USA > Illinois > Jefferson County > History of Jefferson County, Illinois, 1810-1962 > Part 20
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The church's first building was of Log structure located in the northeast conner, described at that time as the Crossroads, now the intersection of the Boyd and Richview Roads, six miles northwest of it. Vernon. In 1872, this land was deeded to the church, to remain as such unless it ceased to be a place of worship: then said Land to revert to the former owners, Wm. C. Webb and his wife, Many i. webb. The trustees of the church were Issac Hill, im. P. Fiser, and John W. Watkins.
In 1879 the church voted to build a new church house. They voted to build a frame building of wood, near to the log church. The committee appointed consisted of joseph T. Payne, J. R. Driver, H. J. Holtsclaw, John W. Watkins, and Williamson C. Webb. The carpenter was John lillis, and his work was so good that the building is still in fine condition.
A vote was taken to move the church one and a half miles northeast, near the switch at Webb Station. (At this time Webb was a thriving village, with business places, a railroad and station. The. Jacksonville Railroad ran from the Louisville and Nashville Railroad at Drivers, north and westerly through webb and Boyd to jacksonville. The "Jack" railroad was torn up, starting early on a Sunday morning in 1902. ) In 1889, Williamson C. Webb (his wife, many 1., was deceased) deeded land in the town of Webb to be the property of the church forever. The building was moved at that time to its present location.
Chanter members of the church are not known, but early names include: Williams, Hill, Frost, Reynolds, Henson, Spencer, Hodglin, Roberts, Gardner, Driver, Bryant, Fuller, Webb, Marshall, Green, liditillion, Watkins, Fisen, Ranes, Champ, Casey, Chamness, Payne, licquine, Hodges, Black, Stanley, Weatherford, Holtslaw, Piper, England, Ferguson, likles, Mellett, Dodson, Talbott, Stover, King, .Jarnen, Bough, Riley, loone, and Procise.
Pastons from 1866 include: Thomas J. Burton (1866-1872), B. D. Esmon (1872-1877), Joseph T. Payne (the first minister on record
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to have been ordained in the church in 1878. He was called as pastor the same year at a salary of $60 a year, laten raised to $100 per year. He served as paston also in 1381, 1883-1884, and 1904-1903. ), J. H. funnay (1882), W. W. Hay (1385), Cal Richardson (1886 and 1991-1899), Enoch Beal (1900), Elder Prints (1901), Sinus Butler (1902-1903), Am- brose llanshbungen (1909-1910), Elder Hall (1911), Frank L. Kann (1912, 1915-1916 and 1938-1940), g. B. Hall (1913), Paris D. Tittle (1917), J. L. Jordan (1918), C. H. Calvin (1919), D. L. Mooney (1920-1921), Raymond Walker (1922), . J. Anderson (1923-1924), R. H. Page (1925), J. D. Burton (1927-1928), Bind Green (1930-1931), Clarence Green (1933- 1937), E. g. Cravens (1941 - died while paston), Raymond Pierce (1942), Cyrus ). Moulding (1943), David Goddard (1944), L. A. Adams (1945-1949, 1954), Paul Callias (1950), Melvin Chambliss (1951), Byfond King (1952), Gene Auxier (1953), Melvin N. Larson (1955-1956), Virgil Barn (1957), Joe Sledge (1958), Douglas Cox (1959-1960), Sam lic(ou (supplied after resignation of Douglas (ox), Dale Brookman (1961-1962).
Electricity came to the church with the coming of Rural Electrification in 1938. A new roof was placed on the church and the building painted in 1942. A handwood floor was laid in 1943. Also in the 40's an all-purpose road was built to the church. In 1950 concrete steps, walks, insulation and a new ceiling were added.
In 1954 under the Leadership of the paston, L. A. Adams, the church voted to build an educational building of eight rooms. At this time an oil furnace was installed, replacing the old coal stove which sat in the middle of the room. This project was completed the same jean, debt free.
In 1959 new pews and pulpit furniture replaced the original furniture. In 1961 under the leadership of the paston, Dale Brookman, the church voted to build a new entrance to the church. A vestibule, nursery and classroom were added, heated by electricity.
The church has a resident membership of 105, is a member of the Salem South Baptist Association; it sponsors Sunday School, Training Union, Brotherhood, Women's Missionary Society, Vacation Bible School, and is represented at the Baptist Assembly at Ridgecrest, North Cano- lino. It also contributes to cooperative missions and the Baptist Children's Home at Canni, Illinois.
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This church first had. preaching only one Sunday each month. The paston would come on the train and spend the weekend. Later, when the railroad left webb, he would be met at Drivers, at the L & il Sta- tion. In the late 1940's, one-half preaching time was voted in. In 1953, a full-time pastor was called, and the church continues this practice,
Carly members of this church helped organize the Hoodlawn Baptist Church in 1871, and Later Drivers Baptist Church in 1893. Many members moved their membership to these churches nearer their homes.
New Hope is proud to have among its active membership many of the descendants of the early church.
In 1936, old schoolmates of the first Webb School, which stood in the woods north of the church on the Rome-Shiloh Township Road, organized a homecoming at this church, to be held the first Sunday in September, The first committee in change was Frank Walker, Eldridge Webb and Walter Green. The Twenty-sixth Annual Homecoming, under the sponsorship of the church, was on the first Sunday in Septem- ben, 1962.
NEW YEAR'S EVE
(Taken from "The Can Shop Whistle" January 8, 1959, litt. Vernon Register-News article based on a talk by Onian Metcalf before the Rotary and Lions clubs that week. )
The passing of the steam whistle from the list. Vernon scene makes a great difference in the noise of any day -- especially New Year's Eve. Forty years ago, New Year's Eve was bedlam. Parents used to wake up the children so they could hear the old year out and the new year in.
The can shop whistle would blow -- it had a wildcat siren and also a deep bass. The knitting factory and the shoe factory whistles would add thein shrills. There were firecrackers, shotguns, cowbells and church bells. Next to the car shop whistle, the loudest sounds were made by whistles of the locomotives. In those days the L & Nl kept two switch engines in lit. Vernon, and the C & EI and the
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Southern had switch engines. The " ( & W) passengers and freight engines were both here overnight. The can shops had two switch engines and a steam traveling crane. The L & N and Southern each had passenger and freight accommodation trains terminating here. That's eleven big steam whistles to add to New Year's din.
Nowadays the steam engine is in the museum. The diesels pull such big freight strings that they also have time to do all the switch- ing.
. In 1918 the smokestacks from the many locomotives and the car shops, knitting factory and shoe factory belched black smoke day and night. Citizens Gas and Electric Company burned coal to produce electricity with its dynamos, and for the town's gas mains. It had boilers which sent hot water through pipes in tunnels through the business district to heat stores and residences of mary on Jordan, Tenth and North Streets, and downtown churches. They said, "Don't complain about the smoke ... it means prosperity." -
In 1918 Mt. Vernon had only 9, 800 population, just about half of those who live here today.
The can shop whistle was used as a fine alarm. The wildcat siren would shriek several times and then give a series of short blasts to tell what part of town the fine was in. Two blasts meant the fine was in wand two, seven meant wand seven, and so on. At various places in town there were fire alarm boxes. In case of fine one opened the door and pulled down a leven. That started an electrical circuit that nang, a bell in the old fine barn on 11th Street, across from the Illi- nois Hotel. The fine driver -- who was the only full-time fine depart- ment employee -- would phone the can shops, on his wife would, to tell them the ward to blow. Then he would back the big team of fine horses under the nack of hanness hanging down from the ceiling. In about two minutes he would have them hitched and would drive out with bell changing. By that time the can shop whistle would be blowing, calling the volunteer firemen (paid by the fire). They would come running from stones and barber shops to the northwest corner of the square, where the fine wagon would be stopped with bell changing and horses prancing. When two or three had jumped on, the wagon would start out at what seemed then to be breakneck speed. lileanwhile, the person who pulled
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the fire alarm box leven was supposed to wait there and tell the fire- men where the blaze was. Of course by, 1918 most fines were reported by telephone ..... but the car. shop whistle blew the words just the same.
There were times when some of the volunteer firemen got into the poker game with the fine chief in the basement of his barber shop on the north side of the square and the fine wagon would be slow in starting. It was really something to see those fellows come running. They would swing onto the running board of the fine wagon and put on their bunker suits as they hung on with one hand. If the fine wagon turned north on south they had a hand time hanging on as they pounded over the rough cobble stones with which 9th, 10th and 12th streets were paved.
Once at the fine, they fought it much as today, except they had no pumps and used only the pressure of the water main. They got wet and cold and frozen, just like the boys do today. I have been told of one whose clothing froze as he fought the fire which destroyed the cupola on the old high school. He got pneumonia and died.
There were bells in all the schools and churches. We knew them by sound. Nowadays there are no school bells -- only gongs. There are still church bells, including one which Zadok Casey gave the First Methodist Church over a hundred years ago.
The labash, Chester and Jestern whistles had their own character. These engines must have come from the Civil !an. They had bellmouth smokestacks and high drive wheels. The " C & WV was supposed to run from the abash River at Terre Haute to Chester and on to the lest, hence its name. It was always in financial straits, It was taken over by the Missouri Pacific, and joined the C & EI and Southern in converting to diesels. After the L & N turned to oil, there hasn't been a steam locomotive whistle through here.
It was before I was born that there was a whistle at the ax handle factory. It employed several men, but didn't do too well financially. They tell me that sometimes they had to pay off in ax handles. For one ax handle you could swap for two pounds of coffee. Or, take one pound of coffee and get a hatchet handle on two tack handles in change.
lily father, John W). Metcalf, who is 85 and can hardly walk be- cause of a broken hip, is complaining because somebody has borrowed his
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genuine ax-handle-factory-ax and failed to return it. He told me that he went to the ax handle factory to select the ax handle and then took it downtown to the Herdman Blacksmith Shop -- where First National Bank now has its drive-in building -- and had Herdman put on the ax blade and wedge it. Dad used this ax for almost sixty years.
He said they must have given him a Left-handed handle, be- cause he could hardly ever hit within six inches of where he was aiming; but it was practically an antique, and he liked it. He says he is willing to accept the ax back from whoever borrowed it -- with no questions axed.
NEW HOME ( LOWERY) CHURCH
The first General Baptist group to be organized into a church in Jefferson County, Illinois, was organized by Elder C. Sprouse, assisted by deacons J. W. McConnaughay and Curl fic Connauchay at Lowery School House in Farrington Township on the 28th day of February, 1885. Following is from the minutes of the organizational service: State of Illinois Jefferson County
The following named persons met together, and after examina- tion of the Christians present as to character and spiritual experience, all being found worthy was organized into a church of General Baptists, having adopted the articles of faith and rules of decorum of the General baptists of the Union Grove Association of Southern Illinois to be known as New Home Church.
Organization was under the direction of Elden C. Sprouse and deacons [. .. licConnaughay and Curl li Connaughay, who accepted the following as chanter members: W. M. McConnaughay, Nancy ficConnaughay, James Lowery, lilany Lowery, John Grove, Lydia E. Grove, Featherson Doty, John McConnaughay, Nancy A. McConnaughay, George lic Connaughay, Curl InConnaughay, Douglas like Connaughay, Mary Cornstubble, Many E. Donoho, Mantha Scott, Susan Smith, Patsy wood, Florence Doty, and Love Boudi- not. Elden i. Sprouse was chosen for first pastor.
The original group first worshipped in the Lowery School house, until a new church building was constructed on a plot of ground situated in Section 12, Farrington Township, Jefferson County, Illinois. Some of the group of workers said, "We have a new church to worship in
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now and suggest we name it New Home. " The others agreed on that name. However, to this day it is still called Lowery as well as ilew ilome. The group prospered in the new building under the Leadership of succeeding ministers until the year of 1916, when the original building, was remodeled and enlarged to accommodate the enlarged con- onenation. This building was razed in the year of 1949-1950 and a new concrete building was erected.
Due to the destruction of the original church record book by fine, the records except the minutes of organization cannot be obtained until the minutes of September 9, 1916. Following are some of the pastors, some taken from memory of older members; Elder C. Sprouse, D. H. Young, Tom Farmer, George fileConnaughay, Dave Wendell, Jason Richardson, W. J. Whitsett, R. C. Butcher, W. W. Russell, B. C. Byans, ¿Imen Kelchen, Granville NicConnaughay, Delbert Goff, Tom Dilli- ner, Ben Bradshaw, Austin Donoho, Glen Musgraves, Glen Etheridge, Ray Johnson, J. L. McDonald, Merritt Strickland, Jesse Miller, and Rolla Eller (the present paston).
-By Ins. Voris Coil Keenes, Ill.
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OZARK AIR LINES
Ozank Air Lines, Inc., was incorporated under the law of the State of Missouri on September 1, 1943, to engage in ain trans- portation of a local service nature. Shortly thereafter it applied to the Civil Aeronautics Board for authority to engage in scheduled ain transportation of persons, property and mail in interstate commerce. After extensive hearings and Litigation extending over seven years, Ozank was certificated as a local service airline on July 28, 1950. Ozark was originally granted a temporary three-year certifi- cate of Public Convenience and Necessity which was renewed for five years. An Act of Congress in 1955, however, provided for granting Ozark and twelve other local service airlines permanent certificates. Schedules operations were started on September 26, 1950, with forty employees and four Douglas DC-3 planes. Ozark's first route of 285 miles was between St. Louis and Chicago with stops"at Spring- field, Decatur and Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. Ozank now serves cities in nine states with a route system of over 5300 miles.
This airline's 1961 summer schedule provided for 25, 100 miles of operations per day. Ozark has a fleet of twenty-three Douglass DC-3's and three Fairchild forty-passenger jet-prop aircraft.
Ozank's rapid growth is reflected in its record of passengers flown each year since the start of operations. In three months of operation in 1950, it flew 4, 004 passengers; in 1951, 49, 507 were flown; in 1952, 84, 463; in 1953, 125, 220; 1954, 156, 391; 1955, 247, 031; 1956, 318, 994; 1957, 399, 337; 1958, 431, 268; 1959, 547,883; 1960, 572, 348. Ozark flew its three-millionth passenger on March 10, 1961, and has no accident on its record in flying over 53 million miles.
Of the thirteen local service airlines in the United States, Ozark ranks among the leaders in size of its operations and in passenger, mail and cango traffic. It is the first and only local service airline operating modern jet-prop aircraft in the Midwest.
The airline's general offices and principal maintenance base are located at Lambert Field, St. Louis. Another maintenance base has been established at Rockford, Illinois, and a second flight crew base at Chicago.
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The airline is headed by Joseph H. Fitzgerald, president and board member, who has a background of fifteen years in commercial aviation. Other members of the board of directors are Floyd W. Jones, chairman, of Springfield, Missouri, one of the original incorporators of Ozark, who has been associated with the transportation business for the past thirty-five years; Arthur G. Heyne, secretary, of St. Louis, also one of the original incorporatons, a practicing attorney and con- poration counselor; Elbent H. Green, treasurer, Springfield, Missouri, president of Richland Manufacturing Company and also associated with investment and finance companies; Jean Paul Bradshaw, senior vice president and general counsel, Springfield, Missouri, a partner in a large law firm and director of several corporations; Rev. Chris A. Bach- man, a minister in East Prairie, Missouri; Glenn O, Shaver of St. Louis, a captain with Ozark; and Earl W. Weaver, vice president of the Bank of St. Louis.
The airline organization has grown to over eleven hundred employees, the majority of whom are technicians holding special aero- nautical licenses.
The name "Ozank" is of French derivation. The early French- Canadian trappers referred to the mountainous area in Missouri as the "boiz auz anc, " meaning "wood for bows" region where the Usage Indians found an excellent wood for making their bows. Later the English joined the words, substituted letters and the name was shortened to "Ozank. " The Ozank geographic region includes most of Missouri, Arkan- sas, and extends into Oklahoma and Illinois, one of the most beautiful vacation areas in the country.
Ozank Air Lines' corporate insignia is a stylized version of the "three swallows, " the ancient symbol of good luck, safe travel and scheduled flight. The swallows are claimed to be the best loved binds in the world. They are noted for their scheduled flights - arriving at the Mission of San Juan Capistrano on St. Joseph's Day, March 19, with clocklike regularity and departing on St. Juan's Day, October 23, each year since the Mission was built in 1806.
Inauguration of service by Ozark Air Lines in Mt. Vernon was dated February 2, 1962, and lilt. Vernon has been very happy with the service of this fine ain line. There has been an increase in the record of passengers flown each month since the service was inaugurated.
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The first Ozark plane for scheduled flight touched the litt. Vernon runway at 6:59 a. m. and departed at 7:14 a. m. on February 2, 1962. The first flight, going north, had 3, 292 pieces of mail. weighing 42 pounds, The second flight that day carried 201 pieces of mail to St. Louis. The third flight, again going north, had 402 pieces of mails. The fourth flight of the day carried 57 pieces of mail to St. Louis, making a total of 4, 552 pieces of mail carried by Ozark on the inaugural day in Mt. Vernon.
OLDTIMER'S SHOPPING LIST
(Taken from an article in the Mt. Vernon Register-News by Addison Hapeman. )
The grocery list of seventy-five on more years ago did not much resemble the carry-out of today's supermarket. The eating habits of the people were still simple; food was the fuel that kept the human engine working until the next meal. There was no need for a Large store full of fancy packages. The little conner grocery on the cross- roads stone could supply the simple needs.
One item that man has never Learned to do without is salt. The coastal dwellers, who lived mainly on sea foods, easily got their quota of salt, but the people of the midlands as in Jefferson County must buy all the salt the used. Salt, then, was always on the old- timen's shopping list. This was a coarse yellowish-white product, shipped in wooden barrels, usually from the United States Salines, on the salt springs near what is now Equality, Illinois. Not having the modern paper bag, the grocers tone off a square of brown wrapping paper, poured a pile of salt in the center of it, and then folded the papen into a bundle that could be tied with a string.
Probably number two on the list of necessities was soda. This was used in "sody" biscuits and the ever present corn bread, and while conn meal could be manufactured into an edible cake without using baking soda, it was rather unpleasant to get along without it.
Coffee, even in that earlier day, had its strangle hold on the American public. The coffee beans arrived at the store in large jute bags, and the bennies were green (unwasted). After the consumer
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got home with his coffee beans they must be roasted and ground. This roasting was done in a spider in the fireplace, and later, when cook- stoves became more common, in a large flat. pan in the oven. The pro- cess was a very aromatic one ( there was never any doubt as to what was going on), and great care must be taken to keep the coffee beans from burning.
The roasted beans were stoned in a crockery jan until they were to be used. While the coffee could be roasted ahead of time, it must be ground just before use, and the whin of the coffee grinder was an every-morning sound in the house.
There was only one restriction in the use of coffee. Due to the fact that it was habit forming and (what was even worse) it cost money, it was strictly for grown-ups, and until he did a man's work the child got no coffee. This taboo, naturally, fired the young- ins to an overwhelming desire for coffee, even though they could hardly stand the taste of it.
Perhaps it was the memories of fire-borrowing that sold the oldtimers so wholeheartedly on matches; at least, these early fine kindlers were one of the necessary items. They were known as "three- day matches, " the idea being that after you struck one of them it spit out sulphur funes for three days before it finally burst into flame.
Sugan was a bonden line case in the matter of the oldtime grocery list. There was still plenty of "long sweetening" (sorghum molasses, maple syrup, and honey) and "short sweetening" on maple sugar. Therefore it was rather a sign of the changing times when the "old woman" sent for sugar (and actually got it.) The sugar of that day came, of course, in wooden barrels. It was coarse and light brown, and it had a tendency to run together and get sticky in damp weather. It was a far cry from the granulated and 10x confectioners sugar of today.
Salt, soda, coffee, matches and sugan completed the list of foods that the average farm family had to buy in that earlier time. Of course they raised all of their own meat, and so their land. The cows furnished milk, butter, and a variety of cheeses. All of their potatoes (Irish and sweet) and other vegetables and fruits that they used were produced on the farm.
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In spite of living in what looks like the midst of plenty, there was always the yearning for something different. This desire was satisfied, in pant, when the man of the house on his weekly trip to the stone had a little extra money. He then brought home some dried prunes on raisins as a treat for the "old woman and youngins."
It was the man of the house who took whatever produce was available to the stone and did the "trading. " "Woman's place was in the home, and so she was not fitted to compete in the world of commerce. The woman was taken to town two on three times a year so she could buy "woman things" such as sewing cotton (on thread), pins, needles, and calico.
After the first oil well was drilled in Oil (ity, kerosene lamps began to replace the tallow candies. It was then that "coal oil" became a must, and the gallon can with a potato stuck on the spout moved into the American scene,
It would seem that hauling home a gallon of coal oil should be about as safe as anything one could do. But the black demons that plague the race of man are ever alert, and one Saturday one particular farmer let his guand down for a little, so they struck at him.
This man's mistake lay in getting his coal oil in a glass jug instead of the potato stoppened tin can. It was a cold, clean day, and he had the bottom of his wagon covered with straw to help keep his feet warm. He got home from the stone just at noon; and aften un- hitching his team, he carried the box of groceries into the house, in- tending to get the coal oil after dinner. When he Looked out after eating, the whole front end of his wagon was a mass of fine. Before he got it extinguished, it had burned half the box, the spring seat, one end of the coupling pole, the front hounds and ruined the front axle.
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