Time Was

The creation of a Diamond; watching it grow

Published by admin on Tue, 10/11/2022 - 12:26pm

The name is not indicative of the town. It is not beautiful and sparkly, it does not shine in the sun, and worst of all there never were any real diamonds there. But if we are talking about black diamonds then it is aptly named. Set the way back machine for 1873 for the birth of Diamond.
Unlike Braidwood, which was laid out haphazardly as the coal shafts were sunk; Diamond, like Coal City, was laid out by the coal companies.

Prosperity brought problems for Ritchie

Published by admin on Tue, 10/11/2022 - 12:24pm

When the Chicago & Strawn Railroad came through Wesley Township in 1880, the small village known as Wesley consisted of a few buildings, a general store and a few homes. Route 102, then known as Kankakee Road, was the main drag. After the building of the depot a small growth spurt happened that those rural Wesleyites were not prepared for.

Halloween and cabbages, Whaaaaat?

Published by admin on Tue, 10/04/2022 - 11:14am

Well, there is no doubt Halloween is just around the corner, actually around every corner where scary people in yards or giant spider lurk. Whether it is trick-or-treating, partying or watching scary movies on TV we all sort of participate.
I hope you receive a cabbage from your true love. What you may ask, has cabbage got to do with anything? Well, I'm not exactly sure, but let's look at what we know.

October 1922, nothing much doing

Published by admin on Tue, 10/04/2022 - 11:08am

There really wasn't much going on 100 years ago. You might say it was a slow news month. But that doesn't mean the newspapers did not find things to write about. So, climb into the wayback machine, seat belts optional, and set the controls for October 1922.
One of the first things you will notice is the new “look” of the Wilmington Advocate. The ads were more finely printed, and a bit more sophisticated. Case in point, the ad from Hermes-Smith Cash Store.

Let's have a show!

Published by admin on Tue, 09/27/2022 - 10:00am

Remember those old Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland movies? They were both teenagers somewhere in the heart of the great U.S.A. Mickey would come in all excited shouting, “Let's have a show!” and all of a sudden a Broadway variety show came out of nowhere with all the local kids turned into fabulous singers and dancers.
I always thought that behavior was fairly bizarre, but I have found this type of behavior in history right here in Wilmington.

Getting an education in early Braidwood

Published by admin on Tue, 09/27/2022 - 9:58am

Perhaps there is no more important measure of a community than its schools. And, although the miners who came rushing into Braidwood in the 19th century were rough, tough people, they knew the value of an education, and like all parents wanted their children to do better than themselves.
M. J. Donna in his book The Braidwood Story tells us that the first school built in Braidwood was built by William Cunnea. It was one-room, built of brick, the first structure in Braidwood to make that claim. It was built about 1864 and abandoned when more modern schools were built.

Saloon keepers the backbone of society?

Published by admin on Tue, 09/20/2022 - 11:23am

The above statement hardly seems decent or responsible these days. But in the early mining towns it was the truth. Saloons were more than just a place to get drunk.
And the people who ran them were popular and respected members of the community. Our mission today is to go “bar hopping” in the 19th century coal towns.
I believe it is safe to say that one of the first businesses to spring to life when a coal town was created was the saloon, the primary reason being the beer and whiskey they served.

Heavy traffic in Wilmington, so what's new?

Published by admin on Tue, 09/20/2022 - 11:18am

Last weekend, I met a couple of my gentle readers at the Peotone Mill Fest, hello to them. They were there to see that really special mill. That mill is special because it was originally powered by wind power.

Racing into the 20th century

Published by admin on Tue, 09/13/2022 - 10:54am

While the turn of the century brought the automobile to Wilmington, the horse did not go away. In fact, horses became more popular than ever. But now instead of looking for a good old mare that would pull the family carriage without a problem, everybody and their brother was looking for racehorses. Let's go take a spin around the track.
In 1875 the first racetrack, known as the Wilmington Driving Park, was constructed on North Kankakee Street right where Deer Creek Estates is today.

Bits and Pieces, the strange and the odd

Published by admin on Tue, 09/13/2022 - 10:48am

In going through the old newspapers to research this column, I occasionally come across small bits and pieces of information that make me stop and think, or sometimes laugh out loud. These small slices of life give us another look into Braidwood in the 19th century.
All of these quotes come from the Wilmington Advocate, whose editor Ed Conley was sometimes known to be a bit prejudice against her sister city and bit sarcastic when reporting the news.