It Happened Here – February 10, 2016
It Happened Here
Eighty Years Ago
(1936)
An association was formed to perpetuate the memorial of the Lively family, Washington County pioneers who were massacred in July 1813.
Fourteen-year-old Johnny Preis of Radom was killed when a World War I grenade exploded while he was using it to hammer at skate key in place.
Lorine Meinert, 23, of New Minden was killed on the morning of her wedding day in St. Louis in an automobile accident.
Other deaths: Martin Sturgman of Bolo; Mary Westerfeld of Hoyleton; Martha Fox, 74, of Nashville; Dr. John H. Allen, 59, formerly of Richview; Mary Whitecotten of Nashville; May Mitchell, formerly of Nashville; Mary Westerbeck, 80, formerly of New Minden; Myrtle Whittenburg Tucker, 29, of Ashley; Laura Haun, 77, of Richview; Gordon Smith, 50, of Ashley; and Lena Warin of St. Louis.
Seventy-Five Years Ago
(1941)
Charles Gewe of Nashville was appointed building and loan examiner by State Auditor Arthur Lueder.
Betty Clarkson of Nashville was elected president of Pi Beta Phi sorority at Northwestern University.
Deaths: Augustus Gilpin, 67, former superintendent of Nashville schools; F. Joseph Brueggemann, 56, formerly of Washington County; John Frost of Posen; Mae Bib, 61, of DuBois; and Charles Weihe of New Minden.
Seventy Years Ago
(1946)
The Walter Stricker residence in Nashville was damaged by fire.
Frank Shotts claimed the Washington County record for eight foxes killed that season.
Betty Lichtenfels, nine-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Lichtenfels, was the third Nashville child to be stricken with polio.
Washington County boys discharged from the military were: Staff Sgt. Ellsworth Fenn; Russell McClay, USN; Staff Sgt. Albert Brazinski; T/5 Billie Koenigstein; Cpl. Ralph Smith; Pvt. Thomas Courtney; T/4 Joseph Trost; and Staff Sgt. Theodore Finke.
Deaths: Fred Halstenberg of Hoyleton; Mrs. Theodore Palmer of DuBois; Amelia Bassler, 74, of Nashville; Bertha Kozuszek, formerly of DuBois; Daniel Chlebowski, 11, of Radom; and James Lewis, 74, of DuBois.
Sixty-Five Years Ago
(1951)
Appointed deputies by Washington County Sheriff Albert Gorman were Paul Wiese of Nashville, Ted Keli and Bernard Schubert of DuBois, and T.B. Russell of Richview.
Local grocery prices had slab bacon for 39 cents a pound and Brach’s chocolate valentines for 59 cents a box.
Deaths: Minnie Mracht, 70, of Nashville; Donald Tucker, 25; William Reither, 56, formerly of Nashville; Francis Poirot, 74, of Belleville; W.C. Brun, 70, formerly of Hoyleton Township; Henry Struckmeyer, 68, of Nashville; Harry Stephens, 71, former postmaster at Ashley; T.F. Heseman, 64, formerly of Hoyleton; Mrs. Benjamin Michael, 69, a native of Washington County; Mrs. Eph Firby, formerly of Nashville; Douglas Palmer; John H. Wolf, 41, formerly of Okawville; and Carl Doelling of Stone Church.
Sixty Years Ago
(1956)
A 600-pound heifer was stolen from the Greten Brothers in Lively Grove, butchered and hauled away.
The Illinois Gizz Kids (wheelchair basketball team) were playing in St. Louis. Charles Dahncke of Ashley and Thomas Jones of Carbondale were members.
Deaths: Caroline Schwiering of Stone Church; Conrad Zacheis, 87, of Nashville; Sophia Brueggemann, 85, of Plum Hill; John Novak, 73, of Nashville; Edward Rixmann, 78, of Hoyleton; Edmund Pokorney, 39, of Nashville; Fred Meier, 85, formerly of Plum Hill; and Larry Dean Brehm, infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Brehm of Nashville.
Fifty-Five Years Ago
(1961)
Harry Stein, 55, of Oakdale was injured when he was caught between two coal cars at the Venedy mine.
Dr. Charles Longwell cracked his hip socket when he fell on ice.
Delores Frederking, formerly of Nashville, was commissioned as a deaconess of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
Nora Kirchhoefer was installed noble grand of the Rebekah Lodge.
Deaths: Frances Piasecki of Nashville; Fred Toensing of Okawville; F. William Grote of Hoyleton; Walter Diedrich, 70, of Nashville; Zenas McElroy, 68, of Ashley; Edward Heinrichsmeyer, 78, of New Minden; Charles Hampton, 51, of Nashville; and W.O. Frey, 70, of Ashley.
Fifty Years Ago
(1966)
Voters in Okawville School District approved a $175,000 bond issue to finance an addition and improvements to the high school.
The home of Mrs. Charlie Wilkey in Nashville was destroyed by fire.
Eight inches of snow fell on Nashville in a two-day period.
Moedahl Ford Sales in Nashville advertised new Mustangs for $2,175.
The First Christian Church in Nashville was dedicated.
Colonel John Hines, 31, formerly of Nashville, graduated from the Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
Clarence Waldmann of DuBois retired after 41 years of service with the Railway Mail Service.
Deaths: Carrie Buhrman, 97, of Nashville; Leander Decker, 79, of Pilot Knob Township; Grace Pinkston, 70, of Granite City; Cecilia Kwiatkowski of Bolo Township; Lester Mischke, 57, formerly of Ashley; Louis Zettler, 81, of DuBois; William Koening, 58, formerly of the Okawville-Oakdale area; Carrie Shock, 62, of DuBois; Bryan Morgan, 69, formerly of Ashley; and Martin Pruehsner, 79, formerly of New Minden.
Forty-Five Years Ago
(1971)
Martin Scharlemann, the first brigadier general in the Air Force Reserve, retired after 30 years of service.
Emily Sonnek assumed management of the Montgomery Ward Catalog Agency. The business had been under the management of Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Nagel.
John Brink of Richview and Ricky Harre of Nashville were winners of the Illinois 4-H X-Tra Yield Activity award for the production of 117.0 bushels of corn per acre by John, and 49.5 bushels of soybeans per acre by Ricky.
Robert Miller and Tom Hale were designated honorary citizens of the city of Louisville in appreciation of the return of a billfold.
The Illinois All American Pork Producer candidate nominated at the annual state conference was Wayne Maschhoff.
Candidates for FHA-FFA Sweetheart dance queen at NCHS were Pam Auld, Arlene Brune, Becky Carson Marilyn Kurwicki and Julie Swoboda.
Deaths: Eugene Poirot, 87, of Nashville; Regina Aldag, 93, of Hoyleton; Sidney Tillery, 76, of Nashville; Noel Darce of St. Louis; William Fowler, 71, of Taylorville; Joseph Rossel, 73, of Okawville; and V.L. Tate, 64, of Irvington.
Forty Years Ago
(1976)
Mary Jane Piasecki was named NCHS’ Betty Crocker Family Leader of Tomorrow.
Lois Schorfheide, owner and operator of the Montgomery Ward sales agencies in Nashville and Mascoutah, received an award for having the highest sales increase in the district.
Deaths: Erhardt Steinkamp, 68, of Okawville; Frances Andrews, 76, of DuBois; Mary Kabat, 80, of Mt. Vernon; Mrs. Charles Chandler, 47, of Ashley; Rebecca Queen, 74, of Oakdale; and Edna Miller, 67, of Jonesboro.
Thirty-Five Years Ago
(1981)
William Auld of Oakdale retired as president of the Illinois Association of Farmer Elected Committeemen.
Washington County recorded the driest January in 18 years with only .74 inches of precipitation.
Janice Stove, 24, a store clerk who was abducted from Lebanon, MO, was found unharmed, tied and gagged in a sleeping bag in a wooded area near Okawville.
Deaths: Henry Schubach, 93, of Ashley; Clara Kujawa, 80, of Pinckneyville; Leah Greer, 89, a native of Washington County; Harry Hartleb Jr., 45, of Tamaroa; Rosemary Garbs, 55, of Okawville; Raymond Krewinghaus, 68, of Okawville; Ryan Dean Niederhofer, infant son of Leroy and Sheila Niederhofer of Richview; and Ernest Raines, 81, of Irvington.
Thirty Years Ago
(1986)
Construction of a swimming beach at the Washington County Lake Conservation Area was given top priority by a committee seeking ways to develop the area as a tourist attraction.
A certificate of need was filed with Comprehensive Health planning of Southern Illinois for development of a 15-bed facility for the developmentally disabled in Nashville to be known as Colonial Plaza.
A total of 4.43 inches of rain fell in Washington County in three days, breaking a month-long dry spell.
A $2,500 grant from the Aid Association for Lutherans was awarded to build restrooms at the New Minden Community Club park.
Washington County’s December 1980 unemployment rate rose to 12.6 percent.
Deaths: Roland Schuette, 64, of Nashville; Thomas Heimann, 35, of Albers; Wayne “Foddy” Williams, 74, of Ashley; Martin Obermeier, 75, of Centralia; Mary Ellen Kellums of Oakdale; Otto Brueggemann, 82, of Venedy; Elizabeth Kitowski, 73, of Scheller; Carrie Coffel, 84, of DuBois; Norman Scheppel, 75, of Carlyle; Pauline Garling, 92, a native of Venedy; and Charles House, 62, of Tamaroa.
Wedding: Vicky Bergman and Ronald Kabat.
Twenty-Five Years Ago
(1991)
Fifty people gathered in St. Ann Parish Center in Nashville to form a support group for family and friends of those who are serving in the armed forces.
Ten landowners along the abandoned Missouri-Pacific railroad in Hoyleton and Irvington townships recorded deeds to the former railroad right-of-way.
Sisco Corporation of Nashville was supplying corrugated boxes used to ship boots to soldiers in Operation Desert Storm in the Middle East.
Ford Motor Co. purchased the Ligma Plant in Nashville for $8,345,000, and then leased the facility to Ligma.
Deaths: Carl Niemann, 106, of New Minden; Miles Chandler, 83, of Ashley; Elmer Hoppe, 81, of Nashville; Bertha Dotson, 81, of Freeburg; Herbert Meyer, 88, of Okawville; Everett Huge, 48, of Richview; Rosie Smith, 86, of Freeburg; Katie Schnake, 94, of Hoyleton; Betty Wells, 62, of Belleville; Hazel Ozee, 62, of Belleville; Herman Koch, 87, of Trenton; and Vanessa Arnold, 3, of Waltonville.
Weddings: Carrie Little and Myron McCowen; Marsha Benedict and Richard Hall; and Lori Hubert and Steven Voelkel.
Twenty Years Ago
(1996)
A fire bomb was thrown into a trailer occupied by Jane Hodge in Irvington and landed on a bed on which a baby was sleeping. The child was not harmed and only minor damage was done.
A rural Nashville man was arrested after firing a shotgun at a car occupied by a woman and her small child.
Federal regulations prohibiting the use of high sulfur coal were causing many Southern Illinois mine to close, throwing thousands of people out of work.
The unemployment rate in Washington County rose to 6.2 percent.
The temperature fell to 13 degrees below zero.
Deaths: Edna Skorcz, 81, of Nashville; Leo Scheiper, 73, of St. Libory; Lucjan Urbanski, 81, of DuBois; Helen Mines, 52, of Wildwood, MO; William Morgan, 67, of Sparta; Edna Koester, 84, of Odin; Herbert Kleiboeker, 79, of Hoffman; Edgar Sloat, 73, of Centralia; Mary Aabye, 84, of Memphis, TN; Evelyn Wright, 88, of Robinson; Beatrice Behrmann, 82, of St. Libory; and Kenneth Scanlan, 66, of Jerseyville.
Weddings: Rebecka Friedrich and Jonathun Wacker.
Births: Blaine and Kalyn Middleton of Belleville, a son; and Tim and Sandy Smith of Nashville, a daughter.
Fifteen Years Ago
(2001)
NCHS retired the jersey worn by San Francisco Giants pitcher Kirk Rueter when he was a Hornet left-hander. He was the first in school history to be awarded this honor.
January 2001 was the driest in 15 years with only .61 of an inch of rain.
Ken Kania, NCHS Sports Booster president, asked permission from the board members to place a batting cage at the Nashville Memorial Park.
Nashville residents were urged to seek financial assistance from the BCMW as natural gas prices skyrocketed.
In budget-cutting moves, four teachers positions were eliminated and a principal was ordered back to the classroom in Okawville School District 10.
Teacher Chad Malawy’s imitation of singer Brittney Spears brought down the house at a Posi-teen assembly at NCHS.
Deaths: Kenneth Mueller Jr., 44, of Nashville; Zettie Skorcz, 92, of Du Quoin; Leo Rybacki, 42, of Tamaroa; Gertrude Taylor, 97, of St. Libory; Roman Malinski, 88, of Du Quoin; Ted Rulevish, 71, of Tamaroa; Edna Hazlip, 78, of Centralia; and Marie Voss, 84, of Germantown.
Wedding: Laura Harper and Stephen Herod.
Births: Isaac and Annette Banks of St. Louis, a daughter.
Ten Years Ago
(2006)
Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lloyd Karmeier received his Nashville Citizen of the Year award from Dick Barrett, retiring Chamber President.
Chamber of Commerce officers for 2006 were Gloria Heston, president; Marv Asher, president-elect; Jennifer Szopinski, secretary; and Darlene Schomaker, treasurer.
Bruce Reeder announced his retirement as Hornet football coach after 20 seasons and a 132-81 record.
Births: Ryan and Sarah Klingeman of Nashville, a daughter; Ted Maddox and Nicole Seeger of Nashville, a son; Joseph and Amber Price of Nashville, a son; John and Shawna Kelley-Shelor of Houston, TX, a son; and Brent and Jenee Schorfheide of Hoyleton, a son.
Deaths: Clarence Brammeyer, 84, of Centralia; Virgil Brinkmann, 81, of New Minden; Roy Schlechte, 85, of Addieville; Marion Bochantin, 78, of Pinckneyville; Jeanette Rose, 89, of St. Louis; Nellie Copple, 89, of Walnut Hill; Opal Armstrong, 96, of Irvington; George Bucher Sr., 80, of Evansville, IN; Clara Walkowiak, 80, of Jacksonville; Edward Smugala, 72, of Columbia; and John Hettenhausen, 81, of Freeburg.
Five Years Ago
(2011)
A massive winter storm blanketed Washington County in ice. Hundreds of residents were left without power.
Carole Moeller was presented the award as Nashville’s Citizen of the Year by the Nashville Chamber of Commerce.
Births: Tyler Marie Haertling, born Jan. 28, to Devin and Dana Haertling of Nashville; Cole Klinton Feltman, born Jan. 23 to Susan and Jeff Feltman of Ashley.
Engagements and Anniversaries: Melissa Reed and Christopher Schmersahl announced their plans for an April 29 wedding; Cheryl Varel and Bradley Luessenheide announced plans for a March 5 wedding; LeAnna Bundy and Zac Cagle announced plans for a June 2012 wedding; Staci Harre and Jeff Twardowski announced plans for a July 2 wedding; Rich and Edna Willis of Nashville celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Jan. 20.
Deaths: Vera Grathwohl, 92, of Irvington, February 4; Leo Bochantin, 88, of Ashley, February 3; Patricia Batson, 84, of Nashville, formerly of DuQuoin, February 6; Irma Beckmeyer, 89, of Irvington, January 31; Maris Schmale, infant daughter of Travis and Tifanie Schmale, February 4; Martin Borowiak, January 29.
