Time Was

October 1923 - the loss of old pioneers

Published by admin on Mon, 10/02/2023 - 3:05pm

Our look at 100 years ago finds us mourning the loss of some beloved pioneers. Set the way back machine to October 1923.
We start with the bad news. During the first week we read about a tragedy that was all too common in the 19th century. “Mrs. Martha Sandrock Wetzel died in her home in Custer Park, Monday afternoon at 2 o'clock. Her death resulted from burns she received Sunday evening when attempting to light an oil floor lamp.”

Water, water everywhere but none to put out a fire

Published by admin on Tue, 09/26/2023 - 10:48am

The fear of fire - Braidwood more than most knew the risks. But what was done to lessen than risk? At first, very little was done, not because the need was not great, but because the enemy of fire, i.e. water was not easy to find in quantity.
We must remember that open fires were a way of life in the 19th century. That, combined with the fact the combustible coal and methane gas were everywhere, and that most of the early structures in Braidwood were wooden made fire a real threat.

Building area roads for heavier traffic loads

Published by admin on Tue, 09/26/2023 - 10:42am

If you think that the above headline has to do with the truck traffic from Center Point or the cold storage facility you'd be wrong. The need for better roads has been with us for a very long time.
We know in that as late as the 1880's most streets in the city of Wilmington were dirt. One of the exceptions was the road from the old railroad depot to the Central Hotel, located about two blocks east of the depot.

Looking for water, finding it too late

Published by admin on Tue, 09/19/2023 - 9:51am

There are so many simple things that we take for granted, one of them being the water that flows from our tap. We rarely think about the water tower that gives it pressure, or the pressure tank attached to our well.
In the late 19th century people searched for water under natural pressure, otherwise known as artesian wells. Braceville finally found it, but a bit too late.

Water, water everywhere except where you need it

Published by admin on Tue, 09/19/2023 - 9:47am

Floods or droughts, we have heard way to much of either in the news. E, Water only obeys the laws of nature, not the laws of man. With a river running through it and numerous creeks in the area, it would seem that water was never a problem for Wilmingtonians. But that is not the case. Today we travel down the river of time to look at water.

Guilty or not guilty, what really happened

Published by admin on Tue, 09/12/2023 - 10:07am

When today's news comes out with a story about a crime, they are always careful to say the word “allegedly” to keep themselves from being sued. That is a recent happening.
Time was when the newspapers could report anything they liked, whether or not it slandered the person on trial. Today we look at David Wilson, accused murderer to see how it played out in the papers.

School days, school daze

Published by admin on Mon, 09/11/2023 - 12:38pm

It is obvious to all, even those of us without children at home, that it is time for school to start. Not because local papers have told us the date, but because all of the stores have inundated us with sales of school supplies, school clothing, and school accessories.
The parents must long for a simpler time when a little paper, a few pencils, and a book or two was all that was needed to send a child to school.

Guns, the good, the bad, and the ugly

Published by admin on Tue, 09/05/2023 - 11:01am

I guess you can't turn on a radio or TV without hearing about guns, gun control, basic constitutional rights, etc. This prompted me to look at the history of guns in Braidwood, as rough a town in the day as there ever was.
First, it must be remembered that guns in all shapes and forms were socially acceptable on any occasion in the 19th century. A boy's first gun, usually given to him by the age of 9 or 10, was a “coming of age” experience. And so it was that Braidwood sprang into being fully armed.

September 1923, nothing much happening

Published by admin on Tue, 09/05/2023 - 9:26am

It was still the lazy days of summer. Social commitments and entertainment dominated the paper. Of course, like 100 years later, school had reopened, and there were some changes. But other than that, everything was going along smoothly. Set the way back machine for the first week of September.

Two Braidwood miners worked for reform

Published by admin on Tue, 08/29/2023 - 12:24pm

Although most miners of early Braidwood continued mining until they died or were too injured to work, some of them made it up and out of the mine. Today we look at William Steen and Samuel Drew, both made a difference to their community.
Samuel Drew was the son of a mine operator in Staffordshire, England. He began working in the mines of England at the age of thirteen. When his father's mine was flooded out, they family moved to Braidwood for a new start. He and his father and brother were given a room to work together, and he continued mining for some years.