USA > Illinois > Stephenson County > History of Stephenson County, Illinois : a record of its settlement, organization, and three-quarters of a century of progress > Part 68
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The association is in a flourishing condition at the present time and has a large membership. The building is one of the ornaments of Freeport, and is now entirely free from debt. The whole property is valued at about $40,000.
Y. M. C. A.
The annual reports of the Young Men's Christian Association give some idea of the extensive part played by this organization in the life of Freeport.
552
HISTORY OF STEPHENSON COUNTY
The report, April 30, 1910, follows :
Men
Boys
Total
Number of paid-up bona-fide members ...... 236
180
416
:
Number of different paid-up or bona-fide members, entire year .260
185
545
Active members (members of Evangelical churches ) I68
40
208
Members engaged in industrial occupations .. 70 Average daily attendance at rooms or building. 163
25
95
Number of socials, dinners, teas, banquets ... 5
8
13
Total attendance at above social events. .... 600
490
1,090
Paid entertainments
3
Dormitory rooms
7
Dormitory capacity
12
Dormitory occupants
12
Directed to rooms outside building
IO
Number of boy members in High School
57
Number of boy members in Grammar School I02
Number of boy members at work
21
THE PHYSICAL DEPARTMENT.
Men
Boys
Total
Number of different members using physical department
127
177
304
Number enrolled in class work.
I27
177
304
Number of sessions held
255
284
539
Total attendance all gynasium classes ... . 3,671
5,208
8,879
Total attendance of all physical privileges. 14,173
12,160 26,279 Work for different groups: Young men, 59; business men, 23; high school boys, 52; basket ball teams, 17; volley ball teams, 4.
The Hiker's Club took seven hikes.
BOYS' SUMMER CAMP.
Mr. A. R. Buffin conducted fifty-six boys in a ten day camp on Rock River, near Beloit. These camps have been remarkably successful and have been main- tained by Mr. Buffin several years without accident or anything to mar the pleasure and benefit of the outing.
The physical department of the Y. M. C. A. has been remarkably fortunate in recent years in having at its head such men as Leroy Rogers and Frank Rogers and the present very efficient director, Mr. Chas. E. Smith.
EDUCATIONAL DEPARTMENT.
The reading room contains forty-five magazines for men and five for boys and the Chicago, St. Louis and the Freeport newspapers. At intervals the Y. M. C. A. has attempted night school work but has never met with very grati- fying success. The reading rooms are well occupied and the library of the boys' department is put to good use.
75
238
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HISTORY OF STEPHENSON COUNTY
RELIGIOUS WORK.
Mr. Chester Hoefer is chairman of the religious work committee. During the year 1909-10, thirty men were enrolled in Bible study classes, and eighty- seven boys, making a total of one hundred and seventeen. Fifteen of the boys are high school students. The total number of religious meetings for the year was one hundred and four. The average attendance of the boys' meeting was sixty-five; the men twenty-five. Ten meetings for men and one for boys were held outside of the building.
Y. M. C. A. PROPERTY.
The association owns the building, the value of which is $40,000. The lot is valued at $10,000; the general furniture, $500; dormitory equipment, $300; gymnasium equipment, $400. The association pays tax on rooms rented for business and carries $16,000 insurance.
BOYS' DEPARTMENT.
The boys' department of the Y. M. C. A. probably makes the best showing of any of the departments, the membership being one hundred and eighty- seven, with an average attendance at the Sunday afternoon meetings of sixty- five. This department is under the management of Mr. A. R. Buffin, to whom is due the credit for building up the department.
His life among the boys in Freeport, in and out of the association, is an ex- ample of the highest type; the unselfish and noble-minded spirit. It goes with- out saying, that he exerts more influence of a permanent character for good among the boys and young men than any other influences combined.
The new secretary has just begun his work, but he has made a good impres- sion and the future of the Y. M. C. A. looks brighter than at any time in its history. It has back of it the encouragement of the best business men of the city.
LADIES' AUXILIARY Y. M. C. A.
Of the small handful of earnest workers who banded together to form the Ladies' Auxiliary of the Y. M. C. A. in 1882, not one is today alive. The work which they did has lasted, however, and the organization is now in a prosperous and healthy condition. All the early records of the auxiliary have been either lost or destroyed, and to find anything concerning the conditions under which it was formed, or the early activities has been not only a difficult but a fruit- less task.
The aim of the Ladies' Auxiliary has always been to cooperate with the of- ficers of the Young Men's Christian Association, and aid, in whatever ways have been possible, in making their work easier, better directed, or more pro- ductive. They have, for instance, taken up themselves the labor of caring for the dormitories in the Y. M. C. A. building, and have shouldered the care of the various banquets which are given by the association.
At various times when the association has been hard pressed for funds, the Ladies' Auxiliary has been very active in raising money. At the dedication of the Y. M. C. A. building, which was presided over by the famous Evangelist
554
HISTORY OF STEPHENSON COUNTY
Moody, a very dramatic scene is said to have occurred. One of the members of the Y. M. C. A. who had been very active in the work, announced to the au- dience the fact that the treasury was bare, and the building was still oppressed with a heavy debt. He called for voluntary subscriptions, but there was only a feeble and half-hearted response. Again and again he called, but there was apparently no enthusiasm. Finally, disheartened by the lack of willingness and generosity, he burst into tears, to the immediate and general consternation of the audience. In an instant one of the members of the Ladies' Auxiliary was on her feet. "We will help you," she cried, "the ladies will help you!" Her enthusiasm was infectious, and the rest of the society immediately caught some- thing of her energy and earnestness. Then and there they subscribed a large sum of money, which they duly paid. At various times since they have aided the Y. M. C. A. by subscribing sums of money.
When "Billy" Sunday held his famous revival meetings in Freeport in 1906, he was instrumental in starting an agitation to pay off the entire indebtedness of the association. About eleven thousand dollars was raised, of which the Ladies' Auxiliary promised to pay one thousand. This voluntary subscription has now been entirely paid, a fact which gives some idea of the energy and enthusiasm of that body, in spite of the fewness of its numbers.
From a mere handful, the membership of the Ladies' Auxiliary has swelled to thirty-five active members in good standing. The officers for the present year are : President, Mrs. Dexter A. Knowlton; vice president, Mrs. Z. T. F. Runner; secretary, Miss Harriet Carnefix ; treasurer, Miss Mary Swanzey.
. FREEPORT PUBLIC LIBRARY.
The early history of the Freeport public library is of extreme interest. The institution now known as the Freeport public library had its origin in the "Young Men's Library Association," the origin of which was due to a religious revival held in the city of Freeport during the winter of 1874-75. The original members of the association were the members of a Sunday school class in the First Presbyterian church, the teacher of which was Miss Winnie L. Taylor. The names of the members were:
George M. Sheetz, Jacob Stine, D. W. C. Miller, H. A. Swanzey, W. A. Stine, E. H. Becker, Albert Chamberlain, C. C. Wolf, George W. Brown, W. H. Diffenbaugh, R. J. Hazlett.
As these young men complained that they had no place to spend their even- ings, Miss Taylor conceived the idea of starting a reading room where they should have an opportunity of meeting evenings, and passing the time pleasantly and profitably. Each of the members of the class subscribed $10, and several lectures and benefit entertainments were held for the benefit of the new library. Rev. Robert Collyer delivered his lecture on "Clear Grit." Hon. W. B. Fair- field, and Rev. E. E. Hall gave readings for the benefit of the venture, and $75 in voluntary contributions from public spirited citizens of Freeport was secured.
The first contribution of which there is any record was that of Mrs. John R. Walsh, of Chicago, who gave $50. Mrs. Walsh was a friend of the Taylors of Freeport, and while visiting at their home, Miss Winnie Taylor, the originator of
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LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
555
HISTORY OF STEPHENSON COUNTY
the library project, succeeding in interesting her in the enterprise. The first contribution of a Freeport citizen was that of Pells Manny, who gave, entirely unsolicited, the sum of $500. In all a total of about $700 was realized, which was invested in substantially bound copies of the standard authors.
Rooms were secured for the Young Men's Library Association in Fry's block, which were fitted up in the nature of club rooms, and for a while patron- ized only by the young men who had started the library. Presently the gen- eral public became so interested that it was deemed advisable to open the li- brary one afternoon each week to the public at large. Saturday afternoons were ever after reserved for outsiders, and the library was presided over by Miss Winnie Taylor, as librarian. The association occupied different rooms. Besides the one above mentioned, which was in Fry's block, rooms were fitted up in McNamara's building, on Stephenson street, and for one year, the asso- ciation was given the use of quarters in the residence of Oscar Taylor, rent free.
. Such was the history of the Young Men's Library Association. Not until fourteen years after its organization was the first Freeport public library for- mally instituted. In 1889, the first library board was appointed by Mayor Charles Nieman, and on March 30 of that year they held their first meting in the council room of the city hall. The first board consisted of Miss Winnie Tay- lor, P. H. Murphy, E. P. Barton, Henry Lichtenberger, Will R. Malburn, S. D. Atkins, Miss Mary E. Holder, B. T. Buckley, and D. C. Stover. S. D. Atkins was elected president, and Miss Mary E. Holder was made secretary. Shortly after the organization, Will R. Malburn resigned, and his position was filled by G. W. Warner.
On January 27, 1890, the present by-laws of the association were drawn up, providing for the appointment of a librarian. Up to that time there had been no regular librarian. The library had been conducted under the old regu- lations of the Young Men's Library Association, it had been open on Saturday afternoons only, and Miss Winnie Taylor had officiated as unpaid librarian.
When the Y. M. C. A. building was built, the city offered to furnish the building stone for the first story and basement of the structure, providing the association would furnish quarters for housing the Freeport public library. This the Y. M. C. A. agreed to do, and as soon as they were finished the public library moved in, opened on May 2, 1890, and continued to occupy the rooms for about ten years. The rooms were located on the first floor, with an en- trance on the Walnut street side of the building, which has since been done away with. These quarters were never large enough for the library, from the very beginning, and they steadily became more unsatisfactory. The library grew very rapidly. Miss Harriet Lane, who had been first appointed sole librarian, soon found the duties of her position too arduous to assume alone, and the services of an assistant librarian was required. Miss Minna Kunz filled the position for a short time, and later Miss Eva Milner was engaged as substitute librarian.
All the while that the library occupied the Y. M. C. A. rooms, the Y. M. C. A. itself was growing, and found the quarters which it occupied too cramped. By mutual consent, the association and library decided to separate as soon as
556
HISTORY OF STEPHENSON COUNTY
a way could be conveniently found. When the new city hall was built, it seemed that the time had come. The city agreed to fit up the second floor for library purposes, and did so, but the result was so highly unsatisfactory that the library board decided to give up the use of the room without delay. The place was not only small, but it was entirely unsuited for library purposes. It has always been regretted by the Freeport people that such a step was ever contemplated, for the city hall is at present marred by a cycle of literary names, which are inscribed in the red sandstone under the eaves. The idea is pre- sumably to give evidence of the fact that a library is housed in the city hall building, but as the library never took possession of those quarters the inscrip- tions are manifestly inappropriate and out of place.
About 1900 the building of a new building for the exclusive occupancy of the Freport public library was contemplated, and it was decided to build one. But nothing was done for some months, until the crowded condition of the quarters in the Y. M. C. A. building made it imperative that relief should be found at once. It was about the time that Andrew Carnegie instituted the practice of donating money for the building of libraries, and the great philan- thropist was solicited for a contribution for the Freeport public library. He magnanimously presented the library board with the sum of $30,000, which, however, was insufficient for the building. When completed, the present library building cost in the neighborhood of $40,000. The additional $10,000 was do- nated in part by Dr. W. S. Caldwell, who left a legacy of $2,500 to the library, and in part by subscriptions at large among the philanthropic citizens of Free- port. The board of education leased a suite of rooms on the second story of the building for a period of ten years, at a rental of $12 per month. This helped to pay something toward the library expenses also.
The new library building was opened September 4, 1902. It is unques- tionably the handsomest of the public buildings of Freeport. The building is built of red colonial brick with stone trimmings. Vines which were planted when the building was built, eight years ago, have completely overrun the sides and rear of the structure, giving the whole an attractive and picturesque appearance.
The first floor and basement of the building are given over to the Freport public library, and contain the reading rooms, storerooms and stack rooms of the circulating and reference departments. The second floor is occupied in part by the board of education rooms. The east room is given up to the His- torical Museum of Stephenson County.
Plans are being made to move the children's room to the second story of the library, install the reading room in the apartment now occupied by the chil- dren's room, and turn the present reading room into a reference room. When the contemplated improvements are accomplished, the library will be more conveniently arranged. The equipment, as concerns shelving, etc., is modern in every particular. The shelves of the main stack room are metallic, and were made by the Fenton Metallic Company, of Jamestown, New York. The Free- port public library is also a government depository, and receives all public doc- uments and congressional records from Washington.
557
HISTORY OF STEPHENSON COUNTY
The late Robert R. Hitt, congressman from this district, always took a deep interest in the welfare of the Freeport public library, and it is largely due to his efforts that the collection of public documents is so complete as it is today. His successor, Frank O. Lowden, has also been of great assistance in filling out the collection of government pamphlets and congressional records. These various documents are stored in the basement of the library and occupy about half of that department.
The library is in charge of six able and experienced librarians. Miss Har- ton, Lane, who is head librarian, has been connected with the institution ever since its organization as the Freeport public library. She is assisted by Miss Eva Milner, reference librarian; Miss Ruth Hughes, children's librarian; and Miss Marguerite Davenport, Mrs. Harvey Hartman, and Miss Emma Bur- ton, substitute librarians.
The library today contains about twenty-eight thousand volumes in its various departments, not including the government document division. The records of the past year show that over sixty-six thousand volumes were drawn from the library. Sixty or more periodicals are taken by the Freeport library, and can be consulted in the reading room. Files are kept of all the Freeport daily papers. The library has at various times received large legacies of libraries from Freeport citizens. Among the largest collections have been the libraries of Horatio C. Burchard and E. P. Barton.
The library board consists of nine members, appointed by the mayor of the city. The board at present in charge consists of O. P. Wright, president ; Fred Wagner, secretary; L. L. Munn, treasurer; L. Z. Farwell, Miss Winnie Taylor, Addison Bidwell, Joseph Barron, Harry Hineline, and Robert D. Kuehner, members.
LIBRARY.
The Freeport public library has had a rapid growth since its establishment in 1890. The annual report of the librarian for June, 1891, shows that the library then contained four thousand, six hundred and seventy-three volumes. A systematic method of increasing the number of volumes followed and the annual report of 1910 shows that the library now contains twenty-eight thou- sand, one hundred and twelve volumes.
Miss Lane, the efficient librarian, keeps thoroughly posted on new books and the library will be found at all times to be abreast of the times. The needs of organizations, such as churches, schools, the Shakespeare Society, Culture Club, Woman's Club, D. A. R., etc., are given considerable atten- tion and books and magazines are added to supply the wants of these and other organizations.
A comparison of the reports of 1891 and 1910 affords some interesting con- trasts : In 1891, thirty thousand, three hundred and fifty-one volumes were loaned; in 1910, sixty-four thousand, two hundred and sixty-nine.
Itemized lists follow :
:
Philosophy
(1891) (1910) 446
-
Fiction
16,602
40,99I .
558
HISTORY OF STEPHENSON COUNTY
Juvenile
10,400
12,246
Travel
958
1,069
Poetry
265
....
History
864
1,066
Science
284
826
Biography
334
866
German
194
Religion
106
619
Essays
152
.
. .
Language
57
. .. .
Art and music
I35
. ...
Literature
1,505
Useful arts
579
Fun arts
...
450
Philology
3
Foreign literature
1,646
Current periodicals
807
Sociology
...
1,150
...
.
THE HOSPITALS OF FREEPORT.
The hospitals of Freport are three in number: St. Francis, the Globe Hos- pital, and the White Sanitorium. All are elegant in their appointments, and for comfort and general completeness of equipment are hardly surpassed by any similar institutions in a town of the size of Freeport. The oldest of the three, St. Francis Hospital, is maintained by the Catholic sisters of St. Francis, and supported by the congregation of St. Joseph's German Catholic church.
St. Francis Hospital is located on that beautiful natural eminence known as Walnut Hill in the southern portion of the city, on Walnut, near Empire street. The site is most beautiful, being high and dry, and commanding a superb view of the city and its suburbs. Of late years the neighborhood has been built up, but when the institution was founded it was practically bare of houses. A con- temporary account describes the hospital as a "large, four story brick edifice, occupying a beautiful site just on the southern boundary of the city, and sur- rounded on the west and south by broad fields and green meadows, bounded by groves of pine and rugged oaks." The "broad fields and green meadows" have given place to pleasant stretches of green lawn and shaded park, and there has been a mushroom growth of beautiful and substantial residences. The "groves of pine and oak" remain, however, and in the midst of one of them St. Francis Hospital stands, the pioneer structure of Walnut Hill, and still one of those numerous public buildings in which the people of Freeport take well- grounded pride.
The building was erected in 1889, at a cost of $20,000, and was dedicated on the 12th of February, 1890. Two days after the dedication the first patient was admitted, and the hospital has since continued to receive the patronage of the sick and afflicted of all classes, nationalities, and religious sects. The hos- pital is a charitable institution, and although conducted by a Catholic organiza-
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ST. FRANCIS HOSPITAL.
LICHARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
559
HISTORY OF STEPHENSON COUNTY
tion and cared for by Catholic Franciscan nuns, its inmates are not chosen with regard to race, color, religion, sect, or nationality. During the first year of its career the hospital cared for sixty-eight patients. The second year one hundred and forty-six were cared for, showing that the institution had increased in reputation and popularity. Since that time the increase has been consistent with the growth of the city.
All the leading physicians of Freeport have availed themselves of the privi- leges of St. Francis Hospital. The institution has no regularly appointed staff of physicians, and each patient is at liberty to choose his or her attendant. In addition to the work carried on in the hospital itself, the sisters of St. Francis nurse patients in private families, and carry on much charitable and remu- nerative work outside as an extended department of the institution. The ex- penses of the hospital are met in part by the contributions of patients, who pay as much as they are able, and in part by the charitable and benevolent societies of St. Joseph's church. A large sum was recently left to St. Francis Hospital by J. B. Taylor, one of Freeport's oldest citizens, whose death occurred within the past year. Mr. Taylor was not a Catholic himself, but was a generous and philanthropic man by nature, and had always taken an active interest in the affairs of St. Francis Hospital and St. Vincent's Orphan Asylum.
The hospital building is a model of convenience and utility. It is spacious, and well ventilated, finished in oak throughout and supplied with every con- venience known to architect and sanitary engineer. It is of brick, four stories high, with stone basement and a handsome tower. It is heated with steam, and lighted with gas and electricity. In 1903 a large addition was built on the south end of the hospital, the needs of the institution having outgrown the old build- ing. The new addition is of pressed brick, four stories in height, and contains, besides some of the most modern and elegantly furnished apartments of the hospital, a large chapel in which mass is read by the priests of St. Joseph's parish. All the rooms of both buildings are supplied with hot and cold water. In the basement are located the kitchen, dining room and laundry, and also a room for paupers. The first floor contains the parlors, reception room, operat- ing room, physicians' offices, sisters' apartments, bath rooms, etc. The other floors are devoted to wards. The total value of the property, together with the new addition, is about $35,000.
The White Sanitorium on the corner of North Galena avenue and Clark avenue, is a model institution of its kind. It differs from the other hospitals of Freeport in having a regular corps of physicians and surgeons of its own These are Dr. J. T. White, Dr. R. M. White, Dr. R. H. Shaw, and Dr. W. C. Leeper. Dr. Littlejohn, of Chicago, and Dr. C. C. Kost, of Dixon, were also at one time connected with the White institution
The first White Sanitorium was established in 1898-9 by Dr. J. T. White, who came here from Missouri. He was a graduate of the Missouri Medical College, and a post-graduate of Johns Hopkins University, and has had con- siderable experience in his chosen field. He first established his office and lo- cated his rooms at his own residence on Douglas avenue, near Cherry street. His practice grew and he presently saw fit to establish a sanitorium at the same place. In 1901 he was joined by his brother, Dr. Robert M. White, who became
560
HISTORY OF STEPHENSON COUNTY
a partner in the business. Dr. R. M. White was a graduate of the Still College of Osteopathy of Des Moines, and of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Chicago.
The Drs. White remained at the Douglas Avenue Sanitorium for only one year, at the end of which time the Younger property on the corner of Clark and North Galena avenues was purchased. An extensive addition was made before the sanitorium moved to its new home, and the grounds and attached buildings were considerably improved.
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