Kewanee history from the Star Courier archives

Compiled by Dave Clarke
·5 min read

15 years agoFriday, Oct. 26, 2007

  • The Kewanee Police Department is investigating several burglaries and criminal damage incidents that occurred last weekend. Burglaries were reported at Belle Alexander School, Visitation School, Zion Lutheran Church, Iglesiar Apostolica Church, and Calvary Baptist Church, and damage was reported at Taylor & Son and the Assembly of God Church.

  • Kewanee Elks Lodge 724 has announced the selection of Nicole Tisdell, a senior at Stark County High School, and Chris Rebout, senior at Kewanee High School, as the October Teens of the Month.

25 years agoSaturday, Oct. 25, 1997

  • The Wethersfield Flying Geese are 9-0 and undisputed champions of the Lincoln Trail Conference with Friday night’s 46-24 home field win over the Annawan Braves. The Geese became only the fifth team in school history to finish the regular season undefeated. The conference championship is the school’s first outright LTC title since 1984. Coach Tom Buck has now guided the Geese to 53 wins in their last 72 games. The team now awaits word on who and where they will play next weekend in the opening round of the IHSA playoffs. (Buck guided the Geese to the state Class 1A championship in 2001. The Geese and Braves, longtime rivals, joined to form the Annawan-Wethersfield Titans co-op in 2008 and have made the playoffs each year since, including this year with a 7-2 record. — D.C.)

  • WHHK, “The Hawk,” in Galva, will broadcast the LTC JV championship football game between Stark County and Wethersfield at 6:05 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27 on 102.5-FM, sponsored by Community State Bank and Pizza Hut.

50 years agoThursday, Oct. 26, 1972

  • The first annual V.I.P. Breakfast for Kewanee’s retail employees was held Thursday at Davidson’s Restaurant. About 475 people attended the event promoted by K.A.C.I. (Kewanee Association of Commerce and Industry) through its Retail Affairs Committee headed by Bob McCants, manager of Osco Drug. Over 200 door prizes totaling $750 in retail value were given away in the course of the morning. The grand prize —a TV set — was won by Rosalie Unakis of Spurgeon’s. Prizes for the “longest longevity,” man and woman, were won by Seward Morey — 47 years with the Texaco Bulk Plant, and Irma Calmeyn — 39 years with Good’s Furniture House.

  • Monmouth College grabbed the Bronze Turkey, symbol of football supremacy between Monmouth and arch-rival Knox College, of Galesburg, last Saturday. Undefeated Monmouth, with ex-Kewanee High players Bill Breedlove and Jim Elsey seeing defensive duty, defeated Knox 21-12, despite the efforts of two other former Kewanee High grinders Pat Miler and Scott Yarde.

75 years agoSaturday, Oct. 25, 1947

  • A sister and brother, Margaret and Bernard Cromien, reigned over Homecoming festivities at Galva High School Friday night. A big pep rally was held in the afternoon, followed by the football game between Galva and Bradford, climaxed by a dance in the high school gym after the game.The crowning of this popular couple took place during the dance. Each class met Wednesday afternoon and selected a girl and a boy to compete for the honor in the contest conducted by the Student Council. The school body voted at the pep rally setting up the sister, brother coronation. Bernard is a regular left end on the football team and is also a letter winner in track and basketball. (Galva’s Wildcats rolled over the Bradford Panthers 32-0 before a “huge Homecoming throng.” — D.C.)

  • The Manlius Cafe and Manlius Hotel were destroyed by fire which was discovered about midnight last night. Four occupants of the two-story hotel were routed from their beds saving only a few clothes. Incendiarism is suspected in the blaze. It is reported that a man was heard at the cafe earlier in the evening to make remarks which substantiated the suspicions. Police have picked up a vagrant referred to only as “Otto the bum,” for questioning.

100 years agoThursday, Oct. 26, 1922

  • Two large-sized contracts for school equipment have just been let in Kewanee to the Bennett & Bauer furniture store, 111-113 N. Tremont St. The equipment for the new Franklin School is covered by one of the contracts and that of the new Visitation School by the other. These contracts included desks for the pupils, desks for the teachers, chairs for the various schools, tables and other things in the furniture line. A number of out-of-town manufacturers had sent salesmen here to compete in the bidding. That these contracts were won by a home concern is being commented upon favorably by all.

  • The October issue of the “Tiger,” the official news magazine of the students of Kewanee High School, makes its appearance this week in 16 pages and an attractive cover of Golden Rod. The cover is adorned with an original sketch of a husky male who is labeled “Freshie,” although his hirsute adornment suggests that he is at least an alumnus. On the inside of the back cover appears a little poem of three stanzas entitled “Our Team.” This poem sounds the keynotes of the entire publication asking for loyalty and support in the face of continued defeat. (The Orange and Black, as they were called back then, had not won a single football game all season, which probably prompted the poetic appeal for support. The team would finally prevail beating Princeton 6-0 on Armistice Day, Nov. 11, and again on Nov. 25, beating Canton 24-6. Their mini-winning streak, and the season, ended, however, on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 30, 1922, when they were trounced 86-0 at Macomb. Reports looked toward a better season the following year with a new, first-year coach, M.H. Wykoff. After it ceased publication in 1930, the “Tiger” was eventually replaced by the “K-Chronicle” in 1939. — D.C.)

This article originally appeared on Star Courier: Kewanee history from the Star Courier archives