It Happened HereAugust 24, 2016

It Happened Here

Eighty Years Ago

(1936)

A woman was arrested in Richview and found to be in possession of a pint of moonshine whiskey. She helped authorities locate the still in Jefferson County.

The Nashville sewer project was stopped after 60 WPA workers failed to show up for work in hopes of having their newly formed union recognized.

Fire destroyed the one-room dwelling of Tome Lane at a lake south of Nashville.

The average price of milk deliveries to producers for July was $1.06 per cwt.

Fly spray was 49 cents a pint.

Carrie Altmansberger, 62, and her sister, Millie Altmansberger, were killed in an explosion of a stove in the kitchen of their Okawville home.

Other deaths: George Wells, 85, of Nashville; and Susan Hoops, a former Nashville resident.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

(1941)

Thirty-three capons were killed by poison at the Walter Stricker home in Nashville.

Three cases of sleeping sickness in horses were reported in Washington County.

Three lanterns and two headlights were stolen from a tool shed at the Lively Grove fire tower.

Veal roast was 19 cents and bacon was 23 cents a pound at the local Kroger store.

Deaths: George Meyer, 71, a former Nashville resident; and Fred Schuette, 56, of Hoyleton.

Seventy Years Ago

(1946)

Gatherings were banned in Nashville and surrounding territory following a third case of polio. The latest victim was Donald Gill, 12-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. John Gill.

Lightning destroyed a barn on the Hoepker farm east of Addieville.

A total of 14.35 inches of rain deluged Nashville in a 34-hour period causing the worst flooding in the city’s history.

The Stokes’ service station in Richview was robbed of cigarettes and coins. A Ford coach owned by Orville Skibinski was also stolen in the area.

Area soldiers discharged included: Navy Lt. Norman Brinkman of Hoyleton; Ship’s Cook Albert Gilter; Seaman Ralph Lintker of Venedy; Seaman Frank Grzeskiewicz of Ashley; T/5 Raymond Lamczyk of Radom; T/5 Austin Denson of Venedy; Pvt. Herschel Frieman of Coulterville; and Sgt. Billie D. Seyler.

Deaths: William Fehlber, 71, a former Okawville resident; Howard Kasten, 65, of Hoyleton; Ann Croessman of Du Quoin; and William Nobe, 77, of Nashville.

Sixty-Five Years Ago

(1951)

Trustees of the defunct Du Bois State Bank gave notice that the final payment on interest certificates would be made at the Martha Grabowski residence. The bank had been closed for about 18 years.

Back to school specials at the Bargain Center in Nashville included boys short sleeve sports shirts for 99 cents and misses skirts for $1.93 each.

Peter Liszewski and Lawrence Dudek from Du Bois enlisted in the Air Force.

Deaths: Tony Sikorski, 67, of Mt. Vernon; Herbert Hoff, 35, of Lively Grove; and Frank Schaffer, 86, of Coulterville.

Sixty Years Ago

(1956)

Washington County’s wheat yield was 34 bushels per acre.

Fr. Bernard Moorman resigned as pastor at St. Ann Catholic Church in Nashville.

Washington County ranked 36th in the nation for the number of soybean acres farmed.

Local grocery prices included Brook’s pork and beans for 10 cents a can and a 14-ounce bottle of De Monte ketchup for 21 cents.

Deaths: Glen Lively, 62, formerly of Nashville; Herbert George, 35, of Tamaora; Don Addison Banks, infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Banks of Nashville; and Louise Meentemeyer, a native of Hoyleton.

Fifty-Five Years Ago

(1961)

Andrew Lamczyk was named Bolo Township Supervisor to fill the unexpired term of Leonard Konkel.

The Dew Drop Inn west of Ashley was robbed by two bandits armed with pistols. They got away with about $70.

Nashville City Council voted to sell its 1940 firetruck just as soon as its 1952 firetruck was returned from repairs. The price was $850.

Deaths: Clara Buell, 77, of Nashville; Henry Marquard, 89, of Venedy; William Lohmeier, 47, of Okawville; and Bert McMillen, 68, of Ashley.

Fifty Years Ago

(1966)

The Okawville Farmers Elevator was robbed of approximately $900.

Installation of a new track at Nashville High School was nearing completion.

Madalyn Maxwell was the Republican nominee and Francis Maxwell was the Democratic nominee for circuit judge.

Dr. Robert Morovitz opened a chiropractic office in Okawville.

Reinkensmeyer’s Store in Hoyleton advertised pork sausage for 69 cents a pound and Boston butts for 59 cents a pound.

Deaths: James McClellan, 87, of Nashville; Mary Riley, 84, of Ashley; Arthur Hoepker, 64, a native of Addieville; Caroline Fark, 91, formerly of Hoyleton; Archie Haines, a native of Centralia; George Cohlmeyer, 72, of Richview; Lowell Crouch, 59, of Okawville; Fred Silger, a native of Hoyleton; and Baine Lilly, 74, of Beecher City.

Forty-Five Years Ago

(1971)

Vandals struck the Bell Telephone Building in Ashley and the Warren Howe Furniture Store in Irvington.

The Charles Meier Hatchery was considered as a possible site for the Nashville Teen Center.

The Clean-Fire Log Co. was established in Nashville to make artificial logs for gas fireplaces.

Deaths: J. Fairlene Lawler, 49, a native of Nashville; Fred Moeller, 79, of Okawville; Anton Winka, 93, of Radom; Leona Rixmann, 66, of Hoyleton; Minnie Koelling, formerly of Hoyleton; Mary Grefe, 65, of Covington; Eva Fuller, 59, of Irvington; Henry Hassler, 94, a native of Nashville; Minnie Arbeiter, 82, of Murphysboro; Laura Wehmer, 83, of Centralia; and Charles Poggemoeller, 85, of Washington County.

Forty Years Ago

(1976)

Washington County Hospital Auxiliary presented a check for $6,260.96 to Thomas Janssen, administrator, for an obstetrical monitor.

The market report showed soybeans at $5.85 a bushel and shelled corn at $2.60 a bushel.

Deaths: Blanche Guthrie, 87, of Pinckneyville; Walter Schuette, 72, of St. Louis; Emma Obermeier, 93, of Hoyleton; Henrietta Venhaus, 64, of Breese; Lula Keigley, 92, of Mulkeytown; Frances Hoffman of Hoffman; Martin Holzhauer, 79, formerly of Breese; Vincent Pijut Sr., 78, of St. Louis; Judge Omer Poose, 73, of Hillsboro; Mrs. Leo Pavlack, 65, of St. Louis; and Frank Pestka, 54, of Du Bois.

Thirty-Five Years Ago

(1981)

The Washington County Board standardized benefits for all county employees.

Fire destroyed a large shed on the Robert Eade dairy farm southwest of Okawville. Faulty wiring was blamed.

Center cut round steak was $1.88 a pound and two half gallons of milk were $1.95.

Deaths: Hulda Hohlt, 94, of Okawville; Hannah Lehde, 89, of Addieville; Oscar Hagebush, 74, formerly of Ashley; John Ahler, 69, of Pinckneyville; Gertrude Copple, 77, of Mt. Pleasant, IA; Samuel Robertson, 59, of Cobden; Katherine Sanders, 88, a native of Oakdale; and R. Viola Barnett, 86, formerly of Ashley.

Weddings: Janet Gilliam and Charles Kujawa; Lucy Timmermann and Darrel Maschhoff; and Donna Wesolak and Roger Lamke.

Thirty Years Ago

(1986)

Washington County’s state tax multiplier was 1.0.

Minnie Severs was appointed to the Ashley City Council, filling a vacancy created by the resignation of Cecil Logan.

Eagle Realty and American Eagle Insurance filed for bankruptcy in East St. Louis. The two companies had been affiliated with American Eagle Enterprises, founded by Eagle Bancorporation’s Rayhill Hagist.

Deaths: Down Waggoner, 47, of Tamaroa; Mercedes Tobar, 82, of Nashville; Elizabeth Bude, 98, of Centralia; Wayne Hemminghaus, 52, of Hoyleton; Charles Young, 62, of Danville; Mary Droste, 83, of Nashville; Velma Klingenberg, 63, of Nashville; and Paul Silger Sr., 90, of rural Centralia.

Wedding: Christine Kelley and Kevin Waller.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

(1991)

A secret ballot was used to elect Greg Toensing over Karen Holtgrewe to fill a vacancy on the West Washington County Board of Education.

A proposed 15 cents per $100 tax increase for the education fund was put on the November ballot by Nashville District No. 49.

Sister Elene Deters, missioned at St. Charles Parish, Du Bois, celebrated her sixtieth year of religious profession.

A two-headed calf was born at the farm of Andrew and Eugene Lamczyk of Ashley. The calf lived only a short time.

Deaths: Antonio Tobar, 89, of Friendship Manor, Nashville; Walter Sachtleben, 92, of Hoyleton; Paul Pokorney, 83, of Du Bois; Antone “Tony” Zelasko, 68, of Tamaroa; and Max Mendell, 87, of Swansea.

Weddings: Tina Meyer and Michael Hanenberger; and Catherine Boeckmann and Kurt Haake Sij.

Births: Henry and Amy Rowcliff of Hoyleton, a daughter; Wayne and Monique Waldman of Nashville, a daughter; Thomas and Lisa Schuette of Venedy, a daughter; Arnold and Cynthia Schmale of St. Libory, a daughter; Richard and Pamela Shelton of Tuscan, AZ, a daughter; John and Christy Cunningham of Percy, a daughter; Timothy Arthur and Norma Ballard of Collinsville, a son; and Nathan and Carole Borowiak of Richview, a son.

Twenty Years Ago

(1996)

Lloyd Dinkelman resigned from Nashville City Council to take over as city clerk.

Lightning blasted a chimney and left a gaping hole in the roof at Nashville Primary School. Repairs were estimated at over $10,000.

Rev. Ed Weltge, retired pastor of St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, celebrated 50 years in the ministry.

A brief labor dispute was the latest snag in the often delayed repair of a bridge on State Route 127, north of Nashville.

Ashley City Council hired two part-time police officers as aldermen tried to locate guns, handcuffs and other items, lost when the former department was disbanded.

Marijuana plants valued at $63,750 were destroyed by police officers in the Venedy and Oakdale areas.

Deaths: Gertrude Frederking, 62, of Nashville; Alfred Jorns, 75, of Belleville; Elmer Doelling, 88, of Venedy; Harry Hake, 95, of Hoyleton; Carl Rommelman, 63, of Hoyleton; Lester Norton, 72, of Woodlawn; Alexis Boettcher, infant son of Allen and Elizabeth Boettcher Jr., of Centralia; and Mary Rapp, 77, of Centralia.

Births: Eric and Judy Lange of Bowling Brook, a son; Derrick and Lori Williams of Freeburg, a daughter; Larry and Angie Wojtowicz, a son; Darrell and Karol Baechler, a daughter; Steve and Julia Sieser of Hoyleton; a daughter; and James and Tanya Hamilton of New Minden, a son.

Fifteen Years Ago

(2001)

A Florida man was killed when his tractor-trailer carrying hazardous chemicals crashed on I-64. The highway was closed for several hours while the spill was cleaned up.

Marble-sized hail fell on Nashville, with some ice chunks the size of golf balls.

Addieville firemen Ryan Wiedwilt and Ben Going were shaken up when a tanker truck overturned en route to a fire.

Deaths: John Fellner, 77, of Breese; Louis Kujawa, 84, of Ashley; Edna Boester, 83, of Okawville; James Fields, 57, of Old Town, FL; Robert Schrader, 77, of Okawville; Clara Korenak of Fresno, CA; Howard Schwab, 64, of Fairview Heights; Everett Timmons, 38, of Marissa; Georgia Markgraf, 84, of Mt. Vernon; and Mary Mattingly, 80, of Rhodelia, KY.

Births: Andy and Brandi Schnitker of Hoyleton, a son; Gene and Missy Krummrich of Nashville, a son; Jeff and Susan Stern of Ashley, a daughter; Matt and Michelle Brown of Longmont, CO, a daughter; Cherie Gundlach and Ryan Donahoo of Richview, a daughter; Michael and Julie Oligschlaeger of Eureka, MO, a daughter; Robert and Michelle Mueller of Irvington, a son.

Ten Years Ago

(2006)

Sheriff John Foster dropped out of the race for a third term, leaving Charles Parker as the only announced candidate for that office.

Nashville City Council limited leaf burning to two days a week.

Alvin Malawy, 74, of Nashville was killed when a tractor overturned in a lake.

Other deaths: Reinhold Maschhoff, 88, of Nashville; Rev. Edwin Weltge, 85, of Nashville; Erwin Michael, 77, of Huey; Herman “Cotton” Ross Jr., 93, of Belleville; Norman Bergmann, 74, of Nashville; Merland Triefenbach, 55, of Marissa; Omer Ruehl, 86, of Venedy; and Ornell Stolz, 87, of Coulterville.

Wedding: Shana Chandler and Seth Silger.

Five Years Ago

(2011)

An armed man was taken into police custody following a brief standoff at Innertech where the man had threatened to kill himself.

George “the Shoeman” Hutchings collected a load of used shoes in Nashville. In the last few years before this, Hutchings had collected more than five tons of shoes to send to the needy in Haiti.

The Irvington UCC Food Pantry received word that the amount of food which they regularly got from the USDA would soon be reduced.

Luechtefeld announced that he was seeking reelection, and would move to be eligible to run following redistricting.

Engagement, Weddings and Anniversaries: Kathryn Hasheider and Joseph Glynn announced their plans for a September wedding; Gary Wright and Jennifer Stoddard were wed on May 21; Amber Malick and Keith Markwardt were wed on August 6; Donald and Phyllis (Crouch) Harmening celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on August 27; Edgar and Melba Nolte celebrated their 50th anniversary on September 2.

Deaths: Martha Piasecki, 88, of Nashville, August 18; Lorene Greten, 91, of Nashville, August 15; Aron Koller, 27, of Belleville, formerly of Okawville, August 13; Raymond Buescher, 89, of Nashville, August 17; Linda Fannings, 64, of Okawville, August 20.