USA > Illinois > Shelby County > Stewardson > Stewardson, the first 100 years : history of the village of Stewardson, Prairie Township and vicinity > Part 6
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Francis X. Gress, proprietor of a furniture and undertaking establish- ment in Stewardson, was born in Ba- varia, Germany, February 5, 1836. Gress was apprenticed to learn the trade of cabinet maker for three years when he was 15 years old. He worked at this trade until he left Germany and went to Chicago in 1857. He worked as a cooper in a brewery near Chicago to pay his board. In June 1858 he moved to Shelbyville and married Josephine Alman in 1865. They moved to a farm in Prairie Township in 1868 and continued farming until moving to Stewardson. His only child, Mary, a devout Catholic, married Dr. Frank Hoffman. Mr. F. X. Gress and Joseph Steidle built and operated a packing house under the name Steidle and Gress. Mr. Gress built about 1/2 block of frame buildings in block 10 start- ing on the corner of Main and South Pine where the present Post Office is located. There was a board walk in front of the buildings and he raised flowers just south of his store. In 1876 Mr. Gress started a furniture store and undertaking business in a two story building on the corner and lived up- stairs. He made all of his own furni- ture and coffins in his cabinet shop. Mr. Gress died in 1902 or 1903 and gave his property to his daughter and Dr. Hoffman.
Cyrus Engel was in the undertaking business in Stewardson prior to World War I. When Mr. Engel returned from the war, he married Nona Shumard and located in Nokomis for about a year before returning to the F. T. Engel Lumber Co. in Stewardson. Adam Brummerstedt purchased the funeral and furniture business from F. T. Engel and Sons in 1918.
The Brummerstedt Funeral Home was first started in Shumway, Illinois, by Mr. Diedrich Brummerstedt. Не came to this county in 1871 from Han- nover, Germany. He and his wife
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Mary (Engel) Brummerstedt resided in Shumway. They were the parents of four children, John, George Adam, Bertha (Bock) and Anna (Kelly). Diedrich. Brummerstedt's trade was casket and furniture building.
Their son, George Adam, received his embalmer's license at Springfield, Il- linois, in 1903. He then returned to Shumway, and started the first Fu- neral Business. He later married Emma (Quast) Brummerstedt on Au- gust 29, 1906. To this union were born six children, namely, Anna Marie (Harrington), Gilbert, Ray, Myra (Wallace), James, and Marcella (Kel- ler).
Mr. Brummerstedt, in October of 1918, moved his family and business from Shumway to Stewardson. They operated a business in the Engel build- ing on North Pine for one year, and then moved it to a building on the Southwest corner of Main Street and Cedar, until March of 1931. G. A. Brummerstedt, Sr. purchased the brick home of H. H. York in the east part of Stewardson on Main Street. He then sold the furniture business back to F. T. Engel and moved his funeral business to its present day location, in March of 1931. The Brummerstedt Ambulance Service was started in 1925. The first ambulance was a 1925 black seven-passenger Hudson. G. A. Brummerstedt's son, Gilbert, followed in the family business. Gilbert went to Brown's College in Decatur, Illi- nois for one year, worked at Leath's furniture store in Decatur for two years, and graduated from Hohenschuh- Carpenter College in St. Louis, Mo. March 30, 1934. Gilbert and his wife Geraldine (Falk) Brummerstedt oper- ate the service which has been in busi- ness for 74 years. Mr. George Adam Brummerstedt is one of the oldest li- censed funeral directors and embalm- ers in the state of Illinois at the age of 88.
Some time in the 1930's Cecil K. Syfert operated a funeral business in the Hoffman Block Building on South Pine. Also, according to the records, Robert L. Brandt and John Rozine operated a furniture and undertaking business in the Hoffman Block building in 1914.
APOTHECARIES
Thomas N. Robison, son of Edwin A. and Elizabeth Phillips Robison, was born in Windsor, Illinois, on No- vember 30, 1846. He received his Pharmacy license in 1877 and opened
the T. N. Robison Drug Store in the Village of Stewardson during the same year.
Mr. Robison lived at Pfluger's boarding house until his marriage to Miss Isabelle Stewardson, October 17, 1883. They promptly moved into "the Cage" as their home in the south part of Stewardson was called. Mr. Robison conducted his drug busi- ness in Stewardson until his death on January 12, 1912. His wife continued to live in Stewardson until her death on April 14, 1937. Mr. and Mrs. Robison had one child, Lora May.
The T. N. Robison Drug Store was located in a white one story building on the west side of South Pine Street in block 10. Mr. Robison handled RX medicine, patent medicine and a full line of products generally found in drug stores. In addition to the drug business, Mr. Robison was a founding stockholder in the Stewardson Home- stead & Loan Association, a director and stockholder in the Citizens Sav- ings & Loan Association as well as being a director in the Farmers and Merchants Bank of Stewardson, Ill. Both Mr. and Mrs. Robison were very active members of the Methodist Church.
Mr. R. A. Peters married the Robi- son's daughter, Lora and later on as- sumed responsibility for Mr. Robi- son's Drug business in 1913. Mr. Peters added the sale of jewelry to the business and employed a full time jeweler for a number of years after making a number of improve- ments in the building. Mr. Peters moved the old T. N. Robison Drug 'Store to the rear of the lot and built on a new addition in front. Mr. and Mrs. Peters continued in the Drug business until selling to Mr. O. J. Renolds in 1939.
Mr. and Mrs. Renolds continued selling other medicines, medical sup- plies and Sundries through out the 1940's. No doubt many people in their 30's and 40's remember receiv- ing part of their education through O. J.'s comic books. Where else could one read every comic book on the rack from cover to cover before making the final selection?
"Doc" Turner and his son, Russell continued the sale of Drugs and Sun- dries during the 1950's. How many re- member "Doc's" soda fountain specials -"Green Rivers" and "Chocolate Cokes"-and the shuffle board games in the rear of the store?
Melvin Sterling bought the business from the Turners and operated the old drug store until the early 1960's. Mr. Bob King bought the business from Mr. Sterling but changed the product line from drugs and sodas to groceries and meat. Mr. King then closed Bob's Mar- ket near the start of the present decade and the building is presently standing vacant.
Dr. Knox and Dr. Ingram also ran drug stores in connection with their medical practice. Dr. Ingram sold nothing but drugs at his store in the front part of his office on South Pine St. Dr. Knox sold a large variety of items in his store on the corner of South Pine and east Main.
Doctors, Dentists, Veterinarians, and Undertakers in the Village of Stewardson:
A. DOCTORS:
1. Dr. J. W. Knox
2. Dr. B. B. Bacon
3. Dr. R. T. Worley
4. Dr. F. L. Ingram
5. Dr. W. W. Pierce
6. Dr. M. C. Cambridge
7. Dr. Cox
8. Dr. Donovan
9. Dr. W. F. Holmes
10. Dr. W. F. Holmes
11. Dr. J. N. Phifer
12. Dr. O. Z. Stephens
13. Dr. S. C. Lorton
14. Dr. Peter Kollinger
B. DENTISTS:
1. Drs. Jesse Bowman & F. Reiss
2. Dr. H. H. York
3. Dr. Harry E. Meyers
4. Dr. Shirley
C. VETERINARIANS:
1. Dr. T. B. Newly
2. Dr. Pegill
3. Chris Wilson
4. Drs. A. L. Miller &-
5. Dr. S. D. Buzzard
D. UNDERTAKERS:
1. Noah H. Hosteter
2. Francis X. Gress
3. Cyrus Engel
4. Geo. Adam & Gilbert Brummer- stedt
5. Robert F. Brandt & John Rozine
6. Cecil K. Syfert
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"Hello Central"
This is a picture of one of the first telephone maintenance men in Steward- son. The note on the card said that this was Alex Davidson.
It is belived that the first telephone in this general area was at the home of Andrus Harrington, just southeast of Stewardson. However, the first tele- phone service in the Village of Steward- son was a private line built by Mr. G. W. Voris from his office to his home. The first telephone from Stewardson to another town was a line that ran from
Illinois Consolidated Telephone Com- pany Building on W. South First St.
Poles, Lines and Cross Talk
the home of Ruben Spannagel in Stras- burg, to the homes of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Duensing and Mr. and Mrs. Henry Ulmer of Stewardson. The first long distance pay telephone in Steward- son was located in T. P. Mautz's Gen- eral Store. It cost twenty-five cents to call Shelbyville.
The Village of Stewardson, Illinois by ordinance number seventy authorized J. B. Singer, D. M. Duddleston and T. B. Mautz to construct and maintain a tele- phone system on February 3, 1902. Our records indicate that Wm. Frede served as the first lineman. A Charter of In- corporation was granted to the Steward- son Telephone Co. on November 3, 1902. The first telephone office was upstairs in Bill Milligan's harness shop on West Main St. Eva Williams was the "day" operator and Edith Wilson served as "night central." Within a few years the office was moved into the "old Gus Gritzmacher tailor shop" at 117 North Pine. The phone service rapidly filter- ed into the rural areas, hut mostly on a mutual basis. Neighborhoods or com- munities would join together, put up their own lines and maintain and super- vise them at their own expense; how- ever, all the lines were channeled through the Stewardson Telephone Com- pany's Central Office. Several inde- pendent Mutual lines, in time, were ab- sorbed by the Stewardson Telephone Company. Some people think the tele- phone company also went hy names of "Stewardson Mutual" and the "Gen- eral Telephone Company."
In April 1931, the Midland Telephone Company purchased the Stewardson Telephone Company, and in October, 1935 the Midland merged with the Illi- nois Consolidated Telephone Company. The Stewardson Exchange has con- tinued from that date to the present as a part of the Illinois Consolidated Tele- phone system.
Approximately 16 years ago the sys- tem was placed under the dialing sys- tem, eliminating the central office em- ployees here. In the early days, the pioneer employees answering calls were called "Hello Girls" later "Operators" and now they answer by saying "Direc- tory Assistance."
There were many "Hello Girls" dur- ing those days hut the records indicate that the one who served the longest was Eva Williams. Miss Mae New- berry, now Mrs. Mae Augenstein, was an "Operator" from 1917 to 1926 and from 1949 to 1956 with a total of 21 years of service. Mrs. Lillie Fluga was "Cen-
This is a picture of the building that housed the telephone exchange in the early 1900's. As shown to the left, a frame building stood where Beals Body Shop is now. This had been moved there from Main Street.
In the background is a large barn. At one time in the thirties Ira Gawthorp kept horses in this harn.
This picture is the same building used as a residence now.
tral" from February 1, 1926 to August 26, 1958 with a total of 32 years of serv- ice. Nellie Williams Giesler, Nona Munson, Ethel Marsh, Selma Seward, and Inez Prosser were some of the other operators who served.
In October, 1903 there were 87 tele- phones in operation. By 1911 the tele- phones in service had grown to 342. As of July, 1973 the Stewardson Exchange had 628 telephones in service.
"The Old Lampliter"
In Stewardson's early days its lighting system was quite crude. It consisted of a post about 7 feet high. On the top of the post was an ornamental box, with sides of glass with metal edges. The box at its base was about 12 inches square, 16 inches square at the top, about 18 inches high with a metal top. In this glass enclosure was an ordinary kerosene lamp about 14 inches high, with a base about 6 inches high, and the chimney ahout 8 inches high. The hase held about 3 pints of kerosene. Daily the lamps were filled with kerosene, the chimneys cleaned, the lamps lighted, and placed in the glass enclosure. They were left burning until 10 p.m., at
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This is a picture of the light post that stood in the middle of Main Street at the intersection with Pine Street. At one time there were four of these posts up- town.
which time they were blown out. Up- town there were two lights on the busi- ness corners, opposite each other. In the dwelling area a single lamp was on each corner. This system continued until 1911, at which time Mr. Frank Wil- liams was granted rights to erect, in- stall, and operate an Electric Lighting System. At one time the Village of Stewardson considered purchasing the system, and on October 7, 1918 Mr. Wil- liams offered to sell the system to the Village of Stewardson, Illinois for $18,000.00. The deal was not consum-
mated. However, a deed dated Decem- ber 21, 1923 and recorded April 25, 1924 executed by Frank Williams and his wife, Ada B. Williams, transferred the system to the Prairie Electric Company of Stewardson. This Company served the community until April 1, 1929 at which time a Quick Claim Deed was executed by the Prairie Electric Com- pany of Stewardson, transferring to the Central Illinois Public Service Company of Mattoon, Illinois, all real property, chattel rights of way, easements, privileges and appurtenances of every kind and character, owned or used by said grantor or which it is now or may hereafter become entitled, wheresoever same may be situated. This company has been and is presently furnishing Electrical Power, lighting, etc. Also since August 31, 1964 via a Gas System which was installed and put into opera- tion on that date, gas for heating and other usages, and purpose.
"Big Spurt-Little Squirt"
In the early days of Stewardson, wells, some deep and some not so deep, furnished the necessary water. Homes had one well and some two or more. In the business area there was a well on the corner of the business block. For fire protection there was a hidden well, midway the block on the side of the street. This system was main- tained and served the community until 1956 at which time the city installed and put into operation their present Munici- pal Water System.
This was the headquarters for the first Electric Light Plant started in Stewardson. It was located in the second block on North Pine Street, just north of the Town House.
In the background you can see part of the stockyards located here to load livestock on the Wabash railroad.
This Light Plant was started by Frank Williams and Oscar McIntosh, uncles of the present mayor.
"All Aboard"
In 1869 surveying was done for a rail- road through Prairie Township. This was later known as the Wabash rail- road. The Village of Windsor and town- ships of Windsor, Richland, and Prairie contributed about $200,000.00 to get the railroad. The Chicago and Paducah branch of this railroad was completed in Moultrie and Shelby Counties in the years of 1873-1874. Shelby County sta- tions were located at Stewardson and Strasburg, and in Herborn by 1878. Later the name was changed to West- ern and Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific, and finally the Wabash Railroad.
Although this picture isn't an early picture, the building had never been re- modeled. It served as the depot for the Wabash Railroad until the track was removed. The telegraph office was also in this building when tele- graph messages were the quickest and most reliable ways to send informa- tion. The telegraph operator deliver- ed the message in person many times. The little boy is David Baumgarten.
About 1887 and 1888 some of the agents were Albert Shelton, James Haney. M. M. Williams, and Willis Kel- ler. This railroad ran north and south through town. The passenger train was called "Green's Train" after the con- ductor, and had two coaches. In the old days the coaches were always full of people going to visit friends or pupils and teachers taking the train to get to the schools in town or the country schools near the tracks. It discontinued its run through Stewardson in the 1930's.
The "Local" was the old freight train that traveled the Wabash tracks carry- ing produce and products for all of the little towns from Bement to Altamont. "Local" passed through Stewardson about noon on its trip to the North and returned in the evening. An unusually large freight would be made up of about one dozen full box cars.
The railroad tracks that ran East and
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RAILROAD.
For many years in the early part of this century, the railroads were the principal employers in our community. Two section gangs worked out of Stewardson. This is a picture of these gangs. Notice the two handles used to pump and to provide the power to travel. Later they got gasoline engines for these cars, but they still called them hand cars. The engines were the "hit and miss" type. They went over the tracks at least once a day. In case of severe winter weather, one of them would walk to check for any defects.
Besides the two section gangs, several men worked on bridge gangs, fence gangs, paint gangs, etc. Newt Reid had a bridge gang for many years with most of his men being local people. They moved their bunk cars near the site of their project and lived in this car while they worked there. They rode the passenger train home on weekends.
The only man we could get identified on this picture is the man hold- ing the handle. He is Bill Reid, Madge Elliott's father.
West through town was called the Cloverleaf at one time and was a branch of the Toledo, St. Louis and Western Co. In 1881 Mr. Henry H. York became one of the Board of Direc- tors of the Cloverleaf Railroad in the State, and placed a large contract for grading east of the Okaw River during the building of the railroad. In the year 1882 the community suffered "hard times," therefore, many of the local people helped to build the tracks and the railroad was completed in 1882- 1883. In 1889 it was changed from nar- row gauge to wide or standard gauge of track. Being built from both direc- tions it was joined somewhere between Volkman Hill and where the railroad crossed Route 32. Mr. R. A. Peters' father helped widen the railroad and Mr. Peters remembers seeing the first train go over the railroad after it was widened.
The Cloverleaf was sold to the Nickel Plate and then was bought by the Nor- folk and Western in the 1960's. "Old Plug" provided transportation to all the small towns to the West in the morning and East in the evening. The other passenger train known as the "Com- mercial" zipped through Stewardson in the early morning hours on its way West, but could be flagged down in the
evening for passengers. Several freights continue to run on the tracks daily at the present time.
Noah Krible, Walter Donaldson, and L. F. Painter were agents during the last days the depot was in operation. Mr. Painter came in the 1930's and re- tired in the middle '60's due to ill health.
"Let Her Burn"
This building was originally the George Mechling Blacksmith Shop. It was built about 1920. It was used by the F-S Service Company for a storage building for many years. The Steward- son Rural Fire District has used it to house the fire fighting equipment since 1966.
Fire protection in earliest Stewardson depended on its system of wells and the "bucket brigade." Before 1900 the Vil- lage invested in a "hand pumper" to pump the water from the hidden wells to the burning building. This piece of machinery operated like the old rail- road hand car and required at least four men to work the pump. This sys- tem served the Village until about 1925. They pulled this pumper to fires in later years by fastening it to a car bumper with a rope and someone had to sit on the pumper and hold the rope. Some of our citizens have had some hair raising experiences riding the racing pumper to a fire. F. F. Yakey bought a chemical fire cart for the Vil- lage from Ft. Wayne, Ind. for $150.00. This chemical rig was equipped with
LE STORE
These are the three fire fighting units owned by the Stewardson Fire District at the present time.
Standing beside the middle truck are Assistant Fire Chief Charles Fluga, and his son Gerry. Gilbert Brummerstedt is the Fire Chief.
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This is the chemical fire fighting unit that the Stewardson Fire De. partment used before they got their first fire truck.
Lowell Koester was pulling it in the Effingham County Fair Parade when this picture was taken.
two tanks. The idea was to fill one tank while the other tank was being used but for some reason it seldom happened that way. This fire fighting machine is still in the Village of Stew- ardson.
An Army Surplus pumper was bought around 1945 or 1946 and mounted on a pick-up truck and was later mounted on a larger truck. This and the old chemi- cal wagon served Stewardson until the Village and the Country Fire Protection Association consolidated into the Stew- ardson Fire District in 1966.
"Neither Snow Nor Rain . Nor Gloom of Night"
"Neither snow nor rain ... nor gloom of Night .. . "
The post office was first established as "STEWARTSON" February 24, 1874. It was changed to "STEWARDSON" June 25, 1883. The postmasters from inception date were:
John W. Knox, Dr., February 24, 1874 to September 2, 1885.
Thomas A. Curry, September 23, 1885 to February 8, 1887.
Thomas P. Mautz, February 8, 1887 to April 26, 1889.
William V. Carr, April 26, 1889 to June 19, 1893.
Fred M. Simmering, June 19, 1893 to June 16, 1897.
Charles E. York, June 16, 1897 to No- vember 7, 1902.
Walter B. Talcott, November 7, 1902 to January 16, 1908.
Caleb T. Reeder, January 16, 1908 to January 17, 1916.
Edward Streng, January 17, 1916 to August 1, 1924.
Miss Oral Beck, August 1, 1924 to Oc- tober 10, 1929.
William A. Denn, October 10, 1929 to May 3, 1934.
Mrs. Rose Zalman, May 3, 1934 to June 30, 1964.
Elmer Bernhard Keller, June 30, 1964 Acting October 1, 1973.
It was customary during the early days of Stewardson, for a local busi- nessman to be appointed as the village postmaster. Generally the post office was run as a side line and was usually located in his regular place of business.
The first post office was located in Dr. J. W. Knox's Drug Store on the north side of East Main Street. It was later located on the present day bank corner when Dr. Knox moved his build- ing and business to that location.
The post office was moved to T. P. Mautz's General Merchandise Store on Lot 4 & 5 in Block 10 of South Pine Street during his term as postmaster. Fred Simmering moved the post office to his shoe shop on Lot 6 of Block 10 during his term of office.
The post office was again moved to a two story brick building in Block one, on West Main Street after Caleb T. Reeder was appointed postmaster. The post office remained at that location un- til 1959 with the exception of the term of Bill Denn from 1929 to 1932. Mr.
Denn moved the post office to the corn- er of the Hoffman Block Building dur- ing his term as postmaster.
Thomas A. Curry, Charles E. York, and Walter B. Talcott conducted the postal business in the west part of the opera building on the north side of West Main in Block one. William V. Carr served as postmaster in a wooden build- ing that stood generally on this same location.
The post office was moved back into the west part of the Opera Hall in 1932 and remained in that location until Oct. 1959. It was then moved to the newly erected brick building on the corner of West Main Street and South Pine Street. The post office is still in this location.
Soup to Nuts
GENERAL MERCHANDISE
Stores that were always present in Stewardson were the ones referred to as Variety Stores, Grocery and Dry Goods Stores, General Stores and General Mer- chandise Stores. Essentially, all of these businesses sold the same types of product and these could be classified as General Merchandise. The very first business of this type in Stewardson, was started in 1874 by Wm. Fagan and Wm. Pfluger. The location of this business has been lost to history.
One of the most successful of these early Stewardson Business men was Thomas P. Mautz. Mr. Mautz had studied the milling trade in Pana and Rosamond, Ill., prior to coming to Stew- ardson in 1874. Twenty year old Tom Mautz worked as a miller in Stewardson for approximately four years. He moved to Shumway, Ill. to establish a general mercantile business in 1878. However, he moved his business to Stewardson in 1879., and formed a part- nership with Henry H. York. Their store was located on S. Pine on a site now occupied by the Moomaw building. Mr. York sold his interest to Peter Did- dea in 1881 and the business continued as Mautz & Diddea. Among the things usually sold in a general merchandise store, Mautz and Diddea also kept hard- ware, tin ware, and pumps. Mr. Did- dea left the firm in the late 1880's, and Mr. Mautz continued the business until 1906. Mr. Mautz then moved from the Village and opened a General Merchan- dise Store in Lovington, Ill. He re- turned to Stewardson in 1914 and open-
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