It Happened HereSeptember 1, 2016

It Happened Here

Eighty Years Ago

(1936)

A total of 338 students were enrolled in Nashville first through eighth grades with another 188 students at the high school. Classes of 50 in both grades 7 and 8 necessitated buying additional desks.

Karl Hildebrand and Christy Finke were in Bloomington for a tryout with the St. Louis Cardinals.

A flying chicken smashed the windshield of the C.A. Reeder family car while en route to Garrett, IN.

Death: Anna Wolf, 79, of Stone Church.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

(1941)

About 30 Ashley residents appeared before the Washington County Board of Review to protest a blanket 10 percent increase on real estate improvements.

A car belonging to Raymond Wilke of Okawville was stolen from Mellein’s Tavern in Venedy.

Three Scott Field soldiers were injured when the car was wrecked near the Okaw bridge.

Paul Dahlke shot a coal black squirrel near Nashville.

You could buy 2 heads of lettuce for 15 cents.

Wilbert Dinkelman, 23, of New Minden was killed when an automobile overturned on Route 127, south of New Minden. Willard Rueter, 29, and Melvin Voltmer, 25, were uninjured.

Bernice Hodde, eight, of Okawville died of typhoid. Three other cases of the disease had been reported in the area.

Other deaths: Fred Decker, 64, of Nashville; John Problys, a former Nashville resident; and Stephen Brown, a Nashville native.

Seventy Years Ago

(1946)

A seventh case of polio was reported in Washington County. The latest victim was the seven-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gerhard Wilke of Johannisburg.

Area soldiers discharged included: T/5 Carl Randoll of Okawville; T/5 Doyla Ragland of Nashville; T/4 Mike Niedbalski of Nashville; T/5 Alfred Polczynski of Nashville; Sgt. Neil Cantrell of Richview; Pvt. Tony Paszkiewicz of Ashley; Pvt. Dean Haege of Nashville; Seaman Bobby Small; and Ship’s Cook Eric Kraus of Hoyleton.

Sixty-Five Years Ago

(1951)

Wilfred Schnake, 28, of Hoyleton was seriously injured when his automobile struck a bridge abutment north of Centralia.

The Land Hill and Doelling school buildings were brought to a two-acre tract on the Milton Spindler farm, modernized and opened as a centralized school. The school replaced five, one-room schools in the area.

Deaths: Louis Allen of Ashley; Fred Volz, 80, formerly of Nashville; Martin Martens, 55, of Bay Pines, FL; and Catherine Marie Brockmeier, infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Brockmeier of Okawville.

Sixty Years Ago

(1956)

Georgia Geppert of Nashville entered the postulate of the Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Ferguson, MO.

“Our Miss Brooks” with Eve Arden was playing at the Okawville Theatre.

Deaths: Fred Hoppe, 89, of Nashville; Catherine Kozuszek, 61, a native of Bolo Township; Rose Pixley, 67, of St. Louis; Augusta Foreste, 91, of Okawville; Frances Wnuk of St. Louis; Jasper Roundtree, 83, a native of Elkton; and Joseph Novak of St. Louis.

Fifty-Five Years Ago

(1961)

Rev. F.W. Weltge resigned as pastor of Plum Hill Evangelical and Reformed Church after 22 ½ years. He had served as minister for 55 years.

John Grzechowiak was named Du Bois Township Clerk to fill the unexpired term of Ted Grabowski.

Holzhauer Auto Sales advertised a new Ford 6000 diesel tractor for $5,900.

Campbell’s chicken noodle soup was 11 cents a can.

Robert Eade, 35, of Nashville was killed when a mower overturned as he was working at the edge of the Elkhorn Creek bottoms.

Other deaths: George Wiese, 67, formerly of Nashville; Anna Miller, 80, of Mt. Vernon; George Hawkins, 76, of Pinckneyville; Elizabeth Mitchell, 79, formerly of Oakdale; Marie Blumhorst, 89, of Johannisburg; Christ Kottkamp Jr., 49, formerly of Irvington; and Peter Pelczynski, 79, of Du Bois.

Fifty Years Ago

(1966)

Richard Barboza, 17, of Lima, Peru, enrolled as a foreign exchange student at Nashville High School.

You could buy an Electrolux vacuum cleaner for $16.95.

Burglaries were reported at Moedahl Ford and Holzhauer Auto Sales in Nashville.

Deaths: Anna Buchholz, 81, of Hoyleton; Walter Gibbs, 68, of Okawville; C. Fred Ostendorf, 82, of Venedy; Henry Krietemeyer, 75, of Hoyleton Township; James Keller, 65, of Du Bois; Frances Luebke, 78, of Nashville; Anton Behrmann, 81, of Albers; Anna Averbeck, 79, of Lively Grove; Frank Povolish, 47, of Nashville; and Sadie Curtis, 72, of Ashley.

Forty-Five Years Ago

(1971)

Burglars robbed the Haas Sawmill west of Venedy of two chain saws and a spray gun.

Elroy Sandheinrich brought in the first load of soybeans to the Venedy Elevator. Price was $2.97 per bushel.

The L&N Railroad depot in Addieville was destroyed by fire.

Robert Meier purchased Orv and Les’ Tavern, previously owned by Orville Senne and Les Kesel.

Deaths: Lydia Brandt, 69, a native of New Minden; Anna Groennert, 80, of Mascoutah; Emil Fox, 65, a native of Lively Grove; and Olinda Sauerhage, 78, formerly of Lenzburg.

Forty Years Ago

(1976)

Rev. Ed Weltge, pastor of St. Paul United Church of Christ in Nashville, was honored for his 30 years with the Christian ministry.

New teachers at the Nashville Community High School were Donna Hogan, Charles Hake, Sara Sallee and Gevert Meyer.

Mrs. Ed Pelate became the new manager of the Dairy Queen Brazier store in Nashville, appointed by Ray Caplinger, lessee of the store.

Nashville Community High School’s enrollment increased by 15 over last year and Nashville Grade School increased by 2.

Deaths: Claudine Coulter, 76, of Oakdale; Ethel Gilbert, 83, of Sandoval; Paul Brown, 65, of Nashville; Mary Weber, 75, of Irvington; Roman Kabat, 76, of Scheller; Guy McCollum of Nashville; Mrs. John Krzebie, 73, of Sparta; Lena Baudison, 92, of Pinckneyville; and James Barfield Jr., 6-year-old son of James and Virginia Barfield of Washington Park.

Thirty-Five Years Ago

(1981)

Several anti-abortion demonstrators picketed a meeting at Farmers and Merchants Bank in Nashville where Congressman Paul Simon was speaking.

The Village of Addieville agreed to vacate a portion of Front Street to allow for the construction of a new elevator by the Okawville Farmers Elevator Coop.

The Washington County unemployment rate was 7.6 percent.

Whole boneless hams were $1.59 a pound and 5, 15-ounce cans of pork and beans were $2.00.

Deaths: Lester Schorfheide, 57, of Nashville; Millard Ruess, 65, of Belleville; Vern Deedle, 90, a native of Nashville; Raymond Schultz, 70, of Ashley; Otto Kampe, 83, of Okawville; Bertha Brehm, 84, of Nashville; Thomas Patrick Curry, infant son of Mike and Marge Curry of Carlyle; Lester Nelson, 78, of Nashville; and Dorothy Norton, 64, of Centralia.

Wedding: Sherry Twenhafel and Eric Nelson.

Thirty Years Ago

(1986)

Teachers in Okawville District 10 went on strike over pay increases.

Miss Okawville Fair candidates were Kim Koch, Wendy Sandheinrich, Lori Mueller, Cindy Schmidt, Angie Skibinski, Lisa Carrigan, Kristi Brammeier and Vicky Holle.

Washington County’s unemployment rate was 8.4 percent.

The U.S. Department of Commerce awarded a $500,000 grant to Nashville for water and sewer line construction to the city’s industrial park.

Chicken fryer leg quarters were 55 cents a pound and ground beef was $1.18 a pound.

Rev. Eugene Baggett, 64, of Carbondale, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Tamaroa, was killed in an auto accident north of Du Quoin.

Other deaths: Donald Meinert, 63, of Nashville; Nicholas Marshalek, 80, of Tamaroa; Walter Haake, 71, of Nashville; Beulah McCormick, 92, of Nashville; Andrew Pierjok, 70, of Richview; Hilda Pitchford, 85, a native of Washington County; Loren Hendrickson, 74, of Waltonville; and Catherine Bangert, 71, of Ashley.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

(1991)

Young ladies competing for the title of Miss Okawville Fair in conjunction with the upcoming Okawville Wheat Festival were Lori Renth, Amy Shubert, Rachel Kuhn, Julie Metzger, Victoria Frank, Christy Waller and Tiffanie Love.

The Ashley Bestway was sold to Marvin and Janet Nowicki by Larry and Sue Kirgan. The store was renamed Ashley Foodland.

Mr. and Mrs. Jim Vance of Nashville had their family dog, Sheba, to thank for saving the life of their 20-month-old daughter, Cassandra Jane. Sheba sustained 27 stings from a swarm of yellow jackets after placing his body over the little girl’s. She sustained only one sting.

Herb Dintelman was selected grand marshal of the upcoming Oakdale Parade.

Deaths: Florence Collmeyer, 76, formerly of New Minden; Adolph Kampe, 92, of Okawville; Frank Leffner, 79, of Ashley; Bill Lawhorn, 45, of Kell; Louise Markwardt, 86, of Nashville; Deane “Irene” Whipple, 83, of Walnut Hill; David Queen, 36, of Pinckneyville; and Albert Loquasto, 56, of Okawville.

Weddings: Rebecca Poniske and Robert Stoltz of Belleville; Charlotte Majewski and Larry Sanders.

Births: Keith and Tina Heiman of Nashville, a son; Chris and Denise Ryterski of Nashville, a daughter; Don and Mary Rennegarbe of Nashville, a daughter; John and Lynette Myers of Nashville, a daughter; and Jerry Jr. and Angie Branscum of Pontiac, a daughter.

Twenty Years Ago

(1996)

The new home of Holzhauer Alexander Ford-Mercury on State Route 127 earned the Golden Shovel award from Ford Motor Co.

Washington County’s jobless rate was pegged at 5.4 percent.

Don and Delayna Beatty were forming the Washington County Youth Choir.

A man wearing a ski mask threw an employee to the floor and robbed the cash register at Village Pizza.

A burglar at Dairy Queen made off with $550 in contributions to the Children’s Miracle Network.

Bill Hudspeth, retired Air Force colonel, was the grand marshal for the Oakdale Parade.

Deaths: Elmer Schmidt, 67, of Okawville; Adolph Koelling, 86, of Anna; Helen Kelly, 89, of Dahlgren; Clarence Beckmann, 76, of Sandoval; Maureen Frazer, 57, of Springfield; and Ross Payton, 73, of Mt. Vernon.

Wedding: Carol Stofferahn and Cliff Patton.

Births: Ken and Pat Zapp of Okawville, a son; Wayne and Sonja Jurkowski of Herculaneum, MO, a daughter; and Douglas and Karen Clary of Smithton, a daughter.

Fifteen Years Ago

(2001)

William Weeke, 85, retired from Hoyleton Township Board after 36 years as a trustee.

Bill Garlich reflected on his 36-year career as a veterinarian in Nashville.

Doris Bowers celebrated her 103rd birthday.

County Treasurer Bill Windler, County Clerk Tom Ganz and Sheriff John Foster said they would seek re-election.

Two Centralia men were arrested in connection with the theft of $21,000 in tools from Nascote Industries after their truck became stuck on the railroad tracks behind the factory.

Deaths: Marie Rokicki, 80, of Nashville; Marcella Dalman, 89, of Du Bois; Elsie Peltmeyer, 93, of Tamaroa; Delores Radake, 69, of Tamaroa; Josephine Laders, 78, of Walkersville, MD; Albert Koening, 92, of Trenton; Eleanore Schuck, 76, of Edmonds, WA; and Donald Elliott, 76, of Mt. Vernon.

Births: Brad and Tesha Machhoff of Hoyleton, a daughter; Joel and Shila Harris of Belleville, a daughter; Bill and Michele Boester of Hoyleton, a son; and Mark and Penny Kurtz of Addieville, a daughter.

Ten Years Ago

(2006)

Five years after the initial announcement, Peabody Energy was ready to move forward with construction of its $2 billion coal mine/power plant in Washington County.

August was hot and dry with only an inch of rain and temperatures in the 90s.

Washington County’s jobless rate was 5.7 percent.

Nashville firemen offered a barbecued chicken dinner for $6 to raise money for new equipment.

Birth: Chris and Sarah Hilguess of Springboro, OH, a daughter.

Deaths: Jack Morris, 82, of Okawville; Charles Borgmann, 69, of Okawville; Fred “Fritz” Hettenhausen, 78, of Nashville; Luella Ostendorf, 86, of Addieville; and Candice Freiboth, 28, of Granite City.

Weddings: Sharon Malick and David Renth; and Nicole Brawley and David Decker.

Five Years Ago

(2011)

11 young people and four adults visited Joplin, Mo., two months after a category 5 tornado ripped through the town, and assisted in cleanup efforts there.

The Nashville City Council approved street closures and other measures in anticipation of the year’s fall festival.

Mike and Sue Hillyard were named the parade marshals for the annual Oakdale Homecoming.

Maschhoff Fresh Pork was available at stores in the St. Louis area and southern Illinois.

St. Ann School announced that they would be holding a remembrance service for 9/11 at the school flagpole on Friday, September 9.

Birth: Aiden Rouse was born on August 9, to Melissa and David Rouse, of Avon, Ohio.

Wedding and Anniversaries: Staci Harre and Jeffrey Twardowski were wed on July 2; George and Corine Engele celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary August 2; Robert and Lisa Schaltenbrand celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.

Deaths: Gerald Krueger, of Nashville, formerly of Belleville, August 31; Dorothy Hinton, 88, of Columbia, August 30; Elvira Groeschel, 80, August 5; Annabelle Pille, infant, daughter of Matthew Pille and Autumn Savinsky, September 3; Frank Ruppert, 91, of Coulterville, August 31; Harlon Livesay, 63, of Irvington, September 1; Sophie Kostecki, 85, of Nashville, September 1.