It Happened HereJuly 6, 2016
It Happened Here
Eighty Years Ago
(1936)
An explosion in Addieville damaged the J.H. Gaebe and Co. wheat elevator. A grudge against the Iowa Road Building Co. was placed as the cause of the trouble.
Fire of unknown origin destroyed two small barns belonging to William Schwind in Du Bois.
A.J. Farmer sold his entire grocery stock and store in Richview which he had operated for 43 years.
Local grocery prices showed two packages of corn flakes for 19 cents and Longhorn cheese at 19 cents a pound.
Deaths: Ann Wiese, 67, of Cordes; Emma Kroeger, formerly of Du Bois; and Carrie Seefeld, 47, formerly of Plum Hill.
Seventy-Five Years Ago
(1941)
Three members of a threshing team from Johannisburg suffered injuries when a bolt of lightning stuck the separator around which they had gathered during a heavy downpour. They were William Wolf, Edward Wolf and Henry Moellman.
Walter Novak, 47, a farmer south of Beaucoup, was killed instantly when he was struck by a bolt of lightning.
Other deaths: William Edward of Beaucoup; Margareth Sticker, formerly of Nashville; Amelia Ann Woker, infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Woker; Mary Weihe, a native of Hoyleton; and Mrs. Herman Schuetz of Okawville.
Seventy Years Ago
(1946)
Development of a class I airport for Nashville was included in the National Airport Plan of the Civil Aeromautics Administration.
Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Shanafelt bought the Home Cafe from Al Waligorski.
Edward Scanlan of Worden bought the Venedy Mine.
Area soldiers discharged included: Tech. Capt. Stanley Grzechowiak; Seaman Alvin Aussieker of Hoyleton; Fireman Casimer Szramkowski of Nashville; Aviation Ordinance-man Reinhardt Beckmeyer of Hoyleton; Seaman Earl Meyer of Venedy; Maj. Jack Berry of Ashley; Seaman Edmond Pierjak of Ashley; Electrician’s Mate Stanley Chwasczinski of Ashley; and Pvt. Stanley Schmale of Addieville.
Deaths: Robert Logan, 71, of Ashley; and Christian Oelze, 78, of Washington County.
Sixty-Five Years Ago
(1951)
Leo Sherman sold his dance hall in Du Bois to Philip Stanick of Waltonville.
Deaths: Maurine Donnerman, 38, of Nashville; Lydia Maschmeyer, 76, a native of Nashville; Christ Tiemann, 83, of Irvington; and Mrs. John Klaybor of Ashley.
Sixty Years Ago
(1956)
Fire destroyed a wash house on the Harry Rhine property in Nashville.
Deaths: Roy Cook, 47, of Nashville; Emelie Backs, 81, of Nashville; John Nickrent, 51, of Du Bois Township; Frank Franzlau, 89, of Peoria; Cathy Aubuchon, 4, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Aubuchon of Denver, CO; and John Mueller, 75, of Okawville.
Fifty-Five Years Ago
(1961)
Clarence DeMoss was made a partner in the Nashville law firm Hohlt and House.
A truck fire in a wheat field resulted in the loss of a new truck owned by Ezdor Kurwicki.
Local grocery prices showed five pounds of flour for 45 cents and four, six-ounce cans of lemonade for 50 cents.
Deaths: Julius Going, 87, of Venedy; Louis Cordes, 76, formerly of Nashville; and James Lloyd of El Paso, TX.
Fifty Years Ago
(1966)
Voters in Ashley for the second time defeated a proposed municipal gas service.
Temperatures in Nashville ranged in the mid to upper 90s with the thermometer registering 100 degrees on one day.
A group of Centralia investors took control of the Hoyleton State and Savings Bank.
A petition was presented to the Illinois Junior College Board requesting all of Ashley High School District to be part of Kaskaskia College District.
Burglars broke into the Hoyleton Lumber Co. and the maintenance shed at the Ashley Cemetery.
Deaths: Vesper Hagebusch, 45, of Okawville; and Walter Helmbolt, 69, of Belleville.
Forty-Five Years Ago
(1971)
Richard Smith of Nashville retired after 44 years with Illinois Power Co.
Tom Wheeler was hired as varsity basketball coach at Nashville High School.
June rainfall in Washington County was a low 2.91 inches.
Deaths: Clara Hollmann, 59, of Nashville; August Kampe, 76, of Okawville; Louis Poninski, 83, of Du Bois; Laura Hughes, 77, a native of Nashville; Ronald Krehrer, infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Krehrer of Mt. Vernon; Albert Martin, 72, of Ashley; Mary Hornkamp, 70, of Okawville; Charles Kellerman, 39, of Pinckneyville; and William Saunders, 90, of Addieville.
Forty Years Ago
(1976)
Dr. Michael Gewe became an associate in the practice of optometry with his father, Dr. Eugene F. Gewe.
Dedication of the restored McKelvey School was to be a part of the Bicentennial July 4 celebration in Nashville.
Contractors were scheduled to begin work on the Nashville sewer project.
Carl Repos, 35, of Okawville drowned in a borrow pit pond at the intersection of I-64 and Route 177.
Other deaths: Frank Jozwiak, 62, of Pilot Knob Township; Mamie Brueggeman, 76, of Centralia; Bertha Schwab, 74, of Nashville; Russell Baker, 84, of Ashley; Mrs. Clarence Keel, 70, of Fulton MO; and Harvey Lee, 74, of Walsh.
Thirty-Five Years Ago
(1981)
The search for oil in several sections of Bolo Township increased 40 years after some 100 wells were found in the area’s oil boom.
Two tracts of farmland belonging to the Richard Kasten estate near Hoyleton sold at public auction for $2,500 per acre.
Charles Mustread, 47, of Ashley was fined $3,150 and placed on three years probation for shooting a man in a fight over a beer cooler.
Eight-count packages of sandwich buns were two for $1 and rib pork chops were $1.49 a pound.
Deaths: Margaret Kroener, 82, of Nashville; Beulah Downes, 67, of Woodlawn; Anna Buretta, 93, of Ashley; Wesley Ingram, 46, of Freeburg; Elbert Smith, 66, of Warrenton, MO; Josephine Borowiak, 81, of Centralia; Gerard Haake, 51, of Albers; Andrew Boos, 63, formerly of Nashville; Emma Jording, 86, a native of Convington; Joseph Ceranski, 80, of Effingham; James Murphy, 47; Anton Greten, 90, of Lively Grove; Fred Foster, 82, of Okawville; William Reinkensmeyer, 86, of Ferrin; Laura Kruse, 79, of Nashville; Edna Powell, 68, of Belleville; and Bertha Davis, 68, of Elkville.
Weddings: Jean Buss and Charles Harriss; Cheryl Mozelewski and Michael Newman; LeVeda Kehrer and Leonard Bathon; and Crystal Ragland and David Hickey.
Thirty Years Ago
(1986)
The Okawville police department was accused of “over zealous enforcement” of alcohol-related traffic violations during the annual Jaycees softball tournament.
Fire destroyed a hay shed on the Leroy Bartling farm north of Beaucoup.
Deaths: Mayme Reidelberger, 88, formerly of Nashville; Albert Poggemoeller, 66, a native of Washington County; Gustav Wehking, 90, a native of Hoyleton; Frances Cross, 74, formerly of Okawville; Christopher Thomas Miller, infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Brett Miller of Collinsville; Mary Ellen “Sue” Gowins, 48, a native of Nashville; Allen Tucker, 32, of Nashville; Howard Gilpin, 68, of Richview; Florence Little, 86, a native of Oakdale; Maj. John Dudley, 44, of Falls Church, VA; Bennie Johnson, 88, formerly of Richview; and Anna Kellerman, 88, of Pinckneyville.
Weddings: Denise Stegman and Ronald Czajkowski; Billie Jean Geppert and Gregg Cookson; Monya Chambers and Kenneth Oltmann; Amy Vaughan and Patrick Martens; and Dawn Witbracht and Michael Smith of Sparta.
Twenty-Five Years Ago
(1991)
Thunderstorms rolled through Washington County bringing an end to a weeklong heat wave which saw temperatures top out at 100 degrees.
Rain fell on just four days in June, making the 1.15 inches total the lowest since 1966, according to figures compiled by Doyle Cohlmeyer.
The forty-eighth edition of the Washington County Fair was preparing for a six-day run.
Kuhl Lumber and Palletswest of New Minden was termed the area’s top automated sawmill.
The Washington County Arts Council Community Chorus was preparing for a Fourth of July performance in Memorial Park in Nashville. The Nashville Jaycees fireworks was to follow.
A 20-pound bag of charcoal briquets was $2.99, a 12 pack of Coca-Cola was $2.69, and unleaded plus fuel was selling for $1.079.
Chris Frerker of Nashville scored a hole-in-one at Nashville Municipal Golf Course, with a 137-yard ace on hole 2.
Radom Post Office open house honored Anna Naliborski for 48 years of service with cards and a mail box planter.
Deaths: Larry Thompson, 45, of Nashville; George McClain, 76, of Nashville; Bernice Rick, 67, of Okawville; Michael Hicks, 19, of Scheller; LaVerne Switzer, 72, of Bonnie; Louis Hottes, 84 of Pinckneyville; Gregory Whitson, 15, of Tamaroa; Frank Hartman, 84, of Woodlawn; and Edith Dean, 89, of Carterville.
Wedding: Amy Reinhardt and William Schroeder.
Births: Dean and Sara Heinzmann of Centralia, a son; Steven and Charlene Rybacki of Nashville, a daughter; and Robert and Melissa Adams.
Twenty Years Ago
(1996)
Monterey Coal Mine in Albers announced plans to close. About 80 of the 400 employees were from Washington County.
The Washington County Fair was preparing for its 53rd annual run.
Wendy Davis was hired as superintendent of Ashley School District.
Julie Bohman was sworn in as postmaster at Hoyleton.
Fire gutted the home of Rick and Stacy Moss in Richview.
Deaths: Clarence Hanke, 72, of Okawville; Olga Kleiboeker, 87, of Shattuc; Leona Widger, 86, of Nashville; Emma Smith, 94, of Oswego; Wilmer Steinkamp, 77, of Plum Hill; Michael Schoenbeck, 28, of Baldwin; Arthur Lamar, 51, of Wayne City; Ollie Thomas, 76, of Pinckneyville; Mary Pruett, 88, of Okawville; and Donald Ferguson, 69, of Centralia.
Wedding: Angela Schubert and Michael Stevenson.
Birth: Keith and Kathy Koch of Okawville, a daughter.
Fifteen Years Ago
(2001)
The City of Ashley was making plans for its 125th anniversary celebration.
Midway through the year, Doyle Cohlmeyer said rainfall stood about 6 inches below normal at 13.06 inches.
Bob White and the Robins Quarter performed barbershop harmony at the Nashville Public Library’s ice cream social.
Former Okawville police chief Anthony Thompson pleaded guilty to federal mail fraud charges involving paychecks that occurred during his tenure in that community.
Hot air balloon rides, motor cross and garden tractor drag racing were among the featured events at the Washington County Fair.
Soft wheat was selling for $2.26 per bushel.
Deaths: Selma Hassebrock, 75, of Mascoutah; Francis Ogilvie, 61, of Coulterville; Ablert Sprehe, 96, of Centralia; Elanor Luebbers, 89, of St. Libory; and Joseph Hobbs, 54, of Red Bud.
Weddings: Katherine Lange and Keith Suedmeyer; Leah Meinert and Ryan Kemper; and Angela Buss and David Heiman.
Births: Bryon and Renae Killion of Okawville, a son; Scott and Kelly Harre of Okawville, a daughter; Christopher and Tammy Jahnke of Du Bois, a son; Jerry and Melissa Wilson of Venedy, a son.
Ten Years Ago
(2006)
Nashville FFA Chapter was consistently racking up state and national awards five years after Julie Bond-Ledford took the reins as Ag instructor.
Exhibitors and residents were gearing up for the Washington County Fair.
Gas prices climbed to over $3 per gallon for the first time in history.
Pork steaks were $1.69 a pound and watermelons were $3.88 each.
Theodore Keil Jr., 77, of Du Bois was killed when a tractor overturned on him.
Other deaths: Karen Jones, 63, of Mandeville, LA; Walter Moehle, 90, of Okawville; Larry Heck, 60, of Mt. Vernon; Milton Spindler, 92, of Nashville; and Pauline Chapman, 83, of Irvington.
Births: Shaun and Shannon Renth of Nashville, a daughter; Larry and Dora Mann or Carlyle, a son.
Five Years Ago
(2011)
Washington County Hospital began a $120,000 fund drive to help pay for a digital mammography suite, starting off with a dinner dance.
Following a rainy June, Washington County had received as much rain in the first six months of the year as it usually does in an entire year. 10.6 inches of rain fell during June.
The library held a fundraiser to help pay for eBooks with portrait coupons from Concept Photography.
A boil order was implemented after a water line on Adams Street was hit by crews laying fiberoptic cables.
Nicole Harre and Justin Heberer announced plan for an August wedding.
Deaths: Joyce Tischler, 76, of Carlyle, July 2; Betty Boeschen, 82, of Addieville, July 2; Bernice Collmeyer, 92, of Williamsburg, Va., formerly of Hoyleton, June 30; Ralph Roethemeyer, 83, of Nashville, June 28; Peggy Middendorf, 55, of Covington, July 1.
