It Happened HereDecember 2, 2015

It Happened Here

Eighty Years Ago

(1935)

County Clerk J.J. Hawkins reported issuing 331 residents hunting licenses and three non-resident hunting licenses.

Irene Haun was crowned queen at the Ashley High School carnival.

Local grocery prices included bananas for 15 cents a dozen and bacon at 29 cents a pound.

Deaths: A.H. Schnake of Hoyleton; Fern Hunter, 14, of Rice; and Pauline Reed of Richview.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

(1940)

Joseph Tomaszewski, 64, of Radom was killed when we walked into the path of a car on Route 51, three miles southwest of Ashley.

Other deaths: Henry Klosterhoff, ex-sheriff of Washington County; Mrs. Louis Groennert of Addieville; and John Koch, a native of Covington.

Seventy Years Ago

(1945)

The Charles Swain home was damaged by fire on Thanksgiving Day. No one was home at the time.

Dr. Paul Schroeder, internationally know psychiatrist, flew to Germany to examine the mentality of the German war criminals on trial at Nuerenberg.

Marcella Blumhorst, 12, of Nashville became the first fatality from poliomyelitis in Washington County for the year.

Other deaths: Frank Krus, 41, of St. Louis; William Beek, 64, of Nashville; Elliott Evilsizer, 58, of Nashville; Joe Povolish, 66, of Beaucoup; Mary Ann Kelly, 65, formerly of Oakdale; Mary Ann Anderson, 87, of Nashville; and Rosalie Mitchell Sledge, 32, formerly of Irvington.

Sixty-Five Years Ago

(1950)

A Thanksgiving Day snow-storm ditched numerous automobiles along county highways.

Harry Borrenpohl escaped with minor injuries when his truck was struck by an L and N passenger train at an unmarked crossing near Okawville.

Sgt. Herman Brothers of Ashley was listed as missing in action in Korea.

Grzegorek’s tavern was burglarized and a considerable amount of whiskey was stolen.

Deaths: Robert Carson of Rice, W.A. Shirley of Nashville; Henry Beckmeyer, 65, of near Hoyleton; E.P. White, 87, of Centralia; Anna Schaeffer, 80, of Pilot Knob; Mrs. Louis Hederman, 76, of Venedy; and Alex Erb, 61, of Lively Grove.

Sixty Years Ago

(1955)

Paul “Babe” Habbe purchased the Harry E. Gewe jewelry store.

David Moehle and Clayton Ibendahl purchased the Small and Sons Motor Co. in Nashville.

R.W. Edwards, Edgar Edwards and Thelma Edwards were appointed to three year terms as trustees of the Beaucoup Cemetery Association.

Deaths: Anna Roethemeyer, 78, of Plum Hill; John Warntjen, 84, of Addieville; Harry Hohman, 70, of Hoyleton; Richard Bond, 70, former bowling operator in Nashville; and Henry Steinbrink, 73, of Centralia.

Fifty-Five Years Ago

(1960)

Andrew Lamczyk of Ashley was elected to the Board of Directors of the American Dairy Association of Illinois District 10.

Back’s Department Store in Nashville advertised men’s leather belts for $1 to $1.50 and ladies’ umbrellas as low as 87 cents each.

Sofa beds were selling for $69.95 and high chairs were $8.95 each at Hildebrand Furniture in Nashville.

Deaths: Emma Luebke, 85, of Nashville; Vinne Green, 63, of Nashville; Don Wetzel, 56, of Nashville; Rev. Elijah Stockton, 72, former pastor in Ashley; Henry Hongsermeier, 68, of Centralia; Mrs. H.P. Keli, 75, formerly of Washington County; and Anna Pagels, 76, formerly of Oakdale.

Fifty Years Ago

(1965)

Hileman Furniture Store was sold by Mr. and Mrs. Russell Hileman to Jerry and Betty Gutzler.

Elaine Sachtleben of Hoyleton was named recipient of the DAR Good Citizenship Award.

Deaths: Anna Hawkins, 91, of Okawville; Christina Brammeier, 76, of Nashville; Mathilda Mueller, 66, of Okawville; Gilbert Adams, 70, formerly of Nashville; Lillie Eigenrauch, 60, of Okawville; Rev. Paul Niedermeyer, 75, of Nebraska City, NE; Mary Ziarnek, 80, of Scheller; George Frieman of Marissa; and Mrs. Charles Rhode, formerly of Edwardsville.

Forty-Five Years Ago

(1970)

Burglars entered Meier’s Market and stole $80 from the cash register.

Washington County hunters killed 43 deer in the first weekend of hunting.

Paul Fark and N.C. Pries, both of Hoyleton, notified the sheriff’s office of the theft of riding lawn mowers and other implements from their dealership.

Ted Keli Sr. of DuBois retired after 50 years in the mines.

A hospital benefit dance was scheduled for Friday at the Nashville Legion Home in Nashville with music by the Jack Staulcup Orchestra.

Nelson’s advertised six hamburgers for $1.

Forty Years Ago

(1975)

Joseph Wojtowicz was sworn in as postmaster at Nashville.

A total of 137 deer were killed in the first half of deer season; 89 were bucks and 48 were does.

Anna Palek of Nashville was named recipient of the DAR Good Citizenship Award by the senior class of NCHS.

Rev. Paul Pasterneak was installed as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Nashville.

Deaths: Arthur Hasheider, 55, of Okawville; William Briles, 70, of Madison; Joe Kuberski, 76, of Tamaroa; Anna Perrot, 86, of St. Louis; and John Leffner Jr., 55, of Ashley.

Thirty-Five Years Ago

(1980)

Twenty-five cars of a 95-car Illinois Central Gulf freight train derailed near Ashley. The accident cut electric power to a wide area.

Fire destroyed the John Barber residence, formerly the Kingdom Hall, in Plum Hill.

Washington County State’s Attorney Walter Moehle retired at the expiration of this second term.

Minor damage was noted when a fire broke out at the Hoyleton Children’s Home in a mattress storage area.

Deaths: Theodore Borrenpohl, 81, of Okawville; James Cook, 73, of Centralia; Olinde Schaeferle, 73, of Biddleborn; Al Straeter, 64, of Carlyle; August Meier, 82, of Hoffman; and Jack Crawford, 49, of Tamaroa.

Thirty Years Ago

(1985)

John Horstmann of Curry and Associates in Nashville was injured in a fall while performing an inspection on the Irvington municipal water tower. He fell 50 feet inside the empty tank.

Washington County hunters killed 43 deer in the first weekend of hunting.

Paul “Babe” Habbe was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Southwestern Illinois Area Agency on Aging.

Several reports of hogs and sheep being attacked by wild dogs were made in western Washington County.

Deaths: Elsie Newman, 80, of Richview; Leo Przygoda, 77, of St. Louis; Leona Grattendick, 72, of St. Louis; Syble Ogrzewalla, 57, formerly of Nashville; Victor Peeck, 72, a native of DuBois; Marshall Thornton, 68, a native of Oakdale Township; James John, 90, of Ashley; Hugo Hasheider, 67, a native of Okawville and William Wieland, 69, of Nashville.

Weddings: Mary Pelker and Douglas Gray; and Peggy Gillison and Jacob Polczynski.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

(1990)

Santa arrived to a snow-free Nashville by a horse-drawn carriage while members of Nashville Middle School chorus kept a waiting crowd entertained.

Friendship Manor Nursing Home objected during a hearing to a 20-bed long term skilled care nursing facility at the Washington County Hospital.

The Washington County Emergency Telephone System Board was told that about 50 percent of the County Highway Commissioners had returned maps of their townships with road names.

Callers were able to complete all telephone calls with in the 618 area code by dialing just seven digits, no longer needing to dial a “1.”

on a 4-3 vote, the Okawville Village Board of Trustees increased the number of package liquor licenses in the village from 2 to 5.

Nashville City Council was told natural gas customers could see as much as a 24 percent price increase as part of a new five year contract with Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America.

The Nashville News offered free copies of the paper to any military personnel involved with Operation Desert Shield.

Borowiak’s Department Store started a liquidation sale after 22 years in business, but said it would continue to be a tuxedo supplier and would reopen as a supplier of nursing home and health care clothing.

Weddings: Mary Banaszek and Doug Hake; and Deborah Frazier and John Fox.

Deaths: Linda Wetzel, 26, of Nashville; Prentice Hendricks, 81, of Nashville; Marietta Bodlt, 88, of Ashley; Dorothy Meentemeyer, 69, of Centralia; Arthur Ratajczyk, 63, of St. Louis; Adoline Haake, 63, of Hoyleton; Virgil Kroeger, 60, of Hazelwood, MO; Noel David Woolever, 36, of Woodlawn; and Alva Burns of Christopher.

Birth: Jim and Laura Schmersahl of Oakdale, a son.

Twenty Years Ago

(1995)

Nashville Lions Club raised $32,000 to pay for new Christmas lights in the city.

Okawville Village Board was searching for a site to build a new water plant.

Melodie Wilkey was honored for leading an anti-hunger campaign while serving a president of the Dietary Managers Association.

Washington County’s unemployment rate fell to 4.1 percent.

Deaths: Joseph Povolish, 81, of Nashville; Nicholas Clark, infant son of Mark and Kimberly Clark of Tamaroa; Henry Reinkensmeyer, 80, of Hoyleton; Ruth Schaeffer, 96, of Centralia; Gertude Povolish, 75, of Freeburg; Scott Wennemann, 21, of St. Libory; Wilma Defend, 67, of Centralia; Joseph Baldridge, 85, of Carlyle.

Weddings: Tricia Lange and Jason Schleifer; Martha Atherton and Barney Lamczyk.

Births: Justin and Janna Jablonski of Nashville, a son; Mr. and Mrs. Marc Dahncke, a son; Mr. and Mrs. Bryan Weihe of Hoyleton, a daughter; Mr. and Mrs. Dan Brinkmann of Imperial, MO, a daughter.

Fifteen Years Ago

(2000)

Washington County Hospital was designated a Critical Access Hospital, which was expected to provide a boost to it’s sagging financial position.

The county’s unemployment rate hit a 26-year low at 3.0 percent.

Associates at Nashville Interior Systems prepared 40 Thanksgiving food boxes for needy residents.

Washington County hunters tagged 980 deer in the first firearm season, 85 more than the previous year.

Good Scents Ltd. offered a bottle of cologne for $17.95.

Craig Willis, 44, of Nashville was killed in an automobile accident.

Harold Dycus, 67, and Jane Dycus, 64, of Carbondale were killed in an automobile accident.

Other deaths: Orpha Shirley, 84 of Nashville; John Kellerman, 27, of Nashville; Dorothy Witt, 76, of Belle Rive.

Births: Danielle Harre and Jeffrey Baum of Nashville, a son; Greg and Cris Lowry of Howell, MI, a daughter; Shene Malawy and Jason Alfeldt of Oakdale, a daughter; Michael and Linda Palm of Hoffman, a daughter.

Ten Years Ago

(2005)

Hunters tagged 1,034 deer in the opening season, up 54 from 2000.

The county’s unemployment rate fell to 3.6 percent.

Washington County Extension burned the mortgage on its building.

Sandra Wrobel, Roger Frazier, Charles Geimer and Arthur Pinski were victims of vehicle burglaries in different parts of the county.

Hardee’s offered a 1/3 pound Thickburger for $1.99 and a sausage and egg biscuit for 99 cents.

Birth: Mason and Jennifer Boyer of Elkart, a son.

Deaths: Leota Bergmann, 82, of Venedy; LuElla Neuhaus, 95, of Nashville; Edna Schuetz, 85, of Okawville; Regina Wisneski, 91, of DuBois; Sylvester Nadolski, 83, of Ashley; Mark Forth, 42, of Hoffman, killed in a logging accident; Marie Behrmann, 85, of St. Libory; Ronnie Cohlmeyer, 59, of Centralia; Dorothy Kujawa, 82, of Ashley; Paul Tucker, 71, of Belleville; Harold Wetzel, 56, of Ashley.

Weddings: Michelle Lamczyk and Roy McCormack; Becky Klie and Andrew Mallory; Tasha Wilkey and Anthony Bury.

Five Years Ago

(2010)

The Washington County Hospital Board okayed a cooperative agreement with a new medical office being built to the north of downtown Nashville which was run by St. Mary’s/Good Samaritan.

District 49’s tax rate ranked 34th out of 72 comparable districts.

The “skunk war” being waged by Nashville Police against the pesky critters seemed to be winding down.

The Hornettees won the Nashville Thanksgiving Basketball Tournament, defeating Okawville.

Death: Lorena Beccue, 79, formerly of Altamont, November 24