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• ;"V. ivv; •• -iT'r V"• W-->"< .-- • • " * •. • 4 V '• • . ' • • • • . . . % • • V ' " v • . - ' : v . . u - \ w L - . • ;:v:1 1 '1,'l.j/ . ' ' ' .V • •'.* • J!V" V ••v. v, >-„• 'V , ;* . •' • •*' SIXTIETH ANNIVERSARY EDITION ..'.A;.'-... ' c - J • V. ,/.y VOL. 61 THIRD SECTION M'HENRY, ILLINOIS, THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 1935 yipr* ;-- . . « PAGES 17 TO 20 No. 2 _ , • • > _ VILLAGE IN 1872I CITY IH 1923 LIST OF MEN WHO HAVE JSJERVEp AS MAYOR ,. McHenry is only three years older than. The Plaindealer for* it was siJcty-thiVe years ago that Mc- • ,, Henry was incorporated as a -village. In August, 187*2, McHenry became a village and although that was not so long ago, yet many changes have taken place up to the present time. McHenry had already grown to a place of considerable size aT the time "of 4ts incorporation, when in that day candidates for office made their stump speeches to a fewg&there.t 'Voters, while now there are nearly two thousand possessors of the great American franchise numbered in our : midst. ,Li : , . / At the first election by the authorized voters of the village of McHenry ' the following officers were chosen: president, Richard Bishop; trustees, J. B. Perry, J. M. McOmber, H." C. "Smith, John King, F. K. Granger; clerk, Micha'el Keller; treasurer, Hen- * i y Colby. Since then our old home town has shown advancement in every phase of life, with an increasing popula- . , D tion, a steady growth of building arich ig cs an ermce sn^ever widening trend towards mod5'" progress. Sixty-three years is a long time in je history of a village as sixty years is in the history of a newspaper, and perhaps there are only a few who remember the first cabinet of officers of McHenry, yet their descendants are now some of this city's active and highly respected citizens. Previous to the incorporation of the village, manufactories, churches and schools had become well established as nearly forty years had elapsed sines the first pioneer, Christy G. Wheeler, settled in the then, wild prairie. j In the same year of its incorpora-^ tion a grist mill was built by Willianf Hanly, in 188f a butter and cheese factory was started, in 1882 a brick manufacturing plant was built, in 1873 a lumber yard was established and in- 1874 a pickle factory was built. _ ; • ' . _ As we follow up through, the years we see a continued picture of progress and prosperity. -- -- A M o d e r n C i t y At the present time we find "a city Fiiw OUNUUL IAS LOG HOUSE :• ;-ytr?'A BUILT IN 1840 WAS LOCATED ON BANK OF FOX RIVER of paved streets, new bridges, modern buildings and a city to which "thousands of, visitors come everjT year, to spend the delightful summer months along the banks of the Fox viver. * Although McHenry was incorporated a? a village on August 10, 1872, it was not 'until fifty-one years later, on May 15. 1923, that if became incon> orated as* a city. Following are the list of mayoi's and presidents of the village boards and the years ,in which they served. Because no city records are availabla for the years between 1891 and 1906 no names .aw listed for those years. R. Bishop. 1872., ; J. B. Perry,' 1873%,.,.L^ . '. C. B. Curtiss, 1874; R Bishop, 1875 to 1878. Smith Searles, 1879. R. Bishop, 1880-1§81. Anthony Webber, 18821, Rollin Howard, 1883. r - R. Bishop. 1884-1885, B. Gilbert, ^$86. F. K. Granger, 1887. Jl. A. Howard, 1888. 3. VanSlyke, 1889. Simon Stoffel, 1890. J. VanSlyke, 1891. John Bvanson, 1906." Peter J. Freund, 1907-1908. F. H Wattles, 1909-1910. --- John H. Miller, 1911-1912. Simon Stoffel, 1913-1914. D. G. Wells. 1915-1916,. R. G. Chamberlin, 1917-1918; John Olson, 1919-1920. Simon Stoffel, 1921-1922, D. 4;. Wells, 1923-1924. F. H. Wattles, 1925-1926 ' Peter W. Frett, 1927-1928. John R. Knox, 1929-1932. Peter J. Doherty, acting, 1932. , Peter J. Doherty, 1932-1935. . , . MRS. JAMES B. PERRY .James B. Perry was one of the firm, of Perry and, Martin, operating a grocery -and dry goods store in McHenry sixty years ago, their advertisement appearing in the second issue of (he newly published weekly in 1875; Soon after the Civil war, in which he served in a New Hampshire regiment, Mr. Perry came to McHenry in 1864, where he lived for sixtv-one years. He was a teacher, a merchani and a banker. ' -- In 1867 he WaCs: married. to> Arlette Tuttle and here they raised their family of four children, Howard, James, j Howard has for many years been in the service of his country. He is now retired with the rank of colpnel. "Jim" enlisted in the Spanish War and died, being buried at sea. James B. PeiTy*~Wifi? one of thi stockholders who bought The McHenry Plaindealer in 1898, operating under the name of the McHenry Plaindealer Company. The paper was operated under this management until Nov. 1, 1906, when it was sold1 to F. A. Schreiner. Perhaps the^ public the greatest interest to the peo ^5cHenry are the public schools ,'j»4 w hich we may l>e justly proud' , Where the chfldren are concerned there we find the interest or the parents, who during the past sixty-years have encouraged the growth of our public school system. . : • The first official mentiori of the' subject of public schools appears upon "the cou'^tvj^tords under the date of June 184iT * Carlisle Hastings was then appointed school land commissioner and boards of school trustees were appointed for each township" in the county. . The first trustees for McHenry township were: Amory Thomas, Gideon Colby and Benjamin Tuttie. The first school built in McHenry township was a log house erected in 1840 on the bank of Fox river. After many yeArs service this buiTding was convert^! into a store. There was nothing -like uniformity of, text books in the. early schools, ana systematic classification was impossible. . First School House Some sixty-eight years ago on the site of the Universalist church there stood a little, one stpry building, the first school house of the village of McHenry. In 1859 the little frame structure was succeeded by a $6,000 brick building. This was built on the east side and is .now used as St. Mary's parochial school. This was a district school with the addition some years later of algebra, advanced arithmetic, and bookkeeping "upstaii^" as MRS JOHN 1. SvTORY V \ JOHN I. STORY Sixty years ago John I Story was a hardware merchant in McHenry advertising in. the Plaindealer. Later he became proprietor of the Riverside hotel. His father, Jacob Story, came to the highest of the three rooms was , jftHcnry in December, 1837, taking designated. . tup land, later going into a dry- Among the well remembered teach. | floods' store and after that into the ers of this school Were James B. Per- 1 jQ-an ancj 'real estate business ry, William Nitkle, S. D. Baldwin john story's sister, Julia, was the and . J. J. Vasey. • . druggist in McHenry for many years, froiVi this .school in 1892 canie OV • being a 'graduate-, of the Illinois first alumni. Member? of this first School of ^Pharmacy. | graduating class, whiicia-re now livinu ti in McHenry are Dr. J. E. .Wheeler; I and Mrs. Loretta Walsh. Others were Jewett as tKe: fir^t, instructor I Dr. W. C. Besley. Harry Eldredge. Fisher is now slip rinrendent of the ' Mrs. John Walsh, Lyle Howe, Fannie ; public schools of Peoria, 111. Quite • Osborne, _ Mrs. George Hoelscher. j a stretch' fronv McHenry to Peoria. A Prof. USED FOX RIVER FOR / V • r " 4 "THREE G Thomas Walsh. . * • j Memhers ofthe first hoard of edu- 'cation were, Isaac Wentworl'i, pr^'ldent. G W. ResleVj clerk. F. K. Grangert., J.. S- . Vinhfcrier. ,lohn I. Story.. S imon Stoffel and ,C- H Fegers. • . - VV'est Side School RAILROAD BROUGHT THfi TOWN TO WEST S3 There has scarcely been a pe in the history of McHenry that not contributed to ttye prestige of the i community. - .Nearly one hundred years ago, whan the first settlers came to McHenry in 1836 and 1837, the.Indians had built a fording place here by laying stories across the river. Large blocks of "limestone stood a pace apart and on. these the Indians walked, leading their horses acrjjss: the' stream . .. . •' " • •••' After the white settlers arrived, these stones were taken up and used in the walls of many of the homes that were built. Thus the Indian gave way to the white man, who; came determined to stay! Although the. Fox drops: about 250 feet between Wilniot and Ottawa the difference between Wilmot and McHenry is only a few inches and n those klay.s it nun^ed almost sluggishly from the northern city to what was then the seat of McHenry county. , Before the railroiyi' came to ' Mc- i Henry, a. steamboat made regular trips along the river, carrying passengers and freight so that McHenry Became a place of importance to the settlers of the early days. Then grist mills and factories were built, making McHenry an industrial center with the settlers coming here to have their feed ground. And, today, one of thes? old mills still stands, bringing customers from surrounding territory to procure its products. Today, McHehry is the gateway city to the playground of Chicagoland. •' ' :• ' . * ' To the lakes and river comes thousands of visitors every summer with cars bearing licenses from neatly every state in the union appearing op our streets, McHenry is, also, largely the trading center for much of the summer resort region and its stores and business men are progressive and industrious Jy*t as it *as .in the old days of , w . , -- ^ . . . t h e I n d i a n a n d t h e p i o n e e r s w h e t t vfroni him appears in; another j McH.MV,.y was their mecca, so it is ( olumn. • ' } t0(jav when McHenry .still stands at During Mr. Fisher s last year a four gatewav of opportunity. year coursi' «« e,t.bl,»l,M an.l ^ ^ % corps of merchants give to this city BAY =. WAS ONCE ONLY •* MARSHY SWAM" PITZENS AND STILLINGS FIRST SETTLERS Pisukee^ Bay, once" a marshy | swamp wEere duck hunting was j popular, is now the summer home of many wealthy Chicagoans whose I palatial| homes and beautifully land=^ i scaped lawns are the show places of : this \icinity. With the doming of the pioneers, land -was ta)ven up from the governtiient~ Jog were, built, farm- JOHN MC OMHKH land was cleartni made more secure., and settlements JOHN M. MCOMBER t ... ^; ^fperintendent, and in 1913 three teach-, munities 01 iNorrnern imi . Meanwhile the -West-Sld^ t rs were in the high school. * I McHetiry's merchants dissat.is.fied and erected , a lw The addition to the school was built | sponded loyally in co-open GREETINGS FROM ; GRANDDAUGHTER OF EDITOR VAN SLYKE To The Plaindealer-- I jreuld like to send my personal greeungs and congratulations to the Plaindealer on its Sixtieth Anniversary. I know my grandfather would have -wanted me to do this, as he ioved the Plaindealer and the town of McHenry so much. I am very proud to be-the granddaughter of such a .fine and honorable gentleman. * Sincerely. M$£. BESSIE GOING F1DLEB IUniversity of Illinois. 1 - . • .. , v ^ In 1910 Mr. A. E. Nye became su- j.« substantial place among the communities. of Northern Illinois. | have. re-| .. ... . . f The addition tne scnooi ouui ; spomie i n'.vaii.v i» vw-wi^.^ation with story,- brick, building. When this bum- j m4 ^ that ypar a commercial hus to make tfjis anniversary number j ed in 1862 a one story-building-' added to the eurricuiiim, • ! a success and^ in this issue may b^ j ROMFirS A. Bl'CKLAND ? built on John street, .which was later) New- Conttnu'nifv High - 'found the greetings of practically { ^ !* used as a house and is now owned by j _; « . * , " , • v < ( \Terv representative business nvan pt ^ Romulus Buckland. founder of the Fe]t7 r 7---Recent ytars hav^ \ , ' : :: Ringwood nursery and the father -if ,L Thp West: side schoor was disconvj able Rro.wth in our public schoo sy»^ j ' Djff rp t every respect are-ithe J. V. Buckfcnd, the present owner^^. w y^^forn the summer j Urn with ,a_ new 4he was one of the civil engineers who of. ,g94< w hen our present grade I'^ool huijt..wht 11 the• i io . j;s<80e ofThe Plaindealer sixty, yeaVs surveyed the railroad through Rchool was built. Mr Stra *«r. first , »°w over 200 and wheu y^ ^ wh;ch tht>n ap"peared, on the Henry. He was a pioneer from Vei- -principal, in - the :hew-. buildup, .taught I-are K empl^^ J .front page of the paper, while the MUS M M' HM. mpnt, coming h?re in 1840. such as nursing, / From CALIFORNIA^"^ iSan Diego. Calif., May 25, 1935. The McHenry Plaindealer, McHenry, 111. ' Being a subscriber and reader i In The Plaindealer for fifty years- or superintendent. the entire two-year high school i?s . ^ r course. There Were three other teach- . mg sewing, and music are taught, ors in the building. Seveal years lat- | The achoo house on the site ol tr a three year high school course the Universalist church was latur used was established and another .teacher , as a town-house, then a gunsmith | added. The new' high school teacher , shop -and was torn down in 1889. A ^as MNs Agnes Perry. - ^ [tocher pf sch<^l was. France. 1901 /<ScE; C. Fisher became «V heeler, daughter of Clinsty WheeJremainmg for five h' and among her pupils wcre,_Rollm more, I want to congratulate the edi : years. He enlarged the course tors for the prompt and good service t study, organized the first basket we have always received and es- team in 1903 and introduced the study pecially for the past twenty years | of music in. 1905, with Miss Annis that I have been in the West. We have good papers here an<f"J enjoy reading them, but there is iro paper like your "home town" paper. ] I am a poor hand to write letters and don't feel that I have to. write many to get my home town news, but if you want to hear from me just quit sending The Plaindealer. With all good wishes to you and my many friends there, I remain Your very trulv, H. S. GARDINIER 4572 34th St., San Diego, Calif. • W. F. GALLAHER ^ To the Anniversary Editor of The McHenry Plaindealer: ^ McHENRY--the little old Germaintown with an Irish name. Here, away from the rush and tarmoil of the great city, we spent sixteen happy, peaceful years. Here, while our children matrictt* lated in the excellent public schools, we enjoyed congenr 1 associates, in social and church affairs and fraternal organizations. We cherish there memories. Greetings from the Gallahers tt their, many old friends. W. F. GALLAHER* SR. Amityv-ille, N. Y. of | Waite, Eugene Wheeler, Henry White1 man, Elliot and Hinton Wheeler, Sal lie Owen, George, Albert and Jeff Hankins. • • Duker Heads Schools ® ; Supt. C. H. Duker came here'wheif the Community High school was b<;i ing built and he has worked faith fully in the best interests of the community and the school. Other teachers are: Miss Stevens, Miss Lillian Doherty, Miss Dorothy Holden, Miss May Justen, Miss Margaret O'Gara, F. S. Orr, L. J. Mc- Cracken, Clarence Anglese and Mrs Joanne Rulien, school nurse. Grade school teachers are: Mi^s Mary Kinney, M. L. Schoenholtz, Miss Nellie Doherty, Miss Katherine Walsh, Miss Marie Ropp, Miss Ward, Miss Genevieve Knox and Miss Gwendolyn Overton, who is substituting at the present time. Old Time Teachers : On September 6, 1875, the McHenry Public School openvfi the fall term with S. D. Baldwin as principal and Miss Lola Bishop and Oliver Owen, JV., as assistant teachers. A school report published by- the teacher, S. D. Baldwin, sixty years ago, is interesting because of the names which are familiar ones today. Among the scholar's w;ere, Jennie SAMUEL WALKER Samuel Walker, coming hero from New Hampshire, settled in the vicinity pf what is now Ringwood in 1836, ! Beers, Almon Granger, Frank Mctaking up land, and after his marriage, built a pickle factory in Ringr- ««od. He waa the lather of Mrs Nina Cristy. Omber, Grace Owen, Clara Wightman, Mary Knox, Charles Going, Delos Watilesv Ada Granger, Mattie Mc- Omber, C. Madden and others. news items were found in the center of the section. Different in style and form, perhaps. but the underlying principles .if sound business, progressiveness and service are th,e same. In the years to follow The Plain* •dealer hopes "for the continued support and co-operation of the citizens and merchants of their community. M'HENRY ONCE HAD TWO NEWSPAPERS Am wig* first to settle at the Bay was John Pitzen, a German. He settled on a section of land on the west shores of Pistakee.. and built ' •a long, cabin for his home. This land has remained in the possession of the Pitzen family to this ' time. -' ; Pitzeri's Grove was the first to be opened to the public as a camping ground. Later came the Pistakee cottage grounds owned by John Selling. This tract of about forty acres, a' part of the claim taken from the * government' in 1836 by Chauncey ;_B.eckwith, was purchased from him for $800 ; Little did those early, pioneer? dream that in le.®s than a century, lots around the Bay would be sel'« ing for $15,000.00 each and few *0 be had at even that price. Ben Stilling, who died Nov. 11. v 1934. built the first hotel and pracjtically the first house on Pistakt-e . 1 Bay. He saw the development of that region from a deserted lake, with muddy shores grown to wild rice and rushes, a favorite habitat for ducks and wild game, to the present modern summer resort with iti landscaped lawns and palatial sum« mer homes makirwr it one of popular summer resorts of ans. • He Was born on the Pistakee Bay road on Aprij 16. 1862, and was th-s c >n of Gerhardt and Catherine Stilling, who owned much of the land o;» the weft side of Pistakee Bay. The Stilling hotel at Pistakee Bay v;as a popular summer resort foes many year* and was the largest hotel of its kind on ""the Bay, with accomodations for 200 people. --_ The largest land owner on Pistakee Bay at the-present time is William mote thnn 500 acres of' land incluJiricr the Saver farms, Stock farm. on. which is the Pistakee golf course, and other .farms He gives employment to much local* labor, employing at times more than seventy-five me 1. B,y,» "*S . h.». on »K0 GREETINGS FROM FATHER C. S. NIX To Th >• P!aindeale£-T •; Hearty conirratulatioris to__the M .- Henry Plaindealer which "was, th f fourth paper start'Hi in McHenry County on its sixtieth ar.ni'ys-rsany. In all thee years it had been fair a'.- wavs in its dealings apd writing* an i I Wish for it many inore years of contipued jrrosperity. ^ ^ ^ REMEMBER WAY BACK WHEN - RtmendUrr back when local optioi wa s the main topic of conVersatioa it the street. During a few years in the history of newspaperdom of McHenry two" weekly papers were in circulation, the second being the McHenry Journal, edited by Andrew A. Rupp. This paper was short lived, howeve^, and in .1900 consolidated with the Plaindealer. The editorial career of Rupp was of short duration. After he launch/- ed the Journal he was soon forced to sell it to the stock company that had acquired the Plaindealer. J. W. AND M ATTIE SMI I H Learning from a itxriieern a xnaL Ju by the nanie of Iljft-r.urp at -Mt Henry j. wanted a '••»&»• mill built. John Mc4 j Om-ber^ame to McHenry front Ne> • York sTate in 1837, bringing his family and making" the journey with a ateam -of horses. At McHenry was the iog cabin.'of' Dr. Cristy' G. Wheeler with the log shanty of Barnum near by. Mc\>mber built a log cabin n«ai Barrtum's and built the first saw-* Rupp was a graduate of the Illin-1 mill in McHenry county in 1837. cis University and after his gra'dua-| John M. MeOmber was the father tion he entered the newspaper busi- j of Mrs. Mattie Smith of this dity, ness at Chenoa, - III., later going to and he came here , with his parents Lena and then to McHenry. Upon leaving this city, he returned to Chen-- oa and later to Gridl^V 111.,'where h» died within the last two years. when seven years of age.. He was boro April 9, .1828, in New York state.' J. W; and. Matti^ Smith devoted their life ,to. theatrical work and REMEMBER WAY BACK WHEN--; built the Empire theater in McHe'nrv According to "our records we find bringing the first movies to this* vithat forty years ago, in July 1895, icinity. The Plaindealer was printed by steain power with - a Shipman engine. The editor adds that The Plaindealer office was the finest equipped country office in Northern Illinois. Remember when )iottses in McHenry sold as low as $1,060? Mr. Smith died in March. 1931. Mrs. Smith, who was Mattie Mc- Omber daughtec of John -M. Mc- Omber, one of the first settlers ol McHenry ^unty. Ht bougf t McHenry, was born in McHenry. FREEMAN HIUII.Nti Freeman Whiurig canw west Vermont by way of Buffalo and the Great Lakes in 1*43, and settled in" She is the owner of theater in McHenry. the Erap»r« and turned his attention to a«Ticul- UUfK becomlng' a Ur*e toad n<*r.