USA > Illinois > Jasper County > Sainte Marie > History of Sainte Marie, Saint Mary's Church and Sainte Marie Township, Precincts 1 and 2, Jasper County, Illinois, celebrating [the quasquicentennial] Sept. 1, 2, 3, 1962 > Part 2
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The Sisters of Providence, Rennes, France, were en- gaged by Mr. Picquet to come to Sainte Marie to teach school but instead of coming to this backwoods, they settled in what is now St. Mary's of the Woods, Vigo County, Indiana. When the Sisters of Providence of Rennes, France, arrived in Vincennes, Ind., Bishop De La Hollandier decided they should locate in what is now St. Mary of the Woods in Indiana. When the diocese was divided by the state line, they were in Indiana.
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Jacques Picquet Brick House in 1844
In 1844 a brick house that could be rightly called a mansion was built in Sainte Marie by Jacques or James Picquet Sr. The bricks were moulded and burned in a brick kiln on the premises. The huge doors and windows were sent from France to the Sisters of Providence, who were supposedly located in Sainte Marie but located in- stead in what is now st. Mary's of the Woods. They were then used in the Picquet mansion. The interior woodwork and paneling were of native walnut. It was considered at that time to be the finest house all the way from Chicago to St. Louis. At this time the whole Picquet family lived there.
About five years ago the two top stories were taken down by the present owners, Albert and Harold Hartrich, great grand nephews of the builder, Jacques Picquet. The first floor of the old mansion is still in use. The village grew and prospered. Forests were cleared away, farms came into being. The people were proud of the fine live- stock they could raise the grain and gardens they could grow.
Water and Wagon Route
A general store was started by Joseph Picquet. The goods were brought all the way from Pittsburgh, Pa., by steamboat to Evansville, Ind., then by wagon to Sainte Marie. A grist mill was in operation, farmers coming from as far as Teutopolis to have their grain ground, their wheat into flour and their corn into meal.
Pete Faller, assisted by two sons, Clem and Pete, had a tannery yard located on the river east of Sainte Marie. The tannic acid found in the bark of the oak trees was used as a processing agent to separate the hair from the hides.
The original house of the Fallers is still occupied. Mr. and Mrs. Loren Bricker own and live in it. The Dr. James Picquet house was taken down two years ago by Mr. and Mrs. Coelestin Nix, who have since built a lovely home on that site. Only three names of the founding fathers remain in Sainte Marie, James Picquet, grandson of Jacques Picquet, James Hipp, grandson of Xavier Hipp, and seven Hartrich families, all descendants of Theodore Hartrich.
Men of Area Built Railroad; Loss Was Severe Blow, But Not Fatal
At the time Jasper County was surveyed and county lines were established it was planned for Sainte Marie to be the county seat, but the laying of the railroad through Newton made that the most important village. In 1870 a railroad was laid through Sainte Marie, the C., H. & D. The men of the village and surrounding community worked long hours placing the ties and laying the heavy rails, all without pay just to get the railroad through their village. Huge shipments of logs, lumber, livestock and grain justified their efforts. There were two passen- ger trains and two freight trains daily.
The passenger train came from Olney at 8:20 A. M. and went south at 4:20 P. M. As in most small towns and villages it became a favorite pastime to go to the depot to see the trains come in. The railroad ran north and south, just west of where the Parish hall now stands. Of course, with all the shipping of livestock, corn, wheat and hay, there was always a string of box cars on the track waiting to be used. Here was an ideal place for the boys in school to settle their disputes. They didn't dare
fight on the school grounds so "I'll meet you down behind the box cars" became a familiar phrase. More than one grade school boy went home with a black eye or a bloody nose. Remembering about it now makes one whoop with laughter, but at that time it was deadly serious business.
The depot, too, was an intriguing place, so many interesting packages and boxes. This was before R.F.D., Rural Free Delivery, so almost everything too large for a mail box had to come by express. The "Wish Books" like those of Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Ward did a thriving business. The waiting room had a huge iron pot-bellied stove, and on a cold day it usually glowed red with all the hickory chunks poked into it. We kids stood fascinated as the express agent tapped a few little keys, then told us the message they sent. We thought him one of the most learned people in the world, to be able to work a Morse code telegraph machine.
Years passed, World War I was raging, many of the young men were away in the armed forces, not much shipping was done along the line, steel was badly needed and the railroad which their ancestors had worked so hard to help build was taken up.
The people of the community mourned the passing of the railroad. Depression was over the whole country, and Sainte Marie, like so many other small towns, sort of went to seed.
Again years passed and a second World War came. More young men than ever were in the armed forces. Those left behind worked twice as hard to do their share and that of those away.
Veterans Add Life
When the war was over and the young men returned, it seemed that the whole community took a new lease on life. The young soldiers, weary of far-away places, took over farms, built new homes or made over old ones, fer- tilized the fields, grew better crops and livestock than their ancestors dreamed of. Others built homes in town, found work or went into business for themselves. No longer did they mourn the railroad. They took pride in a paved road running west to join State Route 130 and a blacktop road north to Route 49 where trucks could roll at a moment's notice.
Alblinger and Kirts built a new garage, then a hard- ware store. Both are outstanding in their lines. Tractors, plows, discs, corn pickers and combines were in demand. The Hamer Stone Implement Co. was established and began doing a thriving business, now known as the Kocher Implement Co.
The old Spitzer blacksmith shop, where the farmers liked to gather on cold or rainy days to talk crops or live- stock, while thousands of plow shears were sharpened and hundreds of horses were shod, is no more. Hartrich Bros. elevator and feed mill has taken over the corner.
At the north end of town Gowin's feed mill is doing a thriving business, and Bob Swisher's new filling station is a delight to the eye.
The new school is still very modern, a new parish house came next and the parish hall was completely done over.
First Priest Ordained in U. S.
Sometime ago while talking about our 125th celebra- tion of Sainte Marie and Sainte Mary's Church, someone remarked "I don't see how you can get so steamed up about little old dinky Sainte Marie". Suppose we stop
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for a moment, and take a good look at "how dinky Sainte Marie is".
When once those old French gentlemen had a little cabin built for a Church, they invited a missionary from Vincennes to come and bless it and read the first Mass there. Father Stophen Theodore Badin was the one who came. Father Badin was the first priest ordained in the United States. Archbishop Carroll of Baltimore, Md., ordained him. Bishop Carroll's cousin, Charles Carroll, signed the Declaration of Independence.
Sainte Marie had the first Church and first free school for miles around. People came from five counties around to have their children baptized. Sainte Marie had the first store, first post office and the first grist mill. People came from as far away as Teutopolis to have their wheat ground into flour, and corn into meal. The first sawmill was also here.
When those three old gentlemen, Joseph Picquet, Ferdinand Hartrich and Etienne Laver, went to Palestine to buy their 12,000 acres, after trying to describe just where this land lay, the recorder told them "Everything is open, you can buy land all the way to the Canadian border". Sainte Marie is part of the early history of the State of Illinois.
Father Stephen Badin came a number of times to Sainte Marie to care for the spiritual needs of the little colony. He blessed many little log churches up and down the Wabash Valley. His tomb is made of stone, fashioned to look like a log cabin. It even has wild vines growing over it as no doubt many of the little log cabin churches did. It is on the grounds of the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame or South Bend, Ind. There is also a mosaic on the cast porch of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D. C. It depicts two men in a canoc. The one in the bow of the boat, a rugged indi- vidual, wcars a coon-skin cap and holds a rifle, while the other, pushing off from shore, wears a long dark garb and round low hat of the carly missionary. The vegeta- tion in the background could be found along the banks of the Wabash or Embarras anywhere.
Sainte Marie Township Precinct 2
Sainte Marie Township itself is larger than most townships. It takes in possibly seven miles north and south and six miles east and west and 26,359 acres. The Embarras River cuts across it diagonally, and the North Fork River flows into the Embarras in Sec. 32, Town 6, Range 14, and the land is owned by J. L. (Jackie) Wade. The older residents will recognize this land as the "Hoff- man Bend".
It's just possible this is the "Bend" that is responsible for the original name of "Dark Bend" for without ques- tion this must have been a very dark bend indeed with its towering trees and thick underbrush. This is outside of the river levee, and overflows very quickly when the Embarras and the North Fork are on the rampage. Here is where the levee broke in several places in 1957, causing almost irreparable damage.
Almost all little communities have a story behind them and the story of how "Dark Bend" came to be is as follows:
"The bend of the river was so dark, and the under- brush so thick it made a good hiding place for horse thieves and robbers. Once they had gained this hiding place they were safe from the law, for no sheriff was brave enough to go in after them. Years went by. The
forests were cut down, the lumber used to build fine homes, the land cleared of stumps, was tilled and made into good farm land, and the word "Dark" has been dropped from the "Bend".
Here many fine folk live. Driving along their well- kept roads and seeing their crops and fine livestock, no one would believe this little community had such a grim beginning. Some of the names that have been in the community since its very beginning were Yager, Kraus, Michl, Beasler, Geiger, Rennier, Lobmire, Mennacher, Ochs, Kerner, Boehl, Helford and Fisher.
St. Valentine's Parish
Almost every story of a little community begins with a church, and so it was with the "Bend". For years the people of the "Bend" belonged to the congregation in Sainte Marie. They would drive or walk the distance, some times cutting across Grandfather Huber's farm, opening and closing the heavy gates, because, of course,
the farm was fenced. When they walked they would cross the Embarras in a boat. This went on for a number of years. Then in 1891 Valentine Kraus and his wife, Magdalen, donated three acres of ground on which to build a Church. They also gave $4,000, in those days a large sum of money, to help buy the necessary materials.
The whole community worked with a will, and before long, a neat little white country church was built. When it was dedicated it was named St. Valentine's. Holy Mass was read once a month by priests from Sainte Marie. St. Valentine's was now a mission church of Sainte Mary's in Sainte Marie. In 1910 St. Valentine's parish was estab- lished and a rectory was built for a resident pastor.
The first resident pastor was Rev. Henry H. B. Prost, who had been assistant to Rev. Father Virnich at Saint Mary's in Sainte Marie. Fr. Prost changed the name of St. Valentine to "Most Holy Redeemer". He was in charge of the little congregation for three years. After he was transferred Fr. Gormly of the Teutopolis Fran- ciscan Novitiate came to hold services for the little con- gregation once each Sunday.
Father Ladinski was also an assistant to Rev. P. J. Virnich and took care of the St. Valentine's parish. It had now been changed back to its original name, St. Valentine, by Rev. Charles Flori.
Rev. Flori was resident pastor for several years, then followed Rev. Paul Reinfels, Rev. Francis Meyers, Rev. Bernard Wubbe, Rev. Fredrick Neneling, Rev. Oscar Schubert, who was with the little parish the longest (11 years), Rev. Francis Corrigan (five years), Rev. John Bertman (two years), Rev. Walter Deppish (seven years), and Rev. Anthony J. Cepanio, one year. With so few priests to care for them the small parish suffered and again the little parish of St. Valentine's is a mission of St. Mary's in Sainte Marie.
It is regrettable, too, for in 1953 St. Valentine's Parish built a Parish Hall complete with dining room and kitchen. Here the little community held their church picnics on . the beautifully kept grounds surrounding the church and hall. Here, too, they serve delicious chicken and beef dinners that people come for miles around to enjoy. We sincerely hope the day soon comes when St. Valentine's has a resident pastor again.
The first school was on land donated by Henry John- son in 1878, where the present brick school is. It was called Newlin school, nicknamed "Wild Cat". When school quit, the land was to go to the owners, and Leonard
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Johnson owns it now. Teachers were Bill Bartram, Flor- ence Fithian, Mrs. Jess Wright, Lulu Carbon, George J. Wise, Hiram G. Miller, Ervin L. Graham, Minnie Curry, Lela Sloan, Bessie Jackson, Mable Catt and Josephine Dart. I am indebted to J. N. Yost for names and dates of church and school in Bend community. Since then I've learned why the Newlin school got the name "Wild Cat".
Back in the 1870's and 80's boys were needed at home on the farms until the crops were gathered and a huge pile of fire wood was cut, so it was always about the first of December before they were free to go to school. Again in the spring they left school about the last of February to help fix fences and otherwise get ready for the farming season, so, of course, they lost out in their education, but they made up for it by going several extra winter terms. Most of them were 17 or 18 years old and all bigger than their teacher.
It was customary for the teacher to treat the scholars before the holidays to bags of peanuts and candy. One teacher at the Newlin School refused to do this so the big boys took him out, held him under the pump and pumped water on his head until they almost drowned him. When the older folks heard of the escapade someone remarked, "What else could you expect of those "Wild Cats?" From then on the Newlin School was nicknamed "Wild Cat" School. Little did they know such youngsters a few generations later would be called "cool cats" and have a "pad"!
In September, 1876, Xavier Michl and his wife Theresa Michl donated one-half acre of land for school purposes. When the school quit the land was to revert to the owner. August Michl owns it now. Michl School was built in 1877. In 1921 a new and more modern school was built.
First teacher in 1877 was S. F. Laugel. Other teach- ers in the Michl School were Anna Mae Murphy, Ellen Pictor, Celia Osthimer, James Kaufmann, E. J. Gangloff, Alex Gangloff, Henry Worland, John J. Alblinger, Bert Mattingly, Paul McCullough, Mary Kraus, Henry Kirts, Leona Geiger and Katherine Kerick.
In 1892 land was bought from Joe Ward for this school. The first school was built in 1893. In 1936 a new and modern school was built. First teacher in 1893 was Nannie Trainor. Others were Lulu Carbon, E. J. Gang- loff, Bertha Cummins, Rosie Matson, Dora Morgan, Clyde Catt, John J. Alblinger, Nora Phillips, Mary Krause and Carl Stanley. John J. Fisher now owns the land.
South Bend School
In 1895 land was bought by the school district from Charles and Hannah Legg to build a school. It must have been built in 1896 and was the only school built in this section. The first teacher in 1896 was Bud Dalton. Others were Grace Ames, Bill Adams, Hiram Miller, Dollie Brown, Herman McCormick, Clyde Catt, Roy Linder, Henry Kirts and Katherine Kerick. The land is now owned by Hamer Stone.
Mr. J. N. Yost continues:
"From what I can find, some school districts were large with many children. The school on land now owned by Hamer Stone served a large district. There were too many children for the school building, so the district was divided. That was when Scott school started. Some of the Michl District was added to Scott, also from South Bend. Thus Scott and South Bend School.
"All four schools, Newlin, Michl, Scott and South
Bend in the Bend community were consolidated in 1919 to form District 210 with Crawford County, Martin Town- ship, Section 1, Town 5, Range 14. The school building was started in 1949 and completed in 1950. School was held in the new building at the start of the fall term in September, 1950."
The first South Bend Congregational Christian Church was built in 1885. The present building was erected in 1895. Land was donated by Joseph Reigle. They have a pastor who comes twice a month-second and fourth Sun- days. They have Sunday School every Sunday at 9:30 A. M. and on the second and fourth Sundays they have preaching after Sunday School, and also at 7:00 o'clock on those Sunday evenings.
Their regular attendance is not large, around 20 to 30. Many of the congregation have died, others moved away. The South Bend is not so thickly settled as it used to be. Being a farming community, one farmer with modern machinery can farm so many more acres, thus small farms where big families used to work and live are now made into large farms and the people left to find their fortunes elsewhere. This, too, is a pity for a fine little community like the South Bend people should have continued to live here and prosper.
History of Sainte Marie Schools
Joseph Picquet tried continually to get a religious order to come to Sainte Marie. In 1861 the St. Joseph Sisters of Corondolet, Mo., came to take charge of the school. They were recalled in 1871 and Geo. Hubert of Evansville, Ind., took charge of the school.
In the mansion vacated by the St. Joseph Sisters, an infirmary was established in 1880 by the Sisters of Chari- ty who cared for a number of aged patients as well as going about in the community helping care for the sick.
By 1893 there were so many children of grade school age in the congregation that the whole building was made into a Parochial School and the Ursuline Nuns of Alton, Ill., were engaged to teach the school. They continued to teach until the school was consolidated in 1947. The new school was built in 1938, using much of the funds left to the school by Joseph Kaufmann, the first child baptized in Sainte Marie.
A square or block almost in the center of the town is where you will find the Church, School, Parish House and Parish Hall surrounded by a park. Here is where the Labor Day picnic is held on the first Monday in Septem- ber every year. Hundreds of former residents come hun- dreds of miles to see the old home town and visit with their relatives and friends.
Across the street south is the village park given by Joseph Picquet when the village was laid out in 1847. Shaded by fine old maple tree's on four sides, a baseball diamond is the center of attraction. Sainte Marie has always had a baseball team. The Saints have always given a good account of themselves, each year winning more games than they lost.
Sainte Marie Consolidated School School District No. 10
Changes come to all things, so it was with the school system in Sainte Marie. For more than 100 years the school was Parochial, taught by Nuns from different
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orders, then a new order of affairs swept the country. The little red school house was obsolete, schools were consolidated.
A new brick school was built in Sainte Marie. Parish owned, but rented to the state, it was to be state super- vised, but nuns continued to teach.
In September, 1947, the following districts were con- solidated, the students being brought in each day by bus: Districts 105, Raeftown; 104, North Bend; 91, Pond Grove; 90, Assumption; 77, Ochs; 73, Dallmier; 74, Kessler; 79, Greenwood; and in 1948 and 1949 parts of 106, South Bend, and 78, Richards, were added.
The new brick school has four classrooms, office and library with kitchen and lunchroom in the basement. The Public School building in the same block is also used. Here fifth, sixth and seventh grades are taught in the two large classrooms. A music room for band, and a shop where youngsters are taught to use tools are in the basement. A fine playground and park surround and connect the two schools, making it all a fine arrangement for the 181 pupils who attend Sainte Marie Consolidated School.
Directors for the Sainte Marie Consolidated School District are: President, Lawrence Huber; secretary, Nor- bert Sheridan; Richard Hunzinger, Theodore Kocher, Dan Ochs, Francis Wagner and Marion Kapper.
Members of the faculty are: Sister Mary Valeria Early, principal, grade 8, Sainte Marie; Sister Marie Grant, grades 1 and 2, Sainte Marie; Sister Ruthanne Huss, grade 3, Sainte Marie; Mrs. Helen Baker, grade 4, Newton; Vincent Keller, grades 5 and 6, West Liberty; Henry J. Kirts, assistant principal, grade 7, Sainte Marie; Mrs. Genevieve Wilson, music, Thursday and Friday morn- ings, Newton; school nurse, Mrs. Maxine Hartrich, Sainte Marie; secretary, Mrs. Melba Rose Sheridan, West Liberty.
In 1936 a Mothers' Club was organized in the school by Mrs. Ferdinand Hartrich. The primary motives were: First, to hold meetings where the parents could talk to the teachers, who then were the Ursuline Nuns of Alton, concerning any problem that might come up in the school; and secondly, a long range plan to have at some time a hot lunch program for the students of the school. The club has continued to operate, and all this and much more has been accomplished. A kitchen and dining room have been outfitted in the basement of the school, and the students have a nutritious lunch at a nominal cost.
Sainte Marie Public Schools 1916-1946
During World War I there was an increasing interest in high school education and the State Legislature passed high school district laws to meet the demands. Along with this there was developed the two-year, one-room high school concept. Following this there was a wave of high school district elections formulating districts. Willow Hill interests formed a district which included territory south to Sainte Marie. Following this Sainte Marie inter- ests formed a four year High School District east and south to the county line and west to beyond West Liberty.
The Sainte Marie High School opened its first year in the fall of 1916 in the old two-room Weber Hardware Store building. The elementary school building was be- coming unsafe and four years later they moved the grades to the north room of this old store building. Local interest in the High School grew rapidly and had a strong local support. However, the District area was off-center for Sainte Marie and it was seen that the area would not
justify the construction of a four year high school build- ing. As the result of a petition the high school district was voted out in 1921 and the area reverted to non-high school territory.
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