Time Was

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.

Only the name remains: Jug Town

Published by admin on Tue, 10/01/2019 - 2:50pm

How many times have you passed that road, or even driven down it? Have you ever wondered how Jug Town Road got its name? Let's board the time machine to the 1850s to get a look at “Jug Town.” I suppose most of us who are not farmers don't think much about the soil below our feet. But a farmer will tell you that the type of soil makes a great difference. In general, the area around the coal mines had poor soils, not good for growing things. Much of the land was marshy, with quicksand everywhere.

Professor Wilber's Predictions Concerning Wilmington

Published by admin on Tue, 10/01/2019 - 2:47pm

Today we have at hand a scientific paper written by C. D. Wilber concerning Wilmington that makes certain predictions. It is at times, hard to read, but worth it.
Charles Dana Wilbur was an amazing man. He was best friends with President James Garfield, taught at three Illinois Universities, helped found the Wilmington and State Natural History Association, helped start the coal mining industry in Braidwood, became Inspector of Mining Lands and in 1873 founded a town in Nebraska, which is named after him.

The unseen enemy and what to do about it

Published by admin on Tue, 09/24/2019 - 11:55am

Recently on the news was that there was an outbreak of measles across the entire nation.
Trying to control it in such a mobile society as ours can be quite a task, even with all the medical knowledge we have. Imagine the problems then, of controlling communicable diseases in the 19th century. Today we talk about just one of them, small pox.

William Mooney, attorney for the little guy

Published by admin on Mon, 09/23/2019 - 3:35pm

When we left William Mooney, he had just won the court case that awarded $9,000 (about $245,000 today) in back pay to miners that had gone on strike.
Joy abounded in Braidwood with the hopes that some of it would go to merchants that had extended credit to the strikers. Let's see what happened next.

William Mooney, power behind the throne

Published by admin on Tue, 09/17/2019 - 1:36pm

The expression, “the power behind the throne” is used to describe someone, who though not in the public light, still holds decision-making power. Today we look at William Mooney, a man I would describe as being the power behind the throne.
William Mooney was born in Scotland in 1841, a son of a coal miner. At the early age of 9, Will started working in the mines himself. In 1865, he immigrated to the United States, arriving in New York, but quickly finding work in the coal mines of Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Sidewalks, sewers and streets, say no to change

Published by admin on Mon, 09/16/2019 - 4:21pm

Have you ever tried to take away an old beat-up blanket or toy away from a toddler, trying to replace it with a newer, nicer, cleaner one?
Most of the time that action is met with cries and general opposition from the child. Sometimes groups of citizens can behave the same way, opposing modern improvements just because the old has always been good enough.

Competition, the life blood of Braidwood

Published by admin on Tue, 09/10/2019 - 11:21am

Competition, they say, is healthy. If that is true, then early Braidwood was a very healthy place. At work, the miners competed as to who could dig the most coal, the reward being more money in the pocket. But outside of the mine shaft the competition was just as fierce. Let's take the time machine back to the early 1870s when Braidwood was less than a decade old.

Another way of life, the tall grass prairie

Published by admin on Tue, 09/10/2019 - 11:14am

When the first settlers came to Will County, they had their choice of places to put down roots. Wilmington was high on the list, it had everything — flowing streams, dense forests, open grass lands to farm. It is no wonder then that Wilmington was settled very early on. The same is not true for other townships. Today we travel just a few miles east to Peotone Township and the tall grass prairie.