Time Was

Sickness and death, St. Rose's struggles in 1875

Published by admin on Wed, 09/27/2017 - 9:00am

    Last time we talked about the earliest history of St. Rose of Lima, and took you through the building of the brick church. For those who wondered where this church was, we have determined that it was on Chicago Street one block west of the old train depot on the north side of the street.
    We also believe that the church plus rectory would probably have taken up more than one lot.

From riverbank to hill, 150 years of faith

Published by admin on Wed, 09/20/2017 - 9:00am

There is no doubt; the history of Will County is intertwined with history of the Catholic community, and the history of Wilmington and the surrounding communities, no less so.
Consider that the first white man in Wilmington was Father Marquette, a Catholic missionary and explorer who passed through in 1673 and Father Hennepin a few years later.
The French voyageurs that plied the rivers also brought the Catholic religion with them as they traded with the tribes of the Plains. But the story of the organized church probably begins with the I&M Canal.

For variety, try Nell's Hall, but watch out for the Mrs.

Published by admin on Wed, 09/20/2017 - 9:00am

    Gathering places for events, especially entertainment oriented can be hard to find in a small town. Not so in the 19th century, when folks with an eye to make money built “halls” to accommodate all kinds of gatherings.
    We have written about Music Hall in Braidwood, but there was another public hall built earlier. High class it wasn't; but the variety of events that took place there couldn't be beat. And apparently neither could Mrs. Nell.

How many lives have been lost?

Published by admin on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 9:00am

    Every time another life is lost, someone asks me exactly how many lives have been lost at the dam.
    I can't answer exactly. Poor reporting, lost newspapers, etc. keep us from knowing the exact number. Today our gruesome topic is people losing their life to the waters of the Kankakee.
    First let me begin by saying that people drowned in the river long before there was a dam. The first area drowning I find took place downstream from Wilmington, about where Interstate 55 crosses the river, the location of the Kankakee Feeder Canal.

What's in a name, popular remedies in 1877

Published by admin on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 9:00am

    Of all the businesses that came and went in Braidwood, we have never mentioned the druggists. It is an oversight that I am correcting.
    Surely the druggist was one of the most necessary businesses in an era where manual labor in dangerous environments, and wretched health conditions existed.
    However, the drugs that were sold were not exactly like the kind we get over the counter now. Set the way-back machine for 1877.
    The first mention of any druggists that I can find is a Mr. Allison, Barr & Watson and Dr. Henri LeCaron in 1877.

Labor in the coal field, miners were ahead of their time

Published by admin on Wed, 09/06/2017 - 9:00am

    We often talk about the plight of the coal miners; long hours, little pay, dangerous working conditions.
    But they were not the only workers who faced all of those things. The men who worked for the railroads were the invisible workforce that kept things moving, and often paid the price.
    The Chicago & Alton Railroad was the first to come through the area in 1854, long before coal was being pulled from the earth. The only stopping point was at Stewart's Grove to take on more wood and water before moving on toward Springfield.

The paper mill, Wilmington's longest continuous employer

Published by admin on Wed, 09/06/2017 - 9:00am

    This week we celebrated Labor Day, dedicated to the working men, women and children of our nation. The site in Wilmington that provided a place to labor for over 100 years was the now defunct paper mill.

Mining not the only game in town, snapshot 1870's

Published by admin on Wed, 08/30/2017 - 9:00am

    Of course, when the history of Braidwood and vicinity is talked about, the subject is mining, mining and mining. Yet we know that Braidwood was not a one-trick pony.
    Today we look at the other occupations and businesses that rounded out the community of miners.
    Let's first look at H. W. Blood, manufacturer of soda and mineral water. Blood came to Will County in 1863, farming for two years. He then entered the bottling house of J. D. Page of Joliet, and remained there some 2 years. He then moved to Wilmington where he purchased a half interest in

War, disease and chewing gum 100 years ago

Published by admin on Wed, 08/30/2017 - 9:00am

    While the war was raging in Europe and the boys were being drafted and sent into camp, the average citizen was charged with supporting the effort.
    This meant farmers were to double their crops, produce more meat and milk more cows than ever before. Folks in the city joined the Red Cross, knit sweaters and taught their children to be patriotic.
    The population looked for enemies everywhere, but the deadliest enemy was one they could not see.

Astronomy, science and solar eclipses

Published by admin on Wed, 08/23/2017 - 9:00am

    The astronomical event of the century? I am writing this on the day of the eclipse. We have been aware of this phenomenon for many centuries, in many cultures, in many scientific observatories.    How did we view the skies in the past? What did we know of particles emitting from the sun, the sun's corona? Today we look at the history of astrophysics.