The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

AUGUST 6, 1*7S - PLAINDEALER CENTENNIAL EDITION PAGE 11 Spring Grove Becomes New County Village In 1902 Burton Township contains serviced by the Spring Grove ENGLISH PRAJRIE the village of Spring Grove, post office contains a The first settler of Burton Population within the village population of about 3,500 township was' Jonathan limits is 360 but the rural area *people. Imeson, who came from s "i*" ' . THE SAYERS HOME-This photo, taken about sixty-five years ago, shows the front of the George J. Sayers home on Pistakee Bay. The home contained eight fireplaces, eight bathrooms, a bowling alley, billiard room and trophy room. ' . England in 1836, at the age of 25. The first year after coming to the county he lived alone in a sod shanty. Flour was $20 a barrel, and for three weeks he lived on potatoes. He had to hide his bed from the Indians and had to fight wolves and snakes. Imeson was joined within a year or two by these other English people: Richard Wray, Stephen Lawson, Robert Richardson, Martin Hoffman, William Fowles, Richard Upston, Joseph Rice, John A. Mann, and Joseph Blivin. The English settlers, after staking their* claims, went further west, hoping to find better land. Not succeeding in this, they returned, only to find that a Yankee named John Stanborn had arrived and was occupying their claims. They asked him to quit, and he refused. One. day a dozen or more of his neighbors came, while he was mowing, iand asked him to leave. He turned on them with his scythe, says the 1885 History, and drove them out. In the excitement, Sanborn lost his hat. One of his^Visitors found it and kept it. Sanborn went bareheaded for several months until he could go to town and buy another. There was for a long time an un­ friendly feeling against any but Englishmen living on English Prairie, but John Sanborn held fast and made the spot he had chosen his home. Joseph Blivins, a first settler in 1841, had a grist mill here and the name Blivins Mill was derived from that. It was changed to Spring Grove owing to many springs there and the surrounding groves of trees. Lewis Hatch, also an early settler, owned many acres of land in Blivins Mills and had a saw mill there. Other early settlers in this territory in 1843 and earlier was Robert Tweed, who owned a store and was also postmaster in about 1851. Joseph Rice had a hotel. Miles Cole, east of town, donated land for a cemetery, Coles Cemetery, which still exists. Many old settlers are buried there. Lewis Hatch owned many acres east of town. He donated some land in Spring Grove for a town hall which still stands, but has been remodeled. There were three schools around. One was here in town, a one-room, and much later a two-room school was built. A school was east of town called Nippersink Creek school, '"'he Indians named a stream of water flowing through town, Nepasink creek. This was later changed to Nippersink and still has that name In the early days a church was built on Main street called the Episcopal church for the many English settlers. Later a Methodist church was built on Blivins street and the younger ones went there. In time the Episcopal church was torn down. A Nicholas Weber bought the land and built a home there which is still in existence. INCORPORATED 1902 The railroad came through Spring Grove in 1900--the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul. And in 1902 Spring Grove was incorporated and a charter was issued to the village from the Secretary of State. The village board also passed an ordinance that a seal be established. This was a circular form with the words, "In­ corporated Oct. 6, 1902" on the outer circle and in the interior the words "Village of Spring Grove." This was posted in three conspicuous places--the town hall, post-office and Weber and Karls store. At this time the village board was as follows: President, Will Seavers; trustees, George Gould, C.M. Andrews, John V. Freund, Silas W. Pierce, An­ drew Neish and Anton Schaefer; William B. Johon- nott, village clerk. $|V\|\NGS ONMUy^Ct QUM-Vn $ERM\Ct F\RST VEMtS A CENTURY OF PROGRESS FOR PLAINDEALER OVER HALF A CENTURY OF SERVING YOU OUR CUSTOMERS: We're 53 years old this summer! When does a business become an establishment? Let's say. . .when its customers learn they can depend on its services time after time. When the products themselves prove to have lasting appeal and high quality. When that quality is maintained year after year. When does an establishment become an institution? When it grows and grows as its products and standards become famous in a community. While the establishment still refuses to take its standards for granted. And continues to strive for better customer service and for the highest quality products possible. At prices that compare favorable with any in its field. In our case, let's say 53 years, at least! HORNS BYS - fami ly centers • 4400 W. Rte. 120 McHenry Market Place Shopping Center I ^ is •iitiMtimiiimiiiHi J* The first Burton township election was held April 2, 1850. The officers chosen were Sylvanus S: Stilson, supervisor; Gideon Cooley, clerk; Chancey Sweet, peace justice; Harvey Wilson, peace justice; J.B. Plumstead, assessor; Augustus Bradway, collector; John E. Mann and Joseph E. Parks, constables; Miles Cole, overseer of the poor; Alfred Stevens, William Buell, and Darius Kingsley, highway commissioners. At this first town meeting it was voted that the name, Benton, be changed to Nip­ persink. That vote was totally disregarded. The name Benton had been given by Jackson Wray. The- name Burton was chosen4jy mutual consent. JAIL IN 1903 In 1903 a building was con­ structed for a jail called a calaboose. This was mostly for those who imbibed too much at the taverns and became unruly. Concrete sidewalks were put in the town in 1903. The property owners paid one-half the cost of the walks that went alongside their property. A telephone system was installed in 1905 called the Farmers New Era Telephone Co. The exchange office operated from there. Today it is called General Telephone Co." Oil street lamps were used to light the town. In 1918 elec­ tricity was installed. The line came from Wilmot, Wis., and was owned by Carey Eelctric Co. Walter Carey owned a grist feed mill and saw mill in Wilmot, Wis. In 1914 he developed electricity for his mill and home from power furnished by the three foot water fall over the dam in Fox river. So from Spring Grove he spread the service to other towns. There were three general stores and a meat market, a hardware, drug store, post- office and about three taverns. A hotel with a livery stable connected was south on Blivin near the depot. A blacksmith and repair shop were west on Main street; also a shoe repair shop. The one-room school was torn down and a two-room schooLbuilt in its place in 1901. FIRST POST OFFICE The first post office was called Blivin Mills, established in December, 1847, with John E. Mann as postmaster. The name of the post office was changed on January 12, 1883, from Blivin's (Mills to Spring Grove. English Prairie had its own post office starting with 1854-- Gideon B. Cooley, Harvey Wilson, and C. Mead as post­ masters. The present postmaster is Marilyn Heckmann. The Burton-Richmond Fire Protection district was organized July 10, 1940. The first fire truck was purchased from Peter Pirsch & Sons, also a chemical truck, in 1941. The firemen rented the old blacksmith shop for storage for the trucks. Land was pur­ chased for a building in 1942 from Mr. and Mrs. Joe Wagner. But the fire house was not built until 1948 until there were enough funds. Sunnyside Estate Construction Co. erected the building for the sum of $8,450. In 1954. a new truck with a water tank and equipment and a jeep were purchased. A well was drilled on the property and the jeep is used to pump the water ip, the tanks of the fire trucks. Since 1954, the Fire depart­ ment has increased its fire protection equipment with a 1973 pumper truck equipped with a tank throwing 750 GPM (gallons per minute), a pumper holding 1,000 gallons throwing 500 GPM, a grass fire truck and an equipment truck used for emergency needs. Richmond-Burton Township Fire protection trustees for 1975 are Dan Miller, president; Leroy Gosch, secretary, and Terry Pierce, treasurer. In 1975 Fire department officers are Jack Schmitt, fire chief; John Popelka, assistant fire chief; Willard Bychowski, captain; Ed Kattner, lieutenant; Jim Kattner, Secretary and Ed Kattner, treasurer. In 1904 two brothers, George and James Wieland, came from Chicago and signed up the farmers for a bottling plant. In 1920, they moved the plant to Chicago and closed their plant here. Farmers then transferred to Bowman Dairy company at Ringwood. These were the horse and buggy days. BLACKSMITH OF 1889 In 1889 William Shotliff, Sr., came from Wilmot, Wis., and purchased land from Robert Tweed and built a blacksmith ahd repair shop. In 1896 he sold th&shop to Nick Freund. It was uniwed^ for many years until purchased by DeGroft, from the Nick Freund family. Nick Klein pioneered the portable feed grinder throughout northern Illinois. All mills were made at Spring Grove where prospective buyers were invited to observe the care and fskill with which these remarkable machines were put together. A Methodist church was built at the north end of town on the east side which is now known as Blivin street. This church was built in about 1872 on land donated by the Broadleys from their property. They were among the early settlers. In 1940 the church that stood there burned and was rebuilt in 1941. Church services were held in halls and school until the church was ready for oc­ cupancy. Saint Mary's mission was a protestant Episcopal church organized on May 5, 1873. The first pastor was Rev. Peter Arvidson who held weekday services in a schoolhouse in 1869 and 1870. This church began to lose strength in 1882. Early in 1900, the Catholic parish church at Johnsburg burned. While plans were being formulated for rebuilding, about thirty families living in the northern part of the parish met and agreed that a church at Spring Grove situated about four and one-half miles north of Johnsburg, could be more convenient for them. A com­ mittee composed of Nicholas Freund, John Wagner, Martin Freund and William Carey called on Archbishop Feehan in Chicago petitioning him to allow them to separate from the mother parish. The Archbishop granted permission to start a parish providing they themselves could find a priest willing to take charge Work was begun immediately on the building of a church and as the structure was nearing completion, Father Clement Duerr who was then practically retired, volunteered to take charge. On Candlemas Day, 1901, the church was solemnly dedicated. In the following summer the rectory was built. From sixty-one children in school in 1933, attendance in­ creased to three hundred youngsters. On April 1, 1948, ground was broken and work was begun on the new school and remodeling of the church. The school provides four class rooms and a large auditorium downstairs with a modern kitchen. In the church there are a new sanc­ tuary and sacristy, a new vestibule and portico. In 1965 Father John Kilduff of St. May's church at Durand, 111., was sent to Spring Grove. He is still pastor of St. Peter's today. Spring Grove village officers for 1975 are president, Lyle Thomas; clerk, Eugene May; treasurer, Laura Jean Lay; trustees Arthur Nimsgern, Robert Popelka, Maxson T h o m p s o n , W i l l i a m Rabelhofer, Dan Miller and Tony Kappie. One Of Two Illinois Fish Hatcheries In Area In only two places in Illinois does the state Conservation department propagate fish for public use. One of these hat­ cheries is at Carbondale. The other is at Spring Grove. The 52-acre tract of buildings and eight ponds were located at Spring Grove in 1914 because of the cold water supply from Springs which produce over 300 gallons per minute. The land was purchased during the Governor Edward F. Dunne administration by the Game and Fish commission. It was rebuilt in 1917 during the Frank O. Lowden administration, with Ralph F. Bradford as chief game and fish warden: enlarged in 1924 under Len Small, governor, with William J. Stratton director of con­ servation: and enlarged again in 1932 under Louis L. Emer­ son, governor, Ralph F. Bradford, director. The pioneeer superintendent of the Spring Grove hatchery was Thomas S. McCafferty, who came from the Wisconsin department in April, 1914, and transformed a peat bog into the beautiful facility that supplies fish for the northern half of Illinois, down to Springfield. Vern Blust followed Mr. Mc­ Cafferty as custodian, serving from 1960 and retiring in the fall of 1966. Robert F. Lent has served as superintendent since 1966. Early records show that in May, 1916, many visitors saw 50,000 rainbow trout, all four months old. On the same day there were 30 million pike eggs hatching, and 25,000 brook trout two months old. Most of these were planted in the spring-fed streams of McHenry county. In 1967, the hatchery was producing a half-million fish annually--large mouth bass and bluegills. Springs poured 600 gallons a minute into the eight ponds.