History of Cook County, Illinois From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, Part 156

Author: Andreas, A. T. (Alfred Theodore), 1839-1900
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago : A.T. Andreas
Number of Pages: 875

USA > Illinois > Cook County > History of Cook County, Illinois From the Earliest Period to the Present Time > Part 156

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The first public school was built in 1876, on the site of the present Gallistel school, on Ewing Avenue, between One Hundred and Third and One Hundred and Fourth streets.

The first store was built in 1875, by M. W. Gallistel, during which year the post-office of Colehour was estab- lished.

The first Postmaster was Richard D. Lender. J. Bre- mer succeeded him and Bremer was succeeded by M. W. Gallistel on January 29, 1880, who is now the occupant of the position.

The first church erected was the Church of the Evangelical Association, in 1875, when the congre- gation was organized as a mission by the Illinois Conference. The pastors of this Church have been Revs. Schuster, G. C. Knoble, William Gross, Strows- berger, W. II. Fowke and T. W. Woodside. They also supplied the pulpit of the Association at Cum- mings since its organization. The doctrines and

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HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY.

church polity are very similar to those of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church. The membership of the Church at present is thirty-four ; of the Sunday-school, one hundred and fifty, under the superintendency of J. V. Hahn. The church, situated on Sixth Avenue, between Ninety-eighth and Ninety-ninth streets, is thirty-eight by fifty-six feet ; is still a mission, partly dependent upon the conference, and is worth with the ground, 84.500. The trustees are : A. Rehm, F. Peters and J. V. Hahn : class-leader, Wesley Sawyer.

The German Baptist Church, on One Hundred and Seventh Street, was dedicated in June, 1876, at which time there were twenty-five members. The trus- tees were : Messrs. Banerle, Schneider and Stuben- rauch ; the cost of the church and ground was $1,000, the present pastor, Gotthard Mengel, was the incunt- bent. The members of the Church at present number eighty. In connection with the Church is a Young Mens' Christian Association, organizeil May 15, 1882. with fourteen members. Its name was recently changed to " Jugendverein." Of this society the pastor is the president. A flourishing Sunday-school is likewise attached to the Church.

The Swedish Baptist Church, on Fourth Avenue, is a neat and pretty edifice, built in 1883. The membership is about twenty-five and they have no settled pastor ; wherein the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Bethany Church are like unto them. When this latter body meets, their services are held in the public school building.

The Colehour Loan & Building Association is a prominent feature of real estate transactions in Cule- hour, with a capital stock of 825,000. The officers are : Hettry Kassens, president ; Jacob Bremer, sec- retary : M. W. Gallistel, treasurer ; Henry Winkelman, John Bergreen, Rudolph Buchart, J. A. Johnson, Henry Saffron and John Caprez, financial committee.

On June 12, 1882, Colehour Hose Co .. No. 8, was organized, with William S. Smith as captain, but they shortly afterward disbanded, and the hand hose cart and hand engine were taken away.

The industries of this region, apart from the real estate interests, are Duffy's Tin-Plate & Steel Tonl Works, at the intersection of the Pittsburg & Fort Wayne Railroad and Third Avente; has the object of the works described in the name. Mr. James F. Duffy has designed a system of automatic machinery whereby metal can be coated with tin, withont skilled labor being requisite, and whereby one man can do the work of sixteen proficient artisans. His experiments have dem- onstrated the practicability of the process and a patent has been awarded. The experiments, however, were made upon smaller machinery than is requisite for manufacture ; larger machinery will be constructed by Mr. Duffy at the new shop. when completed, where the manufacture of tools of all kinds by machinery will also be carried on.

There are also Brand & Hummel's Brewery on One HIundredth Street, near the river: C. E. Jockisch's plan- ing mill and sash factory, near Brand & Hummel's; Kalish & Sutton's stocking factory, and Henry Kas- sen's soda factory. Of the prospects of this region, only favorable accounts could be given were it not for the uncertainty regarding some of the real estate titles in Colehour, but time, chancery suits and tax-titles will erode the clouds, and warranty, in lieu of quit-claim, deeds prevail. The prospective proprietors of Taylor and Colehour, however, are not the resident proprietors, but the large manufacturers and mill owners, and they are amply qualified to guard their interests against ad-

verse claims and litigants under color of title. The sites are excellent, contiguity to the river and lake affords special and unequaled facilities for dockage, and the multiplicity of railroad lines present competitive, and consequently reasonable, rates of transportation. With these advantages the growth and prosperity of this region is merely a question of time, and of but a short time, as the motors to such growth are rapidly becom- ng known.

COLEHOUR BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

CHARLES W. COLEHOUR, attorney at law and dealer in real estate, was born lo Norristown, Penn., March 4, 1837, and was raised in Philadelphia, edocated at the University of Pennsyl- vania, Philadelphia, and in 1860 was admitted to the Bar of that city. Hle came directly 10 Chicago, Il1 .. where he opened a law office, and continued ibe practice of law gotit toyo, at which time he became identified in real estate, lo 1874 he removed to what is now named Colehour, which takes its name from him. In t86a he married Miss Anna P. Clarke, of Utica, N. V. They have four children-Mabelle, Grace, Charles W., Jr., and Nellie.

FREDERICK A. EGGERS was born in Hanover, Germany, August 19, 1821. At a suitable age he served ten years in Ibe cavalry service of the German Army. He followed the mara- facture of linen fourteen years, and In 1850 came to the Usted States, lived two months In Chicago, aud in October of that year settled in North Township, Lake County. Ind., and after a time erected a fine dwelling there. For many years he has followed fishing on Lake Michigan, marketing his catches in Chi- cago. He has often started from his place at one o'clock in the morning with a wagonload of fish when there were no roads et bridges, and sold his products in the city-to reluin and repeal the same. In 1853 he was Supervisor of his township and served for many years, and from 1876 to 1862, inclusive, was a member of the Board of County Commissioners of Lake County. Ind. In 1845 he married Miss Fredericka Halbfas, a native of Germany. They had seven children-Heary (deceased), Jeba. Frederick. Ernst, Mary Augusta, Fredericka (deceased), and Susan. They are members of the German Lutheran Church.

MATTHEW W. GALI.ISTEI., Posimasles, was born near Vienna, Austria, December 15, 1843, and came with his parents lo America in 1854. settling in Chicago. In 1855 he spent four lemms al the German Catholic College, Milwaukee, returning the Best year, when he was employed as clerk in a grocery, some rime after- ward embarking in the business for himself; which he carried ou for eleven years. In 1878 he came to Colehour, where be engaged In general merchandising four years. Jannary 9. 1550, he took charge of the post-office, and in connection with it carries on a real estate and fire insurance business. In 1863 he married Miss Marie Doschek, a native of Bohemia. They have five children- Andrew M., John P., Albert W., Frank A. and Mary A.' He was one of the originators of the South Chicago Lodge, No. 696. 1.0. O. F., from which he withdrew, and January 18, 1884, organized and was installed Past Grand Master and representative of the Iron Link Lodge. He is also a member of a Bohemian lodge in Clo- cago, and la m charter member aod treasurer of the Colehout Building and Loan Association. During the time he was presi- dent of the South Chicago Board of Education. the fine brick school building was erected named the Gallistel school.

ERNST HUMMEL, of the firm of Brand & Hummel, pro- prietois of a brewery erected In 1881-82. Their building is Fox 150 feet. They employ ten men and turn out forty barrels of beer per day. Mr. Hummel was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, April 7. 1842, lle came to the United States in 1856 and settled in Chicago, where he worked in a brewery, and for some lime was agent for Brand's brewery. In 1865 he married Miss Mary Al- mindinger, who was born in Chicago. They have two children, Erst F. and Clara, Mr. Hummel served as Deputy Sheriff nf Cook County four years, He is a member of the Masonic Order.

WILLIAM KUMPF. dealer in groceries, four and feed, began trade in 1876. Hle came to Chicago in 1853, where he was raised and educated. In 1965 he opened a milk depot, which he contin- ued omil, in 1876. he came to Colehour. He was born in Ger- many October 10, 1849, and came with his parents to the United States in 1853. In 1873 he married Miss Christina Miller, who was born in Germany December 16, 1853. They have five chil- dren-Clara, born August 29. 1874 ; Nora, March 12, 18;6; Min- nie, February 23. 1878; Walter, October 8, 18So; and Amelia, February 22. 1882.

FREDERICK PETERS, builder and contractor, was born in Germany June 8. 1841. His parents came to the United States in 1844. and settled al Downer'a Grove, DuPage Co., Ill., where he was reared on a farm. In March, 1564, he enlisted in Com-

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HISTORY OF HYDE PARK.

pany D, 165th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered out in September, 1865. December 1, 1865, he married Miss Lena Rehm, a native of Germany. They have five children-William H., Ella E., Frederick D., Alice I .. and Georgia W. In the fall of 1875 he settled at South Chicago, and engaged in the grocery business four years, after which he began contracting and building. He has built many of the better buildings of South Chicago and Colehour.

ANDREW REHM, of the firm of Rehm Bros., dealers in a general line of hardware, was born in Alsace, France, in 1846. In 1852 his parents immigrated to the United States, settling in Du- Page County, Ill., where Andrew lived until 1864, when he en- listed into the :56th Illinois Volunteer Infantsy. Ile participated in all the ballles of his command, and was mustered out in Octo. ber, 1865. In 1866 he came to Chicago, where he worked as an apprentice at whitewashing, and soon obtained a situation as a elerk in a flour and feed store. He afterward worked in the State Mills some time, then kept books for a sag presser, and from the latter employment he obtained a situation as clerk in a hardware store. Nine months later, in :868, he formed a copartnership with G. W. Morris in the hardware trade, and January 1, 1869. bought the entire interest After some time he admitted his brother, George Rehm, as a partner, and continued as A. Rehm & Bro, until 1874, when he sold out and embarked in the real estate busi- ness, and carried on a general store al South Chicago. Continuing this a year, he parchased his old hardware interests in Chicago, where he has since continued business. He assisted to organize ilie Board of Education at South Chicago, and has served as a member of it two terme, In 1870 he married Miss Mary Santimer, a native of New York. They have five children-Arthur D., Alice L., Leonard F., Walter and Andrew. Jr.

JOHN S. REILAND), dealer in coal and wood, and proprietor of a boarding house and saloon, opened his boarding house and saloon in Colehour in 1874, and began the coal business in March, 1879. He also has a coal office at South Chicago. He was born at Prussia, Germany, February 17, 1834, and came to New York City in May. 1854, after which he located in Williamsport, Penn., where he worked in a saw mill five years; then in a lumber yard Three years. He then followed agricultural pursuits in Putnam County, Ill., two years ; then in LaSalle County, then Livingston County, and Lake Couuly, Ind., three years, and thenee removed to Chicago. III., where he worked at the carpenter trade eighteen months. In 1874 he settled at Colehour. He is a member of the Saloon-keepers Protective Association of Hyde Park. In 1556 he married Henrietta Meisenbach, a native of Prussia; they have e'even children-Jacob C., born September 8, 1857, in Williams- port. Penn .; John T., August 27, 1859, in Williamsport, Penn .; Mary, January 14, 1861, in Putnam County, Ill .; Le-a, born Oc- toher 17, 1563, in Putnam County, Ill .; Anthony, February 17. 1865, born in LaSalle County, III .; Nicholas E., born January 27. 1865, in Livingston County, Ill .; William, born November 1, 1870, in Lake County, Ind .; Frank, April 31. 1872, in Chicago, Ill .; George, born August 18, 1876, in Colehour, Ill .; Kale, August 6, 188t, in Colehour, Ill .; Allie, born September 30, 1583, in Cole- hour, III.

GEORGE RINE was born in West Virginia May 20, 1851. and from twelve years of age until 1878 he lived in Ripley County. Ind., on a farm. He came to Cook County October 5, 1879, and engaged in rolling mill work, and in :881 was made superintend- eni of the cooper shop of the Calumet Iron & Steel Company's works. Mr. Rine is a member of Harbor Lodge, No. 731. A. F. & A. M., and Sinai Chapter, No. 185, of South Chicago.

LEONARD ROEIIR, of the firm of Roehr & Duggan, con- tractors and builders, came to Chicago in the spring of 1867, and worked at carpentry. In 1877 he removed to Colehour and worked at his trade until :879, at which time he engaged in busi- ness as contractor and builder. The above firm erected the large briek school building at Cummings in 1883, and In this year they erected thirty houses in Cummings and the vicinity. Mr. Rochr was born in Iletse, Germany, April 18, 1549. In 1867 he came to the United States, He married Miss Catharine Stephens. of Chicago, in May, 1374. They have four children-John L., Mar- gareita, Adam Joseph and Elizabeth.

JOSEPH M. SPAJIN, proprietor of the Spahn House, was born in Lake County, Ind., March 11, 1843. His parents re- moving the same year to Chicago, he was there raised and edu- eated. He was a member of the llyde l'ark police force five years, and a lumber inspector four years at Chicago, In April, 1861. he enlisted in Company A, toth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and par- ticipated in the battles of Chickamauga, Stone River, Missionary Ridge, and many skirmishes ; was mustered out in the spring of 1865. April 6, 1866, he married Miss Barbara Bremer, a native of New York. They have two children. Jacob and Joseph. In 1875 Mr. Spahn removed to Colehour, and erected the above hotel. Joseph Spahn, his father, came to Chicago in 1837, where he lives retired from active business.

CUMMINGS.

On July 5, 1875, a celebration was held on the bank of the Calumet, near where One Hundred and Ninth Street would abut on the west bank of the river. The occasion was the laying of the corner-stone of the Joseph H. Brown Iron & Steel Company's rolling mill, and the fact of the Calumet River being opened for navigation twelve miles from its mouth. One batch of the celebrants came on excursion train to Riverdale and were welcomed by Charles H. Dolton, at Dolton Junction: where interminable tables of refreshments were prepared for guests, His congratulations were re- plied to by Judge J. Lyle Dickey and General U. F. Linder. The guests then formed in line with a band at their head and entharked on board the fleet, commanded by Commodore James H. Bowen, consisting of steamer Florence; steamer Ben Drake; schooner Mary Ellen Cook, towed by Belle Chase; schooner Lavinda, towed by G. W. Evans; the steam pleasure yacht. the Idler, and the tugs the Rover and Alert. Still another ntass of ex- cursionists came via the R. I. R. R. and the branch Belt Railroad to South Chicago, and thence by branch to Irondale. Upon the junction of the two bodies of ex. cursionists there were found to be present the following gentlenten, among many others: J. Lyle Dickey, U. F. Linder, Paul Cornell, George W. Gage, County Com- missioners Burdick, Clough, Crawford and Jones; J. L. Jameson, M. B. Boyden, Charles E. Rees, George S. Essex, R. J. Oglesby, E. M. Haines, John McArthur, John HI. Hoxie, W. P. Gray, Leslie Lewis, W. H. Waters, George W. Binford, C. B. Waite, T. H. Bryant, W. R. Cornell, E. C. Cole, J. Hammond, J. R. Bensley, William Bye, Frank Agnew, F. C. Brooks, H. R. Shaffer, Joseph H. Brown, Samuel Hale, W. Bonnell, James H. Rees, C. H. Cutler, William Moore, F. A. Bragg, C. H. Dolton, B. F. Guyton, Joseph T. Torrence, C. B. Hale, G. W. Hale, James P. Root, Henry Wisner, 1. W. Gregg, Charles Follanshe, J. A. Ellison, E. S. Wadsworth, N. Sherwood, A. D. Waldron, A. C. Calkins, O. S. Hough, Edward Ely, E. H. Blakely, M. A. Farwell, Jeronte Beecher. Charles Cleaver, A. N. Lancaster, George W. Waite, Ira P. Bowen, W. S. Hinckley, C. Henrotin, George H. Waite, James Wadsworth. W. K. Nixon, Fernando Jones, J. Harrison Ely, George B. Armstrong, Thomas J .. Morgan, Charles S. Waite, William Bowers and Dr. Trowbridge. W. K. Burdick stated the object of the meeting, and a speech was then made by U. F. Linder, the friend of Abraham Lincoln. J. D. Webster was stominated, and elected, as president of the day, and after prayer by Rev. C. E. Felten and a speech by Irus Coy, the corner-stone was laid. This was made of Lake Superior sand-stone, and was abont six feet high by four and a half feet square, surmounted by an ornamented cap. Upon the side was carved a bee-hive, with a cornucopia on each side, and underneath:

AMERICAN INDUSTRY. Joseph H. Brown Iron and Steel Company. -0- Erected to employ capital and labor, and utilize the native products of the orth west.

Joseph 11. Brown,

Samuel Hale,

J. T. Torrence, C. B. Hale, W'. Bonnell,

G. W. Hale,

Proprietors.

Established and localed through the liberality and energy of James H. llowen, the founder and promoter of South Chicago, July 5, 1875.

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HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY.

E. M. Hames then spoke, followed by Rc hard 1. Oglesby. This was the inception of freunde, or Brown's Mills, Bow Cummings November 20, 1875. Elam G. Clark serewed the toflowing telegram

E. G. Clark, or Propeller early.

This was sent by James H. Bowen's son to notify Mr. Clark that the propeller "J. 1 .. Hurd." Captain Lloyd, with two hundred and fifty tons of iron ore on board would be at the mouth of the river at the time desig- nated. Mr. Clark, and a number of citizens, went to the mouth of the river and boardled the propeller. which steamed up the river to Brown's Mills, on Novem. ber 21, 1875, with the first iron ore for the mill, also with two hundred and fifty tons of pig iron on board ; and hy the trip of this first propeller up the river, dem- onstrating the practicability and eligibility of the water. way for vessels of large tonnage and deep draft. On June 27, 1876, a large convention was heldl at South Chicago and proceedled to the mills. The convention was that of the Civil Engineers' Association of the Northwest, and large numbers of distinguished visitors came on three cars under the superintendence of Train Master Berry of the Ilimms Central Railroad. The occasion was the letting steam on to the machinery of the Joseph H. Brown Rolling Mills.

The proprietors of the Calumet Iron & Steel Works are the successors of the Joseph 11. Brown Iron & Steel Company, and the Joseph II. Brown Company. The works at present are commodious and convenient ; a steamer from the Lake Superior iron region can steam into the company's yard and unload her ore, and rail- road tracks likewise are laid into the yards, so that while the raw ore is received on one side, the finished rails and nails are shipped on the other. The plant of the company is worth $1,250,000, and their output last year aggregated $2,600,000, A description of the manufacturing process is thus given in the South Chicago Independent :

" The vast establishment of this company is located on the Calumet River, about one and a half miles from its mouth. Here the company have everything as con- venient as any mill in the United States. They have an abundance of room, as they have nearly too acres of land. A slip has been dug from the river into the land of the company, so that a vessel can unload the ore or coal right at the mouth of the furnaces. All the ore, 45,000 tons annually, is brought frum the Lake Superior regions,

" The process of converting the raw ore into ner- chant iron and nails, is one of great interest. The ore is placed into a seventy-five foot blast furnace, and is heated intensely hot. In order to do this, there are used two large blowing engines and three Cowper hut- blast stoves. As the ore is heated, the iron sinks to the bottom and the other substances rise to the top. The former is drawn off at the bottom of the furnace and run into pig iron, while the latter is drawn off at the top, and forms a slag, which is used on roads, railroads, and for such purposes. The capacity of the furnace is one hundred and twenty-five tons in twenty-four hours.

" There are great piles of pig iron about the yards, and as one looks at them he is almost led to think he bas stumbled into an extensive wood yard. The fur- nace is run on Bessemer and foundry pig iron.

" The next step, after prixlucing the pig inm from the ore. is to place it in what are called puddling mills.

of which the company have eight double mi TU capacity of these mills is about eighty tons dad; pig iron is placed into these mills and heated very tos si as to burn the impurities out of it. Strange an a may seem, although the iron is melted to a white 1 .. .. it after awhile becomes thickened, and the workmar stick great tongs into the boiling puddling mills amp! takr nuit large chunks of iron. The iron is heated in these puddling mills entirely by gas made on the grounds of the company, and it requires extensive gas works to supply enough gas. The gas used would light a good sized city, and to make it, requires sixty-eight gas prinlucers. After being taken from the pudding mills, the chanks of fiery iron are placed into machines called squeezers, where they are rolled into .blioms, or chunks of iron, and then ran through rollers into 'muck ' iron, and afterwards 'sheared' or cut into peces, and then taken to the heating furnaces, where they are again heated and converted into merchant iron.

"After being taken out of the heating furnaces, the iron is ran between rollers, of which there are three 'trains." One is a nine inch train, with a daily capacity of thirty tons, and another of forty-five tons, Through these rollers the iron is ran into long strips, such as are seen at hardware stores, blacksmith shops, etc., and is called 'merchant' iron, because it is ready for the market. The company makes all sizes of round, square. wval. half-oval aud flat. The third train of rollers is twenty-two inches and is run day and night to furnish iron for the nail mill, and has a capacity of sixty tons daily. In these rolls, the iron is rolled into flat strips of the desired width and thickness, cut into strips, and then taken to the nail mill.

"The nail mill is probably the most interesting part of this great establishment. Here the company have a hundred and twenty-five machines pounding away in. ressantly, and deftly turning out twelve thousand kegs of nails a day. These machines are let to 'nailers." each nailer having from two to four machines. It isthe duty of the nailer to keep the machines in order and see that everything goes all right with their machines. Each machine must have a man who is called the 'freder." These feeders are not hired by the company hut by the nailers. The nailers are paid su much a poand ur keg for the nails made at his machines

"+ "The busy bee ' is almost an idle creature compared with the men in the nail mill who are termed feeders It is the duty of the feedler to feed his machine. Ile first places a flat strip of iron into the end of a rod made for the purpose ; he then places this into the machine, which chops a piece off from the end of the iron and instantly makes it into a nail. The feeder then turns the iron over and sticks it into the machine again, which does the same as it did before, cuts off the end of the iron plate and makes a nail.

" The reason that the iron must be turned each time is because the piece of iron is not cut off straight across the that strip, but because it is cut angling to give it something the shape of a nail. 'Then all the feeder doe, is to place a strip of imon in the end of the rod he had in his hand, and turn it as rapidly as he can, keeping it against the machine. The feeders, by continueil prac- tice, of course become very skillful in the operation. and turn their hands with wondrous rapidity, so much so that it seems slow work to describe the process, for in the length of time it has taken to tell how it is done. a feedler would have made hundreds and hundreds of nails,

"Fach feeder can cut all the way from a kut, half of two-penny tine nails to ighty key- if

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spikes in a day, according to the size of the nail he is working on.

"Besides the machines fed by men, the company have twenty-five automatic machines, but these machines do not give the satisfaction that the others do. All machines are supplied with Coyne's patent for remov- ing imperfect nails. All nails above six-pennies are cut from hot plate, and are finished when leaving the machine : all helow six-pennies are cut from cold plate and are afterwards heated and ' blued ' before being placed into kegs. Clinch nails are made from refined iron, and are afterward annealed in a furnace.

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History of Cook County, Illinois From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, Part 156

Author: Andreas, A. T. (Alfred Theodore), 1839-1900 Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Chicago : A.T. Andreas Number of Pages: 875

Author: Andreas, A. T. (Alfred Theodore), 1839-1900
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago : A.T. Andreas
Number of Pages: 875