Looking Back: A history of Fairbury through the pages of The Blade

130 Years Ago

May 14, 1892

The board of education went over to the north side school building the other day and after looking it over and deciding it would take about $800 to put it in shape, are of the opinion that a new building should be built.

The town hall was wired this week and hereafter the electric light in the building will be kept burning in the building all night.

Strawn — The masons have finished their part of the work in Tryon and Pool's new brick building. A. W. Steers has received the lumber for the new Palace hotel. Work will begin next week.

Rev. W. L. Riley has been engaged by the Baptist church as pastor for the coming year. Mr. Riley has but recently graduated from the Morgan park school and this is his first charge.

120 Years Ago

May 16, 1902

The Lakeside school of Eppards Point township has a telephone for its use. This is probably the first district school to have a telephone.

J. W. Morris, Fairbury's candidate for the nomination of Sheriff, is making a thorough campaign. He travels on horseback and has covered almost the entire country.

Forrest — The Congregationalists purchased a bell and placed it in the tower of the church on Tuesday.

Under the auspices of the Baptist church, the ordinance of Baptism will be administered at 3 o'clock Sunday afternoon in Indian Creek, south of town, near the west iron bridge. The public is cordially invited to be present.

St. Thomas, E. West Indies — The eruption of Mount Pelee, a volcano over looking the town of St. Pierre Martinque, is now reported to have killed 40,000 persons. The succession of tidal waves which followed destroyed all the shipping in the harbor. The wiping out of the city was accomplished in a few minutes.

110 Years Ago

May 17, 1912

The Farmers Grain Co. has commenced the erection of their new office. The walls, which are of cement blocks are nearly up.

Joe Carrithers will leave today for Grover, Colo., which is about 30 miles southeast of Cheyenne, Wyo., where he has purchased a government claim on a 160-acre ranch. It has a fine bungalow and part of the ranch is fenced. Joe is going to batch it, but he doesn't mind that as he is a past master when it comes to cooking.

Miss Lorine Shepherd went to Chicago, to attend the graduating exercises at the Rhodes hospital, Miss Ogarita Shepherd being one of the graduates. She will remain at the hospital as a nurse.

The Lough & Ellis Associated Players who have been holding forth in the big tent west of the water tower the past week, have been playing to good houses in spite of the weather.

Cropsey — Workmen commenced to lay the foundation Tuesday for M. B. Meeker's new residence.

100 Years Ago

May 12, 1922

Five miles of hard road is to be built over the Corn Belt Route leading into Fairbury. This was made known last Friday when Governor Small announced that contracts amounting to $10,000,000 worth of new roads had been approved and that this strip of five miles was among it. Work is to start at once on the contract let last Friday, it is said.

Fred H. "Brick" Young, known to all lovers of sport in this section of Illinois, and who for a number of years has been connected with the Bloomington Bulletin, has taken a position with the Bloomington Pantagraph to handle their sports department.

At high noon yesterday at the home of the bride's parents, occurred the wedding of Miss Una Garber, to Robert Schmidt. The single ring ceremony was read by Rev. C. S. Davies.

90 Years Ago

May 13, 1932

Maurice Brown is conducting a lunch stand at the Churchill gravel pit. He is being assisted by Ira Kilgus.

Fairbury, whose athletes captured the Livingston County high school track and field meet held here Tuesday of last week, went to the district meet held at Lincoln last Saturday and won it also. The margin by which they won it was only one point, Fairbury accumulating 38½ points and Peoria Central making 37½ points.

Next Friday evening at the Central theatre the glee clubs of the Fairbury township high school will present the operetta, "Jerry of Jericho Road."

The body of Charles A. Jr., son of Col. and Mrs. Charles A. Lindberg, of Hopewell, N. J., was found yesterday in the woods in the vicinity of Hopewell. The child had been kidnapped from its home March 1 last.

80 Years Ago

May 15, 1942

The heavy wind of Wednesday did considerable damage in this locality. A big plate-glass window in the A. J. Porter building, Locust and Second Streets, was blown in. At. Dr. H. C. Sauer's office the glass in the transom was blown in. At the Mrs. P. C. James place, north of town, tenanted by Will Bray, a porch was damaged when a tree was blown onto it. A metal roofed cattle shed on the Ben Zehr farm was completely demolished. The frame work on a new hip-roof barn in the course of construction on the Mrs. Lydia Bittner farm was partly blown down. A hog shed at Virgil Mundell's was lifted over a fence into another field. At the Newman Crews farm a hog shed was turned upside down.

Strawn — At the town board meeting held last week a vote was taken regarding the closing of taverns on Sunday. They voted that the taverns should be closed hereafter on that day.

Mrs. Horace Haxen, who has been employed in the shoe department of Walton's Department Store, has accepted a like position in the Lewis department store at Champaign. She will take up her new work on Monday. The family will continue to make their home here for the present.

70 Years Ago

May 15, 1952

One hundred and twenty-five Chamber of Commerce members and their wives gathered at the old school gym last Thursday night to hear a report on the activities of the first year of the organization.

The Fairbury Fire department truck was called to the Arnold Wade farm about four miles south-west of town just before 1 p.m. Tuesday to quench a fire which had broken out on a farm tractor.

C. C. Thompson, chairman of the new hospital drive, disclosed yesterday that $156,834.20 in cash and $4,500 in pledges has been received from Fairbury residents. About $100,000 is needed.

Mrs. Herbert Huette, the former Barbara Saathoff, left Friday morning by auto for Oceanside, Calif. She is to join her husband at Camp Pendleton, where he is stationed.

Dr. John Langstaff has accepted a residency at Jackson Memorial hospital at Miami, Fla., and will receive special training in the field of urology for at least a year. The appointment starts July 1.

60 Years Ago

May 17, 1962

The will of the late Helen Lewis Smith, formerly of Fairbury, and the surviving widow of the late Clarence Smith, formerly of Chatsworth, was admitted to probate in the State of California, Los Angeles County, on May 10, 1962, and will be offered for probate in Livingston County. The will made bequests to the Fairbury Mausoleum, Presbyterian Church of Fairbury, and to various friends, relatives and employees of the decedent and her husband. The major portion of the estate was left to the Fairbury Hospital to be used for the erection and operation of a convalescent home. Preliminary rough estimates indicate the hospital bequest may eventually exceed $100,000.

No precipitation fell during the past week much to the enjoyment of area farmers. Heavy rains of Monday, May 7, ranged up to five inches north and east of Fairbury although city measurements only ranged from one to two inches. Some farmers to the north have not been able to plant corn yet due to the heavy rainfall. Other farmers are just starting to plant beans.

50 Years Ago

May 18, 1972

Winner of the $200 merchandise award in the Mother's Day promotion and special sales event of the Fairbury Association of Commerce's Retail committee was Mrs. Everett Wenger. Mrs. Wenger is currently recovering from open heart surgery in University Hospital at Indianapolis, and her name was one of the thousands nominated by children and husbands. The drawing was done by "Tip" Cox, and Reuben Huber observed, "It couldn't have been more fitting if we'd tried to "rig" such a selection, and I'm sure all the other mothers of the community will agree that Margaret is a fitting recipient."

Yesterday, May 17, the final program at the Isaac Walton school site must have brought back many memories for all. Theme of the last spring program "Goodbye Isaac Walton, Goodbye" was quite appropriate and the more than 247 youngsters who participated in the final festival were quite enthusiastic about taking part in the historic event. In accordance with the new building and remodeling program for the Fairbury-Cropsey Unit Three schools, Isaac Walton will be vacated this summer and students grades one thru three will enter the attendance center at Westview in the fall of 1972. Built in 1895, the school now referred to as Isaac Walton was named Fairbury high school; however high school students attended classes upstairs and four rooms downstairs contained grade students.

40 Years Ago

May 13, 1982

Thirty-one grave markers were broken or overturned last weekend in a senseless act of vandalism at the Cooper cemetery, southwest of Fairbury. Livingston County sheriff's police said Wednesday, the department is investigating leads into the incident.

Seven-year old Michael Thompson of Fairbury was listed in good condition at St. Joseph Hospital in Bloomington after his bicycle collided with a truck. The mishap occurred last Thursday when the Thompson youth collided with a Northern Illinois Gas Company truck driven by Glenn Cole of Fairbury. Cole was northbound on Fourth street when the youth apparently rode his bike out of an alley and into the truck. The youth was taken to Fairbury hospital and was later transferred to Bloomington.

Fairbury's American Legion Speedway will kick off its 1982 stock car racing season Saturday, May 22, two weeks earlier than the popular event has opened in the past. A Speedway spokesman said this week the change was made because the drivers asked that the track open sooner. "All the area tracks are going. Fairbury was usually the last one to open," Darrell Rigsby stated.

30 Years Ago

May 13, 1992

Fairbury native Jerry Miller, son of Nila and Don Johanson has a vested interest in the maiden voyage of NASA's newest shuttle 'Endeavour', which was launched May 7. Miller, a 1978 graduate of Fairbury Cropsey High School, and the University of Illinois in 1983, is an astronaut trainer with NASA and has coordinated training for the extravehicular activities or space walking of the astronauts involved in the shuttle mission. Miller worked flight control Sunday when the first of three space walks took place.

The engagement of Sarah Evelyn Ricketts and Aaron Herbert Steffen is being announced by their parents, Nick and Jean Ricketts of Forrest, and Herbert and Georgia Steffen of Cropsey. Grandparents are Meredith and Leona Ricketts, Forrest; Mrs. Margaret S. Morgan, Topeka, Kan.; Alf and Fanny Steffen, and Harold and Christine Ward, all of Fairbury. A July 12th wedding date has been set.

Prairie Central netted 14 gold medals and 12 silver at the Special Olympics district track meet Saturday, May 2. Twenty-six athletes, members of Marge Roach's and Phylis Hammer's classes at Chatsworth grade school participated in the events held at Chiddix Junior High School in Normal. The gold medal winners will advance to the state track meet held at ISU June 19-21.

20 Years Ago

May 15, 2002

The Chatsworth Township Library will have a new face lift thanks to the generosity of the Marion McDowell Stafford Charitable Trust Grant Program. The grant was approved March 13, 2002, and the library has received a check in the amount of $17,000. The money is allocated to be spent to replace the lighting and the ceiling, for installation of a new central air furnace and air conditioning unit, and for new wall covering.

Becky Shols, daughter of Wayne and Kay Shols of Chatsworth, has received a $1,000 scholarship from the Gibson Area Hospital Auxiliary. Becky will attend Millikin University in the fall to major in nursing. She plans to become an obstetrical nurse.

Edna Gillett of Chatsworth will celebrate her 90th birthday on Sunday, May 19 with a family get-together. Mrs. Gillett was born May 19, 1912, in Germanville Township, to William and Marie Lee. She graduated from Melvin High School, then married Paul Gillett in December of 1931. He died in November of 1984. Mrs. Gillett is a retired cook from the Chatsworth schools and also was a previous 4-H leader. Mrs. Gillett is an active member of the Chatsworth Kitchen Band, Chatsworth Home Extension, Royal Neighbors, St. Paul's Lutheran Church; and St. Paul's women's group, WELCA.

She enjoys quilting, crocheting, playing cards and reading.

10 Years Ago

May 16, 2012

Eight people will retire from Prairie Central Community Unit School District #8 at the close of the 2011-12 school term. Those retiring include: Diane Rieger, accounts payable bookkeeper for more than 15 years; Kay Davis, a paraprofessional at Wing, Meadowbrook and Westveiw elementary schools for 23 years; Delmar Platz, a 26-year maintenance assistant; Diane Bare, a 35-year special needs teacher in Missouri, Chenoa and Prairie Central school districts; Diane Kerber, a 25-year teacher at Onarga, Iroquois West, Westview, Chatsworth and the Upper Elementary; Randy Lane, a 37-year social studies teacher at Fairbury-Cropsey and Prairie Central; Ann Nussbaum, a language arts teacher at Fairbury-Cropsey and Prairie Central for 30½ years; and Donna Smith, a 26-year teacher at Fairbury-Cropsey, Unit 5 (Normal) and Prairie Central.

The Fairbury Lions Club has awarded a $500 scholarship to Lucas Diller of Chatsworth. He is the son of Dale and Merry Diller of Chatsworth and will be attending Illinois Wesleyan where he will major in Computer science and continue his football career.

A poster contest was held last month for Livingston County 4th grade students with an anti-tobacco theme, called “Tobacco Free, The Way to Be.” First and third places were awarded to students at Westview Elementary. Third place went to Addi Ramsey who received a DQ gift card. First place went to Miah Bachtold, who received a Walmart gift card and the opportunity to have her poster made into a mural. The second place winner was Samantha Sipe who attends St. Mary's Grade School in Pontiac.

Kari Kamrath

This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Looking Back: A history of Fairbury through the pages of The Blade