USA > Illinois > Kane County > History of Kane County, Ill. Volume I > Part 54
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YOUNG WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.
In May. 1893, the Aurora Young Women's Christian Association was organized, being incorporated in July, 1894, with a membership of one hundred and fifty-five. It made its first home at 44 Downer place, where two rooms in the Todd block were rented for a few months. Its first public gathering was a gospel service on Sunday afternoon. In January, 1894, a suite of three rooms in the Bishop building, corner of Fox and Broadway, was leased, where it maintained headquarters for two and one-half years, removing to the Stolp building on the island in July, 1896. Here for five years thie association fourished. In July, 1901, it moved to the building of the Silver Plate Con1- pany on the island, which is its present home.
During the fourteen years of its existence thie association has had four presidents : Mrs. E. M. Walker, from 1893 to 1895 ; Mrs. E. S. Hobbs, from 1895 to August, 1900; Mrs. Carey Hopkins, from 1901 to 1905, and since that time Mrs. J. O. Mason, the present incumbent ( 1908). During the first few months there was no employed secretary. Miss Emma L. Esch, the first general secretary, served one year and a half. She was followed by Miss Mary E. Emerson, who served for seven months. Miss Floy E. Rhode was then called. who held the position until May, 1897, since which time Miss Rachel Jones has served.
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In its early days the work of the association was limited to social and religious departments. Then the departments of employment bureau and boarding house directory were introduced, followed by the noon rest and educational classes-English, elementary and advanced French, German, lit- erature, elocution, bookkeeping, vocal music and a class in English for foreign- speaking young women has been much appreciated.
Courses of lectures on travel, art and practical subjects have also been a feature of the educational department.
In November, 1897, the physical training department was organized, beginning with but twelve pupils. It has grown to almost three hundred.
In 1902 the departments of domestic science and arts were added to the educational list. The industrial and extension department was organized in 1901, extending the association work into the business center. Regular work has been done in three factories and the cotton mill, also in the stove works district. Two clubs have been formed among the business young women, the majority of whom are employes of the various factories. These young women are members of the association and meet at the rooms for physical work, study and social enjoyment.
In 1904 an extension secretary, Miss Margaret Rohr, was called to take charge of this department, the work of which was previously done by the general secretary. For a time the association conducted a "noon rest" and lunchroom for the young women of the Kabo corset factory in the Old Orchard House. It also furnished a room for emergency cases at the "rest home" and later on the Althea Sanitarium.
For several years the association rooms have been a central meeting place for committees representing the various women's organizations and churches.
The purpose of the association is an all-around womanhood, meeting the demands of her fourfold nature. That it has been true to its purpose is evident from its work. The fact that the citizens have pledged sixty thousand dollars ($60,000) with which to erect an association building goes to show that it has found a large place in our midst.
CLUBS, ORDERS AND SOCIETIES.
Aurora has several hundred clubs and societies of various kinds which lack of space prevents describing in detail.
The Waubonsie Lodge, No. 45, of Odd Fellows, was instituted January 3, 1849. Since then half a dozen or more lodges of this order have organized. Jerusalem Temple Lodge, No. 90, was the first of the Masonic lodges to be organized here. Several others lodges have since been instituted here. They occupied the upper part of Stolp's building on the island from 1866 to 1903, when they moved to the Sencenbaugh block, on Broadway.
The Aurora Turn-Verein dates back to 1858; Ancient Order of Hiber- nians, organized in 1877; Modern Woodmen of America in 1884. Cigar
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Makers' Union, organized in 1879. is the oldest labor union in the city. Since then every trade has its union. Clubs for literary studies, card playing and amusements of various kinds are numbered by the hundred, details of which are left to a larger work.
The Aurora Woman's Christian Temperance Union was first organized in 1874 under the name of "The Ladies' Temperance Union." and was recognized in 1882, becoming auxiliary to the State Woman's Christian Temperance Union and taking that name. Those who have served as presi- dent of the Aurora Woman's Christian Temperance Union have been Mrs. S. P. Keys, Mrs. C. H. Reeves, Mrs. Thomas Galt. Mrs. H. M. Olds. Mrs. S. E. Huff. Mrs. George E. Sutphen, Mrs. H. Darling, Mrs. E. S. Mansfield, Mrs. Chauncey Mille, Mrs. Belle White, Mrs. M. E. Cromer, Mrs. E. P. Tucker, Mrs. George E. Sutphen having served in periods covering about nine years. In 1892 fourteen members withdrew and organized the Central Woman's Christian Temperance Union. Both organizations have done a large amount of Christian, philanthropic and temperance work. In 1890 the Aurora Union was incorporated. and became possessed of real estate in the south- ern part of town on which they erected a chapel at a cost of $2,100, which was named "Hercules Chapel." in which mission work. Sunday school and temperance work has been carried on. This union was active in having temperance instruction introduced into the public schools of the state. Cash donations have been made to the Woman's Temple. Chicago; the Frances Willard Hospital. Chicago: the Aurora City Hospital; the Young Men's Christian Association and Young Women's Christian Association building funds, etc.
THE WOMAN'S CLUB OF AURORA.
No modern city is complete without its woman's club, and Aurora is no exception to this rule, and this is the way it came into existence. In the. winter of 1889-90 a number of ladies organized an art class and invited a Mrs. Atkins, of Chicago, to give them a course of lectures on art. The class numbered nearly four hundred members, and when the course was com- pleted and all the debts paid the ladies found that they had $386.61 on hand. A permanent organization had been considered for a long time and now appeared the opportune moment for organization. Therefore The Woman's Club of Aurora was formed, with the following officers : President. M. Louise Van Arsdale: vice presidents, Frances P. Forsyth, E. R. Knickerbocker; recording secretary, Alice Maude George: corresponding secretary, Marie Alice Burton : treasurer. Margaret Gray ; directors. Marian H. Holden, Fannie Q. Allen. Rachel H. Eurich. Kate M. Hodder, Annie H. Annis, Emma H. Rice, Hattie V. Binnenger. R. N. Forsyth, Addie E. Simpson.
The following ladies were the charter members of the club: Mrs. G. F. Allen, Mrs. F. M. Annis, Mrs. Fred Belden, Mrs. Hattie V. Binninger, Mrs. E. A. Bradley, Mrs. Pierce Burton, Mrs. Charles R. Currier. Mrs. E. B. Eurich, Mrs. J. J. Fishburn, Mrs. William Forsyth, Mrs. Alexander Forsyth, Mrs. William George, Miss Margaret Gray, Mrs. Laura E. Hard. Mrs. M. A. Higgins, Mrs. J. H. Hodder, Mrs. T. N. Holden, Mrs. A. J. Hopkins, Mrs.
Aurora, -Ills: Old Ladies Home
PHOTO BY PRATT *
OLD LADIES' HOME, AURORA, OPENED 1903.
Aurora, nitfor
AURORA PUBLIC LIBRARY, ERECTED 1903.
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O. B. Knickerbocker, Mrs. A. C. Little, Mrs. John T. Mason, Miss Jennie L. Plum, Miss Ruth Reising, Mrs. G. W. Rhodes, Mrs. E. W. L. Rice, Mrs. D. W. Simpson, Mrs. W. H. Van Arsdale, Mrs. George R. Wilcox.
The club now numbers over two hundred and fifty representative women as its members, and during its existence it has been a power for good in the city. Among the things it has done are the offering prizes for the best kept school grounds and back door yard in the city, resulting in neat school yards and finely kept lawns in all parts of the city.
The club presented to one room in each school building in the city a number of copies of the best pictures and plaster casts of some of the best statuary, with the result that the children of all the schools have saved their pennies and bought pictures for all the rooms. It has been instrumental in putting manual training and domestic science in the schools on both sides of the river. It has expended several hundred dollars in planting shrubs and vines in unsightly places, along the river banks, etc., and thus aided to make the city beautiful.
In 1905 the club held a bazar and raised over $10,000 for the City Hospital, and in 1907 it held another bazar for the benefit of the Old Ladies' Home and raised nearly $7,000 for this purpose. It has never entered politics and has tried to avoid all questions which might create contention in its ranks.
THE OLD LADIES' IIOME.
This institution was incorporated in 1895 with the following persons named as incorporators: Mrs. Maria A. Burton, Mrs. Nellie E. Higgins, Mrs. Emma E. Mason, Mrs. Emily McCarty. Mrs. Fannie Q. Allen, Mrs. Harriet Colby, Mrs. Anna R. Hartz, Ebenezer Denney, A. K. Perry, William E. Holmes, Labam Hayward, Pierce Burton, C. B. Colwell, T. Otto Fisk, E. A. Bradley and A. C. Little. Mrs. Harriet Colby wanted to give a house and lot on Main street for the purpose of aiding in establishing a home for old ladies, and this organization was effected for the pupose of holding the prop- erty until a fund accumulated sufficient to justify the opening of such a home. This did not take place until 1903, when the directors purchased of Dr. John E. Hurlbut his fine residence at 421 South Fifth street, exchanging the house they held on Main street and running in debt for the remainder. At this writing (1908) the home is filled with ten old ladies, is out of debt, and, thanks to the Women's Club, has about $6,000 out at interest.
HOSPITALS.
The Aurora City Hospital was constructed in 1886. It was first sug- gested by the Woman's Christian Association, and was given its first financial boost by a big bazar given in the old skating rink, at the corner of Lincoln avenue and Main street, which cleared some $6,000. Another "benefit" was given in the reconstructed city mills in. 1888 at which Sam Alschuler gave an address. The Woman's Club gave another bazar for its benefit in the "Coliseum" on the island in 1905, and cleared about $10,000. The building has been gradually improved and enlarged as the board of directors had funds.
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The St. Charles Hospital was established by the Catholics in 1890 by the purchase of the Coulter residence on North Fourth street. In 1902 the present large hospital building was erected at an expense of about $50,000, for which it ran in debt. The debt is being slowly reduced.
MEMORIAL BUILDING.
A "Soldiers' Monument Association" was organized in 1869 with L. D. Brady, president; F. O. White, secretary ; Abner Hard, treasurer. This asso- ciation was reorganized under the new law in 1872 and became incorporated. It was decided in 1875 to build a memorial building with the money on hand, instead of a useless monument. This was completed in 1877 at a cost of $7,187.54. In 1881 the city established a free public library, and the Monu- ment Association turned over Memorial Hall to the library directors, and a subscription was made under the management of Fred O. White to erect an addition to the memorial building to be used for the books, while the room in the old building should be used for a reading room. One condition was that the Grand Army of the Republic should be permitted to add a second story to the new building to be used for their hall. This condition of affairs worked smoothly until the Carnegie library building was completed in 1903, when the entire building was turned over to the Grand Army of the Republic, who took up a subscription, raised the rear of the building, and finished off the basement into a modern kitchen and banquet hall; the first floor into a fine reading room and hall for meetings of the Grand Army of the Republic and Ladies' Auxiliary Societies; and the second floor was finished for a pretty hall and rented to the Woman's Club.
The whole building is heated by steam from the city steam heating plant. The old soldiers now have a very pleasant "loafing room" adjacent to their hall, which is open and occupied every day in the week, while the kitchen and dining room below are scenes of many a joyous festival. No similar organi -. zation in the country can boast of more comfortable quarters.
PUBLIC LIBRARIES.
Aurora was early to organize a public library. In September, 1858, "The Young Men's Literary and Historical Society" was organized. with a room in the Odd Fellows' block, used as a library and reading room. A library of over four hundred volumes was donated to the new society, and the reading room was dedicated October 23 of the same year with appropriate ceremonies, the dedicatory address being delivered by B. F. Taylor. In the following December Dr. J. G. Holland lectured before the society for the benefit of the library fund.
The Young Men's Association had been previously organized and had a library of six hundred volumes. These two were united in 1859 under the name of "The Young Men's Literary Association of Aurora." This organiza- tion continued during the war, but war was attracting most of the attention of the reading public and the library fell into disuse. But on February 16,
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1864, the Illinois legislature incorporated "The Aurora Library Association," twenty-four of the leading citizens of Aurora being the incorporators. Early in the following year this association was organized, Eugene Canfield being its first president. The books of the old association were taken over, some new ones bought, and for many years the library contributed to the literary culture of the community. But there was no money to buy new books. Everybody who wanted to had read the old ones, which were kept in the rear of the postoffice in the city building, free of rent. There was no money to pay a librarian, but the rent of a portion of the room was given to a news dealer for looking after the books, which was an easy task, as but few were taken out. The state legislature had enacted a most excellent law to provide for the establishment of free public libraries, but it required the action of either the township on town meeting day, or an ordinance by the city council to take advantage of the law, which provided for a tax of not over two mills on the dollar for the support of the library. It was not until 1881 that two or three interested persons who thought it was about time to take advantage of this new law, called a meeting to be held in the editorial rooms of the old "Herall" office on the island to consider the matter. After several adjourn- ments, the five or six men who attended, concluded to try to get the city council to adopt an ordinance establishing a free public library, fearing the vote of a town meeting to levy a tax upon the town for the purpose of supporting a library. They were fearful of the results of the city council, which was practicing the greatest economy on account of the financial depression, which still existed in consequence of the recent return to a specie basis. W. W. Bishop, "the watch dog of the treasury," opposed every measure looking to an increase of taxes and he was one of the most influential men in the council, so it was decided to ask him to introduce the ordinance and become "father of the library." The scheme worked beautifully and the ordinance passed levying a tax of one mill on the dollar for a free public library. Travers Phillipps was mayor and he appointed a board of directors consisting of Professor Thomas Clark, Mrs. Thomas Galt, Mrs. Pierce Burton, F. S. Bartlett, J. J. McLallen, W. S. Beaupre, Eb Denney, Isadore Leins, and Fred O. White. Professor Clark was elected president of the board, and James Shaw librarian at a modest salary, which position he holds at the present writing, twenty-seven years since his first election. He is literally a walking encyclopedia, is well up in library management and has no superior as a librarian in the country. The old library was turned over to the new board and the books were moved into the memorial building, which was also put under the control of the library board, together with $1,000 in cash to be used in building an addition. Between $5.000 and $6,000 additional was raised by subscription, and a brick addition was constructed, measuring 44x54 feet, with a hall for the Grand Army of the Republic overhead. Books were issued from the new library in March, 1882, and the new addition was completed in 1885. This was occupied by the library, with the memorial building as a reading room, until the attention of Andrew Carnegie, the great library builder, was called to the fact that this library had outgrown its quarters and needed a new build- ing. He thereupon donated $50,000 for a building on condition that the
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city would furnish a lot and spend annually a sum equal to at least ten per cent of this amount for its maintenance. The city was already spending more than this sum annually, but it took over a year to find a lot on which to construct the building. At last a lot on the island, which had been offered by the heirs of the late J. G. Stolp as a donation, was decided on, and a fine building was completed in 1904. It contains elegant reading rooms, a chil- dren's room and about twenty-five thousand books, which number is gradually increasing.
SHUTTING UP THE COWS.
During the administration of Thomas E. Hill, in 1876, a movement was started in favor of "the city beautiful." Most of the city lots were surrounded by old board fences, with here and there a picket fence. Dangerous plank sidewalks were in every street. Cows were running at large in the streets, and to keep them out of the gardens and door yards some kind of a fence had to be used. One of the newspapers and a number of the citizens appealed to the city council to pass an ordinance prohibiting the cows from running at large. This action was prevented by Alderman L. W. Gray, a thrifty farmer in the southwestern part of the city, who had cut up his farm into city lots and was selling them to homeseekers. There was considerable grass growing on the side of the streets, which the aldermen did not like to have go to waste, so whenever the question came up in the council he made such effective pleas in behalf of the "poor man's cow" that he made his colleagues believe they would never be returned to the council if they voted to have the "poor man's cow" shut up. Nothing could be done towards beautifying the city while its cows were at large. They would break down all the trees planted by the side of the streets and eat off their tops. They would break into yards and eat up the shrubbery and gardens. Finally K. A. Burnell called a meeting of a few interested citizens at his home on North Lake street to consider the cow question. Petitions were circulated asking the council to shut up the cows, but all to no purpose. Finally, after several meetings, it was decided to ask the council to submit the question to a vote of the people. This was done. Then a massmeeting was called, and Judge Parks was employed to orate in favor of giving the "poor man's cow" the freedom of the streets of the city, but at the special election, held May 6, 1876, the voters decided, by a vote of one thousand one hundred and forty-eight to six hundred and forty-one, to shut up the cows. It then leaked out that Alderman Gray had a half-dozen cows pasturing in the streets, and turned many an honest penny by selling milk.
Immediately after the ordinance went into effect the people of the city commenced to tear down their unsightly fences, plant shade trees on the street parkings, trim their lawns and otherwise ornament their homes until Aurora became noted far and wide for its pretty streets. Since then substantial cement sidewalks have taken the place of the old plank walks and many miles of paving have helped the appearance of the streets.
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AURORA NEWSPAPERS.
Newspapers are supposed to not only direct public thought. but to reflect the public sentiment of the locality in which they are published. This is particularly true of papers in small places, which, of late, do not aspire to the direction of national policies. Indeed, it is difficult to tell who or what directs the policies of a nation. Principles are living forces which take hold of men and control them, and are not shaped or controlled by men.
On the 30th of January, 1907, James Shaw, city librarian, an old news- paper man, read before the first annual meeting of the Aurora Historical Society a carefully prepared essay on the history of Aurora newspapers. The amount of time and research given to the preparation of this paper, by so able a hand, justifies liberal extracts from it :
Three newspapers were published in Aurora during the fifth decade of the nineteenth century. The first of these, established in 1846, by C. and G. Ingham, was the Aurora Democrat. Number I of the Democrat bore date August 6, 1846. In politics it declared itself to be "Democratic as understood by the Jefferson and Jackson school." The Aurora public library is the for- tunate possessor of the first three numbers of this paper, presented to it by Mr. George F. Sheldon. Very little information can now be obtained of the Aurora Democrat. Few of the histories of early Aurora mention it. Its life was probably short.
The second paper to be established here was called The l'eople's Platform .. It was started later in the same year. In politics the Platform was also Demo- cratic. It found that Aurora was not large enough then to support a paper, and it was soon removed to St. Charles, then a larger and more promising town. It continued to be published in St. Charles, under different names, but ceased publication shortly after the presidential campaign of 1860.
Thus far failure had attended the efforts to establish a newspaper in Aurora. This should occasion little surprise. It was a community then of not exceeding five hundred inhabitants. Its wealth was all in anticipation. Some earnest spirits felt, however, that the place, small though it was, ought to have a paper, and, undeterred by previous failures, on June 1, 1847, M. V. and B. F. Hall, brothers, and bankers, launched the Weekly Beacon.
THE BEACON.
In its early years the Beacon experienced almost every vicissitude that can beset the career of a newspaper. But it survived them all. It proved its right to life by living. In its politics it for some time presented a singular spectacle. M. V. Hall was a bitter whig. B. F. Hall was an out-and-out democrat. Diversity of politics in partnerships in other lines of business, has not been unusual, and it has often been regarded as quite an advantage. But it was certainly a novelty in the newspaper business, the chief object of which, in those days, was to tell the people what ticket to vote.
For some time the Beacon did not know on which side of the political fence it stood; or, rather, it frankly stood on both sides. It presented to its
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readers two political departments, in one of which whig principles were adve- cated, and in the other democratic doctrines were expounded. Finally B. F. Ilall disposed of his interest in the paper to his brother. The Beacon then ceased to be "a house divided against itself," and was thenceforward a whig paper till the organization of the republican party, when it warmly espoused the principles of that party.
In the winter of 1853-4 James W. Randall and his brother Dudley pur- chased the Beacon. Previous to this, the paper had been published on the West side, but the office was now removed to the East side. The Randalls were succeeded by a number of proprietors, who followed each other in rapid succession. Among these may be named William Goldy, a very excellent job printer; N. S. Greenwood, of Waterman, DeKalb county, a farmer of literary inclinations ; George Brewster, an erratic Chicago editor.
On September 6, 1856. the Beacon establishment put forth a daily paper with A. C. Gibson as editor, and J. W. Randall and N. S. Greenwood as pub- lishers. That was the year of the Fremont campaign, and no doubt the Beacon people had high hopes of success for their venture, founded on the enthusiasm generated by the first national contest in which the new republican party engaged. But Fremont was not elected president, and a daily paper proved to be beyond the resources of the Aurora of that day.
On the last day of April, 1857, the daily edition of the Beacon ceased publication. Seventeen years passed before a daily paper was successfully established in Aurora; and it was thirty-four years before the staunch old Beacon made another venture in the daily newspaper field.
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