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Old Timers' Club One H 'Ptd/ '•' t u * Sincethat historic day when the « v first settlers came to McHenry one hundred years have passed, only a ^7 "; "drop in the bucket" in the flow of % , , the waters of eternity, but a vast and important stretch of years m the eyes of the present age. To those living today it is a cen- • tury of progress and marvelous his- .tory-makmg episodes. r For three short days and nights, ',^n July 31, Aug. 1 and 2, citizens of - ; ' - McHenry and former residents and y ? ? " old. settlers will celebrate this anni- * '» 'TKe arrival of the early set- ' filers, the. hardships they encountered, '.theif fight for existence and the de- •|;vylopment of this fertile country will - , be depicted in story and song, colorparade and pageantry; ^ The gpioneers possessed indomitable enrage, strength and fortitude to ^•jr.ake possible the-, conquering of ad- *Y>ersity and the success of their bold . jadventure.. Their qualifications may - • well" be emulated (today. / Upon , foundations they laid have developed *ia vast ^empire of industryand agriculture, forests and prairies haw been changed into the world of today, fine hemes and public buildings have sprung up owned by a happy In later years she has been a dear ctr-worker in the Elgin Universalis! Church. My last teacher in the little white school house c on /the vest side was J. J. Vasey. For some rea son the parents of several of us took us out of the intermediate department of the "old brick" and returned us to the. west side, when Mr. Vasey came there to teach. Could it be possible they thought we needed the discipline a man teacher could give us? The next year Mr. Vasey became principal in the "old brick" and took some of us with him, advancing us one class ahead of those in the intermediate room, .much to their disgust. I seem to remember only six: Grace, Dora and myself, Ed Granger, John Ralston and Guy Clemens, but there were others. Then came Frank Jackman as principal and as I note what Frafik Bennett says about "little stress on spelling, etc.," I aril reminded that Mr. Jackman revived the old fashion of spelling down." Well do L remember that we "spelled down" both Richmond and Ringwood schools when they came to visit us. Lynn Young the next principal and during his year we moved to Elgin, the spVing of 1889. While thinking of my McHenry teachers, memory brings back those L. J. Dinsmore, Rev. Benj. Brunning when we pressed it? people enjoying the invention* and w^° served as pastors in the Uriiver wonders of the electrical and mechan- s*1'5* Church during that time--Rev jcal world. - The forthcoming Centennial will, as we study the accomplishments of the pioneers, be a lesson to us to carry -on anii complete the tasks of today even as the pioneers completed theirs. The pioneers built upon a- solid • foundation which has weathered the storms of. a century, to the present generation conies the task of reconstruction and the perfection of plans . to be <orftpleted. and Rev. Holmes Slade. Of my Sunday School teachers I most vividly recall Miss Julia Story and Mrs. Newell. To go back to our first house next door to the Besl,eys' we lived there two years, their one summer in grandmother's home, one winter in the apartment over Stevens' Dry Goods Store and a year in the old Sturdevant house; afterwards owned and occupied by the Wm. Smith family of Ringwood. In the spring of 1885, . father purchased the old Grisfrom father. N As we children grew older we increased our number of friends and playmates and ?s I write, dozens of names and faces are coming before me--Florence Searles, Nina Wells, ANOTHER NEW MEMBER Wayland. Mich., July :7, 1936. Old Timers. ' McHenry Plaindealer. - . . McHenry, Ilk The Plaindealer of June 18 was sent to me by Mrs. Grace Kirwan of Volo When I read the Old Timers' letter . ;by Dora Besley Price, I was in memcry once again, a litle girl, moving from Volo to McHenry, next door to the Besleys--and what good neighbors they proved to be. I think it was not quite the change to me to move to McHenry that it was to Dora to come from "far off" Waukegan. My whole life had been closely associated with the town. My mother had lived there as a child, attended Sunday School in the Universalist Church and school in the "old brick," now owned by the Catholics. Her father, A. L. Church, helped to erect many of the old buildings there, among them the Universalist Church. When I was a baby my Grandmother , Church married Dr. 0. J. Howard and, returned to McHenry to live, so my I P°Pu'ar with the boys earliest recollection is of many happy a"ou' *hat time! of the red horse fishing. Remember how we would go to Joe Engeln's place and buy a complete outfit, pole, "jerking" line and "jerking" hook for thirty cents, then to the bridge where the experts were "lagging" for the fish and we little fellows would "jerk by guess"? How we would sell for ft dime or fifteen cents fish weighing six to ten pounds ? Remember qur expeditions jalong Boone Creek, the old clay hole back of Wredes! and along the river? The feasts we would have cooking fish and frog legs by the primitive method of impaling them on a sharpened stick and holding over an open fire for a few minutes. I believe Joe Holly and I hold the record as we ate sixty-eight blue gills and sunfish at one sitting. Remember when the police force, Jack Walsh and Matt Niesen, would have to make the rounds every so often and hammer down the old square nails in the plank sidewalks and h«w those same nails could cause a lot of sore ,toes for barefoot boys ? Remember the Fourth of July celebration at the clover dreyer; the cannon exploded prematurely and I believe Will Meade had his hand mangled ? How the orator of the day gave Us a thrill when he shouted, "Is there a doctor in the crowd, the man who shot the cannon has been blown to ant trip and there, shimmered Lake in the evening sunset. The Lippincott was a large frame •hotel with the usual barn and cottages. A young fellow named Harvey Higgins greeted the new help cordially. Harvey had formerly worked for Hank Wightman and in his job with C^olon, took care of the horses and made himself useful. He soon gave me a general idea of an eighteen hour daily work schedule. Four A. M. until ten or later at night, or until the row boats were all in. Harvey was in a good deal of pain and Colon told him to go to Cook County hospital and try and find out what.was wrong. He returned in a coupljfe of days and confided that they toU* him he had a cancer and had to return for an operation at once. We bade himfe good bye and soon Colon received a letter from the hospital that Harvey had failed to survive the anesthetic. * Josephine Engeln (Mat's giri) worked at the hotel and Colon siTre kept us busy. One morning air. Ostrander found a lantern smoking, and. watched Tyhile I raised the globe and again,* "Ha, ha, ha, ha" as the thing exploded and burned off my eyebrows. "Been all through the way," says he, "and •then get blown up by a lantern, ha, Frank Bennett as mentioned Jeweler Smith's watch sign with "Tempus Fugit" on one side and "No Tick ,Here" on the other. Remember what a temptation it was to press the button of the bell he installed at the front door and how he changed the button to one that would prick our fingers Sincerely yours, FRANK E. BLOCK. 1739 East Hawthorne St. WILL ATTEND CENTENNIAL 2938 Webster St., Oakland, Calif. Old Timers' Club: Whoever conceived the idea of celebrating the Centennial and organizing the Old Timers' Club (and my guess is, it was the editor of the Plaindealer) in dear old McHenry,- awakened TwiM T o l d T a l e s of Inter set Takea Pnm of « ef Yean Age SJ\TY YEARS AGO The moonlight excursion on Friday evening last was attended by about one hundred ladies and gentlemen, and was emphatically the most enjoyable excursion of the season. We are not going to attempt, to tell how hot it was in this section last week. There are no words in the English language, that we can admit in our columns, that are adequate to express what we could $ay on the "subject. : ; * ' v Mrs.' J\ P. Going and Mrs." Isaac ha, ha, ha. (Continuous quick)' Of pecks will please accept thanks for a c--ou--rs e- , *h e sh1 oul*d • , •h ave •b een soc•k ed- fine lot of raspberries left at our resibut he wasn't. Well, between pushing & lawn mower, scrubbing floors and windows in cottages and cleaning boats, there was little time for tips. One day a sudden storm arose and while I worked frantically to make .the boats safe, Colon hollered that a couple of girls had tipped over in their sailboat and were drowning. In quick time, I had a boat over to the -fpier and a fellow named Sam Tuttle ) jumped in and pushed on the oars while I pulled. Some of you know how Fox Lake can kick up mean, choppy waves in a few minutes and D. S. and P. D. Smith are just now taking in quite a quantity of wool, liotwithstanding the present low price. Twenty-five cents is now about the highest price paid. FIFTY YEARS AGO The half mile foot race on Saturday last was won by Ed Warner, Jas. Wells, coming in second. We have been afflicted witn some fearful hot weather in this section the past week, the thermometer ranging from 90 to 104 degrees in the shade for several days. A.nd if we do not we were rowing J get rain soon, we will a|l dry up anj dead into the wind.. The overturned 1 blow away. more fond recollections of the schoolwcld place from "Put" Lamphere, who lrnates and old friends of my early life moved to a farjn near Wauconda and • than he could have realized . We have later--in 1889--bought the place back'! most of us been too busy with our everyday affaire to have given more than an occasional glance into the past. But the thought of meeting many of our friends of the seventies, eighties and nineties brings to mind pleasant recollections. Neither time life. Vern and Dell Forld, Anna and Char- nor distance will ever* obliterate the lie Nordquist, Btll Whiting, Hattie | remembrance of those happy, care- Mead, Amy Owen, Mary Wentworth,' free days and the friends of my early Maud VanSlyke and hosts of others "" * " " ' whom time and space forbid mentioning. How many rememberJthe toboggan slide erected by Geo. Owen and (1 think) Allen Walsh? My what fun it to climb to the top and then go I recall very well the fire that destroyed the Bishop wagon factory on the river near the bridge, in 1873, that was witnessed by the population of the town. That factory was th» only industry that we could boast of at that time. The bucket brigade car coasting down the slide down the hTll tying water from the river had about and across the old mill pond. Ray I as much effect on the fire as a dew- Owen and my brother, Ed, made drop. themselves a toboggan and as they) Ormus Bishop had the first bicycle were then old enough to be working in the early seventies and was the day times, I could have the use of it envy of all the boys. after school and on Saturdays. Was J Oliver Owen had been reading up and girls'on the Bell telephone invention ana ' 'decided tb build one of his own. So hours spent in their home, across thej Many other incidents are clamoring he strung a common wire from the street from the Methodist church. The | ^ mentioned, but I may be repeat-'store of Perry and Martin (where last I knew this old home was owned 'ng sorne that have been told in the Smith Brothers store now is) on poles by Frank McOmber. ^ ~ One incident of our moving day is still fresh in my mind. No sooner had I investigated our new house than I started up the street to see Grandmother and Grandfather Howard. On my way I met Wilson Gates, who ^poke to me, being afraid to answer, I started to run and he took after me. Talk about fear lending you wings, I know I broke all records. Was delayed a little in opening the gate and landed at the door with Wilson someways behind. Grandmother came out and scolded him, then explained to me that I must answer him when he spoke. Thereafter I did, but I'll" confess it was with fear and trembling. , - On my return home Dora "called"' cn me and there began a friendship that has lasted through the /ear*. How. much I thought of Mr. Besley, always so kind to us children. One of my real sorrows, at that time was that he was a Democrat. I am sure there were times, in our political zeal, when Grace Stevens, Hetty Wentworth and I were not, very kind to Dora. What delightful times we youngsters had, and there were many of us ,n "Our Gantr" How we did enjoy going with Hetty down to the brickyard to cany her father's dinner. Always down the R. R. track unless some watchful mother thought to forbid it. and how brave.we felt in crossing that ttrrible.culvert, that, I am sure, is all of three feet across. Then, in pickle season, over to the factory where W. A. Cristy would let us eat-'bur fill of cucumbers, onions andf cauliflower. "Here we saw Effie Gilbert, Clara Wijght and others at work. Up to the butter factory where the first ones I remember were the Kings --Pearl and her two brothers--then later Hattie Belshaw. Over to Hanly's mill to watch the grinding of flour, feed, etc., as the old water wheel turned round. If we felt real venturesome on up to the farm I where Grandma Hanly would some-' times let us go '*way up in the cupola" on top of the house. The thrill of that view fully equalled any I received a few years' since in the High Sierras! And what parties we used to have --each one just had to have a birthday party. My first September in McHenry saw the small "west siders" in the , little white school house with Mrs. Colby as our teacher. Of course the older pupils, including my brother, Ed, went over to the "old brick." The next year some of us, too, went over there and were in the intermediate department with Etta Torrance as teacher. Let me pause here to pay tribute to my first teacher, a McHenry girl, Ada Granger Smith, who came to Volo and taught the ^summer term." Old Timers' Column as I have seen .over the pond to our house running only the one paper, that of June 18. .the end wires through empty tomato While I am still claiming Elgin as cans and a button at each end. The home I have been in Michigan over tomato cans answered for sending four years, keeping up the home of and receiving and a tap of a pencil on an aunt and uncle. 1 the wire at the house could be heard This little town is on Highway 131,' anywhere in the store and the voice between Kalamazoo and Grand Rap- could be heard distinctly. We marvelids. Usually too busy in this work-a-1 ed that we could talk and receive mesday world to dream of the past I must! sages over a single wire at that discorhe out of this "orgy of remember- j tance. We afterwards got a few ing and hie myself to a committee! parts and batteries and rigged up a boat was about a quarter-mile off shore and the screams of the girls lent us strength. When we reached them they had shipped enough water to quiet them, but they still hung on. We maneuvered our boat into the lee of their boat and took the girls in over the bow and made them lie down. The stgrm was getting worse and we had to constantly bail. Sam says, "We will be lucky to reach shore alive." The only thing that saved us Sam's wide back, as he stern of the boat and parted the es, while the girls bailed for life, wasnt' it, and I hope they are grandmothers. One evening a guest Colon to be rowed down to the farthe » end of Pistaqua Bay and I was it. in Remember the moonlight excursion for the benefit of the cemetery, on Tuesday next. By Washington dispatches we learn of the following new postmasters appointed in this county during the past week. Algonquin, John W. Adamek; Ringwood, Miss Frances Ingalls. FORTY YEARS AGO Harry Dunill's Hotel and Boarding House, at Nippersink Point, Fox Lake, together with its contents, was totally destroyed by* fire on Thursday afternoon last. • Dr. H. T. Brown, treated himself to a new canopy top surrey this week, purchased from th§ warehouse of T. J. Walsh, in this village.. Mrs. J. I. Story, assisted by Mrs. Now that's- quite a row after being J- M. Preston, gave a "Pink Tea," in haftl worked all day. The more I, honor of Mrs Martin and Mrs. Jordthought about it, the madder I got i on» to twelve of their old friends on and when the bum went ashore with- j Tuesday of last week. out a good-bye or a tip, I sure was' A twenty foot streamer, with the sore. Somehow, when I got into Nip ! names of McKinley and Hobart in persink T-pIta the boat kept pulling to . sixteen inch letters, adorns the flag my right and I'll be dog-gonned if it Pole between; the residences of W. A. day school class, at her home at Roselawn farm yesterday afternoon. Mrs. Alice Simpson has improved her place again by adding to it a fine large cistern. The butter market on the Elgin board of trade Monday was reported firm at 20 cents. A new plank walk has been laid over the Centerville iron bridge. The village well at the pumping station is being cleaned out this week. Wm. Bacon is doing the work. " TWENTY YEARS AGO _ Th® tall grass and weeds along our thoroughfare has been mown during the past week. <t. Another step towards making our village a place of beauty. Walter Warner, Catcher on the McHenry team, broke his arm during the game, here last Sunday . afternoon, when he was struck with a pitched ball. v ; Butter on the Elgin board of trade sold at 27 H cents per pound last Saturday. We are experiencing the hottest weather of the season and as a result the resorts are busy these days. Our streets are getting quite dusty again. The second application of oil' will be welcomed by our citizens. FhJ Co«ata •HSotrie voters In di» district," said Dncle Eben, "is like <1 kens. S'long as s little feed keeps comln' delr way, dey don't care wlio dey belongs to what's gineter to happen to 'em." . Huddrmi Count* for Beauty The beauty prize among certain tribes of the French Congo is taken by the woman with the fanciest hen§» dress. Forming Character Life is s quarry, out of which we us to mold and chisel and complete p character. -'.v v-:' ONE COAT COVERS NU-£NAM€L *oe mark au. v. s, pat. o»*> NO BRUSH MARKS fop 4 piece Bedroom Set easily quickly. "Paint it-yourself" with NUENAMEL'S cheerful colors. It's so inexpensive, so simple you'll get expert results. Come in --try- it - before-you-buy. meeting to plan for our Fall Flower Show. With best wishes for the success of #Qu;\ Home-coming, I am, . EDITH CARPENTER. ; Box 170, Wayland, Mich. * OFFERS CORRECTIONS St Louis, July 6, 1936 Editor, Plaindealer: regular telephone connection between the store and our house and the store and Perry's house which were practically used every day and were the first telephones anywhere in that general locality. When we left in 1893, McHenry was a sleepy, slow-going, "Model T," two- -Cjdinder town---the old town' and Gagetown. But my leaving seems to ^ Always interested in reading youf have been an incentive for the popula- Old Timers Club' news. Allow me tion to speed up, until, I suppose, by to make a few corrections in the artnow it has arrived in the modern V-8 icle written by Asahel G. Stevens concerning his father's (Chester V. Stevens) business career in McHenry. I becf™ acquainted with Mr. Stevens ihave become so enthused ovei the Cenm 18 <5 when he sold out his furniture | tenniaI>celebration that I plan to be and undertaking business, located in the old Jake Story building (now occupied by a shoe cobbler) to Blake Bros., who in the following year, built the corner store and moved'their stock into same. In the month of September, 1876. Jacob "Blake died and the business was continued by John Blake, his partner, until later on, Jacob Justen. who is still the owner, bought the stock and building. In the meantime, Chester V. Stevens built the store now occupied by J. W. Freund in West McHenry, and stocked it with general merchandise under the firm name of Bucklin & Stevens, and later on the firm name changed to Stevens & Schnorr, and then again to Stevens and Wilson and finally to John J. Miller, who became the sole ower'. and, class. I have enjdyed the interesting let- IIters in the Old Timers' column and there for, all three days.and am look ing 'forward with a great deal of pleasure to meeting as many as pos.- sible of my old friends. E. W. OWEN. ,(Editor's Not^--Credit for the idea of the Old Timers' Club belongs to Frank W. Bennett, not to the editor.) COLON OSTRANDER St. Paul, July 1, 1936. One day in the spring of'99, Colon Ostrander drove north over the bridge that gave way one time under the buggy of Noah Pike and arrived at the McHenry postoffice. He had a team of bays; a high single-seated rijg, a mustache and an impediment in his speech. didn't turn into Fox River in spite of me. Well, says I, have it your own way and those oarg just about lifted that boat out of the water from then on. Down past the place where the Rev. Cook got cussed for shooting into a bunch of decoys. Under Johnsburg' Bridge; just the shimmer of the stars the water, lighting the way. Dutch Creek fades past and a twinkle of light from Howell's Villa. Suddenly out of the darkness from the west shore came, "Hey! Frank." It wai brother, Herb, who knew the sound of my stroke as well as Mrs. John Niesen does my walk. A few moments and I was in their acmp. Mike Shtihgrue ai|d a big kettle of stew, stilf* hot, spol^H^eir greetings of hospitality. I wishrim4^some of it right now. It was about eleven p. m., which was late for« those days. The camp; was wonderfully provisioned. A ham, a side of bacon, canned goods, cheese^ butter, bread and fish. What-da you. think of that? Mike said that Father Mehrinfgave him the stuff. „ Remember those-big picnics they use to have on the east side of the river? Well they were having one. Refreshed, I soon arrived home and tip-toed into the house, BUT, out of the darkness came, "Frank, my dear boy, you did come home." You cant fool a mother. She knew- even my "tip-toe in." Next day I took the boat back, settled up with Colon and from there he fades from my memory. But, evert, today, when the wind and rain beai against the windows I fancy I can still faintly hear that mocking, "hfc ha, ha." V PRANK BENNETT. Cristy and Isaac Wentworth. THIRTY YEARS AGO Miss Lilian Wheeler entertained the Merciful Band, members of her Sun- Carey Electric Shop Green Street , . , , » „T „ Arriving, he looked aSout him, upon his death, J. W. Freund became j genially, before entering John HeimeI ™0""""' » k „• , v' ler'5- SPy'"* » «» skinny lad, he txcusQ me for butting in, but it is|said: just as well to relate things as they happened. ./ Yours truly x < N. M. FREUND. r FROM TUCSON/ARIZONA Tucson, Arizona, July 4, 1936. Editor. Old Timers' Club, McHenry Plaindealer, McHenry, Illinois. U : Dear Mr. Mosher: ' Every week after reading the "Old Timers" page I resolve to write ft letter, but somehow it is always put off. One reason may be because we are only sixty-five miles from Mexico, the land of "Monana" (tomorrow). At any rate my plans call for a visit to the old town for The Centennial and hope to meet all the old friends at that time. , \ Have read with interest the accounts "Hello; young fellow. You ain't bringing me any jack snipe any more. What's the matter ? Lose your eyesight looking for Spaniards? Ha, ha, ha, ha." (A short, like in cat.) "No, Mr. Ostrander, I have not felt as good as usual since being down there." "How'd you like a job this summer at the Lippincott Hotel?" he asked. "Nothing to do but cut grass, dig bait, and make yourself useful. Just the thing for you. Give you $20.0b a month and board < and you can make that much more in tips. What do you say?- Yes? O. K., get some of your duds and I'll pick you up in an hour." Soon we were on our way along the narrow muddy road to the lake, Colon flicking the tops off of weeds with his whip, as the bay team tore along. The twelve miles made a pleas- QABBY QERTIE "TOUGH GUY" ISO VIS'D CAN TAKE IT! KEEPS YOUR OIL LEVEL UP AND YOUR OIL COST DOWN Standard's Premium Quality Motor Oil laughs at long hauls Here's m&or oil that doesn'tget tired! Neither the long grind of smnmtrdriving nor irymg ingine lempcratints can "A mas who is draws into a duel asks for seconds--because he can a get-away im l»m fkmm « sweat out the qualities which make it good--it's lough! By a special process, sludge-forming and carbon-forming impurities have been removed from ISOrVlS"D"--it's all oil! The things that weaken other oils with wear are removed from ISO"VIS 'D". That's why it's so good! That's why it lasts. It lubricates better--longer. 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