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977.3999 Al27 ALEXANDER COUNTY PROFILES 11963)
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ALEXANDER COUNTY PROFILES
ALEXANDER
COUNTY PROFILES
A COMPILATION OF ESSAYS ON ALEXANDER COUNTY HISTORY BY CAIRO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
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PUBLISHED BY THE WOMAN'S CLUB AND LIBRARY ASSOCIATION OF CAIRO, ILLINOIS
STONITTI
RATION
1875
WOMEN'S
CLUBS
1968
LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA - CHAMPAIGN
Oldest Club in the Illinois Federation of Women's Clubs
Price $1.25
Gift of Cairo Woman's Club and Library Association
To all to Whom these Presents shall Come, Greetings:
Know Ye That reposing special trust and confi- dence in the integrity, diligence and discretion of
Jane Qualls
On behalf of the People of the State of Illinois she is herewith Commissioned as a Member of the
S
STATE HISTORY COMMITTEE OF ONE HUNDRED FIFTY OF THE
Illinois Sesquicentennial Commission 1818 1968
To have and to hold the said office, with all the rights and emoluments thereto legally pertaining.
"The Commission shall. .. in cooperation with all State agencies, de- partments, and commissions. . . plan, organize, coordinate and conduct such ceremonies, pageants and celebrations as are considered by the Commission to be suitable and appropriate for commemorating such anniversary."
Done at the city of Springfield, this fifteenth day of November A. D. 1967, and of the State of Illinois the One Hundred and Forty-Ninth.
OTTO KERNER, Governor RALPH G. NEWMAN, Chairman
FOREWORD
The Woman's Club and Library Association of Cairo, Illinois, is publishing this non-profit book, which con- tains 39 essays by 34 Sophomore and Junior students from Mrs. Paul Quall's history classes at Cairo High School. Each essay received an award from the Illinois State Historical Society during the last six years.
Title for "Alexander County Profiles" was chosen by Mrs. Qualls. A special Sesquicentennial Award in recognition of her work with students is copied on the opposite page.
Mrs. H. N. Thistlewood, at the request of Mrs. Herman Hirsch, President of the Woman's Club, is Editor of this publication-Mrs. Thistlewood is Historian of the club, as well as a past president and is chairman of the Cairo Sesquicentennial Commission.
The suggestion that the book be published was that of Guyla Moreland, who is Alexander County Sesqui- centennial Commission chairman and a local Historian.
Mrs. Thistlewood has had the complete support of the Cairo Sesquicentennial Commission (whose names are listed in the back of the book) and that of Mrs Qualls, whose help has been invaluable.
These essays were carefully researched and nicely written. Alexander County and Cairo can be justi- fiably proud of these young people.
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Library
INDEX
AYDT. TOM-The Hewer-Cairo's Priceless Treasure 5 BAKER, PHYLLIS-Where Earth and Heaven Met 6 Alexander County Courthouse 7 L BUCHER, MARY ANN-Sisters of the Holy Cross 9
BUIE, JACK-Victorian Custom House 10
BURNS, TOM E .- Illinois Central Bridge-Link Between the North and South 11
CARTER, JANIS-Cairo, Its Beginning and Development 13
COMER, CHRIS-Magnolia Manor-Romantic Survival of Early Cairo 16
DUNKER, JUDY-Cairo's Fire Department 18
DUNKER, MARY JANE-Lumber-A Memento to Cairo's History 20
22
DUDLEY, PATTI-The Street that Never Slept
ELIAS, PATTY-Growth of a City-How it Was Made Possible_24 HAFFLEY, MONICA-The History of Cairo, Illinois 26
HASLAUER, CLAUDIA-The Grain Business of Cairo 27 HENRY, PAMELA-More than 100 Years in Education .29 HENSHAW, CYNTHIA-The Rebirth of a Church 30
HILBOLDT, JOHN-Two Outstanding Cairo Citizens 31
"The Day Has Come ! ! The Opera House Opens Tonight" 33
HOPKINS, STEVE-The Great Race for Cairo 34
JOHNSTON, BARBARA -- Cairo's Railroad Empire-1851-1910_36 Our 100 Years in Cairo 37
KNIFFEN, JAN-The U. S. S. Cairo-Symbol of a Nation's Unity 39
KOE, ROSE-Riverlore : A Century of Beauty 40
Halliday Hotel-A Memory of the Past 42
MORELAND. JIM-Greek Revival Courthouse 43
MORGAN, DEBORAH-United States Marine Hospital 45
The Belle of Cairo, Illinois 46
MURRY, JOYCE-Darius Blake Holbrook-Securing a Foundation 47
OGG, JANA-Historic Courthouse at Thebes-Monument of Days Gone By 49
PATTON, JEFF-Goose Capital of the World- Horseshoe Lake 51
PIERCEALL. LESLIE-Fort Defiance State Park
52
PROFILET, DONNA-1858-Cairo Inundated
ROBERTS, PEGGY-The Magnolias 54
55
RYAN, SUSAN-Walls of Prosperity 57
SUMMERS, CHARLOTTE-The Herbert Home 58
SWOBODA, CARL-Cairo's Pride: The Mississippi and Ohio Rivers 61
WATKINS, DENISE-Cairo Public Library-Gift of
Culture and Inspiration 62
WATSON, DARYL LYNN-The Last Link
64
WINTER, BILL-Early Schools of Cairo 65
THE HEWER-CAIRO'S PRICELESS TREASURE
By TOM AYDT
Introduction
At Ninth and Washington Avenue, in Halliday Park, in Cairo, Illinois, stands the statue of the Hewer. It was Miss Mary Halliday, a resident of Cairo, who commissioned George Grey Bernard to sculp- ture it in 1901. It was completed in 1904, and put on exhibit at the Columbian Exposition at St. Louis as one of the priceless art works of the period.
Description
The Hewer is a bronze statue, six feet high, weighing 1,850 pounds. It is full of strength without strain. The swing of the mighty arm brings into play all the powerful muscles of the shoulder and chest. The figure shows not only sculptural "bigness"-that breadth of treatment which is essential in great art-but reveals an unusual em- phasis in the matter of straight lines and planes, which give it re- markable carrying power. Close at hand, some of these planes may appear a trifle arbitrary, but at a distance, their value is felt in the assurance of structural strength and adequacy, which mere rounded bulk never conveys. In 1910, Lordao Taft deemed The Hewer to be one of the two best nudes in America.
History of the Hewer
Miss Mary Halliday, a citizen of Cairo, brought the Hewer to Cairo. She had commissioned George Grey Bernard, her personal friend, to carve The Hewer in 1901. The letter Miss Halliday gave the Cairo Pub- lic Library in 1954 tells that The Hewer was first conceived in marble. but it was changed to bronze because of Cairo's extreme weather con- ditions.
The artist tried for ten months to complete the work in Cairo, but without success. Bernard finally sent his sketch to New York, where a price of $3,000 was made to him. It was begun in 1901, and was not finished until 1904, at a total cost of $6,000. It was then placed on ex- hibit in St. Louis, Mo., as one of the priceless art works of the period.
Bernard's conception was correct of Captain Halliday's character, and depicted him as a hewer-one who is capable of hewing out his own pathway and doing so. The Hewer, because of these things, has become a part of Cairo's tradition.
The Sculpture Says:
In a letter to Mrs. J. Frederick Grieve in 1937, when she had spear- headed a movement to remodel and modernize the monument, Ber- nard said:
"The Hewer disappeared to my mind and the world when the ter- rible flood threatened your brave city, but you all stood like Horatio on the Bridge and saved your city." "My Hewer was created (strangely but true) from just such a vision of men laboring on the shore of a flood, hewing and dragging wood to save people from death and de- struction." "My conception is: 'God's work is perfect and the only thing divine, so who has the right to change it or better it?"
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WHERE EARTH AND HEAVEN MET By PHYLLIS BAKER
A hundred years had not yet passed when one of the most serene structures in Cairo was dismantled and put to rest in the heart of all Cairoites.
St. Joseph's Church (St. Joe to the people who knew it well) was one of the most divine places of worship in Cairo. The Gothic ex- terior was of orange-red brick which was burned right here in Cairo in the home of Mr. Jacob Klein. Four stained glass windows of God's own children lined each side of the building. The welcoming recessed doors were shaped like an arch, and through them passed peoples of all faith and races. In the steeple hung three bells which Catholics and non-Catholics alike considered the most beautiful sounding church chimes in the surrounding area. These bells were donated by three prominent families of Cairo in memory of deceased members of their families. After St. Joe was torn down the bells were placed in the tower of St. Patrick's Church, which is also located here in Cairo.
The interior of the church was even more divine than the exterior. Between the stained glass windows, which were donated by the people of the parish, hung the twelve stations of the cross. Among the sacred statues it housed were the almost life-sized ones of St. Joseph, The Blessed Virgin, and The Guardian Angel. The altar and communion rail were of wood, inlaid with gold designs of holy origin. To receive the blessed sacrament of Holy Communion the congregation knelt on a felt covered kneeling rail. From the ceiling hung two chandeliers which provided for the main part of the church lighting. The church also contained a choir loft which proudly held an adult's mixed choir, an all men's choir, and a student choir.
The movement by the German Catholics to build St. Joe was begun in 1870 because the congregation felt that they had outgrown the ca- pacity of St. Patrick's Church, and also because they decided to have a church of their own in which they hoped to have services in their own language.
The lots at the corner of Cross and Walnut Streets were purchased and on Sunday, October 22, 1871, the cornerstone was laid. The sixty- five by one hundred foot building was built by Mechler and Son of St. Louis, Mo. The cost of $20,000 was donated by the members of the parish; some of which gave as much as $1,000.
The opening ceremonies were held on April 22, 1872, during which both an English and a German solemn high mass were recited by the Reverend Cornelius Hoffman who readily won the love and confidence of his parish.
The first trustees of St. Joe were William Kluge and Peter Saup who faithfully served their positions for many years.
In 1879 St. Joe Stopped being solely a German church when Bishop Balter established a line of division between St. Joseph's and St. Patrick's Churches.
During its years of existence St. Joe Church contributed a number of young men and women to the religious life. Nine women became nuns and seven men were ordained ino the priesthood. Currently there are three boys from St. Joe studying for the priesthood.
St. Joseph's Church also established a school which was erected on the lot behind the church in the winter of 1905-1906.
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The School Sisters of Notre Dame taught and still teach in St. Joe School which stands today. Along with the establishment of a school came the building of an auditorium which was completed in 1928.
The monsignor Rudolph E. Jantzen was the priest who served the longest pastorate during St. Joe's 90 years of existence. During his pastorate the ladies of the parish formed the St. Joseph's Circle which took many steps toward progress in the church. One of their out- standing contributions was the purchasing of an electric organ to re- place the old and worn pipe organ. Monsignor Jantzen also reactivated the Men's Holy Name Society which is still in existence today.
Another outstanding achievement of St. Joseph's Church which is presently recorded in the annals was the faithful and zealous thirty- five years of service rendered by Miss Anna Aydt who was the house- keeper of St. Joe's rectory.
In ninety short years St. Joe came to live and thrive in the hearts of the Catholic and non-Catholic, Cairoites alike. Though it has been destroyed, the memory it left behind is one which will never perish.
ALEXANDER COUNTY COURTHOUSE
By PHYLLIS BAKER
Introduction
Tall columns, an iron trimmed balcony, wide entrance steps, and deeply recessed windows with arched frames show the dignity pos- sessed by the classic Greek lines of the Alexander County Courthouse.
History
"The county seat of Alexander County is to be moved from Thebes to Cairo." These words were officially printed in the Mound City Em- porium on November 10, 1859.
As early as 1848 there was dissatisfaction with the location of the courthouse at Thebes. Anyone wishing or having to attend court hearings and other county affairs would have to travel from Cairo to Thebes by steamboat which caused many delays. The courthouse at Thebes was also at the point where it had seen better days-prisoners were even escaping by digging away a portion of the wall. Something had to be done!
A Cairo newspaper owner, Addison H. Saunders, actually started the movement for a new courthouse. His pleas, however, were ignored for many years (the war played a big part in this). It was not until 1859 that any real progress was made. On February 8, the Illinois Legislature passed a law to hold an election on the first Tuesday of November to see if the people desired to move the county seat to Cairo. The results of the election (which was held on November 8, 1859) were quite favorable. A look at the records shows 570 people were for the move and 390 were against it.
On January 8, 1863, a special term of the court which petitioned the Senate and House of Representatives was held. Later in that month the legislature authorized the county of Alexander to issue bonds to construct a large and commodious courthouse at Cairo.
Citizens lost no time in getting bids for the awarding of a con- tract to build the courthouse. This contract was let to Mr. J. K. Frick
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on March 2, 1863, for $28,000. After he had done a large portion of the work Frick surrendered his contract. A new contract for completion was drawn up and let to John Major for $32,000.
In the early part of 1865 the citizens of the county saw their "dream come true"-their new courthouse was completed. People lost no time in moving into their new courthouse. The first court term was held in July, 1865. Judge John Mulky presided over the Court of Common Pleas.
Description
From the time of its completion until 1935 the courthouse saw only minor repairs (one being the ventilation of the vaults to prevent damp- ness). In 1935 it underwent a refurbishing done by W.P.A. However, many a cry of indignation was voiced when the paint arrived. It was, unfortunately, the dreadful color of horseradish mustard. After many heated arguments it was learned that it was "use this paint or none." With much dissatisfaction it was finally painted and it was 1941 before our courthouse was restored to its beautiful white.
All the things done by the W.P.A. weren't like the paint incident. With W.P. A.'s help the grounds were landscaped; irises, roses, and althea lined the driveway and walk. The V.F.W. cannon was given a bright coat of paint. Magnolias and sycamores also added to the beautiful landscaping.
There are three main floors in our courthouse: the basement, the first (main) floor, and second floor. All three floors are handsomely done in the original white oak furnishings.
The basement contains the maid's and cook's quarters, the kitchen for the jail, the Deputy's Office, a small vault, and the county jail.
The first floor contains the Circuit Clerk's and Recorder's Office (Mr. John Dewey has held this office for 48 consecutive years), the County Clerk's Office, County Sheriff's and Tax Collector's Offices, the County Court Room and County Judge's Office. The original vaults which are located between the County and Circuit Clerk's Offices are also on this floor.
The second floor contains the main courtroom (for circuit cases and big county cases), the County Superintendent of School's Office, the State's Attorney's Office, and the jury room.
In 1958 a new vault was built for the County Clerk's Office and a new addition for the County Superintendent of Highways was also added. At an earlier year the original back porch (on first floor) was closed in for the office of the County Assessor and Treasurer.
Conclusion
Our courthouse has been the scene of many dramatic events; mur- der trials, death sentences, and life imprisonments. Oratory of the highest order has echoed through its walls as prosecution and de- fense attorneys pleaded for and against the lives of prisoners. It has also been the scene of many public and political gatherings. It has been threatened by fires and floods. It could tell numerous tales of human misery and wrongdoings. On the other hand, it could tell of many delightful events.
Next year our courthouse will be a hundred years old; next year our courthouse will be torn down. Progress? Yes, the old must make way for the new. The old front and two new additions will remain as a basis for the upcoming courthouse which, we're all sure, will cap- ture the beauty and dignity of our present courthouse.
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SISTERS OF THE HOLY CROSS By MARY ANN BUCHER
October 21, 1861, was the beginning of many years of service in Cairo, Illinois, for the Sisters of the Holy Cross. On that night, the Sisters at the Saint Mary's Academy, Notre Dame, Indiana, received an appeal from the Governor of Indiana. He wanted them to serve as nurses on the battlefield. As soon as they heard the message, they willingly volunteered their help. No later than the next day six nuns departed for Cairo to meet with General Grant, whose head- quarters were now in Cairo.
Meanwhile, in Cairo, the hospital facilities were over-filled. Houses churches, school buildings, and every possible place provided shelter for the soldiers wounded in battle.
On October 24, Mother Angela Gillespie and the other five volun- teers arrived in Cairo, yet she was not to meet with General Grant until two days later. When this day came, Mother Angela was warmly welcomed by Grant. He looked at his visitor with a kind smile and said, "Mother Angela, I am very glad indeed to have you and your Sisters with us."
From here the Sisters received their orders for service in areas near Cairo. Mother M. Liguori, provincial superior, and a band of six nuns went to war. They served in St. Louis, Mound City, and Cairo. On December 14, 1861, Sister M. Ferdinand came to Cairo with three other Sisters. Then she accompanied Mother M. Angela to Mound City, leaving the others at the hospital in Cairo under the direction of Dr. Burke. On December 31, 1861, a third group of Sisters arrived in Cairo at the request of the Secretary of War. The next day they saw the frightful condition of the hospital which was called The Bulletin (later changed to St. John's Hospital). Dr. Burke, the Surgeon in charge requested Mother Angela to allow the Sisters to remain here in Cairo. The three Sisters who stayed began work immediately and within a few days the hospital was comparatively clean.
The service of the Holy Cross Nuns had been so outstanding that they were confronted with the request to open a hospital here. In October, 1867, Sister Augusta and Sister Matilda came to start a hos- pital or perish in the attempt to do so. Within a few days they had raised $153 by means of a house-to-house Canvass and on November 26, 1867, St. Mary's Infirmary was opened in a house on Eleventh Street between Poplar and Commercial. Before much time had elapsed they found it necessary to move to a larger building. On January 1, 1868, they moved to the Pilot House located on the site of the present Armory.
There was still a lack of room until the Cairo Trust Property came to the rescue by giving an entire block to be used for a hospital site. A large two-story building, now the annex, was obtained. It had pre- viously been used as a river warehouse and a detention barracks for soldiers during the war. Since it was too large to be moved across the street, it was necessary to take it down, haul it to the new site, and rebuild it. The new hospital was opened December 18, 1869.
Additions to St. Mary's Hospital were built in 1892 and 1902. As the hospital grew it acquired new and modern equipment. St. Mary's even had an x-ray machine that took away man's last privacy, that
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of his insides. At the time of the third addition, St. Mary's Hospital was the largest and best hospital between Memphis and St. Louis.
St. Mary's Hospital, now under the directorship of Sister Mary Clarissa, has brought more to Cairo than many of her industries. This service to Cairo was all made possible by Holy Cross Sisters. These remarkable women were begged to come to Cairo, and their skill, quietness, gentleness, and tenderness made them invaluable to
St. Mary's Hospital.
VICTORIAN CUSTOM HOUSE
By JACK BUIE
As I sat and looked out the water frosted glass windows of the Cairo Public Library, mighty torrents of rain fell and the winds howled around the 85 year old structure across the street that stands like the Rock of Gibraltar. I am referring, of course, to the Custom House of Cairo or what is more commonly known as "The Old Post Office." It is a living monument to the history of Cairo, Illinois, and its people.
Traveling back more than a century into the past to the 18th day of February, 1859, one year before the Civil War, the legislature ceded to the United States jurisdiction over block thirty-nine in the city for the construcion of a building for a United States Court, a post office and a custom house.
"The trustees of the Cairo Property, on the 28th day of April, 1866, conveyed to the United States the said block, bounded by Washington Avenue, Poplar Street, and Fourteenth and Fifteenth Streets; and in the years 1868 to 1871, various appropriations, amounting to one hun- dred and eighty-four thousand dollars, were made by Congress for the erection of the building on the block."
The entire cost of the property and building is said to be over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The government began the erec- tion of the building in the year 1868 and was completed in 1871.
The architectural building consists of four stories in a rectangular shape with two wings, a story lower and extending on out toward Washington Avenue and Poplar Street from opposite sides of the main body. It is constructed of stone and has a metal framework.
The interior is one of marked beauty with offices on the 1st, 2nd and 4th floors. On the third floor is the court room with its orna- mented carved fireplace. The walls are very thick for insulation and the ceilings are vaulted high to keep it cool in hot weather.
The building was planned by the supervising architect at Washing- ton, D. C., Mr A. B. Mullett. He designed the structure so the main floor of the building would be one the same level as the levees. This was the latest in safety measures.
This recalls the fact that before that time, it was the desire of the people to have all the buildings of a permanent character erected to the grades of the levees; and the city established such a grade just in case of high water from the two rivers, Ohio and Mississippi, that make up Cairo's boundaries.
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The building in the prime of its life contained the post office, United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, clerk's and marshal's offices, and the Signal Service Bureau. The latter was the most complete in equipment and of great value in determining weather forecasts to the whole country. Later, when the new post office was built (1940) most of the Government Offices were trans- planted into the new and present dated building.
The Old Custom House since 1940 has contained numerous offices, but at the present date houses only the Cairo Police Department, which occupies the first floor of this beautifully constructed building of the past.
Whirling back to the present, the sky has cleared and the setting sun's orange rays are gleaming against the proud historical building that for so long has stood for the glory of justice.
ILLINOIS CENTRAL BRIDGE-LINK BETWEEN THE NORTH AND SOUTH By TOM E. BURNS
On October 29, 1889, a tremendous feat of engineering, and in the 19th century a sometime called wonder of the world, the Illinois Cen- tral Railroad bridge was opened. A gigantic "S" shaped structure some four miles long, it was hailed as an engineering feat of the cen- tury, but for one to fully appreciate the feat we must go back to the beginning.
Such a bridge had been a dream of many people since the forma- tion of the Illinois Central Railroad. Shortly after the Civil War the Paducah and IIllinois Bridge Company was formed and the spirit behind this company, Judge Lawrence S. Tremble, the president of the New Orleans and Ohio Railroad (now part of Illinois Central Rail- road) wanted to build a bridge across the Ohio River at Paducah, Ky., but these plans failed to develop.
The state of affairs remained quiet until 1879 when W. K. Acker- man, president of the Illinois Central, conducted a survey to find the most feasible point on the Ohio above its emptying into the Mississippi this point was Cairo.
The next logical move would have been to start construction at Cairo, but pressure was put on Congress and Kentucky legislation to build the proposed bridge at Paducah. In March of 1886 the Kentucky Act provided for a bridge "at Cairo or any point within five miles above the upper corporate limits of Cairo and Paducah.
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