

1880-1881 

Trustees  —  Christian  Krueger 
(president),  William  Black,  Mike 
Noce,  M.  McClaughry,  E  m  i  1 
Boehl,  Peter  Lusson.  Clerk  — 
Fred  Hohmann.  Treasurer  —  Ed- 
ward Seyfarth.  Police  Captain  — 


Christ    Peters.    Police    Magistrate 

—  Charles  Ellfeldt.  Street  Superin- 
tendent —  Charles  Strickert.  Con- 
stable  —   J.    R.   Lewis. 

1881-1882 
Trustees  —  Christian  Krueger 
(president),  John  Staffel,  M.  C. 
Eames.  C.  F.  Eidam,  Emil  Boehl, 
William  Black.  Clerk  —  Louis 
Luchtemeyer.  Treasurer  —  Ed- 
ward Seyfarth.  Captain  of  Police 

—  Ethan    Wattles. 

1882-1883 
Trustees  —  Christian  Krueger 
(president),  Emil  Boehl,  William 
Black,  C.  F.  Eidam,  Charles  Staf- 
fel, M.  C.  Eames.  Clerk  —  Louis 
Luchtemeyer.  Treasurer  —  Edward 
Seyfarth.    Captain    of    Police    — 

—  Ethan  Wattles.  (*Wattles  re- 
signed in  June  and  W.  J.  Hunt- 
ington was  appointed  Police  Cap- 
tain.) 

1883-1884 
Trustees  —  M.  C.  Eames  (presi- 
dent),   Christian    Krueger,    Theo- 
dore   Guenther,    F.    L.    Bushnell, 
C.  F.  Eidam,  John  Staffel.  Clerk 

—  Louis  Luchtemeyer.  Treasur- 
er —  Edward  Seyfarth.  Captain 
of  Police  and  Superintendent  of 
Streets  —  Christ   Peters. 

1884-1885 
Trustees  —  Christian  Krueger 
(president),  John  Staffel,  M.  C. 
Eames,  George  Luchtemeyer,  The- 
odore Guenther,  F.  L.  Bushnell. 
Clerk  —  Louis  Luchtemeyer.  Po- 
lice Captain  —  Christ  Peters. 
Treasurer  —  Ed  Seyfarth. 


38 


1885-1886 
Trustees  —  M.  C.  Eames  (presi- 
dent), Christian  Krueger,  F.  L. 
Bushnell,  H.  W.  Schmitt.  John 
Staffel,  George  Luchtemeyer. 
Clerk  —  Louis  Luchtemeyer. 
Treasurer  —  Edward  Seyfarth. 
Police  Captain  and  Superintend- 
ent of  Streets  —  Christ  Peters. 
Police  Magistrate  —  Charles  Ell- 
feldt. 

1886-1887 

Trustees     —  Christian  Krueger 

(president) ,  Edward    Seyfarth,  M. 

C.    Eames,    Nicholas   Stoll,    F.    L. 

Bushnell,    H.    W.    Schmitt.    Clerk 

—  Gustav    Volkmann.    Treasurer 

—  F.  G.  Diefenbach.  Captain  of 
Police  —  Christ  Peters.  Police 
Magistrate  —  Charles  Ellfeldt. 

1887-1888 

Trustees   —   Christian   Krueger 

(president),  H.  W.  Schmitt,  Louis 

Groskopf,    Nicholas    Stoll,   M.    C. 

Eames,    Edward    Seyfarth.    Clerk 

—  Gustav  Volkmann.  Treasurer  — 
F.  G.  Diefenbach.  Captain  of  Po- 
lice —  C.  F.  Banderob.  Superin- 
tendent of  Public  Works  —  An- 
drew Reiner.  Police  Magistrate  — 
Charles  Ellfeldt*.  (S.  C.  Reid 
elected  Dec.  6,  1887  to  fill  the  un- 
expired term  of  Charles  Ell- 
feldt,  deceased.) 

1888-1889 
NOTE— Prior  to  this  time  the 
Village  Trustees  had  selected  one 
of  their  number  to  act  as  presi- 
dent. Now,  however,  a  change  in 
the  election  laws  required  the  el- 
ection of  a  president  of  the  village 


board   for  a  one  year  term,  and 
the  election  of  three  \  illage  trus- 

to  serve  two  yean  eat  h,  l< 
ing  three  hold-ovei  trustees,  The 
\  illage  clerk  was  also  elected  foi 
one  year.  Christian  Kruegei  wrss 
the  chosen  president  of  the  \ill 
board  at  that  time.  In  order  to 
be  eligible  under  the  new  law 
for  president,  he  resigned  a-  trus- 
tee, leaving  a  vacancy.  This  va- 
cancy was  not  filled  until  Ma\  12. 
1888,  when  Matt  Helbreg  was 
chosen.  The  result  of  the  regular 
election  held  April  7.  1888,  was 
as  follows: 

President  —  Christian  Km 
one  year  term.  Trustees  —  Mar- 
shall Alexander,  Edward  Seyfarth, 
John  Staffel,  two  year  terms. 
(Holdover  Trustees  —  Matt  Hel- 
breg, H.  W.  Schmitt,  Loui-  Gros- 
kopf). Village  Clerk  —  Gustav 
Volkmann.  Police  Magistrate  — 
S.  C.  Reed.  Captain  of  Police  — 
C.  F.  Banderob.  Superintendent  <>f 
Streets  —  Andrew  Reiner.  Treas- 
urer —  F.  G.  Diefenbach.  Con- 
stable  —   F.   Cordt. 

1889-1890 
President  —  Christian  Ki 
Trustees  —  Matt   Helbreg,   Louis 
Busch,    Henry    Rust,    M.    Alexan- 
der, *Jchn  Staffel,  Edward   S 
farth.  Village  Cl< 
maim.  Treasurer  —  Louifl  K; 
er.    Poli< 

Reed.  Captain  <»f  Police        ( 
Band* 

lage    • 


39 


(*John  Staffel  resigned;  0.  W. 
Bourke  elected  to  fill  his  unex- 
pired   term.) 

1890-1891 

President  —  Jacob  F.  Rehm. 
Trustees  —  M.  C.  Eames,  H.  L. 
Bridgeman,  Louis  Luchtemeyer, 
Louis  Busch,  Matt  Helbreg,  Hen- 
ry Rust.  Clerk  —  Fred  Hohmann. 
Police  Magistrate  —  S.  C.  Reed. 
Treasurer  —  Henry  F.  Klein.  Po- 
lice Captain  —  Ethan  Wattles. 
Superintendent  of  Streets  —  A. 
C.   Boeber. 

1891-1892 

President  —  Jacob  F.  Rehm. 
Trustees  —  0.  W.  Bourke,  Ira 
McCord,  John  Busch,  M.  C.  Eames, 
Louis  Luchtemeyer,  H.  L.  Bridge- 
man.  Clerk  —  Fred  Hohmann. 
Treasurer  —  Henry  F.  Klein.  Su- 
perintendent of  Public  Works  — 
A.   C.   Boeber.   Captain  of  Police 

—  E.  H.  Wattles.  Police  Magis- 
trate —  S.  C.  Reed. 

1892-1893 

President  —  Jacob  F.  Rehm. 
Trustees  —  Matt  Helbreg,  Louis 
Luchtemeyer,  Fred  Koenecke,  0. 
W.  Bourke,  Ira  McCord,  John 
Busch.  Clerk  —  Fred  Hohmann. 
Treasurer  —  H.  G.  Klein*.  Cap- 
tain of  Police  —  Fred  Banderob. 
Superintendent   of    Public   Works 

—  A.  C.  Boeber.  Village  Con- 
stable —  Holden  S.  Stafford.  Po- 
lice Magistrate  —  S.  C.  Reed. 

(*)  H.  F.  Klein  resigned  — 
Henry  Beer,  appointed. 


1893-1894 
President  —  Everett  H.  Rex- 
ford.  Trustees  —  Ira  McCord,  Ed- 
ward Seyfarth,  Louis  Groskopf, 
Louis  Luchtemeyer,  F.  Koenecke, 
Matt  Helbreg.  Clerk  —  Fred  Hoh- 
mann. Police  Magistrate  —  S.  C. 
Reed.  Treasurer  —  W.  S.  Rex- 
ford.  Superintendent  of  Public 
Works  —  Andrew  Reiner.  Vil- 
lage Attorney  —  George  Borman. 
Captain  of  Police  —  Walter  Hunt- 
ington. 

1894-1895 
President  —  John  L.Zacharias. 
Trustees  —  August  C.  Boeber, 
Oliver  W.  Bourke,  Alexander 
Prussing,  Louis  Groskopf,  Ira  Mc- 
Cord, Edward  Seyfarth.  Clerk  — 
Fred  Hohmann.  Police  Magistrate 
—  S.  C.  Reed.  Treasurer  —  Rob- 
ert Krueger.  Village  Attorney  — 
George  Borman.  Superintendent 
of  Public  Works  —  Charles  F. 
Lochow.  Captain  of  Police  —  Hen- 
ry   Matthews. 

1895-1896 
President  —  John  L.  Zacharias. 
Trustees  —  D.  A.  Murphy,  Char- 
les J.  Heckler,  Alexander  Pruss- 
ing, A.  C.  Boeber,  0.  W.  Bourke. 
Clerk  —  Fred  Hohmann.  Village 
Treasurer  —  Robert  Krueger. 
Superintendent  of  Streets  —  C. 
F.  Lochow.  Village  Attorney  — 
George  F.  Borman.  Police  Magis- 
trate —  S.  C.  Reed. 

1896-1897 
President  —  John  L.  Zacharias. 
Trustees  —  Edward  N.  Stein,  A. 


40 


C.  Boeber,  Everett  H.  Rexford, 
Charles  J.  Heckler,  D.  A.  Murphy, 
Charles  Staffel.  Village  Clerk  — 
Fred  Hohmann.  Village  Treasur- 
er —  Robert  Krueger.  Police 
Magistrate  —  S.  C.  Reed.  Super- 
intendent of  Public  Works  — 
Henry  Schreiber.  Captain  of  Po- 
lice —  Thomas  Cinnamon.  Vil- 
lage Attorney  —  George  Borman. 

1897-1898 

President  —  Jacob  F.  Rehm. 
Trustees  —  E.  H.  Rexford,  Ed- 
ward Stein,  A.  C.  Boeber,  Jo- 
seph Schroth,  Charles  J.  Heck- 
ler, Andrew  Reiner.  Village 
Clerk  —  Fred  Hohmann.  Treasur- 
er —  N.  A.  Cool.  Superintendent 
of  Public  Works  —  0.  W.  Bourke. 
Village  Attorney  —  George  F. 
Borman.  Captain  of  Police  — 
Thomas  Cinnamon.  Constable  — 
L.   L.  Whitson.   Police  Magistrate 

—  Dan  Harker. 

1898-1899 

President  —  Jacob  F.  Rehm. 
Trustees  —  E.  H.  Rexford,  Dan 
Murphy,  George  Meyer,  Andrew 
Reiner,  Charles  J.  Heckler,  Joseph 
Schroth.  Village  Clerk  —  Fred 
Hohmann,  Treasurer  —  N.  A. 
Cool.  Police  Magistrate  (to  fill 
unexpired  term  of  Dan  Harker, 
deceased)  —  Emil  Boehl.  Village 
Attorney  —  George  F.  Borman. 
Superintendent    of   Public   Works 

—  0.  W.  Bourke.  Captain  of  Po- 
lice —  Thomas  Cinnamon.  Vil- 
lage Engineer  —  P.  R.  Fletcher. 

First  Election  for  Directors  of 
Public  Library  —  Mrs.  A.  C.  Ful- 


ler. Mrs.  Henrietta  McGrath,  3 
years;  H.  B.  Robinson,  Joseph  P, 
Eames,  2  years;  Hem*}  Biroth, 
1  .   I".  E.  Kallum,  I   year. 

18991900 
President  —  Jacob  F.  Rehm. 
Trustees  —  D.  A.  Murphy, 
George  Meyer,  E.  H.  Rexford, 
Edward  Stein,  Joseph  Schroth, 
Charles  J.  Heckler.  Village  Clerk 

—  Fred  Hohmann.  Treasurer  — 
John   C.   Klein.   Village   Attorney 

—  George  F.  Borman.  Superin- 
tendent of  Public  Works  —  0. 
W.  Bourke.  Captain  of  Police  — 
Thomas  Cinnamon.  Constable  — 
Fred   Farnum. 

Directors  of  Public  Library  — 
Henry   Biroth,   F.   T.   E.   Kallum. 

1900-1901 

President  —  0.  W.  Bourke. 
Trustees  —  Charles  J.  Heckler, 
Edward  Stein,  Joseph  Schroth, 
Frank  X.  Rauwolf,  George  C.  Go- 
bet,  Henry  Clausen.  Village 
Clerk  —  Fred  Hohmann.  Treas- 
urer —  John  C.  Klein.  Village 
Attorney  —  George  E.  Borman. 
Superintendent  of  Streets  — 
Charles  F.  Lochow.  Captain  of  Po- 
lice —  Thomas  Cinnamon. 

Directors  of  Public  Libra: 
J.  B.  Robinson,  Joseph  1\  Eames. 

1901 
PresidenI        0.  W.  Bo  u  rke. 
*(  Trustees   —    Hmrv    (I  B 
Frank    Rauwolf,    G 
bet,      Edward 
Schroth,  C 
lage    ( 


41 


Treasurer  —  John  C.  Klein.  Po- 
lice Magistrate  —  Emil  Boehl. 

*Charles  J.  Heckler  (an  in- 
cumbent in  the  office),  W.  D. 
Henke  and  John  W.  Neibert  were 
elected  as  trustees  at  the  election 
held  on  April  16,  1901,  but  as 
the  proposition  to  incorporate  as 


a  city  carried  at  that  election 
these  men  were  not  seated  at  this 
time,  the  old  board  continuing  to 
function  until  the  city  officers 
were  elected  and  installed. 

Library  Trustees  —  Mrs.  A.  C. 
Fuller,  Mrs.  Henrietta  McGrath. 


Ill   THE  CITY  ON   THE   HILL 


(1901-1935) 

When  Blue  Island  made  the 
change  to  city  government  in 
1901,  its  population  was  6,114, 
and  the  total  vote  cast  for  the 
new  officials  was  1,277,  which 
was  considered  practically  the 
full  voting  strength  of  the  com- 
munity. The  first  officials  elected 
under  the  new  form  of  govern- 
ment were  headed  by  John  L. 
Zacharias  as  mayor.  Fred  Hoh- 
mann,  who  had  previously  serv- 
ed as  village  clerk  from  1878  to 
1880,  and  from  1889  to  1901,  was 
elected  city  clerk  without  opposi- 
tion, only  one  of  the  tributes  the 
voters  had  paid  to  his  serling 
services  over  these  many  years. 
The  city  attorney  chosen  was 
George  Guenther.  August  C.  Boe- 
ber  was  elected  treasurer  and 
Emil  Boehl  won  as  police  magis- 
trate. The  two  aldermen  chosen 
from  each  of  the  five  wards 
which  then  marked  Blue  Island's 
political  divisions  were  Harry 
Rohrbach  and  John  W.  Neibert, 
from  the  first  ward,  composed 
of  that  part  of  the  territory  be- 
tween Stony  Creek  on  the  south, 
York  Street  on  the  north,  the 
Rock  Island  tracks  on  the  east, 
and  the  city   limits   on  the  west. 


The  second  ward,  from  the  city 
limits  on  the  south  to  Stony  Creek 
on  the  north,  and  the  city  limits 
on  both  the  east  and  the  west, 
sides,  chose  Louis  Groskopf  and 
John  C.  Joens  as  its  aldermen. 
V.  B.  Schreiber  and  George  C. 
#  Gobet  were  unopposed  in  the 
third  ward,  which  was  composed 
of  all  the  territory  within  the 
city  limits  east  of  the  Rock  Is- 
land, and  north  of  Stony  Creek. 
The  fourth  ward,  north  of  York 
Street,  south  of  Burr  Oak,  west 
of  the  Rock  Island,  and  east  of 
the  city  limits,  picked  W.  D.  Hen- 
ke and  C.  R.  Foster.  The  fifth 
ward,  where  the  most  intense  poli- 
tical campaigns  were  fought,  with 
seven  contestants  vying  for  alder- 
manic  honors,  finally  pi  c  k  e  d 
Adolph  Danielson  and  Max  Gese. 
These  two  won  over  their  next 
highest  rival  candidate  by  only 
fourteen  and  eight  votes,  respec- 
tively. 

Even  though  this  election  fol- 
lowed the  last  one  under  village 
organization  by  less  than  sixty 
days,  the  fortunes  of  the  political 
wars  smiled  on  some  of  the  for- 
mer village  officials  and  frowned 
on   others.   Only   Fred   Hohmann, 


42 


as  previously  stated,  survived  the 
change  over  without  any  opposi- 
tion. Neibert  and  Hcnke,  represent- 
ing the  first  and  fourth  wards 
respectively,  had  served  on  the 
old  village  board,  as  had  Emil 
Boehl,  police  magistrate  for  both 
bodies.  New  legislation  under  the 
city  form  of  government  had 
made  the  library  board  officers 
appointive  instead  of  elective, 
but  Mayor  Zacharias  k  e  pt  all 
those  members  originally  elected 
to  this  board  in  office,  and  added 
John  W.  Reiner  from  the  second 
ward,  Mrs.  Myrtle  Murphy  from 
the  third,  and  George  Warren 
from   the   fifth. 


The  first  official  familj  under 
•  w  form  of  government  was 
increased  on  Jul)  10,  L901  by 
eleven  appointments.  In  the  po- 
lice department  Thomas  Cinna- 
mon was  named  chief,  an< 
ward  Garver  hi-  lieutenant  The 
four  patrolmen  named  w  »•  r  e 
Charles  Farnum,  Charh-  Malm- 
quist,  Ben  Steffes,  and  Otto 
Wilcke.  Gther  appointment  in- 
cluded C.  F.  Luchow,  superin- 
tendent of  streets;  Ed  Kinzel, 
chief  engineer;  A.  Marsh,  i  it\ 
electrician;  P.  R.  Fletcher,  civil 
engineer;  and  Fred  Brunhof, 
city  chemist. 

From    having    started     with    a 


Blue  Island  Village  Hall,  Built  in  1891. 


43 


debt  of  $200.00  in  1872,  the  vil- 
lage board  had  rendered  meritor- 
ious service  indeed  throughout 
its  tenure  in  office,  as  a  total 
balance  of  $3,726.73  was  given 
in  the  last  report  of  the  village 
treasurer  before  the  change  over 
occurred.  The  new  officials  rea- 
lized what  a  good  job  their  pre- 
decessors had  done  along  other 
lines  as  well,  for  their  first  or- 
dinance, number  380,  continued 
all  ordinances  which  had  been  in 
force  when  the  new  set  up  came 
into   being. 

The  committee  charged  with 
the  project  of  rewriting  this  his- 
tory of  Blue  Island  has  not 
meant  to  demean  any  part  of  its 
previous  years  by  referring  to  the 
era  from  1901  to  1935  as  those 
in  which  the  settlement  came  of 
age  —  especially  in  the  fields  of 
political,  economic,  and  institu- 
tional growth.  The  beginnings  of 
this  time  under  the  city  council 
form  of  local  government  have 
already  been  traced;  now  might 
be  the  time  to  trace  the  benefits 
of  this  change,  to  present  that 
part  of  the  industrial  growth  oc- 
curring during  the  first  third  of 
our  Twentieth  Century,  and  to 
continue  the  story  of  our  churches 
and  our  schools,  the  two  most 
important  institutions  of  any  lo- 
cal government.  Later,  in  a  final 
section  of  this  treatise,  this  group 
will  try  to  appraise  the  import- 
ance of  these  great  forces  for 
good  on  what  has  been,  what  is, 
and  what  is  to  be  our  Blue  Is- 
land. 


First  of  all,  it  would  be  bene- 
ficial to  show  the  expansion  of 
the  city  itself,  in  the  several  an- 
nexations made  to  bring  addi- 
tional properties  within  its  phy- 
sical boundaries.  When  the  city 
council  form  of  government  took 
over  in  1901,  the  boundaries  of 
Blue  Island  formed  an  almost  per- 
fect rectangle.  119th  Street  mark- 
ed our  northern  line,  extended 
to  Division  Street  on  the  east; 
thence  south  to  135th  Street;  and 
from  there  to  California  Street, 
our  western  boundary.  The  first 
territory  to  be  added  to  this  rec- 
tangle came  into  the  city  limits 
in  1903,  when  a  small  plot  east 
of  Division,  from  slightly  north  of 
Vermont  Street  up  to  Burr  Oak, 
was  acquired.  This  made  the  city 
limits  on  the  east  run  down  Di- 
vision Street  from  119th  to  Burr 
Oak,  then  east  to  Wood  Street, 
then  down  Wood  to  a  rather  irreg- 
ular line  between  York  and  Ver- 
mont Streets,  and  then  back  west 
to    California. 

The  next  expansion  came  in 
1908,  and  was  to  the  west,  bring- 
ing in  a  very  small  section  west 
of  California  Avenue,  and  south 
of  Broadway  to  135th.  This  tiny 
bit  ran  that  section  of  the  west- 
ern city  limits  only  to  Francisco 
Street. 

1919  and  1921  brought  a  much 
larger  bite  out  of  the  then  un- 
incorporated territory  into  the 
city.  All  the  land  west  of  Cali- 
fornia, from  Burr  Oak  on  the 
north  to  Vermont  Street  south 
was   taken   in    during    1919   with 


44 


45 


the  western  city  limits  becoming 
Sacramento  Avenue  all  along  this 
stretch.  Then,  in  1921,  this  new 
western  boundary  was  extended 
northward,  almost  to  Birdsall. 

The  next  expansion  went  back 
to  the  east,  again  incorporating 
a  very  small  section  just  south  of 
that  brought  in  in  1903,  with  a 
very  irregular  eastern  boundary 
lining  up  about  Wood  Street. 
Then  in  1927  came  the  largest 
acquisition  of  all  —  all  the  land 
across  the  southern  boundary 
clear  to  139th  Street.  This  new 
southern  limit  also  ran  east  of 
Division  in  a  rather  irregular 
line  almost  as  far  as  Ashland  at 
its    southern   tip.    The    next    year 


another  sizable  chunk  of  land 
was  annexed,  on  the  east  again, 
and  taking  the  city  limits  there 
from  139th  up  along  the  Little 
Calumet  River  to  a  point  some- 
what   beyond    Champlain    Street. 

Shortly  before  the  close  of  the 
city's  first  hundred  years,  or  in 
1931  to  be  exact,  the  southern 
boundary,  from  California  west 
at  139th  Street  was  extended  a 
little  beyond  142nd  Street,  south 
and  west  along  the  Rock  Island 
right  of  way  to  Kedzie.  Additions 
made  after  1935  will  be  detailed 
in  the  following  sections  of  this 
history. 

The  municipal  water  system, 
which  had  shown  numerous  short 


Fire  Department  Equipment   in   use   in   1925 
The  first  engine  was  purchased  in  1917,  and  the  second  in  1925. 


46 


47 


comings  in  the  years  it  had  been 
in  use,  had  come  in  for  increas- 
ing attacks  in  the  early  part  of 
the  twentieth  century  from  citi- 
zens who  had  been  complaining 
about  the  taste  and  smell  of  their 
drinking  water.  It  was  charged 
that  seepage  from  the  waters  of 
Stony  Creek,  polluted  by  oil, 
chemicals  and  other  discharges  of 
the  several  plants  along  its  banks, 
had  penetrated  into  the  artesian 
wells.  These  complaints  caused 
the  city  council  to  make  its  first 
attempt  to  get  Lake  Michigan  wa- 
ter through  arrangements  with 
the  city  of  Chicago.  The  local 
Chamber  of  Commerce  quickly 
got  behind  this  effort,  to  push 
for  its  realization.  About  a  year 
later  Chicago  made  an  offer  to 
bring  in  an  eight  inch  water  main 
at  the  Blue  Island  city  limit  on 
Western,  at  119th,  but  our  city 
fathers  wanted  a  main  twice  that 
big. 

Finally,  on  April  5,  1915,  a 
contract  was  signed  with  Chicago 
for  twenty-five  years,  to  be  ex- 
tended if  found  mutually  satis- 
factory to  both  parties,  and  the 
localites  were  finally  freed  from 
the  disagreeable  tastes  and  smells 
that  had  plagued  them  for  so 
long.  It  is  not  known  that  this 
water  contract  had  anything  to 
do  with  an  election  which  came 
up  about  this  same  time,  to  an- 
nex Blue  Island  to  Chicago,  but 
the  proposition  was  decisively 
beaten,  2965  to  only  894. 

Those  of  us  today  who  some- 
times   feel    that    our    water    bills 


are  on  the  steep  side  might  be 
even  more  unhappy  to  see  this 
list  of  charges  made  in  1918, 
after  the  connections  with  that 
good  Lake  Michigan  water  had 
been  made,  and  it  was  flowing 
through  our  Blue  Island  pipes. 
For  the  first  10,000  gallons,  the 
price  was  18c  per  1,000;  for  the 
next  90,000  gallons,  16c  per 
1,000;  next  150,000  gallons,  14c 
per  1,000;  next  200,00  gallons, 
12c  per  1,000;  next  500,000  gal- 
lons, lie  per  1,000;  and  for  all 
usage  over  one  million  gallons 
of  water,  only  10c  per  thousand 
gallons. 

If  it  is  true  (and  there  are 
many  who  would  claim  this,  as 
well  as  many  others  who  would 
deny  it)  that  Blue  Island  is  not 
a  railroad  city  and  does  not  owe 
its  place  in  the  sun  primarily  to 
the  railroad,  then  the  same  dis- 
pute might  rage  rather  violently 
about  our  city  being  built  upon, 
out  of,  and  by  the  clay  that  has 
gone  into  the  billions  of  bricks 
which  have  come  from  the  vari- 
ous holes  that  now  dot  the  city 
and  its  surrounding  area.  There 
is  no  gainsaying  that  brick  mak- 
ing has  meant  much  to  Blue  Is- 
land, from  the  earliest  days  of 
Tewes  and  Reusnow,  with  their 
hand  made  bricks,  down  to  the 
present  time. 

Near  the  close  of  the  19th  cen- 
tury, there  were  six  brick  yards 
in  and  around  Blue  Island:  the 
Hayte  and  Alsip  plant,  near  Cal- 
umet Grove;  the  two  Purington 
yards    at    119th    Street    and    the 


48 


Rock  Island;  the  Weckler  and 
Prussing  yard,  the  Wahl  Brothers 
plant,  both  located  at  L23rd  and 
the  Grand  Trunk  line;  and  the 
Alsip  yard,  two  miles  west  of 
Blue  Island.  Altogether  in  their 
heyday,  these  plants  employed 
about  700  men.  Mechanical  im- 
provements and  other  changes  in 
brick  making  increased  the  ca- 
pacities of  these  companies  so 
that,  in  1900,  when  the  Illinois 
Brick  Company  was  formed,  and 
most  of  the  old  and  o  b  s  o  1  e  te 
equipment  dismantled,  Blue  Is- 
land and  its  surrounding  terri- 
tory led  in  the  production  of 
common  brick,  turning  out  over 
a  million  bricks   a  day. 

Listing  the  other  industries 
which  have  had  some  influence 
on  the  growth  of  Blue  Island  is 
a  task  which  cannot  be  complet- 
ed without  some  criticism  on  the 
amount  of  space  given  to  this  in- 


dustry, or  the  neglect  shown  to 
thai    one.    In    tryi  ompile 

Mich  a  list,  with  appropi  iate  -  om« 
monts,  the  histor)  committee  has 
felt  that  the  most  attention  should 
be  given  to  those  industries  win-  h 
have  existed  here  for  some  time, 
were  extreme!)  important  to  the 
city  at  leasl  one  time  during 
their  years  of  continuance,  or  have 
grown  with  the  years.  First,  those 
of  some  public  nature,  as  well  as 
historical  significance,  will  be 
precented. 

The  beginnings  of  the  local 
municipal  electric  light  plant 
have  already  been  sketched.  Ne  I 
the  start  of  our  city  government 
operation  here,  the  Sanitary  Dis- 
trict expressed  a  wish  to  furnish 
Blue  Island  with  electric  current 
for  street  lighting  and  commer- 
cial usage.  The  council  signed  a 
contract  with  this  organization  to 
do  this,  allowing  it  also  to  oper- 


The  First  National  Bank  <>(  Blue  Island 
This  view  was  taken  before  the  drive-in  windou   and 

to  the  north  of  the  bank. 


49 


ate  the  water  works  plant,  for 
ten  years.  Near  the  end  of  this 
contract,  in  1908  to  be  exact,  the 
North  Shore  Electric  Co.  wanted 
to  buy  the  locally  owned  electric 
light  and  power  plant.  However, 
in  1911,  the  present  Public  Serv- 
ice Company  of  Northern  Illi- 
nois acquired  all  properties  of  the 
North  Shore  organization,  includ- 
ing the  Blue  Island  system.  Later 
the  city  gave  the  Public  Service 
Company  a  franchise  to  construct, 
maintain,  and  operate  for  thirty 
years  a  system  for  the  distribu- 
tion and  sale  of  electricity  for 
lighting,   heating,    and    power. 

Ordinance  number  300  was 
granted  in  1896  to  a  Charles  A. 
Rolfe,  to  construct  and  operate 
a  gas  works.  What  happened  to 
Rolfe's  endeavors  is  not  known, 
since  the  next  entry  on  the  city's 
records  having  to  do  with  gas 
refers  to  a  Clarence  Geist,  whose 
petition  to  operate  a  gas  com- 
pany was  referred  back  to  a  spe- 
cial council  committee  in  1901. 
Another  applicant  for  the  same 
privilege  at  about  the  same  time 
was  J.  B.  Woodruff,  who  asked 
for  a  fifty  year  franchise.  Geist 
was  granted  his  franchise  in  Sep- 
tember of  1901,  but  in  the  very 
next  year  the  Northern  Gas, 
Light  and  Coke  Company  was  de- 
clared a  successor  to  Geist,  and 
given  the  rights  and  permission 
to  operate  a  gas  company  in  Blue 
Island.  About  ten  years  later  the 
Public  Service  Company  acquired 
gas  properties  in  several  suburbs, 
including    Blue    Island,    where    it 


continued  to  provide  both  elec- 
tric and  gas  service  until  a  divi- 
sion was  made  in  1954,  and  two 
separate  companies  were  formed 
—  Northern  Illinois  for  gas,  and 
Public  Service  for  electricity. 

Another  public  utility  service 
coming  in  before  1900  was  the 
Chicago  Telephone  Company,  es- 
tablishing its  first  toll  station  in 
Schapper's  Drug  Store  in  1885. 
Doctors  in  Blue  Island  welcomed 
the  telephone  with  open  arms, 
with  some  of  its  first  subscribers 
including  Dr.  G.  Seim,  Dr.  R.  I. 
James,  Dr.  J.  S.  Kaufman,  and 
Dr.  Edward  Doepp. 

Meeting  the  needs  of  the  farm- 
ers of  the  area,  especially  those 
who  grew  grains  and  hay  from 
the  very  early  days  down  to  the 
twentieth  century,  has  been  the 
role  of  the  Klein  Elevator  Co., 
owned  and  operated  from  its  be- 
ginning by  members  of  the  Klein 
family.  No  gardener  from  the 
rankest  amateur  with  a  two  by 
four  postage  stamp  sized  plot,  to 
the  largest  truck  gardener,  with 
acre  afer  acre  under  cultivation, 
ever  went  away  from  their  store 
on  Vermont  Street  without  know- 
ing that  he  had  bought  the  very 
finest  products  from  the  two 
brothers,  John  and  William,  or 
one  of  their  associates.  What 
farmer  does  not  remember  the 
0.  K.  Poultry  Food,  and  the  vari- 
ous kinds  of  stock  foods  manu- 
factured under  this  name,  and 
sold  so  extensively  that  their 
quality  was  known  far  from  Blue 
Island?    In    addition   to   their   ac- 


50 


The  Klein  Elevator  as  rebuilt  after  the  fire. 


A  pen  and  ink  sketch  of  the  Klein  Elevator  destroyed 
by  fire  in  1914. 


tivities  as  business  leaders 
throughout  many  years,  members 
of  the  Klein  family  were  also  ex- 
tremely active  in  civic  and  church 
affairs,  and  their  store  and  ele- 
vator is  still  recognized  as  one 
of  the  landmarks  of  Blue  Island. 
In  trying  to  keep  some  histor- 
ical and  time  sequence  in  any 
list  of  industries  growing  along 
with  Blue  Island  near  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Twentieth  Century,  the 
Gilbert  and  Bennett  Manufactur- 
ing  Company    would    have   to    be 


listed.    Beginning     elsewhere     as 
earl\    as  the   1800*s  with   a  "fac- 
tory^   in    the    basement    of   hii 
home,    making    household 
out     of     horsehair      and     wooden 
hoops  which  he  had  shaved  down 
b)     hand.     Benjamin    Gilbert    ex- 
panded  his  small   concern   to   in- 
clude the  manufacture  of  curled 
hair,  used  in  cushions,  mattresses, 
and  furniture  padding.  I"  P 
ship    with 
built 


51 


Trying  to  hit  upon  a  more  dur- 
able product  than  horsehair  for 
their  sieves,  the  partners  began 
to  experiment  with  weaving  fine 
wire,  and  the  manufacturing  of 
wire  cloth  thus  accidentally  came 
into  being.  Gilbert  and  Bennett 
came  to  Blue  Island  in  1885,  lo- 
cating in  a  section  of  this  area 
even  now  bearing,  as  a  part  of 
its  name,  the  staple  on  which 
their  industry  was  founded  — 
wire.  For  many  years  this  com- 
pany was  the  only  producer  of 
wire  poultry  netting  in  the  Unit- 
ed States.  In  the  early  part  of 
this  century  there  were  beween 
125  and  150  men  employed  in 
the  plant,  which  contributed  much 
to  the  development  of  Blue  Is- 
land. 

All  confirmed  cigar  smokers 
may  dwell  with  some  nostalgia 
on     those     dear     departed    days 


when  cigar  making  was  a  good 
paying  trade,  and  the  man  who 
could  "roll  his  own"  was  an  ac- 
knowledged artisan.  P  e  r  h  a  ps 
there  are,  even  today,  those  in 
this  area  who  remember  the  sat- 
isfaction of  pulling  on  a  good, 
hand  made  cigar,  such  as  the 
"Rock"  or  the  "Golden  Heights" 
made  by  John  W.  Wolff;  the 
"Belle  of  Blue  Island"  or  the 
"Smokehouse"  of  the  Koenecke 
Brothers,  or  the  "Lentz,"  and 
"260"  and  the  "J.A.L.  Smokers" 
of  John  A.  Lentz.  Certainly,  if 
the  expression,  "What  America 
needs  most  is  a  good  five  cent 
cigar,"  is  true,  Blue  Island,  in 
those  days,  could  easily  supply 
this  need.  But  the  coming  of  pro- 
hibition, in  part,  plus  the  perfec- 
tion of  the  machine  made  cigar, 
made  the  old  time  individual  ci- 
gar maker  outdated.  The  present 


tryamr. 


W-Mf* 


'F,W^''"'-w^ 


Koenecke  Brothers  Cigar  Factory  in  1881 
Reading  from  left  to  right  the  men  shown  in  the 
picture  are  Herman  Koehler,  Mike  Arnold,  John  W. 
Wolff,  Peter  Heim,  Frank  Seidel,  Peter  Schneider, 
Albert  Kern,  Gustave  Eberwein,  Julius  Hess,  Fred  Stolz, 
August  Koenecke,  and  Jacob  Link. 

—  Photo  courtesy  of  Mrs.  Martha  Gau 


52 


F.  W.  Koenecke  Company,  whole* 
sale  dealers  in  cigars,  cigarettes, 
and  tobacco,  is  one  of  the  few 
survivors  of  these  early  concerns. 
but  alas!  the  hand  made  cigar, 
formerly  a  number  one  seller,  is 
no    longer    among    their    leaders. 

Originally  known  as  the  Chica- 
go Copper  Refining  Company, 
founded  in  1884  and  concerned 
with  the  smelting  and  refining  of 
copper  matte  and  the  separation 
of  gold  and  silver  contained  there- 
in, in  1912,  this  company  became 
the  Chicago  Copper  and  Chemi- 
cal Company  with  its  plant  still 
in  operation  just  east  of  the  Burr 
Oak  viaduct. 

One  of  the  several  family  op- 
erated and  controlled  industries 
which  began  to  prosper  at  the 
turn  of  the  century  was  the  Blue 
Island  Specialty  Company,  found- 
ed in  1898  by  Dr.  C.  F.  Mon- 
tag,  and  controlled  by  the  Montag 
family.  If  a  prize  were  to  be  giv- 
en to  the  Blue  Island  product  dis- 
tributed most  widely  throughout 
the  world  the  dentist's  burrs  and 
other  dental  and  surgical  instru- 
ments manufactured  by  this  com- 
pany would  certainly  be  among 
the  foremost  contestants  for  this 
award.  Unfortunately,  here  is  al- 
so proof  of  the  old  Scriptual 
verse,  "A  prophet  is  not  without 
honor,  save  in  his  own  country," 
for  it  is  doubtful  if  ten  per  cent 
of  the  present  day  Blue  Islanders 
know  of  the  precision  equipment 
and  skill  needed  to  manufacture 
such  instruments,  or  that  a  Blue 
Island  product  may  be  among  the 


prized  possessions  <.f  i  dentist  or 
a  Burgeon  in  Perth,    Vustral 

am  othei  <  it\  in  the  entire  world. 

Vnothei  and  more  recenl  in- 
dustry also  coming  oul  of  tin- 
back  yard  garage  of  it-  originator 
is  the  Modem  Die  and  Drop 
Forge  Company,  organized  in 
1915  l>\  M.  M.  Farmer,  and  un- 
der the  present  <la\  direction  of 
Mrs.  Sadie  Farmer.  Farmer  bad 
that  rare  mechanical  ability  nec- 
essary to  design  and  manufac- 
ture intricate  dies  and  to  DSC 
them  to  stamp  out  an\  number 
of  useful  and  needed  articles.  Ev- 
en throughout  the  depression  the 
company  kept  at  work  and  con- 
tinues today  as  one  of  the  leaders 
in   its  field. 

In  the  early  twentieth  century 
one  of  Blue  Island's  industries 
rapidly  came  to  assume  a  posi- 
tion of  foremost  importance.  This 
was  the  canning  and  bottling,  M 
so  well  done  by  the  Libby,  McNeil] 
and  Libby  Corporation,  which 
came  to  our  city  in  l'Jlo.  In  line 
with  the  Libby  polic)  of  estab- 
lishing its  plants  near  the  fields 
and  gardens  supplying  the  fruits 
and  vegetables  required,  the  com- 
pany picked  the  Blue  Island  lo- 
cation because  of  the  man)  truck 
gardens  which  Mill  produ<  e  bump- 
er crops  of  tomatoes,  cabbages, 
bean-,  cucumbers,  and  other  gar- 
den  staples,   Canning   or  bottling 

tomato*-,     tomato     j  i  j  i  ■ 

chile    sauce,    tomal 

other 

abl)   I 

cal    pi      ' 


53 


years  many  new  products  have 
been  coming  from  its  kitchens  to 
go  through  the  production  lines 
and  grace  the  nation's  tables. 
Now  apple  butter,  pork  and 
beans,  jellies,  mustard,  olives, 
pickles,  relishes,  onions,  and  the 
famed  Libby's  baby  foods  of  great 
variety  roll  off  the  lines. 

Thus  far  in  this  history  the 
part  which  the  railroads  and  as- 
sociated industries  have  played 
in  the  development  of  our  city 
has  dealt  only  with  these  as  a 
means  of  transportation.  Another 
side  of  their  meaning  must  now 
be  presented  —  that  analyzing 
the  importance  of  their  repairing 
and  replacement  facilities.  The 
decision  of  the  Rock  Island  to 
locate  one  of  its  main  shops  here, 
in  particular,  has  meant  much  to 
Blue  Island  —  employees  of  the 
line  settling  and  building  their 
homes  here,  more  money  spent 
here  —  to  mention  only  two  ad- 
vantages. At  this  present  date  the 
fact  that  these  shops  are  no  long- 
er in  operation  still  does  not  can- 
cel their  overall  meaning  to  the 
community  through  the  years,  for 
at  one  time  over  500  men  were 
employed  here. 

There  is  some  probability  that 
the  Rock  Island  shops  location 
here  might  have  caused  the  North 
American  Car  Company  to  open 
its  local  operations,  at  135th  and 
California,  in  1919,  and  to  grow 
along  with  other  aspects  of  the 
transportation  industry.  Although 
competition  from  truck  lines,  and, 
to  some  extent,  air  lines,  has  re- 


duced the  company's  business,  its 
cars  still  return  to  the  local  yards 
for  repair,  and  there  is  still  some 
business  in  dismantling  and  scrap- 
ping those  no  longer  fit  for  serv- 
ice. 

To  justify  the  claim  that  Blue 
Island  has  been,  through  the 
years  since  her  very  earliest  days, 
a  place  where  the  home,  the 
church,  and  the  school  have  al- 
ways been  of  paramount  im- 
portance, the  rapid  growth  of  all 
three  of  these  institutions  may  be 
cited.  A  brief  history  of  the 
churches  in  the  early  days  has  al- 
ready been  given  in  the  first  sec- 
tion of  this  history.  Now  some 
aspects  of  their  growth  may  be 
narrated. 

As  stated  earlier  in  this  account, 
the  first  church  ever  built  in  Blue 
Island  was  the  German  Metho- 
dist, erected  and  dedicated  in 
1855,  on  Artesian  Street,  just 
south  of  Grove.  When  Detlef  Heu- 
er,  one  of  the  oldest  members  of 
its  congregation  died  in  1888,  he 
left  $5000  for  the  building  of  a 
new  churoh.  This  edifice  was 
erected  in  1891,  on  Vermont 
Street,  on  lots  given  the  church 
by  Mrs.  Catherine  Henke.  The 
dedication  date  for  the  new  struc- 
ture was  April  10,  1892,  and  two 
beautiful  memorial  windows  of 
stained  glass,  one  bearing  the 
name  of  Mr.  Heuer  and  the  other 
that  of  Mrs.  Henke,  further  en- 
obled    its    interior. 

Further  extensive  changes,  re- 
pairs, and  additions  were  made 
to    the    building    in    the    middle 


54 


twenties.  Perhaps  because  of  feel- 
ings engendered  during  the  First 
\\  orld  \\  ar,  services  in  the  Ger- 
man language  were  discontinued 
in  1920,  with  English  continuing 
as  the  official  language,  both  in 
the  pulpit  and  all  departments 
of  the  church  work.  It  was  near 
this  time  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frank 
Popp  donated  a  wonderful  pipe 
organ,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph 
Schwartz  added  a  set  of  chimes. 
In  the  three  day  re-dedication  ex- 
ercises in  November  of  1926  the 
official  name  of  this  church  was 
changed  to  Central  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  Services  in  the 
Vermont  location  continued  until 
this  congregation  united  with  that 
of  the  First  Methodist  Church. 


Central    Methodist    Church 


W  hen  >|M'<  ial  credit  i-  given  t«> 
the  three  Doermanns  f<»i  their  for- 
ty-eight   years   ol   service   to   the 

First    Lutheran    Church,    it    i-    QOfl 
t<»    BE)     that     the    ..ther     ministers 

were  not  devoted  and  did  not 
render  able  service.  It  i-  seldom, 
however,  that  one  church  i-  f-i 
tunate  enough  to  profit  for  al- 
most half  a  centun  from  such  de- 
voted  leadership  as  the  Doer- 
manns,  and  such  fine  followship 
as  their  congregations  gave  them. 
During  the  fifteen  years  of  the 
father's  (Rev.  J.  H.  Doermann) 
pastorate,  from  1883  to  1898,  a 
new  entrance  hall  and  steeple, 
plus  three  bells,  were  added  to 
the  church.  The  first  son.  Prof. 
H.  K.  G.  Doermann,  was  chosen 
to  succeed  his  father  when  the 
latter  retired  because  of  ill  health, 
and  led  the  church  to  even  great- 
er growth,  building  a  parsonage 
at  Grove  and  Ann.  \l7ien  he  re- 
turned to  college  life,  the  young- 
er brother,  Rev.  M.  P.  F.  Doer- 
mann succeeded  and  he,  along 
with  Rev.  R.  Reinke,  a  later  day 
pastor  of  the  Salem  Evan- 
Lutheran  Church,  had  the  longest 
record  of  pastoral  service  <>f  any 
minister  in  Blue  Island  as  both 
occupied    their    respective    pulpits 

for  twenty-five  years.  Durii 
Doermann's  service  the  con 
tion    grew    mightily,    as    did    the 

church     property.     A    modern    two 

story    brick    school    replaced    the 
,,ld  frame  building  in    1921 
four    years    latei 
1,1, 'd     K6  I 


55 


taken   at  this  time. 

The  First  Methodist  Church, 
as  already  stated,  dates  back  to 
1874.  In  its  first  twenty-one  years 
the  church  grew  so  large  that 
some  additions  were  deemed  ab- 
solutely necessary,  so  the  build- 
ing was  enlarged.  Several  years 
later  a  parsonage  and  an  insti- 
tutional building  were  added. 
This  church  continued  its  growth 
and  services  until  the  merger 
with  the  Central  Church,  as  pre- 
viously  noted. 

The  F  irst  Congregational 
Church  was  organized  in  1860, 
but  a  regular  minister  did  not 
come  until  1863,  with  the  church 
dedication  being  held  in  1865. 
The  first  enlargement  came  only 
seven  years  later,  with  church 
parlors  being  added  about  this 
time,  and  an  addition  for  a  kitch- 
en being  built  in  1890.  After  the 
turn  of  the  century  a  "new" 
church  came  into  being  by  mov- 
ing the  old  one  back  on  the  lot 
to  become  the  dining  and  social 
rooms,  and  the  auditorium  then 
occupying  the  space  left  on  the 
front  of  the  lot. 

After  a  steady  growth  in  its 
number  of  parishioners,  the  pres- 
ent St.  Benedict's  Catholic  Church 
was  built  in  1895,  at  a  cost  of  ap- 
proximately $30,000.  At  first  its 
ground  floor  was  divided  into 
four  school  rooms,  with  the  audi- 
torium above.  The  next  big  step 
forward  was  taken  in  1909,  under 
Rev.  Paul  Halbmaier,  with  the 
building  of  a  home  for  the  sis- 
ters, costing  $10,000.  Father  Paul 


Rosch  continued  a  much  needed 
building  program  by  erecting  a 
modern  rectory  on  property  which 
had  been  recently  purchased  back 
of  the  church,  and  making  a 
school  building  out  of  the  old 
rectory.  His  successor,  Rev.  Theo- 
dore G.  Gross,  recognizing  that  the 
rapidly  expanding  student  body 
had  quickly  outgrown  even  this 
change,  bought  the  rest  of  the 
property  along  Grove  Street, 
from  south  of  the  church  to  the 
corner  of  New  Street.  In  1925, 
the  corner  stone  of  the  present 
school  building  was  laid,  with 
classes  starting  in  January  of 
1926. 

All  of  the  churches  listed  above 
had  their  origins  considerably  be- 
fore the  close  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  but  the  following  faiths 
originated  and  first  met  near  the 
end  of  this  time,  and  some  did 
not  appear  before  the  beginning 
of  the  twentieth  century.  The 
Swedish  Lutheran  Siloa  Church 
was  organized  in  1889,  with  the 
church  going  up  in  1892.  Rev. 
A.  P.  Martin  was  the  first  regu- 
larly ordained  minister,  taking 
charge  of  his  flock  in  1898.  Dur- 
ing the  ministry  of  Rev.  S.  J.  Sebe- 
lius  the  corner  lot  on  Collins  and 
Greenwood  was  bought,  and  a 
parsonage  built.  Unfortunately 
the  pulpit  was  vacant  for  about 
two  years,  until  Rev.  J.  A.  Hem- 
burg  took  charge  in  1921.  How- 
ever, the  faith  of  the  congrega- 
tion survived,  and  new  activities 
were  well  supported,  such  as  the 
purchase    of    another    lot    on    Or- 


56 


Masonic  Temple,  Built  in  1921 
Several  churches   held  services   here   temporarily  and  at  different  times. 


chard  and  Greenwood,  and  the 
building  of  a  new  parsonage  in 
1922. 

Although  blessed  with  a  dedi- 
cated band  of  followers,  the  Uni- 
versalist  Church  seemed  to  have 
more  than  its  share  of  difficulties 
in  making  its  way  in  Blue  Island. 
After  using  a  school  house,  other 
churches,  private  homes,  and  bus- 
iness halls  for  their  meeting  place, 
the  members  of  the  congregation 
did  build  their  own  sanctuary 
after  the  close  of  the  Civil  War. 
During  the  early  part  of  the  pres- 
ent century,  however,  this  church, 
located  at  Greenwood  and  High, 
was  abandoned  and  church  rec- 
ords now  available  do  not  include 


any  mention  of  this  particular 
faith's  continuing  in  Blue  Island. 

The  Blue  Island  Mission  Cove- 
nant Church,  called  by  some  of 
the  old  timers  the  Swedish  Cove- 
nant Church,  was  another  church 
having  a  very  humble  beginning. 
In  1890  August  Henkel  invited 
a  number  of  "mission  friends"  to 
worship  in  his  home.  After  meet- 
ing in  other  churches  and  a  vacant 
store,  a  congregation  was  definite- 
ly organized  in  1894  with  twenty- 
one  charter  members. 

The  next  year  this  devoted 
group  started  their  first  church 
building  on  Cochran  and  Green- 
wood and  dedicated  this  building 
in     1897.    A  break    with  the    old 


57 


practices  came  in  1924  when  the 
first    English   services   were   held. 

In  its  early  days  St.  Paul's  Ev- 
angelical Church,  located  at  Greg- 
ory and  New,  was  known  as  Fried- 
ens  Evangelical  Church.  From  its 
beginning  in  1893,  this  church 
has  grown  very  rapidly,  until  it 
has  become  one  of  the  leading 
Protestant  churches  in  Blue  Is- 
land. 

The  only  other  churches  com- 
ing into  being  before  the  dawn  of 
the  twentieth  century  was  St.  Isi- 
dore's, the  second  Catholic  parish 
to  appear  in  Blue  Island.  Rev.  C. 
Gronkowski  was  appointed  its 
first  priest  in  1900,  and  its  first 
high  mass  was  celebrated  in  the 
new  church  and  school  building 
on  Christmas  Day  of  that  year. 
About  twelve  years  later  additions 
were  made  to  both  the  church 
and  the  school,  and  a  home  for 
the  pastor  was  also  built,  with 
Father  Pyterck  coming  from  Po- 
sen  to  take  full  time  charge.  A 
new  home  for  the  sisterhood  order 
followed   in    1914. 

A  third  Catholic  church  and 
parish  came  into  being  in  1908, 
when  the  Italian  families  in  the 
city  established  a  small  chapel 
to  St.  Donato.  This  group  first 
received  permission  from  the 
Archbishop  to  buy  the  old  frame 
church  belonging  to  St.  Benedict, 
and  moved  it  to  Orange  and  Divi- 
sion Streets.  A  home  for  a  full 
time  priest  was  made  possible  in 
1917,  with  Father  Mondino  plac- 
ed in  charge  as  full  time  resident 
priest.  Growth  of  the  membership 


has   been   steady   since  that  time. 

The  Slovak  Lutheran  Church, 
St.  Peter  and  Paul,  was  organized 
in  1907  by  fourteen  families,  hold- 
ing its  early  services  in  the  First 
Lutheran  Church.  Property  on 
Greenwood  Avenue  was  purchas- 
ed in  1921,  and  an  old  church 
building  on  High  and  Greenwood 
was  bought  and  moved  to  the 
new  location.  Brick  veneering  and 
the  purchase  of  a  magnificent 
pipe  organ  further  enhanced  the 
appeal  of  this  edifice,  which  has 
continued  its  services  to  an  in- 
creasing congregation. 

The  Salem  Evangelical  Luther- 
an Church  was  organized  in  1909. 
Before  their  own  beautiful  church 
on  Maple  Avenue  and  High  Street 
was  ready  this  congregation  met 
in  the  Congregational  Church. 
Another  kinship  between  this 
church  and  the  first  Lutheran 
was  shown  in  two  ways:  Rev.  A. 
Reinke,  the  first  Salem  pastor, 
was  the  son  of  Rev.  A.  Reinke, 
the  first  pastor  of  the  Grove 
Street  Church,  and  his  twenty- 
five  years  of  service  equalled  the 
record  of  Rev.  M.P.F.  Doermann, 
pastor  of  the  older  church. 

Started  by  the  members  of 
fourteen  families,  the  Blue  Island 
Church  of  Christ  dates  back  to 
1914,  when  these  devoted  few 
began  meeting  in  the  C.J.  Pronger 
home.  Several  ministers  from 
outside  of  Blue  Island  worked 
with  the  localites,  hoping  to  get 
a  permanent  church  organization 
started,  but  it  was  not  until  1930 
that    this    congregation    was    able 


58 


to  dedicate  its  own  structure.  Rev. 
\Y.  R.  MacDowell  took  over  for 
two  years  as  minister  here  until 
1932,  when  he  resigned.  A  Rev. 
N.  Ortman  took  over  as  supply 
pastor,  serving  without  pay  until 
August  of  that  year,  when  he  was 
called  as  the  group's  full  time 
minister.  In  the  mid  thirties  it 
did  seem  that  at  last  this  church 
had  come  upon  good  times,  with 
encouraging  growth,  in  both  mem- 
bers and  financial  support. 

Following  the  settlement  of  a 
few  families  in  an  open  prairie 
over  in  the  northern  part  of  Blue 
Island,  the  Evangelical  Communi- 
ty Church  began  its  services  in 
a  garage  at  119th  Street  and  Irv- 
ing in  1923.  Three  years  later  the 
group  moved  into  a  bungalowr 
church  at  120th  and  Gregory. 

First  organized  in  1912,  and 
then  re-organized  in  1924,  the 
Orchard  Street  Christian  Church 
was  blessed  with  a  congregation 
which,  like  several  other  Blue 
Island  religious  groups,  began 
with  a  mere  handful  of  members. 
This  group  seemed  able  to  grow 
steadily,  as  had  the  others,  and 
yet  to  maintain  the  friendly  at- 
mosphere of  the  small  church. 
Up  to  1935,  their  greatest  step 
forward  had  been  taken  in  1930, 
when  their  present  sanctuary  was 
erected. 

Other  additions  to  the  church 
family  of  Blue  Island  included 
an  Episcopal  group,  which  after 
beginning  with  meetings  in  homes, 
halls,  and  other  churches  around 
1900,    discontinued    its    local    ef- 


forts to  organize  a  parish  here 
for  about  ten  years.  In  1920,  how- 
ever, the  purchase  of  the  Institu- 
tional Building,  some  lots  at 
Greenwood  and  Oak,  assisted  by 
a  re-aroused  interest  on  the  part 
of  the  members  of  this  faith,  as- 
sured them  a  church  to  worship 
in.  The  new  mission  was  named 
St.  Aidan's.  Slow  but  steady 
growth  blessed  the  congregation, 
with  a  new  church  being  com- 
pleted in  1931,  and  the  old  build- 
ing being  remodeled  as  a  parish 
house. 

The  year  1935,  ending  the  first 
hundred  years  of  Blue  Island's 
history,  brought  the  Central 
Church  of  Christ,  which  held  its 
meetings  in  the  Masonic  Temple 
at  that  time.  There  was  some  re- 
lationship between  this  group 
and  that  which  composed  the 
congregation  at  the  Orchard  Street 
Christian  Church,  as  Rev.  Nichol- 
as Ortman,  who  had  served  as 
minister  of  this  latter  body  be- 
came the  first  pastor  of  the  Cen- 
tral Church  that  year. 

The  next  year  brought  the 
First  Church  of  Christ  Scientist 
to  Blue  Island.  Organized  by  a 
small  group  of  Christian  Scien- 
tists, this  group  held  its  first 
service  on  June  14,  1936,  in  the 
Blue   Island  Masonic  Temple. 

The  story  of  the  growth  of  the 
public  schools  in  Blue  Island  is 
first  and  foremost  the  story  of 
those  dedicated  men  and  women 
— teachers,  administrators,  board 
members  who  gave  largely  of 
their  time  and  energies  to  build- 


59 


ing  and  improving  the  schools. 
The  earliest  public  school  records, 
as  already  stated,  go  back  to  the 
year  1854,  and  there  is  some 
knowledge  of  private  schools  be- 
fore that  time.  There  is  no  doubt, 
that  from  its  very  earliest  days, 
Blue  Island  has  always  been  edu- 
cation-minded. 

Among  the  earliest  records  yet 
available  are  accounts  of  school 
board  meetings  in  1885,  praising 
such  men  as  Thomas  Lewis,  presi- 
dent of  the  board  at  that  time, 
Jacob  Thoeming,  its  secretary, 
and  Asa  Farmer,  the  third  mem- 
ber of  the  body.  Probably  the 
most  respected  and  admired  edu- 
cational leader  of  the  closing 
years  of  the  nineteenth  century 
was  Principal  Seymour,  who  was 
in  charge  of  the  local  school  at 
the  time  of  its  first  high  school 
graduation,  in  June  of  1877.  It 
is  now  estimated  that  this  gradua- 


tion would  compare  favorably 
with  today's  completion  of  the 
tenth  grade.  Five  of  the  six  grad- 
uated this  first  year  were  Nellie 
Fuller,  Maggie  Hulett,  Victie  Pep- 
per, Anne  Purer,  and  Grace 
Roche  —  all  girls,  with  the  name 
of  the  sixth  graduate  not  being 
known.  Next  year  the  first  boy 
to  be  graduated,  William  Black, 
teamed  up  with  Addie  Diefen- 
bach,  to  make  up  the  graduation 
class  of  only  two. 

From  this  time  until  1897  there 
are  no  records  of  graduation 
from  the  Blue  Island  schools,  the 
supposition  being  that  local  stu- 
dents went  to  Chicago  schools  to 
get  their  high  school  education. 
During  this  time,  however,  grade 
school  buildings  continued  at  a 
good  pace,  with  additions  made 
to  the  Whittier  School,  and  the 
building  of  Seymour  and  DeWitt, 
making    up    the    three    buildings 


One  of  Blue  Island's  Oldest  School  Buildings 
The  feet  of  thousands  of  Blue  Island  students  trod 
these  ancient  halls  until  1925,  when  the   building,   the 
Whittier   School,   was   condemned  and   had   to    be   torn 
down. 


60 


St.   Benedict's   Church   in   construction,   1895. 


Home   of   the   Chicago    Telephone    Company.    1905 
After   remodeling   this    building    became    the   Elks    Club. 


61 


Mr.  J.  E.  Lemon 
Mr.  Lemon  served  as  superintendent 
of  all  Blue  Island  schools^from  1894  to 
1934,  as  superintendent  of  Community 
High  School  for  one  year  following,  and 
as  instructor  in  Latin  and  vocational 
civics  in  1935-36,  thus  completing  forty- 
three  years  of  devoted  service  to  the 
students  and  schools  of  this  community. 


used   at  this  time. 

In  1894,  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant decisions  effecting  the 
Blue  Island  schools  ever  made 
was  the  decision  to  invite  J.  E. 
Lemon,  of  the  Bay  City,  Michigan, 
Schools,  to  take  over  as  local  sup- 
erintendent. Here  was  a  man  who, 
with  the  one  other  who  succeeded 
him,  might  be  said  to  have  had 
more  influence  on  the  Blue  Island 
schools,  especially  in  their  form- 
ative years,  than  any  other  who 
could   be   named.   Coming   to   the 


local  schools  when  they  were 
still  young,  Mr.  Lemon  was  also 
blessed  with  a  series  of  dedicated 
and  hard  working  board  mem- 
bers. Those  who  were  responsible 
for  bringing  him  here  might  be 
mentioned  first.  These  include 
Henry  Bibroth,  board  president; 
W.H.  Weber,  secretary;  and  mem- 
bers C.  C.  Claussen,  Charles  Lo- 
chow,  Louis  Luchtemeyer,  L.  P. 
Vorhees,  and  A.M.  Weinhardt. 
At  that  time  the  faculty  was  com- 
posed of  twenty  teachers,  two  of 
which,  Miss  Alice  Gray  and  Miss 
Margaret  Smith,  were  assigned  to 
the  high  school.  Location  for 
these  two  and  the  thirty-one  stu- 
dents they  taught  were  two  rooms 
on  the  second  floor  of  the  old 
Whittier  Building,  and  one  on  the 
first.  Twenty-two  of  these  stu- 
dents were  freshmen  and  nine 
were    sophomores. 

Under  Supt.  Lemon's  leader- 
ship the  school  soon  began  to 
prosper.  In  1896  a  third  story 
was  added  to  the  Seymour  School, 
with  the  high  school  occupying 
all  four  rooms  which  this  addi- 
tion made  possible.  In  1897  the 
Worth  Township  High  School 
District  was  established,  with  Mr. 
J.  L.  Zacharias  chosen  as  president 
of  the  township  high  school  board 
to  operate  the  new  organization, 
and  Louis  Wirth  named  as  secre- 
tary. That  same  year  the  first 
high  school  class  since  1890  was 
graduated  from  the  local  school, 
with  eight  students  making  up  its 
membership.  Acting  on  Supt. 
Lemon's      invitation,      representa- 


62 


tives  from  Northwestern  Univer- 
sity, the  University  of  Chicago, 
and  the  University  of  Illinois,  had 
inspected  the  school  and,  the  fol- 
lowing year,  placed  it  upon  their 
lists  of  whose  graduates  were 
accepted  for  entrance  to  the 
universities.  In  1899  another  im- 
portant and  even  greater  distinc- 
tion came  to  the  school  as  the 
North  Central  Association  of  Col- 
leges and  Secondary  Schools  plac- 
ed it  on  the  accredited  list.  Per- 
haps the  proudest  boast  that  the 
school  can  make,  even  today,  is 
that  throughout  the  years,  it  has 
maintained  this  rating,  in  spite 
of  hard  times  and  lack  of  money 
that  frequently  handicapped  its 
efforts. 

Because  of  a  legal  technicality 
the  Worth  Township  School  Dis- 
trict had  to  be  discontinued  in 
1900,  and  the  high  school  again 
was  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
District  130.  Another  high  school 
district  succeeded  this  arrange- 
ment within  a  short  time,  being 
known  as  District  213.  While  it 
was  distinct  and  separate  from 
130,  the  only  difference  between 
the  two  was  that  213  included  a 
cemetery  that  was  not  in  District 
130.  Nevertheless  this  separation 
made  two  boards  of  education 
necessary,  even  if  they  did  have 
the  same  president,  and  had  the 
good  judgment  to  retain  the  sup- 
erintendent of  schools,  Mr.  Lem- 
on. 

Especially  helpful  to  the  Super- 
intendent at  these  times  of  rapid 
transition     were     a     number     of 


board  presidents  v/ho  helped 
greatly  in  meeting  growth  prob- 
lems that  were  even  then  being 
experienced.  Among  these  leaders 
were  W.H.  Weber,  who  had  acted 
as  board  president  for  sixteen 
years;  and  A.C.  Seyfarth,  in  that 
office  for  twelve  years. 

By  1916  there  was  little  but 
standing  room  for  the  250  stu- 
dents who  were  packed  into  the 
six  rooms  at  Seymour  then  used 
for  all  high  school  classes.  A  new, 
separate  building  for  these  older 
students    was    clearly     indicated. 

More  important,  this  building, 
now  known  and  loved  by  thous- 
ands as  Old  Main,  was  erected 
the  next  year,  with  the  idea  of 
serving  the  200  or  250  high  school 
pupils  then  enrolled.  As  has  been 
the  case  so  many  times  in  Blue 
Island's  educational  history,  these 
good  intentions  simply  were  not 
adequate  enough  to  cope  with 
the  student  growth.  Within  ten 
years  the  enrollment  at  Old  Main 
had  jumped  to  428,  over  double 
the  capacity  of  the  school. 

Plans  for  a  very  adequate  addi- 
tion to  Old  Main,  including  a 
cafeteria,  gymnasium,  auditorium, 
art  and  music  rooms,  a  little  the- 
atre, and  a  swimming  pool  wrere 
unfortunately  and  drastically  cut 
because  of  inadequate  funds,  and 
the  high  school  had  to  continue 
on  a  make-do  basis.  District  130, 
however,  was  faring  a  bit  better 
at  this  time,  as  two  junior  high 
schools  went  into  operation  —  one 
at  Seymour,  and  a  new  building 
on  123rd  Street. 


63 


In  1927  the  present  Community 
High  School  District  was  estab- 
lished, to  be  operated  under  the 
jurisdiction  of  a  new  board  of 
education.  A.  C.  Seyfarth  was 
chosen  as  president,  and  contin- 
ued in  the  same  capacity  for  Dis- 
trict 130.  Other  board  members 
for  the  new  district  were  L.  E. 
Pipin,  L.  Biedenkopf,  John  Are- 
good,  and  Emil  Blatt.  Benefiting 
both  the  high  school  and  the  ele- 
mentary schools  in  Blue  Island, 
Supt.  Lemon  was  retained  as  chief 


administrator  for  both  bodies. 
The  increasing  number  of  young- 
sters in  Blue  Island  brought  two 
new  buildings  to  meet  such  chal- 
lenges, with  Paul  Revere  being 
built  as  a  new  elementary  school, 
and  the  North  Building  being 
opened  for  the  freshmen  class  of 
Community    High. 

Unfortunately  the  effect  of 
"black  Thursday"  and  the  stock 
market  crash  were  becoming  in- 
creasingly felt  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  this  coun- 


Public  Library 
Built  in  1902,  this  library  was  made  possible  by  a  gift  from  Andrew  Carnegie. 


64 


try,  with  schools  suffering  along 
with  other  institutions.  Roth  the 
new  high  school  and  the  elemen- 
tary schools  of  the  city  had  to 
drop  shop  work,  home  economics, 
music,  art.  and  physical  education. 
\\  hether  this  had  anything  to  do 
with  the  parting;  of  the  ways  as 
far  as  the  two  school  districts 
were  concerned  at  this  time  is  not 
known,  but  in  1934,  separate 
board  presidents  were  chosen  for 
the  two  districts,  and  separate 
superintendents  were  hired.  Frank 
Van  Overstraeten  was  chosen  as 
president  of  the  grade  school 
board,  and  J.  C.  Joens  elected  to 
head  District  218.  Walter  C.  Eg- 
gert  came  in  as  the  new  superin- 
tendent for  the  local  elementary 
school,  but  Supt.  Lemon  contin- 
ued as  head  of  the  high  school 
staff.  The  following  year  Harold 
L.  Richards  replaced  Mr.  Lemon 
who,  after  forty-two  years  of  de- 
voted, efficient  service  to  his 
community,  retired  with  the  plaud- 
its of  his  students,  teachers,  board 
members,  and  the  entire  commun- 
ity. 

Since  the  turn  of  the  century 
Blue  Island's  parochial  schools 
have  enjoyed  almost  as  great  a 
rate  of  growth  as  the  public 
schools.  The  present  First  Luther- 
an School  was  erected  in  1912, 
at  a  cost  otf  $25,000.  The  two  sto- 
ry brick  then  contained  four  class 
rooms  and  an  assembly  hall.  The 
auditorium  was  added  in  1925. 
In  1935  the  attendance  was  about 
150  students. 

The    first    graduation    exercises 


at  St.  Benedict's  School  was  held 
in  1889,  with  six  pupils  receiving 
diplomas,  and  the  total  enroll- 
ment then  about  250.  By  1924  the 
enrollment  soared  to  over  500. 
which  meant  that  more  teaching 
sisters  would  be  needed,  and  larg- 
er quarters  for  their  home  pro- 
vided. The  cornerstone  of  their 
new  school  was  laid  in  1925,  with 
classes   starting   next   year. 

In  1928  a  new  building  was 
completed  to  add  to  the  educa- 
tional advantages  which  Blue  Is- 
land has  to  offer.  This  was  Moth- 
er of  Sorrows  Institute,  located 
on  South  Western  Avenue  at  the 
corner  of  138th.  The  property 
had  been  bought  some  time  pre- 
viously by  Fred  Bauer,  with  the 
intention  of  erecting  a  building 
to  be  used  as  a  boarding  school 
for  children.  When  the  Mantellate 
Sisters,  Servants  of  Mary,  took 
over  and  the  beautiful  new  build- 
ing was  completed,  this  idea  real- 
ly came  alive.  Before  the  place 
had  been  only  a  primary  and 
kindergarten  school,  but  now 
children  of  all  nationalities  were 
accepted,  with  the  good  Sisters 
furnishing  a  well  rounded  educa- 
tion and  a  fine  home. 

Going  along  with  the  school  in 
benefits  for  the  community  were 
the  growth  of  the  public  library, 
and  the  increasing  influence  of 
the    community's    newspaper. 

As  already  narrated,  a  start 
toward  a  public  library  had  been 
made  under  private  management 
as  early  as  1870.  The  Current 
Topic    Club,    forerunner    of    the 


65 


Sanders    School 
Blue  Island's  exploding  school  population  has  made  several 
additions  necessary  to  this,  the  original  Sanders  School. 


Early   Parochial   School 
This    Lutheran    School    was    erected    in    1871. 

—  Photo  Courtesy  of  Archie  Ely 


66 


Blue  Island  Woman's  Club,  real- 
ly brought  the  prospects  of  an 
adequate  library  to  near  realiza- 
tion by  raising  approximately 
$6000  through  a  series  of  enter- 
tainments and  public  subscription, 
purchasing  and  securing  dona- 
tions of  new  books  and  magazines 
until  about  1500  volumes  -were 
ready  for  circulation.  First  offi- 
cers of  this  group  included  Chas. 
Young,  president;  Mrs.  C.C.  Mas- 
sey.  vice  president;  Frank  Dunn- 
ing, secretary;  and  0.  W.  Bourke, 
W.N.  Rudd,  Henry  Bibroth.  C.S. 
Young,  Mrs.  H.  H.  Massey,  Mrs. 
M.M.  Rudd.  and  Mrs.  A.C.  Fuller, 
directors.  Unfortunately  the  great 
fire  of  May  16,  1896,  wiped  out 
all  their  work,  burning  the  library 
and  all  the  books  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  few  then  out  in  the 
hands  of  readers.  Even  this  se- 
vere blow  did  not  stop  the  direc- 
tors, however,  for  within  a  few 
days  they  opened  a  temporary 
reading    room. 

The  next  step  forward  was  tak- 
en in  1897  by  the  passage  of  a 
two  mill  tax  for  a  free  public 
library,  which  carried  in  April 
by  a  vote  of  567  to  253.  Library 
directors  elected  shortly  after- 
ward included  Mrs.  A.C.  Fuller 
and  Mrs.  Henrietta  B.  McGrath, 
for  three  years;  H.B.  Robinson 
and  Joseph  P.  Eames  for  two; 
and  Henry  Bibroth  and  F.  T.  E. 
Kallum  for  one  year.  After  the 
city  council  form  of  government 
came  into  being  a  bid  was  made 
to  the  great  steel  multi-million- 
aire, Andrew   Carnegie,  soliciting 


his  help  in  securing  a  library 
building.  Mr.  Carnegie  offered  to 
donate    $15,000    for    a    building, 

providing  that  the  city  would 
provide  a  site,  and  appropriate 
$1500  a  year  for  maintenance. 
This  offer  was  quicklv  accepted 
and  in  1903  the  new  library,  lo- 
cated on  York  Street,  was  opened 
for  public  use.  Gradual  but  steady 
growth  in  its  usage  caused  Archi- 
tect Otis  to  propose  an  addition 
in  1928.  but  the  $35,000  this 
would  have  cost  was  far  beyond 
the  board's  ability  to  pav  that  kind 
of  money.  By  1935  the  library 
bad  grown  to  over  12,500  volumes, 
with  a  yearly  circulation  of  61.000 
books,  plus  a  goodly  usage  of  its 
premises  as  reading  rooms. 

The  first  newspaper  ever  print- 
ed in  Blue  Island  was  the  Weekly 
Herald,  which,  as  already  narra- 
ted, started  in  1873,  and  was  soon 
designated  as  the  official  news- 
paper of  the  village,  printing  all 
legal  notices.  This  early  and 
worthy  attempt  at  informing  the 
public  did  not  last  very  long,  due 
to  lack  of  support,  and  its  pub- 
lisher. Charles  Feistkorn  and  edi- 
tor, Carl  A.  Dilg  soon  grew  dis- 
couraged. 

A  Chicago  paper,  the  Daily 
Press,  began  a  special  edition  for 
Blue  Island  folks,  but  it  also  did 
not  gain  financial  success  and 
perished  after  a  couple  of  years. 
So  interested  were  a  small  group 
of  local  citizens  in  having  a  news- 
paper, however,  that  they  sub- 
scribed $800  for  type  and  other 
printing  necessities  and  employed 


67 


William  Freedman  as  editor  and 
publisher  of  a  paper  which  was 
named  the  Standard.  Even  this 
public  spirited  effort  went  for 
naught,  as  this  paper,  too,  failed 
to  obtain  enough  subscribers  for 
it  to  prosper.  Carl  Dilg  came  back 
into  the  picture  at  this  time  as 
editor  of  a  Blue  Island  ediion  of 
the  Chicago  Sun,  but  this  too  had 
financial  troubles  and  was  dis- 
continued. Since  the  dream  of 
every  newspapee  man  is  to  have 
his  own  publication,  another  died 
in  the  wool  journalist,  Gardner 
by  name,  tried  with  his  Standard- 
Herald,  and  Dilg  transferred  his 
talents  and  activities  to  a  Blue 
Island  edition  of  the  Chicago 
Beobachter,  a  German  newspaper. 
Gardner,  too,  became  discouraged 
and  sold  out  to  S.  F.  Wuest.  Wuest 
succeeded  in  getting  Dilg  to  take 
over  as  his  editor,  and  changed 
his  paper's  name  to  the  Blue  Is- 
land Standard.  This  paper  first 
appeared  on  May  25,  1882,  with 
a  subscription  selling  for  $1.25 
a  year.  The  business  methods  in- 
troduced by  Mr.  Wuest  put  his 
paper  on  a  sounder  financial 
basis  than  any  of  the  previous 
publications  had  had,  and  al- 
though it  consisted  of  only  a 
single  sheet  printed  on  a  crude, 
hand  operated  press,  it  deserves 
the  title  of  Blue  Island's  first 
successful  newspaper. 

Mr.  John  H.  Volp,  author  of 
"The  First  Hundred  Years,"  the 
model  for  the  sections  of  this 
history  up  to  1935,  and,  to  all 
present    day    Blue    Islanders    the 


man  most  deserving  of  the  title 
"Mr.  Newspaper,"  because  asso- 
ciated with  the  Standard  in  1884, 
when  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age. 
Through  a  life-long  association 
with  the  press,  in  every  field  of 
its  activities,  from  lowly  printer's 
devil  to  publisher  and  president 
of  a  prosperous  printing  corpora- 
tion which  did  much  for  Blue  Is- 
land, he  became,  from  his  first 
day  of  work,  one  of  Blue  Island's 
truly  fine  citizens  and  civic  lead- 
ers. 

One  of  his  most  interesting  and 
entertaining  sections  of  The  First 
Hundred  Years  was  to  tell  of  the 
time  he  was  assigned  by  his  editor 
to  cover  the  village  board  meet- 
ings, solely  because  he  could 
understand  the  English,  German, 
and  Plattdeutsch  which  were  spok- 
en by  the  board  members — some- 
times all  at  the  same  time!  In 
1888,  S.  C.  Reed,  who  had  pur- 
chased the  paper  from  Eugene 
M.  Pope,  called  in  his  step-son, 
Howard  Hamilton,  only  one  year 
older  than  Volp,  and  proposed  to 
sell  his  paper  to  these  two,  neither 
who  was  yet  twenty-one.  These 
two  astounded  young  men  took 
a  deep  breath  and  accepted  Pope's 
sudden  offer,  agreeing  to  give 
notes  guaranteeing  payment  to 
Pope. 

Due  to  their  combined  talents 
and  long  hours  of  labor,  the  two 
young  owners  succeeded  from 
the  very  first.  Since  one  paper 
did  not  offer  them  enough  of  a 
challenge,  they  expanded  their 
field.  The  Morgan  Park  Standard, 


69 


the  Washington  Heights  Journal, 
and  the  Fernwood  Herald  soon 
began  rolling  off  their  press,  and 
found  acceptance  in  each  of  these 
three    communities. 

This  happy  and  successful  busi- 
ness association  of  Hamilton  and 
Volp  was  suddenly  terminated  by 
the  serious  illness  of  Hamilton, 
which  forced  him  to  seek  another 
climate.  His  interests  in  the  firm 
were  purchased  by  Wade  Errett, 
who  had  been  associated  with  the 
Chicago  Newpaper  Union.  If  the 
combination  of  Hamilton  and 
Volp  had  been  a  very  ideal  and 
successful  one,  as  indeed  it  had, 
the  new  partnership  was  not,  to 
say  the  least.  As  Volp  himself 
stated,  "We  just  didn't  hit  it  off." 
One  of  the  reasons  might  have 
been  the  differences  in  ages,  as 
Errett  was  a  much  older  man. 
At  any  rate  Volp  soon  sold  out 
and  at  once  started  another  pub- 
lication, the  Saturday  Sun,  which 
he  soon  renamed  the  Blue  Island 
Sun.  After  some  really  tough 
going,  especially  during  the  fin- 
ancial panic  of  1895,  the  Sun 
grew  to  become  Blue  Island's 
leading   newspaper. 

In  1918,  due  to  a  shortage  of 
news  print  paper,  the  new  owners 
of  the  Standard,  Ray  Phillips  and 
Norris  Quinn,  sought  to  combine 
their  publication  with  the  Sun, 
under  Mr.  Volp.  Thus  our  pres- 
ent newspaper,  the  Blue  Island 
Sun-Standard,  came  into  being. 
Two  years  later,  Volp,  Quinn, 
Phillips  and  a  new  associate,  Mor- 
ris Kammerman,  formed  the  Blue 


Island  Publishing  Corporation, 
taking  over  the  publishing  plant, 
the  Sun,  the  Standard,  and  ano- 
ther publication,  the  Weekly  Re- 
view. Quinn  was  named  editor; 
Phillips,  business  manager;  and 
Volp,  publisher  and  general  man- 
ager. Further  expansion  in  1923 
saw  the  advent  of  the  Suburban 
Star  under  the  Volp  banner.  This 
paper  was  later  merged  with  the 
Sun-Standard,  under  the  mast 
head  of  the  Suburban  Star,  with 
Hill  Lakin  and  Selyn  Otis  as  edi- 
tor, Homer  Clemmons  and  Ar- 
thur Voight  in  advertising,  and 
Myron  Jones  as  business  manager. 
Volp  himself  had  opposed  the 
change  in  name,  which  was  adopt- 
ed to  give  the  paper  a  larger 
field,  but  which,  as  he  had  argued, 
did  not  take  well  with  the  readers 
of  the  paper.  His  ideas  proved  to 
be  correct,  and,  in  1934  the  more 
popular  name,  the  Blue  Island  Sun- 
Standard  returned,  and  the  paper 
resumed  its  leading  voice  in  local 
affairs. 

While  the  Sun-Standard  was  go- 
ing through  these  growing  pains 
and  assuming  its  eventual  leader- 
ship in  the  local  newspaper  field, 
it  had  quite  a  few  rivals,  but  most 
of  these  enjoyed  only  brief  suc- 
cess. Among  these  publications 
might  be  mentioned  The  Crucible, 
published  for  a  short  time  in 
1891  and  1892  by  Christian  Zach- 
er;  the  Blue  Island  News,  with 
Paul  Worden  as  editor,  in  1909; 
the  Free  Press,  from  1932  until 
1934;  the  Suburban  Advertiser, 
discontinued    in    1935;    the    Blue 


70 


Island  Bulletin  and  the  Suburban 
Shopper. 

Early  in  the  twentieth  century 
Blue  Island  was  blessed  with  the 
birth  of  another  institution  — 
one  dedicated  to  the  relief  of 
suffering.  This  was  St.  Francis 
Hospital.  Originally  the  hospital 
was  only  a  wonderful  idea  in  the 
mind  of  Father  F.  A.  Rempe,  but 
it  very  quickly  received  the  back- 
ing of  the  doctors  then  practicing 
in  the  area,  with  Dr.  Edward 
Doepp  and  Dr.  R.L.  James  taking 
the  leadership.  The  hospital,  like 
many  other  wTorthy  service  organ- 
izations in  Blue  Island,  began  on 
a  modest  scale.  A  most  fortunate 
association,  made  at  the  very  be- 
ginning of  the  little  hospital's 
life,  did  much  to  make  the  ven- 
ture a  success.  The  Sisters  of  St. 
Mary  consented  to  come  to  this 
city  and  take  charge  of  the  infant 
institution. 

The  old  Ulrich  home,  on  the 
corner  of  Gregory  and  High  Sts., 
was  purchased  for  $30,000,  and 
alterations  necessary  for  its  use 
as  a  hospital  were  undertaken. 
Several  of  the  Sisters  arrived  late 
in  1904,  with  Sister  M.  Alexia  in 
charge.  In  March  of  1905,  Father 
Rempe  blessed  the  new  St.  Fran- 
cis Hospital,  with  the  first  patient 
being    admitted   one   week   later. 

The  first  addition  was  an  oper- 
ating room,  with  others  quickly 
following.  Within  a  year  the  old 
home  was  enlarged  to  accommo- 
date from  twenty-five  to  thirty 
patients.  This  building  existed  for 
the  next  ten  vears  as  Blue  Island's 


hospital.  During  the  latter  part  of 
this  time,  plans  for  a  really  mod- 
ern hospital  were  in  the  making. 
A  new  building,  to  the  south,  was 
dedicated  on  Memorial  Day,  1916, 
with  the  Most  Reverend  Geo. 
W.  Mundelein  (later  Cardinal) 
in  charge  of  the  ceremonies.  One 
of  the  most  thoughtful  touches 
of  this  ceremony  was  that  Father 
F.  W.  Rempe,  the  former  pastor 
wrho  wras  originally  responsible 
for  the  establishment  of  the  hos- 
pital, delivered  the  dedication 
sermon. 

The  newT  edifice  contained  100 
rooms,  plus  modern  operating 
facilities.  In  1930  the  silver  jubi- 
lee was  celebrated,  with  Mayor 
Frank  Kasten  and  Dr.  Edward 
Doepp,  then  senior  member  of 
the  hospital  staff,  taking  part  in 
the  program.  The  growth  of  the 
hospital  was  steady  from  that 
time  on,  with  further  details  on 
its  outstanding  rank  as  a  service 
institution  to  be  detailed  in  the 
final   section   of  this  history. 

Just  as  had  been  the  situation 
in  the  Civil  War,  when  Blue  Is- 
land had  suffered  from  being 
part  of  the  area  required  to  fur- 
nish more  than  its  share  of  sol- 
diers for  that  conflict,  Illinois 
was  supposed  to  supply  more  men 
for  World  War  I  than  New  York 
and  Pennsylvania  combined.  For- 
tunately the  error  was  discovered 
before  the  draft  calls  were  fully 
supplied,  and  the  Illinois  quota 
was  cut  to  correspond  with  that 
of  other  states.  The  response  of 
the   localities   to   this   call   to   the 


71 


colors  was  prompt  and  gratify- 
ing. During  the  several  appeals, 
6,154  registered  for  the  draft 
from  the  local  district,  and  588 
were  inducted  into  the  service. 
Ahead  of  even  these  names  must 
be  listed  those  who  volunteered. 
According  to  the  Blue  Island  Sun- 
Standard  of  March  15,  1918,  these 
following  names  made  up  the 
local  Honor  Roll: 

HONOR  ROLL 

(Blue  Island's  Honor  Roll  as 
printed  in  the  Sun-Standard, 
March    15,    1918). 

CAVALRY— Leland  Newman, 
Gust  Engstrom,  Tony  Pacholki, 
George  Kazlowski,  Louis  Radwan, 
George  Ludwig,  Bernard  Ciesiel- 
ski,  Frank  Steffes,  John  Grosze- 
wicz,  Calvin  O'Grady,  Arthur  Ken- 
nedy, William  Pahl,  George  Ben- 
ton,   Elmo    Schugt. 

NAVY— Al  Friske,  Arthur  Boyd, 
Everett  Downey,  Wilbur  Burno, 
Henry  Link,  Harry  Withers,  Ernst 
Karchiner,  Theron  Simkins,  Jack 
Martin,  Everett  Lake,  Fred  L. 
Brewer,  Homer  J.  Woods,  George 
Ruff,  Victor  Ames,  Russell  James, 
Andrew  J.  Brouette,  Arthur  Bend- 
er, Victor  Dahl,  Fredrick  C.  Sam- 
mons,  R.A.  Walsh,  Fred  A.  Nickel, 
Frank  Millard,  Martin  Nelson, 
Frank  Kapanka,  Raymond  Earley, 
Clarence  Manson,  Alwin  Johnson, 
Mark  Earner,  Frank  Ehrhart,  Ler- 
bert  Ehrhart,  Frank  King,  Ray 
William,  E.  A.  Etter,  Lawrence 
Dagenais,  Leonard  Nylander,  Os- 
car Hultgren,  L.  Gustafson,  Harry 


Isler,  Harold  McAley,  Richard  E. 
Sorgenfrei. 

MARINES— Fred  Nadler,  Wal- 
ter Crossland,  Raymond  R.  Eam- 
es,  Frank  A.  Thomas,  David  Mc- 
Killip,  James  Cassel,  M.A.  Cassel. 

ARMY  —  Howard  Hohmann, 
Claude  Colburn,  Ernst  C.  Renaud, 
George  Dornhecker,  Norman 
Seim,  Russel  Robinson,  Ben  Fer- 
rers, Edward  Ennis,  Morton 
Smith,  Marcus  T.  Bauch,  Arthur 
Edmunds,  Walter  Schott,  Frank 
Ray,  Willard  Gibson,  Rudolph 
Racine,  George  Kennedy,  William 
Baumbach,  William  McGuire, 
Walter  Mueller,  Henry  Ermschler, 
Ray  Kauffman,  John  E.  Frayne, 
John  Ermschler,  Chester  Mitchell, 
Herman  Hartman,  Emmerson 
Eames,  E.J.  Lacy,  Paul  Stefek, 
James  McQuire,  Nels  A.  Ring- 
quist,  Edward  Hall,  Merrill  Pron- 
ger,  Hobart  Angel. 

OFFICERS— William  D.  Mc- 
Pherson,  Harry  M.  Schlemmer, 
Louis  K.  Burno,  Leslie  W.  Swett. 

MUSICIANS— Clarence  Cain, 
Oscar  Carlson,  Louis  Wiessner, 
Walter  Wiessner,  Walfried  Hog- 
bloom,  David  Buissono. 

SIGNAL  CORPS— Edwin  E. 
Stothard,  Robert  James,  Jerry  Can- 
ty, Lee  Quinn,  Gilbert  Mueller, 
John  S.  Tuomey,  Chester  Stanley. 

AVIATION  CORPS  —  Stanley 
H.  Volp,  Carroll  Eversole,  Rob- 
ert Payton,  William  Lietzow,  Geo. 
Roscoe,    Arthur    Fordtran. 

ENGINEERING  CORPS  —  Ar- 
chie Sypneski,  Bert  Wyant,  Harry 
Hume,  Henry  Weigand,  Walter 
McDowell,      Adolph      Tuffanelli, 


72 


Leslie  J.  Hague,  C.  C.  Cox,  Harry 
E.  Neff,  M.  Martin,  L.  O.  Nelson, 
T.  Vandoran,  Harold  Cates,  Ralph 
Palmer,  Carl  Palmer,  Otto  Som- 
merfeld,  Hugo  Gersten,  Leslie  J. 
Rowe,  Clarence  0.  Williams,  Lou- 
is Robertson,  Frank  Kohart,  Har- 
ry W.  Babb,  Lee  0.  Wilson,  Fred 
E.  Law,  Fred  Dougherty,  Patrick 
McCoy,  David  Fleming,  Ralph 
Sullivan,  Roy  J.  Scuffham,  Harry 
E.  Shaw,  F.  J.  Ludwig,  George 
Harris,  John  W.  Grimes,  Robert 
Cates,  A.  C.  Sorgenfrei,  A.  C. 
Rosenquist. 

HOSPITAL  CORPS— Franklin 
Cool,  Miss  Margaret  Rudd,  How- 
ard Thomas,  John  Thomas,  John 
Steinhart,  Ralph  F.  Becktel,  Chas. 
Morrill,  Dr.  W.  J.  Byford,  Daniel 
L.  Sinise. 

COAST  DEFENSE  —  Gilbert 
Boeber,  Merwin  Small,  Edwin 
Hallinan,  Berger  Hogle,  John  S. 
Szczurek,  John  Brown,  Leslie 
Morrill,  Joseph  Tragnitz,  Archie 
Ely. 

ORDINANCE— Joseph  Denny, 
George  Lietzau. 

One  of  the  most  unusual  con- 
tingents to  be  organized  in  this 
area  was  that  of  the  13th  Engi- 
neers, made  up  solely  of  railway 
men.  Blue  Island  citizens  connect- 
ed with  the  railroads  running 
through  their  city  really  rallied 
around  for  this  detachment,  mak- 
ing up  a  goodly  part  of  Company 
B.  Enlisting  from  Blue  Island  were 
these  men,  all  employees  of  the 
Rock  Island:  Harry  I.  Bailar, 
Claude  C.  Cox,  Edward  Ford, 
William     Gilbert,     B.     Hamilton, 


Henry  Harbaugh,  Leo  Lay,  Harry 
Neff,  Leo  Nelson,  Walter  Mc- 
Dowell, James  O'Connor,  Carl 
Palmer,  Leslie  Riwe,  Otto  Som- 
merfeld,  Archie  Syke,  Adolph 
Tuffanelli,  Thomas  Wall,  Albert 
Wyant,  and  Clarence  0.  Williams. 

When  it  came  to  commemora- 
ting the  names  of  those  who  paid 
the  supreme  sacrifice  during  this 
great  conflict,  Blue  Island  and  its 
citizens  did  a  most  worthy  job. 
First  should  be  mentioned  the 
impressive  granite  monument, 
now  prominently  located  in  Me- 
morial Park,  marked  with  a 
bronze  tablet  bearing  the  names 
of  those  who  had  lost  their  lives. 
These  names  and  the  circumstan- 
ces surrounding  their  deaths,  as 
far  as  is  known,  are  as  follows: 

Private  Raymond  Eames,  96th 
Company,  6th  Regiment,  U.  S. 
Marines.  Severely  burned  with 
mustard  gas  and  died  June  29. 
Buried  in  American  Cemetery  at 
Suresness. 

Stanley  Fay  died  at  Camp  Mills, 
New  York,  on  October  10,  1918, 
of  influenza.  Buried  in  Mt.  Green- 
wood Cemetery. 

Private  Ernest  Fischer,  14th 
Company,  Coast  Artillery.  Died 
Sept.  29,  1918  of  pneumonia.  Bur- 
ied in  First  Lutheran  Cemetery 
on  Burr  Oak. 

Albert  Hecht  died  at  Camp  Tra- 
vis, Texas,  Dec.  9,  of  influenza 
and  pneumonia.  Buried  in  First 
Lutheran    Cemetery. 

Private  Herman  Klopp,  123rd 
Machine  Gun  Company,  33rd  Div- 
ision,  killed   by   shell   fire.   Body 


73 


returned  and  buried  in  Lutheran 
Cemetery  with  full  military  hon- 
ors. 

Sgt.  Antonio  Louis,  Company 
C,  47th  Infantry,  died  in  France 
on  August  9,  while  in  action.  Bo- 
dy returned  and  interred  in  Mt. 
Olivet  Cemetery.  Military  honors 
paid  by  American  Legion  Post 
Number   50. 

George  Ruff  died  at  the  U.  S. 
Naval  HospitaJ,  Great  Lakes.  In- 
terred in  German  Lutheran  Cem- 
etery. 

Walter  C.  Schoenenberger  died 
at  Camp  Grant  on  September  30, 
of  pneumonia.  Interred  at  Oak 
Hills  Cemetery.  Company  M  of 
the  Illinois  National  Guard  acted 
as  military   escort  for  the   body. 

Private  Frank  Steffes,  Troop  L, 
12th  Cavalry.  Killed  by  a  German 
prisoner  of  war  while  on  guard 
duty  at  Hachita,  New  Mexico. 
Buried  in  St.  Benedict's  cemetery, 
with  Company  M  of  the  National 
Guard    acting   as   military   escort. 

Corp.  Charles  L.  Weimar,  Bat- 
tery D,  339th  Field  Artillery. 
Died  in  a  hospital  at  Rouen, 
France,  Nov.  5.  Body  returned 
and  buried  in  Mt.  Hope  Cemetery, 
with  military  honors  being  paid 
by  American  Legion  Post  Number 
50. 

Leon  Walshon  died  at  the  base 
hospital,  Camp  Travis,  Texas. 
Body  returned  and  buried  in  St. 
Benedict's  Cemetery. 

Homer  Woods  died  at  the  U.S. 
Naval  Hospital,  Norfolk,  Va.,  of 
bronchial  pneumonia.  Interred  in 
Mt.    Hope   with   military   honors. 


Walter  Wykoff  buried  in  Ar- 
lington1 Cemetery,  Washington, 
D.C. 

Several  additional  memorials 
have  been  dedicated  by  various 
organizations  to  those  from  Blue 
Island  who  served  in  any  branch 
of  the  armed  services  during 
World  War  I.  Armistice  Day  of 
1921  marked  the  formal  presen- 
tation of  at  least  three  of  these. 
The  Current  Topic  Club  planted 
a  memorial  tree  on  the  lawn  of 
the  Blue  Island  Public  Library, 
in  honor  of  the  soldiers,  sailors, 
and  marines  who  had  served  from 
this  city  in  World  War  I.  That 
same  day,  members  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church  planted  three 
shade  trees  in  front  of  their  sanc- 
tuary on  York  Street,  commem- 
orating the  services  of  thirty 
young  men,  members  of  families 
of  the  church.  The  city  itself 
planted  twenty  maple  trees  in 
Central  Park,  to  honor  its  hero 
dead.  Each  tree  was  specifically 
to  honor  one  certain  man,  with 
an  aluminum  disc,  bearing  his 
name,  rank,  and  company,  placed 
on  these  trees  in  the  park.  The 
only  one  of  these  not  previously 
mentioned  on  the  above  Roll  of 
Honor  as  having  been  killed  in 
action  is  Leo  Lerch.  Trees  plant- 
ed in  honor  of  those  who  had 
died  after  the  close  of  the  war, 
due  to  injury  or  exposure  suf- 
fered while  in  service,  whose 
names  were  also  missing  from  the 
Sun-Standard  list,  bear  the  names 
of  William  Burns,  David  Bussino, 
Frank  Hopf,  Andrew  Olson,  Otto 


74 


Swigert,  Albert  Wyant,  and  Al- 
bert Witt. 

Other  honors  paid  Blue  Island 
men  in  service  included  the  Com- 
munity Service  Flag,  which  was 
unfurled  and  hung  across  Ver- 
mont Street  near  Western  on  May 
18,  1918.  The  flag  was  eight  by 
ten  feet,  with  the  words  "Blue 
Island"  across  the  top,  two  gold 
stars,  representing  the  two  who 
had  already  died  in  service,  and  a 
single  large  star  with  the  num- 
ber 425,  indicating  the  number  of 
men  then  in  service. 

Perhaps  the  greatest  honor 
paid  anyone  in  Blue  Island  was 
given  by  the  French  government 
to  Louis  D.  Holmes  on  July  16, 
1923.  He  was  awarded  the  Legion 
of  Honor  with  scarlet  ribbon,  the 
highest  honor  conferred  on  he- 
roes. Holmes  was  the  first  man  of 
the  149th  Field  Artillery  to  shed 
blood  on  French  soil,  as  his  leg 
was  torn  off  near  his  body  by  a 
German  shell.  Gen.  Abel  Davis  was 
the  only  other  American  to  be  so 
decorated. 

On  the  home  front  the  efforts 
put  forth  by  the  various  clubs 
and  the  citizens  in  general  show- 
ed that  their  hearts  were  one  hun- 
dred percent  behind  the  war  ef- 
fort. Blue  Island  went  over  the 
top  on  every  one  of  the  five  Li- 
berty Loans,  and  in  the  Red  Cross 
drive  of  May  20,  1919,  Blue  Is- 
land went  $2,000  over  the  quota 
of  $10,000.   which  had   been   set. 

On  Dec.  2,  1918  another  strik- 
ing tribute  to  the  veterans  was 
proposed    by   the    actions    of   the 


city  council  itself.  They  passed  a 
resolution  to  buy  the  building 
and  lot  on  the  southeast  corner  of 
Greenwood  and  Oak.  This  struc- 
ture, known  as  the  Institutional 
Building  had  been  used  as  the 
armory  for  Company  M  of  the  Illi- 
nois National  Guard.  The  coun- 
cil proposed  that  it  become  city 
property,  and  be  given  over  to 
the  use  of  all  veterans'  groups, 
and  other  organizations  of  public 
benefit.  For  some  reason  or  other, 
however,  the  resolution  was  not 
acted  upon   at  this  time. 

One  of  the  strongest  proofs  of 
the  place  of  the  service  men  in 
the  hearts  of  this  community  and 
its  inhabitants  was  the  Veteran's 
Day  celebration  on  November  11, 
1918.  The  celebration,  or  rather, 
series  of  celebrations,  began  at 
five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when 
men,  women,  and  children,  some 
carrying  lanterns  and  flashlights, 
started  the  day's  rejoicing.  What 
they  lacked  in  organization,  they 
made  up  in  fervor  and  thanks- 
giving, for  the  dreaded  war  was 
over,  and  their  sons  -  husbands  - 
fathers  -  brothers  -  were  coming 
home  —  really  coming  home. 

As  the  day  lengthened  all  busi- 
ness houses  closed,  even  without 
advance  notice,  or  any  planning. 
Everyone  in  Blue  Island  paraded 
or  watched  the  parades.  Even  the 
saloons  of  the  city  shut  up  shop 
about  ten  in  the  morning,  and 
stayed  closed  for  the  rest  of  this 
blessed  day. 

Despite  the  lack  of  planning, 
everyone  did  something,  and  did 


75 


it  well.  Though  the  floats  may 
have  been  hastily  decorated,  and 
the  marchers  may  not  have  par- 
aded in  perfect  order,  there  nev- 
er was  such  a  parade.  Spectators 
and  participants  alike,  all  declar- 


ed that  the  city  had  never  had 
such  a  day  before.  In  welcoming 
the  peace,  as  in  meeting  the  chal- 
lenges of  this  terrible  war,  Blue 
Island  and  its  Blue  Islanders  did 
themselves  proud. 


w  ■ 

Hi        >**. 

liit    v 

t»f"*"8? 

m^rr-^-"" -"—'""       ^ 

Blue  Island's  City  Hall 

THE  CENTENNIAL 


Are  the  first  hundred  years  of 
any  community  really  the  hard- 
est? If  they  are,  are  they  not  also 
the  most  rewarding,  the  most 
productive,  the  most  worthwhile? 

Certainly  the  old  timers  of  our 
city,  as  they  nostalgically  saw 
those  happy,  halcyon  days  they 
had  known  so  well  pass  again 
before  their  eyes  during  Blue  Is- 
land's Centennial  Week,  Sunday, 
September  1,  to  Sunday,  Septem- 


ber 8,  1935,  were  able  to  say 
with  conviction,  "Well,  we  did 
all  right  in  those  days."  Those 
in  their  middle  age  there  at  Paul 
Revere  Field,  witnessing  the  en- 
grossing episodes  of  the  magnifi- 
cent "Wings  of  Time"  pageant, 
could  certainly  well  have  said,  in 
admiration,  "What  men  and  wom- 
en our  ancestors  were!"  Even  the 
babies  of  the  community,  featur- 
ed in  the  doll  and  buggy  parade 
featuring  Friday's  festivities, 


76 


seemed  to  delight  in  every  move- 
ment of  the  week  long  celebra- 
tion. Perhaps  such  adjectives  as 
mammoth,  colossal,  stupendous, 
gigantic,  gargantuan,  and  so  forth, 
might  seem  a  trifle  shopworn  and 
hackneyed  after  being  punished 
so  much  by  their  overuse  on  the 
television  screen,  but  each  and 
every  one  of  these  could  and 
should  be  applied  to  the  Blue  Is- 
land Centennial  of  1935.  C"ne 
more  quality  should  be  added  to 
describe  the  celebration  of  the 
city's  first  one  hundred  years.  It 
was  prepared  and  presented  with 
the  hearts  and  minds  —  yes,  and 
the  prayers  —  of  every  man, 
woman,  and  child  in  Blue  Island, 
happy  and  proud  to  take  part  in 
this  tribute  to  the  city  of  their 
homes  —  one  hundred  years 
young  on  this  occasion. 

How  did  the  idea  of  celebrat- 
ing the  hundredth  birthday  of  the 
city  originate?  Well,  as  so  often 
is  the  case,  in  the  dreams  and 
desires  of  a  comparatively  small 
group  of  men  —  in  this  case,  the 
Blue  Island  Lions  Club,  or,  to 
be  exact,  in  the  minds  of  two  of 
its  leaders,  Henry  G.  Baumann 
and  Dr.  Frank  Tracy.  These  two 
began  thinking  of  the  possibili- 
ties of  some  sort  of  celebration 
of  the  community's  centennial 
over   a   year   before   the   event. 

"But  this  is  the  wrong  time  for 
any  kind  of  a  celebration,"  said 
the  calamity  howlers.  "We're  just 
coming  out  of  a  big  depression, 
and  a  good  many  of  us  are  still 
out    of    work.    What    we    need    is 


more  federal   aid!" 

Those  hard  headed  (and  great 
hearted)  members  of  the  Blue  Is- 
land Lions  Club  thought  differ- 
ently, however.  Yes,  their  city 
did  need  and  seek  federal  aid. 
Something  else  even  more  im- 
portant was  needed,  they  reason- 
ed, and  this  was  a  revival  of  the 
faith  and  trust  that  Blue  Island- 
ers had  always  had  in  themselves 
and  in  their  community.  It  was 
true  that,  perhaps  because  of  the 
hard  times,  civic  pride  had  fallen 
to  a  new  low.  The  city,  as  well 
as  many  of  its  citizens,  had 
known  and  were  still  experienc- 
ing severe  financial  problems. 
All  the  more  reason,  the  Lions 
argued,  for  all  to  get  together, 
with  good  faith  and  great  works, 
put  their  shoulders  to  the  wheel, 
and  by  their  own  efforts,  lift  the 
city  by  its  own  boot  straps  back 
on  the  right  road.  Yes,  a  celebra- 
tion to  commemorate  the  city's 
first  one  hundred  years  should 
and  would  be  the  first  step.  It 
is  an  interesting  note  to  add  that, 
in  the  meeting  at  which  this  mo- 
mentous decision  was  made,  the 
Lions  went  almost  two  hours  be- 
yond their  ordinary  adjournment 
time  to  3:00  p.m.  but  when  they 
did  adjourn,  Blue  Island  had  em- 
barked upon  the  greatest  celebra- 
tion the  city  had  ever  known. 

First  of  all  that  devilish  ques- 
tion of  where  to  get  the  money 
arose.  Once  again  the  Lions  Club 
came  up  with  an  answer  —  pro- 
posing a  limited  public  subscrip- 
tion  of   funds,   to   be   used  to  get 


77 


the  idea  of  the  centennial  off  the 
ground,  and  to  start  the  actual 
preparation.  The  Lions  Club  was 
the  first  to  subscribe  with  $200 
and  in  this  way  $2,000  was  ob- 
tained for  beginning  this  great 
event. 

Next,  who  would  have  courage 
enough  to  spearhead  such  a  tre- 
mendous undertaking?  In  March 
of  1935  three  members  of  the 
Lions  Club  —  Frank  Kasten,  the 
mayor  of  the  city;  Fred  A.  Rice, 
the  city  treasurer;  and  J.  Floyd 
Smith,  the  postmaster,  and  pres- 
ident of  the  club  at  that  time  — 
were  appointed  as  the  steering 
committee  to  plan  for  the  centen- 
nial. 

This  triumvirate,  supported  by 
the  good  wishes  of  the  entire 
city,  prevailed  upon  John  H. 
Volp,  the  author  of  "The  First 
Hundred  Years,"  upon  which  this 
publication  is  based,  to  act  as 
general  chairman.  His  efficient 
and  hard  working  committee, 
listed  at  the  end  of  this  section, 
was  quickly  gathered,  and  at  once 
attacked  the  tremendous  task  con- 
fronting it. 

With  the  issuance  of  "wooden 
nickels"  this  group  hit  upon  a 
popular  and  very  successful  meth- 
od for  additional  financing  of  the 
big  affair.  Fortunately  if  all  the 
folks  in  Blue  Island  (and,  for 
that  matter,  miles  around)  had 
ever  heard  of  that  old  caution- 
ary remark,  "Don't  take  in  any 
wooden  nickels,"  they  didn't  pay 
any  attention  to  it,  and  the  wood- 
en  nickels  were  extremely   popu- 


lar. Once  again,  a  good  deal  of 
the  credit  was  due  the  Blue  Is- 
land merchants.  In  the  first  place, 
they  bought  the  nickels  from  the 
Centennial  Association;  then  they 
gave  them  as  change  to  their  cus- 
tomers; and  in  the  third,  they  ac- 
cepted them  in  payment  for  their 
merchandise.  It's  a  safe  bet  to  as- 
sume that,  even  today,  somewhere 
among  the  most  treasured  posse- 
ions  of  families  who  witnessed 
any  part  of  the  Centennial  Week 
celebration  are  some  of  these 
wooden  nickels  —  and  it's  an- 
other safe  bet  to  say  that  these 
same  loyal  merchants  would 
honor  even  today,  twenty-seven 
years  after  the  Centennial,  these 
same  "scraps  of  paper." 

After  getting  the  Centennial 
plans  off  the  ground  with  such 
a  novel  means  of  financing,  other 
work  moved  rapidly  forward. 

A  contract  for  a  pageant  to  be 
entitled  "Wings  of  Time"  was 
signed  early  in  June  with  the 
John  B.  Rogers  Production  Com- 
pany, of  Fostoria,  Ohio.  The  cast 
was  to  call  for  from  700  to  1,000 
persons,  and  the  play  was  to  be 
staged  during  the  Centennial  Week 
on  a  stage  erected  on  Paul  Revere 
field.  Centennial  headquarters 
were  opened  at  13000  Western 
Avenue  in  June,  and  a  contest  to 
select  a  local  queen  to  reign  over 
the  entire  festivities  was  immedi- 
ately opened. 

Rehearsals  for  "Wings  of 
Time"  began  on  July  15,  with 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jack  Geller,  of  the 
Rogers  Company,  in  charge.  The 


78 


collection  of  such  properties  as 
old  time  buggies,  covered  wagons, 
high  wheeled  bicycles,  to  say  no- 
thing of  the  horses  and  cattle 
needed  for  the  pioneer  scenes, 
began    at    once. 

Centennial  Week  opened  in  a 
most  impressive  fashion,  with 
over  2.000  people  attending  union 
church  services  at  the  pageant 
grounds.  Protestants  sat  side  by 
side  with  Catholics,  in  common 
worship  of  Him,  the  Maker  of  all. 
Dr.  F.  W.  Tracy,  chairman  of 
these  union  services,  made  a  short 
address  of  welcome,  and  intro- 
duced Rev.  Frank  Hancock,  min- 
ister of  the  First  Methodist 
Church,  who  presided  for  the  pro- 
gram. 

A  mixed  choir,  assembled  from 
every  choir  in  the  city,  was  di- 
rected by  Rollin  Pooler,  director 
of  music  at  Community  High 
School.  Rev.  Benjamin  F.  Freese, 
pastor  of  the  St.  Paul  Evangelical 
Church,  read  the  Twenty-third 
psalm,  with  Rev.  James  Sopko, 
pastor  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul 
Lutheran  Church,  reading  the 
Scripture  lesson.  The  main  ad 
dress  of  the  evening  was  deliver 
ed  by  Father  Theodore  G.  Gross 
priest  at  St.  Benedict.  Short  ad 
dresses  by  Rev.  Aylesworth  B 
Bell,  pastor  of  the  First  Congre 
gational  Church;  Rev.  Wayne  A 
Garrard,  St.  Aidan's;  and  Rev 
W.  J.  Feme,  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran,  followed,  each  dealing 
with  some  aspect  of  the  history 
of  religion  in  Blue  Island. 

Unfortunately    the     weather 


proved  very  uncooperative  for 
Monday,  when  the  great  parade 
had  been  scheduled.  Because  of 
the  rain,  this  parade  was  post- 
poned for  some  time,  but  it  was 
finally  decided  that  the  thousands 
lining  both  sides  of  Western  Ave- 
nue could  no  longer  be  denied. 
Over  2,500  people  were  in  the 
line  of  march.  Floats  winning  the 
prize  trophies  in  the  various  eata- 
gories  included  the  St.  Francis 
Hospital,  in  the  business  group; 
the  Sons  of  Italy,  with  their  re- 
production of  the  Santa  Maria,  in 
the  fraternal  group;  the  Blue  Is- 
land Liederkranz,  in  the  histori- 
cal class;  Dave  Heimbach,  in  the 
individually  designed  and  execut- 
ed float  category.  The  comedy 
class  float  prize  went  to  Wiess- 
ner's  Comedy  Band;  and  the  Rock 
Island  Railroad  won  the  indus- 
trial group  trophy. 

Perhaps  the  biggest  day  of  the 
entire  week  came  on  Tuesday, 
Old  Settler's  Day,  with  prizes  for 
the  oldest  settler  present.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Gottlieb  Klein  won  the 
first  prize,  followed  by  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Cyrus  Van  Laningham,  sec- 
ond. The  old  settlers  couple  com- 
ing the  greatest  distance  was  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Frank  M.  McGregor, 
from  San  Mateo.  California,  win- 
ning first  place  in  this  category, 
with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  C.  Lau 
from  Gotha,  Florida,  coming  in 
second.  The  prize  for  the  oldest 
individual  resident  of  Blue  Island 
went  to  Mrs.  Johanna  Schmitz, 
who  had  lived  here  for  eighty- 
seven    years.    Mrs.    Louise    Reuss- 


79 


now,  a  resident  here  for  eighty- 
four  years  took  second  prize. 

Bad  weather  returned  on  Wed- 
nesday to  force  the  postponement 
of  the  Young  American  activities 
until  the  next  Saturday  afternoon. 
While  this  compulsory  change 
did  cut  the  number  of  partici- 
pants, Boy  Scout  troops  from  the 
South  Shore  District  of  Chicago, 
and  from  the  Southwest  District 
put  on  a  worthwhile  show,  with 
races  and  demonstrations  of  all 
sorts  of  scoutcraft.  Troop  num- 
ber 728,  with  Scoutmaster  J.  M. 
Wilson,  took  first  prize  in  the 
contest;  Troop  number  788,  W. 
Gaboriault,  scout  master,  was  sec- 
ond; and  Troop  number  608,  G. 
C.  Primm,  scoutmaster,  placed 
third. 

Thursday  was  Farmer's  Day, 
and  the  Eagles  Hall  was  thronged 
all  day  by  interested  spectators 
who  came  to  see  the  great  num- 
ber of  prize  winning  exhibits 
brought  in  and  displayed  by  the 
farmers  of  the  area.  That  night 
Mayor  and  Mrs.  Fred  Rice,  on 
their  fiftieth  anniversary,  were 
the  principals  in  the  pioneer  wed- 
ding scene,  the  feature  of  that 
night's  pageant.  The  Rices  had 
come  to  Blue  Island  in  1898  and 
had  been  among  the  city's  per- 
manent residents  since  that  time. 
The  Rev.  C.  F.  Schellhase,  a  for- 
mer pastor  of  the  Central  Metho- 
dist Church,  was  the  minister  who 
re-united  the  happy  pair,  with 
Albert  Stolz,  Mrs.  J.  A.  Roe- 
misch,  and  Louise  Rauch,  as  best 
man,    matron    of   honor,    and    at- 


tendant,   respectively. 

On  Friday,  baby  was  king,  and 
the  doll  and  buggy  parade,  with 
its  antique  carriages  and  cos- 
tumes, as  well  as  the  carriages 
trimmed  with  a  patriotic  and  mod- 
ern motif,  delighted  the  huge 
crowd  of  onlookers. 

Choral  numbers,  sung  magnifi- 
cently that  night  by  the  Blue  Is- 
land Liederkranz  and  the  Lieder- 
kranz  Ladies'  Chorus,  plus  Noble 
Cain,  director  of  the  festival,  and 
his  Chicago  A  Capella  Choir, 
were  much  appreciated  by  every- 
one in  the  vast  audience.  The 
Homewood  Municipal  Band,  di- 
rected by  J.  Norman  Beasley,  al- 
so came  in  for  spirited  applause 
for   its   accompaniment. 

Unfortunately  the  program 
planned  for  Sunday,  which  had 
been  designated  as  American  Le- 
gion Day  suffered  greatly  because 
of  the  steady  downpour  of  rain. 
The  almost  fifty  units  of  drum 
and  bugle  corps  could  not  par- 
ticipate in  the  competition  which 
had  been  planned  for  them.  This 
did  not  stop  the  Centennial  com- 
mittee completely,  however,  as  it 
did  provide  entertainment  and 
merriment  for  those  Legionnaires 
who  did  show  up  in  spite  of  the 
rain. 

While  the  turn-away  crowds 
of  1935  were  ample  testimonial 
to  the  success  of  the  plans  and 
the  work  of  the  Blue  Island  Lions 
Club  and  the  Blue  Island  Centen- 
nial Association,  those  of  us  who 
were  not  fortunate  enough  to  wit- 
ness   the    great    pageant    and    at- 


80 


tendant  festivities  should  at  least 
know  of  the  men  and  women  who 
worked  so  long  and  with  such 
dedication  to  achieve  this  success, 
and  to  live,  at  second  hand,  those 
episodes  that  made  the  "Wings 
of  Time"  the  tremendous  success 
it  was  in  reminding  Blue  Islanders 
of  their  illustrious  past.  The  com- 
plete list  of  the  Centennial  Asso- 
ciation members  is: 

BLUE  ISLAND 
CENTENNIAL    ASSOCIATION 

"Incorporated  not  for  Profit" 

OFFICERS 

JOHN    H.    VOLP,    President 

PHILIP  SEYFARTH,  Secre- 
tary; ALBERT  STOLZ,  Vice  Pres- 
ident and  Treasurer. 

EXECUTIVE    COMMITTEE 
AND  DIRECTORS 

Mayor  Fred  Rice,  Philip  Sey- 
farth,  Dr.  F.  W.  Tracy,  Rudolph 
Heitman,  Floyd  Smith,  Postmas- 
ter; Louis  Rauch,  Albert  Stolz, 
John  H.  Volp. 

COMMITTEES 

FINANCE— Albert  Stolz,  chair- 
man ;  August  Schreiber,  Paul 
Klenk,  Dr.  L.  0.  Damm. 

HOMECOMING  DAY— Rudolph 
Heitman,  chairman;  Henry 
Baumann,  Peter  Heintz,  Henry 
Duff. 

PARADE — George  Heatley,  chair- 
man; Barney  Hammond,  Wm. 
Juby,   Richard   Sorgenfrei. 

FARMER'S  DAY— Albert  Stolz, 
chairman;  Peter  Heintz,  co- 
chairman;  M.  E.  Tascher,  Har- 
vey Adair,  Jacob  Ouwenga. 


SONG  FESTIVAI^Dr.  F.  \\ . 
Tracy,  chairman;  William  Bar- 
thelman.  Dr.  Scanlan,  Dr.  Folk- 
ers,  Aid.  Rocco  Guglielmucci, 
Mrs.  Jepeway. 

SUNDAY  I  NION  SERVICES— 
Dr.  F.  W.  Tracy,  chairman; 
Ministers  and  Priests  of  all 
Blue    Island    churches. 

YOUNG  AMERICA  DAY— Philip 
Seyfarth,  chairman. 

PUBLICITY— John  H.  Volp, 
chairman;  Hill  Lakin,  Sun- 
Standard;  Kevin  McCann,  Bul- 
letin; Wesley  Volp,  Suburban 
Star. 

PROPERTIES— Louis  Rauch, 
chairman;  Mayor  Fred  Rice,  H. 
Shipman,  Harold  C.  Volp,  Phil 
Sev  faith. 

AMERICAN  LEGION  DAY— J. 
Floyd  Smith,  chairman;  Wm. 
Juby,  Commander  American 
Legion,  co-chairman:  Ralph 
Sullivan,  Albert  Depew,  Har- 
vey Antilla,  Harry  Burkhart,  A. 
L.   Davidson,   Henry  Langfield. 

MARDI  GRAS— Mayor  Fred 
Rice,  chairman;  Phil  Seyfarth, 
Dr.   F.  W.  Tracy. 

CENTENNIAL  BALL— M  ayor 
Fred  Rice,  Al  Stolz,  Mrs. 
George   Borman. 

BABY  PARADE>-Mrs.  Don 
Boughner,  chairman;  Mrs.  G. 
Klein,  Mrs.  C.  0.  Williams, 
Mrs.  Claude  Harvey,  Mrs.  Hen- 
ry Kott,  Mrs.  W.  Hazel,  Mrs. 
G.  Brockman,  Mrs.  Howard 
Huffman,  Mrs.  W.  Gerstenkorn. 
Mrs.  Harold  C.  Volp,  Mrs. 
Howard   Wright. 

TALENT   COMMITTEE— Phil 


81 


Seyfarth,  chairman. 
TICKET    COMMITTEE— Don 
Boughner,   chairman;    Ed  Mar- 
tens,    Herbert     Gierman,     Ed. 
Stothard,   A.    C.    Selsdorf,    Birt 
Frobish. 
RELICS  COMMITTEE— Mrs.  Ed. 
Martens,    chairman;    Mrs.    Al- 
bert   Stolz,    Mrs.    Charles   Gun- 
kle,  Miss  Sarah  Noble. 
Just    as    every    member    of   the 
above  Centennial   Association   de- 
serves at  least  the  honor  of  having 
his    or    her    name    repeated   here, 
so  does  the  brief  synopsis  of  that 
magnificent   pageant   that   featur- 
ed   the    centennial.    In    addition, 
such    a   synopsis   would   undoubt- 
edly be   appreciated   by  those  of 
us  who  were  not  fortunate  enough 
to   be   present  for  the  big  event. 
Therefore,  an  outline  of  the  pro- 
logue   and   the   eighteen   episodes 
of  "The  Wings  of  Time"  follows: 

"WINGS  OF  TIME" 
Historical  Narrations 
by  Joe  Cook 
PROLOGUE— The  blare  of  trum- 
pets and  the  roll  of  drums  by  the 
American  Legion  Drum  and  Bugle 
Corps   announces  the   appearance 
of  Miss  Blue  Island,  Queen  of  the 
Centennial,    Miss    Columbia,    and 
her  Forty-eight  States;  the  Princ- 
cesses   of   the    Court;    the    Pages, 
and  the  Guard  of  Honor. 

Miss  Blue  Island  greets  Miss 
Columbia  and  the  Forty-eight 
States  and  requests  them  to  join 
her  in  witnessing  the  unfolding 
of  the  colorful  history  of  Blue  Is- 


land  in   state  from  the   Court  of 

Honor. 

EPISODE  ONE— The  Red  Man. 

Prior  to  the  coming  of  the 
white  man,  this  section  of  the 
present  state  of  Illinois  and  the 
present  site  of  Blue  Island  was 
occupied  by  a  village  of  Pottawa- 
tomies,  of  the  Algonquin  tribe. 
We  see  the  Indians  making  camp. 
In  the  center  of  the  circle  of 
teepees  we  see  the  chiefs  and 
their  warriors  seated  around  a 
council  fire;  squaws  busy  them- 
selves preparing  food  over  the 
open  fires,  tanning  the  hides 
brought  in  from  the  hunt,  mak- 
ing baskets  and  blankets. 
EPISODE  TWO— The  First  White 

Men. 

Father  Pere  Marquette  and 
Louis  Joliet,  with  their  small  ar- 
my of  followers  were  the  first 
white  men  to  set  foot  on  the 
"blue  island."  Marquette  and  Jo- 
liet followed  the  western  shore 
line  of  Lake  Michigan  and  then 
westward  over  the  Calumet  River 
in  their  search  for  the  "Father 
of  Waters,"  the  Mississippi  Riv- 
er. Father  Marquette  attempted  to 
teach  Christianity  to  the  Indians 
as  they  wended  their  way  through 


The  Famous    Wooden  IMckel 
Every  good  citizen  in  Blue  Island  used 
these   during   our    Centennial    Celebra- 
tion. 


82 


this  savage  territory;  evidently 
they  stayed  here  in  1674  before 
going  to  Palos  to  establish  a  mis- 
sion. 

More  than  150  years  later,  in 
the  summer  of  1831,  the  Indians 
decided  to  leave  this  territory  be- 
cause of  the  incoming  whites.  The 
old  chief,  and  one  or  two  others, 
could  not  be  persuaded  to  leave, 
and  these  few  Indians  were  the 
only  remaining  red  men  when  the 
white  men  started  to  settle  this 
territory. 
EPISODE  THREE— The  Pioneers. 

A  hundred  years  ago  many  a 
wagon  train  came  across  the  prair- 
ie on  their  trek  westward  in  the 
hope  of  finding  a  more  promis- 
ing land.  We  see  a  group  of  these 
sturdy  pioneers  and  courageous 
women  as  they  follow  the  sun 
across  lands  inhabited  by  the  sav- 
age Indian  who  resented  this  in- 
vasion by  the  whites.  After  a  day's 
hard  journey  the  members  of  the 
little  wagon  train  make  camp  for 
the  night;  some  prepare  the  even- 
ing meal  as  others  do  the  daily 
chores  of  washing,  making  yarn, 
weaving,  milking,  churning;  the 
men  cut  wood  for  the  fires,  hunt 
for  food  and  game,  take  care  of 
their  livestock  and  keep  a  sharp 
watch  for  raiding  Indians.  Endur- 
ing many  hardships,  they  continue 
on  until  they  reach  the  fertile  land 
on  the  shores  of  Lake  Michigan. 
EPISODE    FOUR— The    First 

White  Settlers. 

In  1835,  Norman  Rexford,  a  na- 
tive of  Charlotte,  Vermont,  drove 
by  team  to   Chicago,   arriving  on 


the  5th  of  June.  He  visited  for 
a  short  time  with  his  brother 
Stephen,  who  had  preceded  him 
and  was  located  in  Bachelors' 
Grove.  A  few  months  later  Nor- 
man Rexford  selected  a  site  near 
the  northern  end  of  the  "blue  is- 
land" in  a  locality  at  that  time 
referred  to  as  the  "long  wood." 
Here  he  erected  a  four-room  log 
cabin  in  which  he  kept  a  tavern. 
This  venture  evidently  did  not 
prove  satisfactory  for,  in  the  fall 
of  the  following  year,  he  moved 
four  miles  farther  south  into  the 
territory  which  later  was  to  be- 
come the  city  of  Blue  Island. 

He  selected  a  location  on  the 
southern  brow  of  the  hill,  a  spot 
which  commanded  a  wide  view 
of  the  surrounding  lower  coun- 
try. Here  he  erected  a  combina- 
tion residence  and  hotel  building, 
the  frame  of  which  was  hewn 
from  native  timber,  and  sided 
with  boards  brought  by  team 
from  Pine  Creek,  Indiana. 

This  Inn  became  the  stopping 
place  for  officers  going  to  and 
fro  between  old  Fort  Vincennes 
in  Indiana  and  Fort  Dearborn  at 
Chicago — for  the  Vincennes  Road 
passed  through  Blue  Island  and 
connected  the  two  forts.  Rex- 
ford's  inn  was  known  as  the 
"Blue  Island  House"  and  was 
the  first  building  of  a  permanent 
character   to   be   erected   here. 

When  Rexford  located  here  the 
one-room  log  cabin  of  Thomas 
Courtney  was  the  only  other  habi- 
tation on  the  southern  end  of  the 
"island."  Courtnev  had  come  with 


83 


his  wife  and  child  from  the  East 
the  year  previous.  He  had  built 
a  small  log  cabin  near  where  the 
First  Lutheran  church  now  stands. 
Beyond  these  few  facts  history  is 
silent  on  any  further  reference 
to  this  man  Courtney  and  his 
family. 

EPISODE  FIVE— The  First  Post- 
office. 

A  postoffice  was  established  at 
Blue  Island  in  1838,  with  Nor- 
man Rexford  as  postmaster,  in 
which  capacity  he  served  for  a 
number  of  years.  During  that 
time,  his  son,  Fayette  —  about 
nine  years  old  —  took  mail  from 
Chicago  to  Buncombe,  Illinois 
(a  distance  of  about  90  miles) 
each  week.  We  see  the  stage 
coach  arriving  from  Chicago  with 
its  cargo  of  passengers,  mail  and 
express;  and  then  Fayette  starts 
his  long  journey. 

The  official  name  of  this  post- 
office  was  "Worth"  though  the 
settlers  preferred  to  call  it  Blue 
Island,  which  name  was  given  to 
it  legally  in  1872  when  the  vil- 
lage was  organized. 
EPISODE  SIX— The  First  Church 
Services. 

Religious  services  were  not  de- 
pendent upon  creed;  but  were, 
rather,  community  meetings,  re- 
gardless of  faith.  A  traveling  Me- 
thodist preacher  —  a  farmer  near 
Kankakee  —  sometimes  stopped 
over  on  his  way  to  Chicago  with 
produce  on  Saturday  morning, 
bringing  his  Sunday  clothes  in  a 
trunk.  On  Sunday  he  preached 
and   again  on  Monday,  went  his 


way  to  market.  We  see  one  of 
these  gatherings  which  during  the 
summer  months,  were  often  held 
under  the  shading  trees. 
EPISODE  SEVEN— An  Early 
School. 

Many  of  the  children  of  the 
settlers  had  their  first  schooling 
at  home.  Ir  1848,  when  there 
were  thirty-two  families  in  the 
village,  an  attempt  was  made  to 
get  educational  facilities  for  the 
children.  A  one-story  frame  build- 
ing was  erected,  this  building  be- 
ing used  as  a  town  hall,  where 
public  gatherings  of  all  sorts 
were  held  when  there  was  no 
school.  Wm.  Hamilton,  Daniel 
Barnard  and  Mary  Perkins  were 
the  first  teachers  in  this  school. 
There  had  been,  previous  to  this, 
a  school  for  girls,  conducted  by 
Misses  Elizabeth  and  Adelaide 
Periam  in  their  home. 

We  see  one  of  these  early  ses- 
sions where  there  were  no  desks, 
the  scholars  sitting  on  long 
benches;  when  it  was  necessary 
to  use  their  slates,  the  students 
usually  sat  on  the  floor  using  the 
benches  for  desks. 
EPISODE    EIGHT— An    Early 

Wedding. 

One  of  the  colorful  events  of 
the  social  life  in  1850  was  a  wed- 
ding and  most  of  the  settlers  came 
in  their  "Sunday-best"  for  the 
ceremony  and  the  festivities  which 
followed.  We  see  the  bride  and 
groom  united  in  marriage  and 
then  receiving  the  congratulations 
of  their  guests  before  they  all 
join  in  a  gay  Virginia  Reel. 


84 


EPISODE  NINE— The  First  Rail- 
road. 

The  Rock  Island  Railroad  was 
built  into  Blue  Island  in  1852, 
and  the  first  train  came  in  on 
Sunday,  October  10th,  that  same 
year.  The  name  of  the  locomotive 
was  the  "Rocket,"  which  pulled 
six  coaches.  N.  W.  Wheeler  was 
the  conductor.  The  engine  burned 
wood  and  at  Blue  Island  there 
was    a    large    refueling    yard. 

We  see  the  men  at  work  on  the 
roadbed;  laying  ties  and  rails; 
and  then,  amid  the  lusty  cheers 
of  the  populace,  in  roars  this 
first    "steam    monster." 

The  Illinois  Central  Railroad 
extended  its  suburban  service  to 
Blue  Island  in  1889,  connecting 
this  city  with  the  main  lines  of 
this  great  railroad  service.  Seven 
railroads  converge  at  Blue  Island 
today,  four  of  them  being  trunk 
lines. 

EPISODE   TEN— The   German 

Settlers. 

Many  men  and  women  of  Ger- 
man birth  or  extraction  came  to 
Blue  Island  in  the  years  between 
1848  and  1860.  Among  the  first 
were  August  Schreiber,  Ludwig 
Krueger,  Theodore  Guenther, 
John  Engelhardt,  Ernst  Uhlich, 
Charles  Ellfeldt,  and  others.  Be- 
ing fond  of  music,  a  little  group 
of  men  —  Charles  Ellfeldt,  Au- 
gust Schreiber,  Friederich  Sauer- 
teig,  August  Schubert,  Louis 
Brandt,  August  Bulle,  Henry 
Schmitt  and  two  brothers  named 
Bode    —    got    together    that    they 


might  sing  songs  of  their  Father- 
land. 

"Saengerbund"  was  the  name 
under  which  they  went  for  some 
time  and  Charles  Ellfeldt  soon 
became  their  leader.  By  1853, 
they  had  decided  to  organize  un- 
der the  name  "Blue  Island  Lieder- 
kranz." 

We  see  a  group  that  have  met 
in  Ellfeldt's  "Lustgarden,"  which 
was  patterned  after  the  beer  gar- 
den of  the  old  country,  for  an 
evening's  entertainment. 
EPISODE  ELEVEN— The  Ballet 

of  Beauty  and  Fertility. 

Blue  Island  and  Illinois  depend, 
to  a  large  extent,  upon  the  agri- 
cultural wealth  of  their  land.  Blue 
Island  is  famed  for  its  onions, 
Illinois  is  known  for  its  corn  and 
wheat.  We  see  these  growing 
things  merrily  swaying  in  the 
breeze  when  along  comes  a  driv- 
ing rain  and  beats  them  to  the 
ground.  Following  the  rain  comes 
the  sun  and  sunbeams  and  again 
we  see  the  green  fields  raise  their 
heads  as  a  beautiful  rainbow 
forms  its  arch. 
EPISODE  TWELVE— Civil  War. 

In  1861,  when  President  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  issued  a  general  call 
for  75,000  volunteers  to  fight  for 
the  cause  of  the  North,  many 
men  from  Blue  Island  responded 
immediately. 

We  see  the  excited  crowds  as 
the  first  news  of  war  is  heard; 
the  men  leave  their  business,  drop 
the  plows,  and  enlist.  The  women 
are  working  feverishly  on  new  un- 
iforms and  a  beautiful  flag  which 


85 


was  presented  to  the  men  just  be- 
fore they  marched  away. 

EPISODE  THIRTEEN  —  In- 
corporation of  Blue  Island. 
When  the  postoffice  was  estab- 
lished in  1838,  the  official  name 
of  "Worth"  was  given  to  this  com- 
munity, but  the  settlers  always 
favored  the  name  "Blue  Island." 
The  citizens  were  desirous  of 
having  the  village  organized  and 
recognized  as  such.  They  petition- 
ed the  State,  asking  that  they 
might  have  the  question  submit- 
ted to  the  legal  voters.  This  peti- 
tion was  dated  July  5,  1872,  and 
sworn   to   August   13,    1872. 

On  August  22,  1872,  Judge  Wal- 
lace gave  notice  of  an  election 
for  voting  on  the  village  incor- 
poration to  be  held  at  Gottlieb 
Klein's  home  on  Saturday,  Sep- 
tember 7,  1872.  Christian  Krueg- 
er,  Henry  Bertrand  and  Hart  Mas- 
sey  were  appointed  judges  of  the 
election. 

It  was  a  memorable  event,  as 
there  were  many  arguments  be- 
tween opponents,  but  the  result 
was  overwhelmingly  for  it. 

We  see  the  great  celebration 
that  took  place  in  Blue  Island 
that  night;  there  was  much  re- 
joicing as  the  multitude,  led  by 
a  small  band,  paraded  the  streets 
jubilantly. 

EPISODE  FOURTEEN— Spanish- 
American  War. 

Again  in  1898,  America  heard 
the  cry  of  war.  Under  the  com- 
mand of  Col.  Theodore  Roose- 
velt these  brave  men  pressed  for- 


ward   with    the    slogan    "Remem- 
ber  the   Maine." 

We  see  the  bivouac  scene;  the 
soldiers  are  resting  around  a 
camp  fire  as  a  messenger  brings 
the  orders  for  an  early  morning 
attack. 

EPISODE  FIFTEEN— The  Auto- 
mobile   Era. 

About  the  time  of  the  Spanish- 
American  War  high-wheeler  bi- 
cycles and  tamdum  bicycles  made 
their  appearance  on  the  streets  of 
Blue  Island.  And  then,  the  "horse- 
less carriage"  is  praised  and  ridi- 
culed as  it  chugs  along  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  twentieth  century. 

We  see  "young  sports"  as  they 
try  out  the  new  two-wheeled  con- 
traptions; and  listen  to  their  jeers 
as  the  proud  owner  of  the  first 
automobile  makes  his  appearance. 
And  then  the  frightened  horse 
nearly  breaks  away  as  the  "gaso- 
line buggy"  bounces  here  and 
there. 
EPISODE  SIXTEEN— The  World 

War. 

War!  War!  Bleeding  humanity 
of  the  Old  World  seeks  help  from 
young,  prosperous  America.  Illi- 
nois' boys  respond.  What  devasta- 
tion! What  horror!  And  final- 
ly what  a  victory! 
EPISODE  SEVENTEEN— Peace. 

"If  you  break  faith  with  us  who 
died, 

We  shall  not  sleep, 

Though  poppies  grow  in  Fland- 
ers Field." 
EPISODE     E  I  G  H  T  E  E  N— The 

Grand  Finale. 

By  land  and  sea,  from  all  cor- 


86 


ners  of  the  world,  people  come 
to  Blue  Island  where  patriotism 
changes  all  who  enter  into  a  great 
people  —  Americans. 

This  spectacle  symbolizes  the 
growth  of  America  and  will  be 
climaxed  by  the  "Wheel  of  prog- 
ress" showing  the  Spirit  of  Blue 
Island  in  its  ever-forward  move- 
ment. "May  Forward  by  your 
watchword  —  Perfection  your 
goal." 

THE    END 
Staged   by 

.  . .  .Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jack  Geller 
Massed   Choir  under   direction   of 

Mr.    Rollin    Pooler 

Music    director 

Mr.   J.   Norman   Beasley 

Piano  accompaniments  by 

.  .Mrs.  Irene  Hegner  Jerstrom 
Makeup   room 

Mrs.  George  Joens, 

Jule   Shipman 


So  ended  the  greatest  celebra- 
tion known  in  Blue  Island  up  to 
this  time  It  was  a  success  in 
many  ways.  First,  and  certainly 
very  important  to  its  financial 
backers,  who  provided  the  money 
to  get  the  idea  behind  the  cen- 
tennial under  way,  it  was  a  mone- 
tary success.  When  the  Lions  Club 
undertook  the  idea,  they  were 
told  by  their  "friends"  that 
ninety-nine  percent  of  such  af- 
fairs were  failures.  The  Blue  Is- 
land effort  proved  the  contrary. 
Every  one  of  the  original  sub- 
scribers got  his  money  back  in 
full,  and  after  all  expenses  were 
paid,  there  was  a  surplus  of  S750. 
This  money  was  used  to  benefit 
three  worthy  causes  in  Blue  Is- 
land, as  the  Blue  Island  Public 
Welfare  Bureau  was  given  a  third ; 
the  charity  fund  of  the  St.  Fran- 
cis   Hospital    a    third;     and    the 


Pioneer   Days 
One  of  the  pageants  of  the  Centennial  Celebration 


87 


The   Big   Centennial   Parade 
Monday,  September  2,  1935,  despite  the  rain,  a  huge  crowd  crammed  every 
inch  of  available  space  along  Western  Avenue,  to  witness  this  part  of  Blue  Island's 
Centennial  Celebration. 


Lions  Club  of  Blue  Island  charity 
fund  the  final  share. 

Although  such  financial  success 
was  indeed  heartening,  it  could 
not  be  declared  the  most  worth- 
while result  of  the  Centennial.  In 
Blue  Island  in  the  early  30's, 
community  spirit  and  civic  pride 
were  low  and  financial  affairs 
were  unsteady.  Here  was  a  suc- 
cessful Centennial  of  which  every 
man,  woman,  and  child  in  the 
community  could  be  proud.  Theirs 
was  a  city  with  an  illustrious  past, 
in  which  brave  men   and  women 

IV  AND  HERE 

(1936-62) 

With  civic  pride  and  faith  in 
their  future  largely  restored  by 
the  tremendous  success  of  the 
Centennial,  Blue  Islanders  were 
more  than  ready  for  better  days, 
and  certainly  these  were  long 
overdue. 

An  auto  parade  on  Western 
Avenue  afforded  local  dealers  an 
opportunity    to    show    their    new 


had  made  their  livelihood,  built 
their  homes,  and  raised  their  fam- 
ilies. They  had  seen  their  churches 
and  their  schools  grow  and  guide 
them  to  a  better  life;  their  com- 
merce and  their  industry  prosper. 
Now  came  the  great  realization 
that,  although  the  past  had  been 
glorious;  in  the  words  of  the  poet 
Robert  Browning,  "The  best  is 
yet  to  be."  Truly,  in  their  first 
one  hundred  years,  Blue  Island 
and  its  Blue  Islanders  had  really 
come  of  age. 

WE  ARE  TODAY 

models:  Crist,  the  Buick  and  Pon- 
tiac;  Witte,  the  Chevrolet;  Bron- 
son,  the  Chrysler;  Pronger,  the 
DeSoto;  Fiedler-Mohr,  the  Dodge 
and  Plymouth;  Habich,  the  Ford; 
Esche,  the  Hudson  and  Terra- 
plane;  and  Ward,  the  Oldsmo- 
bile.  The  Ford  V-8,  including 
bumpers  and  spare  tires  was  list- 
ed at  $495  and  the  four-door 
sedan  deLuxe  with  built  in  trunk 


88 


at  $655.  The  popular  roadster 
with  rumble  seat  sold  at  $550. 
Oh,  for  the  good  old  days  —  and 
especially   their   prices! 

Already  in  that  day  there  was 
a  waterway  meet  in  which  it  was 
decided  to  have  three  passing 
places  for  barges,  and  bids  were 
opened  for  the  work  to  be  done. 
The  first  of  these  places  was  to 
be  on  the  passing  slips  in  the 
Cal  Sag  channel  between  Ridge- 
land   and   Crawford. 

Western  Avenue  was  getting 
the  new  look.  Mrs.  J.  L.  Zacharias 
erected  a  new  building  to  make 
the  business  district  more  hand- 
some and  valuable.  Henry  I. 
Marks  signed  a  lease  for  this  new 
store  and  opened  his  Marks  Store 
for  Men,  at  13047  Western.  A 
rather  sad  note  to  some,  how- 
ever, was  that  Blue  Island's  last 
blacksmith  shop  at  12719  West- 
ern lost  its  character  through  the 


building  of  a  garage  entrance.  The 
old  horseshoe  doorway  which  had 
become  a  landmark  to  many 
people  had  been  obliterated,  for 
horseshoeing  was  now  only  a 
sideline  to  auto  work.  Most  of 
Saeks  and  Carlson's  time  was  now 
taken  up  in  general  blacksmithing 
such  as  axle  work,  bumper  and 
fender  repairing,  radiator  clean- 
ing and  repairing,  tool  forging, 
welding,  and  lawnmower  recon- 
ditioning. 

Harry  W.  Bettenhausen  bought 
the  building  at  13118-22  Western 
to  open  an  electric  appliance 
store  and  Raymond  Schwarts 
bought  the  Acme  Service  Station 
at  12447.  There  was  a  new  struc- 
ture built  at  13011  Western  to  be 
occupied  by  the  Schnitzelbank 
and    Dr.    Townsend,    optometrist. 

By  this  time,  Libby,  McNeill 
&  Libby  had  become  the  largest 
pickle  and  condiment  plant  in  the 


The  Campus  Building 
When  this  building  opened  in  1950  Dr.  Richards  introduced  the  Two  Two 
Plan  of  student  housing,  with  juniors  and  seniors  from  all  of  District  218  attending 
here,  and  freshmen  and  sophomores  going  to  Old  Main.  Later,  two  other  buildings, 
located  in  population  centers  outside  of  Blue  Island,  were  added  for  underclassmen 
of  their  districts. 


89 


world.  It  made  front-page  news 
as  a  commercial  canning  industry 
which  was  supplying  baby  food 
for  the  Dionne  quintuplets,  on 
which  the  five  little  Canadian 
girls   were   thriving. 

Many  German  craftsmen  in  our 
midst  were  employed  in  the  wire 
and  steel  companies:  Wireton 
(Gilbert  &  Bennett),  Webco  Steel 
Co.,  Rogers  Galvanizing  Co.,  and 
the  Blue  Island  Iron  and  Wire 
Works. 

Many  father-to-son  businesses 
flourished.  Christian  Krueger, 
carpenter  and  undertaker,  made 
his  own  caskets;  his  son  Robert, 
made  the  first  hearse;  and  Robert, 
Jr.  became  an  undertaker.  Ed 
Blouin,  with  43  continuous  years 
as  saloon  keeper,  brought  in  his 
son  Jimmy;  the  Heim  Brothers, 
in  the  florist  business  for  55 
years,  consisted  of  John  Heim 
with  his  sons  Charles  and  Ed- 
ward, and  George  Heim's  widow, 
and  three  sons.  The  Klein  Elevator, 
operating  since  1892,  conducting 
a  general  business  in  flour,  feed, 
hay,  grain  and  salt  —  both 
retail  and  wholesale  —  was  car- 
ried on  by  William  &  John  Klein. 
The  Henry  F.  Klein  and  Joseph 
Schroth  meat  wholesale  firm  is 
continued  by  the  Klein,  Schroth 
and  Seyfarth  families.  R.  New- 
house,  coal  dealer,  also  kept  his 
business  in  the  family,  and 
Schreiber  Brother,  hardware 
merchants,  continued  under  this 
pioneer  name. 

Policeman  Harry  Joens  was 
busy  keeping  our  community  safe 


as  well  as  keeping  one  eye  on  the 
butter  and  lard  hijacking  that  was 
going  on  in  the  area.  In  March, 
1935,  John  McEvoy  became  po- 
lice chief,  with  Richard  Sorgen- 
frei  as  his  lieutenant. 

That  Blue  Island  was  one  of 
the  outstanding  cities  in  church 
membership  was  revealed  by  a  re- 
ligious study  done  by  the  Univer- 
sity of  Chicago.  Blue  Island 
churches  were  flourishing.  First, 
the  city  was  blessed  with  a  new 
church  group  when  a  small  but 
devoted  body  of  Christian  Scient- 
ists organized  in  May  of  1936  and 
held  services  the  next  month  in 
the  Masonic  Temple.  The  Metho- 
dists had  two  churches  at  the 
time:  the  Central  M.  E.  at  Ver- 
mont and  Western  with  the  Rev. 
Leopold  Schneider  as  minister, 
and  the  First  Methodist  at  Burr 
Oak  and  Western,  with  the  Rev. 
Frank  Hancock  as  minister.  R.  E. 
McCloy  began  his  long  career  as 
Sunday  School  superintendent  at 
the  latter.  Rev.  W.  J.  Feme  was 
pastor  of  the  First  Evangelical  Lu- 
theran at  Grove  and  Ann,  and  the 
the  Rev.  Emil  Helm  pastor  of  the 
Community  Evangelical.  Siloa  Lu- 
theran, with  pastor  Edward  Stark 
and  St.  Paul  Evangelical  with  the 
Rev.  B.  F.  Freese  were  also  serv- 
ing the  community.  The  First  Con- 
gregational celebrated  its  75th 
birthday,  the  Sunday  School 
having  been  organized  in  1849 
and  the  church  recognized  in 
1860.  Rev.  James  Robert  Smith, 
pastor  over  forty  years  previous 
to  the  celebration,  was  to  preach. 


90 


Eisenhower  Dedicates  Campus  Building 
In  October  of  1950,  Gen.  Dwight  D.  Eisenhower,  then  president  of  Columbia 
University,  brought  Blue  Island  and  the  surrounding  areas  one  of  their  really 
big  days  when  he  dedicated  the  Campus  Building  of  the  District  218  schools.  Here 
to  greet  the  famous  visitors  are  County  Superintendent  of  schools  Simon  Staes, 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  Nickell,  Henry  G.  Baumann,  and  Dr. 
Richards,  Pinning  on  Ike's  boutoniere  is  Gladys  Nelson,  then  a  junior  at  Com- 
munity High  School. 


Ruth  Doermann,  member  of  a 
family  long  active  in  the  Ameri- 
can Lutheran  Church,  was  elected 
International  Secretary  of  the 
Luther  League  of  the  American 
Lutheran  Church. 

The  professional  guide  listed 
optometrists  Harry  G.  Dare  and 
Alan  H.  Fisher;  physicians  R.  C. 
Aiken  and  Osbey  Woods;  attor- 
neys Roy  Massena,  and  the  firm 
of  Carlstrom,  Klenk,  Conway, 
Franklin  and  Turner. 

In  order  to  boost  business  on 
Western  Avenue,  one  hundred 
business    men    gathered    to    talk 


over  a  city  bond  plan  to  help 
pull  all  local  firms  out  of  the 
slump,  but  they  insisted  that  this 
not  be  considered  political  action. 
The  Lions  Club  once  again  came 
up  with  a  worthwhile  proposi- 
tion: to  sponsor  semi-annual  Dol- 
lar Day  sales,  which  Ludwig 
Blum,  manager  of  the  local 
Kline's  Department  Store,  pro- 
moted in  conjunction  with  Mar- 
ket Day.  Participants  who  went 
along  with  this  business  builder 
included  Koehler  Paper  Com- 
pany, Pronger  Brothers  Depart- 
ment Store,  Adam  Kranich  Jewel- 


91 


ry  Store,  Michael  Rubino's  Men's 
Wear,  Simon's  Department  Store, 
Reuss  Brothers  Grocery,  Albert's 
Beauty  Shop,  Aulwurm's  Grocery, 
and  the  Bettenhausen  Radio  Shop. 
Other  activities  listed  in  the  busi- 
ness directory  at  this  time  includ- 
ed furniure  by  Straham,  printing 
by  the  Melvin  Press  with  H.  R. 
Swanson,  tailoring  by  Versteeg, 
and  justice  of  the  peace  John  H. 
Black. 

The  Federal  Housing  Authority 
was  of  great  help  to  the  com- 
munity in  that  they  made  an  of- 
ficial survey  of  homes  as  to 
whether  or  not  repairs  or  re- 
modeling were  contemplated  and 
loans  needed.  The  banks  were 
anxious  to  make  FHA  insured 
mortgage  loans,  and  new  or  re- 
modeled homes  brought  business 
to  Schrieber  &  Hohman,  paint; 
Nagel  &  Stolz,  brick;  John  E. 
Steinhart,  finance;  and  Henry 
Goesel,   paint. 

Paul  T.  Klenk,  four  times  mayor 
of  Blue  Island  and  eight  years 
assistant  attorney-general  of  Illi- 
nois, later  formed  a  new  law  firm 
with  Franklin  W.  Klein  as  his 
partner. 

The  State  Bank,  which  had  been 
closed  since  the  moratorium  in 
March,  1933,  re-opened  with  A. 
R.  Floreen,  President;  Walter  C. 
Bielfeld,  Vice  President  and  Cash- 
ier; Miss  Esther  Steinbach,  Ass't. 
Cashier ;  and  Henry  L.  Duff,  Ass't. 
Cashier  and  Trust  Officer.  The 
board  of  directors,  consisted  of 
Charles  Habich,  F.  J.  Boyd,  F.  W. 
Tracy,  Rudolph  Heitmann,  C.  B. 


Hutchins,  W.  C.  Bielfeldt,  John  L. 
Synakiewicz,  Samuel  M.  Havens, 
F.  J.  Van  Overstraeten,  Jacob 
Thoeming  and  Robert  Dillman.  In 
March  also,  William  H.  Weber  be- 
came the  new  president  of  the  First 
National  Bank.  Henry  Seyfarth 
was  appointed  bank  attorney,  and 
John  Zacharias  and  Ed  Maroney, 
directors. 

Other  projects  designed  to  stim- 
ulate business  were  the  May  Days, 
special  sales  endorsed  by  the 
Lions  Club;  and  the  two  public 
works  projects:  an  addition  to  the 
high  school,  which  had  tripled  in 
attendance  and  a  viaduct  over  the 
Rock  Island  tracks  on  Burr  Oak, 
to  cost  in  the  neighborhood  of 
$400,000. 

The  County  Highway  engineers 
favored  a  concrete  viaduct  over 
Burr  Oak  Avenue  and  recom- 
mended the  use  of  federal  funds 
as  it  would  be  a  relief  measure 
to  get  men  to  their  work  faster, 
Burr  Oak  being  a  main  artery 
eastward.  Street  improvement 
Work  would  affect  nearly  every 
section  of  the  city. 

Community  High  School,  Dist. 
218,  with  John  C.  Joens  as  presi- 
dent of  the  board,  hearing  that 
government  money  was  being  of- 
fered for  worthwhile  public 
works,  considered  the  possibility 
of  getting  federal  funds  for  the 
building  of  a  sixteen-room  addi- 
tion to  the  main  building  in  Maple 
Avenue,  plus  an  auditorium,  a 
gym,  and  a  natatorium.  The  Dis- 
trict 218  board  at  that  time  con- 
sisted of  Allen  B.  Knirsch,  Emil 


92 


Mayor  Hart  greets  Eisenhower 
The  city's  chief  executive  and  the  General  seem  to  be  considering  a  serious 
subject  on  Blue  Island's  big  day. 


J.  Blatt  and  Walter  C.  Anderson. 

On  June  5,  1935,  word  was  re- 
ceived that  the  high  school  was 
approved  by  the  North  Central  As- 
sociation on  a  close  margin,  29.5 
pupils  per  teacher,  and  6  classes 
per  teacher  being  pretty  close  to 
a  non-approved  limit.  It  was  esti- 
mated that  from  seven  to  ten  more 
faculty   members   were   needed. 

Superintendent  J.  E.  Lemon, 
who  had  served  forty-two  years 
retired,  and  H.  L.  Richards  was 
elected  to  succeed  him,  to  be  in 
charge  of  a  large  school  of  1150 


students  and  a  hard  financial  situ- 
ation. Mr.  Richcrds  was  chosen 
because  he  was  the  product  of  a 
military  academy,  was  a  good 
disciplinarian,  and  had  had  execu- 
tive experience. 

Lions  Club  President  Henry 
Baumann  presented  illuminated 
framed  testimonials,  recognizing 
their  public  service,  to  John  H. 
Volp,  Rudolph  Heitmann,  Alder- 
man Louis  Rauch,  Mayor  Fred  A. 
Rice,  Dr.  Frank  Tracy,  J.  Floyd 
Smith,  Phil  Seyfarth,  and  Al 
Stolz. 


93 


Blue  Island  received  the  atten- 
tion of  the  literary  world  when 
Margaret  Ayer  Barnes'  new  novel, 
Edna  His  Wife  was  published. 
Mrs.  Barnes  used  Blue  Island  as 
the  home  locale  for  the  book  and 
made  the  heroine's  father  a  Rock 
Island  telegraph  operator.  The 
author  was  struck  by  the  pic- 
turesqueness  of  Blue  Island's  hill 
on  Western  Avenue,  approaching 
from  the  south,  and  the  heroine, 
Edna,  looks  back  to  Blue  Island 
days  with  longing  from  her  pent- 
house in  New  York. 

The  park  board  voted  a  $30,000 
bond  issue  to  acquire  lots  along 
Walnut  Street  and  Highland  Ave- 
nue for  the  completion  of  Mem- 
orial Park.  A  WPA  loan  of 
$231,000  was  to  help  make  the 
park  one  of  the  finest  when  com- 
pleted. It  was  to  consist  of  a  large 
administration  building  and  field 
house  with  offices,  a  gymnasium, 
bathhouse,  lockers,  auditoriums, 
a  250  foot  swimming  pool,  an 
athletic  field,  an  outdoor  stadium 
with  1000  seating  capacity,  and 
a  terraced  and  landscaped  lawn. 
The  park  board  also  bought  prop- 
erty in  the  third  ward  for  an 
eastside  playground  at  Wood  and 
Vermont. 

Many  Blue  Islanders  took  part 
in  Old  Newsboy  Day,  a  project 
sponsored  by  the  Lions  Club,  to 
raise  money  for  charity.  George 
Engelland,  pioneer  newspaper 
dealer,  retraced  the  route  he  serv- 
ed thirty-five  years  ago.  Andrew 
L.  McCord,  vice-president  of  the 
First    National    Bank,    Dr.    Earle 


J.  W.  Pronger,  Dr.  Clarence  F. 
Folkers,  dentist;  Alderman  Joseph 
W.  Lentz,  Samuel  J.  Eisendrath, 
who  sold  papers  here  in  1882; 
Edward  Daugherty,  Rock  Island 
Railroad  man;  Emil  C.  Schaebes, 
building  contractor ;  attorney 
Robert  H.  Gilson;  Peter  W. 
Heintz,  realtor  and  insurance 
man;  Henry  Heinecke  (the  skat- 
ing newsboy),  plumber;  Harry 
W.  Bettenhausen,  radio  shop  own- 
er! Don  Boughner,  railroad  clerk; 
N.  R.  Ramser,  manager  of  the 
Woolworth  store ;  Policeman 
Frank  Jenner;  Walter  A.  Eggert, 
superintendent  of  schools,  District 
130;  H.  L.  Richards,  Community 
High  School  superintendent; 
Homer  B.  Clemmons  and  Harold 
C.  Volp  from  the  Sun-Standard; 
and  Al  Tyler,  railroader,  all  ad- 
mitted they  got  their  financial 
start    as   newsboys. 

The  vote  at  the  city  election 
was  split  between  the  People's 
Party  which  provided  mayor  Fred 
A.  Rice  and  the  Greater  Blue  Is- 
land Party  whose  Louis  F. 
Schwartz  became  city  clerk.  The 
council  stayed  under  control  of 
the  Greater  Blue  Island  Party. 
The  aldermen  elected  were:  first 
ward,  Louis  W.  Rauch  (P)  ;  sec- 
ond ward,  Henry  Goesel  (I)  ; 
third  ward,  R.  Guglielmucci  (P)  ; 
fourth  ward,  Joseph  W.  Lentz 
(G)  ;  fifth  ward,  Stewart  Sand- 
berg  (G)  ;  sixth  ward,  Dr.  Thom- 
as J.  Scanlon,  and  Harry  W.  Hott- 
endorf  (tied)  ;  and  William  J. 
Gerdes  (G),  seventh  ward.  The 
police     magistrate     elected     was 


94 


Home  of  the  Blue  Island  Elks 
This  handsome  structure  was  formerly  occupied  by  the  Illinois  Bell  Telephone 
Company. 


George  E.  Heatley  (G)  and  the 
secretary,  Charles  Anderson.  Ru- 
dolph Heitmann  and  Henry 
Schreiber  were  elected  to  the 
park  board. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Louis  Hamlin 
Burno  celebrated  their  golden  an- 
niversary on  October  28,  1935. 
Mr.  Burno,  a  Rock  Island  Rail- 
road man,  was  very  active  in  the 
First  Methodist  Church,  where  he 
served  as  a  trustee  for  twenty-five 
years.  He  also  served  on  the 
school    board. 

Henry  F.  and  Emma  (Foss) 
Klein  celebrated  their  golden  wed- 
ding anniversary  on  December  6, 
1935.  The  Kleins,  a  pioneer  fam- 


ily, are  of  the  Klein  and  Schroth 
wholesale  meat  packing  industry. 

The  city  mourned  the  passing 
of  Joseph  Mateer  Lobaugh,  bank- 
er, commission  man,  attorney  and 
real  estate  dealer.  Mr.  Lobaugh, 
a  man  who  appreciated  the  prob- 
lems of  his  fellowmen,  founded 
the  Blue  Island  State  Bank  in 
1912  and  served  faithfully  in 
many  capacities. 

Business  changes  of  the  time 
included  the  opening  of  a  new 
office  at  2427  Vermont  Street  by 
Henry  L.  Duff  who  began  a  trust 
and  property  management  busi- 
ness. The  Economy  Coal  Company 
continued   service   under  manage- 


95 


ment  of  Mrs.  Samuel  Edwards  with 
her  son,  Emlyn.  Peter  H.  Krick 
was  named  bank  director  of  the 
First  National  Bank.  In  October, 
Fred  Hohman  purchased  August 
Schreiber's  interest  in  the  book- 
store at  13016  Western  Avenue,  a 
business  which  had  been  estab- 
lished in  1910. 

In  1936  our  school  authorities 
recognized  the  importance  of  a 
closer  relationship  bet  ween 
school  and  home  and  school  and 
public.  They  called  the  attention 
of  the  public  to  the  low  per  cap- 
ita cost  of  Blue  Island  Community 
High  School  with  sixteen  other 
township  schools.  In  spite  of  the 
overcrowded  high  school  condi- 
tions, the  school  was  approved  by 
the  North  Central  Association  of 
Colleges,  and  the  Lions  Club 
favored  a  referendum  to  increase 
the  tax  rate  in  order  that  they 
might  remain  accredited. 

A  special  election  was  called 
for  July  18th  to  aid  the  schools 
and  Superintendent  H.  L.  Rich- 
ards and  the  school  board  pressed 
for  a  government  loan  under  the 
First  Deficiency  Act.  A  loan  of 
$104,000  and  an  additional  grant 
of  $85,000  for  construction  of  a 
seventeen  room  addition  were  ap- 
proved by  President  Roosevelt. 
However,  the  government  aid  was 
almost  lost  because  of  the  failure 
of  Blue  Island  residents  to  pass 
an  increase  in  the  school  tax  rate. 

Continued  efforts  on  the  part 
of  Superintendent  Richards  and 
the  board  finally  resulted  in  the 
addition    of    two    identical    two- 


story  wings  providing  eleven 
classrooms  and  two  study  halls,  a 
band  room,  a  lunch  room  and  two 
nurse's  rooms.  More  tax  money 
would  be  needed  to  put  Home 
Economics  and  Manual  Training 
back  into  the  curriculum.  The  in- 
crease was  voted  in  a  subsequent 
election. 

Carl  Caul,  the  local  representa- 
tive of  the  Chicago  Motor  Club, 
arranged  for  school  patrol  work 
at  both  the  parochial  and  public 
schools.  Boys  in  Sam  Browne 
belts  stood  guard  at  crossings  to 
protect  boys  and  girls  crossing 
the  street.  Fifty  boys  were  given 
recognition  for  outstanding  work 
in  this  project. 

The  First  Congregational 
Church  celebrated  its  75th  birth- 
day in  October,  1935.  The  Rev. 
James  Robert  Smith,  pastor  over 
forty  years  previous,  was  invited 
back  into  the  pulpit  to  preach. 
The  Sunday  School  was  organized 
in  1849  and  the  group  was  recog- 
nized as  a  church  in  1860.  The 
Rev.  Aylesworth  B.  Bell  showed 
pictures  of  the  1865  church  com- 
pared with  the  present  church. 

The  First  Methodist  Church  at 
Western  Avenue  and  Burr  Oak, 
with  the  Rev.  Frank  Hancock  as 
pastor,  observed  its  sixty-third 
birthday  at  a  church  dinner.  It 
had  grown  from  twenty-five  mem- 
bers to  over  six  hundred.  A  com- 
munity room  had  been  built,  but, 
because  of  financial  difficulties, 
it  had  been  rented  to  the  WPA 
during  the  depression.  When  the 
WPA  moved  into  the  Central  Park 


96 


Fieldhouse  in  January  of  1937, 
the  church  was  put  up  for  sale 
but  would  occupy  the  building 
until  negotiations  were  complet- 
ed. 

The  75th  anniversary  of  the 
founding  of  the  St.  Benedict  par- 
ish was  celebrated  in  a  solemn 
high  jubilee  mass  by  veteran  pas- 
tor, the  Rev.  Theodore  G.  Gross. 
The  parish  had  been  founded  as 
a  mission  by  the  Benedictine  Fa- 
thers in  October  of  1861.  The 
membership  had  grown  from  175 
families  in  1905  to  more  than 
500. 

On  July  11,  1937,  Gerald  E. 
Feme,  the  son  of  Rev.  aand  Mrs. 
W.  J.  Feme  was  ordained  to  the 
Holy  Ministry  at  the  First  Evan- 
gelical  Lutheran   Church. 

St.  Francis  Hospital,  which  had 
served  the  community  for  thirty 
years,  received  the  approval  of  the 
American  College  of  Surgeons. 

Blue  Island  citizens,  feeling 
responsible  for  the  welfare  of  its 
unemployed,  contributed  two 
truckloads  of  clothing  and  food 
for  distribution  among  the  needy. 
These  were  collected  at  a  motion 
picture  party  sponsored  by  the 
Lions  Club  and  the  Lyric  Theater 
under  the  direction  of  H.  B.  Lund. 
Habich  Brothers  Motor  Company 
donated  a  truck  and  Clifford  L. 
Aulwurm  furnished  huge  hampers 
for  delivery  of  the  merchandise. 
The  American  Legion  also  did  its 
part  by  accumulating  a  sizable 
foundation  for  the  Community 
Chest   fund   to    aid    the    needy. 

At  this  time  the  services  of  the 


Blue  Island  Welfare  Bureau  un- 
der the  direction  of  Mrs.  Flowers, 
were  intimate  and  varied.  The 
home  service  department  provid- 
ed layettes  for  babies.  Comforters 
and  quilts  were  repaired  and  fill- 
ed. An  annual  drive  for  funds 
was  conducted  under  the  leader- 
ship of  J.  Floyd  Smith  to  relieve 
the  sufferings  of  families  as  a 
result  of  fire  loss,  sudden  illness, 
or  death.  The  Welfare  Bureau  al- 
so added  an  employment  bureau 
for  young  men  nineteen  years  of 
age  and  over,  providing  such  work 
as  fall  housecleaning,  storm  win- 
dow placing,  and  other  part-time 
work.  They  encouraged  employ- 
ment rather  than  relief  in  keep- 
ing  with   the   American   doctrine. 

Blue  Island  citizens  also  con- 
tributed to  the  Red  Cross  for  Texas 
flood  relief,  and  Kline's  Depart- 
ment Store  turned  over  five  per 
cent  of  its  Saturday's  sales  to  this 
project. 

Ray  Barthel  was  appointed  su- 
perintendent of  the  Blue  Island 
recreation  project.  The  Recreation 
Center  was  open  for  men,  women, 
and  children  every  day  but  Satur- 
day from  3:00  -  9:00  p.m.  The 
gymnasium  provided  an  oppor- 
tunity to  play  basketball,  volley- 
ball, ping  pong,  and  shuffleboard. 
An  upstairs  room  was  set  aside 
for  chess,  checkers,  etc.  Various 
crafts,  including  art,  metal  and 
woodworking  were  taught. 

Recreation  handcraft  classes,  in 
cooperation  with  the  American 
Legion,  collected,  repaired,  and 
painted  toys   which   made   over   a 


97 


hundred  children  happy  for 
Christmas. 

The  city  library  was  found  full 
of  studious  youth  doing  research 
and  reference  work  after  school 
and  evenings.  This  was  a  mighty 
fine  place  to  meet  friends,  too! 
Additional  books  had  been  pur- 
chased through  the  aid  of  state 
funds,  including  such  memorable 
titles  as:  Pitkin's  The  Art  of 
Thinking;  Van  Loon's  Geography; 
Steffens'  Boy  on  Horseback,  and 
Muzzey's  History  of  Our  Country, 
all  popular  books  in  that  day.  In 
order  to  stimulate  the  interest  of 
adults  the  public  library  started  a 
series  of  book  reviews  with  two 
primary  purposes:  to  provide  an 
hour  of  entertainment  for  busy 
men  and  women,  and  to  encour- 
age them  to  come  to  the  library 
to  get  acquainted  with  its  new 
books  and  magazines,  the  purchase 
of  which  had  been  made  possible 
through  the  Illinois  Emergency 
Relief  Fund.  The  first  book  re- 
view was  given  by  H.  L.  Richards, 
who,  having  been  a  Social  Studies 
teacher,  naturally  picked  a  his- 
torical novel,  Drums  Along  The 
Mohawk,  by  Walter  D.  Edmonds. 
Mrs.  J.  E.  Lemon  was  to  provide 
the  second  book  review. 

In  May,  1937,  Edward  C.  Mar- 
oney,  president  of  the  Blue  Island 
Park  Board,  made  a  special  trip 
to  Washington,  D.C.  to  assure  the 
allocation  of  an  additional  $58,- 
000  WPA  grant  to  complete  Mem- 
orial Park.  The  concrete  outdoor 
stadium  to  seat  3500  persons  was 
near  completion.   Concrete  tennis 


courts  were  planned,  and  a  swim- 
ming pool  was  placed  on  the  pre- 
ferred list.  The  tennis  courts  and 
playgrounds  were  in  daily  use, 
and  the  grading  and  renovation 
of  the  baseball  diamond  at  Cen- 
tennial Park  on  the  East  side  was 
also  in  progress. 

An  annual  sport,  well  attended 
by  local  citizens,  was  the  basket- 
ball game  between  the  high  school 
faculty  and  the  graduates.  Among 
those  on  the  faculty  team  in  1937 
were  "Pop"  Ewing,  H.  L.  Rich- 
ards, Birt  Frobish,  C.  B.  Price, 
C.  L.  Blunk,  and  Coach  Eberhart. 
A  cart  drawn  by  a  small  pony 
brought  the  faculty  players  onto 
the  floor.  The  old  grads,  some  of 
whom  needed  to  trim  off  a  few 
pounds,  consisted  of  Les  Damm, 
Bill  Berry,  Les  Muir,  Cliff  Aul- 
wurm,  Carl  Sorgenfrei,  Clyde 
Beard,  and  Bud  Jacobs,  were  led 
onto  the  floor  by  Dr.  E  a  r  1  e 
Pronger. 

Soon  after  the  beginning  of  the 
game,  the  faculty  put  on  a  sit-down 
strike  and  were  offered  ice-cream 
bars  to  entice  them  back  into  the 
game.  Even  so,  or  perhaps  be- 
cause of  the  added  energy,  the 
faculty  won! 

A  number  of  projects  with  the 
assistance  of  the  WPA  were  in 
progress.  These  included:  streets 
and  sewers,  the  surfacing  of  Burr 
Oak  Avenue,  the  completion  of 
Memorial  Park  and  the  addition 
to  the  high  school. 

Bids  were  received,  contracts 
awarded,  and  work  started  on 
Blue   Island's  million   gallon  wa- 


98 


ter  reservoir  on  January  11th,  to 
be  erected  on  property  at  121st 
Place  and  Highland  Avenue,  and 
the  B  &  0  CT  railroad.  A  Fed- 
eral PWA  grant  and  sale  of  water 
bonds  were  to  make  this  possible. 
Neighbors  were  assured  that  the 
plot  would  never  be  used  for  any- 
thing but  the  tank,  and  the 
grounds  would  be  landscaped  and 
made  beautiful.  In  October,  the 
reservoir  was  filled  with  water 
for  a  test,  the  pumps  were  in- 
stalled, and  connections  were 
made.  The  completion  of  this 
project  provided  a  great  addition 
to  the  city's  water  reserve  and 
lessened  the  danger  to  water  sup- 
ply which  had  threatened  Blue  Is- 
land for  the  last  few  years. 

Two  viaducts  were  on  the  coun- 
ty program  of  highway  improve- 
ments, one  on  Burr  Oak  Avenue 
over  the  Rock  Island  tracks  at  an 
estimated  cost  of  $300,000,  accord- 
ing to  the  report  of  the  county 
commissioner,  Carl  J.  Carlson. 

Canal  widening  to  160  feet  was 
again  being  pushed.  Alderman 
George  F.  Fiedler  was  appointed 
by  Mayor  Rice  to  follow  all  pro- 
cedures closely  because  of  the 
great  changes  such  a  widening 
would  make  in  our  city. 

1937  marked  the  fiftieth  anni- 
versary of  the  Blue  Island  Sav- 
ings and  Loan  Association,  one  of 
the  oldest  of  its  kind  in  Cook 
County.  One  and  a  half  million 
dollars  had  been  invested  in  Blue 
Island  homes  on  loans  to  people 
buying  or  improving  their  dwell- 
ings.  Since  home   ownership   was 


hailed  as  one  of  the  greatest  of 
modern  blessings,  Blue  Island 
could  well  pride  itself  on  its  high 
percentage  of  home  owners,  which 
was  70  percent.  The  city  fathers 
gave  credit  to  the  association  for 
helping  to  create  a  solid  commun- 
ity of  fine  schools,  churches,  and 
homes,  which  had  weathered  the 
depression  with  flying  colors. 

The  personal  wealth  in  Blue  Is- 
land ranked  high  according  to  the 
number  of  income  tax  returns  fil- 
ed in  comparison  with  other  south 
suburbs.  The  wealth  was  regard- 
ed as  active,  not  static,  as  the 
city  had  such  a  large  percentage 
of  railroads,  and  the  salaries  of 
their  employees  fell  into  the  in- 
come tax  class.  A  city  with  such 
a  high  percentage  of  active  in- 
come could  handle  a  better  grade 
of  merchandise  and  could  readily 
sell  such  items  as  medium-priced 
automobiles,  radios  and  electric 
refrigerators. 

In  October  of  1937,  Edmond 
H.  Bronson  purchased  a  battery 
and  tire  station  at  12814  Western 
Avenue,  where  he  handled  a  com- 
plete line  of  Firestone  products 
and  also  home  radios  and  electric 
refrigerators.  Bronson's  father 
was  the  earliest  auto  dealer  in 
Blue  Island,  having  handled  bi- 
cycles before  the  auto  age  and 
having  opened  his  auto  garage  in 
1905. 

Harry  W.  Bettenhausen,  the 
young  proprietor  of  the  leading 
electrical  appliance  shops  in 
South  Cook  County,  completed 
air-conditioning  his  store  at  13118 


99 


Western  Avenue,  this  being  the 
first  store  to  be  so  modernized 
in  Blue  Island.  15,000  people 
crowded  into  the  store  to  admire 
the   innovation. 

The  American  Wire  Fabrics 
Corporation  re-opened  giving 
employment  to  sixty-five  people. 
The  plant,  producing  screen  wire, 
was  modern  and  well  equipped. 
Charles  H.  Hannagan  returned  as 
manager. 

Al  Schuemann  and  George 
Staes,  well-known  young  Blue  Is- 
landers, opened  a  modern  food 
store  and  market  at  12734  West- 
ern Avenue.  The  fruit  and  vege- 
tables were  handled  by  Charles 
Staes,  father  of  George,  and  the 
butcher   shop    by   Al   Schuemann. 

Community  Days  were  set  for 
Feb.  18,  19,  20  and  Western 
Avenue  prepared  for  the  biggest 
three  days  in  history.  The  five 
cent  bus  fare  on  the  South  Sub- 
urban Safeway  buses  within  the 
city  limits  of  Blue  Island  made  it 
possible  for  shoppers  to  ride  buses 
from  one  end  of  the  city  limit  to 
the  other  for  only  a  nickel.  The 
merchants   were   elated! 

The  Blue  Island  city  tax,  though 
slightly  greater  than  the  previous 
year,  did  not  show  nearly  the  in- 
crease that  Chicago  tax-payers 
had  to  dig  up. 

1937  marked  the  beginning  of 
four-year  terms  for  all  city  of- 
ficials :  mayor,  clerk,  treasurer,  po- 
lice magistrate,  and  aldermen. 

The  April  election  resulted  in  a 
complete  victory  for  the  Citizens' 
Party.  John  M.  Hart  was  elected 


for  the  new  four-year  term  as 
mayor.  He  had  taken  his  first  job 
in  a  drugstore  at  twelve,  and  had 
worked  his  way  through  high 
school  and  the  University  of  Illi- 
nois School  of  Pharmacy.  Louis 
F.  Schwartz,  who  had  been  a 
bookkeeper  all  his  life,  was 
elected  clerk.  Richard  Seyfarth, 
a  youthful  attorney,  became  po- 
lice magistrate,  and  August  W. 
Schreiber,  an  accountant,  the 
treasurer. 

The  aldermen  elected  were  as 
follows:  first  ward  -  Louis  W. 
Rauch;  second  ward  -  Henry  J. 
Goesel  and  George  F.  Fiedler; 
third  ward  -  Michael  Guglielmuc- 
ci  and  Gustav  R.  Lietzau;  fourth 
ward  -  Joseph  W.  Lentz  and  Ar- 
thur C.  Ladwig;  fifth  ward  - 
Otto  Kasch  and  George  Sutton; 
sixth  ward  -  Thomas  J.  Scanlon 
and  Charles  Dewar;  and  seventh 
ward  -   Clarence  0.  Williams. 

Mayor  Hart  immediately  an- 
nounced that  he  would  not  run 
the  mayor's  office  from  the  drug 
store  and  established  office  hours 
at  the  City  Hall.  The  administra- 
tion of  the  City  of  Blue  Island  was 
formally  inducted  into  office  on 
a  flower-decked  stage  at  Eagles 
Hall  before  an  admiring  throng 
of  friends.  A  beautiful  gold  star 
set  with  a  .66  carat  diamond  was 
presented  to  Mayor  Hart  by  his 
numerous    friends. 

John  McEvoy,  known  by  hun- 
dreds of  friends  and  neighbors 
as  "Mac,"  took  over  the  reins  of 
the  police  department  on  May  15 
as  chief  of  police  through  virtue 


100 


of  his  appointment  by  Mayor 
Hart.  The  appointment  won  the 
100  percent  approval  of  the  cit) 
council.  Paul  R.  Schreiber,  young 
attorney  and  son  of  city  treasur- 
er August  \Y.  Schreiber,  was  nam- 
ed to  the  position  of  city  attor- 
ney, also  with  the  unanimous  con- 
sent of  the  council.  Reappointed 
for  other  posts  were :  Wells 
Crockett,  commissioner  of  assess- 
ments and  tax  commissioner,  R. 
B.  Hammond,  supt.  of  public 
works;  Allen  L.  Fox,  city  en- 
gineer; H.  J.  Schnurstein,  build- 
ing commissioner;  and  Dr.  Al- 
bert J.  Roemisch,  health  commis- 
sioner. 

Mayor  Hart  appointed  Edward 
H.  Hopf  as  chairman  of  the  civil 


service  board  and  Howard  Heck- 
ler and  Lowell  Frasor  u  mem- 
bers of  the  recreation   board. 

In  Jul\.   Floyd  Smith   resigned 
as   postmaster.    President    Hoover 

had  given  Mr.  Smith  the  commis- 
sion in  July.  1932.  His  term  ex- 
pired in  1936,  but  he  was  able  to 
keep  the  position  despite  Demo- 
cratic pressure  which  was  a  com- 
pliment to  Mr.  Smith.  Anthony  J. 
Lagod  of  the  third  ward  was  ten- 
dered a  temporary  appointment. 
On  March  1,  1936,  a  quality 
women's  specialty  shop.  The  May- 
fair,  was  opened  on  12956  S. 
Western  by  Henry  G.  Baumann. 
The  store  has  grown  to  be  one  of 
Blue  Island's  leading  establish- 
ments. 


Grace  Methodist  Church 
After  the  two  Methodist  congregations  in  Blue  Island  combined,  they  occupied 
this  beautiful  edifice  on  Maple  Avenue. 


101 


In  May,  1937,  the  Lions  Club 
presented  silk  American  flags  to 
Community  High  School  and  the 
First  Lutheran  School.  John  E. 
Steinhart,  head  of  the  Americani- 
zation Department,  made  the  pre- 
sentation. 

The  Rotary  Club  saluted,  in- 
stead of  the  "man  of  the  month," 
the  entire  board  of  Community 
High  School,  who  had  over- 
come tremendous  obstacles  in 
their  financial  arrangements  and 
building  problems.  That  the  addi- 
tion to  the  high  school  was  now 
completed  was  a  great  credit  to 
the  community.  Saluted  were: 
John  C.  Joens,  Emil  J.  Blatt,  Louis 
J.  Biedenkopf,  Allen  B.  Knirsch, 
and  Clifford  L.  Aulwurm. 

The  high  school  had  put  manu- 
al training,  cooking,  and  sewing 
back  into  the  curriculum,  and 
sixty-five  members  of  the  city's 
two  service  clubs,  the  Lions  and 
Rotary  clubs,  were  guests  of  the 
Board  of  Education  in  a  tour  of 
the  new  additions.  John  C.  Joens, 
president  of  the  Board,  welcomed 
the  visitors. 

A  larger  faculty,  more  complete 
curriculum,  and  more  elbow 
room  made  it  possible  to  give  bet- 
ter service  to  the  825  students 
in  the  senior  high  school  and  the 
425  freshmen  at  the  North  build- 
ing. Despite  dour  financial  con- 
ditions there  was  a  slight  increase 
in  teachers'  salaries  in  order  to 
keep  up  a  high  standard  of  facul- 
ty members.  Though  the  attempt 
to  increase  the  tax  rate  had  failed, 
every    effort    was    made    to    keep 


the  school  on  the  North  Central 
accredited   list. 

As  a  result  of  the  construction 
work  done  in  1937,  the  city  was 
to  benefit  a  great  deal.  Three 
public  improvements,  at  a  cost  of 
$400,000,  added  much  to  the  fu- 
ture comfort  and  pleasure  of  at 
least  two  generations  of  our  citi- 
zens. These  were:  Memorial  Park, 
the  addition  to  the  high  school, 
and  the  new  water  works. 

Several  new  stores  were  added, 
which  enlarged  the  commercial 
activity.  Factories  were  expand- 
ed, and  one  that  had  long  been 
closed  reopened.  Frank  Rauwolf 
was  erecting  a  new  store:  the 
Jebens  Hardware  and  the  Melvin 
Service  Station  were  added.  The 
largest  construction  project  was 
a  new  warehouse  for  the  Equip- 
ment Manufacturing  Company  at 
2829  Vermont. 

The  Blue  Island  Savings  and 
Loan,  which  had  celebrated  its 
50th  birthday  in  1937,  held  open 
house  in  its  new  building  at  2429 
West  Vermont.  The  new  struc- 
ture was  modern  with  terra  cotta 
and  glass-brick  finish. 

The  assets  were  growing  with 
the  following  officers  in  charge: 

A.  C.  Miller,  president;  Peter 
H.  Krick,  vice  president;  Arthur 
G.  Olson,  secretary  and  treasur- 
er; Emil  J.  Blatt,  assistant  secre- 
tary-treasurer; and  Robert  H. 
Gilson,  attorney. 

The  directors  were:  R.V.  Zach- 
er,  John  A.  Lentz,  A.J.  Eiserstedt, 
and  Carl  Groskopf. 

The  merchants  discussed  a  sales 


102 


crusade  and  adopted  a  slogan : 
"More  sales  mean  more  jobs." 
Employment  picked  up  at  the 
Libby  plant,  whose  products  are 
sold  nationally.  People  were  en- 
couraged to  buy  Blue  Island  man- 
ufactured products  and  stimulate 
home  industry.  The  wholesale  dis- 
tribution business  amounted  to 
over  nine  million  dollars,  and  the 
manufactured  products  turned  out 
were  valued  at  six-and-a-half  mil- 
lion. 

It  was  established  that  the 
average  citizen  bought  at  retail 
in  the  home  community.  Our  citi- 
zens were  mostly  railroad  employ- 
ees, workers  in  the  wholesale  and 
manufacturing  establishments,  ci- 
ty employees,  school  teachers, 
and   commuters. 

Retail  distributors  consisted  of: 
sixty-seven  food  stores,  forty-six 
eating  and  drinking  places,  twen- 
ty-two filling  stations,  eleven  gen- 
eral merchandise  establishments, 
ten  auto  shops,  ten  automotive 
repair  shops,  seven  apparel  shops, 
and   six   drug  stores. 

Two  city  landmarks  disappear- 
ed during  1938.  One  of  them 
was  the  seventy-five  year-old 
South  building  of  Jebens  Hard- 
ware at  13311  Western  Avenue. 
Some  of  the  bricks  on  the  back 
wall  had  been  hand-made.  A 
modern  brick  and  stone  building 
replaced  the  old  landmark.  An- 
other landmark  to  disappear  was 
the  sixty-year-old  frame  Cavalli- 
ni  building  at  the  southeast  corn- 
er of  Western  and  Vermont.  The 
Italian-American    restaurant    was 


replaced  by  a  new  brick  build- 
ing, housing  four  small  stores  on 
Vermont,  a  larger  store  in  front. 
The  corner  was  owned  by  the 
Zacharias  interests. 

An  indication  that  Blue  Island 
citizens  were  prosperous  was 
shown  by  federal  income-tax  fig- 
ures. Proportionately  speaking, 
there  were  many  more  income 
tax  payers  in  Blue  Island  than 
in  two  other  large  neighboring 
cities:    The    figures    were: 

902  tax  payers  per  1000  in 
Blue  Island;  708  per  1000  in 
Chicago  Heights;  and  388  per 
1000  in  Calumet  City.  Unem- 
ployment was  less  than  that  in 
Harvey  and  our  tax  rate  was  the 
lowest  of  cities  of  comparable 
size  and  service  to  the  public  in 
the   entire   area. 

Blue  Island,  as  always,  was  in- 
terested in  the  welfare  of  its  citi- 
zens. The  American  Legion  gave 
an  inhalator  to  the  first  aid  squad 
in  line  with  their  record  of  com- 
munity betterment.  Thus  the  Blue 
Island  Fire  Department  would  be 
aided  in  saving  the  lives  of 
drowned  victims  and  those  suf- 
fering from  carbon  monoxide 
poisoning,  gas  asphyxiation,  elec- 
tric shock,  or  suffocation.  It  might 
also  help  save  the  lives  of  new- 
born   infants. 

Under  the  general  chairman- 
ship of  Henry  G.  Baumann,  there 
was  a  whirlwind  drive  for  the 
Boy  Scout  movement.  The  zone 
leaders  were:  John  E.  Steinhart, 
J.  Floyd  Smith,  Harry  Lund,  and 
Henry   Duff. 


103 


The  Illinois  Commerce  Com- 
mission issued  an  order  "authori- 
zing, permitting,  and  directing" 
the  Cook  County  Highway  De- 
partment to  contruct  a  new,  mod- 
ern viaduct  on  Burr  Oak  Avenue 
over  the  Rock  Island  tracks,  the 
cost  to  be  borne  entirely  by  the 
county  and  the  railroad.  Mayor 
John  M.  Hart  and  Commissioner 
Carl  J.  Carlson  led  the  fight.  The 
city  enlarged  its  street  program 
under  the  stimulus  of  the  federal 
government's  new  spending  pro- 
gram. $100,000  was  spent  for  the 
paving  and  repair  of  the  arterial 
streets. 

Final  landscaping  at  Memorial 
Park  was  rushed  for  the  Memo- 
rial Day  ceremonies.  The  park, 
an  old  pioneer  cemetery,  had 
been  turned  over  as  a  place  for 
memorial  purposes  and  as  a  recre- 
ation center  for  the  living.  The 
$85,000  pool  had  been  approved. 
Edward  Maroney,  president  of 
the  park  board,  said  the  pool 
would  be  one  of  the  finest  in  the 
country  with  a  greatest  width  of 
150  feet,  and  water  from  fifteen 
to  twenty  feet  deep. 

The  Park  dedication  was  a 
feature  of  Memorial  Day  with 
G.  Frank  Van  Gorder  the  Patri- 
otic Association  head  as  the  prin- 
cipal speaker.  The  committee  con- 
sisted of  representatives  from 
three  veterans  organizations:  Wal- 
ter E.  Edmondson,  representing 
the  Spanish  War  veterans;  Alfred 
Thied,  the  Veterans  of  Foreign 
Wars,  and  Harvey  Antilla,  the 
American    Legion. 


The  school  enrollment  figures 
in  Cook  County  showed  a  trend 
toward  a  large  increase  in  the 
secondary  or  high  school  level. 
Community  High  School  faced 
the  issue:  either  close  the  high 
school,  cut  it  to  a  six-month  ses- 
sion, or  raise  additional  funds. 
Prof.  Guy  Fowlkes  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Wisconsin  was  called 
in  to  view  the  actual  existing  con- 
ditions. He  made  two  public  ap- 
pearances to  point  out  the  need 
for  a  tax  increase,  stressing  four 
points. 

1.  There  was  a  lack  of  much- 
needed  industrial. arts,  house- 
hold arts,  and  music  courses. 

2.  The  number  of  pupils  per 
teacher   was   too   high. 

3.  The  teachers'  salaries  were 
lower  than  those  of  other 
schools  in  the  area;  there- 
fore the  teacher  turnover  was 
too  high,  and  it  was  neces- 
sary to  employ  inexperienced 
teachers. 

4.  Blue  Island  was  spending 
less  to  educate  each  child 
than  other  schools  of  the 
same  size. 

Nevertheless,  the  special  elec- 
tion to  raise  money  for  the  high 
school  failed. 

The  Board,  with  John  C.  Joens 
as  president,  decided  to  limp 
along.  Their  chief  concern  was 
how  could  they  hold  their  rating 
with    North    Central? 

In  September  the  largest  fresh- 
man class  in  the  history  of  the 
school  enrolled,  430  strong.  A 
laboratory-history    course,    devel- 


104 


oped  under  Supt.  Richards'  dir- 
ection, and  known  as  "History  of 
the  West,"  attracted  favorable 
comments  from  educators.  Stu- 
dents were  taught  more  about 
the  trials  of  pioneer  life,  con- 
trasting the  disadvantages  of  earl- 
ier days  with  the  many  advant- 
ages of  modern  existence.  Diver- 
sified English  courses  were  taught 
to  meet  more  nearly  the  special 
interests  of  the  students:  business, 
oratory,  dramatic,  writing.  The 
Blue  Island  Lions  Club  voted  to 
complete  the  vocational  guidance 
program  at  the  high  school. 
Speakers  from  Northwestern  and 
the  Rock  Island  lines  appeared 
on  the  program.  A  series  of  guid- 
ance booklets  was  presented  to 
the  school  library. 

H.  L.  Richards  was  chosen  pre- 
sident of  the  Lions  Club.  The 
following  committee  joined  him 
in  work  on  the  high  school  prob- 
lem: Rev.  A.  C.  Nesmith,  H.  E. 
Seyfarth,  John  Steinhart,  and  Al 
Stolz. 

Dr.  Leslie  0.  Damm  was  elect- 
ed president  of  the  grade  school 
board,  which  consisted  of  Walter 
Anderson,  Enger  Anderson,  Perry 
Hoag  and  Fred  Hohmann.  Fred 
Hohmann  was  also  elected  to  the 
high  school  board  with  the  ex- 
press purpose  of  promoting  arti- 
culation between  the  two  school 
systems.  The  grade  school  board 
of  District  130  appointed  two 
physicians  to  conduct  physical 
examinations  and  to  approve  or 
reject  pupils  in  health  matters. 
These  were  Dr.  A.  B.  Snider  and 


Dr.  Kenneth  Smith.  They  also 
appointed  two  dentists  to  handle 
examinations  and  emergency  den- 
tal work.  They  were  Dr.  C.  E. 
Folkers  and  Dr.  Taylor  Bell. 
They  hired  a  special  teacher  to 
instruct  several  crippled  children 
in  their  homes  as  they  were  not 
able   to    attend   school. 

A  number  of  Blue  Island  grade 
school  children  took  honors  on 
major  exhibits  at  the  garden 
show  at  Navy  Pier  in  Chicago. 
They  came  home  with  a  total  of 
136  ribbons,  among  which  were 
a  first  prize  for  a  bud  and  branch 
arrangement,  a  second  prize  for 
a  conservation  poster  and  a  con- 
servation map.  The  competition 
was   state   wide. 

Air  mail  came  to  Blue  Island 
in  1938.  Pilot  Schofield,  in  a 
Taylor  Cub  plane,  landed  at 
119th,  a  mile  west  of  Western, 
bringing  400  letters  to  Blue  Is- 
land. He  picked  up  700  special 
letters  from  Blue  Island  for  de- 
livery to  every  state  of  the  union. 

Postm  aster  Lagod  thanked 
many  for  helping  bring  this  about 
during  Air  Mail  Week  on  the 
20th  anniversary  of  the  founding 
of  the  U.S.  Postoffice  Air  Mail 
service. 

The  city  looked  proudly  back 
upon  the  accomplishments  of 
John  H.  Volp,  who  had  been  a 
life-long  resident  and  the  presi- 
dent of  the  Blue  Island  Publish- 
ing Corporation,  publishers  of  sev- 
eral newspapers  in  this  area,  and 
who  passed  away  in  1938.  Mr. 
Volp    grew    nine    dollars    into    a 


105 


$50,000  firm  during  his  colorful 
life.  The  smell  of  ink  and  the  de- 
sire to  "stick  type"  already  be- 
came an  obsession  when  he  was  in 
his  teens.  In  the  spring  of  1884, 
when  he  was  fourteen,  he  gradu- 
ated from  printer's  devil  to  ap- 
prentice, and  then  from  printer 
to  reporter,  from  editor  to  pub- 
lisher, and  on  to  the  top,  using 
every  opportunity  to  gain  another 
notch.  He  was  author  and  pub- 
lisher of  The.  First  Hundred  Years, 
a  colorful  history  of  Blue  Island, 
upon  which  this  book  is  largely 
based. 

The  Blue  Island  City  Council, 
headed  by  Mayor  John  Hart,  paid 
tribute  to  this  leading  citizen.  In 
addition,  the  Blue  Island  Lions 
Club  paid  the  following  tribute: 
"John  Henry  Volp  rendered  val- 
uable service  in  the  furtherance 
of  civic  projects  and  activities, 
the  most  memorable  of  which 
was  the  Centennial  Celebration  in 
1935,  when  he  acted  as  general 
chairman  to  commemorate  the 
100th  anniversary  of  the  founding 
of  this   community. 

"In  business  as  a  publisher  he 
was  always  unselfish  in  his  devo- 
tion and  generous  in  his  contri- 
butions to  the  welfare  of  this 
community,  the  betterment  of 
which  was  his  constant  goal." 

Several  leading  citizens  in  the 
United  States  paid  tribute  to  Mr. 
Volp:  Kermit  Roosevelt,  the  son 
of  the  nation's  president,  Theo- 
dore Roosevelt;  Dr.  John  H.  Fin- 
ley,  editor-in-chief  of  the  New 
York  Times;   Gilbert  T.  Hodges, 


member  of  the  executive  board 
of  the  New  York  Sun ;  and  Grover 
A.  Whalen,  president  of  the  New 
York  World  Fair  of  1939. 

The  city  also  paid  tribute  to 
another  favorite  son,  Rudolph  E. 
Heitman,  who  had  lived  here 
since  1897  and  had  been  in  the 
grocery  chain  store  management 
business,  and  then  in  his  own 
store  at  12401  Western  Avenue. 
Heitman  had  been  unanimously 
selected  as  chairman  of  the  Blue 
Island  Centennial  Committee,  but 
had  been  forced  to  decline  this 
honor  because  of  failing  health. 
He  was  able,  however  to  serve 
faithfully  on  this  committee.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  park  board 
and  a  director  of  the  State  Bank, 
was  associated  with  Henry  Duff 
in  real  estate  and  insurance,  and 
was  active  in  the  Lions  Club. 

After  first  working  up  a  large 
business  at  home,  the  Watland 
Brothers  came  into  prominence 
at  this  time  when  they  opened 
the  Watland  Camera  Shop,  a 
modern  up-to-date  photography 
store,  with  a  full  line  of  camera 
supplies  and  offering  twenty-four 
hour  developing  and  printing 
service.  Photography  had  been 
a  hobby  of  Arnold,  who  after 
graduating  from  Community  High 
had  gone  on  to  obtain  quite  a  rep- 
utation at  the  University  of  Chat- 
tanooga as  a  chemistry  major  and 
football  player.  His  brothers, 
Vance,  Keith,  and  Lester,  joined 
him  in  his  new  venture,  all  work- 
ing hard  to  achieve  the  success 
which    the    shop    soon   came   to 


106 


make  possible. 

Rotary 's  January  man-of-the 
month  was  Marvin  Olmsted,  the 
friend  and  instructor  of  hundreds 
of  the  city's  youngsters  as  a  music 
instructor  who  had  worked  pa- 
tiently and  zealously  to  better 
the  school's  musical  units. 

Dr.  Ralph  Diffenderfer  con- 
verted the  Christian  Krueger 
home  at  12840  Maple  Avenue  in 
order  to  establish  his  office  there, 
following  a  current  trend  to  have 
offices  in  residential  rather  than 
business  districts.  Dr.  Robert  Lee 
James,  a  physician  here  for  forty- 
seven  years  as  a  general  practi- 
tioner died  in  March.  He  had 
taken  part  in  building  the  high 
school  in  this  city  by  serving  on 
the  school  board  as  president  for 
fifteen  years,  during  which  time 
the    modern    school    was    erected. 

The  First  Lutheran  Church  cel- 
ebrated its  seventy-fifth  anniver- 
sary, centering  activities  around 
the  splendid  old  historical  church 
edifice.  The  congregation  consist- 
ed of  800  families,  making  it  the 
second  largest  in  the  American 
Lutheran  Church.  The  corner- 
tone  was  laid  in  1863,  and  it  was 
the  oldest  church  in  Blue  Island 
which  had  been  continuously  used 
with  practically  no  alterations. 
The  interior  had  been  left  un- 
changed since  worship  during  the 
Civil  War.  The  stone  used  in  the 
church  had  been  quarried  from 
near  Blue  Island  and  hauled  by 
ox  and  horse  teams  to  the  church 
site.  The  chairman  of  the  central 
anniversary  committee  was  Ralph 


Jebsen.  Eleven  sons  of  the  con- 
gregation who  had  entered  the 
ministry  returned  to  participate 
in  the  services.  The  Luther  League 
celebrated  its  25th  anniversary, 
stressing  the  importance  of  youth 
in  the  work  of  the  church. 

Firm  faith  in  the  future  of  our 
city  resulted  in  the  Blue  Island 
Publishing  Corporation's  decision 
to  remodel  its  premises,  purchase 
new  equipment,  and  expand  its 
principal  product,  the  Blue  Island 
Sun-Standard. 

Harold  C.  Volp,  president  of 
the  concern,  succeeded  his  father, 
John  H.  Volp.  Homer  B.  Clem- 
mons,  a  veteran  newspaper  man, 
planned  the  dummy  sheets  which 
served  as  a  guide  for  the  makeup 
men  in  placing  the  advertising. 
Lyman  Massey  was  advertising 
manager;  Walter  Lysen,  himself 
an  athlete  with  a  record  of  partici- 
pation in  many  sports,  was  sports 
editor;  and  Hill  Lakin  was  respon- 
sible for  the  news.  Two  linotype 
machines  were  in  use  daily.  All 
straight  matter  was  set  by  Anna 
D.  Haas,  who  had  worked  for 
the  firm  for  fifty  years,  with  the 
help  of  H.  F.  Schifferl  who  had 
started  in  1925.  Richard  "Smitty" 
Smith,  master  craftsman  of  the 
printing  trade,  was  in  charge  of 
advertising  and  heading  compo- 
sition. The  Blue  Island  Sun-Stand- 
ard had  been  in  the  hands  of  the 
Volp  family  since  1876.  Mrs. 
Viola  C.  Volp  had  quietly  aided 
her  husband  in  the  expansion  of 
the  business  and  had  served  as 
guide    and     inspiration     for    her 


107 


sons  and  daughter,  Alice,  who 
carried  on  the  business. 

Blue  Island  automobile  dealers 
George  F.  Fiedler  and  J.  V.  Bron- 
son  were  elected  to  office  in  the 
South  Suburban  dealers'  associa- 
tion, Mr.  Fiedler  as  vice-president, 
and  Mr.  Bronson  as  secretary. 
Fiedler  was  also  elected  president 
of  the  Dodge  dealers  in  the  Chi- 
cago area.  At  the  election  meet- 
ing, optimism  was  expressed  over 
the  enthusiastic  reception  of  the 
1940  models  of  all  makes.  A  new 
Pontiac  organization,  managed  by 
M.L.  Bowman,  opened  its  doors 
at  12424  Western  Avenue,  having 
taken  over  the  spacious  quarters 
and    salesrooms    at    that    address. 

Schreiber  Brothers  Hardware 
entered  its  90th  year  in  1939, 
with  its  business  still  located  on 
the  same  site  on  which  it  was  es- 
tablished prior  to  1849.  It  has 
been  owned  and  operated  by  the 
same  family,  founded  by  pioneer 
settler  August  Schreiber,  and  now 
carried  on  by  the  third  genera- 
tion. The  huge  auxiliary  ware- 
house and  stock  of  the  W.  W. 
Koehler  Paper  Company  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  but  Mr.  Koehler 
rented  an  old  laundry  building  to 
use  as  a  storehouse  and  carried 
on  business  as  usual. 

The  first  trial  run  of  a  double 
diesel  type  of  locomotive,  just 
purchased  by  the  Rock  Island 
lines,  was  made  on  the  Peoria 
line  with  engineer  Ernest  A. 
Browner  of  2336  Florence  Street 
at  the  throttle.  Engineer  Browner 
said   the   engine   took   the    curves 


at  ninety  miles  an  hour,  drawing 
a  train  of  three  coaches  and  two 
express  cars.  It  was  so  clean  that 
all  he  had  to  do  was  wash  his 
hands  when  he  got  back!  Israel 
"Ike"  La  More  retired  from  Rock 
Island  Railroad  service  after  55 
years'  service.  He  had  been  nick- 
named "Deadeye  Ike"  because  of 
his  hunting  prowess.  Ironically, 
it  was  because  of  failing  eyesight 
in  his  right  eye  that  he  retired 
to  go  on  pension.  He  had  started 
as  an  engineer  at  the  age  of  twen- 
ty and  made  a  record  for  him- 
self by  working  steadily  for  over 
half  a  century.  In  that  time  he 
estimated  that  he  had  run  more 
than  2,900,000  miles. 

In  June,  1939,  Walter  Heide, 
a  native  Blue  Islander,  took  over 
the  duties  as  acting  superinten- 
dent of  the  Rock  Island  lines. 
Mr.  Heide  was  a  member  of  a 
Rock  Island  family:  his  brother 
Edward  was  a  towerman;  his  sis- 
ter, Mrs.  Emma  Davies,  was  tick- 
et agent  at  119th  Street;  and 
another  sister,  Carrie  Nielson, 
was  ticket  agent  at  95th  and  Vin- 
cennes.  Heide  was  born  here  in 
1888  the  son  of  Henry  Heide, 
and  began  his  railroad  career  in 
1902  as  a  call  boy. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  F.  Stuebe, 
veteran  grocery  and  meat  market 
proprietors,  celebrated  their  fif- 
tieth wedding  anniversary.  Their 
grand-daughter,  Lucille  Steube, 
was  wed  to  Louis  Bettenhausen 
on  their  anniversary  date.  Besides 
a  daughter,  Edith  Isler,  the  couple 


108 


had  four  sons:  Fred,  Louis,  John 
and  Arthur. 

Chester  P.  Sutton,  a  local 
young  man  and  graduate  of  local 
schools,  moved  into  the  residence 
at  2620  Burr  Oak,  vacated  by 
Fred  L.  Zacharias,  and  established 
a  funeral  home.  He  had  had  for- 
mer experience  at  the  Blue  Island 
Funeral  Home. 

Construction  on  stores  and 
homes  began  early  in  the  year 
and  building  inspector  Schnur- 
stein  predicted  a  busy  year.  There 
were  new  homes  going  up  in  the 
sixth  ward  between  Gregory  and 
Washington,  south  of  120th  St. 
On  Western  Avenue,  the  Pronger 
building  was  remodeled  and  the 
new  tenant,  the  A  and  P  received 
a  modern  front. 

The  old  viaduct  over  the  Rock 
Island  tracks  had  to  go  to  make 
way  for  the  new  one,  on  which 
the  lowest  bid  was  $472,388.53. 
Yard  22,  the  largest  of  the  Illi- 
nois Brick  Company  plants,  was 
reopened  for  about  a  month's  run, 
bringing  employment  to  many 
Blue  Islanders  over  the  holiday 
season. 

Figures  of  the  Illinois  Munici- 
pal League  showed  that  our  gov- 
ernment cost  under  Mayor  Hart 
was  more  reasonable  than  other 
cities  of  comparable  size.  Our 
expense  was  low  compared  with 
the  cost  of  other  municipalities 
in  our  vicinity,  which  ranged 
from  $5.30  per  $100  valuation  in 
Blue  Island  to  $21.42  in  Burn- 
ham  and  $16.16  in  Markham. 
New    men    in    the    council    were: 


Frank  Britt,  fourth  ward;  Wil- 
liam Frey  and  Joseph  Mausolf, 
sixth  ward;  and  John  Jones,  sev- 
enth   ward. 

The  city  staged  a  clean-up, 
paint-up,  repair,  remodel  drive. 
T.F.  Easton,  general  chairman, 
was  assisted  by  an  executive  com- 
mittee consisting  of  Henry  G. 
Baumann,  E.J.  Anhorn,  Harold 
Richards,  Emil  Blatt,  and  L.M. 
Weir,  who  were  able  to  secure 
the  cooperation  of  the  schools, 
churches,  Boy  Scouts,  fire  and 
police,  and  street  and  garbage 
departments. 

Memorial  Park's  new  swim- 
ming pool  was  filled  with  38,000 
gallons  of  water.  The  park  board, 
with  Edward  C.  Maroney  as  pre- 
sident; Joseph  W.  Lentz,  secre- 
tary; A.L.  McCord,  treasurer; 
Paul  T.  Klenk,  attorney;  and 
Henry  Schreiber,  Dr.  LeRoy  T. 
Rowland,  and  Charles  A.  Ullrich, 
members;  announced  plans  for 
the  dedication  of  the  entire  park 
on  Labor  Day. 

The  150  x  120  feet  pool  was 
pronounced  one  of  the  finest  in 
Cook  County,  being  completely 
floodlighted,  and  with  the  water 
purified  and  changed  every  eight 
hours  by  a  process  of  continued 
inflow,  filtration  and  outflow.  It 
was  a  source  of  great  pride  to  the 
community.  The  bath  house  could 
accommodate  1500;  and  the  new 
community  house  was  able  to 
handle  crowds  of  300  people.  The 
new  fieldhouse  was  used  by  the 
Blue  Island  Garden  Club  for  a 
flower  show,  arranged  by  a  com- 


109 


mittee  consisting  of  Mrs.  Charles 
L.  Van  Wies,  Mrs.  Rudolph  Heit- 
man,  Mrs.  Ed.  Henke  and  the  club 
president,  Mrsl  R.  N.  Napier. 
The  Memorial  Park  fieldhouse 
was  also  used  for  the  first  annual 
exhibition  of  the  Blue  Island  Art 
Association.  The  exhibitors  in- 
cluded several  businessmen:  E.J. 
Warner,  Walter  Hoffer,  and  Fred 
Kirsten.  Mrs.  Robert  Pronger, 
Mrs.  Rodney  Davis,  and  Frede- 
rick Seyfarth,  already  well-known 
artists,    also    exhibited    paintings. 

The  Welfare  Bureau,  then  in 
its  twenty-third  year,  was  one  of 
the  oldest  continuous  operating 
relief  organizations  of  its  kind 
in  the  state.  Mrs.  Florie  Flowers 
was  and  still  is  the  salaried  ad- 
ministrator. Through  years  of 
contact  with  the  community,  Mrs. 
Flowers  could  cut  through  red 
tape  and  grant  speedy  relief  of 
the  most  variegated  nature  as 
problems  arose:  a  bed  for  a  very 
ill  woman,  clothing  and  books 
for  needy  school  children  and 
supply    many    other    necessities. 

In  order  to  aid  the  Welfare 
Bureau,  members  of  the  Lions 
Club  conducted  a  welfare  movie, 
asking  clean  clothing  and  canned 
food  as  the  admission  ticket.  The 
idea  was  conceived  by  Henry  G. 
Baumann,  general  chairman,  and 
he  was  aided  by  Lion  President 
Harold  Richards,  Dr.  O.A.T.  Bell, 
Clifford  Aulwurm,  Al  Stolz,  and 
George  Oetjen.  The  Boy  Scouts 
helped  canvas  the  city  and  picked 
'up  clothing  and  canned  goods 
for  the  aid  of  the  needy,  in  every 


part  of  the  city.  Libby's  donated 
approximately  twenty  cases  of 
canned    food. 

The  Woman's  Auxiliary  of  St. 
Francis  Hospital  elected  the  fol- 
lowing officers:  Mrs.  R.L.  James, 
president;  Mrs.  Roscoe  Zahniser, 
first  vice-president;  Mrs.  Earle 
Pronger,  second  vice-president; 
Mrs.  William  Creighton,  Record- 
ing secretary;  Mrs.  Ralph  Dif- 
f  enderfer,  financial  secretary ; 
Mrs.  Franklin  Klein,  corresepond- 
ing  secretary;  Mrs.  Joseph  Lentz, 
membership  chairman;  and 
Mrs.  L.  J.  Laydon,  social  chair- 
man. Book  service  at  the  hos- 
pital was  one  year  old.  A  cart 
load  of  books  was  wheeled  from 
room  to  room  and  over  200  books 
were  distributed  each  month. 
This  was  just  one  example  of  the 
increased  usefulness  of  the  city 
library. 

Bryan  B.  Blalock,  special 
representative  of  Lions  Interna- 
tional, praised  the  Blue  Island 
club  for  establishing  the  new 
Riverdale-Dolton  club  and  for 
spreading  the   spirit   of  Lionism. 

Siloam  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church,  of  the  Augustana  synod, 
observed  its  50th  birthday.  There 
were  only  twelve  Swedish  fami- 
lies in  Blue  Island  at  the  time  it 
was  organized  in  the  fall  of  1889. 
During  the  greater  part  of  its 
history  services  were  conducted 
in  Swedish,  but  there  had  been 
a  gradual  transition  to  the  Eng- 
lish language.  The  Mission  Cove- 
nant Church  celebrated  its  45th 
anniversary. 


no 


The  five  children  of  the  late 
John  L.  Zacharias  and  his  wife, 
the  late  Louisa  Zacharias,  gave 
to  the  First  Church  of  Christ, 
Scientist,  in  memory  of  their 
parents,  the  vacant  property  at 
the  northwest  corner  of  Burr  Oak 
and  Maple  Avenues,  upon  which 
the  congregation  was  to  erect  a 
beautiful    new    church. 

In  March,  1939,  Community 
High  School  closed  for  lack  of 
funds,  to  be  reopened  only  if  the 
vote  for  a  tax  increase  was  "yes." 
The  vote  failed  by  only  sixteen 
votes. 

The  school's  closing  did  not 
stop  our  band  winners,  who  won 
five  firsts,  nine  seconds  and  four 
third  places  at  the  district  solo 
and    ensemble    contests. 

The  same  group  went  on  to 
win  state  honors  against  such 
competition  as  Joliet,  Elgin,  Au- 
rora, and  La  Salle. 

Harold  C.  Volp  had  an  editori- 
al entitled  "For  a  Greater  Blue 
Island"  on  the  front  page  of  the 
Sun-Standard  in  support  of  the 
schools.  Clifford  L.  Aulwurm 
and  Fred  A.  Hohmann  were  re- 
turned to  the  board,  showing  the 
confidence  of  the  voters  in  the 
high    school    directors. 

After  investigation  of  a  fact- 
finding committee,  Dr.  P.E.  Belt- 
ing, state  assistant  superintendent 
of  public  instruction,  sent  in  a 
report  on  the  local  high  school 
showing  that  while  industrial 
equipment  was  somewhat  limited, 
the  library  was  improving,  the 
administration  was   excellent,   the 


records  were  properly  kept,  the 
teachers  were  well  qualified,  and 
the  students  were  polite,  well- 
behaved,  and  interested  in  their 
work.  He  pointed  out,  however, 
that  since  the  majority  of  the 
students  did  not  go  on  to  college, 
it  was  unfair  to  have  only  college- 
preparatory  courses  and  that  the 
industrial  arts  should  be  extend- 
ed. 

Superintendent  H.  L.  Richards 
turned  down  an  appointment  as 
delegate  to  the  N.E.A.  conven- 
tion in  San  Francisco,  with  ex- 
penses paid,  because  of  the  school 
situation  and  the  unprecedented 
teacher  turn-over  caused  by  the 
low  salaries  paid.  He  felt  that 
his  personal  attention  was  needed 
here. 

After  six  defeats,  the  proposi- 
tion of  increasing  the  tax  rate  for 
educational  purposes  of  Com- 
munity High  School  District  218 
was  decisively  carried.  A  great 
many  people  had  enough  city 
pride  to  avert  the  tragedy  of  the 
school's  losing  accreditation  with 
the  North  Central  Association. 
Economy  was  still  the  policy  as 
the  high  school  planned  for  the 
future  on  an  even  more  conserva- 
tive budget  than  it  had  been  pur- 
suing. Superintendent  H.  L.  Rich- 
ards and  the  board  set  out  to  pay 
off  the  accumulated  debts,  buy 
the  necessary  equipment  to  build 
up  the  industrial  arts  and  com- 
mercial departments.  More  li- 
brary and  science  equipment  was 
also  considered  a  must.  The  new 
salary  schedule  was  to  be  spread 


111 


over    a    three-year    period. 

The  $160,000  athletic  field  and 
stadium  at  127th  and  Sacramento 
was  a  WPA  project,  but  attorney 
Franklin  W.  Klein  was  hard  put 
to  try  to  re-arrange  the  bond 
structure  so  that  money  would 
be  available  for  the  board's  share 
of  the  project.  Henry  S.  Duff, 
local  real  estate  man,  with  his 
thorough  knowledge  of  finances 
and  accounting  was  elected  sec- 
retary. 

The  WPA  adult  education  pro- 
gram provided  free  evening  class- 
es at  the  high  school  in  the  fol- 
lowing subjects:  bookkeeping, 
typing,  shorthand,  salesmanship, 
public  speaking,  and  dramatics. 
The  only  restriction  was  that  the 
students  be  over  eighteen  and 
not  attending  day  school. 

An  important  school  board 
meeting  was  held  in  which  four 
grade  schools,  five  parochial 
schools  and  the  high  school  met 
to  discuss  an  exchange  of  facili- 
ties. Dr.  Anderson  from  the  Edu- 
cation Department  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Chicago  came  out  to  dis- 
cuss problems  common  to  grade 
and  high  schools  and  to  promote 
articulation  between  the  two.  Dr. 
Leslie  Damm,  president  of  Dis- 
trict 130,  Dr.  Frank  Tracy,  presi- 
dent of  District  218,  and  Frank- 
lin Klein,  school  attorney,  brought 
about  an  agreement  by  which  the 
high  school  would  use  the  Sey- 
mour-Whittier  gymnasium  in  ex- 
change for  bus  service  for  the 
grade   school   pupils. 

Mayor    Hart    instituted    a   new 


practice  at  council  meetings:  af- 
ter each  session  he  would  call  for 
suggestions  "for  the  good  of  the 
community,"  so  that  matters  of 
mutual  interest  or  benefit  to  the 
city  might  be  discussed.  Alder- 
man Lentz  suggested  that  more 
effort  be  made  to  locate  new  in- 
dustries in  Blue  Island.  Mayor 
Hart  pointed  out  that  our  low  tax 
rate  and  our  railroad  facilities 
offer  above  average  opportuni- 
ties for  new  industries.  During  his 
administration  Mayor  Hart  had  ac- 
complished the  complete  renova- 
tion and  refurnishing  of  the  city 
Council  chambers,  had  maintain- 
ed a  pay-as-you-go  method  of 
handling  city  affairs,  and  had 
kept  the  city  out  of  debt.  With 
the  help  of  the  WPA  several 
streets  had  been  paved  and  new 
stop  lights  had  been  installed. 

According  to  building  inspector 
Henry  Schnurstein,  building  had 
nearly  tripled,  and  he  had  turned 
over  to  Blue  Island  construction 
and  license  fees  of  more  than 
$490.  The  total  construction  cost 
was  $64,000,  including  six  new 
homes,  three  garages,  the  Mont- 
gomery Ward  store  alterations 
and  twenty-eight  other  building 
operations.  The  extensive  Rohr- 
bach  properties  in  13000  block 
on  Western  Avenue  were  sold  to 
a  local  group  of  buyers  through 
real  estate  dealers  Peter  H.  Krick 
and   Son. 

Partly  due  to  the  availability 
of  FHA  loans  to  prospective  buy- 
ers, twenty-five  new  homes  were 
built  in  the  sixth  ward.  A  huge 


112 


steam  shovel  excavated  the  en- 
tire block  on  the  north  side  of 
120th  street  from  Gregory  to  Irv- 
ing. It  attracted  wide  attention 
because  of  the  mass  excavation  of 
basements.  Concrete  forms  for  the 
whole  block  were  poured  at  one 
time.  Dirt  from  the  excavation 
was  used  for  terraces  between  the 
sidewalk  and  the  front  of  the 
homes.  The  modern  six-room 
homes,  including  landscaping, 
were  to  sell  for  $7,000  complete. 

The  WPA  building  program  al- 
lowed property  owners  to  install 
sidewalks  at  13c  per  square  foot 
for  materials  while  WPA  paid  the 
rest.  City  Clerk  Schwartz  and 
Mayor  John  M.  Hart  were  making 
the  arrangements  between  the 
property    owners    and    the    WPA. 

One-hundred  and  twenty  mer- 
chants participated  in  the  eight- 
day  Fall  Festival  sponsored  by 
the  Blue  Island  Business  Men's 
Association,  with  E.  J.  Werner  a 
chairman,  Emil  J.  Blatt,  presi- 
dent, Vera  Bartle,  secretary,  and 
Adam  Kranich,  treasurer.  The  di- 
rectors were:  Lowell  Weir,  Ar- 
thur Rush,  Clifford  L.  Aulwurm, 
Martin  Fory,  and  Thomas  Easton. 

The  Chayken  Brothers,  A.  J. 
and  Ben,  opened  their  recreation 
hall  and  re-opened  their  bowling 
alleys. 

A  crowd  of  3000  people  wit- 
nessed the  opening  of  the  new 
ball  park  at  123rd  and  Western. 
The  playground  and  recreation 
board  consisted  of  Dr.  Frank  W. 
Tracy,  president;  Mrs.  Hope 
Knirsch,  secretary;  Lowell  Frasor, 


Mrs.  Ed.  Heckler,  Louis  Lom- 
bardo  and  Ewald  Kling,  director. 
Swimmers  jammed  the  Memorial 
Park  pool  during  the  summer  and 
were  vocal  in  their  praises.  Both 
children  and  adult  attendance  was 
very  good.  The  bathhouse  equip- 
ment was  adequate  and  the  roomy 
benches  around  the  water  were 
inviting  to  tired  swimmers  who 
wanted  to  rest.  Many  little  tots 
passed  the  swimming  tests.  A 
first  aid  course  was  offered  at 
the  Memorial  Park  Field  Houe, 
the  Blue  Island  Park  District  co- 
operating with  the  American  Red 
Cross  to   make   it   a   success. 

The  Lions  Club  cleaned  up  the 
grounds  at  Maple  Farm  in  order 
to  aid  refugees.  Henry  Baumann 
organized  a  committee  to  trans- 
port Boy  Scouts  to  the  farm  to  do 
the  preliminary  work.  H.  C.  Volp, 
H.  L.  Richards,  T.  F.  Easton,  S. 
Bergland,  and  Don  Boughner 
hauled  the  boys  to  the  farm.  Phil- 
ip Schreiber  supervised  the  work. 
The  Lions  Club  also  held  a  dem- 
onstration of  the  new  S88  stretch- 
er for  the  first  aid  squad  of  the 
Fire  Department.  Allen  Kollman 
was  president  and  R.  W.  Bronson 
vice-president  of  the  First  Aid 
squad. 

The  Rotary  Club  donated  a 
baby's  iron  lung  to  the  commun- 
ity. It  was  kept  at  St.  Francis 
Hospital  and  had  been  used  four 
times  almost  immediately  after  in- 
stallation. 

The  Woman's  Club  held  its  gold- 
en anniversary  luncheon  in  ( ; 
ber  of  1940.  The  club  had  been 


113 


started  by  Mrs.  Harry  Robinson 
at  a  tea  in  1890.  Veteran  mem- 
ers  still  active  in  the  club  were: 
Mrs.  Emily  Roche,  Bertha  Morr- 
ill, Mrs.  Mary  Voorhees,  Mrs. 
Henrietta  McGrath,  Mrs.   Harriet 

B.  Longacre,  Mrs.  Sadie  Napier 
and  Mrs.  Frances  Krueger.  Mrs. 
Irene  E.  Ewing  was  the  club's 
president  from  1937-1940.  Its  of- 
ficers were:  Mrs.  Albert  Stolz, 
first  vice  president;  Mrs.  John 
Kent,  second  vice-president;  Mrs. 
Otto  Kasch,  recording  secretary; 
Mrs.  Birt  Frobish,  corresponding 
secretary;  Mrs.  Joseph  Lentz, 
treasurer;  Mrs.  Roy  Massena  and 
Mrs.  Arthur  Minard. 

The  Blue  Island  Camera  Club 
branched  out  to  include  a  meet- 
ing place,  a  display  room  and  a 
dark  room  at  the  Masonic  Tem- 
ple. The  first  competition  was 
held  at  Watlands  Camera  Shop. 
In  the  beginner's  class,  Norman 
Blatt  ranked  first;  Karl  Goetter, 
second;    Ed.    Jebsen,    third;    and 

C.  E.  Ames,  fourth.  In  the  ad- 
vanced class,  Dr.  Aaron  Heim- 
bach  was  first;  Mrs.  Heimbach, 
second;  Donald  Chadiwick,  third; 
H.  C.  Barts,  fourth,  and  George 
Engelland,  fifth. 

Dr.  Edward  A.  Doepp,  a  Blue 
Island  physician  for  fifty  years, 
told  of  his  trials  and  tribulations 
as  a  "country  doctor."  On  April 
14,  1890,  he  had  driven  to  the 
top  of  Western  Avenue  and  rent- 
ed office  space.  He  even  pulled 
teeth  in  addition  to  relieving 
aches  and  pains,  since  Blue  Island 
had   no    dentist    at   the   time.    His 


covered  rig  became  a  familiar 
sight  as  he  made  his  daily  rounds 
to  Matteson,  Richton  Park,  Chi- 
cago Heights,  Roseland,  Harvey, 
Riverdale,  Dolton,  and  Ham- 
mond. The  trip  was  too  much  for 
one  horse,  so  he  had  to  maintain 
five  saddle  and  buggy  horses.  He 
had  one  of  the  first  automobiles, 
a  "one-lunged"  Oldsmobile.  It 
was  often  necessary  to  get  out 
and  get  under,  so  he  concluded 
that  the  horse  still  had  something 
that  the  auto  didn't  —  he  never 
had  to  push  it  up  a  hill.  He  bought 
a  new  four-cylinder  air-cooled 
Premier  in  1902,  but  had  to  give 
up  tooth-pulling  as  he  had  ruined 
his  dental  equipment  while  mak- 
ing minor  repairs  to  his  "gas- 
buggy." 

Billy  Kirchner's  hobby  of  mar- 
ionettes developed  into  something 
more  than  that  in  1940  as  he  made 
his  own  marionettes,  staged  and 
wrote  his  own  scripts  and  put  on 
shows  at  the  Public  Library's 
Children's  Hour,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Bertha  Lietzau.  Don 
"Butch"  Kolloway,  a  Blue  Island 
athlete,  was  traded  by  the  Okla- 
homa Indians  to  the  White  Sox. 
A.  J.  Eiserstedt  retired  after  for- 
ty-four years'  service  with  the 
Rock  Island  lines  as  foreman  with 
the  water  service  department.  He 
came  here  to  work  for  the  Rock 
Island  in  1896.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S. 
M.  Wilson  celebrated  their  fif- 
tieth wedding  anniversary.  Mr. 
Wilson  was  president  of  the  Blue 
Island  Lumber  Company  and  past 
president  of  the  Lions  Club.  Wil- 


114 


liam  Busse  was  honored  after 
fifty  years  of  public  service.  He 
had  served  as  deputy  sheriff  of 
the  County  Board  of  Commission- 
ers. Richard  E.  Sorgenfrei,  a  na- 
tive Blue  Islander  and  policeman 
for  ten  years,  was  named  acting 
lieutenant  for  the  police  until  the 
position  was  filled  by  Civil  Serv- 
ice. 

Mayor  John  M.  Hart  was  re- 
elected as  head  of  the  city  for  a 
second  term.  The  Blue  Island 
Progressive  Party  won  a  full  tick- 
et except  for  Ward  I,  where  Louis 
Rauch.  veteran  alderman  won 
over  Edward  J.  Schaller  of  the 
Progressive  Party.  The  other  of- 
ficers were:  Edward  A.  Korde- 
wick,  treasurer;  Louis  F.  Schwartz, 
city  clerk;  Richard  B.  Seyfarth, 
police  magistrate.  The  aldermen 
were:  Louis  W.  Rauch,  Ward  1; 
Henry  J.  Goesel,  Ward  2;  Rocco 
Ziccardo,  Ward  3;  Joseph  W. 
Lentz,  Ward  4;  Harry  W.  Sutton, 
Ward  5;  Joseph  A.  Mausolf, 
Ward  6;  Clarence  0.  Williams, 
Ward  7. 

Other  appointments  were:  Wells 
Crockett,  commissioner  of  assess- 
ments  and   tax   commissioner;    C 
A.    Dewar,    acting   street   superin 
tendent;     Dr.     A.     J.     Roemisch 
health  commissioner  and  city  phy 
sician;    Frank   Rogers,   civil   serv 
ice    committee    member;    H.    W 
Buhring,   chairman    of   the   board 
of   appeals;    Mrs.    Hope   Knirsch, 
playground  board;   Carrie  Knick- 
erbocker and  Mrs.  H.  V.  High,  li- 
brary board;  L.  F.  Schwartz,  city 


collector;  and  Roy  Bender,  acting 
superintendent. 

Harold  L.  Richards,  a  graduate 
of      Penns)  Ivania       Military 

Academy,  who  had  guided  the 
high  school  through  a  most  criti- 
cal financial  period  to  an  A-l 
rating,  was  appointed  defense  co- 
ordinator by  Mayor  John  M.  Hart. 
He  was  considered  well-fitted  for 
the  job  which,  however,  carried  no 
pay  as  there  was  no  allowance 
for  the  position.  Mr.  Richards 
had  been  former  commander  of 
the  American  Legion  and  a  for- 
mer president  of  the  Lions  Club. 
His  two  principal  assistants  for 
defense  were  Mr.  Creighton  of  the 
Legion  and  Mr.  Flassig  of  the 
VFW.  Other  volunteers  were:  La 
Berdia,  Antilla,  Palmer,  Schim- 
mel,  Ricks,  Esposito.  and  city  at- 
torney   Paul    Schreiber. 

In  March  of  1941,  a  new  serv- 
ice club  was  added.  The  officers 
of  the  newly  organized  Kiwanis 
Club  were:  Wesley  A.  Volp,  pres- 
ident; Birt  E.  Frobish,  vice-presi- 
dent; Carl  P.  Caul,  secretary- 
treasurer.  The  Board  of  Directors 
consisted  of:  Ed  Harms,  C.  H. 
Youngdahl,  Arthur  H.  Anderson, 
Arthur  S.  Newhouse,  R.  L.  Huff- 
man, and  Fred  C.  Cauble.  The 
local  unit  planned  to  devote  its  ac- 
tivities to  personalized  humanitar- 
ian work  in  Blue  Island  along  the 
objectives  of  Kiwanis  Internation- 
al. 

The  many  friends  of  Homer  A. 
Field  regretted  his  sudden  death 
by  automobile  accident  on  Febru- 
ary 13.  Mr.  Field  had  been  presi- 


115 


dent  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
the  First  Methodist  Church  for  six- 
teen years.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Western  Society  of  Civil  En- 
gineers, an  engineer  for  bridges 
and  buildings  for  the  Baltimore 
and  Ohio  railroad,  and  chief  of 
their  safety  division.  He  was  a  for- 
mer member  of  the  grade  school 
board-  during  the  construction  of 
the  Whittier  school  and  gymna- 
sium. He  designed  and  built  the 
large  railroad  bridge  at  96th 
Street  in  South  Chicago,  describ- 
ed as  the  largest  span  of  its  kind 
in  North  America.  He  was  sur- 
vived by  his  wife,  Joan,  daugh- 
ter Helen  Field  Aiken,  and  three 
sons:  Dr.  Homer  B.  Field,  Wil- 
liam  Joseph   and   Dr.    Robert  E. 

Thomas  Easton  of  the  Public 
Service  company  headed  a  drive 
to  raise  funds  for  the  U.S.O. 
work  in  order  to  provide  "A 
Home  Away  from  Home"  for  the 
boys  in  service.  Over  $2000  was 
collected. 

In  the  Blue  Island  Art  exhibit 
held  at  Memorial  Park  Field 
House,  paintings  were  exhibited 
by:  Warren  Mavity,  Mrs.  P.W. 
Pickett,  Mrs.  August  Muir,  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Milosh,  Mrs.  Walter 
Aevermann,  Mrs.  Edith  Stevens, 
Effie  Ness,  E.  J.  Warner,  Mrs. 
Grace  David,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Claude  Breck.  Mrs.  L.  C.  Holt  was 
exhibition  chairman. 

The  officers  of  the  Blue  Island 
Business  Men's  Association  were: 
Ed  Warner,  president ;  Martin 
F  o  r  e  y,  vice-president;  Adam 
Kranich,  treasurer;  and  Vera  Bar- 


tie,  secretary.  The  directors  were: 
S.  Bergland,  Henry  Herman,  and 
Ludwig  Blum.  Their  discussion  at 
this  time  concerned  itself  with 
the  desirability  of  keeping  the  re- 
tail stores  open  on  Thursday 
nights.  The  accomplishments  of 
the  past  year  were  listed  as:  Dol- 
lar Day  promotion,  sponsorship 
of  the  Fall  Festival,  and  the  Yule- 
tide  decorations  and  program. 
Lynn  Burno  had  been  placed  in 
charge  of  the  musical  program 
which  was  given  over  loud  speak- 
ers so  that  shoppers  might  enjoy 
their  shopping  for  gifts  both  large 
and  small  in  local  stores. 

The  War  Years 

The  years  1942-45  may  right- 
fully be  called  "The  War  Years" 
as  the  United  States  was  at  war 
with  both  Japan  and  Germany 
and  their  allies.  Hence,  Blue  Is- 
land's history  of  those  years  cen- 
ters around  the  city's  active  par- 
ticipation in  helping  her  own  sons, 
her  state,  and  her  nation  to  win 
the  war. 

Immediately  in  January,  1942, 
the  Selective  Service  Board,  Dis- 
trict 14,  was  formed  with  Emil 
J.  Blatt  as  chairman.  The  board 
was  busy  with  selection  of  draft- 
ees and  sending  boys  off  for  phy- 
sical examinations.  The  suspense 
must  have  been  great  for  Blue  Is- 
land's draft  age  young  men  as  the 
number  which  was  to  be  called 
each  month  was  kept  a  secret. 

Those  staying  at  home  were 
busy  with  a  multitude  of  activi- 
ties, some  for  protection  of  civili- 


116 


ans,  some  financial,  and  some 
rationing  goods.  In  1942,  Mrs. 
Fred  Nichols,  who  was  named 
head  of  Red  Cross  War  Relief, 
set  out  to  reach  Blue  Island's 
first  quota  of  $1,000  and  estab- 
lished a  free  course  in  First  Aid. 
With  her,  William  Postweiler 
started  junior  first  aid  courses 
and  gave  of  his  time  so  willingly 
that  in  December,  1943,  he  was 
cited  for  his  work  with  the  Ameri- 
can Red  Cross.  He  was  named 
First  Aid,  Water  Safety  and  Ac- 
cident Prevention  Director  for 
his  300  hours  of  volunteer  serv- 
ice. 

In  January,  1942,  Superintend- 
ent H.  L.  Richards  of  Community 
High  School  was  appointed  Blue 
Island  Defense  Coordinator  and 
spoke  to  many  civic  clubs  about 
the  needs  for  protection  of  the 
community,  while  Dr.  Earle  J. 
Pronger  became  Civil  Defense 
Casualty  Director.  Uncle  Sam  de- 
cided to  change  Richards'  duties 
so  with  his  call  to  the  U.S.  Army 
in  February,  1942,  William  G. 
Schimmel  became  the  new  Civil 
Defense  Coordinator  and  Mrs.  H. 
L.  Richards  became  acting  super- 
intendent  of  the  high   school. 

While  the  home  people  needed 
to  be  prepared  to  protect  them- 
selves, restrictions  were  placed 
on  them,  too.  The  local  rationing 
and  price  administration  board  be- 
gan its  almost  endless  and  well 
nigh  thankless  work,  with  Hen- 
ry Duff,  chairman;  Roy  Fiedler, 
vice-chairman;  Earle  B.  James,  ex- 
ecutive   secretary;    and    members 


Edward  Bochman  and  Henry  C. 
Baumann.  Immediately  necessary 
H  08  a  program  to  conserve  cars, 
tires,  and  gasoline.  Later  in  the 
year  these  men  distributed  sugar 
and  canned  goods  ration  books. 
Deciding  who  should  get  the  six 
new  cars  given  to  Blue  Island  for 
the  month  of  March,  1942,  was 
just  one  of  their  minor  headaches. 
Yet  so  faithfully  and  thoroughly 
did  they  perform  their  multitude 
of  tasks  that  this  local  board, 
working  even  one  year  afer  the 
close  of  the  war,  received  an  ef- 
ficiency rating  of  over  ninety,  one 
of  the  highest  such  ratings  in  the 
entire  state.  The  group  had  the 
additional  distinction  of  being  one 
which  preserved  its  original  mem- 
bership all  during  these  trying 
years. 

No  part  of  Blue  Island  was  left 
untouched  by  the  war's  demands, 
and  everywhere  those  demands 
were  more  than  satisfactorily  an- 
swered. Miss  Bertha  Lietzau,  head 
librarian  at  the  Blue  Island  Pub- 
lic Library,  was  successful  in  get- 
ting Blue  Islanders  to  bring  in 
their  books  for  the  servicemen. 
In  January  of  1942,  the  citizens 
bought  more  than  $650,000  in  de- 
fense bonds  and  stamps.  A  sec- 
ond drive  was  equally  as  success- 
ful, when  a  $555,958.50  purchase 
oversubscribed  the  announced 
goal  of  $450,000.  To  Blue  Island- 
ers a  mere  100  percent  was  not 
enough.  The  Blue  Island  police 
station  was  named  the  center  of 
Division  1,  for  air  raid  warn- 
ing, and  was  responsible  for  alert- 


117 


ing  Chicago  Heights  and  Harvey. 

The  schools,  too,  were  doing 
their  part  as  Community  High 
School  under  Mrs.  Richards  added 
new  courses  such  as  metal  shop, 
printing,  Spanish  and  new  com- 
mercial courses  to  meet  the  war 
needs.  One  of  the  principals,  Mr. 
C.  B.  Price,  attended  Air  Raid 
Warden  school  and  returned  to 
open  such  a  school  in  Blue  Island 
to  teach  air  raid  wardens  in  the 
local  community.  To  give  these 
men  a  chance  to  try  their  newly 
learned  techniques  a  mock  air 
raid  was  staged  in  Blue  Island, 
May  23,  1943. 

The  draft  board  and  reserves 
continued  to  be  busy  as  by  June 
11,  1942,  460  men  from  Blue  Is- 
land were  in  the  service.  Blue  Is- 
land citizens  wanted  to  be  sure 
that  these  boys,  wherever  station- 
ed, would  know  their  home  town 
was  back  of  them,  so  they  organ- 
ized the  Blue  Island  Citizens  Com- 
mittee with  twenty-two  organiza- 
tions represented.  The  president 
was  Harold  Frasor;  secretary, 
Millard  Rauhoff;  and  chairman 
of  finance,  Paul  Klenk.  In  Febru- 
ary, Mrs.  Carrie  Sidler  was  elect- 
ed president  of  the  women's  di- 
vision. With  her,  worked  Mrs. 
Fred  Krech  sending  cigarettes  and 
Sun-Standard  subscriptions  to 
men  in  the  armed  services  from 
Blue  Island.  Later  Mrs.  Frank 
Kasten  headed  this  auxiliary.  Nor 
were  other  servicemen  forgotten 
as  Thomas  F.  Easton  headed  the 
U.S.O.  drive  with  its  goal  of 
$3200. 


Other  committees  with  chair- 
men included  War  Loan  Com- 
mittee, Paul  T.  Klenk;  Nurse's 
Aide  Recruiting,  Mrs.  Frances 
Walton ;  Community  and  War 
Fund  Drive,  J.  Floyd  Smith;  and 
Home  Nursing  courses,  Mrs. 
Charles  Kennedy. 

To  show  early  appreciation  to 
our  servicemen  an  Honor  Roll  for 
all  Blue  Island  servicemen  was 
dedicated  at  Memorial  Park  on 
Sunday,  October  16,  1943.  Mrs. 
Krech  was  in  charge  with  Mayor 
Hart,  Millard  A.  Rauhoff,  Army 
Captain  Vincent  Nightengale, 
Navy  Lt.  Commander  Howard 
Sigtenhorst,  and  Paul  T.  Klenk 
serving  on  the  committee.  The 
community  also  showed  its  will- 
ingness to  sacrifice  when  146 
pints  of  blood  were  collected  at 
the  Mobile  Blood  Bank  in  August, 
1944. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  highlights 
of  the  year  1944  for  Blue  Island 
was  the  launching  in  December 
of  the  "U.S.S.  Blue  Island  Vic- 
tory" ship  at  Baltimore,  Md. 
christened  by  Mrs.  Virginia  Mat- 
zen,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Robert  L.  Huffman,  2251  W.  121st 
Place,   as   sponsor. 

That  the  tremendous  efforts 
which  Blue  Islanders  were  shar- 
ing with  this  nation  —  in  fact, 
with  the  entire  free  world  —  were 
bound  to  win  success  in  our 
mightiest  effort  became  evident 
early  in  1945.  The  surrender  of 
Germany  marked  the  beginning  of 
the  end  in  April  of  that  year.  Al- 
though   the    word    of   the    allies' 


118 


victory  over  Japan  on  Tuesday, 
August  14,  was  accepted  with  deep 
feeling  and  rejoicing,  there  were 
some  who  still  felt  that  it  might 
be  too  good  to  be  true.  Accord- 
ing to  the  Sun-Standard,  "The 
first  impression  was  that  the  peo- 
ple were  stunned  and  rather 
doubted  whether  or  not  this  was 
really  'it,'  but  as  Tuesday  even- 
ing wore  on,  Blue  Island  got  its 
stride  and  staged  an  impromptu 
celebration  which  lasted  far  be- 
yond midnight."  Blue  Island  and 
its  citizens  were  happy  to  join 
the  two  day  national  celebration 
which  had  been  announced  by 
President   Truman. 

Blue  Island  contributions  to  the 
war  effort  included  many,  as  just 
recorded.  From  a  population  of 
16,638  in  1940,  2,193  men  and 
women  served  in  the  armed  forces 
from  this  community .^Of  these  the 
Gold  Star  list  showed  more  than 
70  casualties.  (This  list  is  given 
at  the  end  of  this  section.) 

"Blue  Island  Victory,"  the  ship 
named  for  the  city  and  christened 
December  28,  1944  by  Virginia 
Matzen  and  Anne  Christensen,  it 
was  learned,  had  been  a  mighty 
factor  in  winning  the  war,  as  it 
was  used  on  one  occasion  to  haul 
ammunition  to  General  Patton's 
army  in  Europe  among  other  du- 
ties, and  was  now  a  troop  ship 
bringing  G.  I.'s  back  to  the  states. 
On  the  ship  a  daily  paper  called 
"The  Blue  Island  Home  Run"  was 
published. 


BLUE  ISLAND'S 
WORLD  WAR  II 

Gold   Star  Honor  Roll 

{As  printed  in  the  Sun-Standard, 
August  23,  1945) 

HONOR  ROLL 

Army  Casualties 

PVT.  AURELIO  ALVARADO 

Died   in   fall   from  troop  train 
in    Louisiana,    Sept.    19,    1944. 

T/5  LOUIS  J.  ARCHAMBEAU 
Killed  in  action  in  Luxembourg, 
Dec.  26,  1944. 

PVT.  RICHARD  J.  BARCAL 
Killed    in    France,     December, 
1945. 

PVT.  CORNELIUS  BINK 

Killed  in  action  in  Luxembourg, 
Dec.  30,  1944. 

PVT.  SAMUEL  BRUNO 

Died  of  wounds  received  in  ac- 
tion in  France,  Aug.  11,  1944. 

S/SGT.  DONALD  B.  COX 

Killed    in    action    in    Belgium, 
Jan.  9,  1945. 

LT.  BENJAMIN  J.  DOMINIK 
Killed  on  maneuvers  in  Louisi- 
ana, March  22,  1944. 

CPL.  JESSE  E.  DRENNER 

Killed  in  France,  Jan.  31,  1945. 

PFC.  RALPH  DUEY 

Killed    in    action    in    Germany, 
Nov.  28,  1944. 

SGT.  VINCENT  S.  DYRCZ 
Killed  in  action  in  aerial  mis- 
sion over  France,  Aug.  26,  1944. 

PVT.  EDWARD  W.  EDWARDS. 
Killed    in    action    in    Belgium, 


119 


Jan.  13,  1945. 

PVT.  ROBERT  EISTERSTEDT 
Killed   in   action   in   Italy,   Oct. 
4,   1944. 

PFC.  JOHN  J.  EKERT 

Killed  in  action  on  Jolo  Isle 
in  Pacific,  April  9,   1945. 

PFC.  LEONARD  A.  ENGSTROM 
Died  of  wounds  received  in 
action  in  Germany.  Death  pre- 
sumably occurred  in  prison 
camp  on  Oct.  21,  1944. 

PFC.  KENNETH  0.  ERICKSON 
Killed  in  action  in  France,  Nov. 
9,    1944. 

PVT.  JOSEPH  ERRICO 

Killed  in  action  in  Germany, 
March    22,    1945. 

LT.  ERNEST  F.  EVANSON 

Died  in  plane  crash,  Dinjau, 
India,  Nov.  27,  1943. 

PFC.  FLORIAN  M.  FELISZAK 
Died  of  streptococcus  and  pneu- 
monia at  Camp  Grant,  July  8, 
1945. 

PFC.  LOYAL  FLASSIG 

Killed  in  action  in  France,  Nov. 
14,  1944. 

CPL.  ROY  B.  FOX 

Killed  in  action  in  Belgium, 
Dec.  20,  1944. 

PVT.  JAMES  FRUNDLE 

Died  at  Huff  Gen.  Hospital, 
Santa  Barbara,  Calif.,  July  12, 
1942. 

PVT.  EDWARD  HAAKE 

Killed  in  action  in  France, 
July  30,  1944. 

LT.  ROSS  H.  HALL 

Killed  in  aerial  action  over 
Germany,  April  24,  1944. 

PFC.  EDWARD  V.  HENSCHLER 
Killed   in    action    in    Holland, 


Sept.   20,   1944. 

SGT.  HOWARD  G.  HERZOG 
Killed  in  action  on  Luzon,  P.I., 
Feb.  2,  1945. 

LT.  RAYMOND  HOCHHEIMER 
Died  in  plane  crash,  Wendover, 
Utah,   Jan.   2,   1943. 

T/SGT.  NORMAN  B.  HUEBNER 
Killed  in  aerial  action  in  Ru- 
mania, May  31,  1944. 

PVT.  NORBERT  JAUCHZER 
Killed    in    Italy    on    drive    on 
Rome,  May  18,  1944. 

LT.  KEITH  M.  JONES 

Killed  in  action  in  Germany, 
Nov.  27,  1944. 

LT.  DONALD  Q.  KASCH 

Bomber  co-pilot,  presumably 
killed  by  German  machine  gun 
fire  in  an  air  battle  over  Ger- 
many, March  8,   1944. 

T/SGT.  ROBERT  KRUEGER 
Killed   in   action   on   "D"   Day 
in  France,  June  6,   1944. 

SGT.  HAROLD  P.  KURUZAR 
Killed  in  action  in  Italy,  Feb.  5, 
1945. 

SGT.  GEORGE  LAIR 

Killed  in  action  in  France,  July 
11,    1944. 

PFC  VINCENT  LEJO 

Killed  in  auto  accident,  Ft. 
Knox,  Ky.,  Jan.  21,  1945. 

PFC.  EARL  LEGG 

Killed  in  action  in  France,  Nov. 
28,    1944. 

T/SGT.  ERWIN  LUNN 

Killed  in  action  in  France, 
Aug.  10,  1944. 

PVT.  RALPH  PAUL  MEAR 
Killed  at  St.  Lo,  France,  Aug- 
ust,  15,   1944. 

PFC.  TRINO  MENDEZ 


120 


Killed    in    action     in     Holland, 

Sept.   25,   1944. 
PFC.  NORMAN  R.  MILLER 

Killed  in  action  in  France,  Nov. 

22,    1944. 
LT.    RUSSELL    C.    MORSE 

Killed    in    action    in    Germany, 

March  20,  1945. 
PFC.  ANTHONY  ORSENO 

Killed    in    action    in    Germany, 

April  5,  1945. 
FLIGHT  OFFICER  RICHARD  W. 
PAULSEN 

Killed    in     crash     in    Belgium, 

May  13,  1945. 
HARRY  EDWARD  RITO 

Killed    in    action    on    Okinawa, 

May  2,  1945. 
PFC.  NORMAN  SANDS 

Killed  in  plane  crash  near  Peru, 

Mass.,   Aug.   15,   1942. 
S/SGT.  PETER  SORIA 

Killed  in   action  in  N.  Africa, 

Jan.    23,    1943. 
SGT.  PAUL  STEFEK 

Died    in    a    Jap    Prison    Camp, 

May,    1943. 
PFC.  ANDRES  STERKOWITZ 

Killed  in  auto  accident  in  Aus- 
tria, June  14,  1945. 
1st  LT.  GEORGE  E.  TRAGNITZ 

Killed    in    action    in    Germany, 

Nov.  29,  1944. 
SGT.  ANTHONY  TRELLA 

Killed   in    action    in    Belgium, 

Dec.  16,  1944. 
PVT.   FRANK   ULRICH 

Drowned   at  Alpena,  Michigan, 

July   21,    1940 
SGT.  PHILLIP  J.  WADE 

Died  in   prisoner  of  war  camp 

in  Germany,  Oct.  4,  1944. 
LT.  ROBERT  C.  WALLACE 


Killed  in  action  in  Italy,  Janu- 
ary 1945. 

PFC.   PAUL  M.  WEHLAN 

Killed  in  action  in  Italy,  June 
28,    1944. 

PFC.  ROBERT  K.  WILSON 
Died    of     wounds     received    in 
action    in    Germany,    Jan.    29, 
1945. 

Navy    Casualties 

ENSIGN  CLIFFORD  0.  BAUSOR 
A  Corsair  fighter  pilot  killed  in 
action  in  Pacific  area,  July  24, 
1945. 

WT  2/c  EDWARD  C.  BUCZEK 
Lost    at     sea     during     typhoon 
near  Philippines,  Dec.  18,  1944. 

A.V.C.  WILLIAM  A.  HILDAHL 
Killed  in  plane  crash  at  Hut- 
chinson, Kans.,  June  18,  1945. 

RT.    1/c   STEWART   F.   KAUF- 
MAN 

Killed  in  action  on  board  SS 
Rich,  near  France,  July  11, 
1944. 

S  1/c  JOHN  F.  MOORE 

Killed  in  explosion-fire  on  ship 
at   San    Pedro,   Oct.    21,    1944. 

AEM  2/3  JOHN  CARLYLE  RIE- 

GER 

Lost  at  sinking  of  SS  Bismarck, 
Battle  of  Leyte,  Feb.  21,  1945. 
Marine  Casualties 

PVT.  TOM  J.  ARTIST 

Killed  in  action  on  Howie  Is- 
land,  March   13,   1944. 

CPL.  BYRON  L.  HIGGINS 

Killed  in  action  in  SW  Pacific, 
August,  1940. 

PFC.  CHARLES  E.  OETJEN 
Killed    in     action     at    Tarawa, 
Betio   Isle,  Nov.  23,   1943. 

PVT.  HERBERT  W.  ULRICH 


121 


Killed  in   action  on   Iwo  Jima, 

March  7,  1945. 
PFC.  ALLEN  E.  ROLETTE 

Killed   in   action   on   Guam,   in 

July,   1944. 

U.  S.  Coast  Guard  Casualties 
LOWELL  CLIFFORD  GRIFFITH 

Killed  by  hit  and  run  motorist 

in  Harvey,  July  23,  1945. 

Thus    with   the   end    of   World 

War  II,  the  community  was  ready 
to  adjust  its  life  to  the  post-war 
years.  While  the  war  activities 
had  been  taking  much  of  the  time 
of  Blue  Islanders,  life  was  con- 
tinuing on  an  even  keel  in  city 
elections,  clubs,  school  elections, 
and  business,  with  some  curtail- 
ment of  the  latter.  Certainly  the 
fact  that  even  through  these  years, 
the  Community  Fund  had  contin- 
ued to  make  its  yearly  goal  is  a 
great  testimony  that  Blue  Island- 
ers had  resolved  to  keep  home 
efforts   going,    also. 

In  city  government  the  Blue 
Island  Police  Department  staged 
a  benefit  boxing  show  on  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1943  to  buy  a  city  am- 
bulance. This  event  has  become 
an  annual  affair  with  funds  now 
going  to  the  police  and  city  em- 
ployees protective  benevolent  as- 
sociation fund.  In  February  of 
1943,  a  new  librarian,  Miss  Doro- 
thea M.  Krause,  was  appointed 
by  the  library  board,  and  in  Ap- 
ril, Mr.  Edward  C.  Maroney,  and 
Mr.  Harvey  Antilla  were  elected 
to  the  park  board. 

The  city  officials  elected  in 
April,    1945,    were    all    members 


of  the  Citizens  Party  except  the 
alderman  of  the  fifth  ward,  which 
position  was  won  by  Elmer  John- 
son. Others  elected  were  Mayor, 
John  M.  Hart;  City  Clerk,  Louis 
F.  Schwartz;  Police  Magistrate, 
David  J.  Cullinan;  and  City  Treas- 
urer, Emil  J.  Blatt. 

Blue  Island  churches  were  act- 
ive in  the  war  effort  as  many  of 
the  sixteen  most  prominent  sent 
their  priests  or  ministers  to  serve 
as  chaplains.  Other  church  acti- 
vities included  a  celebration  at 
St.  Benedict's  on  April  23,  1942, 
when  Father  Gross  was  honored 
for  twenty-five  years  of  service 
at  this  church.  This  record  made 
him,  along  with  Rev.  M.  P.  F. 
Doermann  and  Rev.  R.  Rempke, 
one  of  the  pastors  with  the  longest 
service  to  their  respective  con- 
gregations. On  April  8,  1943 
the  First  Methodist  and  Central 
Methodist  churches  merged  and 
became  Grace  Methodist  Church, 
while  on  Sunday,  June  6,  1943, 
St.  Paul's  Evangelical  and  Re- 
formed Church  celebrated  its  50th 
anniversary,  the  church  having 
been  founded  June  11,  1893.  The 
pastor,  Rev.  W.  W.  Wilke  pre- 
sided at  the  services  on  Sunday, 
with  Rev.  William  Rest  speaker  at 
the  morning  worship  and  Rev. 
Benjamin  F.  Freese,  only  living 
ex-pastor,  at  the  evening.  The 
only  charter  member  living  was 
Mr.  William  Kirchner.  On  Fri- 
day, June  11,  1943,  all  churches 
and  people  of  the  community 
were  invited  to  a  Community  Cel- 
ebration. 


122 


Blue  Island  received  an  addi- 
tional blessing  in  December  of 
this  year  when  the  Church  of  the 
Nazarene  was  organized,  with  six- 
teen charter  members.  Members 
of  the  Harvey  Church  of  the  Naz- 
arene had  been  very  helpful  in 
getting  this  local  group  under 
way.  At  first  the  members  had  to 
meet  in  a  store  building,  but  so 
rapid  was  their  growth  that  they 
were  able  to  move  into  their  own 
lovely  brick  building  at  12815 
Gregory    Street    in    1945. 

Changes  were  taking  place  in 
both  the  elementary  and  high 
schools.  School  board  members 
for  District  130  elected  in  1942 
were  President  Leslie  0.  Damm, 
and  members  Fred  A.  Hohman, 
and  Earl  W.  Jorgensen.  In  the 
same  year  the  voters  extended 
the  term  of  office  of  the  presi- 
dent to  three  years.  The  follow- 
ing year  Perry  Hoag  and  Wm. 
G.  Schimmel  were  elected  to  the 
board.  As  part  of  the  school  ex- 
pansion program  for  the  elemen- 
tary school,  District  130,  board 
members  established  a  kindergar- 
ten for  the  first  time  in  1943. 
Community  High  School,  District 
218,  also  was  expanded  under 
the  leadership  of  Mrs.  Richards 
and  the  board  consisting  of  Presi- 
dent Dr.  Frank  W.  Tracy,  Clifford 
Aulwurm,  Fred  A.  Hohman,  Lou- 
is Biedenkopf,  and  Secretary  H. 
L.  Duff.  In  1942,  the  high  school 
began  to  expand  its  vocational 
courses  educating  children  in 
mechanical  and  technical  skills 
by   adding   metal    shop,    printing, 


business  machines;  developed  an 
expanded  program  in  foreign 
languages  by  adding  Spanish; 
and  gave  incentives  to  the  honor 
students  by  establishing  a  chap- 
ter of  the  National  Honor  Society 

St.  Francis  Hospital  by  1943 
had  110  beds  and  in  that  year 
was  approved  by  American  Col- 
lege of  Surgeons  for  residences 
or  fellowships.  It  was  also  approv- 
ed by  the  Council  of  Medical  Edu- 
cation and  Hospitals  of  the  Ame- 
rican Medical  Association. 

The  Blue  Island  Business  Men's 
Association  was  active,  with  Ed 
Warner  as  president  and  Lynn, 
Burno  as  secretary  in  1942.  This 
organization  saw  old  businesses 
remodeled  with  the  opening  of 
the  newly  remodeled  Lyric  Thea- 
tre on  March  22,  1942,  and  new 
businesses  develop.  Three  new 
industries  which  opened  in  1943 
in  Blue  Island  were  Wickwire 
Spencer  Aviation  Corporation  at 
2348  W.  136th  Street;  Cardox, 
manufacturers  of  fire  trucks  and 
extinguishers  at  2940  Burr  Oak; 
and  Vapofier,  manufacturers  of 
high  pressure  steel  plug  valves 
used  in  making  high  octane  gas, 
at  11957  Vincennes.  Stephen  T. 
Hoag,  manager  of  the  local  Sears 
store,  became  the  new  president 
of  the  Blue  Island  Business  Men's 
Association  with  Arthur  Stuebe 
as  vice-president,  Vera  Bartle  as 
secretary,  and  Adam  Kranich, 
treasurer.  The  First  National  Bank 
had  recently  elected  officers  with 
A.  L.  McCord,  president;  Ed  Ma- 
roney,    vice-president;    Philip    W. 


123 


Seyfarth,  assistant  cashier;  and 
Fred  L.  Zacharias,  cashier.  On 
March  19,  1942,  the  Kiwanis  Club 
of  Blue  Island  observed  its  first 
anniversary  with  Birt  E.  Frobish 
as  president,  John  Willis  as  vice- 
president,  Carl  Caul,  secretary 
and  treasurer,  and  Wesley  A. 
Volp,    immediate    past    president. 

The  Lions  Club,  the  oldest  and 
largest  service  organization  in 
Blue  Island,  celebrated  its  twen- 
tieth anniversary  with  E.J.  Warn- 
er as  president,  and  John  E.  Stein- 
hart  as  chairman  of  the  celebra- 
tion. The  celebration  banquet  was 
held  February  10,  1943  in  the 
Elks  Clubroom.  Dr.  Frank  W. 
Tracy,  one  of  the  founders  and 
the  first  president,  spoke  to  an 
audience  of  200  people.  He  was 
presented  with  a  plaque  honoring 
him  for  his  part  in  founding  the 
club.  Another  charter  member, 
Mr.  Peter  W.  Heintz,  gave  a  re- 
view of  the  twenty  years  activi- 
ties. Only  two  other  charter  mem- 
bers were  present — William  C. 
Hake,  and  Al  Stotz.  The  club  had 
started  with  fifteen  members  and 
in  the  twentieth  year  had  grown 
to  eighty-five  members.  Besides 
the  club  history,  the  group  was 
entertained  by  a  variety  show  of 
local  talent.  At  this  time,  too,  one 
of  the  Lions  active  members,  and 
a  past  president,  Henry  Baumann, 
was  again  chosen  finance  chair- 
man of  Community  Boy  Scouts, 
and  in  1944  vice-chairman  of  the 
South  Shore  District  Boy  Scout 
Committee. 

Women's  clubs,  too,  were  active 


in  Blue  Island  during  these  war 
years,  and  the  Blue  Island  Wom- 
an's Club  which  met  in  the  Elks 
Club  rooms  was  very  fortunate 
in  1942,  while  under  the  presi- 
dency of  Mrs.  John  Kent,  to  re- 
ceive a  valuable  gift,  the  Myrtie 
J.  Albee  home  which  was  left  to 
the  club  in  Mrs.  Albee's  will  up- 
on her  death  in  June,  1942.  The 
widow  of  Henry  W.  Albee  left 
her  lovely  home  at  13018  S.  Ma- 
ple Ave.,  all  furnishings  and 
$2500  cash  to  the  club  for  its 
club  home.  It  was  opened  and 
dedicated  October  27,  1942.  This 
has  been  the  home  of  the  Wom- 
en's Club  since  and  has  been  well 
preserved  and  cared  for  during 
this  time.  Others  who  served  as 
president  during  these  years  were 
Mrs.  L.  C.  Holt,  Mrs.  Alden 
Klein  and  Mrs.  E.  V.  Hill. 

The  Junior  Woman's  Club,  too, 
was  active  during  this  time  and 
was  fortunate  also  to  be  able  to 
share  the  future  home  of  the 
Woman's  Club.  Presidents  from 
1942-1945  were  Mrs.  Dale  Pryor, 
Mrs.  Irving  King,  and  Mrs.  Justin 
Boyd. 

The  Blue  Island  Garden  Club 
was  still  enjoying  the  beauty  of 
Blue  Island  gardens  when  in 
June,  1943  they  visited  the  Nap- 
ier peony  garden,  one  of  the  show 
spots  of  Blue  Island,  during  the 
regular  meeting  of  the  club  and 
re-elected  Mrs.  Rudolph  Heitman 
as  president. 

The  city  government  was  the 
first  agency  to  begin  its  adjust- 
ment to  the  post-war  years  as  it 


124 


St.  Francis  Hospital 
Picture  taken  after  addition  of  north  section.  A  drive  to  add  a  six  million 
dollar  building,  to  the  north  and  west  of  the  present  structure,  was  under  way  in 
1961. 


saw  changes  in  the  fire  depart- 
ment with  a  new  chief  succeeding 
John  Link,  who  retired  on  July 
30,  1945.  A  party  was  given  in 
his  honor  by  members  of  the  de- 
partment, who  also  presented  him 
with  an  easy  chair.  Allen  G.  Koll- 
man  served  as  new  fire  chief  and 
two  new  members,  William  Bar- 
zycki  and  Donald  Uthe  joined 
the  department  in  August,  1945. 
In  September  of  1945  Mayor 
Hart  and  the  city  council  planned 
for  the  post-war  improvements 
which  included  a  new  city  garage, 
fire  department  and  heating  plant, 
and  new  street  signs.  This  build- 
ing project,  while  seeming  like 
a   dream,   became   a   reality   after 


almost  two  years  when  on  March 
28,  29,  and  30,  1947,  the  public 
was  invited  to  an  open  house  at 
the  new  city  fire  station  and  gar- 
age. The  $130,000  structure  on 
Vermont  near  Greenwood  was 
the  pride  of  the  city  officials.  Ma- 
ny persons  had  a  share  in  the 
celebration  as  the  three  civic 
clubs — Lions,  Rotary,  and  Kiwa- 
nis,  presented  kitchen  utensils 
and  cooking  ware  to  the  fire  de- 
partment. 

The  federal  government  ap- 
pointed a  new  postmaster  on 
June  1,  1946  when  Daniel  J.  Boyd 
succeeded  John  Q.  McDonald, 
who  returned  to  postoffice  clerk 
because  of  poor  health. 


125 


New;  Apartment  Buildings 
Located  on  119th  street,  below  the  hill,  this  apartment  building  is  only  one 
of  the  many  attractive  rental  locations  for  new  residents  of  the  city. 


Blue  Island  was  saddened  by 
the  death  of  one  of  its  former 
mayors,  Frank  Kasten,  who  serv- 
ed in  1929,  1931,  and  1933,  who 
passed  away  in  December,  1946. 
He  had  been  International  Pre- 
sident of  United  Brick  and  Clay 
Workers   of  America. 

In  January,  1947,  Alderman 
George  F.  Fiedler  of  the  second 
ward  announced  that  he  would 
not  be  a  candidate  for  reelection. 
He  was  dean  of  the  Blue  Island 
City  Council,  having  served  con- 
tinously  for  twenty-six  years  from 
1921  when  he  was  elected  under 
Mayor  Paul  T.  Klenk.  He  had 
also  been  president  of  the  Police 
Pension  Board  since  1921.  On 
April  28,  1947,  Mayor  Hart,  the 
city  council  and  other  city  offi- 
cials who  served  with  him  gave 
a  dinner  in  his  honor. 

On  April  15,  1947,  the  follow- 


ing aldermen  were  elected  to 
serve  in  the  city  council:  Ward  1, 
Edward  Schaller;  Ward  II,  Ru- 
dolph J.  Banovich;  Ward  III,  Carl 
Jankowski ;  Ward  IV,  John 
Waugh;  Ward  V,  Elmer  Johnson; 
Ward  VI,  William  Frey;  and 
Ward  VII,  Arthur  Schaller.  Mem- 
bers elected  to  the  park  board 
were  Chester  E.  Sutton  and  John 
Link,  Jr. 

As  an  experiment  in  city  gov- 
ernment, Community  High  School 
students  ran  the  city  government 
for  a  day  on  April  29.  Three 
political  parties  at  the  school  had 
been  working  on  their  campaigns 
and  staged  a  mock  election  to 
choose  those  students  who  would 
fill  the  city  posts.  From  the  three 
parties  these  were  chosen:  Chair- 
les  Schumacher,  mayor;  Connie 
Myers,  city  clerk;  George  Greav- 
es,   police  magistrate;    Bob   Gar- 


126 


rels,  treasurer;  Bob  Hunter,  city 
engineer;  and  Fred  Leidolph, 
assistant  engineer.  Fourteen  al- 
dermen were  elected  and  several 
other  appointments  were  made 
by  the  officers  elected.  The  group 
who  felt  they  had  the  best  experi- 
ence were  the  policemen  who 
delighted  in  placing  tickets  on 
cars,  and  the  firemen  who  spent 
their  day  sliding  down  the  pole, 
riding  the  trucks,  or  having  lunch 
from  the  new  refrigerator.  In  all, 
both  the  students  and  city  offi- 
cials whom  they  represented  en- 
joyed the  day,  and  it  proved  to 
be  a  valuable  learning  experience 
for  all  the  students. 

George  H.  Faming  was  appoint- 
ed in  April,  1948  by  the  Blue  Is- 
land park  board  to  be  the  new 
superintendent  of  Blue  Island 
parks.  Mr.  Farning  was  to  succeed 
Arthur  Strutzenberg,  who  had 
served  for  over  a  quarter  of  a 
century.  Also  appointed  was  Mrs. 
Lois  Link  Fedor  as  secretary  of 
the  park  board,  a  part  time  posi- 
tion which  had  been  formerly 
filled   by   Leslie   I.   McCord. 

In  township  politics,  too,  local 
officials  were  taking  part  in  hon- 
oring one  of  their  own  citizens. 
On  the  night  of  October  13,  1948, 
a  banquet  was  held  in  Eagles  Hall 
honoring  Earl  F.  Kistner,  Calu- 
met Township  Republican  com- 
mitteeman and  secretary  of  the 
Cook  County  Republican  Central 
Committee.  To  show  with  what 
esteem  Mr.  Kistner  was  held  in 
the  state,  both  Governor  Dwight 
Green    and   Senator    C.    Wayland 


Brooks  attended  the  banquet  and 
spoke  of  the  fine  work  Kistner 
had  done.  Mayor  John  M.  Hart 
gave  the  welcome,  while  Frank 
A.  Bella,  president  of  the  Calumet 
Township  Republican  Club,  pre- 
sided. Mr.  Kistner  was  given  a 
1949  Mercury  four  door  sedan  by 
his  admirers,  with  Governor 
Green  making  the  formal  presen- 
tation. 

In  1945  changes  were  taking 
place  in  the  churches  with  new 
churches  being  built  and  new 
ministers  coming  into  some  of 
the  others.  On  July  26,  1945, 
construction  began  on  the  Church 
of  the  Nazarene  at  12817  Gregory 
and  the  Methodists  let  the  contract 
for  the  building  of  a  new  church 
structure  in  November,  1945  with 
plans  to  be  completed  October 
1,  1946. 

Also  in  1945  Rev.  E.W.  Mag- 
nusson  became  pastor  of  the 
Siloam  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church  at  Collins  near  Green- 
wood. Many  Blue  Islanders  en- 
joyed reading  Rev.  Magnusson's 
column  in  the  Sun-Standard  call- 
ed "The  Wayside  Pulpit,"  which 
he  wrote  during  all  the  years  he 
resided  in  Blue  Island.  The  First 
Congregational  lost  its  minister 
when  Dr.  Frederick  F.  Shannon 
left  Blue  Island. 

The  years  1946  and  1947  were 
highlights  in  the  history  of  the 
Grace  Methodist  Church,  which 
was  to  unite  the  two  fomer  church- 
es of  this  denomination  in  Blue 
Island.  While  many  worshipers 
of  both  former  congregations  had 


127 


helped  in  solving  the  problems 
of  this  union,  and  those  of  the 
building  of  a  new  church,  there 
would  be  none  who  would  deny 
a  leading  part  in  the  building  of 
tlie  beautiful  new  edifice,  and 
the  happy  merger  of  the  two  con- 
gregations, to  Dr.  T.  Harry  Kell- 
ey,  who  had  served  as  the  minis- 
ter of  the  First  Methodist  Church. 
The  Cornerstone  was  dedicated 
on  Sunday,  June  30,  with  quite 
a  large  crowd  staying  through 
the  entire  service  while  watching 
under  umbrellas  in  a  downpour 
of  rain.  On  Christmas  Eve,  1946, 
plans  were  made  to  hold  a  serv- 
ice at  11  p.m.  in  the  new  Grace 
Methodist  Church,  even  though 
it  was  not  completed.  The  first 
real  service  in  the  completed 
church  was  held  on  Sunday,  Aug- 
ust 24,  1947  when  the  church 
school  marched  over  in  a  body 
from  the  old  Vermont  St.  Church. 
Services  were  conducted  at  ele- 
ven a.m.  by  Dr.  T.  Harry  Kelly, 
minister,  assisted  by  Rev.  Paul 
Sanger,  and  Rev.  John  Jochum. 
On  Sunday,  September  14,  1947, 
a  week  of  special  events  for  the 
official  opening  of  Grace  Metho- 
dist began  at  eleven  o'clock  with 
Bishop  J.  Ralph  Magee  preaching 
the  sermon,  assisted  by  the  dis- 
trict superintendent  of  the  Rock 
River  Conference.  Other  services 
included  one  that  evening  by  the 
Blue  Jacket  Choir  from  Great 
Lakes,  with  Dr.  Roy  L.  Smith  as 
speaker;  a  Masonic  service  on 
Monday;  a  banquet  given  by  the 
ladies    of   the    church    when    Dr. 


George  Fowler,  pastor  of  St. 
James  Church,  Chicago,  spoke, 
and  a  "Youth  Night"  with  Edward 
Thomas,  president  of  the  local 
M.Y.F.  presiding.  Thus,  a  beau- 
tiful sanctuary  was  opened  to  the 
worshipers  in  Blue  Island. 

On  September  4,  1947  Rev. 
W.H.  Ruth  was  installed  as  pas- 
tor of  the  First  Evangelical  Lu- 
theran Church.  He  was  a  native 
of  New  York,  graduated  from 
Capitol  University,  and  formerly 
held  pastorates  in  Philo,  Peoria, 
and  Streator,  111.  as  well  as  hav- 
ing served  as  a  chaplain  in  the 
army  in  World  War  II.  Pastor 
Ruth,  as  he  was  called  by  his 
parishioners,  served  as  the  minis- 
ter of  this  church  when  it  cele- 
brated it  85th  anniversary  on 
Sunday,  October  24,  1948.  This 
church  could  well  be  proud  of  its 
membership,  which  in  that  year 
was  2,158  persons,  with  1,683 
confirmed,  showing  that  one  out 
of  every  ten  persons  in  Blue  Is- 
land was  connected  with  the  First 
Lutheran  Church.  The  assistant 
minister  during  this  celebration 
and  for  a  number  of  years  was 
Rev.  Gustav  S.  Ide. 

Community  High  school  wel- 
comed back  its  Superintendent, 
Harold  L.  Richards,  from  his 
service  in  the  quartermaster  and 
transportation  corps  of  the  U.S. 
Air  Force.  He  had  returned  from 
19  months  in  Iceland  and  as 
quartermaster  at  Stinson  Field, 
San  Antonio,  Texas.  Superintend- 
ent Richards  resumed  his  duties 
Monday,    August    6    taking    over 


128 


First  Steps 
Some  of  the  supporting  uprights  have  gone  in  for  the  new  elevation  of  the 
Rock  Island.  This  view  is  looking  north  along  Western,  from  about  Broadway. 


from  his  wife,  Mrs.  Ruth  Rich- 
ards, who  had  capably  served  as 
acting  superintendent  in  his  ab- 
sence. 

A  new  president  of  the  Com- 
munity High  School  board  of  edu- 
cation was  chosen  July  18,  1946, 
when  Henry  Duff  replaced  Dr. 
Frank  Tracy.  Members  serving 
this  year  were  Leslie  I.  McCord, 
secretary;  and  members  Elbert  T. 
smith,  Fred  Hohman,  and 
George  M.  Peterson.  The  1946 
enrollments  in  all  Blue  Island 
schools  were  up  between  two  and 
three  percent  over  the  previous 
year.  There  were  larger  kinder- 
garten and  first  grade  classes  and 
increases  in  all  classes  of  the  high 
school. 

By  February  of  1948  this 
growth  of  population  in  the  high 
school   district   began   to   take   on 


such  proportions  that  Superin- 
tendent Richards  and  the  board 
asked  Dr.  William  C.  Reavis, 
chairman  of  field  services  for  the 
University  of  Chicago,  to  make  a 
study  of  the  student  growth  ex- 
pected in  the  next  few  years. 
The  Reavis  report  suggested  a 
new  high  school  building,  includ- 
ing a  gymnasium  and  an  auditor- 
ium. This  report  was  the  basis 
for  Richards  to  suggest  his  now 
famous  "Two  Two  Plan,"  divid- 
ing the  student  body  in  two 
groups,  with  freshmen  and  soph- 
omores occupying  Old  Main,  the 
Maple  Avenue  building,  and  the 
suggested  new  building,  to  be 
erected  on  property  already  own- 
ed by  the  board  of  education  at 
Sacramento  and  Burr  Oak,  to  be 
the  future  educational  home  for 
C.H.S.  upperclassmen. 


129 


On  October  1,  1946,  the  United 
States  Post  Office  and  Air  Force 
initiated  the  use  of  helicopter 
service  for  the  delivery  of  mail 
from  Chicago  to  the  suburbs.  Two 
hundred  persons  were  out  to 
watch  the  helicopter  land  in  Blue 
Island  south  of  the  Sag  Canal 
near  the  fireman's  experimental 
tower  at  Ann  St. 

Among  these  was  Postmaster 
Daniel  J.  Boyd,  Assistant  Post- 
master Clarence  Davis;  George  F. 
Fiedler,  senior  alderman;  Ben 
Helford,  B.I.  Business  Men's  As- 
sociation; Chief  of  Police  Sor- 
genfrei;  and  members  of  the  Ro- 
tary,   Kiwanis    and    Lions    Clubs. 

Businesses   were    expanding   in 
several    ways.    The    Rock    Island 
commuters    received    a    break    in 
August,  1946  when  the  line  plan 
ned  for  air-conditioned  diesel-op 
erated  suburban  trains  to  be  pu 
in   operation   in  the  near  future 
Equipment   Steel   Products,   a  di 
vision     of    Union    Asbestos    and 
Rubber  Company,  according  to  a 
talk  given  by  C.  L.  Moorman,  one 
of    its    executives,    to    the    Lions' 
Club,   was   expanding.   The   com- 
pany's Blue  Island  plant  employ- 
ed 150  persons  in  their  work  of 
fabricating  refrigerator  car  equip- 
ment   and    other    items    for    the 
railroads.  At  that  time  they  had 
a  backlog  of  $4,000,000  in  orders 
and  were  increasing  their  facilities 
by    a    $300,000    addition    which 
would  add  40,000  square  feet  to 
shop  and  storage  departments. 

The  savings  and  loan  associa- 
tion as  well  as  local  banks  were 


also  expanding  during  these 
years.  On  July  22,  1947,  the  Blue 
Island  Savings  and  Loan  celebrat- 
ed its  sixtieth  anniversary.  This 
organization,  the  oldest  financial 
institution  in  Blue  Island,  was 
born  in  the  office  of  The  Stand- 
ard on  June  30,  1887.  Its  charter 
was  issued  July  22,  1887,  and  it 
was  then  known  as  the  Cottage 
Building  and  Loan  Association 
with  offices  located  at  the  north- 
west corner  of  Grove  and  West- 
ern, which  the  association  rented 
for  five  dollars  a  month.  On  June 
29,  1920,  the  name  was  changed 
to  the  Blue  Island  Savings  and 
Loan  Association,  and  a  new  home 
was  occupied  at  Vermont  and  Ar- 
tesian June,  1926.  This  building 
later  was  torn  down  and  a  new 
home  was  erected  at  the  same  lo- 
cation. The  new  premises  were 
formally  occupied  on  October  15, 
1938. 

On  Saturday,  August  23,  the 
First  National  Bank  held  Open 
House  to  show  the  community  its 
newly  rebuilt  interior.  This  bank, 
too,  like  the  savings  and  loan,  is 
one  of  the  early  financial  institu- 
tions of  Blue  Island,  having  been 
founded  in  1896  as  a  private  fi- 
nancial institution  by  John  L. 
Zacharias,  William  H.  Weber, 
and  Oliver  W.  Bourke.  In  1898 
Andres  McCord  bought  out 
Bourke,  and  it  bacame  Zacharias, 
McCord  and  Co.  In  1906  it  was 
called  the  Commercial  Bank  of 
Blue  Island,  and  in  1925  became 
the  First  National  Bank.  The 
beautiful  new  interior  of  the  bank 


130 


showed  faith  in  the  community 
and  the  desire  to  expand  its  finan- 
cial institutions. 

In  the  following  year,  on  Jan- 
uary 15,  1948,  the  State  Bank 
elected  Bartholomew  0'  T  o  o  1  e, 
realtor  and  banker,  as  its  new 
president.  Other  officers  chosen 
were  Charles  Habich,  vice-presi- 
dent; Donald  OToole,  vice-presi- 
dent; Donald  M.  Carlson,  vice- 
president  and  cashier;  and  Hilda 
Kollman,  assistant  cashier.  On 
July  1,  1948,  still  another  vice- 
president  was  added  to  the 
bank's  staff  when  F.  Joseph  But- 
ler, formerly  a  vice-president  of 
the  Chicago  Stock  Exchange,  be- 
gan his  duties. 

On  July  21,  1945,  Blue  Island- 
ers saw  the  first  shovel  of  earth 
turned  for  the  new  addition  to 
St.  Francis  Hospital.  The  first 
dirt  was  turned  for  the  new 
$500,000  hospital  addition  by 
Rev.  Theodore  G.  Gross  of  St. 
Benedict's  Church,  followed  by 
Dr.  Edward  A.  Doepp,  under 
whose  leadership  the  hospital  was 
brought  to  Blue  Island,  and 
Mayor  Hart  for  the  city  officials. 
The  service  was  witnessed  by  hos- 
pital employees,  Sisters  of  St. 
Mary's  and  other  interested  citi- 
zens. 

Blue  Island  civic,  veterans  and 
women's  organizations  were  pro- 
viding new  homes,  celebrating 
anniversaries,  and  planning  new 
and  unusual  projects  during  these 
years.  The  Veterans  of  Foreign 
Wars  started  a  campaign  in  No- 
vember,   1946    for    a   new    home. 


The  general  chairman  of  this 
drive  was  Stanley  Hill,  with  Ted 
Borek  as  committee  member  and 
Warren  Mavity  as  commander. 
The  American  Legion  Blue  Island 
Post  No.  50  celebrated  an  inter- 
esting occasion  in  April,  1947, 
when  it  honored  one  family  with 
seven  members  in  the  post.  The 
family  of  Alfred  Reuss,  Sr.,  in- 
cluded six  sons,  Alfred,  Jr.,  Nor- 
man, Henry,  Vernon,  Richard  and 
Melvin,  and  his  son-in-law,  Roy 
Roos,  all  of  whom  were  mem- 
bers of  this  American  Legion 
post. 

On  July  6,  1947,  the  Moose 
Lodge  No.  314  dedicated  a  new 
hall.  Those  taking  part  in  this 
dedication  were  Otto  Meyers,  re- 
gional director,  Emmerson  Spires, 
Governor  of  the  Blue  Island  lodge 
and  Mayor  John  M.  Hart. 

Two  new  projects  planned  by 
civic  clubs  included  the  presenta- 
tion to  inmates  of  Oak  Forest 
Infirmary  of  300  pairs  of  eye 
glasses  by  the  Lions  Club  of  Blue 
Island  in  January,  1947.  This 
project  was  one  of  the  first  of  its 
kind  in  the  United  States  and  was 
made  possible  by  the  club  through 
its  Sight  Conservation  Chairman, 
Clifford  Aulwurm,  who  made  the 
presentation  and  Dr.  A.  Tomlin- 
son,  who  tested  and  tagged  all 
the  glasses. 

The  Blue  Island  Junior  Wom- 
an's Club  began  a  new  and  un- 
usual project  by  establishing  baby 
sitting  classes.  In  July,  1947, 
twenty  girls  attended  classes  un- 
der the  direction  of  Mrs.  Donald 


131 


Crist.  Mothers  who  wanted  baby 
sitters  were  told  to  call  Mrs.  El- 
mer DeRuntz,  Mrs.  Clifford  Back- 
man,  Mrs.  Russell  Beedy,  or  Mrs. 
Alden  Schultz.  This  project  was 
such  a  success  and  the  demand  for 
baby  sitters  was  so  great  that  the 
Junior  Women's  Club  decided  to 
use  Kiddie  Klothes  at  12765  West- 
ern Ave.,  as  headquarters  for 
calls,  so  mothers  were  told  to  call 
there. 

Two  service  clubs  celebrated 
anniversaries  during  1947.  The 
Rotary  Club  observed  its  tenth 
anniversary  on  Wednesday,  May 
21,  at  the  Elks  Club.  Mayor  John 
M.  Hart  declared  the  week  of  May 
18-24  as  Blue  Island  Rotary  Club 
week.  At  the  banquet  on  May  21, 
the  welcome  was  given  by  Martin 
C.  Rohe,  a  charter  member,  while 
Chester  Sutton  acted  as  master  of 
ceremonies.  The  principal  speaker 
for  the  evening  was  Philip  Love- 
joy,  General  Secretary  of  Rotary 
International.  Ellwood  T.  Lever- 
enz  was  the  president  of  the  club, 
and  Mrs.  Earle  James  was  chair- 
man of  the  Rotary  Anns  who  help- 
ed with  the  celebration. 

On  Tuesday,  November  4,  1947, 
the  Blue  Island  Lions  Club  cele- 
brated its  twenty-fifth  anniver- 
sary with  a  banquet  at  Commun- 
ity High  School,  12915  S.  Maple. 
The  general  chairman  for  this 
event  was  Superintendent  of  Com- 
munity High  School,  Harold  L. 
Richards  and  the  guest  speaker 
was  President  of  the  Lions  Inter- 
national, Fred  W.  Smith,  Ventura, 
California,    oil    man    and    ranch 


owner.  The  membership  of  the 
club  at  this  time  was  ninety. 

The  Third  District  Illinois  Fed- 
eration  of  Women's  Clubs 
brought  honor  to  Blue  Island  by 
electing  Mrs.  W.  T.  Ewing  as 
president  in  the  spring  of  1947. 
Mrs.  Ewing  had  been  active  in 
women's  club  work  for  many 
years,  having  joined  the  Blue  Is- 
land Club  in  1913  and  served  as 
its  president  from  1937-1940.  She 
had  filled  many  chairmanships, 
both  in  the  Blue  Island  club  and 
the  third  district  and  well  deserv- 
ed the  honor. 

Another  woman  was  honored 
the  following  year  at  the  "Sweet- 
heart Ball"  on  February  14,  given 
by  Blue  Island  ex-servicemen  and 
their  friends  for  Mrs.  Florence 
Krech.  This  spontaneous  expres- 
sion of  gratitude  for  all  the  serv- 
ices she  performed  for  the  Blue 
Island  servicemen  during  the  war 
was  planned  by  a  large  committee 
with  Roy  Kennelly  as  chairman. 
The  celebration  was  held  at  the 
VFW  Hall,  with  no  admission 
charge.  The  VFW  donated  the 
hall,  food,  orchestra  and  decora- 
tions, but  was  not  alone  in  spon- 
soring the  party.  Persons  of  prom- 
inence who  also  wished  to  honor 
Mrs.  Krech  by  their  presence  were 
Congressman  Fred  Busby  and  Al- 
derman Ziccardo.  Mrs.  Krech  re- 
ceived a  beautiful  diamond  wrist 
watch  presented  by  the  group  in 
appreciation  for  her  many  hours 
of  untiring  service. 

The  young  people,  too,  were 
becoming  more  active  in  Blue  Is- 


132 


land  as  Boy  Scouting  grew  and 
developed  at  great  strides.  Ac- 
cording to  Henry  Baumann,  Dis- 
trict Chairman  of  South  Shore 
District,  in  1943  there  were  only 
150  boys  in  Blue  Island  register- 
ed in  Boy  Scouts.  By  September, 
1947,  400  boys  were  receiving 
benefits   from    the    program. 

In  sports,  music  and  literature, 
Blue  Island  was  making  a  name 
for  itself.  In  March,  1946,  Don 
Kolloway,  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
William  Kolloway,  2121  Grove 
Street,  rejoined  the  Chicago 
White  Sox  baseball  team  after 
having  served  his  country  in 
World  War  II  in  the  European 
Theater  where  he  received  the 
bronze  star  for  bravery  under 
fire.  Don  was  such  a  popular 
player  with  the  White  Sox  that 
on  September  15,  1946,  five  hun- 
dred friends  contributed  to  give 
him  a  new  maroon  Dodge  sedan 
which  was  presented  before 
39,000  people  at  the  White  Sox- 
Red  Sox  game  at  Comiskey  Park 
in  Chicago. 

The  Liederkranz  Chorus  made 
up  of  music  lovers  and  singers 
from  Blue  Island  until  1947  was 
under  the  leadership  of  Mr.  Hen- 
ry Kornemann.  This  group  sang 
on  many  occasions  both  in  Blue 
Island  and  Chicago  and  was  very 
popular  and  in  great  demand.  In 
February,  1947,  Miss  Esther  Reh- 
berg  of  Chicago  became  the  new 
leader  of  this  group,  and  it  con- 
tinued to  be  one  of  the  leading 
choruses  in  the  south  suburban 
area. 


An  article  appeared  in  the  Blue 
Island  Sun-Standard  on  August 
28,  1947  under  the  heading  "Blue 
Island  in  Novel."  The  article  tells 
that  Blue  Island  was  the  setting 
for  some  of  the  scenes  in  a  new 
novel,  "Gus  the  Great"  written  by 
Thomas  Duncan.  This  book  had 
been  chosen  as  the  Book  of  the 
Month  Club  selection  for  Septem- 
ber, so  would  be  read  by  many 
people  throughout  the  nation.  The 
book  was  of  special  significance 
to  Hill  Lakin  of  the  Sun-Standard 
staff  as  he  and  Mr.  Duncan  were 
classmates  at  Drake  University 
and  Mr.  Duncan  had  visited  in 
Blue  Island  in  1928. 

And  so  the  immediate  post-war 
years  had  shown  that  the  citizens 
of  Blue  Island  were  very  active 
in  many  ways  and  continued  to 
make  their  community  known  to 
others  and  make  history  which 
would  be  followed  for  years  to 
come. 

The  Blue  Island  Cab  company 
celebrated  thirty  years  in  business 
in  the  city,  and  William  Habich, 
secretary-treasurer  of  the  com- 
pany, did  some  reminiscing  of  un- 
usual calls  they  had  received. 
Most  unusual  according  to  Habich 
was  a  call  requesting  that  a  cab 
be  sent  to  an  address  where  a 
man  was  unable  to  tie  his  tie 
with  the  correct  knot.  Whether  or 
not  the  driver  was  any  more  suc- 
cessful wasn't  noted  by  Habich! 
Naturally  there  were  calls  from 
expectant  mothers  for  transporta- 
tion to  the  hospital,  and  the  cab 
company  managed  to  defeat  Papa 


133 


Stork  twice  over  that  period  of 
time. 

February  9,  1949,  marked  the 
twentieth  year  for  the  Blue  Island 
Junior  Woman's  Club,  which  was 
then  under  the  leadership  of  Miss 
Mary  K.  Dewey.  At  the  ceremon- 
ies commemorating  the  milestone 
was  Mrs.  E.  V.  Hill,  president  of 
the  Senior  Woman's  Club.  Mrs. 
Ruth  Hegner  Beck  was  the  first 
president  of  the  junior  women 
of  Blue  Island. 

Humanitarian  projects  have 
long  been  a  past  of  the  life  of 
Blue  Island,  its  people  and  its 
organizations,  and  one  of  the  Ki- 
wanis  programs  was  a  good  ex- 
ample. They  raised  $135  at  a  din- 
ner-dance to  buy  a  wheel  chair  for 
twenty-five  year  old  Danny  Mus- 
to,  crippled  since  a  baby.  Kiwanis 
President  Ed  Stothard  made  the 
presentation   to    Danny. 

Free  Coffee!  That's  right.  At 
the  opening  of  the  Kroger  store 
in  Blue  Island  Island  at  12929 
Western,  on  February  22,  1949, 
a  free  half-pound  of  coffee  was 
presented  to   each  customer. 

Balloons  and  shopping  bags 
were  also  given  away  at  the  new- 
est grocery  store  to  grace  this 
bustling   area. 

Individual  honors  went  to  Carl 
Jankowski,  alderman  from  the 
third  ward,  who  was  elected  sec- 
retary of  the  Association  of 
Lodges  of  Brotherhood  of  Rail- 
road Trainmen  of  Cook  County. 
Another  organization,  the  Ameri- 
can Legion  Auxiliary  Unit  No.  50, 
celebrated    its    twenty-ninth    year 


on  February  8.  Mrs.  Margaret 
Poutry  was  president  at  the  time. 
Dr.  Leslie  0.  Damm  was  in  charge 
of  the  Red  Cross  drive  in  Blue 
Island,  and  he  set  a  goal  of 
$6,500.  For  the  first  time  in  his- 
tory of  the  organization,  Chicago 
was  the  scene  of  the  launching 
of  the  national  drive. 

Two  auto  dealers  marked  the 
growth  of  Blue  Island  as  Naple- 
ton  Motor  Sales,  headed  by  Ed- 
ward W.  Napleton,  opened  doors 
at  11939  Vincennes.  Harry  C. 
Schuldt  and  Carl  P.  Jochum 
formed  the  Blue  Island  Motor 
Sales,  formerly  known  as  Nash 
Sales.  They  were  located  at  12637- 
45  Western. 

Dr.  Dirk  A.  Vloedman,  presi- 
dent of  the  school  board  of  Dis- 
trict 130,  announced  he  wo  u  1  d 
seek  a  second  three-year  term  in 
the   upcoming    election. 

Blue  Island's  city  council  was 
informed  that  the  Chicago  Asso- 
ciation of  Commerce  and  Indus- 
try had  asked  the  house  appro- 
priations committee  in  Washing- 
ton for  $5,000,000  to  be  used  to 
develop  the  Cal-Sag  channel 
south  of  Chicago.  This  would 
greatly  affect  Blue  Island  and 
the  city  council  was  gratified  to 
know  of  the  request. 

Two  long-time  residents  of  Blue 
Island  celebrated  fifty  years  of 
wedded  bliss  on  March  8,  1914. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  A.  Barr 
marked  the  happy  day  in  their 
home  at  2449  Cochran.  Mr.  Barr 
retired  from  the  Rock  Island  lines 


134 


Visiting  Educational  Leaders  Congratulate  Richards 
In    April   of   1960,    the   entire    community    joined    the    high    school   staff   in 
honoring  Dr.  H.  L.  Richards,  to  celebrate  his  twenty-fifth  year  as  superintendent 
of  Community  High  School.  Shaking  hands   with  Richards  are  Assistant  Super- 
intendent Dave  Heffernan  and  General  Superintendent  Ben  Willis,  of  the  Chicago 


in  1939.  He  has  resided  in  the  city 
since  1896. 

On  March  31,  City  Engineer 
Allen  L.  Fox  announced  that 
Western  avenue  was  soon  to  have 
a  new  street  lighting  system.  In- 
cluded in  the  system  were  mercury- 
vapor  lights  and  an  underground 
connection  feature,  and  all  new 
lightpoles. 

Two  members  of  the  city  min- 
isterial corps  announced  their  in- 
tention of  leaving  for  new  pas- 
torates following  Easter  services 
in  their  respective  churches.  Rev- 
erend Leo  Steininger  would  leave 
the  Church  of  the  Nazarene  to 
assume     pastoral     duties     at     the 


Church  of  the  Nazarene  in  the 
Hawaiian  Islands.  Rev.  Steininger 
came  to  Blue  Island  in  1943  and 
organized  the  local  Nazarene 
church.  Reverend  Franklin  R.  Ell- 
iot concluded  his  pastorate  at 
Easter  sunrise  services  at  the  First 
Congregational  Church.  He  join- 
ed the  ministerial  staff  at  the 
Winnetka  Congregational  Church. 
One  of  the  oldest  continuous 
business  houses  in  the  entire  area 
marked  its  100th  year  in  the  same 
location  in  April  of  1949.  Schreib- 
er  Brothers  Hardware,  13168  S. 
Western,  still  is  operating,  with 
two  sons  of  the  original  founder 
connected  with   and   active  in  the 


135 


business.  Indians  were  still  near 
Fay's  Point  when  August  Schreib- 
er  first  established  a  tin  shop  on 
the  corner  of  Western  and  James 
in  1849.  August  Schreiber  died  in 
1893  but  the  operation  was  kept 
in  the  family  by  his  sons  Philip 
and  Henry,  both  still  in  Blue  Is- 
land  in   1949. 

Philip  and  Henry  operated  the 
store  from  1893  until  1926  when 
Philip's  son  Valentine  and  Hen- 
ry's daughter  Irene  (Mrs.  Fred 
Koehn)  became  affiliated  with  the 
management.  At  this  time  (1949) 
another  of  Philip's  sons,  John, 
managed  the  business  while  Val- 
entine had  his  own  hardware 
store  in  Homewood.  The  Koehns 
were  no  longer  active  in  the  op- 
eration. 

In  1896  expansion  caused  the 
Schreibers  to  add  on  the  west 
side  of  the  building  since  the  part 
on  Western  was  a  buggy  show- 
room. At  the  time  of  the  rebuild- 
ing program  bricks  cost  $3.50  a 
thousand,  and  Schreiber  estimat- 
ed the  construction  cost  $3,700, 
other  than  the  plumbing  and 
hardware  which  the  Schriebers 
handled  themselves.  Many  items 
associated  with  the  horse  and 
buggy  era  were  still  stocked  in 
1949  because  of  a  demand  for 
them. 

Before  his  death  in  1956,  Phil- 
ip Schreiber  would  often  remi- 
nisce about  the  Blue  Island  Lie- 
derkranz  which  was  founded  in 
1853.  The  Liederkranz  sang  Ger- 
man songs,  told  legends  and  par- 
aded on  Western  Avenue  with  a 


beer  keg  in  a  wheel  barrow  and 
a  snare  drum.  He  also  remember- 
ed the  days  when  Christ  Peters, 
Blue  Island's  only  policeman, 
tended  the  kerosene  lamps  in  the 
city,  carrying  a  ladder  with  him 
so  that  he  could  reach  the  wicks. 
One  of  the  favorite  games  of  chil- 
dren of  the  era  was  Indians,  not 
cowboys  and  Indians,  because 
cowboys  were  unknown  at  that 
time. 

Mrs.  Henry  G.  Baumann,  who 
is  now  associated  with  her  hus- 
band in  The  Mayfair,  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Philip  Schreib- 
er, as  was  Mrs.  William  Dusel. 
Many  of  the  children  in  the  fam- 
ily were  born  in  the  Schreiber 
building. 

Continued  building  was  evident 
in  the  city  as  Mother  of  Sorrows 
school  held  ceremonies  May  1,  in 
which  the  blessing  of  the  corner- 
stone for  the  new  addition  took 
place.  First  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church  began  a  one  week  cele- 
b  r  a  t  i  o  n  commemorating  the 
eighty-fifth  anniversary  of  the 
founding  of  its  Christian  Day 
School.  The  celebration  began 
May  1,  with  special  services  in 
both  German  and  English  in  the 
church.  Also  included  was  a  re- 
union of  all  graduates.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  anniversary  of  the 
school,  Clara  Damm  marked  her 
thirtieth  anniversary  as  a  teacher 
in  the  school. 

First  Lutheran  Church  reveal- 
ed plans  for  a  new  church  to  be 
erected  on  the  present  site  on 
Grove    street.    Cost    of   the   new 


136 


building  would  be  $250,000.  The 
original  cornerstone  was  laid  May 
23,  1863,  and  the  church  was  ded- 
icated on  July  3,  1864.  Now  there 
were  930  families  with  2,158  mem- 
bers, according  to  Paster  Walter 
H.  Ruth.  He  announced  that  the 
historic  church  tower  would  be 
preserved,  and  that  the  architec- 
ture would  be  Gothic  style  of 
stone   construction. 

The  building  committee  con- 
sisted of  Louis  Brockman,  chair- 
man; Carl  Sievert,  vice-chairman; 
Bodo  Schoebes,  secretary;  and 
members  William  Bauch,  Harry 
Bochmann,  Charles  Brisch,  George 
Damm,  Arthur  Grueb,  Robert 
Koenecke,  Martin  Lohse,  George 
Mangold,  Louis  Nagel,  and  Otto 
Summerfield.  Others  assisting  the 
committee  were  Pastor  Ruth,  Her- 
man Lohse,  and  church  trustees 
Al  Bowman,  Clarence  Boldt,  Har- 
ry Voss  and  Henry  Zibell. 

World  War  II  refused  to  be 
pushed  into  the  background,  as 
one  of  Blue  Island's  fallen  sons 
was  returned  for  burial.  The  re- 
mains of  PFC  Robert  K.  Wilson, 
son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  August  Wil- 
son were  received  for  final  cere- 
monies. PFC  Wilson  was  wound- 
ed in  action  January  28,  1945, 
and  died  the  following  day.  He 
has  also  been  wounded  previous- 
ly while  serving  in  France  in 
1944.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
301st  Infantry,  94th  Division, 
Patton's  3rd  Army. 

Progress  would  not  be  thwart- 
ed, as  Mayor  John  Hart  and  City 
Engineer    Allen    Fox    announced 


that  the  city's  SI  04,000  water 
project  was  underway.  The  new 
system  would  alleviate  the  water 
shortages  during  the  summer 
months. 

Hart  also  commented  on  his  re- 
turn to  office  by  the  voters  call- 
ing it  "...  a  mandate  to  continue 
on    our    record    and    pay-as-you- 

go" 

On  another  note  reminiscent  of 
World  War  II,  the  body  of  Lt. 
Richard  W.  Paulsen,  of  12743 
Greenwood,  was  returned  for  bur- 
ial on  Monday,  May  23,  1949. 
Killed  in  a  plane  accident  shortly 
after  the  end  of  the  war,  Lt.  Paul- 
sen had  been  a  member  of  the 
494th  Bomber  Squadron,  and  a 
1941  graduate  of  Community 
High  School. 

Reverend  William  Donald  Mc- 
Lean celebrated  his  50th  year  in 
the  ministry  on  Saturday,  May  21. 
He  was  pastor  at  St.  Aidan's 
Episcopal  church.  The  Lions  Club 
of  Blue  Island  announced  it  was 
readying  for  the  third  annual 
community  Fourth  of  July  cele- 
bration. Committee  chairmen 
were  Stanley  Hill,  general;  Lloyd 
Holmlin,  parade;  H.  L.  Richards 
and  Arnold  Watland,  queen  pop- 
ularity co-chairmen.  Long-time 
civic  servant  Captain  William  0. 
Hankey  of  the  Blue  Island  police 
department  hung  up  his  cap  for 
the  last  time  on  June  1,  1949.  At 
retirement  he  was  in  charge  of 
the  station  during  evening  hours. 
Hankey  joined  the  force  April  28, 
1924,  as  a  patrolman.  Dr.  John 
W.   Holland,  associated  with  Chi- 


137 


cago  radio  station  WENR,  was 
named  as  the  feature  speaker  at 
Community  high  school  com- 
mencement exercises.  A  class  of 
316  was  scheduled  to  receive 
their  diplomas. 

Reverend  E.  W.  Magnusson  was 
set  as  the  guest  speaker  at  Mem- 
orial Day  services  in  the  city. 
Three  bands  had  been  lined  up 
for  the  parade,  and  services  were 
scheduled  at  the  First  Lutheran 
church. 

Community  High's  basketball 
coach,  George  W.  Porter,  was 
honored  in  the  Air  N  a  t  i  onal 
Guard  by  receiving  his  promotion 
to  Major.  Other  individual  honors 
on  a  local  basis  went  to  Arnold 
Watland  and  Ben  Helford  who 
were  chosen  as  president  and  vice- 
president  of  the  local  Lions  club. 

Growth  of  Blue  Island  as  a 
major  south  suburban  communi- 
ty was  further  evidenced  by  let- 
ting of  contracts  for  a  new  high 
school  to  be  located  at  Sacramen- 
to and  Burr  Oak.  Residents  had 
approved  the  previous  fall  the  is- 
suance of  bonds  totaling  $1,500,- 
000  for  the  construction  of  the 
new  institution  of  learning. 
Charles  W.  Nichol  was  named  as 
architect,  and  J.  J.  Duffy  and 
Company  would  be  general  con- 
tractors. Officials  said  the  new 
building  would  be  ready  for  utili- 
zation by  September,  1950.  Aca- 
demically, 40  classrooms  would 
be  built,  while  a  gymnasium  seat- 
ing 3,500  would  be  constructed  in 
conjunction   with  the  school. 

Pennsylvania    Military    College 


announced  plans  to  honor  one  of 
its  more  famous  alums,  H.  L. 
Richards,  superintendent  of  Dis- 
trict 218.  Mr.  Richards  was  to  re- 
ceive an  honorary  Doctor  of  Sci- 
ence degree,  and  was  described 
by  his  former  commandant  as 
"One  of  our  keenest  students." 
Mr.  Richards  was  one  of  the  few 
graduates  of  PMC  to  finish  the 
academic  program  in  three  years. 
Subsequent  to  this  announcement 
was  that  work  on  the  new  high 
school  building  would  begin  June 
16. 

The  body  of  Sgt.  Anthony  Trel- 
la,  killed  in  action  in  Belgium 
in  December,  1944,  was  returned 
for  burial  in  his  native  Blue  Is- 
land. He  was  survived  by  his 
wife  Erma  and  son  Richard.  Pri- 
or to  entering  service  he  lived  at 
12755  Hoyne.  Trella  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  771st  Field  Artillery, 
1st  Army. 

Kline's  Department  store  an- 
nounced its  22nd  birthday  cele- 
bration would  be  held  during  the 
month  of  June.  The  store  also 
honored  Ann  Briddick,  head  cash- 
ier, who  was  one  of  the  original 
employees.  Other  long-time  em- 
ployees were  Ludwig  Blum,  man- 
ager for  the  past  20  years;  Irving 
King,  assistant  manager;  Irving 
Martino,  and  Sidney  Pollack. 
With  one  business  house  celebrat- 
ing its  longevity,  another  business 
said  good  bye  to  a  long-time  as- 
sociate, as  Mr.  Henry  Mohr  of 
Fiedler-Mohr  Auto  Sales  retired 
July   1,   1949,  because  of  illness. 


138 


He  had  been  with  the  concern  for 
28   years. 

Continued  growth  was  still 
more  apparent  as  St.  Francis  His- 
pital  announced  a  building  fund 
quota  of  $250,000.  Dr.  T.  Harry 
Kelly,  minister  at  Grace  Metho- 
dist Church,  was  named  chairman 
of  the  drive  for  funds.  Mayor 
John  Hart  was  named  vice-chair- 
man of  the  building  fund. 

Dr.  Kelly  announced  that  Dr.  H. 
L.  Richards  had  been  named 
chairman  of  the  speakers'  bureau 
which  would  bring  the  story  of 
St.  Francis  and  its  needs  to  po- 
tential contributors.  The  entire 
building  program  was  set  at 
$650,000  of  which  the  $250,000 
would  have  to  be  pledged  and  do- 
nated. 

Three  locat  organizations  elect- 
ed or  named  new  leaders  for  the 
year.  Burtus  Overton  was  elected 
commander  of  the  American  Le- 
gion; R.  A.  Crawford,  Rotary 
president;  while  Harold  Fischer 
was  named  manager  of  the  Blue 
Island   Montgomery    Ward    store. 

Another  pioneer  businessman 
passed  from  the  scene  with  the 
death  of  William  F.  Hennig, 
founder  of  the  firm  now  known 
as  Van  Florists.  Mr.  Hennig  had 
retired  recently,  but  before  that 
time  had  worked  for  forty-five 
years  with  the  floral  company 
building  up  a  large  trade. 

Community  High  School  open- 
ed its  doors  for  the  fall  with  ex- 
tremely crowded  conditions  prev- 
alent. A  total  of  4,859  children 
were    in    all    schools    in    the    city, 


both  parochial  and  public. 

Several  pioneer  residents  fig- 
ured in  the  news  during  the 
month  of  September,  1949,  be- 
ginning with  the  death  of  Henry 
J.  Schnurstein  at  86.  The  former 
city  official  passed  away  at  the 
home  of  his  sister  Mrs.  Florence 
Ulrich.  Mr.  Schnurstein  served  as 
an  alderman  from  1917  to  1923, 
and  as  building  inspector  from 
1925  until  1946.  Carl  Groskopf, 
of  2447  Oak  Street,  retired  after 
fifty-five  years  on  the  Rock  Is- 
land railroad.  He  had  lived  all  of 
his  seventy  years  in  Blue  Island, 
and  was  the  oldest  director  of 
the  Blue  Island  Savings  and  Loan 
Association. 

Dr.  Theodore  H.  Montague,  80, 
treasurer  of  the  Blue  Island  Spe- 
cialty Company,  died  in  his  home 
at  2704  Union.  Dr.  Montague 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1895 
from  Germany,  graduated  from 
Northwestern  University  dental 
school  in  1898,  and  later  became 
treasurer  of  the  specialty  com- 
pany. This  was  a  position  he  held 
at  his  death.  Robert  Krueger,  57, 
the  third  generation  in  a  business 
established  in  1854,  died  sudden- 
ly in  his  home  at  13050  Green- 
wood on  November  22.  Reverend 
Ernest  W.  Magnusson,  recent 
speaker  at  city  Memorial  Day 
services,  died  November  19,  in 
St.  Francis  Hospital,  from  the  ef- 
fects of  a  heart  attack.  Still  an- 
other sad  note  was  the  announce- 
ment that  Jackson's  corner  at 
Western  and  Vermont  would  be 
torn    down    to    make    way    for    a 


139 


more  modern  building.  The  build- 
ing was  originally  erected  in  the 
late  1850's  by  John  K.  Polland. 
He  later  sold  the  building  and 
business  to  Frederick  Sauerteig 
in  1863,  and  it  had  served  resi- 
dents in  varying  capacities  ever 
since. 

On  November  24,  Dr.  T.  Harry 
Kelly  announced  that  after  exten- 
sively efforts  on  the  part  of  the 
fund  raisers  and  community,  the 
$250,000  goal  had  been  reached. 
St.  Francis  Hospital  would  begin 
its  addition  soon  according  to  the 
officials. 

The  year  1950  brought  little 
joy  with  its  first  few  months  as 
Hutchins  Lumber  Company  was 
virtually  destroyed  by  a  fire  that 
hit  the  11  acre  site.  Six  families 
were  burned  out  of  their  nearby 
homes,  and  five  persons  were  in- 
jured in  the  blaze.  Luckily  there 
were  no  deaths  in  the  holocaust 
Employees  dashed  from  the  blaz- 
ing building  carrying  what  re- 
cords they  could  salvage. 

Activities,  anniversaries  and 
events  of  all  kinds!  1950  was  fill- 
ed with  both  good  and  bad  news 
for  Blue  Islanders. 

On  February  14,  the  American 
Legion  Auxiliary  Unit  No.  50  cel- 
ebrated its  thirtieth  anniversary. 
Mrs.  O.  I.  Poultry  was  presiding 
officer  at  the  ceremonies.  Two 
couples  also  marked  fiftieth  an- 
niversaries of  wedded  life.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ralph  Fenton  and  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Albert  Wodrich  were 
married  in  1900.  The  Wodrichs 
were  married  by  Rev.   H.   K.  G. 


Doermann  in  the  First  Evangeli- 
cal Lutheran  church.  Blue  Island- 
ers had  strong  feelings  both  for 
and  against  movie  actress  Ingrid 
Bergman  and  her  starring  in  the 
Roberto  Rossolini  movie  "Strom- 
boli."  "The  whole  Bergman-Ros- 
solini  affair  is  a  shame,"  was  a 
sample  opinion.  Many  ministerial 
members  recommended  it  not  be 
shown   in  the  Chicago   area. 

The  fingers  of  the  coal  strike 
moved  ever  forward  affecting 
more  and  more  consumers,  as 
dealers  did  their  best  to  keep  an 
adequately  supplied  public. 
George  R.  Willy  distributed  six 
diplomas  to  first  graduates  of 
Willy's  School  of  Carburetor  and 
Automotive  Electricity.  Graduates 
were  Ogden  Flanders,  Ted  Willy, 
Tony  Fico,  James  Williamson, 
Robert  Bolin  and  Jerome  Pairie. 
Educators  and  parents  noted  the 
resignation  of  Dr.  H.  A.  Perrin, 
superintendent  of  grade  school 
District  130.  Dr.  Perrin  said  he 
would  not  retire  from  the  educa- 
tional field,  however.  Patrick  T. 
Hallinan  Post  3580,  V.F.W.,  elect- 
ed Ralph  Sullivan,  Jr.,  27  of  2438 
Collins,  as  its  commander  for  the 
year.  Attorney  Paul  T.  Klenk,  56, 
former  mayor  of  Blue  Island  died 
on  March  29,  in  St.  Luke's  Hos- 
pital. He  had  been  appointed  city 
attorney  in  1917,  and  became  the 
youngest  mayor  of  any  Illinois 
municipality  in  1921  at  the  age 
of  27.  Allen  G.  Kollman,  50,  of 
2214  W.  123rd,  retired  as  fire 
chief  in  Blue  Island.  He  had 
been  appointed  in  1945  after  the 


140 


retirement  of  John  Link  as  chief. 
Everett  Kerr,  former  superin- 
tendent of  the  Homewood  schools, 
was  named  superintendent  of  Dis- 
trict 130  by  Dr.  Dirk  A.  Vloed- 
man,  president  of  the  school 
board.  A.  King  McCord,  son  of 
Andrew  I.  McCord,  president  of 
the  First  National  Bank,  was  nam- 
ed executive  vice-president  of  the 
Oliver  Corporation.  Young  Mc- 
Cord was  born  in  Blue  Island  in 
1904  and  joined  the  Oliver  Com- 
pany in  1930.  Kiwanis  members 
observed  the  ninth  birthday  of 
the  group.  Of  the  charter  mem- 
bers, twelve  were  still  active  in  the 
club  affairs.  Those  still  active  are 
Arthur  Anderson,  Arthur  Carl- 
son, Birt  Frobish,  James  Hickey, 
Robert  Huffman,  Carl  Jochum, 
William  Mangold,  Arthur  New- 
house,  Charles  Odenthal,  Harry 
Schuldt,   Ivan   and  Wesley  Volp. 

Another  top  innovation  of  the 
day  was  the  outdoor  movie  which 
was  gaining  in  prominence  as  part 
of  the  American  way  of  life.  One 
sage  comment  culled  from  the 
files  of  the  Sun-Standard  about 
the  advent  of  the  outdoor  movie 
was,  "Outdoor  movies  are  good 
for  those  with  cars."  Blue  Island 
Postmaster  Danial  J.  Boyd  was 
chosen  president  of  the  Illinois 
Postmasters  at  their  state  meet- 
ing. The  Elks  club  sponsored  a 
"Wake  Up,  America"  rally  wih 
Frank  A.  Bella  in  charge.  Paul 
Harvey  was  named  as  the  main 
speaker  at  the  rally. 

Blue  Island  Community  High 
School   held   its   final    graduating 


Everett  F.  Kerr 
Superintendent    of   Blue   Island   Ele- 
mentary School,  1950 — 


class  at  "Old  Main"  as  the  move 
to  the  new  school  for  the  fall  of 
1950  seemed  imminent.  Dr.  Carl 
S.  Winters,  pastor  of  the  First 
Baptist  Church  of  Oak  Park,  was 
the  speaker  for  the  285  who  re- 
ceived diplomas.  One  highlight  of 
the  school  year  was  the  crowning 
of  Blue  Island's  tennis  team  as 
state  co-champions.  The  school 
district  also  marked  up  one  year 
of  progress  in  the  construction  of 
the  new  school. 

Dr.  H.  L.  Richards  was  named 
a  member  of  the  Third  Annual 
Conference  for  City  School  Super- 
intendents at  the  University  of 
Colorado.  The  group  was  limited 
to   the    35    top    educators    in    the 


141 


nation,  meeting  to  discuss  prob- 
lems of  the  secondary  school. 

Illinois  Bell  Telephone  an- 
nounced plans  to  erect  a  dial  tel- 
ephone office  and  business  office 
at  2421-2433  Union  in  the  city. 
Before  beginning  construction  the 
company  said  it  would  spend 
$500,000  improving  the  property 
at  that  site.  W.  G.  Rowbotham, 
then  manager  of  the  Blue  Island 
telephone  office,  said  that  the  en- 
tire project  would  cost  $2,500,000 
and  would  bring  about  the  com- 
plete modernization  of  the  system. 

More  progress  shouts  came 
from  St.  Francis  Hospital  as  the 
60-bed  addition  moved  to  com- 
pletion. Officials  announced  that 
an  open  house  would  be  held 
July  4,  1950  in  the  addition.  Sam- 
ual  Cardinal  Stritch  has  been 
scheduled  to  bless  and  dedicate 
the  addition  in  ceremonies  on 
July  3. 

Marked  growth  of  the  Blue  Is- 
land trade  area  was  recorded  in 
1950  figures  released  by  Sales 
Management  of  New  York  in  a 
survey  of  business  activity.  Re- 
tail sales  registered  a  total  of 
$21,177,000  in  the  year,  showing 
a  market  index  of  130  or  thirty 
above  the  previous  year.  The 
1950  population  was  17,580  com- 
pared to  16,638  in  1940,  a  5.6 
percent  increase  which  was  just 
under  the  population  increase  reg- 
istered by  the  city  of  Chicago. 

Lloyd  C.  Holmlin,  general 
chairman  of  the  Lions  Club  July 
4  celebration,  reported  that  a 
$3,000    fireworks     display    had 


been  arranged.  A  record  number 
of  applicants  for  the  parade  had 
been  reported.  Sister  Mary  Flor- 
entine of  St.  Francis  Hospital 
stated  that  more  than  2,000 
people  visited  the  new  sixty  bed 
addition  which  now  made  the  hos- 
pital   a   four   story   building. 

U.  S.  Army  troops  took  over 
operation  of  the  Rock  Island  rail- 
road at  the  order  of  President 
Harry  S.  Truman  after  the 
Switchman's  Union  of  North 
America  maintained  its  st  r  i  k  e 
against  the  road,  defying  Tru- 
man's back-to-work  ultimatum. 
Later,  after  the  July  8,  1950  take- 
over by  troops,  the  union  called 
off  the  strike.  At  least  1,000  Blue 
Islanders  were  affected  by  the 
strike  with  the  city  suffering  an 
economic  setback.  Loss  in  sales 
was  estimated  at  $40,000  to 
$50,000  in  the  striking  period. 

Kline's  department  store  be- 
gan an  enlargement  p  r  o  g  r  am 
that  would  amount  to  $120,000. 
Three  stores  would  be  removed 
to  make  way  for  the  Kline  ex- 
pansion. Also  three  new  stores 
were  to  be  constructed  on  the 
east  side  of  Western  in  the  old 
parking  lot,  just  north  of  Boyd's 
Store  for  Men. 

Blue  Island  residents  were 
polled  on  opinions  of  the  Korean 
War  after  hostilities  broke  out 
in  July.  A  summary  of  Islander 
opinion  was  "No  one  wants  to  go, 
but  I'd  sooner  settle  with  the  Rus- 
sians over  there  than  at  home." 
Pvt.  George  J.  Luscombe,  20,  son 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nick  Luscombe 


142 


of  2657  Collins,  would  provide 
residents  with  first  hand  informa- 
tion from  the  Korean  front 
through  the  Sun-Standard.  Dur- 
ing July  and  August  the  city  coun- 
cil studied  the  effects  of  rent 
control  and  debated  upon  contin- 
uance of  such  a  program.  During 
their  August  meeting  they  voted 
10-4  against  a  resolution  that 
would  have  allowed  rent  controls 
to  continue.  Finally  in  March, 
1951,  the  council  voted  unanim- 
ously to  terminate  rent  controls 
in    the   city    of   Blue    Island. 

Great  Lakes  Refining  Company 
began  erection  of  a  new  catalytic 
cracking  plant  for  refining  petrol- 
eum products.  In  addition  a  new 
barge  slip  was  built,  both  de- 
signed to  increase  production  and 
shipment  of  high  octane  gasoline. 
Despite  an  enormous  building 
program,  Blue  Island  s  c  h  o  o  Is 
were  scheduled  to  open  on  time. 

One  of  the  first  Korean  casual- 
ties was  Pvt.  Adrian  Kusiolek,  of 
12755  Lincoln  St.,  who  was  re- 
ported missing  in  action  in  the 
Korean  fighting.  Last  son  of  a 
pioneer  settler,  Herman  W.  Staffel, 
82,  resident  of  the  Metro  Hotel, 
died  August  30.  His  father,  John, 
settled  in  Blue  Island  in  1856  and 
was  an  early  member  of  the 
board  of  trustees.  A  former  al- 
derman from  1926  to  1949,  Clar- 
ence Oliver  Williams,  60,  died  at 
his  home  on  September  12.  He 
was  a  yardmaster  for  the  Balti- 
more and   Ohio   railroad. 

Ground  breaking  ceremonies 
were  held  September  17,  for  the 


new  Evangelical  Community 
Church,  located  at  120th  and  Irv- 
ing. The  present  church  is  lo- 
cated at  120th  and  Gregory.  Pas- 
tor George  W.  Knapp,  Church 
Council  President  Raymond  Foss 
and  Building  Committee  Chair- 
man Nick  Splayt  were  present  at 
the  ground  breaking.  Planning 
for  the  new  building  began  in 
1944  under  the  leadership  of 
Emil  Helm  who  was  pastor  for  21 
years. 

Burtus  "Bud"  Overton,  World 
War  II  veteran  and  former  Amer- 
ican Legion  commander,  was  nam- 
ed director  of  defense  by  Mayor 
John  M.  Hart.  An  advisory  com- 
mittee was  being  formed  with  Dr. 
Howard  C.  Sigtenhorst  as  one  of 
the  first  members.  The  appoint- 
ments were  made  in  conjunction 
with  a  national  program  of  civil 
defense. 

Samuel  Cardinal  Stritch  dedi- 
cated the  latest  addition  to  Mother 
of  Sorrows,  the  Mater  Dolorosa 
Chapel  and  St.  Juliana  build- 
ing on  Sunday,  October  1.  The 
addition  contained  a  chapel,  choir 
gallery,  rectory,  auditorium,  class- 
rooms, playrooms,  offices,  visitor 
reception    rooms    and    wardrobes. 

First  Congregational  Church 
celebrated  its  90th  birthday.  Lo- 
cated on  York  street,  it  was  or- 
ganized January  22,  1960.  Some 
of  the  names  on  early  church 
records  included  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
J.  P.  Young,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  P. 
Atkinson,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hart 
Massey,  Mrs.  Betsy  Fox,  Mrs. 
Elizabeth    O.    Sanders.    The    first 


143 


church  was  located  in  a  log  cabin 
on  the  southwest  corner  of  West- 
ern at  Grove  street,  and  the  first 
regular  pastor  was  Rev.  Lemuel 
Foster.  He  joined  the  congrega- 
tion on  April  1,  1863.  Prior  to 
the  formal  organization,  the  Un- 
ion Sunday  School  served  as  the 
forerunner.  It  was  organized  in 
1849  by  Mrs.  Benjamin  Sanders 
and  Mrs.  Carlton  Wadhams. 
Church  services  were  held  in  the 
hall  belonging  to  Mr.  C.  D.  Rob- 
inson until  June  4,  1865  when 
the  first  church  was  dedicated. 
The  present  church  was  dedicated 
April  4,  1901.  Rev.  Wallace  Ault 
was  the  pastor  at  this  time  and 
Church  School  Superintendent 
was  Stephen  T.  Hoag.  Mrs.  Rob- 
ert F.  Ryan  was  primary  super- 
intendent. 

District  218  officials  announced 
that  General  Dwight  Eisenhower, 
president  of  Columbia  University, 
would  deliver  the  dedication  ad- 
dress for  Community  High  School 
located  at  127th  and  Sacramento. 
The  new  structure  was  built  at  a 
cost  of  $2,250,000.  The  General's 
speech  would  climax  a  two  day 
program  scheduled  for  October 
22  and  23. 

Dedication  plans  began  over  a 
year  previous  with  Dr.  H.  L. 
Richards  and  the  school  board 
hoping  for  the  district's  biggest 
day.  Working  with  Dr.  Richards 
were  Henry  Duff,  president;  Les- 
lie I.  McCord,  secretary;  and 
members  George  M.  Peterson,  El- 
bert T.  Smith,  and  Gilbert  A.  Roll. 
Kevin  McCann,  former  editor  of 


Henry  G.  Baumann,  general  chairman 
of  the  Lions  Club  of  Blue  Island  1962 
July  4th  celebration  and  Past  President 
of  the  Lions  Club  of  Blue  Island. 


the  Midlothian  Messenger,  was 
credited  with  securing  General 
Eisenhower  for  the  ceremonies. 
McCann  had  served  as  an  aide  to 
Eisenhower  for  a  number  of 
years.  Henry  G.  Baumann,  Blue 
Island  merchant,  served  as  chair- 
man of  the  dedication  committee, 
and  Rollin  Pooler  was  chairman 
of  the  faculty  committee. 

On  the  agenda  was  an  alumni 
banquet  with  William  Carlson, 
president,  in  charge.  Dr.  H.  L. 
Richards  delivered  the  main  ad- 
dress on  the  opening  day,  Octo- 
ber 22.  On  Students'  Day,  Octo- 
ber 23,  Mary  K.  Dewey  was  mis- 
tress of  ceremonies  and  Henry  L. 
Duff,  board  president  addressed 
the   assembly.    On   the   dedication 


144 


program  itself  in  the  afternoon, 
Philip  Maxwell  served  as  master 
of  ceremonies.  Pastor  Walter  H. 
Ruth  delivered  the  invocation, 
"Father  Phil"  spoke  the  prayer 
for  peace  and  A.  King  McCord 
introduced  the  main  speaker,  Gen- 
eral Eisenhower.  Dr.  T.  Harry 
Kelly    gave   the    benediction. 

In  his  address  General  Eisen- 
hower said,  "The  material  sacri- 
fice, courage  and  initiative  dis- 
played by  you  people  here  in 
creating  this  high  school  seems 
to  typify  qualities  and  concepts 
vital  to  the  future  of  America  — 
that  is  one  of  the  reasons  I  was 
proud  to  accept  the  invitation  to 
participate  in  the  ceremonies  here 
today."  Despite  cold,  damp  weath- 
er, more  than  4,500  persons  were 
on  hand  to  hear  Eisenhower  speak 
from  a  platform  on  Community 
High's  football  field.  Oldest  alum- 
nus present  at  the  dedication  was 
Mrs.  James  Noble,  class  of  1878. 
Blue  Island  residents  unanimous- 
ly called  it  "Our  Proudest  Day." 

I.O.O.F.  Harmonize  Lodge  No. 
2  celebrated  seventy-five  years  in 
Blue  Island.  The  lodge  was  or- 
ganized in  October  of  1875.  Old- 
est member  was  John  P.  Wiessner, 
78,    who    was    initiated    in    1895. 

One  of  Blue  Island's  oldest 
residents,  Mrs.  Fannie  Brown,  cel- 
ebrated her  100th  birthday  in  her 
home  at  12818  Honore  where  she 
had  resided  for  32  years.  Mrs. 
Brown  was  a  70-year  resident  of 
the  city. 

Salem  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church     celebrated     its     fortieth 


year  from  December  3  to  Decem- 
ber 10.  The  church  is  located  at 
Maple  and  High  streets.  Rev.  F. 
Sievers  helped  to  organize  Salem 
Evangelical.  The  church  dedicat- 
ed its  original  church  on  the  site 
in  1910.  Rev.  Carl  F.  Selle  was 
the  current  pastor,  arriving  in 
1947. 

Corporal  Humbert  Amriz,  son 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lawrence  Am- 
briz,  2326  Vermont,  was  killed 
in  action  October  2,  1950,  in  Kor- 
ea. Again  memories  of  World 
War  II  were  awakened  when  the 
body  of  Pvt.  Tom  J.  Artist,  son 
of  Mrs.  Josephine  Artist,  was  re- 
turned from  Los  Negros  Island 
where  he  was  buried  temporarily 
after  being  killed  in  action,  March 
13,   1944. 

The  Blue  Island  Bar  Association 
submitted  a  resolution  to  the  city 
council  calling  for  the  creation 
of  a  city  court  system  through  a 
special  election.  Leonard  Carri- 
ere,  Franklin  Klein,  Walter  F. 
Briody  and  Maurice  J.  Schultz 
submitted  the  resolution.  The 
city  court  would  outrank  the  mun- 
icipal court  and  speed  the  handl- 
ing of  litigations,  in  addition  to 
being  more  convenient,  according 
to  the  resolution.  The  following 
June,  1951,  a  motion  was  passed 
to   set   up   the   city   court   system. 

Dr.  Frank  W.  Tracy  was  honor- 
ed by  the  Lions  Club  at  a  meet- 
ing in  January,  1951,  for  his 
good  citizenship  and  public  serv- 
ice. The  Lions  presented  a  plaque 
to  Dr.  Tracy.  Melvin  Jones, 
founder    of    Lions    International, 


145 


was  present  and  paid  personal 
tribute  to  Dr.  Tracy.  Just  two 
months  later  in  March,  Dr.  Tracy 
passed  away  at  71.  He  had  served 
as  chairman  of  the  Blue  Island 
Playground  and  Recreation  Com- 
mission and  founded  the  Blue  Is- 
land Lions  Club  in  1922.  He 
was  president  of  the  high  school 
board  of  education  for  many 
years. 

January  commemorated  the  fif- 
tieth anniversary  of  the  Blue  Is- 
land Lumber  Company.  It  was 
formed  in  1901  as  the  Chicago  and 
Riverdale  Lumber  Company.  S. 
M.  Wilson,  president  and  treas- 
urer; E.  H.  Rumbold,  vice-presi- 
dent; and  John  Lau,  secretary  were 
the  first  officers.  Wilson's  daugh- 
ter, Edna,  succeeded  her  father 
after  his  death  in  February  of 
1945. 

Ground  was  broken  in  Febru- 
ary for  the  $2,900,000  telephone 
office  that  housed  the  dial  sys- 
tem equipment.  This  serviced 
10,800  phones  in  the  area  upon 
its  completion.  In  March,  the 
Evangelical  Community  Church 
held  cornerstone  laying  ceremon- 
ies at  120th  and  Gregory. 

Dr.  H.  L.  Richards  was  re- 
called to  active  duty  May  1,  1951, 
with  the  U.  S.  Air  Force.  Now 
Lt.  Col.  Richards,  he  was  sched- 
uled to  serve  at  Tinker  Air  Force 
Base,  Oklahoma  City,  Oklahoma. 
His  wife,  Ruth  M.,  was  again  ask- 
ed to  take  his  place  on  a  tempor- 
ary basis  at  Community  High 
School,  as  she  had  done  during 
World  War  II.   Civic  and  educa- 


tion leaders  also  announced  that 
they  were  behind  a  program  for 
improvement  of  Blue  Island  pub- 
lic grade  schools.  They  set  a  bond 
issue  of  $725,000  for  these  im- 
provements. Building  continued 
to  flourish  as  William  J.  Gerdes, 
building  inspector,  announced 
that  a  total  of  $2,122,764  in  con- 
struction took  place  during  the 
past  fiscal  year.  Of  this,  $1,899,- 
203  was  new  constructions  as  com- 
pared to  the  previous  year's 
$970,083.  Blue  Island  Patriotic 
Association  announced  sponsor- 
ship of  Memorial  Day  Program  in 
the  city.  Commander  Clyde  Frack 
of  the  United  Spanish  War  Vet- 
erans was  parade  marshal. 

Rev.  Orville  Brummer,  pastor 
of  St.  Paul  Reformed  and  Evan- 
gelical church,  celebrated  his 
twenty-fifth  year  in  the  ministry. 
His  congregation  at  the  church 
presented  a  supper  in  his  honor. 

The  Sun-Standard  marked  its 
seventy-fifth  year  in  publication 
in  July.  Unfortunately,  many  of 
the  original  papers  and  files  were 
destroyed  by  fire  at  the  old  lo- 
cation at  Vermont  and  the  Rock 
Island  tracks. 

By  a  ratio  of  five  to  one,  voters 
of  high  school  District  218  in- 
creased the  educational  tax  rate 
from  .74  percent  to  1  percent  of 
the  assessed  valuation.  Voters  al- 
so approved  the  city  court  sys- 
tem in  a  special  election  by  a 
16-1    margin. 

Aulwurm  Brothers  Grocery  and 
Market,  located  for  sixty  years  at 
13051  Western,  was  sold  and  the 


146 


brothers  left  the  business.  Their 
father,  the  late  Henry  C.  Aul- 
wurm,  had  established  the  store 
in  1892.  and  it  eventually  passed 
on  to  his  sons,  Ralph,  Henry, 
and  Lyle.  Clifford,  another  son, 
began  his  own  store. 

Blue  Island's  Bright  Light 
Night  celebration  which  marked 
the  turning  on  of  the  new  street 
lights  was  held  in  September. 
Mrs.  Caroline  Boermel,  89,  of 
12950  Maple,  was  the  senior  citi- 
zen who  pulled  the  switch  light- 
ing the  lights. 

Mass  was  said  for  Corporal 
Terence  J.  McNulty,  son  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  John  P.  McNulty,  who 
was  killed  in  action  in  the  Korean 
fighting.  Another  member  of  a 
pioneer  family  died  October  15, 
when  she  was  struck  by  a  car  at 
Burr  Oak  and  Maple.  Mrs.  Fran- 
ces McCord  Krueger,  78,  of  12703 
Maple,   was  the  victim. 

Coach  William  F.  Gutches' 
Community  High  School  football 
team  won  the  undisputed  South 
Suburban  League  title  for  the 
first  time  after  27  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  Reuss, 
well-known  Blue  Island  couple, 
celebrated  their  sixty-fourth  wed- 
ding anniversary  in  November. 
First  Church  of  Christ  Scientist 
open  on  the  northwest  corner 
of  Burr  Oak  and  Maple.  The 
church's  first  service  was  present- 
ed in  June,  1936,  in  the  Masonic 
Temple  on  Western  Avenue.  Dr. 
H.  L.  Richards  returned  to  duty 
at  Community  High  School  after 
a  period  of  active  duty  with  the 


Air  Force.  He  resumed  his  school 
duties  in  December.  A  new  med- 
ical center  opened  its  door  at 
13000  Maple  to  serve  the 
medicinal  needs  of  the  people  of 
Blue  Island. 

Dr.  Frank  Tracy  week  was  pro- 
claimed in  January  to  further 
honor  the  late  Blue  Islander  who 
helped  found  the  local  Lions 
Club.  The  week  was  proclaimed 
in  conjunction  with  the  March  of 
Dimes  drive  for  funds.  Strides 
were  made  to  form  a  Business- 
man's Association  when  250  re- 
tailers were  invited  to  an  organ- 
izational meeting  on  January  17. 
Sheldon  C.  Westman,  Community 
High  School  band  director,  was 
named  to  the  National  Committee 
of  Music  Educators  at  their  Na- 
tional Conference.  A  1 1  o  r  n  ey 
Maurice  J.  Schultz,  a  justice  of  the 
peace  in  Worth  Township,  was 
elected  the  first  judge  in  Blue  Is- 
land's newly  formed  city  court, 
which  has  been  approved  by  the 
voters  in  a  special  election.  Nor- 
man Blatt  was  elected  clerk  of 
the  court.  The  court  heard  its  first 
case,  a  divorce  action,  in  Febru- 
ary. Judge  Schultz  operated  the 
court  daily  from  9:00  a.m.  to 
1 :00  p.m.  Alderman  Milton  Shra- 
der  was  appointed  court  bailiff. 
Lyle  Ruggles,  manager  of  the 
Blue  Island  Sears,  Roebuck  Store, 
was  named  temporary  chairman 
of  the  newly  formed  Chamber  of 
Commerce  group.  Arthur  Heuser 
was  chosen  chairman  of  the  nom- 
inating committee,  and  the  mem- 
bers were  Donald  Dente,  Ben  Hel- 


147 


ford,  Al  Turner,  and  Tom  East- 
on.  The  election  committee  was 
made  up  of  Earl  Jones„chairman, 
and  Harold  Volp  and  Walter 
Steinweg,  assistants.  The  board 
of  directors  chosen  for  the  new 
organization  was  separated  into 
four  sections.  Retail:  Lyle  Rug- 
gles,  Ludwig  Blum,  H.  Schuldt, 
Ben  Helford.  Miscellaneous:  Max 
La  Berdia,  Robert  Harmon, 
Thomas  F.  Easton,  Arthur  W. 
Heuser.  Professional:  Dr.  Ralph 
C.  Aiken  and  Walter  Briody.  In- 
dustrial: William  Evans  and  H. 
J.  Connelly. 

Officers  elected  in  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  were  Lyle  Rug- 
gles,  president;  Max  LaBerdia 
and  Ludwig  Blum,  vice  presi- 
dents; Robert  Harmon,  treasur- 
er; and  Lloyd  C.  Holmlin,  secre- 
tary. St.  Francis  Hospital  receiv- 
ed notification  that  it  had  been 
approved  by  the  American  Col- 
lege of  Surgeons.  The  hospital 
has  now  grown  to  150-bed  size. 
Daniel  J.  Boyd,  postmaster  since 
1946,  resigned  to  take  a  position 
with  a  New  York  realty  com- 
pany. Donald  W.  Fraser,  a  native 
of  Blue  Island  and  a  1935  grad- 
uate of  Community  High,  was 
named  acting  postmaster. 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  an- 
nounced that  its  new  offices 
would  be  at  13104  Western,  and 
that  its  installation  of  officers 
and  charter  night  program  would 
be  held  in  the  high  school  cafe- 
teria on  April  24.  Frank  .A.  Bel- 
la was  elected  Exalted  Ruler  of 
Blue  Island  Elks  Lodge  No.  1331. 


P.  T.  Hallinan  Post  3580,  V.F.W. 
elected  Frank  S.  DiNovo  as  com- 
mander. 

Illinois  Bell  Telephone  began 
converting  more  than  11,000 
phones  to  the  dial  system.  R.  R. 
Rydberg  was  supervisor  of  a  four- 
teen man  crew  that  began  the 
converting  process,  according  to 
G.  W.  Rowbotham,  manager.  All 
numbers  were  changed.  The  new 
dial  service  building  at  2427  Un- 
ion was  almost  complete,  being 
equipped  with  dial  system  by 
Western  Electric. 

Father  Gross  was  honored  for 
his  fifty  years  in  the  priesthood 
at  St.  Benedict's.  He  had  spent 
thirty-five  years  in  the  Blue  Is- 
land community.  Gifts  sent  to  Fa- 
ther Gross  were  to  be  utilized  for 
parish  improvements. 

St.  Paul  Evangelical  and  Re- 
formed church  dedicated  its  addi- 
tion on  June  1.  Rev.  Orville 
Brummer  was  pastor. 

During  the  fiscal  year  of  May 
1,  1951  to  May  1,  1952,  seventy- 
two  new  homes  were  built  in 
Blue  Island,  valued  at  $900,350. 
Total  building  during  the  year 
was  $1,734,254. 

Kline's  Department  Store  cele- 
brated its  twenty-fifth  year  in  the 
city.  Ludwig  Blum,  manager,  re- 
called that  the  first  ad  was  placed 
in  the  Sun-Standard  on  June  23, 
1927,  and  that  the  store  had  con- 
tinued to  advertise  in  each  edi- 
tion since  that  time.  This  first  ad- 
vertisement listed  cigarettes,  lie; 
silk  hose,  58c;  soap,  5c;  apron 
dresses,  48c;  81  inch  by  90  inch 


148 


bed  sheets.  77c.  Employees  with 
a  number  of  years  of  service  on 
hand  to  help  with  the  anniver- 
sary were  Irving  King,  twenty- 
four  years;  Mabel  Bryan,  twelve 
years!  Ann  Schultz,  twenty-five 
years;  Frieda  Neiman,  twenty- 
five  years;  Blum,  twenty-five 
years;  Irving  Martino,  fifteen 
years;  Margaret  Trier,  fifteen 
years;  Florence  Wick,  twelve 
years:  and  Frieda  Wannamaker, 
eight  years. 

The  First  National  Bank  of 
Blue  Island  began  work  on  the 
new  drive-in  facilities  and  the  ad- 
dition of  400  square  feet  of  bank- 
ing area.  This  would  allow  expan- 
sion of  the  bookkeeping  depart- 
ment, customer  banking,  and 
would  allow  a  dining  room  and 
lounge  for  employees.  The  First 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  be- 
gan a  drive  for  funds  that  would 
culminate  in  a  building  program. 
The  church  and  building  com- 
mittee set  a  goal  of  $150,000. 
Carl  W.  Sievert  was  general 
chairman.  The  pastors  were  Rev. 
Walter  H.  Ruth  and  Rev.  Clarence 
G.  Meyer. 

Blue  Island's  City  Council  vot- 
ed to  acquire  a  portion  of  the 
Klein  property  on  the  east  side 
of  Gregory  from  New  to  York 
street,  for  a  city  parking  lot.  The 
land  was  purchased  for  $17,000. 
Engineers  estimated  $15,000  for 
improving  the  land  into  parking 
facilities.  William  T.  Clark  was 
named  manager  of  the  Blue  Island 
telephone  office,  replacing  W.  G. 
Rowbotham    who    had    moved    to 


Gary.  The  working  population  of 
Blue  Island  had  estimated  net 
earnings  for  the  previous  year  of 
$34,466,000,  a  gain  <..r  over  three 
million  dollars  in  a  year's  time. 
Henry  G.  Baumann  was  chairman 
of  the  Lions  Club  July  4  cele- 
bration. More  than  25,000  people 
enjoyed  this  parade  in  the  after- 
noon and  another  estimated  20,- 
000  persons  enjoyed  the  enter- 
tainment and  fireworks  display 
presented  in  the  evening.  Arnold, 
Vance,  Lester  and  Keith  Wat- 
land  announced  the  opening  of 
their  fourth  retail  camera  store. 
They  had  started  the  venture  in 
1937  and  had  seen  it  grow  to 
the  large  concern  it  had  become. 
Michael  Guglielmucci,  2342  Ver- 
mont, real  estate  and  insurance 
broker,  was  elected  Lt.  Governor, 
Division  18,  Illinois-Iowa  District 
of  Kiwanis  International.  He  was 
the  only  Blue  Island  Kiwanian  so 
honored  up  to  this  time.  The  Rock 
Island  Railroad  celebrated  its  cen- 
tennial in  Blue  Island  on  October 
10.  The  first  Rock  Island  train 
ran  from  Chicago  to  Joliet,  a  dis- 
tance   of   40   miles. 

Corporal  Manuel  G.  Alvarado, 
United  States  Marine  Corps,  was 
killed  in  action  August  13,  1952, 
in  the  Korean  fighting.  His  par- 
ents, Mr.  and  Mrs.  Manuel  Al- 
varado of  3011  Vermont,  lost  an- 
other son  in  an  accident  during 
World  War  II  when  he  was  re- 
turning after  28  months  in  the 
Pacific.  Aurelio  was  killed  in  a 
train    mishap. 

Edward   C.   Maroney,   president 


149 


of  the  Blue  Island  Park  District, 
announced  construction  had  be- 
gun on  the  park  building  in  Cen- 
tennial Park.  Robert  W.  Harmon, 
45,  died  in  St.  Francis  Hospital 
from  the  effects  of  a  cerebral  hem- 
orrage.  He  lived  in  Blue  Island 
and  had  his  business  located  in 
the  city  as  well.  An  insurance 
counselor,  Harmon  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Rotary,  Eagles  and 
Moose,  and  was  treasurer  of  the 
Chamber   of  Commerce. 

In  conjunction  with  the  Rock 
Island  railroad  centennial  cele- 
bration, the  original  Rock  Island 
Rocket  was  on  display  in  the  city. 
This  was  the  first  of  the  centen- 
nial events.  Father  and  son  teams 
manned  the  old  Rocket  as  well  as 
its  modern  counterpart  which  fol- 
lowed it  on  the  trip  to  Blue  Is- 
land. The  engineer  of  the  old 
Rocket  was  Walter  Mollenhauer 
with  Walter,  Jr.,  serving  as  fire- 
man. Henry  B.  Starr  was  con- 
ductor and  his  son  William,  was 
brakeman. 

Following  the  old  iron  horse 
was  Engineer  George  Peloquin 
and  fireman  son  Robert.  How- 
ard L.  DeVault  was  brakeman 
and  his  son  Dan  was  collector. 
Another  son,  Dave,  was  conductor. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Habich 
celebrated  fifty  years  of  wedded 
life  at  their  home,  where  they 
have  lived  more  than  half  of  that 
time.  Habich  was  vice-president 
and  director  of  the  State  Bank  of 
Blue  Island  and  was  a  pioneer  au- 
to dealer.  Marks'  Store  for  Men 
noted    its    twentieth    year    under 


the  ownership  of  Harold  I.  Marks. 
Charley  Farren  (deceased)  and 
Martin  Forry  (moved)  were  as- 
sociated with  Marks  when  he  first 
opened  the  store. 

First  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church  held  ground-breaking  cer- 
emonies on  October  12,  at  Grove 
and  Ann  street.  Congregation 
President  Herman  Lohse  and 
Building  Chairman  Louis  Brock- 
man  were  present.  Church  serv- 
ices were  held  in  the  Lyric  during 
the  building  of  the  new  church. 
William  J.  Barzycki  was  named 
fire  chief  in  Blue  Island.  Former 
chief  Sigmund  Dluzak  was  to  re- 
main in  the  department.  Gilbert 
A.  Roll  died  in  his  home  at 
12914  Elm.  A  lifelong  business- 
man and  resident,  he  also  was 
a  member  of  the  high  school 
board  of  education. 

On  December  6,  1952,  dial 
phones  went  into  use  in  10  com- 
munities. All  182  telephone  oper- 
ators had  been  offered  the  op- 
portunity of  staying  with  the 
company.  Mayor  John  Hart  was 
the  first  to  make  use  of  the  new 
dial  telephone  system  at  11:59 
p.m.  Manager  William  T.  Clarke 
was  on  hand  to  assist,  but  the 
Mayor's  call  to  a  friend  came 
off  without  a  hitch.  In  two  sec- 
onds after  dialing,  his  number 
was    ringing. 

PFC  Charles  W.  Yates  was 
killed  in  action  in  Korea  on  Sep- 
tember 20,  1952. 

At  the  outset  of  the  new  year 
District  130  reported  a  new 
school  was  erected,  another  build- 


150 


ing  purchased,  three  additions 
built,  and  six  structures  modern- 
ized in  less  than  five  years.  Roy 
Clark,  assistant  superintendent  in 
the  State  Superintendent's  office, 
said  upon  inspection  of  the  dis- 
trict, "We  found  a  district  with 
facilities  adequate  for  all  areas 
of  the  city." 

The  Liederkranz  celebrated  its 
100th  anniversary  with  a  song 
fest.  Current  officers  were  Kurt 
Reichel,  president;  Marceline 
Vandenberg,  vice-president;  Cla- 
ra Sieben,  secretary;  Catherine 
Boliski,  treasurer;  Selma  Hueb- 
ner,   financial   secretary. 

Two  anniversaries  were  noted 
during  January  —  the  Blue  Is- 
land Lions  Club  marked  thirty 
years  with  Arthur  W.  Hueser  at 
its  helm;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hen- 
ry Nagel,  celebrated  63  years  of 
marriage.  They  recalled  the  mar- 
riage in  the  old  frame  St.  Bene 
diet's    church. 

Rev.    Theodore    G.    Gross,    pas 
tor  of  St.  Benedict's  church,  died 
Friends    said    that    St.    Benedict's 
parish   stood   as   a   living  memor 
ial  to  the  35  years  of  service  Fa 
ther    Gross    gave.    First    Lutheran 
Church  laid   its  third  cornerstone 
in    89    years.    Individual    honors 
went    to    George    F.    Fiedler,    of 
12021   Irving,  when  he  was  nam- 
ed to  the  Chicago  Regional   Port 
District    Board.    Fiedler    also    was 
president   of   Fiedler   Motors.   Ev- 
angical    Community    Church    held 
its     dedication     services     during 
March  at  120th  and  Irving.  Rev. 
Oliver    C.    Hotz    was    pastor.    The 


church  was  built  at  a  cost  of 
$85,000.  Work  on  the  improve- 
ment to  the  yards  of  the  Indiana 
Harbor  Belt  lines  was  reported 
30  percent  complete.  The  project 
will  cost  $3,500,000.  Mayor  Hart 
and  his  Citizens'  Party  won  the 
city  elections  in  April.  Lawrence 
Witt  defeated  incumbent  Alder- 
man Fred  Horwath  in  the  only 
upset. 

Widening  of  the  Cal-Sag  canal 
from  sixty  feet  to  225  feet  will 
be  the  fulfillment  of  Blue  Is- 
land's destiny  according  to  George 
Fiedler,  Port  District  member, 
before  a  meeting  of  interested 
Blue  Island  citizens.  Fiedler  quot- 
ed from  John  Volp's  book,  "The 
First  Hundred  Years,"  in  stating 
the  plans  of  the  Port  district. 
Third  Ward  Civic  club  completed 
plans  for  joint  dedication  of  the 
new  field  house  and  memorial 
monument  in  Centennial  Park. 
Charles  LTrich,  president  of  the 
civic  club,  made  the  announce- 
ment. Blue  Island's  City  Clerk 
Louis  Schwartz  died  in  March. 
He  had  been  city  clerk  since  his 
appointment  to  the  job  in  1933. 
John  C.  Joens  was  named  to  fill 
his  position.  Joen's  father,  J. 
John,  was  one  of  the  first  alder- 
men after  the  city  form  of  gov- 
ernment was  established.  Richard 
E.  Sorgenfrei  resigned  as  police 
chief  in  June,  on  doctor's  orders. 
George  H.  Farning  was  named 
acting  chief.  St.  Paul's  Church, 
Gregory  and  New,  celebrated  its 
sixtieth  year  in  June.  Rev.  Or- 
ville    Brummer    was    pastor.    Dr. 


151 


One  of  the  Modern  Blue  Island  Apartments 
The  young  married  couples  looking  for  homes  in  our  city  now  have   their 
choice   of   many  such  fine   apartments. 


How  the  Prairie  Has  Changed! 
These  lovely  homes  on  the  north  side  of  Blue  Island  emphasize  a  kind  of 
living  unknown  to  the  pioneers. 


152 


T.  Harry  Kelly,  Grace  Methodist 
pastor,  for  the  past  nine  years, 
was  transferred  to  Sterling.  Illi- 
nois. He  had  headed  the  St.  Fran- 
cis hospital  fund-raising  program 
among  his  many  other  civic-mind- 
ed projects.  Rev.  R.A.W.  Bruehl 
was  named  to  replace  Dr.  Kelly. 
Oldtimers  looked  with  sadness 
upon  school  district  130's  an- 
nouncement that  modernization 
plans  called  for  demolition  of 
"Old  Seymour"  school,  a  Blue 
Island    landmark. 

Henry  M.  Schreiber,  84,  of 
2625  York,  died  July  27,  in  his 
home.  He  and  his  brother  Philip 
were  joint  owners  of  Schreiber 
Brothers  hardware  store,  and 
both  were  life-long  residents  of 
the  city.  Widening  of  the  Cal- 
Sag  canal  was  reported  stymied 
because  of  a  lack  of  appropria- 
tions. The  plans  call  for  a  100 
million  dollar  program.  The  cor- 
nerstone of  the  Seymour  school, 
recently  torn  down  as  a  part  of 
District  130  modernization,  was 
opened  and  the  records  were  ex- 
humed. Many  of  them  were  fray- 
ed or  deteriorated  because  damp- 
ness and  air  had  been  able  to 
reach  them  within  the  stone. 
Readable  records  revealed  that 
Calumet  Lodge  A.F.  and  A.M. 
had  been  in  charge  of  the  corner- 
stone laying.  Business  cards  of 
active  businessmen  that  remain- 
ed were  Albert  Meyer,  chemist 
and  pharmicist;  Albert  Schmidt, 
groceries;  Boehl,  Vienna  bakery; 
W.E.  Cordt,  hair  dressing;  David 
S.    Pride,    attorney;    Paul    Klenk, 


dry  goods;  W.H.  Weber,  chief 
clerk  of  the  sheriff's  office;  J.L. 
Zacharias,  flour,  feed,  grain  and 
hay;  Louis  Luchtemeyer,  watch* 
es;  and  Oliver  W.  Bourke,  real 
e^qfte. 

Habich  Brothers  marked  forty 
years  at  13210  Western.  Donald 
F.  Habich,  Charles  Habich,  Jr., 
and  Howard  Kolofer  were  part- 
ners in  the  business.  October  18 
marked  the  ninetieth  anniversary 
of  the  First  Lutheran  Church. 
Rev.  George  W.  Kurkop  and  Rev. 
Carl  H.  Amelung,  sons  of  mem- 
bers in  the  congregation,  were 
guest  speakers  at  special  services 
commemorating  the  event.  A/2C 
John  V.  Hummel  was  killed  in 
an  air  crash  near  Atlanta,  111. 
Hummel  was  being  transferred 
from  O'Hare  field  to  Scott  Air 
Force  Base  at  the  time  of  the 
crash. 

Henry  Sutton,  73,  12610  Ann 
stree,  died  Friday,  December  18. 
Sutton  was  a  member  of  an  old 
Blue  Island  family.  G.A.  Luchte- 
meyer, 77,  owner  of  a  jewelry 
store  dating  back  to  the  1850's, 
died  in  his  home  at  12710  Green- 
wood. Corporal  George  Bemis, 
son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ernest  Be- 
mis, of  Alhambra,  California, 
formerly  of  Blue  Island,  was  kill- 
ed in  Korea.  Bemis  died  of  a  gun- 
shot wound  inflicted  accidentally. 
Corporal  Lawrence  M.  Mrotek, 
missing  since  1951  in  Korean 
action,  was  presumed  dead  by 
the  government.  His  unit  was 
overrun  by  Communists  while 
delivering     ammunition     to     the 


153 


..iv..-.v:iV  ..-~;>S,.V:..-.  v-^::.^:.. ..<.:. •.  .■  ,.'... 





(jieenwuod  near  mgn 
These  homes,   located   in   an  older  residential   section   give   an   air  of   quiet 
dignity  to  the  entire  city. 


Homes  —  the  Pride  of  Blue  Island 
Some  of  the  beautiful  and  moderately  priced  homes 


154 


front  lines.  Mother  of  Sorrows 
institution  announced  plans  for  a 
high  school  for  girls.  It  would 
be  operated  by  the  Mantellate 
Sisters.  Cal-Sag  Waterways  De- 
velopment Committee  was  formed 
in  April.  Henry  E.  Seyfarth, 
Blue  Island  attorney,  was  elect- 
ed chairman  of  the  group.  The 
committee  dedicated  itself  to  rais- 
ing the  necessary  budget  to  fin- 
ance the  educational  program 
that  was  developed  the  year  pre- 
vious. 

The  $400,000  First  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church  was  dedicated 
in  April.  Rev.  Walter  H.  Ruth, 
pastor,  and  Rev.  Clarence  G. 
Meyer,  associate  pastor,  were  in 
charge  of  the  ceremonies.  The 
church  was  organized  in  May, 
1883  with  sixty-six  voting  mem- 
bers. Only  eleven  ministers  have 
served  in  the  pulpit  in  the  first 
ninety    years. 

Girls  from  nine  parishes  were 
reported  to  be  enrolling  in  Moth- 
er of  Sorrows  High  School,  13811 
Western,  which  set  September, 
1954  as  its  opening  date.  Only 
freshmen  would  enter  with  an- 
other class  being  added  each 
year. 

Per  family  earnings  in  Blue 
Island  at  the  end  of  the  fiscal 
year,  were  reported  at  $7,272. 
The  city  rated  high  as  a  trade 
center  in  the  state  and  Midwest, 
as  per  family  earnings  were  high- 
er than  the  national  average. 
More  than  $39,000,000  in  net 
earnings  were  reported  by  Blue 
Island's  5,400  families  in  a  studv 


release  by  Sales  Management  of 
New  York.  Lloyd  C.  Holmlin  won 
individual  honors  for  himself  by 
being  elected  state  director  of 
Illinois  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Executive  Association.  Illinois 
congressmen  presented  the  Cal- 
Sag  need  directly  to  president 
Eisenhower  in  a  progress  report 
won  by  Henry  Seyfarth's  com- 
mittee. This  marked  the  culmina- 
tion of  its  work. 

St.  Benedict's  announced  that 
parishioners  would  erect  a  mon- 
ument on  the  grave  of  Father 
Theodore  Gross.  Henry  Heim- 
bach,  forty-seven  years  as  a  groc- 
er on  the  corner  of  Broadway 
and  Western,  announced  his  re- 
tirement in  July.  He  was  born 
in  1883.  Also  retiring  with  the 
close  of  Heimbach's  Market  was 
Ethel  Nugent,  a  clerk.  Former 
Fire  Chief  John  Link.  83,  died 
in  St.  Francis  hospital.  He  had 
served  as  chief  from  1907  to  his 
retirement    in    1945. 

Officials  of  Grace  Methodist 
Church  announced  plans  to  re- 
name Wesley  Hall  to  honor  Dr. 
T.  Harry  Kelly,  under  whose 
pastorate  the  church  building 
was    constructed. 

More  than  350  Little  Leaguers 
converged  on  Blue  Island  for  the 
Section  IV  Little  League  tourney. 
This  meant  boys  from  Minnesota, 
Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Illinois  and 
portions  of  Canada  would  be  on 
hand. 

Civic,  business,  industrial  and 
labor  leaders  took  a  boat  trip  of 
the    Cal-Sag    to    see    evidence    of 


155 


its  industrial  future.  This  trip 
for  85  leaders  in  the  community 
and  nearby  areas  was  sponsored 
by  the   First  National   Bank. 

Father  William  Donald  Mc- 
Lean, rector  of  St.  Aidan's  Epis- 
copal church,  preached  his  fare- 
well sermon  in  August.  Father 
McLean  had  founded  St.  Aidans 
in  1916  as  a  mission  church. 
He  thus  joined  Father  Gross,  Rev. 
M.  P.  F.  Doermann,  nad  Rev.  R. 
Reinke  to  make  up  a  quartet  of 
ministers  who  had  served  their 
respective  churches  for  twenty-five 
years  or  more. 

Rites  were  held  in  August  for 
PFC  Adrian  Kusiolek  who  was 
killed  in  Korea.  Mother  of  Sor- 
rows opened  its  high  school  in 
September  with  a  capacity  fresh- 
man class,  and  immediately  an- 
nounced plans  for  a  new  addi- 
tion. Sunday,  October  3,  opened 
a  month  of  celebration  marking 
the  dedication  of  Siloam  Luth- 
eran church.  The  building  at 
Greenwood  and  121st  was  con- 
structed at  a  cost  of  $120,000. 
Rev.  C.  Daniel  was  pastor.  Rev. 
Albert  M.  Marcis  was  installed 
as  pastor  of  Holy  Cross  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  church  of 
Blue    Island. 

Auto  sales  in  Blue  Island  were 
far  greater  than  food  sales  in  the 
city.  The  same  study  also  show- 
ed that  auto  sales  in  Blue  Island 
ranked  high  above  the  national 
average.  A  nine  and  three-quar- 
ter inch  rainfall  caused  millions 
in  flood  damage  in  the  South 
Suburban  area  during  the  second 


week  of  October.  Water  in  the 
Cal-Sag  canal  was  reported  to 
be  25  feet  deep  causing  the  canal 
to  overflow  its  banks  and  almost 
forcing  the  Clark  Refinery  to 
close  down.  Other  industrial  con- 
cerns had  equipment  under  water 
and  many!  basements  were  re- 
ported flooded.  Residents  of  the 
north  side  called  the  city  coun- 
cil to  ask  for  action  to  alleviate 
flood    conditions. 

Dr.  E.A.  Doepp,  88,  in  medical 
practice  in  Blue  Island  since  1890, 
died  in  St.  Francis  hospital.  He 
had  helped  to  establish  the  hos- 
pital in  1904.  His  name  was 
known  to  thousands  of  Blue  Is- 
land   families. 

President  Eisenhower's  budget 
message  earmarked  four  million 
dollars  for  the  Cal-Sag  project. 
"We  have  promise  of  strong  con- 
gressional support  to  sustain  its 
place  in  the  budget,"  said  Henry 
E.  Seyfarth.  The  50th  anniversary 
of  St.  Francis  hospital  was  mark- 
ed by  the  appearance  of  Samuel 
Cardinal  Stritch.  March  25,  1955, 
was  the  actual  date  but  ceremo- 
nies were  held  in  May. 

Reverend  Walter  H.  Ruth  of 
the  First  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church  was  transferred  to  Flo- 
rida after  seven  and  a  half  years 
in  Blue  Island. 

Senator  Everett  M.  Dirksen 
gave  the  main  address  as  the  Elks 
dedicated  the  two  story  structure 
at  2417  York,  formerly  the  Illi- 
nois   Bell    Telephone    Exchange. 

"Fission  of  human  spirit  is  the 
hope    of    mankind    in    the    atom 


156 


age,"  said  Dirksen  in  reference 
to  Elks'  efforts  in  constructing 
the    building. 

Blue  Island  rejoiced  as  the 
house  appropriations  committee 
moved  the  $4,000,000  needed  for 
the  improvement  of  the  Cal-Sag. 
Everyone  now  had  to  wait  for 
congressional  action  on  the  ap- 
propriation, which  came  soon 
after — approved. 

Like  the  popular  song,  "June 
Is  Bustin'  Out  All  Over,"  busi- 
ness and  industry  in  Blue  Island 
truly  seemed  to  be  "bustin'  out" 
in  1956,  and  not  only  in  June, 
but  throughout  that  year.  Big- 
gest news  of  all  was  made  by  the 
Clark  Oil  and  Refining  Company, 
which  at  that  time  was  employing 
1600  employees  in  its  367  gaso- 
line stations  and  plants  in  the 
nine  states  where  these  were  lo- 
cated. The  Blue  Island  refinery, 
under  the  direction  of  John  Craw- 
ford, vice-president  of  the  organ- 
ization, was  shortly  to  institute 
a  five  million  dollar  expansion 
program,  which  would  boost  its 
production  output  here  from 
21,000  barrels   a   day   to   30,000. 

Here  was  another  industry  that 
had  greatly  benefited  our  city 
during  its  years  of  growth.  In 
1945  the  Great  Lakes  Refinery 
had  been  purchased  by  the  Clark 
Oil  Company  interests,  but  the 
name  had  not  been  changed  until 
1954.  Even  before  that  time,  for- 
ward steps  in  improvement  and 
modernization  had  been  taken, 
with  the  first  giant  cracker  in- 
stalled   in    1951.    Installation    of 


the  second  cracker  was  part  of 
the  improvement  and  expansion 
noted  above,  and  was  accomplish- 
ed under  the  leadership  of  Craw- 
ford, who  came  to  the  local  plant 
as  general  manager  in  1949, 
and  was  made  vice-president  and 
member  of  the  board  that  same 
year.  Since  that  time,  the  progress 
of  the  company  has  been  steadily 
upward; — and  undoubtedly  the 
Chief,  self  appointed  hero  of  the 
company's  advertising  campaign, 
will  claim  every  bit  of  the  credit. 

The  Martin  Oil  Company  was 
also  expanding  in  these  years. 
Coming  to  Blue  Islnad  in  1946  it 
had  experienced  a  steady  and 
profitable  growth.  Receiving  and 
shipping  oils  and  gasolines  by 
truck,  barge,  and  pipeline  the 
organization  had  seen  its  stations 
grow  from  twenty-nine  to  104, 
with  by  far  the  great  majority 
company  owned  and  operated.  Its 
forty  acres  of  tank  farms  along 
Kedzie  Avenue  have  been  increas- 
ed by  property  to  the  west,  for  a 
barge  dock  and  additional  tanks. 
Blue  Island  is  also  fortunate  to 
have  the  general  offices  of  the  or- 
ganization. 

Other  aspects  of  growth  in  busi- 
ness and  industry  were  additional 
signs  that  the  city  and  its  sur- 
rounding territory  were  looking 
increasingly  prosperous,  with  an 
even  brighter  future  ahead.  Na- 
tional figures  reported  that  68.2 
percent  of  the  families  living  in 
Blue  Island  had  incomes  of  over 
$4,000  annually  after  taxes.  This 


157 


was  much  higher  than  the  na- 
tional average  of  51.1  percent 
over  this  figure.  In  figures  kept 
over  several  years,  the  retail  es- 
tablishments of  the  city  had  in- 
creased their  business  by  78  per- 
cent, in  comparision  to  figures 
released  for  1950,  only  six  years 
earlier.  Payrolls  had  doubled  in 
the  same  time,  jumping  from  two 
to  four  million  dollars.  The  im- 
portance of  the  Illinois  Bell  Tele- 
phone Company  to  the  city  was 
best  seen  when  it  reported  that 
it  had  spent  over  two  million 
dollars  in  Blue  Island  alone,  in- 
cluding wages,  taxes,  and  other 
expenses.  Part  of  the  phone  com- 
pany's expansion  budget  was  al- 
lotted for  a  two  story  addition 
to  the  building  on  Union  Street, 
which  made  it  possible  for  an 
additional  1000  telephones  to  be 
used   in   Blue   Island. 

Another  new  business  was  wel- 
comed when  the  Blue  Island 
Forgings  Company  built  its  foun- 
dry and  hammer  shop  at  13601 
Sacramento.  The  management  of 
the  new  concern  had  hopes  of 
eventually  employing  200  people. 
Later  in  the  year  the  G  and 
W  Electrical  Specialties  Compa- 
ny began  operations  in  its  new 
plant  on  Burr  Oak.  This  modern 
building  had  cost  over  a  million 
dollars.  The  families  of  the  412 
employees  of  the  organization 
certainly  did  their  bit  to  swell 
the  income  of  Blue  Island  mer- 
chants, and  to  find  new  homes 
in  the   area. 

After   fifteen   years   of   sterling 


service  to  the  students  of  Com- 
munity High  and  the  school  dis- 
trict, Henry  Duff  retired  as  a 
school  board  member.  He  had 
been  the  board  president  since 
1946,  and  was  succeeded  as  pre- 
sident by  Leslie  I.  McCord,  who 
had  been  serving  as  board  secre- 
tary. Mr.  Duff  was  honored  at  a 
breakfast  sponsored  by  the  home 
economics  classes  at  the  high 
school,  under  the  direction  of 
Mrs.  Carol  Moderi.  Another  pro- 
minent citizen  of  Blue  Island  to 
be  honored  was  Henry  Seyfarth, 
then  chairman  of  the  board  of 
the  First  National  Bank  here. 
Seyfarth  was  named  one  of  the 
five  foremost  Chicagoans  of  1955 
by  the  magazine  Chicago.  He  was 
cited  because  of  his  efforts  and 
leadership  as  chairman  of  the 
Cal  Sag  Waterways  Development 
Committee,  which  was  instrumen- 
tal in  getting  the  channel  widen- 
ed, and  would  soon  bring  tremen- 
dous changes  to  Blue  Island.  The 
local  "Who's  Who"  was  further 
graced  by  the  names  of  Vernon 
Haag,  president  of  Haag  Labora- 
tories; and  Winthrop  Collidge, 
president  of  the  Chicago  Copper 
and  Chemical  Company,  both  of 
whom  were  named  to  "Chemical 
Who's  Who"  because  of  their 
achievements  in  this  field.  The 
requirements  for  their  citations 
included  having  a  degree  from  a 
recognized  scientific  school  plus 
having  given  ten  years  of  special- 
ized work  or  service  in  the  chem- 
ical  industry. 

One    of    the    hardest    working 


158 


church  groups  in  the  community 
saw  their  church  dedicated  on 
June  17,  1956,  when  appropriate 
ceremonies  were  held  by  the 
congregation  and  friends  of  the 
First  Church  of  Christ,  Scientist. 
They  had  made  their  new  build- 
ing completely  free  from  debt  in 
only  five  years.  The  First  Luther- 
an Church  of  Blue  Island  was 
honored  by  being  asked  to  be 
host  for  the  fourteenth  biennial 
International  Convention  of  this 
body.  About  300  delegates  were 
in  attendance.  The  Evangelical 
Community  Church  at  120th  and 
Irving,  approved  the  addition  of 
a  social  hall,  to  cost  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  $135,000.  Although 
the  Orchard  Street  Christian 
Church  was  sorry  to  see  its  faith- 
ful pastor,  Rev.  J.L.  Pennington 
leave  for  another  charge,  the 
membership  there  had  prospered 
mightily  under  his  leadership, 
having  doubled  since  1949.  The 
Pentecostal  Church  of  God  got 
its  start  in  Blue  Island  this  year 
when  Revs.  Donald  and  Helene 
Romig  came  here  after  having 
been  graduated  from  the  South- 
western Bible  College  to  find  a 
warm  welcome  from  this  devoted 
group. 

Unfortunately  1956  was  not 
without  its  personal  losses,  each 
of  which  affected  many  of  the 
old  timers,  as  well  as  more  recent 
inhabitants.  Philip  Schreiber, 
owner  of  Schreiber's  Hardware 
and  son  of  the  pioneer  merchant 
who  established  this  business  in 
1849,  passed  away  at  the  goodly 


age  of  ninety.  City  Engineer  Al- 
len Fox,  who  had  served  the  city 
in  this  capacity  for  thirty-seven 
years,  and  was  assistant  city  en- 
gineer for  three  years  before  that, 
was  another  loss,  as  was  Barthol- 
omew O'Toole,  chairman  of  the 
board  of  the  State  Bank.  O'Toole 
started  his  Blue  Island  career  in 
1910,  in  the  real  estate  business. 
Blue  Islanders  began  to  realize 
how  much  the  Cal  Sag  Channel 
development  might  mean  to  them 
and  to  this  entire  area  when  the 
Union  Carbide  and  Carbon  Cor- 
poration bought  ninety  acres  on 
the  north  side  of  the  channel  at 
Crawford  and  131st,  early  in 
1957.  It  was  reported  that  this 
purchase  was  to  be  part  of  a  huge 
500  acre  tract  to  be  developed 
by  Union  Carbide,  with  the  first 
building  to  have  an  area  of 
300,000  square  feet  for  ware- 
housing purposes.  Even  more 
positive  proof  of  what  the  channel 
development  would  bring  was 
seen  when  it  was  announced  in 
the  fall  of  this  year  that  construc- 
tion would  start  the  following 
spring  on  a  series  of  new  rail- 
road bridges.  These  would  have 
to  be  considerably  wider  than  the 
old  bridges,  in  order  to  span  the 
canal,  which  would  be  almost 
four  times  its  present  width.  The 
very  pleasant  rumor  that  almost 
thirty  million  dollars  would  be 
spent  in  Blue  Island  alone  before 
the  project  was  completed  made 
both  big  and  little  businesses,  as 
well  as  workers  of  all  kinds,  wish 
for   a  speedy   beginning   of  work 


159 


Mayor  John  M.  Hart 
Now  serving  seventh  term  as  Mayor, 
and  Honorary   Chairman   of   1962  July 
4th  celebration. 


on  a  large  scale. 

Even  the  city  itself  joined  the 
expansion  program.  A  tiny  sec- 
tion of  land,  from  126th  on  the 
north  and  Sacramento  on  the  east, 
going  west  about  a  block  and 
then  south  to  Minnesota  Street, 
was  brought  into  the  ciy  limits. 
The  only  other  noteworthy  ex- 
pansion of  property  since  1935 
had  been  made  in  1949,  when 
the  high  school  property,  run- 
ning along  127th  Street  out  west 
to  Wireton  Road,  had  been  an- 
nexed. 

Mayor  Hart  was  re-elected  to 
his  sixth  term  of  office,  proving 
that  his  "pay-as-you-go"  philos- 
ophy and  practice  had  many 
friends   in    Blue    Island.    He   had 


guided  the  community  through 
some  rather  tough  times.  The 
voters,  remembering  this,  saw  no 
reason  to  turn  him  down  now 
that  prospects  seemed  so  much 
brighter.  As  the  table  of  city  of- 
ficials listed  later  in  this  section 
will  show,  Hart's  record  as  a  vote 
getter  had,  up  to  the  present  (he 
is  still  in  office)  been  excelled 
by  only  one  man  —  Fred  Hoh- 
mann,  who  had  served  both  as 
village  clerk  and  as  city  clerk 
for  over  thirty  years,  and  Hart's 
record  and  popularity  may  make 
it  possible  for  him  to  exceed  this 
mark,  if  he  wishes  to  make  the 
race  for  mayor  again  in  the  fu- 
ture. 

Elected  at  this  same  time  was 
John  Joens,  city  clerk;  Emil 
Blatt,  city  treasurer;  and  Henry 
Gentile,   police  magistrate. 

Two  additional  honors  came  to 
Dr.  H.L.  Richards.  First,  he  was 
appointed  to  membership  on  the 
Illinois  Citizens  Committee,  an 
advisory  group  charged  with 
working  with  the  president  of 
the  state  university  on  matters 
relating  to  the  welfare  of  this 
institution.  The  second  came  af- 
er  Dr.  Vernon  Nickell  had  an- 
nounced his  retirement  as  state 
superintendent  of  public  instruc- 
tion. Governor  Stratton  contacted 
Richards,  to  urge  him  to  be- 
come a  candidate  for  this  post 
in  the  forthcoming  election.  Rich- 
ards declined  this  honor,  stating 
that  he  wished  to  remain  at  Com- 
munity High  School,  hoping  to 
complete   his   ultimate   goal   here. 


160 


One  fine  forward  step  toward 
that  goal  was  taken  when  the 
Southwest  Building  was  added 
as  a  school  for  freshmen  and 
sophomores  in  that  area.  This 
relieved  some  of  the  pressure  of 
marked  overcrowding  from  the 
Old  Main  Building,  and  expand- 
ed the  Two-Two  Plan  of  student 
housing.  In  1950,  Richards  intro- 
duced this  idea  of  housing  all 
upperclassmen  at  the  new  Camp- 
us Building,  and  all  freshmen 
and  sophomores  at  Old  Main. 
With  more  than  a  thousand  stu- 
dents severely  taxing  the  capacity 
of  this  venerable  structure,  relief 
was  badly  needed,  and  the  new 
Southwest  Building  provided  part 
of  this  relief.  Located  as  it  was, 
near  one  of  the  most  heavily 
populated  centers,  it  soon  became 
a  very  popular  community  meet- 
ing place  for  adults,  and  gave 
Richards'  plan  of  a  divided  stu- 
dent body  an  even  better  chance 
to   succeed. 

Later  this  year  the  high  school 
received  another  much  needed 
assist  forward  when  a  bond  issue 
was  passed,  approving  additions 
to  Old  Main  and  the  Campus 
Building  and  the  building  of  still 
another  frosh-soph  building,  this 
time  in  the  Northwest  section  of 
the  district,  for  students  near 
population  centers  there. 

Prominent  institutions  and  in- 
dividuals observed  important 
birthdays  in  1957.  The  St.  Peter 
and  Paul  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church  celebrated  its  fiftieth  an- 
niversary, with  Rev.  John  Siedem 


as  the  pastor  at  that  time.  From 
an  organization  which  had  start- 
ed with  only  fourteen  families, 
its  growth  had  been  great,  as  well 
as  good.  The  Luchtemeyer  Jewel- 
ry Store  marked  its  one  hundredth 
year  in  business,  with  Mrs.  Anna 
Luchtemeyer  as  owner  at  this 
time.  A  golden  wedding  anniver- 
sary was  celebrated  by  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  John  Parchem  on  Septem- 
ber  8   at   St.    Isidore's   Church. 

A  note  of  sadness  crept  into 
the  city  at  that  time  when  both 
Dr.  Ralph  Charles  Aiken,  staff 
member  at  both  St.  Francis  and 
Ingalls  Memorial  hospitals,  and 
senior  member  among  the  doctors 
operating  the  Medical  Center; 
and  Dr.  Leslie  Damm,  chiroprac- 
tor, and  very  prominent  citizen 
of  the  community,   passed   away. 

The  congregation  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Community  Church  was 
greatly  blessed  by  a  $200,000 
addition,  increasing  the  seating 
capacity  of  their  sanctuary  from 
175  to  425,  and  adding  a  class- 
room wing  with  twelve  well  equip- 
ped classrooms.  A  new  minister, 
Rev.  L.A.  Houchins,  came  to  the 
Pentecostal  Church  of  God  to 
replace  the  Romigs  who  left  to 
enter  the  missionary  field.  The 
beautiful  St.  Philip's  Lutheran 
Church,  2500  W.  121st  Street, 
which  had  been  dedicated  in  1954, 
and  changed  its  name  from  the 
Swedish  Lutheran  Siloa  Church 
in  1956,  had  grown  steadily  un- 
der the  pastorship  of  C.  Daniel 
Anderson,     and     was     becoming 


161 


known  as  one  of  the  beauty  spots 
of  the  north  side. 

Important  milestones  were  ob- 
served by  the  Blue  Island  Public 
library  and  the  St.  Francis 
Hospital.  In  September  the  li- 
brary celebrated  its  one  hund- 
redth anniversary.  Dr.  Preston 
Bradley,  the  well  known  minister 
and  radio  speaker,  was  the  featur- 
ed speaker,  giving  his  address 
the  intriguing  title,  "The  Im- 
portance of  Eggheads."  The  hos- 
pital held  an  Open  House  for 
the  public,  presenting  its  new 
facilities,  including  new  quarters 
for  the  internes,  maintenance 
shops,  and  a  remodeled  laundry 
and    emergency    transformer. 

The  fifth  annual  Blue  Island 
Railroad  Fair  proved  to  be  one 
of  the  most  successful  sales  pro- 
motion programs  that  the  city 
had  ever  seen,  as  well  as  one  of 
the  most  enjoyable.  Owners,  man- 
agers and  clerks  seem  to  take  de- 
light in  garbing  themselves  in 
railroad  togs.  Any  stranger  might 
have  been  considerably  surprised 
to  see  a  petite  clerk  at  the  banks 
or  the  department  stores  dressed 
as  a  railroad  engineer,  with  peak- 
ed cap,  red  bandana,  and  even 
gloves ! 

The  Mission  Covenant  Church 
took  a  great  step  forward  in  1959 
by  celebrating  its  sixty-fifth  an- 
niversary with  a  ground  breaking 
ceremony  for  a  beautiful  new 
church  to  be  located  on  Collins 
and  Greenwood.  The  previous 
sanctuary,  at  Greenwood  and 
Cochran   had    been    dedicated    in 


1897.  One  of  the  features  of  this 
ceremony  was  a  church  supper 
served  for  twenty-five  cents  a 
plate  for  adults  and  ten  cents 
for  children.  At  the  anniversary 
dinner  held  in  1959,  the  only  re- 
maining charter  member  of  the 
congregation,  Ann  Olson,  was 
honored.  Rev.  Walter  W.  John- 
son was  pastor  at  this  time,  with 
Arthur  Edlund  as  chairman  of 
the  church  body,  and  Walter  Carl- 
son chairman  of  the  building  com- 
mittee. 

Definite  expansion  of  both 
industry  and  business  was  noted 
this  year.  The  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce appointed  a  special  indus- 
trial committee,  charged  with 
bringing  additional  industries 
here.  Surveys  were  made,  to  help 
those  already  located  here,  as 
well  as  possible  new  firms.  Such 
matters  as  wages,  posible  mar- 
ket, and  other  statitics  of  inter- 
est to  business  and  industry  were 
noted.  At  least  one  big  firm 
moved  out  from  Chicago,  perhaps 
as  a  result  of  this  activity  on  the 
part  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce. The  Federal  Sign  and 
Signal  Corporation,  after  enlarg- 
ing the  old  American  Radiator 
and  Standard  Sanitary  plant,  at 
136th  and  Western,  moved  in, 
and  employment  possibilities  im- 
mediately began  to  look  better, 
as  this  concern  would  employ 
about  500  persons.  Kline's  De- 
partment Store  undertook  another 
expansion  by  remodeling  the  sec- 
ond floor  of  its  building,  which 
had   formerly   been    occupied   by 


162 


offices  and  apartments.  One  of 
the  big  innovations  of  this  move 
was  the  installation  of  a  self- 
operating    elevator. 

Perhaps  the  most  positive  proof 
of  all-around  growth  in  Blue 
Island  and  surrounding  territory 
was  given  by  the  Illinois  Bell 
Telephone  Company.  Since  1952, 
when  the  local  exchange  was 
serving  10,000  customers,  the 
number  of  customers  had  jumped 
until  27,000  numbers  were  now 
listed.  Three  hundred  employees 
called  the  expanded  plant  on 
Union  Street  their  business  home, 
and  the  management  there  an- 
nounced that  the  recent  improve- 
ments had  cost  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  one  million  dollars. 

The  "pay-as-you-go"  policies 
of  Mayor  Hart  were  again  greatly 
appreciated  by  Blue  Island  tax- 
payers, when  the  city  council 
awarded  a  quarter  million  dollar 
street  improvement  contract,  and 
paid  for  its  entire  cost  out  of 
cash  then  on  hand.  Most  of  the 
money  went  for  street  improve- 
ments in  the  southeast  section 
of  the  city,  with  sections  of  Seel- 
ey,  Hoyne,  and  Canal  being  pav- 
ed. The  Western  Avenue  mer- 
chants were  also  greatly  benefit- 
ed when  a  parking  lot,  just  back 
of  the  firms  on  the  west  side  of 
Western,  between  High  and  York, 
was  completed,  providing  space 
for   136  cars. 

The  schools  of  the  city  and 
the  high  school  district  went  al- 
ong with  this  expansion  of  busi- 
ness and  industry.  The  elementary 


schools  added  Nathan  Hale,  at 
135th  and  Long,  at  a  cost  of 
$400,000.  Community  High  wel- 
comed a  third  frosh-soph  unit,  the 
Northwest  Building,  located  at 
115th  and  Ridgeland,  and  serving 
students  in  these  years  from 
Worth,  Chicago  Ridge,  and  ad- 
jacent territories.  So  rapid  had 
been  the  growth  of  the  student 
body  in  that  area,  however,  that 
the  school  almost  became  over- 
crowded   its   very   first   year. 

Catholic  wornen  of  the  city 
were  involved  when  the  local 
chapter  of  the  Catholic  Daugh- 
ters of  America  marked  its  fif- 
tieth anniversary  in  '59.  As  a  part 
of  this  celebration  the  Grand 
Regent  of  the  state  of  Illinois 
paid  tribute  to  the  Blue  Island 
group,  the  first  in  the  entire  state 
to  mark  its  golden  anniversary, 
as  well  as  the  largest  chapter 
in  Illinois.  Honored  were  Mrs. 
Lillian  Hickey,  at  that  time  Grand 
Regent  of  the  local  court,  num- 
ber 113,  as  well  as  Mrs.  Nell 
Martens,  first  Grand  Regent,  and 
four  of  the  original  charter  mem- 
bers: Mrs.  Kate  Kennelly,  Mrs. 
John  Landgraf,  Mrs.  George  Mar- 
tell,    and   Mrs.   Sue   Murphy. 

Long  time  friends  of  Arthur  J. 
Stuebe,  veteran  grocery  store 
owner,  mourned  his  passing  this 
year.  He  had  been  chairman  of 
the  finance  committee  of  the  city 
council,  and  a  member  of  the 
transportation   committee. 

One  of  the  best  measures  of 
Blue  Island's  growth  during  the 
ten    years    culminating    in    1960 


163 


\  > 


Tragedy  Averted 
Prompt  action   by  the  fire  department  prevented  any  loss  of  life  when  the 
Lyric  Theatre  burned  in  February,  1960. 


was  given  by  William  Gerdes, 
city  building  commissioner  at 
that  time.  Seven  hundred  thirty- 
six  homes,  valued  at  a  total  of 
$10,721,970  had  been  constructed 
in  this  period.  In  1959  residential 
building  alone  totalled  over  three 
million  dollars,  including  twelve 
apartment  buildings.  The  only 
person  who  had  witnessed  contin- 
ued growth  such  as  this,  and  al- 
most from  the  very  beginning  of 
Blue  Island,  was  Mrs.  Lawrence 
Fay,  who  celebrated  her  first 
century  of  life  on  February  20. 
After  coming  from  England  in 
1872,  her  family  first  settled  in 
Morris,  Illinois.  On  a  visit  to  Blue 
Island,  she  met  her  future  hus- 
band, Lawrence  Fay.  After  their 
marriage  the  two  moved  to  a  lit- 


tle farm,  located  east  of  Ahsland 
between  the  Calumet  River  and 
Stony.  Old  timers  still  refer  to 
this  section  of  territory  as  Fay's 
Point. 

Tragedy,  both  personal  and 
financial,  hit  the  city  this  year. 
Andrew  L.  McCord,  senior  citi- 
zen and  financial  influence  in  the 
area  passed  away  leaving  many 
friends  who  had  known  him  for 
the  sixty-two  years  of  sterling 
service  he  had  given  the  First 
National  Bank  in  various  capaci- 
ties, culminating  with  his  appoint- 
ment as  president  in  1943.  He  had 
served  continuously  as  treasurer 
of  the  park  board,  from  the  year 
it  had  been  organized  until  1958. 
He  was  active  at  the  bank  up  to 
a    short    time    before    his    death, 


164 


serving  as  vice  chairman  of  the 
board  of  directors,  and  was  a 
charter  member  of  the  B.P.O.E. 
But  for  the  grace  of  God,  the 
ultra  modern  equipment  possess- 
ed by  our  fire  department,  the 
capable  leadership  of  Fire  Chief 
Barzycki  and  the  efficiency  of 
our  firemen,  Valentine  Day,  Feb- 
ruary 14,  1960  might  have  been 
a  day  never  to  be  forgotten.  It 
was  on  this  day,  at  3:30  in  the 
afternoon,  the  Lyric  Theater  was 
completely  destroyed  by  fire! 
The  date  was  a  Sunday  and  most 
of  the  audience  of  700  were  child- 
ren enjoying  their  usual  Sunday 
afternoon  at  the  movies.  Because 
of  Chief  Barzycki's  quick  thinking 
in  going  through  the  audience 
with  the  theater  manager,  Wil- 
liam Hetzner,  and  very  calmly 
telling  the  audience  a  fire  drill 
wrould  be  held,  the  auditorium 
was  quickly  evacuated  in  a  most 
orderly  manner.  This  calmness 
and  promptness  was  richly  re- 
warded for  there  was  no  loss  of 
life  nor  even  a  single  injury! 
Few  of  the  audience  even  realized 
it  was  a  real  fire  until  they  got 
out  of  the  building.  Thirty  min- 
utes after  the  firemen  had  been 
summoned,  the  roof  collapsed! 
The  actual  direct  financial  loss 
of  $200,000  might  have  soared  in- 
to the  millions  had  the  firemen 
been  unable  to  execute  Barzycki's 
plan  to  contain  the  fire  within 
the  theater's  four  walls  which 
remained  standing.  A  strong  west 
wind  was  blowing  and  St.  Francis 
Hospital    had   begun   to    evacuate 


its  patients  to  lower  floors  for 
easier  removal  if  that  became  ne- 
cessary. For  several  hours  it  was 
feared  both  sides  of  Western  Ave- 
nue would  become  ignited  ^itli 
ultimate  results  in  such  an  event 
defying    imagination. 

From  a  very  modest  start  many 
years  before  under  the  name  of 
the  Cottage  Building  and  Loan 
Association,  the  directors,  offi- 
cers, stockholders,  and  customers 
of  the  Blue  Island  Savings  and 
Loan  Association  again  moved 
forward  when  they  held  a  grand 
opening  at  their  spacious  new 
building,  11960  Western,  in  mid 
March. 

One  of  Blue  Island's  favorite 
sons  was  honored  by  his  friends 
from  this  entire  area  when  Dr. 
H.  L.  Richards  was  recognized 
and  feted  for  the  twenty-five 
years  he  had  served  as  superin- 
tendent of  the  District  218  schools. 
He  had  come  to  Blue  Island  in 
1928  as  an  instructor  of  social 
studies  and  assistant  coach.  The 
board  of  education  had  named 
him  as  superintendent  upon  the 
retirement  of  Mr.  J.  E.  Lemon 
in  1935,  after  forty-two  years 
of  dedicated  service. 

Friends,  well  wishers,  and  close 
associates  witnessed  the  presen- 
tation of  a  bronze  plaque,  on 
behalf  of  the  staff  and  student 
body  of  the  school,  by  John 
Rush  of  the  faculty.  A  beautiful 
sterling  silver  coffee  and  tea 
service  was  given  to  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Richards  by  Leslie  I.  McCord, 
president  of  the  board,  on  behalf 


165 


'■*'■'■■"■  i ■" 


^p  1 

LdfflJ; 

f  n    ;r     j g 

W 1 S 

i 

<*"'" 

pr* ..... 

'  * 

5/ae  Island's  Bottleneck 
Looking   north   on    Western   Avenue.    The   Cal  Sag   improvements   did   bring 
some  temporary  frustrations  to  Blue  Island   traffic,  notably  this   cut-off,  routing 
traffic  around  the  Rock  Island  bridge  at  the  bottom  of  the  hill. 


The  Royalaires  Drum  and  Bugle  Corps 
Pride  of  the  Patrick  T.  Hallinan  Post  Number  3580,  VFW,  Blue  Island. 


166 


of  the  citizens  of  the  entire  dis- 
trict. Richards  was  also  honored 
by  the  "Breakfast  Club"  an  in- 
formal organization  of  long  time 
friends,  with  a  special  plaque 
bearing  twenty-five  silver  dollars; 
and  a  beautifully  bound  book  con- 
taining over  200  congratulatory 
letters  and  telegrams  wishing 
him  well  on  this  auspicious  oc- 
casion   was    also    presented. 

One  of  the  best  indications  of 
good  times  and  improvements  to 
come  that  ever  was  given  to  Blue 
Island  was  reported  by  Mayor 
John  Hart.  He  stated  that  over 
five  million  dollars  were  to  be 
spent  on  canal  improvements  in 
or  near  Blue  Island  within  the 
space  of  a  few  years.  The  pro- 
jects to  grace  the  city  within  this 
short  time  would  include  two 
new  main  line  bridges  for  the 
Rock  Island;  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
crossings  at  Vermont  Street,  the 
Stony  Creek  bridge,  and  the  sub- 
way near  Francisco  Street;  a 
main  line  bridge  for  the  Grand 
Trunk  Western;  and  major  ad- 
justments to  the  Indiana  Harbor 
Belt  lines.  While  the  entire  city 
knew  that  this  major  project, 
with  its  many  ramifications, 
would  create  some  problems,  all 
concerned  felt  that  the  final  re- 
sult would  be  to  boost  Blue  Is- 
land, and  were  willing  to  stand 
even   major   inconveniences. 

The  growth  of  the  city  was 
manifest  in  another  way,  even 
though  proof  of  this  meant  the 
city's  loss  through  retirement  of 
another    good    man.    During    the 


twenty-one  years  of  his  life  that 
Charles  Dewar  served  the  city  as 
superintendent  of  public  works, 
he  commented  the  department 
had  gradually  grown  to  a  present 
staff  of  twenty-eight  men  and  a 
budget  of  around  $90,000.00  a 
year.  Dewar  had  also  served  nine 
years   as   an   alderman. 

Mayor  Hart,  officers  of  all 
civic,  service,  and  veteran's  org- 
anizations— in  fact  the  entire  city 
— joined  with  the  congregation 
of  the  First  Congregational 
Church  in  celebrating  its  centen- 
nial in  October.  The  solemn  and 
impressive  homecoming  Commun- 
ion service  was  held  October  16, 
with  the  Rev.  Edgar  Ross  deliver- 
ing the  sermon.  On  Women's 
Fellowship  Day  a  pageant,  "A 
Century  Passes  in  Review"  was 
presented,  and  on  October  20, 
the  entire  city  joined  in  honoring 
the  church  in  a  Centennial  Com- 
munity   Night    celebration. 

Meeting  in  the  Congregational 
Church,  another  group  marked 
a  milestone  when  the  Kiwanis 
Club  celebrated  its  twentieth  an- 
niversary. Officers  selected  at 
that  time  were  Joe  Johnson,  pre- 
sident; Kenneth  Streitmatter,  first 
vice-president;  Arthur  Newhouse, 
second  vice-president;  Edwin 
Stoddard,  secretary-treasurer; 
and  Al  Bauer,  Jim  Bronson,  Bob 
Kough,  Ed  Fredette,  Joe  Lyznicki, 
and  Ray  Rauch,  directors.  During 
these  twenty  years  the  club  had 
grown  from  its  original  twenty- 
seven  members  to  a  group  of 
seventy. 


167 


Graduates  of  the  high  schools 
in  this  area  were  cheered  to  learn 
of  the  possibilities  of  a  junior 
colleg.  Argo,  Blue  Island,  Ever- 
green Park,  Homewood-Floss- 
moor,  Lincolnway,  Oak  Lawn 
Reavis,  and  Rich  high  schools 
had  all  approved  a  survey  to 
determine  the  needs  of  such 
an  institution  in  the  general  area 
covering  all  of  these  districts. 
Committees  with  civic,  private 
and  school  representatives  met 
with  Professor  Merle  Sumption, 
of  the  University  of  Illinois  and 
Paul  Cella,  chairman  of  public 
relations  for  such  a  survey,  to 
study  the  possibilities  and  plan 
further   action. 

Under  the  superintendency  of 
Everett  F.  Kerr,  who  had  come 
to  Blue  Island  in  1950  to  head 
the  District  130  schools,  all  build- 
ings had  seen  remarkable  growth. 
From  an  enrollment  slightly  over 
1500,  when  Supt.  Eggert  resign- 
ed in  1935,  grade  school  enroll- 
ments had  zoomed  to  over  2700 
by  1960.  The  first  year  Kerr  had 
been  in  office  had  seen  the  Hor- 
ace Mann  School  open,  and  the 
junior  high  school  and  gym 
readied  for  student  occupancy. 
The  old  Seymour  School  had 
been  razed  in  1942,  and  although 
it  was  declared,  at  that  time,  a 
hazard  to  children,  many  who 
had  trod  its  ancient  halls  regret- 
ted its  passing.  That  year  also 
brought  additions  to  both  the 
Lincoln  School  and  the  junior 
high — to  the  latter  only  two  years 
after    its    first     occupancy.     Fre- 


quent additions  to  other  buildings 
were  demanded  by  the  ever  grow- 
ing number  of  grade  school  chil- 
dren. The  Greenbriar  School  was 
built  in  1956;  Paul  Revere  re- 
ceived an  addition  in  1956;  Hor- 
ace Mann  in  1958;  and  the  Nath- 
an   Hale   School    in    1959. 

During  all  these  years  the 
schools  had  been  receiving  ster- 
ling service  from  board  members, 
with  Walter  E.  Anderson  achiev- 
ing the  enviable  record  of  twenty- 
seven  years  service  as  a  board 
member  when  he  retired  in  1959. 
Presidents  of  the  grade  school 
board  since  Centennial  Days  have 
been  Frank  Van  Overstraeten, 
1935-37;  Dr.  Leslie  0.  Damm, 
1938-46;  Dr.  Derk  A.  Vloedman, 
1946-52;  Karl  W.  Goetter,  1952- 
55;  Carl  E.  Geppinger,  1955-1960 
and    George    W.    Dring,    1960 — . 

From  1873  to  1961— what  a 
contrast  in  years!  And  how  the 
city  of  Blue  Island  had  grown 
in  those  years! 

In  1873  the  original  village 
fathers  had  passed  their  first 
budget,  providing  for  the  little 
settlement's  official  expenses  for 
the  coming  year.  The  sum  they 
approved  for  that  year  was  $2,000 
— and  this,  we  may  be  sure,  posed 
a  grave  challenge.  Contrast  this 
sum  to  that  budgeted  for  the  year 
from  May  1,  1961  to  April  30, 
1962— $1,218,867.44! 

This  is  not  to  say  that  the  1961 
budget  was  out  of  line.  Under 
the  leadership  of  Mayor  Hart, 
the  council  had  run  the  city  on  a 
very    conservative    and    business- 


168 


Western  Avenue   in    1962 
This  view  was  taken  looking  north,  from  just  south  of  Vermont  Street.  The 
new  sign  of  the  former  State  Bank  had  just  been  installed. 


Church  of  Christ,  Scientist  —  one  of  Blue  Island's  newest  church  buildings. 


169 


like  basis.  Whenever  there  was 
money  to  be  spent,  they  first 
were  certain  that  that  money  was 
available.  C'n  the  above  budget, 
for  example,  they  knew  that 
there  would  be  salary  increases 
for  the  police  and  fire  depart- 
ment personnel,  and  for  clerical 
help.  The  city  would  owe  Chica- 
go about  $315,000  for  water. 
The  municipal  building  needed 
repairs;  the  library  and  the  city 
playgrounds  needed  funds;  $225,- 
000  would  go  to  the  city  payroll. 

In  all  probability  the  "pay-as- 
you-go"  policy  was  responsible 
for  another  decisive  victory  for 
Mayor  Hart  and  his  party  at  the 
polls.  He  won  his  seventh  term 
of  office,  and  carried  with  him 
the  posts  of  city  clerk,  city  treas- 
urer, and  five  of  the  seven  alder- 
manic   posts. 

Important  anniversaries  and 
expansions  marked  the  year  as 
a  good  one  for  several  institutions 
and  businesses.  After  a  year  of 
thorough-going  planning  and  pre- 
paration, St.  Benedict  Church 
celebrated  its  one  hundredth  an- 
niversary in  September.  Lowell 
Frasor,  banquet  chairman,  assist- 
ed by  Mrs.  James  Hickey  and 
Daniel  J.  Boyd,  led  off  the  festi- 
vities by  organizing  a  dinner 
dance  at  the  Martinique  Restau- 
rant. The  youth  of  the  parish 
likewise  celebrated  at  the  Palos 
Country  Club.  Solemn  and  im- 
pressive rites  were  observed  on 
Sunday,  September  24,  with  Car- 
dinal Albert  Meyer,  Archbishop 
of  Chicago,   presiding  at  a  High 


Mass  of  Thanksgiving.  The  last 
two  pastors  who  served  the  large 
congregation  had  been  Father 
Theodore  Gross  and  Father  How- 
ard Doherty,  who  came  in  1953. 

Later  in  the  year,  the  St.  Fran- 
cis Hospital  announced  plans  for 
a  six  and  one-half  million  dollar 
expansion  program,  to  build  a 
complete  new  wing.  Plans  were 
for  the  addition  to  consist  of  a 
ten  story  building,  accommodat- 
ing 248  new  beds,  and  providing 
a  physical  medicine  department, 
a  control  supply  department,  an 
enlarged  pharmacy,  a  staff  room 
for  doctors  and  personnel,  and 
large    administrative    offices. 

The  Mission  Covenant  Church 
staged  a  double  celebration  in 
the  early  part  of  the  year.  On 
February  5  members  observed 
the  sixty-seventh  anniversary  by 
dedicating  their  beautiful  new 
building,  at  Collins  and  Green- 
wood. Their  former  sanctuary, 
which  had  served  them  faithfully 
since  1897,  was  to  be  used  as  a 
Sunday    School   unit. 

The  entire  city  was  happy  to 
rejoice  with  the  Volp  family  and 
their  Blue  Island  Sun-Standard 
which  began  its  eighty-fifth  year. 
Today  "our  paper"  is  regarded 
as  one  of  the  outstanding  quality 
weeklies  in  the  state  of  Illinois, 
and  is  published  in  a  modern,  well 
equipped    printing    plant. 

Two  changes  of  business  ad- 
dresses, both  for  the  better,  hit 
the  Sun-Standard  headlines.  The 
Enterprise  Wire  Company  moved 
to  the  twenty-two  acres  and  large 


170 


Rock   Island   Railroad   Bridge 
Before   this  section  of  the   canal  was   widened,  showing  some   of   the   giant 
equipment  used  in  working  on  this  section  of  Blue  Island's  greatest  improvement. 


plant  formerly  occupied  by  the 
Equipment  Steel  Company.  The 
new  property  meant  rail  facilities 
and  more  room  for  the  Wire  En- 
gineering Associates,  Inc.,  a  re- 
lated organization,  R.  K.  Wyant, 
president  of  the  concern  stated. 
After  sixty-five  years  in  business 
at  13122  S.  Western,  Emil  J.  Blatt 


and  Company,  dealers  in  wall- 
paper, paint,  glass,  oil  and  asso- 
ciated products,  purchased  the 
former  Blue  Island  Savings  and 
Loan  building,  and  moved  their 
store  there.  Associated  with  Emil, 
the  owner,  and  city  treasurer, 
were  his  son  Norman,  and  his 
grandson,    Ronald. 


171 


gpUt 


a 


172 


EPILOGUE 


As  Blue  Island  moves  well  into 
its  one  hundred  and  twenty-sev- 
enth year,  its  citizens  can  look 
back  with  pride  upon  their  past 
accomplishments  and  face  the 
future  unafraid,  no  matter  what 
its  challenges.  Perhaps  at  no  other 
time  during  its  years  of  progress 
have  people  of  this  nation  con- 
fronted prospects  which  are,  at 
one  and  the  same  time,  fraught 
with  both  the  possibility  of  the 
free  world's  utter  destruction  by 
the  diabolical  forces  of  commun- 
ism, and  yet  so  filled  with  the 
glorious  possibility  that  mankind 
may  at  last  be  fully  free.  Through 


the  peaceful  uses  of  the  atom; 
through  proper  use  of  the  leisure 
time  suggested  by  the  advance 
of  automation;  and,  most  of  all, 
through  a  re-dedication  to  the 
principle  that,  under  the  Father- 
hood of  God,  it  is  possible  that 
the  brotherhood  of  man  may  yet 
be  realized.  Sharing  such  a  bless- 
ing as  this,  the  people  of  Blue 
Island  will  know  even  finer  days 
than  those  they  have  witnessed 
so  far.  With  His  guidance,  and 
their  continued  faith  in  their 
homes,  their  churches,  and  their 
schools,  all  things  are  possible. 
Without  Him,  naught  can  prevail. 


173 


APPENDIX 

ROSTER  OF  CITY  OFFICIALS 
1901  -  1961 

Year  1901 — John  L.  Zacharias, 
Mayor;  Fred  Hohmann,  City 
Clerk;  A.  C.  Boeber,  Treasurer; 
George  Guenther,  Attorney;  Em- 
il  Boehl,  Police  Magistrate;  Al- 
dermen: Harry  Rohrbach  and 
John  Neibert,  First  Ward;  John 
Joens  and  Louis  Groskopf,  Sec- 
ond Ward;  George  Gobet  and  V. 

B.  Schreiber,  Third  Ward;  C.  R. 
Foster  and  William  Henke, 
Fourth  Ward;  A.  Danielson  and 
Max  Gese,  Fifth  Ward. 

Year  1902 — John  L.  Zacharias, 
Mayor;  Fred  Hohmann,  City 
Clerk;  A.  C.  Boeber,  Treasurer, 
George  H.  Guenther,  Attorney; 
William  H.  Doolittle,  Police  Mag- 
istrate; Aldermen:  John  Neibert 
and  George  Engelland,  First 
Ward;  John  Joens  and  Louis 
Groskopf,  Second  Ward;  V.  B. 
Schreiber  and  August  Kern,  Third 
Ward;  William  Henke  and  C.  R. 
Foster,  Fourth  Ward;  Max  Gese 
and  George  Warren,  Fifth  Ward. 

Year  1903 — John  L.  Zacharias, 
Mayor;  Fred  Hohmann,  City 
Clerk;  C.  J.  Heckler,  Treasurer; 
George  H.  Guenther,  Attorney; 
William  H.  Doolittle,  Police  Mag- 
istrate; Aldermen:  Harry  Rohr- 
bach and  George  Engelland,  First 
Ward;  Anthony  Heintz  and  L.  L. 
Whitson,  Second  Ward;  V.  B. 
Schreiber  and  August  Kern, 
Third  Ward;  William  Henke  and 

C.  R.  Foster,  Fourth  Ward;  Max 


Gese  and  George  Warren,  Fifth 
Ward. 

Year  1904 — John  L.  Zacharias, 
Mayor;  Fred  Hohmann,  City 
Clerk;  C.  J.  Heckler,  Treasurer, 
George  H.  Guenther,  Attorney; 
William  H.  Doolittle,  Police  Mag- 
istrate; Aldermen:  George  Engel- 
land and  Harry  Rorhbach,  First 
Ward;  Louis  Groskopf  and  An- 
thony Heintz,  Second  Ward;  V. 
B.  Schreiber  and  August  Kern, 
Third  Ward;  C.  R.  Foster  and 
William  Henke,  Fourth  Ward; 
Max  Gese,  George  Warren,  Fifth 
Ward. 

Year  1905 — George  C.  Gobet, 
Mayor;  Fred  Hohmann,  City 
Clerk;  George  H.  Guenther,  At- 
torney; Carl  H.  Schmitt,  Treas- 
urer ;  Alden  P.  Pierce,  Police  Mag- 
istrate; Max  Gese,  City  Collector; 
Aldermen:  George  Engelland  and 
John  A.  Lentz,  First  Ward;  L.  L. 
Whitson  and  Anthony  Heintz, 
Second  Ward;  August  Kern  and 
August  Marx,  Third  Ward;  C.  R. 
Foster  and  Harry  Rohrbach, 
Fourth  Ward ;  George  Warren  and 
L.  C.  Steinbach,  Fifth  Ward. 

Year  1906^-George  C.  Gobet, 
Mayor;  Fred  Hohmann,  City 
Clerk;  George  H.  Guenther,  At- 
torney; Carl  H.  Schmitt,  Treas- 
urer; Alden  P.  Pierce,  Police 
Magistrate;  Max  Gese,  City  Col- 
lector; Aldermen:  John  A.  Lentz 
and  George  Engelland,  First 
Ward;  Anthony  Heintz  and  John 
F.  Klein,  Second  Ward;  August 
Marx  and  John  Ganzer,  Third 
Ward;  Harry  Rohrbach  and 
Jerry  Jones,  Fourth  Ward;  L.  C. 


174 


Steinbach  and  Gustav  Aschan, 
Fifth  Ward. 

Year  1907— George  C.  Gobet, 
Mayor;  Fred  Hohmann,  City 
Clerk;  George  H.  Guenther,  At- 
torney; William  Schreiber,  Treas- 
urer; Alden  P.j  Pierce,  Police 
Magistrate;  Max  Gese,  City  Col- 
lector; Aldermen:  George  Engel- 
land  and  John  Lentz,  First  Ward; 
John  F.  Klein  and  Henry  Roll, 
Second  Ward;  John  Ganzer  and 
August  Marx,  Third  Ward;  Jerry 
Jones  and  Harry  Rohrbach, 
Fourth  Ward;  J.  P.  Mossberg  and 
Henry  Groskopf,   Fifth  Ward. 

Year  1908— George  C.  Gobet, 
Mayor;  Fred  Hohmann,  City 
Clerk;  George  H.  Guenther,  At- 
torney; William  Schreiber,  Treas- 
urer; Alden  P.  Pierce,  Police 
Magistrate;  Max  Gese,  City  Col- 
lector; Aldermen:  John  A.  Lentz 
and  George  Engelland,  First 
Ward;  Henry  Roll  and  John 
Klein,  Second  Ward;  August 
Marx  and  John  Ganzer,  Third 
Ward;  Harry  Rohrbach  and  C. 
R.  Foster,  Fourth  Ward;  J.  P. 
Mossberg  and  Henry  Groskopf, 
Fifth  Ward. 

Year  1909— Edward  N.  Stein, 
Mayor  Fred  Hohmann,  City 
Clerk;  Thomas  McGrath,  Attor- 
ney; Harry  Rohrbach,  Treasurer; 
William  H.  Doolittle,  Police  Mag- 
istrate; Laurence  Lusson,  City 
Collector;  Aldermen:  George  En- 
gelland and  John  A.  Lentz,  First 
Ward;  John  F.  Klein  and  Henry 
Clausen,  Second  Ward;  John  Gan- 
zer and  John  Wolff,  Third  Ward; 
C.    R.    Foster    and    James   Noble, 


Fourth  Ward;  Henry  Groskopf 
and  Louis  Steinbach,  Fifth  Ward. 

Year  1910— Edward  N.  Stein, 
Mayor;  Fred  Hohmann,  City 
Clerk;  Thomas  McGrath,  Attor- 
ney, Harry  Rohrbach,  Treasurer; 
William  H.  Doolittle,  Police  Mag- 
istrate; Laurence  Lusson,  City 
Collector;  Aldermen:  John  A. 
Lentz  and  Herman  Jauchzer, 
First  Ward;  Henry  Clausen  and 
Louis  Storz,  Second  Ward;  John 
Wolff  and  Wm.  Kruse,  Third 
Ward,  John  Noble  and  Jerry 
Jones,  Fourth  Ward;  Louis  Stein- 
bach and  Henry  Groskopf,  Fifth 
Ward. 

Year  1911— Julius  A.  Wessel, 
Mayor;  Fred  Hohmann,  City 
Clerk;  Judd  H.  Matthews,  Attor- 
ney; John  L.  Beer,  Treasurer; 
William  H.  Doolittle,  Police  Mag- 
istrate; Louis  Staff  el,  City  Collec- 
tor; Aldermen:  Herman  Jauch- 
zer and  William  Meyer,  First 
Ward;  Louis  Storz  and  Ernst 
Kott,  Second  Ward;  William 
Kruse  and  John  Wolff,  Third 
Ward;  Jerry  Jones  and  James  A. 
Noble,  Fourth  Ward;  Henry 
Groskopf  and  Walter  Bruce,  Fifth 
Ward. 

Year  1912— Julius  A.  Wessel, 
Mayor;  Fred  Hohmann,  City 
Clerk;  Judd  H.  Matthews,  Attor- 
ney; John  L.  Beer,  Treasurer; 
James  H.  Carroll,  Police  Magis- 
trate; Louis  Staffel,  City  Collec- 
tor; Aldermen:  Herman  L.  Jauch- 
zer and  William  Meyer,  First 
Ward;  Arnold  Myers  and  Ernst 
Kott,  Second  Ward,  William  J. 
Kruse    and    John    Wolff,    Third 


175 


Ward;  Jerry  Jones  and  James  A. 
Noble,  Fourth  Ward;  Charles  J. 
Olson  and  W.  C.  Bruce,  Fifth 
Ward. 

Year  1913 — J.  Jones,  Mayor; 
Fred  Hohmann,  City  Clerk;  Judd 
H.  Matthews,  Attorney;  Louis  F. 
Schwartz,  Treasurer;  James  H. 
Carroll,  Police  Magistrate;  Louis 
Staff  el,  City  Collector;  Laurence 
Lusson,  Business  Agent;  Alder- 
men: Herman  Jauchzer  and  Al- 
fred Koenecke,  First  Ward;  Ar- 
nold Myers  and  Ernst  Kott,  Sec- 
ond Ward;  William  Kruse  and 
John  Wolff,  Third  Ward;  James 
Noble  and  E.  B.  Bronson,  Fourth 
Ward;  C.  J.  Olson  and  Walter 
C.  Bruce,  Fifth  Ward. 

Year  1914 — J.  Jones,  Mayor; 
Fred  Hohmann,  City  Clerk,  Judd 
H.  Matthews,  Attorney;  Louis  F. 
Schwartz,  Treasurer;  James  H. 
Carroll,  Police  Magistrate;  Louis 
Staff  el,  City  Collector;  Laurence 
Lusson,  Business  Agent;  Alder- 
men: Alfred  Koenecke  and  Ilo 
G.  Ward,  First  Ward;  Ernst  Kott 
and  Peter  Maltry,  Second  Ward; 
John  W.  Wolff  and  William  J. 
Kruse,  Third  Ward;  E.  B.  Bron- 
son and  James  A.  Noble,  Fourth 
Ward;  Walter  C.  Bruce  and  C. 
J.    Olson,    Fifth   Ward. 

Year  1915 — J.  Jones,  Mayor; 
Fred  Hohmann,  City  Clerk;  Judd 
H.  Matthews,  Attorney;  Edward 
N.  Stein,  Treasurer;  James  H. 
Carroll,  Police  Magistrate;  Alder- 
men: Alfred  Koenecke  and  Ilo  G. 
Ward,  First  Ward;  Louis  C.  Gros- 
kopf  and  Peter  Maltry,  Second 
Ward;   John  W.  Wolff  and  Wm. 


J.  Kruse,  Third  Ward;  James  A. 
Noble  and  E.  B.  Bronson,  Fourth 
Ward;  Henry  A.  Groskopf  and 
Charles  J.  Olson,  Fifth  Ward. 

Year  1916 — J.  Jones,  Mayor; 
Louis  Staffel,  City  Clerk,  Judd  H. 
Matthews,  Attorney;  Edward  N. 
Stein,  Treasurer;  James  H.  Car- 
roll, Police  Magistrate;  Alder- 
men: Ilo  G.  Ward  and  Alfred 
Koenecke,  First  Ward;  Arnold 
Myers  and  Louis  C.  Groskopf, 
Second  Ward;  Edward  E.  Hansen 
and  John  W.  Wolff,  Third  Ward; 
E.  B.  Bronson  and  James  A. 
Noble,  Fourth  Ward;  Charles  J. 
Olson  and  Henry  A.  Groskopf, 
Fifth  Ward. 

Year  1917— Edward  N.  Stein, 
Mayor;  George  J.  Landgraf,  City 
Clerk;  George  J.  Roll,  Treasurer; 
Paul  T.  Klenk,  Attorney;  Peter 
W.  Heintz,  Police  Magistrate;  Al- 
dermen: Henry  J.  Schnurstein 
and  Ilo  G.  Ward,  First  Ward; 
John  Mangold  and  Arnold  My- 
ers, Second  Ward;  William  M. 
Hartzel  and  Edward  E.  Hansen, 
Third  Ward;  Charles  J.  Schrage 
and  E.  B.  Bronson,  Fourth  Ward; 
Charles  Adams  and  Charles  J.  Ol- 
son, Fifth  Ward. 

Year  1918— Edward  N.  Stein, 
Mayor;  George  J.  Landgraf,  City 
Clerk;  George  J.  Roll,  Treasurer; 
Paul  T.  Klenk,  Attorney;  Peter 
W.  Heintz,  Police  Magistrate;  Al- 
dermen: Ilo  G.  Ward  and  Henry 
J.  Schnurstein,  First  Ward;  Ar- 
nold Myers  and  John  Mangold, 
Second  Ward;  John  Wolff  and 
William  M.  Hartzel,  Third  Ward; 
E.    B.    Bronson    and    Charles    J. 


176 


Schrage,  Fourth  Ward;  Charles 
J.  Olson  and  Charles  Adams,  Fifth 
Ward. 

Year  1919— Edward  N.  Stein, 
Mayor;  George  J.  Landgraf,  City 
Clerk:  Walter  N.  Crossland, 
Treasurer;  Roy  Massena,  Attor- 
ney; Peter  W.  Heintz,  Police  Mag- 
istrate: Aldermen:  Henry  Schnur- 
stein  and  Ilo  G.  Ward,  First 
Ward;  John  Mangold  and  Arnold 
Myers,  Second  Ward;  William  M. 
Hartzel  and  Rocco  Guglielmucci, 
Third  Ward;  W.  T.  Davis  and 
E.  B.  Bronson,  Fourth  Ward;  J. 
P.  Wiessner  and  Charles  J.  Ol- 
son, Fifth  Ward. 

Ytar  1920— Edward  N.  Stein, 
Mayor;  George  J.  Landgraf,  City 
Clerk;  Walter  N.  Crossland, 
Treasurer;  Roy  Massena,  Attor- 
ney; Peter  W.  Heintz,  Police  Mag- 
istrate, Aldermen:  Henry  Schnur- 
stein  and  Robert  Atkinson,  First 
Ward;  John  Mangold  and  Arnold 
Myers,  Second  Ward;  William  M. 
Hartzel  and  Rocco  Guglielmucci, 
Third  Ward;  W.  T.  Davis  and  E. 
B.  Bronson,  Fourth  Ward; 
Charles  J.  Olson  and  J.  P.  Wiess- 
ner, Fifth  Ward. 

Year  1921— Paul  T.  Klenk, 
Mayor;  George  J.  Landgraf,  City 
Clerk;  Harvey  L.  Melvin,  Treasur- 
er; Henry  Buhring,  Police  Mag- 
istrate; Aldermen:  Henry  Schnur- 
stein  and  Robert  Atkinson,  First 
Ward;  George  F.  Fiedler  and  Ar- 
nold Myers,  Second  Ward; 
Charles  Andersen  and  Rocco  Gug- 
lielmucci, Third  Ward;  Joseph 
W.  Lentz  and  E.  B.  Bronson, 
Fourth  Ward;   Edward  Hopf  and 


J.  P.  Wiessner,  Fifth  Ward. 

Year  1922— Paul  T.  Klenk, 
Mayor;  George  J.  Landgraf,  City 
Clerk;  Harvey  L.  Melvin,  Treas- 
urer; Henry  Buhring,  Police  Mag- 
istrate; Aldermen:  Alfred  L.  Koe- 
necke  and  Henry  Schnurstein, 
First  Ward;  Arnold  Myers  and 
George  Fiedler,  Second  Ward; 
Rocco  Guglielmucci  and  Charles 
Andersen,  Third  Ward;  Joseph 
W.  Lentz  and  Charles  F.  Schrage, 
Fourth  Ward;  Edward  Hopf  and 
J.   P.  Wiessner,  Fifth  Ward. 

Year  1923—  Paul  T.  Klenk, 
Mayor;  George  J.  Landgraf,  City 
Clerk;  George  J.  Roll,  Treasurer, 
Henry  Buhring,  Police  Magis- 
trate; Aldermen:  Harold  C.  Volp 
and  Alfred  L.  Koenecke,  First 
Ward;  George  F.  Fiedler  and  Ar- 
nold Myers,  Second  Ward; 
Charles  Andersen  and  Rocco  Gug- 
lielmucci, Third  Ward;  Joseph 
W.  Lentz  and  Charles  F.  Schrage, 
Fourth  Ward;  J.  P.  Wiessner  and 
Edward   Hopf,    Fifth   Ward. 

Year  1924— Paul  T.  Klenk, 
Mayor;  George  J.  Landgraf,  City 
Clerk;  George  J.  Roll,  Treasurer; 
Henry  Buhring,  Police  Magis- 
trate; Aldermen:  Alfred  L.  Koe- 
necke and  Harold  C.  Volp,  First 
Ward;  Charles  Mosel  and  George 
Fiedler,  Second  Ward;  Rocco  Gug- 
lielmucci and  Charles  Andersen, 
Third  Ward;  Charles  Schrage  and 
Joseph  W.  Lentz,  Fourth  Ward; 
Edward  Hopf  and  J.  P.  Wiess- 
ner, Fifth  Ward. 

Year  192S-Paul  T.  Klenk, 
Mayor;  George  J.  Landgraf,  City 
Clerk;   Willis  W.  Whitfield,  City 


177 


Treasurer;  Millard  A.  Rauhoff, 
Police  Magistrate;  Aldermen:  Al- 
fred L.  Koenecke  and  Harold  C. 
Volp,  First  Ward;  Charles  J.  Mo- 
sel  and  George  Fiedler,  Second 
Ward;  Rocco  Guglielmucci  and 
Louis  Brockman,  Third  Ward; 
James  A.  Noble  and  Joseph  W. 
Lentz,  Fourth  Ward;  John  P. 
Wiessner  and  Alfred  Brunner, 
Fifth  Ward. 

Year  1926-  Paul  T.  Klenk, 
Mayor;  George  J.  Landgraf,  City 
Clerk;  Willis  P.  Whitfield,  City 
Treasurer;  Millard  A.  Rauhoff, 
Police  Magistrate;  Aldermen: 
Harold  C  .Volp  and  Alfred  L. 
Koenecke,  First  Ward;  George 
Fiedler  and  Charles  Mosel,  Sec- 
ond Ward;  Rocco  Guglielmucci 
and  Louis  Brockman,  Third 
Ward;  Joseph  W.  Lentz  and 
James  A.  Noble,  Fourth  Ward; 
Alfred  Brunner  and  John  P. 
Wiessner,  Fifth  Ward;  Charles 
Lorenz  (1  year  term)  and  A.  B. 
Jerrain  (2  year  term),  Sixth 
Ward;  C.  0.  Williams  (1  year 
term)  and  William  Gerdes  (2 
year   term),    Seventh   Ward. 

Year  1927— Paul  T.  Klenk, 
Mayor;  George  J.  Landgraf,  City 
Clerk;  J.  P.  Wiessner,  City  Treas- 
urer; Millard  A.  Rauhoff,  Police 
Magistrate;  Aldermen:  Harold  C. 
Volp  and  Alfred  L.  Koenecke, 
First  Ward;  Charles  Mosel  and 
George  F.  Fiedler,  Second  Ward; 
Rocco  Guglielmucci  and  Louis  F. 
Brockman,  Third  Ward;  James 
A.  Noble  and  Joseph  W.  Lentz, 
Fourth  Ward;  Alfred  Brunner 
and     Rudolph     Swanson,     Fifth 


Ward;  A.  B.  Jerrain  and  Charles 
H.  Lorenz,  Sixth  Ward;  William 
Gerdes  and  C.  0.  Williams,  Sev- 
enth Ward. 

Year  1928— Paul  T.  Klenk, 
Mayor;  George  J.  Landgraf,  City 
Clerk;  J.  P.  Wiessner,  City  Treas- 
urer; Millard  Rauhoff,  Police 
Magistrate;  Aldermen:  Harold  C. 
Volp  and  Alfred  L.  Koenecke, 
First  Ward;  George  F.  Fiedler 
and  Charles  Mosel,  Second  Ward; 
Louis  F.  Brockman  and  Rocco 
Guglielmucci,  Third  Ward;  Jo- 
seph W.  Lentz  and  James  A. 
Noble,  Fourth  Ward;  Rudolph 
Swanson  and  Alfred  Brunner, 
Fifth  W7ard;  Charles  H.  Lorenz 
and  Charles  A.  Dewar,  Sixth 
Ward;  C.  0.  Williams  and  Wil 
liam    J.    Gerdes,    Seventh    Ward 

Year  1929— Frank  Kasten 
Mayor;  George  J.  Landgraf,  City 
Clerk;  Edward  H.  Hopf,  Treas 
urer;  Carl  J.  Carlson,  Police  Mag 
istrate;  Aldermen:  Harold  C 
Volp  and  Alfred  L.  Koenecke 
First  Ward;  George  F.  Fiedler 
and  Charles  F.  Mosel,  Second 
Ward;  L.  Brockman  and  Rocco 
Guglielmucci,  Third  Ward;  Jo- 
seph W.  Lentz  and  James  A. 
Noble,  Fourth  Ward;  Rudolph 
Swanson  and  Fred  C.  Schroeder, 
Fifth  Ward;  Charles  H.  Lorenz 
and  Charles  A.  Dewar,  Sixth 
Ward;  C.  O.  Williams  and  Wil- 
liam J.  Gerdes,  Seventh  Ward. 

Year  1930— Frank  Kasten, 
Mayor;  George  J.  Landgraf,  City 
Clerk;  Edward  H.  Hopf,  Treas- 
urer; Carl  J.  Carlson,  Police  Mag- 
istrate;    Aldermen:    A.    L.    Koe- 


178 


necke  and  Harold  C.  Volp,  First 
Ward;  Andrew  Myers  and  George 
F.  Fiedler,  Second  Ward;  Rocco 
Guglielmucci  and  L.  Brockman, 
Third  Ward;  James  A.  Noble  and 
Joseph  W.  Lentz,  Fourth  Ward; 
Fred  C.  Schroeder  and  Rudolph 
Swanson,  Fifth  Ward;  Charles  A. 
Dewar  and  C.  H.  Lorenz,,  Sixth 
Ward;  Wm.  J.  Gerdes  and  C.  0. 
Williams,  Seventh  Ward. 

Year  1931 — Frank  Kasten, 
Ma> or;  George  J.  Landgraf,  City 
Clerk;  John  H.  Ganzer,  Treasur- 
er; Carl  J.  Carlson,  Police  Mag- 
istrate; Aldermen:  Harold  C. 
Volp  and  Alfred  L.  Koenecke, 
First  Ward ;  George  F.  Fiedler  and 
Charles  F.  Mosel,  Second  Ward; 
L.  Brockman  and  Rocco  Gugliel- 
mucci, Third  Ward,  Joseph  W. 
Lentz  and  James  A.  Noble,  Fourth 
Ward;  Rudolph  Swanson  and 
Fred  Schroeder,  Fifth  Ward; 
Charles  H.  Lorenz  and  Charles 
A.  Dewar,  Sixth  Ward;  Clarence 
0.  Williams  and  William  J.  Ger- 
des, Seventh  Ward. 

Year  1932— Frank  Kasten, 
Mayor;  George  J.  Landgraf,  City 
Clerk;  John  H.  Ganzer,  Treasur- 
er; Carl  J.  Carlson,  Police  Mag- 
istrate; Aldermen:  Alfred  L.  Koe- 
necke and  Harold  C.  Volp,  First 
Ward;  Andrew  Myers  and  George 
F.  Fiedler,  Second  Ward;  Rocco 
Guglielmucci  and  L.  F.  Brockman, 
Third  Ward;  James  A.  Noble  and 
Joseph  W.  Lentz,  Fourth  Ward; 
Fred  C.  Schroeder  and  Rudolph 
Swanson,  Fifth  Ward;  Charles  A. 
Dewar  and  Charles  H.  Lorenz, 
Sixth    Ward;    William    J.    Gerdes 


and  Clarence  0.  Williams,  Sev- 
enth  Ward. 

Year  1933— Frank  Kasten, 
Mayor;  Louis  F.  Schwartz,  City 
Clerk;  Fred  Rice,  Treasurer; 
Carl  J.  Carlson,  Police  Magis- 
trate; Aldermen:  Louis  Rauch 
and  Alfred  L.  Koenecke,  First 
Ward;  George  Fiedler  and  An- 
drew Myers,  Second  Ward; 
Charles  A.  Ulrich  and  Rocco  Gug- 
lielmucci, Third  Ward;  Joseph 
W.  Lentz  and  James  A.  Noble, 
Fourth  Ward;  Stewart  W.  Sand- 
berg  and  Fred  Schroeder,  Fifth 
Ward;  August  G.  Zavadil  and 
Charles  A.  Dewar,  Sixth  Ward; 
Clarence  0.  Williams  and  William 
J.   Gerdes,   Seventh   Ward. 

Year  1934 — Frank  Kasten, 
Mayor;  Louis  F.  Schwartz,  City 
Clerk;  Fred  Rice,  Treasurer;  Carl 
J.  Carlson,  Police  Magistrate;  Al- 
dermen: Carlton  C.  Cook  and 
Louis  Rauch,  First  WTard;  Henry 
J.  Goesel  and  George  F.  Fiedler, 
Second  Ward;  Rocco  Guglielmuc- 
ci and  Charles  A.  Ulrich,  Third 
Ward;  Arthur  Ladwig  and  Joseph 
W.  Lentz,  Fourth  Ward;  and 
Fred  C.  Schroeder  and  Stewart 
W.  Sandberg,  Fifth  Wrard; 
Charles  A.  Dewar  and  August  G. 
Zavadil,  Sixth  Ward;  William  J. 
Gerdes  and  Clarence  0.  Williams, 
Seventh  Ward. 

Year  1935— Fred  A.  Rice,  May- 
or; Louis  F.  Schwartz,  City  Clerk; 
Charles  J.  Andersen,  City  Treas- 
urer; George  E.  Heatley,  Police 
Magistrate;  Aldermen:  Louis  W. 
Rauch  and  John  M.  Tichan.  First 
Ward;     George    F.     Fiedler     and 


179 


Henry  J.  Goesel,  Second  Ward; 
Rocco  Guglielmucci  and  Charles 
Ulrich,  Third  Ward;  Joseph  W. 
Lentz  and  Arthur  C.  Ladwig, 
Fourth  Ward;  Fred  C.  Schroed- 
er  and  Stewart  W.  Sandberg, 
Fifth  Ward;  Thomas  J.  Scanlan 
and  Harry  W.  Hattendorf,  Sixth 
Ward;  William  Gerdes  and  C.  0. 
Williams,    Seventh   Ward. 

Year  1937— John  M.  Hart, 
Mayor;  Louis  F.  Schwartz,  City 
Clerk;  August  W.  Schreiber,  City 
Treasurer;  Richard  B.  Seyfarth, 
Police  Magistrate;  Aldermen: 
Louis  W.  Rauch  and  Thomas 
Hayes,  First  Ward;  Henry  J.  Goe- 
sel and  George  F.  Fiedler;  Sec- 
ond Ward;  August  Lietzau  and 
Michael  Guglielmucci,  Third 
Ward;  Joseph  W.  Lentz  and  Ar- 
thur C.  Ladwig,  Fourth  Ward; 
Harry  H.  Sutton  and  Otto  A. 
Kasch,  Fifth  Ward;  Thomas  J. 
Scanlan  and  Charles  A.  Dewar, 
Sixth  Ward;  Clarence  0.  Wil- 
liams and  William  J.  Gerdes, 
Seventh  Ward. 

Year  1939 — Aldermen :  Thom- 
as Hayes,  First  Ward;  George  F. 
Fiedler,  Second  Ward;  Gus  Liet- 
zau, Third  Ward;  Frank  J.  Britt, 
Fourth  Ward;  Otto  A.  Kasch, 
Fifth  Ward;  William  C.  Frey  - 
Joseph  A.  Mausolf  (special  elec- 
tion Sept.  1939),  Sixth  Ward; 
John  E.  Jones,  Seventh  Ward. 

Year  1941— John  M.  Hart, 
Mayor;  Louis  F.  Schwartz,  City 
Clerk;  Edward  J.  Kordewich, 
City  Treasurer;  Richard  B.  Sey- 
farth, Police  Magistrate;  Louis 
W.  Rauch,  First  Ward;  Henry  J. 


Goesel,  Second  Ward;  Rocco  Zic- 
cardo,  Third  Ward;  John  W. 
Lentz,  Fourth  Ward;  Henry  H. 
Sutton,  Fifth  Ward;  Joseph  A. 
Mausolf,  Sixth  Ward;  Clarence 
0.    Williams,    Seventh    Ward. 

Year  1943— Aldermen:  Ed- 
ward J.  Schaller,  First  Ward; 
George  F.  Fiedler,  Second  Ward; 
Gus  Lietzau,  Third  Ward;  Frank 
J.  Britt,  Fourth  Ward;  Otto  A. 
Kasch,  Fifth  Ward;  William  C. 
Frey,  Sixth  Ward;  John  E.  Jones, 
Seventh  Ward. 

Year  1945— John  M.  Hart, 
Mayor;  Louis  F.  Schwartz,  City 
Clerk;  Emil  J.  Blatt,  City  Treas- 
urer; David  Cullinan,  Police  Mag- 
istrate; Aldermen:  Fred  J.  Hor- 
wath,  First  Ward;  Charles  F. 
Mosel,  Second  Ward;  Rocco  Zic- 
cardo,  Third  Ward;  Arthur  J. 
Stuebe,  Fourth  Ward;  Elmer  E. 
Johnson  and  Harry  H.  Sutton, 
Fifth  Ward;  Joseph  A.  Mausolf, 
Sixth  Ward;  Niles  Erf  ft  and 
Clarence  0.  Williams,  Seventh 
Ward. 

Year  1947— Aldermen :  Ed- 
ward J.  Schaller,  First  Ward;  Ru- 
dolph I.  Banovich,  Second  Ward; 
Carl  Jankowski,  Third  Ward; 
John  Waugh,  Fourth  Ward;  El- 
mer E.  Johnson,  Fifth  Ward;  Wil- 
liam C.  Frey,  Sixth  Ward;  Ar- 
thur L.   Schaller,   Seventh  Ward. 

Year  1949— John  M.  Hart, 
Mayor;  Louis  F.  Schwartz,  City 
Clerk;  Emil  J.  Blatt,  City  Treas- 
urer; David  Cullinan,  Police 
Magistrate;  Aldermen:  Fred  J. 
Horwath,  First  Ward;  Charles  F. 
Mosel,  Second  Ward;  Rocco  Zic- 


180 


cardo,  Third  Ward;  Arthur  J. 
Stuebe,  Fourth  Ward;  Harry  H. 
Sutton,  Fifth  Ward;  Joseph  A. 
Mausolf,  Sixth  Ward;  Niles  Erfft, 
Seventh    Ward. 

Year  1951 — Aldermen:  Harry 
A.  Jebsen,  First  Ward;  Rudolph 
I.  Banovich,  Second  Ward;  Mil- 
ton 0.  Shrader,  Third  Ward; 
John  Waugh,  Fourth  Ward;  El- 
mer E.  Johnson  and  Andrew 
Baird  -  (Special  election  5-28-51), 
-  Fifth  Ward;  Nicholas  J.  Splayt, 
Sixth  Ward;  Arthur  L.  Schaller, 
Seventh  Ward. 

Year  1953— John  M.  Hart, 
Mayor;  Louis  F.  Schwartz,  City 
Clerk  I  Passed  away  5-25-53)  and 
John  C.  Joens,  appointed  as  City 
Clerk  6-8-53;  Emil  J.  Blatt,  City 
Treasurer;  Henry  J.  Gentile,  Po- 
lice Magistrate;  Aldermen:  Law- 
rence H.  Witt,  First  Ward; 
Charles  F.  Mosel,  Second  Ward; 
Rocco  Ziccardo,  Third  Ward;  Ar- 
thur J.  Stuebe,  Fourth  Ward; 
Burtus  Overton,  Fifth  Ward;  Jo- 
seph A.  Mausolf,  Sixth  Ward; 
Niles    Erfft,    Seventh    Ward. 

Year  1955 — Aldermen :  Harry 
A.  Jebsen,  First  Ward;  Salvatore 
Ruffolo,  Second  Ward;  Milton 
0.  Shrader,  Third  Ward;  Louis 
D.  Lombardo,  Fourth  Ward;  El- 
mer    E.     Johnson,     Fifth    Ward; 


Nicholas  J.  Splayt,  Sixth  Ward; 
Arthur  L.  Schaller,  Seventh 
Ward. 

Year  1957— John  M.  Hart, 
Mayor;  John  C.  Joens,  City  Clerk; 
Emil  J.  Blatt,  City  Treasurer; 
Henry  J.  Gentile,  Police  Magis- 
trate; Aldermen:  Lawrence  H. 
Witt,  First  Ward;  Charles  F.  Mo- 
sel, Second  Ward;  Rocco  Ziccar- 
do and  Joseph  T.  Swalec,  Third 
Ward;  Arthur  J.  Stuebe,  Fourth 
Ward;  Norman  Lindstrom,  Fifth 
Ward;  Joseph  A.  Mausolf,  Sixth 
Ward;  Niles  Erfft,  Seventh  Ward. 

Year  1959 — Aldermen :  Harry 
A.  Jebsen,  First  Ward;  Salvatore 
Ruffolo,  Second  Ward;  Joseph 
T.  Swalec,  Third  Ward;  Louis  D. 
Lombardo,  Fourth  Ward;  Robert 
N.  Roegner,  Fifth  Ward;  Nicholas 
J.  Splayt,  Sixth  Ward;  Arthur  L. 
Schaller,    Seventh   Ward. 

Year  1961— John  M.  Hart, 
Mayor;  John  C.  Joens,  City  Clerk; 
Emil  J.  Blatt,  City  Treasurer; 
Earl  S.  Ebers,  Jr.,  Police  Magis- 
trate; Aldermen:  Lawrence  H. 
Witt,  First  Ward;  Arthur  G.  Col- 
latz,  Second  Ward;  Salvatore 
Rende,  Jr.,  Third  Ward;  Mervin 
Beattie,  Fourth  Ward;  Robert  N. 
Roegner,  Fifth  Ward;  Joseph  A. 
Mausolf,  Sixth  Ward;  Niles  Erfft 
Seventh  Ward. 


181 


OUR  THANKS  TO  ALL 

The  Lions  Club  of  Blue  Island  freely  acknowledges  that  any 
list  of  committee  members  could  not  fully  credit  all  those  who  are 
helping  to  make  our  1962  Fourth  of  July  Celebration  the  great  suc- 
cess we  hope  it  will  be. 

Listed  below  are  the  chairmen  and  vice-chairmen,  in  that  order, 
of  committees  heading  our  project.  Each  man  gladly  joins  our  general 
expression  of  thanks  to  the  hundreds  who  are  working  together  for  the 
greater  good  of  our  community. 


COMMITTEES 


Mayor  John  M.  Hart 
Honorary  Chairman 

THE  BIG  PARADE 
William  E.  Clarke 
Walter  Briody 

JUNIOR  PARADE 
Leonard  Bartlc 
James  Kennedy 

FINANCE 
Lester  Catlin 
E.  J.  Anhorn 

THE  B.I.  STORY 
Dr.  H.  L.  Richards 
Harold  Volp 


Henry  G.  Baumann 
General  Chairman 

PHOTOGRAPHY 
Henry  Van  Westrop 
Tom  Laydon 

TRAFFIC 

Edward  Marcinski 
Earl  Rousseau 

GROUNDS 
Ray  Termunde 
Thomas  Schoeneck 

EVENING  PROGRAM 
Dr.  D.  L.  Doornkaat 
Lynn  Burno 


SPECIAL  ACKNOWLEDGMENT 

Further,  we  gratefully  acknowledge  our  indebtedness  to  the  fol- 
lowing men  and  women,  all  members  of  the  Community  High  School 
faculty,  who  have  contributed  so  very  much  of  their  time  and  their 
talents  in  writing  "The  Blue  Island  Story":  Clyde  W.  Blanke,  Mary 
K.  Dewey,  Kathryn  A.  Haebich,  Marcel  E.  Pacatte,  and  Joseph  Ziemba. 

The  Lions  Club  of  Blue  Island 


182 


Lions  Club  of  Blme  Island 


OFFICERS 

President   Henry  A.  Gentile 

Immediate  Past  President   Thomas  Laydon 

First  Vice  President   Edward  Klocke 

Second  Vice  President Leonard  Bartle 

Third   Vice   President    Henry   vanWestrop 

Financial   Secretary    Lawrence  Hupe 

Secretary   William  T.  Ewing 

Treasurer Frederic  C.  Madsen 

Lion  Tamer Edwin  C.  Hempel 

Tail  Twister Dr.  C.  E.  Folkers 

Chaplain   Rev.  C.  A.  Chamberlin 

Initiating  Officer   Lloyd  Holmlin 

Pianist    Lynn  Burno 

Song  Leader George  Porter 


DIRECTORS 

Henry  G.  Baumann  George  Porter 

Edward  Marcinski  Harold  Volp 


COMMITTEE  CHAIRMEN 

Entertainment    George  T.   Schoeneck 

Program Edward  E.  Klocke 

Bulletin  Editor Leonard  A.  Bartle 

Attendance    Henry  vanWestrop 

Constitution  and  By-Laws Walter  F.  Briody 

Lions  Membership John  A.  Dorjahn 

Finance George  D.  Carter 

Lions  Information   Thomas  Laydon 

Convention    Edwin   L.   Hempel 

Sight  Conservation    Harry   Taylor 

Boys  and  Girls George  Carnahan 

Citizenship  and  Patriotism Emanuel  Cannonito 

Sports  Banquet   Don  Kolloway 

Civic  Improvements Vernon  Wilkening 

Community  Betterment James  G.  Kennedy 


183 


Publicity  and  Public  Relations Henry  vanWestrop 

Health  and  Welfare Harry  Siwkowski 

Education George  W.  Porter 

Safety Earl  Rousseau 

United  Nations Rev.  C.  A.  Chamberlin 

Fourth  of  July Henry  G.  Baumann 

Exceptional  Children Russell  J.  Colvin 

Greeter Edwin  L.  Hempel 


MEMBERS 


Donald  E.  Andersen 
Dr.  Warren  Anderson 
Emil  J.  Anhorn 
Clyde  E.  Bailey 
Leonard  A.  Bartle 
Henry  G.  Baumann 
Dr.  0.  A.  Taylor  Bell 
Frank  Bella,  Jr. 
Ludwig  Blum 
Joseph  J.  Bogetich 
E.  J.  Boyd 
Walter  F.  Briody 
Roger  W.  Bronson,  Jr. 
Ernest  Brown 
William  Brown 
W.  E.  Brydon 
Richard  Buckwalter 
Lynn  Burno 
Emanual  M.  Cannonito 
George  Carnahan 
Geo.  D.  Carter 
Lester  F.  Catlin 
Rev.  C.  A.  Chamberlin 
Peter  J.  Ciccone 
Wm.  T.  Clarke 
Russell  J.  Colvin 
John  A.  Crawford 
Dr.  D.  L.  Doornkaat 
John  A.  Dorjahn 
Peter  Dykstra 
Earl  S.  Ebers,  Jr. 


Emlyn  Edwards 
Guy  W.  Egbert 
Wm.  T.  Ewing 
Dr.  Clarence  E.  Folkers 
Wm.  C.  Frey 
Dr.  Arthur  Jay  Friduss 
Angelo  P.  Garetto 
Ralph  Edward  Gehrig 
Henry  A.  Gentile 
Arthur  T.  Gerstel 
William  C.  Hake 
Sterling  P.  Hall 
John  M.  Hart 
Benjamin  Helford 
Edwin  L.  Hempel 
Arthur  W.  Heuser 
Joe  B.  Hoberman 
Lloyd  C.  Holmlin 
Lawrence  L.  Hupe 
Roy  E.  Johnson 
Bert  Josefson 
Thomas  Karambis 
James  G.  Kennedy 
Dr.  Carl  L.  Kinell 
Edward  E.  Klocke 
Donald  M.  Kolloway 
Adam  C.  Kranich 
B.  F.  Kromryk 
Hill  Lakin 
Thomas  G.  Laydon 
Raymond  Legreid 


184 


Dr.  Henry  J.  Leturno 
Leo  F.  Lynch 
Fredric  C.  Madsen 
Edward  Marcinski 
Leslie  I.  Mc  Cord 
Russell  M.  Miller 
Charles  Mudge 
G.  Archer  Mueller 
Arnold  Mueller 
Wm.  J.  Mulder 
Frank  S.  Neldon 
Wm.  M.  Niewold 
Eugene  Paul 
John  A.  Peterson 
Raymond  Pieper 
George  W.  Porter 
Wilbert  A.  Radtke 
Dr.  Harold  L.  Richards 
Thomas  S.  Richardson 
James  P.  Rigoni 
Thos.  L.  Robertson 
Edward  F.  Roche 
Earl  Rousseau 
Frank  C.  Salapatek 
Dr.  Thos.  J.  Scanlon 
Harold  Schee 


Geo.  T.  Schoeneck 
Arthur  H.  Schultz 
Anthony  Sisco 
Harry  J.  Siwkowski 
John  Sluski 
Everett  D.  Snyder 
Walter  C.  Steinweg 
Frank  M.  Sterling 
Gilbert  Day  Stewart 
Theodore  M.  Street 
Edwin  F.  Suhs 
Harold  R.  Swanson 
Dr.  Sheldon  L.  Taub 
Harry  W.  Taylor 
Raymond  Termunde 
Robert  H.  Upholzer 
Henry  vanWestrop 
Carl  R.  Vandenberg 
Victor  Vanderhei 
Harold  C.  Volp 
Gary  P.  Walczak 
Arnold  L.  Watland 
0.  Edward  Wielgorecki 
Vernon  Wilkening 
John  Wilson 


185 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 

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THE  BLUE  ISLAND  STORY  BLUE  ISLAND,  ILL.