Time Was

It hit like lightning, the big fraud

Published by admin on Tue, 11/05/2019 - 1:32pm

In the 19th century there were many words to describe someone who was fraudulent, or who earned his money in a disreputable way. They might be called a huckster, a fraud, a drummer, a dead-beat or they might be called “a lightning rod salesman.” The last name was the worst of all. Today we look at the lightning rod salesman.

Escaped! Less than famous escapes

Published by admin on Tue, 10/29/2019 - 12:43pm

A few years ago I happened to be in Lockport when the news came on the radio.
A convict that was being transported to Stateville, had escaped on 9th Street. Later that night when I saw the evening news I realized how many law enforcement officers were involved in finding one handcuffed guy in a portable john. Today we look at how escaped convicts were dealt with in the 19th century.

The Local Record

Published by admin on Tue, 10/29/2019 - 12:39pm

The Local Record was the title of a column that ran in the Wilmington Advocate from the early 1870s to the 1900s.
The size of the column varied from a column to a full page. It consisted of bits and pieces of local gossip, humorous stories, sarcastic remarks, poorly disguised ads from local stores and pieces of information such as the start of hunting season. The following were taken from the 1870s and give us little windows into what life was like.

The role of reading in the miner community

Published by admin on Tue, 10/22/2019 - 12:25pm

Our view of early Braidwood is a rough and ready town, full of saloons and fist fights. But that is perhaps only the most obvious activities that took place.
Hidden away in a small room many early Braidwoodites were doing something which required peace and quiet. Tip-toe back into the past with us to look at this clandestine activity.
In April of 1876 we read the following in the Joliet Weekly Sun, “And now Braidwood wants a public library and reading room.” Yes, those rough and ready miners wanted a library. They wanted to read, who would have thought it?

Scary cabbages, flying furniture — historic Halloween

Published by admin on Tue, 10/22/2019 - 12:22pm

Well another Halloween will soon be here. Giant spiders and pumpkins dot the lawns and haunted houses, etc. are all the rage.
Halloween celebrations have evolved over time. Today we go back to a time when cabbages were all the rage. Yes, I said cabbages. Set the way-back for the 1870s.
The earliest reference I can find to Halloween in Wilmington was on Nov. 7, 1879, in the Wilmington Advocate, “Last Friday night was All Hallow Eve. Quite a number of pranks about town were indulged in, savoring of mischief generally, in which cabbage stumps figured largely.”

The abolitionist of Reed Township

Published by admin on Tue, 10/15/2019 - 11:37am

We rarely talk about Reed Township during the years before the Civil War. There were few people, widely scattered in the Township, and most of those were farmers who quietly went about their own business. But still waters run deep.
Slavery was the main issue in the 1850s. There was no where you could go, no newspaper you could read, no discussion around the fire that did not involve slavery, abolitionists and the right of states to allow one man to own another.

Delivering the goods, trends in retail

Published by admin on Tue, 10/15/2019 - 10:51am

When I was a kid, not that long ago, we had our milk delivered to the door, along with butter, cream and sour cream.
The butter came in crocks, which we later used as water and feed bowls for the rabbits and chickens. It wasn't long after that, home delivery of milk had all but disappeared. Soon, we all had to go to the new supermarket to get what we needed.

Ed Conley, an Advocate for the right

Published by admin on Tue, 10/08/2019 - 2:12pm

The media — today it means many things — television reporting, radio reporting, internet blogs and on and on.
Time was when the newspaper was the only game in town. And one of the best game players was Ed Conley, an out-spoken man who knew right from wrong. Today we look at his life.

Temperance in Braidwood, the other side of the coin

Published by admin on Mon, 10/07/2019 - 4:46pm

Those who know a bit about early Braidwood history know that saloons play a large role. But today we flip the coin over and look at the early temperance (no alcohol) societies that rarely get mentioned or notice.

Finding true love, choosing wisely

Published by admin on Sun, 10/06/2019 - 9:00am

    It's that romantic time of year. Valentine's Day is when you express your feelings for the one person, that someone special, that you have shared some of your life with.
    Falling in love, finding the right person and staying together have occupied us since time immemorial. This is our annual story about finding “Mr./Ms.” right.