Columnist

There were other ways to make a living

Published by admin on Tue, 01/15/2019 - 12:18pm

    So, it's no secret, it was the money from coal that built Braidwood, Braceville and the other surrounding mining towns.  That money, first given out as wages, had a ripple effect.  Today we will look at the men who profited from the ripple.
    Most of the following comes to us from George Woodruff's History of Will County, 1878.  First let's look at H. W. Blood.  Many local bottle collectors know the name well.  He bottled mineral water, beer, cider and soda at his bottling plant in Braidwood.

Do our early pioneers still haunt us?

Published by admin on Tue, 01/15/2019 - 12:16pm

Many people have been described as having a pioneering spirit. That is saying a lot. The early pioneers of Will County endured hardships that we find almost unbelievable. Our machines and electronics have removed us from those times forever.
However, you still can have a small glimpse of what those times were like at an up-coming exhibit at the Will County Historical Museum in Lockport starting on February 23. Let's take a sneak peek of what will be on display.

What to drink when counting calories

Published by admin on Tue, 01/15/2019 - 8:30am

I hope that everyone is off to a great start in 2019!  Did you make a resolution for the New Year?  If so, have you managed to keep it?  According to nearly every survey conducted on the matter, the most common New Year's resolution has to do with improving your health through diet, exercise, or both.

Sky high expectations for Governor Pritzker

Published by admin on Mon, 01/14/2019 - 11:42am

    I missed JB Pritzker’s impromptu speech to a gathering of Republicans last week by a few minutes. But the fact that Pritzker even stopped by the event, hosted by Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady and House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, was notable in and of itself.

Judge for yourself, it wouldn't be the first time

Published by admin on Wed, 01/09/2019 - 9:00am

    We all know that arrests in early Braidwood were common place, given the amount of liquor which flowed freely from the many saloons. Once arrested there was yet another step, that of being judged and fined. Topic for today is judges.
    During the earliest decades of Braidwood history, a position of Police Magistrate had the authority to not only arrest people, but also to fine them immediately.

Judge for yourself, it wouldn't be the first time

Published by admin on Wed, 01/09/2019 - 9:00am

    We all know that arrests in early Braidwood were common place, given the amount of liquor which flowed freely from the many saloons. Once arrested there was yet another step, that of being judged and fined. Topic for today is judges.
    During the earliest decades of Braidwood history, a position of Police Magistrate had the authority to not only arrest people, but also to fine them immediately.

Gin cocktail’s bark is much worse than its bite

Published by admin on Wed, 01/09/2019 - 9:00am

Have you ever looked at a list of drinks on a menu and noticed a drink with a name so fierce that you can't help but wonder why anyone would ever want to drink it? Such is the case with the Corpse Reviver.
With a name like Corpse Reviver one would guess that this is rather tough cocktail. Not so. The Reviver's bark is much worse than its bite and this classic gin cocktail has a new lease on life (or death) thanks to a mid-century makeover.

The case of the guilty conscience

Published by admin on Wed, 01/09/2019 - 9:00am

I was looking around in the March 22, 1907 Wilmington Advocate when this headline caught my eye, “Captain Hooker, formerly of Wilmington, wills estate to United States.”
I started to wonder what kind of idiot this guy was, when I heard the music running through my head. You know the tune - the theme from History Detectives. And I found myself plunged into “The case of the guilty conscience.”

New Year's ball, bringing class to the coal mines

Published by admin on Wed, 01/02/2019 - 9:00am

    Celebrating New Year's is a tradition going back into time. For some it's a somber time, looking back on the past, trying to envision the future.
    But for others, it is a time of celebration and good times with friends and family. Early Braidwoodites tended to do the last and none more enthusiastic than the Ancient Order of Hibernians, or to put it in today's terms, the Irish.

Whatever became of Twelve Mile Grove?

Published by admin on Wed, 01/02/2019 - 9:00am

    Today we look at the area known as Twelve Mile Grove, named such because it is 12 miles from Joliet.
    What! You never heard of it? Well certainly you are not alone. Perhaps you might have heard of its modern name, Wilton Center.
    Set the way back machine for the first half of the 19th century and prepare to see Indians.