It Happened Here – December 6, 2017

Eighty Years Ago
(1937)

The Washington County Circuit Court ordered payment to 325 depositors at the closed Irvington State Bank with interest of five percent.

Burglars broke into the Harmening Brothers Garage in New Minden and Stole $2 cash, a hot water heater and five tires.

The seven-room farm home of Mr. and Mrs. Luis Peithman, four miles east of Nashville, was destroyed by a fire Thanksgiving day.

Local grocery prices had two dozen bananas for 25 cents and a peck of Idaho potatoes for 23 cents.

Deaths: George Monroe Martin, 65, of Nashville; John H. Harmanny, 68, of Pinckneyville; and George Piglowski, 65, of rural Nashville.

Seventy-Five Years Ago
(1942)

Fires destroyed a barn at the Ralph Habbe farm, south of Nashville; the brick home of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Krughoff of rural Hugely; and also damaged the Roy Willhite home on West St. Louis Street in Nashville.

Deaths: Charles L. Brink, 87, of Hoyleton; Bertha Brueggemann, 38, of rural Nashville; Frank Kohler of Chicago; William F. Hohman, 70, of Nashville; Gustav Schlueter, 61, a native of rural Ashley; Mrs. Bert Seymour of Springfield; John H. Grattendick, 60 of Addieville; and William Samuel Carson.

Seventy Years Ago
(1947)

Karl Dunai purchased the William Nehrt blacksmith shop on Adams Street in Nashville.

Wilford Brown of Marissa announced he would move his New Era Pattern and Model Company plant to Addieville.

The Pine Bowl was robbed of $19 and two half pints of whiskey.

Three cans of Heinz baby food were 23 cents. Sweet pickles were 34 cents for a 12-ounce jar.

Deaths: Mrs. William C. Meinert, 55, a native of Irvington; Guy Guthrie, 70, of Oakdale; Emma Duecker of St. Libory, Missouri; Katie Lee, formerly of Du Bois; and Ernest C. Waldman, 72, of Tamaroa.

Sixty-Five Years Ago
(1952)

Driver Alfred Lehde, 45, and Ronald Hoepker, 20, both of Addieville, escaped injury when the milk truck they were driving was struck by a fuel oil truck on Highway 50, east of Carlyle. The driver of the tank truck and a passenger were both killed when the truck burst into flames.

Featured at the State Theatre in Nashville was “Don’t Bother to Knock” with Marilyn Monroe.

You could buy a 1953 Crosley 21-inch television set for $199.95 at The Quality Store in Hoyleton.

Deaths: Anna Hodges, 67, of Nashville; John M. Gorski, 87, of Bolo Township; John F. W. Meyer, 61, of Plum hill Township; Charles A. McKenzie, 86, of Ashley; Mrs. William Schneider, 69, of Covington; Mrs. Walter Huff, 58, of Coos Bay, Oregon; Cathering Campbell, 85, a native of Washington County; and Cora Bell Coleman, 79, of Ashley.

Fifty-Five Years Ago
(1962)

Washington County hunters bagged 31 deer in the six-day firearms hunting season.

Fire damaged a machinery storage building at the Irvington Elevator.

Deaths: Joseph Szopinski, 89, of Du Bois; Bertha Kroeger, 68, of Hoyleton; Robert W. Williams, 83, formerly of Du Bois; Agnes Szydlowski, 76, a native of Three Mile; Evelyn Burgess, 59, formerly of Ashley; and Eugene Duckworth, 54, of Tucson, Arizona.

Forty-Five Years Ago
(1972)

After a nine-year absence, Edgar Scott ope4ned a drug store in the 100 block of East St. Louis Street in Nashville.

Randy Habbe of Nashville High School was named to the Southern Illinois all-star football team.

The Nashville City Council voted to accept the option to purchase 32 acres of land from Elmer Oelze Jr. in Section 12 of Nashville Township for $18,000.

Deaths: Eugene Neuhaus, 67, a native of Nashville; Alma Heberer, 69, of rural Okawville; Katherine Lorenz, 95, formerly of Nashville; Truman H. Hubler, 71, formerly of Nashville; Bertha Spindler, 74, of Nashville; Mrs. Louis Rosenkoetter, 93, a native of Nashville; Emma Seyler, 91, formerly of Nashville; Leo F. Middendorf, 56, of rural Venedy; Elmer Wessel, 62, of Nashville; Charles B.. Blankenship, 72, formerly of Richview; Anna Koelling, 90, of Hoyleton Township; and Janice Ann Stelmaszewski, 40, of Waltonville.

Forty Years Ago
(1977)

A public auction of the Charles F. Ford farm near Lively Grove brought $458,000 for three parcels of 308 acres.

Deaths: Edith Paula Backs, 82, of Nashville; Ralph E. Buhrmester, 81, of Jonesboro, Arkansas; Michael M. Janssen, 21, of Nashville; Oliver Henry Hermeling, 76, of Nashville; John H. Hodges, 91, of St. Clair County; Ray Klosterhoff, 79, of Addieville; Donald M. Segelhorst, 39, of Addieville; Alene Velentine Skurat, 46, of Pinckneyville; Louis W. Krohne, 83, a native of Okawville; Carol Ann Craig, 39, of Rural Millstadt; and Florine Jackson, 64, a native of Nashville.

Weddings: Dawn Marie Klingenberg of New Athens and James Stanley Harwerth of rural Lenzburg; and Mary Zettler and Bob Zelasko, both of Tamoroa.

Thirty-Five Years Ago
(1982)

A total of just over three inches of rain fell in a 24-hour period causing creeks to flow out of their banks producing water over the roads in low lying areas.

Deaths: Nellie E. (Jones) Phillips, 83, a native of Nashville; Marjorie Ilene Schnake, 69, formerly of Nashville; Nelson P. Hutchings, 65 of Nashville; and Ella A. (Harre) Bruggemann, 81, of Nashville.

Weddings: Tina Marie Chwascinski of rural Nashville and Michael Robin Kleiboeker of rural Barlesto; Denise H. Meyer of rural Nashville and Steven B. McClay of rural Oakdale; Marilyn Lapp of Dayton, Indiana, and Doug Hassell of Hoyleton; and Natalie Niermann of Hoyleton and Daryl Brammeier of Oakdale.

Redeker, 81, a native of rural Okawville; Cynthia Middfendorf, 24, of Steelville; and Ruth G. Kesel, 71, of Arlington Heights.

Wedding: Mary J. Sovereen of Punta Gorda, Florida, and Craig Douglas Schmittler of Naples, Florida.

Births: Mr. and Mrs. Gerald F. Spencer (Mary Ann Knorr) of O’Fallon, a daughter; Mr. and Mrs. Michael Tiemann (Renee Erlinger) of Richview, a son; and Mr. and Mrs. Paul Giacomo of Pinckneyville, a son.

Twenty-Five Years Ago
(1992)

The board of directors of the State Theatre authorized the sale of stock to help pay for new sound and projection equipment.

Santa Claus arrived here, compliments of Nashville Chamber of Commerce.

Nashville Jaycees reopened their building that had been closed since a fire in May.

A seven-day family pass at Nashville Municipal Golf Course cost $325.

Deaths: Charles Moeller, 60, of Nashville; Margaret Queen, 99, of Nashville; Manford Braly, 79, of Nashville; Enloe Krausz, 58, of Millstadt; Martin Vallowe, 87, of Mt. Vernon; Helen Tielemann, 88, of Pinckneyville; Alejaudra Alegarbed, 73, of Carcar, Cebu, Philippines.

Births: The births of two sets of twins were announced. Mr. and Mrs. Brian Hacay (Christy Winka) of Ballwin, Missouri, twins, a boy and a girl; Kim Gill and Jeff Harre of Nashville, twin boys.

Twenty Years Ago
(1997)

Dennis Hatch announced plans to resign as state’s attorney following his appointment as associate judge in the 20th Judicial Circuit.

Employees and local investors purchased the assets of Morgantown Machine and Hydraulics and renamed the company Midwest Machine and Hydraulics, Inc.

Washington County hunters harvested 807 deer.

Thirty-three suspected illegal aliens were turned over to federal authorities after being detained in Okawville by Police Chief Jim Arrington.

Local businesses advertised the benefits of shopping in Nashville.

Deaths: Velma Wolf, 77, of Addieville; Rev. William Brandmeyer, 83, of St. Libory; Edward Prange, 74, of St. Louis; Maude Peeck, 75, of Ashley; Walter Naliborski Sr., 66, of Tamaroa; Wesley Schnake, 85, of Centralia; Richard Holtgrewe, 73, of Edwards, Missouri; Irene Krausz, 90, of New Baden; Barbara Owens, 52, of Vernon.

Wedding: Jennifer Davis and Aaron Gaynor.

Births: Terry and Tiffanie (Love) Kozuszek of Nashville, a daughter; Jim and Christin (Comer) Dalaviras, a daughter, Richard and Tanya (Hamilton) Waugh of New Minden, a daughter; jim and Julia (Epplin) Dalman of Nashville, a son.

Fifteen Years Ago
(2002)

Deer hunters tagged 1,110 whitetails during the first half of the firearm season, over 300 more than the year before.

New county board members Brent Schorfheide and Alan Hohlt received the oath of office.

This area was about seven inches below normal rainfall for the year.

The Hornettes were champions of the Hamilton County Tournament, while the Lady Rockets took second at Salem.

A 30-pack of Busch was $12.99 at All Mart.

Deaths: Leonard Wyciskalla, 91, of Schiller; Michael Felts, 48, of Glen Carbon; Dolores “Peg” Kinder, 74, of Nashville; Ralph Andrews, 86, of Du Qoin; Carl Dieterick, 85, of Marion; Elvira Wiese, 90, of Nashville; Raymond Kabat, 79, of Scheller; Viola Meier, 92, of Okawville; Alvin Spenner, 63, of Hoyleton; Gilbert Bergkoetter, 64, of Addieville; Lorraine Simpson, 82, of New Minden; Edna Hulliung, 91, of Mascoutah; Nellie Wennemann, 89, of St. Libory.

Births: Jake and Karen Waters of Birmingham, Alabama, a daughter; Mark French and Kourtney Twenhafel-French of New Orleans, a daughter; Randy and Susan Pfeiffer of Haubstadt, Indiana, a daughter; Dian and Chad Skurat of Scheller, a son; Julie and Mike Tiemann of Woodlawn, a son.

Ten Years Ago
(2007)

Dan Bradac, Sr., 59, father of Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy Danny Bradac, was killed in an airplane crash near Benton. A ribbon cutting was held for the sidewalk that connected Oakdale School to Oakdale Park. The Washington County Hospital Board sought a replacement Board member, following resignations of Carol Bishop and Penny Brinkman.

Sports: Hornets basketball players ended up in fourth place after the Lebanon Thanksgiving Tournament. Nashville Middle School Junior Hornets beat Murphysboro 46-14.

Lady Wolves took third place in the Centralia St. Mary’s Tournament.

Weddings and anniversaries: Kim Ann Ruggles and Chad Scott Gregory were married on October 19, on St. Louis. Sarah Cameron and Kevin Kirgan were married on June 16. JoLynn Stadge and Jason Arthur Tucker were married on September 22 in Carlyle. Steve and Denise Meyer of Oakdale celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on November 19. William and Berniece Gall celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on November 10.

Births: Ruth Lynn Renken was born to DeAnne and Ryan Renken of Shiloh on November 23. Evan John Kroeger was born to John and Stephany Kroeger of Hoyleton on November 15. Alana Beth Anderson was born to Chris and Stephanie Anderson of Scheller on November 20..Lily Ann Emge was born to Daniel and Sara Emge of Oakdale on November 20. Wyatt Seth Hicks was born to Justin and Nicole Hicks of Venedy on November 30. Richard Joseph Johnson was born to Jerome and Jocelyn Johnson of Cahokia. Sabrina, 8, and Karmen, 4, Reynolds were adopted by Wynnie and Michael Reynolds on November 30.

Deaths: Dorothy Sprehe, 85, of Belleville, formerly of Centralia, died on November 28. Erwin Kasten, 82, of Centralia, died on November 29. Nellie Carson, 78, of New Prague, Minn. died November 27. Dan Bradac, 59, of Pinckneyville, died December 2.

Auto Prices: A 1998 Mercury Mountaineer was $5,995. A 2007 Dodge Dakota SLT Quad was $18,495. A 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser was $8,999. A Honda CRF250R was $3,999.

Food Prices: three half gallons of Kroger milk were $5. Russet Potatoes were $2.49 for a ten pound bag. Amick Farm Chicken Brest and Lean Generation Pork Loin were $1.99 a pound, each. Del Monte canned vegetables were two for $1.

Five Years Ago
(2012)

First responders headed to Ashley, coming out for a pickup that had overturned. The vehicle’s driver, Phyllis Goin, 80, of Carbondale, was evacuated to Good Samaritan Hospital in Mount Vernon for treatment of minor injuries.

Nashville Eagle Scout candidate Robert Hankins unveiled Santa’s House in the courthouse lawn. He had renovated the little house as his Eagle project for Boy Scouts.

A Woodlawn bank robber was sought by law enforcement authorities in Washington County.

The Washington County Hospital Board announced that they were seeking a new member following the resignation of member David Behr.

Cortland James Stiegman was born on October 30 to Eric and Tessa Stiegman .

Ryan Spenner and Jessica Ibendahl announced their engagement; Lara Thompson and Scott Wojtowicz were married September 29.

Deaths: Mary Jean Rossel, 76, of Okawville, December 1; Vernon Weeke, 91, of Nashville, December 3; Vernon F. Moeller, 75, of Nashville, November 30; Clara Lorraine Creed, 93, of Irvington, November 30.