Time Was

M.J. Donna, historian who created a landmark

Published by admin on Wed, 12/13/2017 - 9:00am

    One of the criteria for a structure to become a landmark is its age - it must be at least 50 years old. If we apply the same criteria to books then “The Braidwood Story” by Modesto J. Donna qualifies as a landmark.
    Originally published in July of 1957, it has stood the test of time well. For Braidwood historians, genealogists and citizens, it is must reading. I know it has been for me. Today we look at the man who wrote it.

December of 1917 at home and away

Published by admin on Wed, 12/06/2017 - 9:00am

    One hundred years ago the world was at war. The United States was sending her troops to Europe, some had already arrived by the time December came. At home the morale was high but the money, food and coal was scarce. Set the way-back machine for exactly one hundred years ago this month.

It was a man's world, women's role in society

Published by admin on Wed, 12/06/2017 - 9:00am

    Since the summer, an avalanche of women have been speaking up about women's role in the workplace and what it takes to rise to the top. Of course, in the 19th century it wasn't an issue. Women were simply not in the workplace.
    Today we research the view of women as printed in the local books and newspapers.
    First, I went to the History of Will County, 1873. It contains hundreds of biographies of Will County citizens, but, only a handful of them are about women, and even those tell more about their husbands than about the ladies.

Prosperity, problems went hand in hand

Published by admin on Wed, 11/29/2017 - 9:00am

    By the winter of 1878 to ‘79 Braidwood was back in the swing of things after the 1877 coal strike.  
    Once the violence was over, investors started to look at the Wilmington Coal Field as a good place to invest their money. As early as July 1878 we read, "A firm from Springfield is reopening the old Star coal mine in Braidwood.  This shaft is located between old and new Braidwood, on land owned by Mr. Allen, of this city."

Farmers saved by the river

Published by admin on Wed, 11/29/2017 - 9:00am

    While trying to put together a picture of what made Wilmington what it is today, I have often talked about the Kankakee River improvements.
    The availability of canal boats to our merchants turned the 1870's in Wilmington into a boom time despite the severe economic depression felt in other parts of our country.
    But it was not only the merchants who benefited from water transportation. They were only the middlemen. It was the farmers in the area that really felt the impact of the canal boat.

Test your knowledge; it's time for a quiz

Published by admin on Wed, 11/22/2017 - 9:00am

    This Thanksgiving while you're lounging on the couch in a haze of turkey and fixings, instead of watching football, try taking this quiz about Braidwood history.
    All of the questions are based on past Time Was columns. Good luck.

 1. Who was Braidwood's first mayor?
    a. James Braidwood
    b. William Odell
    c.  L.H. Goodrich
    d. Daniel McLaughlin

 2. Lower Braidwood is on what side of town?
    a. North
    b. East
    c. South
    d. West

A-hunting we will go, or playing fowl

Published by admin on Wed, 11/22/2017 - 9:00am

    Hunting season is here. Whether it is for goose, duck or pheasant, hunting for the many varieties of fowl has always been a tradition in our area. Of course, there is one species missing today, the prairie chicken. Grab your gun, a hunting we will go.

Elwood gossip, only 140 years old

Published by admin on Wed, 11/15/2017 - 9:00am

    One of the reasons we read our local paper is for the gossip. We may not call it that, but news of happenings to our neighbors is extremely interesting to us. It was no different 140 years ago.
    Today we repeat gossip that we read about our neighbors in Jackson Township, published over a century ago.

Tramping through history, men on the move

Published by admin on Wed, 11/15/2017 - 9:00am

    It was the 1870's and a whole army of men were on the move throughout the nation. They moved mostly by train, well-hidden in freight cars.
    Some were new immigrants who could not find a job; many were men who had fought and seen too much during the Civil War. Others were refugees from the slums of the large eastern cities. They were generally known as tramps.
    Braidwood was a well-known destination among these men. Coal was coming into its own, factories, railroads and home-heating needs meant the demand for coal exceeded the amount produced.

November 1917, somewhere over there

Published by admin on Wed, 11/08/2017 - 9:00am

    As Thanksgiving approached, families all over the area had one less for dinner. Young men and boys were finishing up at training camps and heading somewhere over there. Times were hard, food was scarce and the whole world was getting colder.
    Ronald Jardine, who had enlisted early and was stationed with the British Expeditionary Forces in France, wrote home often.