USA > Illinois > Shelby County > Stewardson > Stewardson, the first 100 years : history of the village of Stewardson, Prairie Township and vicinity > Part 8
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This page is sponsored by MARGUERITE'S BEAUTY SHOP, Stewardson LATCH'S GROCERY, Joe and Dorothy Latch PRAIRIE FARMS DAIRY
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This picture shows Harold Ulmer (left) and his father Henry Ulmer in their hardware store in about 1917 or 1918. This store was in the build- ing at E. Main St. where the "This and That Outlet" is located now, 1974.
To the left, is a row of the modern stoves of that time. The first one was one of the fanciest stoves that could be bought, a base burner. It burn- ed anthracite or hard coal. It was a slower burning coal and burned with a pretty blue flame and with less smoke than soft coal. This coal was more expensive and then got harder to get. Notice the cellophane windows around this stove so that the pretty blue flame could be seen.
Most of the rest of the stoves look like cook stoves, wood and coal burning stoves used for cooking.
assumed sole responsibility for the busi- ness and continued under the name of G. S. Baldwin Hardware. Peter Diddea entered partnership with G. S. Baldwin around 1879 or 1880. This partnership continued for only one year. It is be- lieved that Baldwin's business was lo- cated on the southeast corner of West Main St. and South Cedar in an old frame building pre-dating the brick building. The location is now occupied by the Depot Sample Store. G. S. Bald- win lived on the street east of Planter's Elevator office on N. Vine St. He also owned a large tract of land south of Stewardson along the highway. He sold hardware, stoves, farming equip- ment, and the usual plunder. Baldwin also did job work in tin and sheet iron. Apparently Mr. Baldwin discontinued his hardware business sometime in the early or mid 1880's.
It is belived that Jake Wilkerson started a hardware store at about the same location and the business con- tinued through the 1880's. Walker and Wilkerson sold hardware, furniture,
paint and were dealers for the Reliable Weber Wagon. Mr. Walker later re- tired from the business and a young man by the name of Frank Williams joined Jake Wilkerson in running the hardware store in the 1890's. Prior to joining Wilkerson, Frank Williams ran a watch repair and tinker shop down the street east in an old building that was later rebuilt for Dr. Holmes' of- fice. Wilkerson and Williams special- ized in hardware and tin work. Some of
the tin work involved making tin cans for a canning factory in Neoga. Some- one would haul the sheets of flat, stamped-out cans into Stewardson on wagons. Williams and Wilkerson would then put the cans together, and tie them into bundles of twelve cans each, to be hauled back to Neoga.
Frank Williams then moved across the street and built the first building on the northeast corner of North Cedar and West Main at the present location of Latch's Grocery. Mr. Williams sold hardware as well as International and John Deere Farm Implements. He later expanded his business to include a tin and plumbing shop, and hot wa- ter, hot air, and steam heating plants. Mr. William's brother-in-law, O. C. Mc- Intosh, joined the business as a part- ner. Mr. Williams built an addition to his original store some time in the early 1900's out of lumber that Zeke Boggs purchased from the 1904 Worlds Fair in St. Louis. Mr. Williams built additional store rooms between his original store and the Wabash Depot in 1922. Mr. Williams closed his hardware store in the late 1920's. Mr. C. C. McCormick bought the store in 1931 and operated the hardware business until 1934. In addition to running the hardware store, he continued with his interests in farm- ing, apple raising, and insurance. The new owner continued the hardware business in the same location until 1940.
In 1940, Frank William's original building was remodeled into a service station. This building was in continuous use as a service station in combination with groceries until it burned in 1962. Some other owners running service sta- tions in this location were: Stanley Steagall, Clem Roley, Buss Phillips, Zane and Ed Mayberry, Paul Strohl, Witt Grove and Joe Latch. After the old building was destroyed by fire Mr. Latch rebuilt and now with his
This is a picture of Main Street looking from the corner of Cedar St. Frank William's Hardware Store was in the first three buildings. In the background you can see the Wabash Depot, the building that stood where Strohl's Grocery is now and the Opera Hall.
This page sponsored by Mrs. Eloise (Rentfrow) Manuel & Ferne Webb RENSHAW SUPERWAY, Strasburg HAROLD & HAZEL ROTHROCK RAIL & TRUCK SALVAGE, Stewardson
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This is the interior of the Hardware Store that stood at the corner of Main and Cedar Streets, where Latch's Grocery is located now. Frank Williams had operated this store. Clinton McCormick purchased it about 1931. Clint is standing behind the counter to the left, and Cobert Lugar, his clerk, to the right.
wife, Dorothy, operate a grocery store and sell gasoline. Over the years the old building served as a gathering place for the village men who were interested in spending their leisure time in play- ing dominoes, cards, pool and swapping tall yarns about the old days.
Harness And Saddle Shops
The harness maker was an indispens- able person in early Stewardson. In addition to harnesses and saddles, some of the later barness makers expanded into selling wagons, farm implements, wire and other necessary items for the farm. They not only sold and repaired leather goods, but made most of their products, as well. Some of the earliest known shops were: E. E. Barnes & Co., L. A. Barnes Harness Shop, Jacob Hebel, and the Main Street Harness Shop. Later and better known harness makers were Bill Milligan and C. A. Ragel.
Apparently the E. E. Barnes & Co. and the shop of Jacob Hebel were the earliest harness businesses in town and operated during the 1870's. Soon after the start of the 1880's, Jacob Hebel dis- continued his harness shop and con-
tinued as a barber. During the latter 1880's he moved to Effingham, Ill. and started in the harness business once again. L. A. Barnes operated his busi- ness during the 1880's and probably the 1890's. He was manufacturer of Har- ness, Collars, Saddles and Whips. The Main Street Harness Shop was run
through the 1880's by John Streng and Louis C. Henne. They dissolved their partnership in Jan. of 1888, when Mr. Henne moved to Strasburg. Mr. Streng continued operating the shop for a few years. This could have been the fore- runner of Bill Milligan's Harness Shop in the 1890's and early 1900's.
Bill Milligan's Harness Shop was lo- cated in a two story frame building next to the old Brummerstedt building. The second story of this building was used as the first telephone office in 1902. Mr. Milligan remodeled the sec- ond floor into living quarters for his family after the telephone office was moved to North Pine St. In addition to the usual items found in a harness shop, he also sold wagons, buggies, fencing and some general hardware. It is be- lieved that this business was discon- tinued by the end of World War I.
Some of our older citizens think that Mr. Milligan started out in business with C. A. Ragel someplace on North Pine St., before moving to Main Street. Charles A. (Shorty) Ragel was the last harness maker in the Village of Stew- ardson. Most people remember his shop when it was located in the old Hoffman Block Building on South Pine Street. He was located there from the early 1900's until the early 1940's. Mr. Ragel and his family lived in the third house in the second block of South Pine.
J. D. Wilson Farm Implements
Mr. Wilson originally opened business as a proprietor of a livery stable in 1876. By 1878 he had changed from the
This is a picture of an Implement Store and Harness Shop in Stew- ardson operated by Wm. A. Milligan. The exact location and the names of the men are not known for sure, but we think it was on the south side of West Main Street.
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livery business to farm implements under the name of J. D. Wilson Co. This business was located somewhere in the block of North Pine, east of the Wabash Railroad. (Some people think it may have been just north of the present location of Falk's Produce). This company was the agent in this area for the Walter Reaper, Climax Combine Reaper and Mower, and the Mitchell Wagon. Wilson also sold Sulky Plows, Walking Plows, Brown corn planters, Dickey corn drills, a variety of cultivators, hay forks, Patent Rubber Buckets, chain pumps, wood pumps and poke yokes.
Duensing Wagon Shop
This is Henry Duensing, one of the first wagon makers in Stewardson. His shop stood where Springer Chevrolet is now, 109 E. Main St.
He was Harold Ulmer's grandfather. The label in the picture which isn't shown was "The Only" Studio W. L. Howell, Proprieter, Stewardson, Il. so apparently this would have been one of the first photography Studios in Stew- ardson.
Henry and Minnie Friese Duensing, the grandparents of Harold Ulmer, were very early settlers in early Stew- ardson. Mr. Duensing established a wagon shop during the 1870's on the lo- cation of Springer Chevrolet Company. He built and repaired most of the wagons and buggies that were used throughout the 1870's and 1880's. They built their home in the second block of East Main St. just east of the origi- nal location of the Tate Oliver Sales. Mr. Duensing's old shop was razed in the early 1900's and Henry Ulmer re- placed it with a new brick warehouse for his agriculture implements. This site was used through the years as a poultry house, a garage, and Chevrolet Dealership for Harold Ulmer, Bryon Graham, Herbert Schultz and Lynn Springer.
S. S. Bolles ran a wagon shop next door to Church's Blacksmith Shop. Ap- parently he started in business during the 1880's and continued through the 1890's making wagons and buggies. Later, possibly around 1907 or a little later, Floyd Miller took over the old wagon shop and ran it for a number of years. Mr. Bolles was an old Civil War Veteran. He enlisted in the 13th U.S. Infantry, Co. "C" during the year of 1864 and served in the Army until 1867.
NEWSPAPERS
The Stewardson Enterprise was the first known paper published in the village, on press and type brought here from Altamont by M. A. Bates, June 7, 1878. He continued the paper for one year, then A. M. Anderson and H. Martin purchased it. Three months later, Anderson sold out to C. D. Shu- mard and the paper continued under the firm name of Harry Martin and Co. In December of 1879, A. M. again took over the "Stewardson Enter- prise." The Enterprise was a six- column folio with a healthy circula- tion. It is thought the Enterprise building was located on the lot be- tween the present day bank building and Springer Chevrolet building on East Main Street.
Some say there was a paper known as the Stewardson Advocate for a brief period of time just before the Clipper came into existence. No official re- cord of this paper has been found. However, some of our oldest citizens claim to remember seeing the sign and building on East Main when they were children. Tom Graybill was be- lieved to be the publisher.
William H. Fagen and Zip Wilson published the first Stewardson Clip-
This is a wedding picture of Will and Anna Milligan taken in the 1800's. It shows the fashions of the time.
per, Sept. 16, 1887 for $1.00 per year in advance. Wilson stepped out of the business in a few months and Fa- gen developed it into a paying busi- ness. He operated the publishing business until March 12. 1912, when he traded it to John W. Bailey for a 40-acre farm in Prairie Township. He also owned real estate in Stewardson.
In 1888, Fagan married Mrs. Eliza- beth Newman, daughter of Charles and Margarette Diddea.
The Clipper was named after the largest sailing vessel that made regu- lar trips from England to the At- lantic Sea Board. The ship brought glad tidings, new styles, new mer- chandise, and news from relatives to the New England States. It was a grand and glorious event when the Clipper vessel arrived and today the subscribers of the Stewardson Clip- per look forward to its arrival each week.
In 1916 Mr. Bailey hired a teen- ager, Mr. J. Edwin Hoyer as an as- sistant, who remained with him until he issued his last edition May 30, 1928. Mr. H. C. Franklin took over as publisher and editor until July 10, 1928, at which time J. Edwin Hoyer purchased the Clipper franchise, building and Lot 6 of Block 11. On July 12, 1928 Mr. Hoyer published issue No. 1 Volume 42 of the Stew- ardson Clipper and continued pub-
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lishing until March 1. 1963.
Mrs. Mabelle M. Ryan of Beecher City, Illinois, purchased the Clipper franchise and rights with Asel J. Ryan, Jr. and Mary Florien Ryan, managing editors. Their first publi- cation was dated March 7, 1963 un- der the name Stewardson Clipper but was printed in the Beecher City Jour- nal plant and is still operating as of this date.
STEWARDSON SHIPPING ASS'N.
The Stewardson Shipping Associa- tion was organized by a group of farmers with Wm. Moomaw as mana- ger in 1920. The purpose of this group was to find a market for high quality eggs that were produced lo- cally. A premium market was found in New York City and at one time over one hundred thirty dozen cases of eggs were shipped by train every week.
This business was started in the Fred Gruntman building where Beals Body Shop is now located. Also live- stock was shipped weekly to the East St. Louis Ill. yards, at times two and three carloads. There was a demand for feed for animals and flour for bread-making, so carloads of mixed feed were ordered and sold at a small profit. Many of the large families bought flour a barrel at a time.
In 1928 with the coming of tractors, the association began buying oil and gasoline under the management of Wm. Moomaw finally moving to
Shelbyville and becoming Shelby Service Co., then developing into a statewide cooperative.
In 1945 Wm. Moomaw bought the feed and seed business at Stewardson and in partnership with Leota Ulmer, formed Moomaw Elevator Co., built two elevators with 50,000 bu. capaci- ty and operated until 1958. The business sold to the Effingham Equi- ty. They in turn added more ca- pacity and a feed mill and are operat- ing it today.
Cherry Pickins and Cider Squeezin!
One of the largest, and almost for- gotten businesses of Prairie Township was apple pickin' and cider makin'. There were a large number of orchards in the vicinity of Stewardson in the latter 1800's and early 1900's. Charles Friese, Fred Bruns, Clinton McCor- mick, and Nehring and Briedow were some of the well-known nursery men.
The prairie nursery men, Nehring and Briedow, developed one of the most reliable nurseries in this part of the state during the 1880's and 1890's. They were true craftsmen who had learned their skills in the old country. Their skill in tree grafting has only been matched in this modern day. Their orchard was one mile west of Route 32, on the Neoga road. Sonny Rosine and Ray Richards now own the site of the old orchard. They ran a beautiful- ly landscaped country side covered with trees and vines that produced apples, grapes, cherries, pears, peaches, and
This is a picture taken in either 1915 or 1916 of the Cloverleaf Rail- road stock pens and loading chute. These were located on the south side of the tracks between Spruce and Pine Streets.
At that time all of the livestock that was shopped out of town went by train so that this stockyard and one on the Wabash tracks were busy places.
The girls weren't identified.
pecans. The orchard was enclosed with one of the largest hedge fences in this part of the country. They discon- tinued their orchard business some time after 1900 and sold trees for Starks until about the end of World War I.
Charles Friese ran a large orchard northwest of Stewardson from the early 1880's though the early 1900's. Many people still remember the old Cider Mill on his town property. Charles Friese's cider mill was located north of the pres- ent Carl Lugar home on North Pine Street. People brought apples by the wagon load to have cider made. Many times the wagons were lined up past the present bank. Some would leave part of their apples to pay for making cider.
Mr. Fred Bruns ran a smaller opera- tion south of Stewardson on "Vinegar Hill". Mr. Bruns raised both apples and cherries and is remembered for the good quality of vinegar that he used to produce. Mrs. Grace Boldt now lives on the site of the old "Vinegar Hill" orchard.
Mr. Clinton McCormick planted a forty acre apple orchard near the Sigel Road in 1925. During the peak years of production this orchard produced 10,000 bushels of apples. These apples were loaded onto a Wabash freight car and sent to some Southern State. In addi- tion to his orchard business, Mr. Mc- Cormick sold fruit trees and did land- scaping for Stark Bros. Nursery. He discontinued the orchard business in the early 1960's.
MILLS
Wm. Stewardson, Wilhelm, and Douthit operated a mill in 1874. It is believed this mill was constructed on South Pine Street just south of where Oscar Kessler's house now stands. By 1878, Mr John Fankboner was hired as proprietor of the mill. They bought wheat and corn from the local farmers and sold flour and corn meal to the public. Cash was not very plentiful in those days and Mr. Fankboner readily exchanged flour and meal for wheat. The farmers could also buy chopped-feed, shorts, and bran to feed their livestock. Shorts and bran was the residue from the flour milling process. The bran was the brown outer half that was taken off the wheat before it was ground into flour. The ground inner kernel of the wheat was sifted through a silk screen and the residue that did not go through the screen was called shorts. It was used main- ly to make slop for hogs. The part
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CLIMAX ROLLER MILL
STEWARDSON DI
that went through the screen was the flour.
Mr. Fankboner was well liked in the Village of Stewardson and is still remembered by some of the older ci- tizens. John Fankboner was known throughout Shelby County as the Stewardson miller, until Mr. Swingle purchased the mill in the mid 1880's. He hired Mr. J. Taylor Coffman as his miller, and Mr. Kinzie Karrick. The mill, under Mr. Swingle's direc- tion, prospered to the point where it was running day and night. He began a program of improvement in 1887, by replacing the old grinding burrs with rollers. Crushing the wheat and corn between rollers rather than the grinding action of the burr was supposed to produce a better quality of flour. Three rollers were installed to crush wheat and three rollers were installed to crush the corn. The corn roller was some- thing very new in this part of the county and the nearest mill with corn rollers was located in Decatur, Illinois.
Mr. James B. Singer purchased the mill around 1894 and began a construc- tion program to enlarge the mill dur- ing that year. Prior to Mr. Singer's ownership the mill was a rather small structure. The picture of the mill, known as the Climax Roller Mill, is how it appeared after Mr. Singer en- larged it. The power for the mill was a steam engine and the old mill pond provided the water supply.
Mr. Arthur Roley and Mr. John N. Patterson bought the mill and Mr. Roley then sold his interest to Mr. Patterson. He continued to operate the mill until it was destroyed by
fire in 1912.
The old mill pond is a fond mem- ory of many people of Stewardson who would gather there on a cold winter night for an evening of ice skating in their teenage years. It was the meeting place for Steward- son's young and many a romance was both kindled and thawed there.
Mr. Swingle lived in a square two story house on the N. E. corner of Vine and North First Street where William Arnold now lives. Many people remember Mr. Frank Williams, a Stewardson businessman, and
would be interested to know that he was Mr. Swingle's son-in-law. In fact, Mr. Williams later made his residence in the same house.
A second flour mill was built on North Pine Street sometime after the old Climax Roller Mill burned in 1912. This stood on the site now oc- cupied by Lowell (Pode) Moomaw's Trucking Co. This was a small mill that produced only 50 barrels of flour a day. The mill was operated with a diesel engine. In order to start the engine it was necessary to heat the plug with a blow torch. Sometimes it would take a half day to get the engine started. Mr. Ed. Reynolds built the mill. Mr. Beiber was one of the better known people who operated the mill. Mr. F. F. Yakey ran the mill in the mid-twen- ties and was the last person to pro- duce flour in the old mill. It stood vacant for a number of years until Bill and Oliver Moomaw opened it in the early 1930's and conducted a feed grinding business. The mill was closed again and then Mr. Oli- ver Moomaw once again ground feed
through the latter 1940's and 50's. This mill was destroyed by fire around 1960.
Fred Gruntman also ran a feed grinding mill around 1914 on North Pine Street approximately where Beals Motor Co. Body Shop is now located.
VORIS ENTERPRISES
George Washington Voris was born in Bath, Ohio on November 11, 1850, the son of Peter and Julia Voris. George's mother died soon after the family moved to Mattoon, Illinois in 1857. Young George then went to live with his sister in Iowa. He attended Falley Seminary in Fulton, New York for two years and then returned to Illinois. Mr. Voris was a store clerk in Windsor, Illinois prior to moving to Stewardson in 1874. He built a grain office in Stewardson during February of 1874 and became a member of the Firm of Gould and Voris Grain Buyers. He married Margaret Pfluger in 1875. This union was followed with the birth of five chil- dren. Mr. Voris quickly became a leading citizen in the new Village of Stewardson and his home became the center of the social life in the com- munity.
In addition to his grain business, Mr. Voris worked as the station agent for the Wabash Railroad from 1874 to 1877 and began dealing in the sale of live- stock. A line of agricultural imple- ments was added to his business by the latter part of 1870. His advertisement in the June 22, 1878 Enterprise indi- cated that Mr. Voris sold all types of Agricultural Implements from shovel plows to threshing machines.
Voris and Gould began in the buying and selling of hay in 1881.
Mr. Gould withdrew from the busi- ness relationship in 1889 and the Firm was renamed G. W. Voris and Com- pany. The company did business .t Lerna, Trilla, Kingman, Fancher, Her- rick, Herborn and Stewardson. This company would buy the hay standing in the field. He would then send a crew of men to cut the hay and haul it to town on wagons. None of the workers wanted to be the last one back in town at the end of the day so they would often engage themselves in a race with the last loads of hay. A big steam engine was used to pull a long rope that hauled the hay from the wagon up into the large hay barn in the south- east part of town. After it had cured the hay was baled by steam balers and then shipped south to New Orleans on the Wabash Railroad. Most of the hay
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Herborn Hay Barn
This picture shows local farmers un- loading their hay in this large hay barn in Herborn. It stood beside the Wa-
was sold either to the big race tracks in New Orleans or shipped on to Cuba. The Voris hay barn was located just south of the Lutheran School. It is said that it was the largest building of its kind in the county. The old hay barn was 88 feet wide, 144 feet long, and 57 feet high. It was supposed to have held 12,000 tons of loose hay.
The horse drawn baler became popu- lar around the turn of the century and most farms started baling their hay in the field. The huge old hay barn was no longer needed and fell into disuse. Mr. Voris built a smaller hay barn just east of the present day Beals Body Shop, on East North 1st Street, to han- dle baled hay. Though small in com- parison to the old barn, this new build- ing would accommodate 1,000 tons of baled hay.
Mr. Voris also owned approximately eleven hundred acres of land. Some of this land was located northwest of Fancher along the Okaw River. This Farm was known far and wide as "Sugarville", because of the acres and acres of sugar maples.
Jack Bridges operated the Voris Plantation during the 1880's and was known as the "Sugar Maker." Mr. R. A. Peters and his parents lived on this farm from 1892 until 1900 and assisted in making maple syrup. They would tap the maple trees in late February or early March by drilling a hole into the
bash Railroad Tracks. The hay was put in loose during the harvest season and then was baled in the winter time and loaded into railroad (box cars) for shipment to market.
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