It Happened HereJan. 14, 2015
It Happened Here
Eighty Years Ago
1935
Ferdinand Harre was a Republican candidate for supervisor for Nashville Township. Gus Toethemeyer was also a candidate.
J.H. Gaebe was re-elected president of the Board of directors of the first National Bank in Nashville.
The Huegely Mill began operating on a three-day work week.
TheChicago Motor Club urged licensing of all Illinois drivers.
William Lincoln was appointed Nashville dog catcher, replacing William McLean.
The loan agreement proposed by the federal government through the Public Works Administration for financing of a municipal waterworks system in Nashville was approved.
Deaths: Mrs. William Harre Sr. of Hahlen; Herman Jasper and daughter, Minna Jasper, both of Stone Church; Mrs. James Richards of Nashville; and Cordell Kenneth, son of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Eckert of Mascoutah.
Seventy-Five Years Ago
1940
One of the boldest, smoothest robberies ever staged in Nashville occurred when the local post office was broken into and the safe robbed of approximately $350 worth of negotiables. A reward of $200 for information was being offered.
Nashville City Council began exploring the possibility of constructing a municipal light plant.
Peter Johannes of Ashley, William Brennecke of Addieville, and Harvey F. Hake of Hoyleton was re-elected directors of the Washington County Mutual Fire Insurance Company.
Several businesses moved to new locations in Nashville: Gerhardt Schneider reopened his variety store on Main Street in the building previously occupied by Windler’s Bakery; Windler’s moved one door east; George Grohmann moved his barbership into his new building on West Main Street; Harry Sternberg moved his shoe store to the Ahlf building vacated by Grohmann; and the office of Trust Building and Loan Corporation moved to the quarters vacated by Barton Ice Cream Shop.
Total rainfall for 1939 was 39.66 inches and snowfall was 23.2 inches.
Deaths: Dr. T. F. McConaghie of Oakdale; Clementine Pero of Radon; Frank Hopps of bolo Township; Steve Rozlowski, 26, of Nashville; Mrs. Fred Brown of Ashley; and Henry Detering.
Seventy Years Ago
1945
Zola Skibinski was appointed temporary postmaster at Richview.
Rainfall during 1944 in Washington County was 29.12 inches, less than the average of 38.38 inches.
Darla Jean Johnson received word that her father, Sgt. Clyde Johnson, was wounded on Leyte in the Philippines.
Pvt. Clarence Sherman, one of four sons of Mrs. Leo Sherman serving their country, was wounded in France.
Lyle Poole of Nashville received word that his son, Cpl. Paul Poole, had been wounded in Germany.
Clara Hahne Moeller of St. Louis, formerly of Nashville, received word that her son, Pvt. Charles Moeller, was killed in action in Germany.
Other deaths: Mary Stroh of Coulterville; and Mrs. William Schmale of Hoyleton.
Sixty-Five Years Ago
1950
Nashville City Council granted Illinois Power Company a new, 50-year franchise.
The Fairyland Shop in Nashville advertised girls’ hats for $1.
Arnold Marquard, P. E. Green and S. J. Povolish were candidates for county judge. Candidates for sheriff were Albert Gorman, Ted Keil, Ed Petri and C. Fred Ostendorf.
A downpour brought four inches of rain and temperatures dropped from the 60s to about 12 degrees above zero.
Bill Borgman Jr. was forced from his farm when the Kaskaskia River overflowed following a week of heavy rains.
Ice storms accounted for a heavy kill of peach buds in the area.
Total rainfall for 1949 was 40.71 inches and snowfall was 11.7 inches.
Deaths: William Finke of New Minden; Estella Smith of Rice; Mary Problys, formerly of Nashville; Lydia Sperrer, formerly of New Minden; Emma Schwab, formerly of Okawville; and Louis Kuhlengel, formerly of Frogtown.
Sixty Years Ago
1955
Wilfred Campbell purchased the Fairyland Kiddie Shoppe from Mr. and Mrs. Ben Thompson.
The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company announced plans to locate an egg grading station in Nashville.
The Oakdale yard of the Washington County Lumber and Builders Supply Co. was purchased by J. W. Huegley.
Lawrence McClay was named to succeed George Decker, as president and director of Oakdale State Bank.
M. F. Murray announced plans to publish “The Ashley News.”
Lt. William Edwards, 24, of Beaucoup was killed in the collision of two jet airplanes over Tokyo Bay.
Roger Hartley, 10, of Irvington was killed when he fell from his pony after it was struck by an automobile.
Dolly Bargman of Gardner died of injuries suffered in an auto accident.
Robert Surmeier, 22, of St. Libory died of injuries received in an auto collision.
Other deaths: Louis Aldag Sr. of Irvington; Lulu Althoff of New Minden; and Flora Power Ellis, formerly of Nashville.
Fifty-Five Years Ago
1960
Frigidaire 10.9 cubic foot refrigerators were on January special at John Dreas and Son for $198.85.
The former Beckmeyer store building in Hoyleton was purchased by the Hoyleton Community club for public use.
The frame house of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Bohbrink of Okawville was gutted by fire.
Deaths: Floyd Hahne, a native of Oakdale; and Gus Petersen of Glendive, MT.
Fifty Years Ago
1965
Washington County Hospital’s New Year’s baby was a girl born to Mr. and Mrs. Paul Wisniewski of near Ashley. 34 minutes later, a son was born to Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Deering of Ashley.
According to figures released by the county Clerk’s office, there were 158 deaths and 105 births in 1964. There were 109 marriage licenses issued.
Deaths: Amelia Winte, 65, widow of Henry Winte of Okawville; Ellis Houston, 89, of Ashley; John Holzhauer, 79, of Centralia; and Cora Miller, 90.
Forty-Five Years Ago
1970
The Ralston Purina Processing Plant, in operation here for six years, closed and a new plant opened in Germantown.
Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Hinton of Nashville had the New Year’s baby, a daughter.
Doyle Cohlmeyer, U.S. weather observer for Washington County, reported his records went back to 1926 and in all that time no other December matched the 17 inches of snow in 1969.
Deaths: Agnes Nikrant, 50, of Ashley; Henry Brueggeman, 90, of Nashville; H. Ben Wessel, 81, of St. Louis; C. K. Jones, 46, of Omaha, NE; Anna Finke, 76, of Addieville; Arthur Sterna, 57, of Phoenix, AZ; Mrs. Thomas Manning, 71; Christian Marie Smith, infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Smith of De Kalb; Lulu Millikin, 88, of Pinckneyville; Ralph Ray, 46, of Centreville; and Mary Zettler, 76, of Du Bois.
Forty Years Ago
1975
The Washington County New Year’s baby was Aimie Lou Ann, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James DeBose of Okawville, born on January 2.
The first baby born in the local hospital was Amy Beth, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Tomaszewski of Tamaroa, on January 1.
According to weather observer Doyle Cohlmeyer, the county received 40.23 inches of rainfall in 1974, just slightly over the normal of 39.72 inches.
A month after suffering head injuries in a traffic accident, Robert Luczaj died in the Firmin Desloge Hospital in St. Louis.
Other deaths: Harvey Groennert, 58, of Mascoutah; Anna Hongsermeier, 74, of St. Elmo; Dorothy Manning, 47, of DeSoto, MO; James Bryan, 77, of Centralia; John Armschler, 73, of Jacob; Hazel Wilson, 65, of New Athen;s Martha Browning, 74, of Pinckneyville; and Harry Singleton, 94, of Washington Springs Nursing Home.
Thirty-Five Years Ago
1980
A 15-cent increase in the county highway fund passed by the Washington County Board was not in compliance with state statutes because it was more than 25 percent of the present levy. The Board then passed a 2.6-cent increase.
Rainfall in Washington County in 1979 was 40.81 inches, close to the average of 40.50 inches.
The state drinking age was raised to 21 years of age.
Arnold Rueter was named cashier at Farmers and Merchants National Bank in Nashville.
Fire destoyred the two-story frame home of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Stiegmann in Addieville.
Deaths: Randall Lowry, 50, principal of Oakdale Grade School; Theresa Borowiak, 85, of Ashley; Ernest Propes, 81, of Irvington; Peter Liszewski, 90, of Du Bois; Tillie Sprehe, 78, of Hoyleton; Margaret Schneidewind, 76, of St. Louis; and Harold Riedlinger Jr., 49, of Collinsville.
Thirty Years Ago
1985
Arthur Schmittler, Director of Music at Nashville High School, was elected president of the Illinois Music Educators Association.
The New Year’s baby was Tara Leigh Borowiak, daughter of Michael and Lisa Borowiak of Richview.
A request by a resident of the Pinch area of Okawville for a special use permit to raise hogs on his property was sent back to the Okawville Zoning Board by the Okawville Board of Trustees.
The Washington County board denied a request by Harry Oakley to place a fourth mobile home on two acres in Venedy Township.
Clarence Meier, 52, of rural New Minden was killed in a truck accident near Grafton.
Pilot Brian Hannah, 25, and passengers Dorothy Grafton and 18-month-old Christina Hennrich, all of Coulterville, were killed in a plane crash near Crossbille, TN. Another passenger, Dorothy Hennrich, was critically injured.
Other deaths: Frank Maszka, 95, of Nashville; Joyce Talber, 61, of Coulterville; Agnes Nowak, 81, of Denver, CO; Anna Moeller, 90, of Nashville; Stanley Skowron, 83, of Marietta, GA; Olive Kuhn, 56, of Trenton; Rev. Sigismund Ceglenski, 52, a native of Radom; Henry “Chick” Reeves, 64, of Tamaroa; Martha Maschhoff, 47, formerly of Hoyleton; Irene Gregory, 64, formerly of Nashville; and Mabel Grattendick, 79, a native of Okawville.
For More, Please Read The January 14 Edition Of The Nashville News.
