1 •'>■ 
 
 ERICAN GUIDE SERIES
 
 IlllNOIS HISTORICAL SURVEY
 
 HILLSBORO GUIDE 
 
 Compiled by the 
 
 WORKERS OF THE WRITERS' PROGRAM 
 
 of the 
 
 Work Projects Administration 
 
 in the State of Illinois 
 
 Sponsored By 
 
 The Hillsboro Woman's Club; The Hillsboro Public 
 
 Library; H. J. Y of fie; fV . F. Grotts, and by other 
 
 civic groups and individuals of Hillsboro 
 
 Printed by 
 
 THE MONTGOMERY NEWS 
 
 1940
 
 FEDERAL WORKS AGENCY 
 
 John M. Carmody, Administrator 
 
 WORK PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION 
 
 F. C. Harrington, Commissioner 
 
 Florence Kerr, Assistant Commissioner 
 
 Charles E. Miner, Administrator for Illinois 
 
 Printed in the United States of America.
 
 Preface 
 
 History is too frequently thought of in terms 
 of battlegrountis and diplomatic conferences, of in- 
 credible happenings in tiie dim past and the far away. 
 Hillsboro has had none of this sort of history. The 
 story of its growth is the story of ordinary people 
 who worked together to bring order to a new un- 
 broken country, to build themselves a home rather 
 than an empire. The result of their efforts is more 
 significant, in a constructive sense, than that of many 
 to whom chapters are devoted in formal histories. 
 In this light the history of Hillsboro possesses sig- 
 nificance; it is the story of the growth of the hun- 
 dreds of little cities that make up the Illinois of 
 our time. 
 
 I wish to express my appreciation to Harold 
 Blizzard, who wrote the text, to Adrian Troy, of 
 the Illinois Art Project, who made the illustrations, 
 and especially to the people of Hillsboro, whose 
 
 :;generous cooperation, both in the compilation and 
 
 v;;- sponsorship, made this book possible. 
 
 ^ John T. Frederick 
 
 Regional Supervisor, 
 iy Jf'PJ Jfritcrs' Program. 
 
 \ 
 
 A 
 
 r? 15 68907
 
 Contents 
 
 GENERAL INFORMATION 7 
 
 MAP OF HILLSBORO 8 
 
 HILLSBORO TODAY 9 
 
 EARLY DAYS 12 
 
 THE RAILROAD 20 
 
 DEVELOPMENT 24 
 
 A TALL GAUNT MAN 37 
 
 BUGLE CALLS 43 
 
 OLD SETTLERS' DAY 47 
 
 SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES. CLUBS AND CULTURE 52 
 
 NEWSPAPERS 67 
 
 POINTS OF INTEREST 70 
 
 CHRONOLOGY 83 
 
 TOWN PRESIDENTS AND CITY MAYORS 90 
 
 PERSONAL INTERVIEWS 91 
 
 BIBLIOGRAPHY 92 
 
 VIEWS OF HILLSBORO 93-102
 
 General Information 
 
 RAII.ROAD STATION: Depot at south edge of town 
 for the New York Central R. R. and the Chicago and 
 Eastern Illinois R. R. 
 
 BUSES: Mobley's drug store. Main Street, for the Santa 
 Fe lines. 
 
 TAXIS: 10c per person within the city limits. 
 
 HIGHWAYS: State 127, a north and south paved high- 
 way, intersects with State 16 at Hillsboro. These 
 routes connect with US 66, running from Chicago to 
 the southwest. Farm to market roads traverse the 
 county and lead to Hillsboro. 
 
 RECREATION: I ake Hillsboro Park provides fishing, 
 boating and bathing. Central Park has a baseball dia- 
 mond, double tennis court and outdoor swimming pool. 
 The Hillsboro Country Club (private) offers a splen- 
 did nine hole golf course. There are two theaters. 
 
 HOTELS: Two hotels, several rooming houses. 
 
 PUBLIC LIBRARY: The Hillsboro Carnegie Public Li 
 brary, on the corner of School and Rountree streets, 
 is open each week day. 
 
 INFORMATION SERVICE: Hillsboro Commercial 
 Club, office of the secretary, 300A S. Main Street.
 
 r>i.O-n'r>I<nIIX'?OOOOXM'_''OIS™S2S 
 
 
 I 

 
 Hillsboro Today 
 
 HILLSBORO (626 alt., 4,435 pop.) lies approxi- 
 mately midway between Springfield, Illinois, and St. Louis, 
 Missouri, a short distance east of U S 66, the main high- 
 way between those two cities. The table-top farms of the 
 Illinois prairie circle the town, but at the townsite the 
 prairie folds gently, giving a roller-coaster hump to State 
 16 as it enters the town from the west. The fold rolls on 
 through the town, and may have accounted for Hillsboro's 
 name, although some contend that it commemorates Hills- 
 boro, North Carolina, whence many of the pioneers came. 
 
 There has been an organized community here for more 
 than a century, and a settlement of sorts for almost a cen- 
 tury' and a half. Although a considerable portion of Hills- 
 boro was built up since the turn of the century, the town 
 as a whole has the appearance of being long settled. Old 
 elms arch over wide streets that were platted decades be- 
 fore any of the present residences were built. Yet the 
 dominant residential architecture is redolent of the days 
 of Grant, Hayes, and McKinley: generous lawns surround 
 houses, some of which were built when Frank Lloyd Wright 
 was still in his swaddling clothes, before the Chautauqua 
 was in full flower and the horseless carriage was the sub- 
 ject of ironic editorials. And the long commercial corridor
 
 of Main Street is in keeping with this note, for although 
 chaste plastics and chromium have been applied to the 
 ground floors the cornices and fancy brackets above be- 
 long to the period when a store was a "mercantile em- 
 porium." 
 
 On South Main Street, where Dunn-Brown and Com- 
 pany and H. M. Beckwith have offices, stands the oldest 
 store building (1855) in Hillsboro. A stone's throw away 
 is the Walker Building, newest commercial building, erect- 
 ed in 1934. The Hillsboro that saw the Walker Build- 
 ing go up is basically much the same as that which watched 
 the construction of its old neighbor almost eighty years 
 earlier. Hillsboro is a country town that almost became a 
 city. Although it achieved incorporation as a city in 1869, 
 it remained essentially a rural trading center until the first 
 decade of this century. By 1912 it boasted three coal 
 mines, two smelters, and a large glass factory. But this 
 sudden rush of industrialization leveled out within fifteen 
 years, and Hillsboro today is a typical county seat with sev- 
 eral manufacturing plants and a coal mine, rather than an 
 industrial center with an incidental courthouse. 
 
 This fact makes itself evident in the tempo of the 
 town and in its appearance. The courthouse, with its pre- 
 tentious mansard tower, dominates the town's unobtrusive 
 skyline and appears to stand as a sentinel over Main Street. 
 On Saturdays farmers swarm into town to shop and to ex- 
 change produce for m.erchandise; but there is a steady 
 trickle of them through the week, as they converge on the 
 courthouse to pay taxes, attend court, and record deeds, 
 to enter births for the newly born and wills for the newly 
 dead. Generally they come in automobiles, but the hitch- 
 ing rack on Berry Street — just one block off Main — is not 
 completely an anachronism. There the nearby flour and 
 feed stores, the poultry houses, a blacksmith shop, and a 
 harness shop make the automobile, rather than the occa- 
 sional horse-drawn rig, seem out of place and out of time. 
 
 The trade attracted by the courthouse has resulted 
 in a Main Street commercial district somewhat larger than 
 
 10
 
 the population of Hillsboro itself warrants. There are two 
 banks, two movies, and two newspaper offices, where many 
 towns of 5,000 afford only one of each. A few other signs 
 indicate the modest prestige of the county seat; an abun- 
 dance of lawyers, a smattering of real-estate and abstract 
 offices. During the past few months the town has expe- 
 rienced the excitement of a potential oil boom. Crews 
 working north from southern Illinois oil fields are making 
 tests, and a few wells arc being drilled in the vicinity of 
 Hillsboro. Other than this recent flurry of activity, Hills- 
 boro might well serve as the Middletown of midwestern 
 county seats. 
 
 The roots of a county seat go out beyond its borders, 
 and much of Hillsboro's stability comes from the land. 
 Some of the most fertile soil in the state is found near the 
 Ware's Grove community north of town where years ago 
 the settlers organized a drainage district and coaxed the 
 muddy waters from a vast swamp. There is the highly 
 productive corn ground — the dark loam which with normal 
 rainfall gives enormous yields of corn to be fed to cattle 
 and hogs, or marketed as a cash crop. To the southwest 
 lies the Shoal Creek area, where the bottom lands keep the 
 corn growing even during long dry spells. Although corn 
 is a major crop, the entire farming community is rapidly 
 becoming a soybean producing center. 
 
 There is no large scale dairying, but almost every 
 farmer has a few cows. Some milk from the Hillsboro 
 area goes to the Litchfield Creamery and to the larger 
 dairies in St. Louis. Close to town browse the herds of 
 Guernseys, Holsteins, and Jerseys which supply much of 
 the milk for Hillsboro tables. In recent years some farm- 
 ers have specialized in raising Hereford cattle for the 
 market. 
 
 11
 
 Early Days 
 
 Shortly after 1800 John Nussnian and his wife, na- 
 tives of North Carolina, journeyed westward in search of 
 a new home and came to the vicinity of the present city of 
 Hillsboro. Mrs. Nussnian explored the hillsides of this 
 region; and when she found a wet boggy spot of ground 
 near the foot of a hill, she dug with her bare hands through 
 the mud and clay until she found a spring of clear water. 
 Good water meant that a home could be built, and so they 
 erected the first cabin on the site of Hillsboro. Mr. Nuss- 
 man was a wagonmaker and for a time owned and operat- 
 ed a small distillery on the west side of present Central 
 Park. 
 
 The first permanent settlement in Montgomery Coun- 
 ty was made in 1816 on the Hurricane Creek, near the 
 present town of Fillmore. Next came the Clear Springs com- 
 munity, a few miles southwest of Hillsboro. While the 
 discovery of a good spring was one important factor in the 
 founding of Hillsboro, a quarrel in 1821 among the first 
 county commissioners shaped the destiny of Hillsboro as 
 a county scat. When Montgomery County was formed by 
 an act of the state legislature, February 12, 1821, three 
 special commissioners were appointed to select a county 
 
 12
 
 seat. The three men, Melclier Fogleman, James Street, 
 and Joseph Wrijjht met at the home of Joseph McAdams 
 on March 21, 1821, and selected a site three miles south- 
 west of Hillsboro on land then owned by Joel Smith and 
 David Killpatrick. The three re^ilar commissioners, John 
 Heck. John Seward, and John McAdams then held a spe- 
 cial meeting on April 23, when they chose the name of 
 "Hamilton" for the first county seat, and ordered the 
 land laid out in town lots. One of the commissioners who 
 came from the southern part of the county did not favor 
 Hamilton as the county seat, and eventually so much dis- 
 satisfaction arose that the state legislature was prevailed 
 upon to appoint another set of commissioners, (^n .August 
 5, 1823. the three officials, Newton Coffey, Harris Reavis, 
 and James Wilson accepted Hillsboro as the county seat 
 and ordered the surveyor to lay out town lots, (jeorge 
 I ile. the first man to survey the town, was given $3.75 for 
 his labor. Newton Coffey purchased the plot of twenty 
 acres from the government for fifty dollars and donated 
 the land to establish the town of Hillsboro. Today there 
 is no trace of Hamilton. 
 
 Hillsboro was laid out without any apparent plan; 
 according to Judge Hiram Rountree, one of the ruling 
 spirits of the early community, '* Ihc territory was of such 
 shape, being filled with hills and hollows, it was deemed 
 almost impossible that the streets could ever become har- 
 monious by labor. To avoid one hollow, John Tillson 
 made a jog to find more level ground for streets." 
 
 Although at first there were no public buildings, the 
 lack of a courthouse was no obstacle to Judge John J. Rey- 
 nolds, later governor of the state, who was called to the 
 Hillsboro community in 1821 to preside over the first ses- 
 sion of court. Judge Reynolds went to the home of 
 'rhf)mas .Mc.Xdams, west of Hillsboro, where he conduct- 
 ed the legal business of the day sitting on the side of a bed. 
 
 A courthouse was the first public building erected. 
 Bids on it were requested at a commissioners' meeting held 
 in August, 1823. The plans called for a building "of hewn 
 
 13
 
 logs, two stories high, one window below and one above, 
 doors to have good strong shutters, the logs to be chinked 
 and plastered with mud, all to be completed in a strong 
 manner by the first of December next." Thomas Mc- 
 Adams was given the building contract for $221.83 1-3. 
 Separate bids called for live courthouse seats, a seat for the 
 judge, and a writing desk. Specifications for the desk were 
 "two feet four inches above the level of the floor, with a 
 board on top inclined so as to be suitable for writing." Two 
 years later the commissioners ordered a suitable stairway 
 built between the first and second floors. 
 
 Official business soon outgrew the log cabin structure 
 and in 1833 Austin Whitten was awarded a contract to 
 construct a frame courthouse for $1,800, I-'or some un- 
 known reason, only one-third of the entrance floor was cov- 
 ered with boards; the remainder was filled in with sand 
 to within four inches of the top of the sills. However, the 
 sand floor was somewhat offset by the special dome "of 
 fashionable form and material." 
 
 In 1854 the frame courthouse was replaced by a two 
 story brick structure which served the county's purpose 
 until 1870, when extensive alterations and modifications re- 
 sulted in the courthouse much as it stands today. Perhaps 
 there would have been an entirely new building started be- 
 fore 1870 had there not been some sentiment to place the 
 courthouse in Litchfield. Moving the seat of justice to a 
 neighboring town was bitterly opposed by many Hillsboro 
 persons, and a solution was eventually found in the de- 
 cision to remodel the old building even though it meant 
 tearing away all but a few of the original bricks. 
 
 Hillsboro flourished in a moderate way during the 
 early twenties, growing slowly but with the certainty of a 
 town around which centered the business of a county. Mer- 
 chants and mechanics came in, and in 1824 the enterprising 
 commissioners unknowingly formed the first commercial 
 club when they decided that "it would be of great advantage 
 
 14
 
 to the county and city of Hillsboro to liavc useful and me- 
 chanical trades carried on in the town." 
 
 A Hillsboro lot was given to Benjamin and Joseph 
 Miller on condition that the Millers carry on a leather 
 tanning business for two years. The tanyard was estab- 
 lished at the foot of the hill on the west side of Central 
 Park. A lot was also offered to John Hawkins Rountree, 
 a blacksmith, provided he set up a shop. 
 
 The commissioners also gave timber cutting priv- 
 ileges to anyone who bought a lot in Hillsboro. Trees 
 might be taken from the public square or from any street 
 "provided the stump left standing be not more than six 
 inches from the ground," 
 
 The Gcizeteer of Illinois, published in 1834, gives 
 the following summary of Hillsboro eleven years after its 
 establishment: 
 
 That it Is the seat of Justice of Montgomery county, twenty 
 eight miles northwest of Vandalia. It has six stores, four 
 taverns, three h'acksmiths. two tanneries, one shoemaker, 
 two tailors, one tinner, a postoffire, land a?:ency conducted 
 by John Tillson. fifty families and two hundred and fifty 
 inhabitants. The principal roads from Vandalia to Spring- 
 field and another from Shelbyvllle to Alton pass througb 
 the place. Hillsboro is a healthy and flourishing town. 
 
 Before the railroad reached Hillsboro in 1855, grain 
 hauling was done by team and wagon. The principal mar- 
 kets were at Alton and St. Louis, and the overland wagon 
 journey to either river town was long and difficult. With 
 the exception of small rail enclosures, there were few fences. 
 Cattle and hogs roamed at will, and to facilitate the identi- 
 fication of stock, farmers branded their animals. One of 
 the oldest records in the courthouse is the "Earmark Reg- 
 istry" of live stock, showing entries as early as 1821. An 
 enclosure to hold stray animals was built in Hillsboro in 
 1831, and Stephen F'uUingsworth was appointed "keeper of 
 the stray pen." 
 
 Until 1847, the fate of a pauper was settled at a pub- 
 lic sale with contracts for his care awarded to individuals 
 submitting the lowest bid. One indigent woman was bound 
 
 15
 
 out for twelve years to the lowest bidder. The first regu- 
 lar poor farm was established in Irving township in 1847, 
 but the location was not satisfactory and finally in 1874 
 the site now occupied by the present county home, two miles 
 south of Hillsboro, was chosen. 
 
 Money was scarce but the pioneers took over the bus- 
 iness of running the community with the same rugged hon- 
 esty and singleness of purpose they showed in breaking the 
 soil and building their cabin homes. Before Hillsboro was 
 accepted as the county seat, the commissioners faced the 
 problem of paying their first bill from an empty treasury. 
 The statement for $16.50 was disposed of by ordering the 
 treasurer to pay the bill "just as soon as he gets some money 
 in his hands." 
 
 The tavern business was one of considerable import- 
 ance to the citizens of every pioneer town. Robert An- 
 derson was given a permit in 1822 to "sell liquor and other 
 articles" in the viclnit\' of Hillsboro, and a second license 
 was granted in October of the same year to Milton Shurt- 
 leff. Taverns accon^n odnted bo^Ii "n^an and beast," for 
 the convenience of the wayfarer who traveled on horseback 
 or with team and wagon. A pioneer coming to Hillsboro 
 in 1824 paid 12' cents for a room in the town tavern and 
 the same amount for breakfast. The care of his horse came 
 to a like total. 
 
 The commissioners fixed the rates to be charged In 
 taverns and gave the proprietors strict orders to ask no 
 greater amounts than those specified. The price schedule 
 in 1824 was: Whiskey 37 >^ cents a pint, cider 12' 1. cents 
 a quart, wine and brandy 37 >1 cents a pint, horse feed 
 12' _. cents, horse per night with corn and hay 25 cents, 
 breakfast for n^an 12)-1. cents, dinner or supper 18-\} cents, 
 lodging for man 12' • cents. 
 
 The CO t of a tavern license ranged from three to Wve 
 dollars a year, except in the case of one citi/en who appar- 
 cntlv had a surplus of ambition and a shortage of funds. 
 iAccording to the county files of 1824, "John Xussman did 
 
 16
 
 not have a (.lollar for a tavern license so he was allowed to 
 work it out cutting trees about the courthouse." 
 
 Records list Joseph Miller and Richard Bradley as 
 early tavern proprietors, followed by David Jackson, James 
 Rutledgc, antl C. B. Blockburgcr. Hiram Rountrec said 
 of the Rutledge tavern: 
 
 His was the first old fashioned tavern slRn we ever saw, 
 embodying as It did. a large tiger on a white ground, sur- 
 rouiidfd by the name and occupation. Any one who kept 
 a grocery for the sale of liquor was compelled to keep 
 sufficient room and bedding for two persons with proven- 
 d.M- and stabling for htjrses; it was optional with them 
 whether they sold liquors, and most of them sold It In & 
 private way. 
 
 The laying out of new roads also required the atten- 
 tion of the commissioners. Citizens presented petitions 
 to the commissioners, who then appointed men to study the 
 topography o{ the country through which the road was to 
 run. One of the first orders was for a road from Hillsboro 
 to Bond County "over the nearest line to Greenville, so 
 as to cross Bear Creek, at the place where the Sangamon 
 Road crosses the same." Permission was also granted for 
 a road to run from "Cornfed Smith's Nob, near Capt. 
 Casey's, through the Newton Coffey plantation by James 
 Freeman's cabin, through the scattering timber to Mc- 
 David's Nob." Many pioneers were rugged individualists 
 and the commissioners admonished "said hands to obey the 
 road supervisor." 
 
 One of the most widely traveled roads was the Van- 
 dalia-Springfield route, which followed what is now Main 
 Street of Hillsboro. It was over this trail that Lincoln 
 and other statesmen traveled from Springfield to Van- 
 dalia. It was not until 1835 that control of Hillsboro 
 streets was placed in the hands of duly elected road super- 
 visors. In that year the commissioners ordered the road 
 supervisor to open all Hillsboro streets "a sufficient width 
 to permit the passage of wagons and carriages." 
 
 rhc tax records of 1823 list Negroes and mulattocs 
 for taxation along with watches, clocks, distilleries, iron 
 
 17
 
 bound wheel carriages, deeds, and town lots. The tax rate 
 was fifty cents on each one hundred dollars' valuation with 
 all property valued at State Paper rates. State Paper was 
 generally known as "wildcat money" and was worthless out- 
 side the state of Illinois. The money was generally accept- 
 ed without question; but when one man wanted to pay his 
 fine with a bill on a Missouri bank, the commissioners voted 
 to send the bill to the Missouri bank to "ascertain its gen- 
 uineness." In 1825, Treasurer John Tillson reported 
 that he had received eighty-four dollars in taxes for the 
 year; but that the sheriff, who was the actual collector, still 
 owed him $90.73 •;4. Fistic encounters between quick tem- 
 pered pioneers resulted in fines of three to five dollars and 
 helped to swell the meager funds. 
 
 A jail, more noted for its strength than its appearance, 
 was built in 1828 near the southwest corner of Seward and 
 Broad streets. Between two walls of heavy logs was an- 
 other set of upright heavy logs, making the structure sturdy 
 enough to withstand any assault of the day. An entrance 
 door was secured on the outside by w^hlte oak linch pins 
 and three bars of iron. Some idea of the many and varied 
 duties of the early jailer is indicated in the official's re- 
 port of 1846 which listed "food cost for one prisoner thir- 
 ty-seven cents a day, $1.50 for making cuffs and leg bands, 
 and fifty cents for making one shirt and w^ashing two." 
 
 Indians camped near Hillsboro in sufficient numbers 
 to create some anxiety on the part of the early homestead- 
 ers, Hiram Rountrec, in his letters of 1873, said: "One 
 day sixty Indians came at once to our cabin when I was 
 away, and my wife was there alone, except for a young 
 lady named Sears. They stole several things that day, 
 although they were closely watched." 
 
 According to one source, three children of a family 
 living about six miles southwest of Hillsboro were carried 
 away by the Indians while the parents were absent. The 
 Indians murdered the boy and were fleeing with the two 
 girls when the neighbors started in pursuit. The girls 
 jumped from their ponies and as they fled, an Indian threw 
 
 18
 
 his tomahawk at one girl, injuring her severely. After the 
 attack, the few families living in the neighborhood built a 
 blockhouse fort for protection. 
 
 It is said that a renowned Indian fighter, Captain 
 Whiteside, fought a battle with the Indians on Shoal Creek, 
 not far from the present site of the old Litchfield-I lilisboro 
 Chautauqua grounds. Gradually the Indians were crowded 
 back, some going to Oklahoma, and the few remaining 
 bands were forced into submission. Traces of Indian camps 
 have been found near Ilillsboro, and relics in the form of 
 arrowheads are still the reward of students of Indian lore 
 who explore the surrounding country side. 
 
 19
 
 The Railroad 
 
 The demand for a railroad in the early fifties was 
 born of a desperate need of better transportation. The 
 fertile soil of Montgomery County was yielding great 
 quantities of corn, oats, and wheat; but the only method 
 of hauling grain from Hillsboro to the principal markets 
 in Alton and St. Louis was a slow and laborious three-day 
 trip with team and wagon. 
 
 Agitation for a railroad to Hillsboro crystallized in the 
 "railroad convention" of 1849, which drew a crowd of 
 6,000 persons to the county seat. The meeting place select- 
 ed was in a wooded tract of land east of Main Street and 
 south of Tremont Street. The underbrush was cut away 
 and long tables were erected to feed the hungry and en- 
 thusiastic throng. Noted barbecue cooks watched over 
 huge quarters of beef, pork, and mutton roasting above im- 
 mense pits of glowing coals. 
 
 Anthony Thorton, Joseph Gillespie, Governor French, 
 and other noted men were present. There were large del- 
 egations from neighboring counties, one from as far south 
 as Wayne County. It is said that Bond County looked 
 with disfavor upon the Hillsboro convention, and refused 
 to send their representatives. According to one account 
 the Wayne County delegates, coming through Greenville on 
 their way to the convention, were taunted by the citizens of 
 
 20
 
 that place and told that they would lind nothing to eat in 
 Hillsboro. On their return, the Wayne County delegates 
 took with them a large supply of meat and bread, which 
 they held aloft on the end of canes and poles as they passed 
 through Green\ille. 
 
 In 1851 the citizens of Hillsboro and Montgomery 
 County voted to purchase $50,000 in stock of the Terre 
 Haute and Alton Company. On April 17, 1852, the com- 
 missioners selected Austin Whittcn and Judge I\dward Y. 
 Rice to represent them at Shclhyville in the election of a 
 president of the railroad corporation. Remembering some 
 of the earlier lessons in railroad financing, the county offi- 
 cials made an agreement with the company calling for de- 
 livery of one-half the bonds when the rails were laid to 
 the western boundary of the county, with the remaining half 
 not payable until the road was completed to liillsboro. 
 
 The first passenger train pulled into Hillsboro on 
 July 4, 1855. Residents of towns along the new road cele- 
 brated the Fourth and the completion of the line to Hills- 
 boro at the same time. Plans for a celebration in the neigh- 
 boring town of Gillespie were affected by an early morning 
 accident there. Said a Hillsboro newspaper in telling the 
 story of the first train: 
 
 The railroad had been completed as far as Hillsboro and 
 arrangements made for a grand celebration. Gillespie 
 citizens had made a larjre flag, engaged the band, and ar- 
 ranged to fire a salute when the train came in. Early in 
 the morning it wa.s concluded to fire a few patriotic shots 
 in honor of the Fourth. One of the anvils exploded, 
 killing a young wagonmaker. This cast such a gloom over 
 the community that many who had planned to ride the 
 train to Hillsboro. remained at home. There was no tel- 
 egraph at that time and the new Hag was strung at half 
 mast. The engineer, noticing the signal, slowed up and 
 the train oame in at a tuuLral pace. 
 
 The depot, razed years ago, was placed at the foot of 
 Taylorville Road, adjacent to the present sewage disposal 
 plant. North of the depot was the railroad water tank, 
 
 21
 
 where Joe Moore drove a horse around and around in a 
 circle, puriiping water from Shoal Creek into the tank. 
 
 Some idea of the conveniences found in the early rail- 
 road depot is indicated in a Montgomery County paper of 
 July 19, 1867, which reported: 
 
 Through the benevolence and liberality of the ticket agent 
 at Hillsboro, a new tin cup has been procured to drink 
 out of at the station. Passengers are no longer under the 
 disagreeable necessity of wetting their snoots in the bucket. 
 
 The first express service from the station to uptown 
 Hillsboro was operated by Col. Paul Walter. The colonel 
 later sold the business to William Vawter, who, with his 
 son John, hauled passengers to and from the old depot for 
 more than forty years. Bus stops were made at the Stubble. 
 field drug store, now Mobley's, and at the old Hillsboro 
 Hotel. Travelers wishing to take a certain train would 
 write their names on a slate in front of the drug store, and 
 one of the three horse-drawn coaches would pick them up. 
 Tickets on the line were fifteen cents or two for twenty-five. 
 
 The telegraph line reached Hillsboro three years after 
 the railroad. On August 20, 1858, the Montgomery 
 Herald reported : 
 
 The workmen will soon have the line to Hillsboro. We 
 have not learned whether the office will be located in town 
 or at the depot. It would be more accommodating on all 
 hands to have it in the village. 
 
 Perhaps to the surprise of "all hands," the new tele- 
 graph service was a success from the day of its installation. 
 On November 5, the Herald editor announced that "Ev- 
 erything worked right off, proving that the line had been 
 carefully put up." C. W. Holden, the first telegraph op- 
 erator, was described as being "polite and gentlemanly to 
 all who have business with him." 
 
 Hillsboro's second railroad, a double track line, en- 
 tered the south part of town in 1904. Although the citi- 
 zens of the Hillsboro community welcomed another rail- 
 
 22
 
 road, there was a sigh of relief when the construction work 
 was completed. A Hiilsboro newspaper of December 16, 
 1904, commented : 
 
 Last Friday the railroad conatructlon men at this point 
 were paid off and dlsrharKed. Saturday there were mor« 
 drunks In town than wc have had for a lonR time. The 
 ealoon keepers are the only ones who know how to handle 
 these boomers who won't listen to anythlnK but a Rooi 
 cussing backed up with a beer mallet. Since thf begln- 
 Ding of the new railroad Hiilsboro has been rlslted by 
 thousands of these floaters and there hare been hundreds 
 of fights. Now that they are gone we can breathe easy 
 again and thank our lucky stars th&t there haro been no 
 murders in HlllBboro. 
 
 23
 
 Development 
 
 In 1855, the year of the first railroad, Hillsboro 
 changed from a village to an incorporated town. The first 
 ordinance, "To Prohibit the Running of Animals at Large," 
 was passed on April 29 of that year by Town President 
 Thomas Phillips, and trustees Solomon Harkey, D. R. 
 Davis, and Ben Sammons. In all, sixteen ordinances were 
 passed that day as a guide for proper conduct in the town. 
 Animals, particularly hogs, horses, and mules, seemed to 
 be responsible for many early petitions and subsequent laws. 
 On May 22, 1858, a petition was circulated among the 
 citizens asking the trustees to pass a "Hog Law." 
 
 On June 28, it became illegal to drive a horse, mare, 
 or mule on any Hillsboro street at a speed greater than six 
 miles per hour. Lack of respect for this ordinance is point- 
 ed out in the Herald of July 23. 
 
 Broken: The si.\ miles ordinance is no po. It niipht as 
 well be repealed as it is neither respected or enforced. 
 Some of our fast horse men have taken particular pains 
 to see what speed their ponies could go up and down Main 
 Street. 
 
 In 1859 stories of gold to be found in the region of 
 Pike's Peak started scores of pioneers on the road to a new 
 country of greater promise. The migration threatened to 
 
 24
 
 assume such import that the Henild cdiiDr (.autloiicd his 
 friends about leaving Hillsboro for the then uncertain lieMs 
 in eastern Colorado. 
 
 That there is gold In the vicinity of Pike's Peak no one 
 will deny or entertain a doubt but wo would udvls» no 
 man to abandon a lucrutiv.- busine-s and ko to Plko'a Peak 
 until further und more reliable information is disclosed. 
 
 I he note of warning, howe\ er, went unheeiieci. In 
 April of the same year, it was announced that "A company 
 of eight or ten enterprising young men of this town and 
 county depart on Monday next for Pike's Peak, all of whom 
 are in excellent spirits. Our young friend George Clot- 
 felter is to be one of the company." The Hillsboro editor, 
 still doubtful about the Pike's Peak Eldorado, seized upon 
 the following incident to verify his belief that the bubble 
 of Pike's Peak gold had been blown to the point of bursting: 
 
 Just as we go to press a couple of robust yeomen passed 
 the office driving four yoke of rattle, each hitched to a 
 heavy ox wagon; one of them exclaiming as he gazed into 
 the sanctum: 
 
 "There is not a d — d bit of gold in Pike's Peak for we have 
 been thar " 
 
 And judging from their dusty habit we have no hesitation 
 in saying that like many another poor devil, they have 
 seen the "Elephant." 
 
 Life in the western gold fields was one of many hard- 
 ships, according to a letter received in Hillsboro from A. 
 G. Kelly, who on July 18, 1859, wrote from "Russel's Dig- 
 gings, Forty Five Miles West of Denver City:" 
 
 The news Is very discouraging. Every man from the mines 
 gave a bad report which made things look rather "bilious." 
 Our company was told that we could get no employment 
 at any price. 
 
 I would advise all the delicate to stay home, because none 
 but working men make any money here. Tell the boys 
 who expect to come here that they had better wait until 
 Spring; then start early and bring f«^d for their teams . 
 If they come this fall they must bring their wlntt-r'a pro- 
 
 25
 
 visions, or $100 to buy them. St. Joseph, Mo., is the 
 best starting point, and the Platte is the best route. Flour 
 is worth $17.50 per hundred pounds, bacon 35c per lb.; 
 beef varies from 5 to lie per lb. — lie for the best steak. 
 Beans are $6 a bushel, good molasses $4 per gallon, and 
 everything else in proportion. This Is not a farming coun- 
 try and cannot be made so. Enclosed you will find the 
 proceeds of one pan of dirt from our claim. This is all 
 I have now; I wa.shed it lor the occasion that you might 
 see the quality. I wish you would show it to Mary and 
 tell her all is right with me. I would like lo tell you 
 something about the buffalo on the plain.s but I am tired 
 of writing but will say that I saw more in one day than 
 cattle in the states in six months. This looks unreason- 
 able but it is true. I want to hear from my family; have 
 had no letter since I left home. Please write on receipt 
 of this. 
 
 After the Civil War {see Bugle Calls) residents re- 
 sumed building up their city. 
 
 "On ev^ery side and from every quarter the sound of 
 the hammer and the ringing of metal against hard brick 
 indicate the advances being made by our citizens," said the 
 Hillsboro newspaper on August 23, 1867. "The Clotfelter 
 block has reached completion and the new Masonic hall is 
 going up rapidly. Shimer has a two story house about 
 finished, Ed Garflo has broken ground for a dwelling on 
 Main Street, and Ed Burns is putting up a two story brick 
 by Gunning's shop. Dr. Fink has commenced the excava- 
 tion for a large brick south of Brewer's store." 
 
 J. E. Gay and John Egan made wagons, carriages, and 
 buggies in their factory north of the courthouse. Louis 
 Welge opened his furniture factory not far from the pres- 
 ent filtration plant. 
 
 Charles Seymour purchased a machine for molding and 
 pressing a superior quality of brick. The bricks from the 
 new molding machine were said to be much better than 
 those turned out by the old "slop made" method. 
 
 Food for hungry workmen was found at the F'ulton 
 House, one block west of the courthouse. The American 
 House, on the site of the Odd Fellows' Building, offered 
 
 26
 
 a table "spread with the best the market affords, and guests 
 iray depend upon hospitable treatment and beautiful cheer." 
 A bank for the deposit and exchange of funds had been 
 opened before the war. A seven thousand pound safe, de- 
 scribed as "n^ammoth," reached Hill«boro in October, 1858, 
 and the Mntit(iomtr\ HrriilJ annt-unced : 
 
 We understand that the Rentlcmfn. Davis. Haskell and 
 Clark, intend to coninience oporailon on the first of Janu- 
 ary next. .\ bank will be quite an arcfSBlon to our town. 
 
 A milliner^' store, opened in March of the same year 
 by a Mrs. Wright, drew the editorial comment that "The 
 fair readers would be pleased to see the beautiful stock one 
 door south of Dr. Haskell's drug store," and that "such 
 an establishment had long been needed." 
 
 The Hillsboro Woolen Mills, started during the Civil 
 War, did an extensive business in 1867 and 1868. They 
 paid cash for wool or exchanged the raw product for "jeans, 
 satinetts, flannels, and cassimers." In 1877, the mills — then 
 located at the intersection of Vandalia Road and \'andalia 
 Street — reported the purchase of 37,724 pounds of unwash- 
 ed wool, 7,454 pounds of tub wool at $10,972.46, the pur- 
 chase of 1,000 cords of wood, the emplo)Tnent of 25 men. 
 and the sale of 4,000 yards of jeans, 3,000 yards of flannel. 
 1,000 blankets, and 27,300 pounds of yarn. 
 
 Hillsboro was also well supplied with flour mills. In 
 1869, the Glenn Brothers, whose mill stood in the present 
 Bremer Block opposite the Presbyterian Church, shipped 
 60 cars of flour, grain, and bran, and purchased $1,600 
 worth of flour barrels. The Glenns were engaged in the 
 milling business until 1895 when they sold their mill to John 
 Henry Bremer. Gilmore and Nelson operated the old Cress 
 Mill, one mile west of town. John Watson was another 
 Hillsboro miller. 
 
 I'red Xoterman, the first Hillsboro jeweler, kept a 
 complete stock of fine watches, clocks, spectacles, and jewel- 
 ry. Fritz Weingnnd's harness shop was one door south 
 
 27
 
 of the Alex Cress store. M. 1 . Morehouse had a complete 
 line of ornamental trees, truit trees, and shrubbery. 
 
 Frank Huber and Daniel Lingofelter operated a brew- 
 ery north of the old depot on Taylorville Road. The 
 editor of the Hillsboro Democrat called attention to the 
 liquor establishment but pointed out that his newspaper ac- 
 count was based entirely on reports that such a brewery ex- 
 isted, and not from a personal inspection of the place. 
 
 Rountree and Seymour let it be known that their store 
 carried a "magnitkent line of goods embracing ladies' and 
 gentlemen's dress goods, groceries, hardware, and saddle- 
 
 ry." 
 
 Doctors, dentists, and lawyers who advertised their 
 services found the Hillsboro newspaper reciprocating with 
 free publicity. Doctors Thomas Whitten, Thomas Wash- 
 burn, L. F. Stoddard, J. F. Blackwelder, J. S. Hillis, J. B. 
 Cary, and William Marshall were represented as "Physi- 
 cians and surgeons who are decent men, patronizing the 
 printer and doing good to the public." Dr. R. H. Rutledge 
 was "busy with his dental instruments and doing good to 
 the public." Children's teeth were extracted for twenty- 
 five cents. 
 
 Physicians of Hillsboro and Montgomery County were 
 already holding regular meetings of the county medical 
 association. The first meeting of the association was held 
 in Hillsboro on August 1, 1857. The doctors elected J. S. 
 Hillis, president; J. Grinstead, vice-president; I. W. Fink, 
 secretary, and T. D. Washburn, treasurer. 
 
 Dr. FMmund Douglas, the father of Miss Bess Doug- 
 las, was a druggist and physician who came to Hillsboro in 
 1873 and conducted a drug store for more than forty years. 
 Other physicians who practiced in Hillsboro in the seventies 
 and eighties were Dr. Sam.uel McTean, father of Ben Mc- 
 Lean, Dr. P. S. Field, and Dr. W. W. Douglas, father 
 of Doctors F. T. Douglas and W. S. Douglas. 
 
 flillsboro lawyers — particularly, Truitt, Phillips, and 
 Kitchcll — were pictured by the Hillsboro newspaper of that 
 
 28
 
 day as being "sharp, foxy fellows, some of them old coons 
 in the business and beginning to grow gray with learning." 
 
 Fdward I.ane, admitted to the bar in 1864, practiced 
 law in Hillsboro for many years. Amos Miller, an attorney 
 since 1869, formed a partnership with Judge Rice in 1874. 
 In 1871 he married Mary Rice, the Judge's ilaughter. Two 
 children, Rice Miller and Mrs. H. O. Pinkerton, reside in 
 Hillsboro. George Cooper began reading law in the office 
 of Miller and Rice, and was admitted to the bar in 1880. 
 
 In 1885 the cit)' council passed an ordinance pro- 
 hibiting the repair of wooilen awnings in front of store 
 buildings on Main Street. The business men were a little 
 concerned about the new ruling until lulwanl I.ane took a 
 case to court and won the right to add two feet to the wooden 
 covering over his part of the sidewalk. 
 
 "They now sit under their own shade," reported the 
 Montgomery Xeiis, "with no thought of removal to disturb 
 them." 
 
 Roller skating was one of the most popular forms of 
 recreation in the eighties. The rink over Walter's Hall 
 was patronized by both young and old. Residents of But- 
 ler, Litchfield, and other towns in the county came to the 
 Hillsboro rink to skate and to watch the masterful per- 
 formances of Denny I.annigan, whose skill was known 
 throughout the greater part of central Illinois. A news- 
 paper account of 1885 reveals that the ladies of Hillsboro 
 were greatly interested in the pastime: 
 
 Yesterday morninK the ladies were seen polnp into Walter'.^? 
 Hall, singly and in small i-ompanifs. The strf-am poured 
 in so long that it attracted the attention of a stranger who 
 asked, "Have you a religious revival In progress?" When 
 asked "Why?." he said that he thought that preaching was 
 being held at night and a ladies' prayer meeting in the 
 morning. It happened to be "Ladies' Morning" at the 
 rink. 
 
 While men and women were gliding around the skating 
 rink, and merchants were looking with satisfaction upon 
 their shaded wooden awnings, other Hillsboro citizens were 
 
 29
 
 thinking about coal. The community had its wagon fac- 
 tories, furniture factories, flour mills, and woolen mills; 
 but a few determined men persisted in believing that the 
 town would have a coal mine. They furnished the most 
 potent factor in the ultimate transformation of Hillsboro 
 from a country town to a center of commercial and indus- 
 trial activity. 
 
 Efforts to sink a shaft were first made near the old 
 mineral springs in 1869. James R. Glenn, I. H. Shimer, 
 I. W. Fink, and Wooten Harris formed a coal company and 
 invited contributions to the needed funds. "We will state 
 for the benefit of any who wish to subscribe," said the 
 Hillsboro Democrat on March 25, 1869, "that the books 
 will be found at the bank with Wooten Harris." While the 
 unsuccessful test was being made, the somewhat skeptical 
 editor wrote that while others were digging for coal, "he 
 would stick to scribbling." 
 
 Although other attempts to promote a mine were 
 made during the next decade, it was not until 1887, after 
 the city of Hillsboro had discovered a vein of coal while bor- 
 ing for gas and oil, that an organization was perfected to 
 finance the venture. .\ stockholders' meeting in Febru- 
 ary of that year elected as officers W^m. H. Brewer, 
 Charles A. Ramsey, T. A. Paden, W. C. Miller, C. O. 
 Brown, J. T. Maddux, and Amos Miller. R. L. Dingle of 
 Troy, Illinois, signed a contract to begin construction of 
 the mine. 
 
 Thursday, May 12, 1887 was a gala day in Hillsboro. 
 Mr. Dingle was ready to break ground for the mine. All 
 business houses closed their doors that afternoon, and a 
 large delegation of carriages, wagons, and pedestrians, 
 headed by Mayor S. H. McLean and the Silver Cornet 
 Band, went to the site of the mine. Judge J. J. Phillips, 
 in a brief address, predicted an era of industrial progress 
 for Hillsboro. Other speakers included Col. Walter, Rev. 
 Fr. Gesenhuer, and Charles Brown. William Brewer turn- 
 ed the first shovel of dirt. 
 
 30
 
 With work started at the coal mine, Hillsboro took 
 on the semblance of a boom town. The first creamery 
 was built. Ihe old American House, then owned by the 
 city, was sold at a public auction; and title to the ground 
 was conveyed to J. l\ Maddux, W. A. Howett, Henry 
 Scherer, Amos Miller, and Charles Ramsey upon their 
 agreement to erect an opera house. 
 
 "The coal shaft is booming; the new opera house is 
 booming; the creamery is booming — everything booms," 
 announced the Journal on .May 20, 1887. 
 
 In that same year the Hillsboro Mineral Springs were 
 developed. A company for the promotion of the springs 
 arranged a publicity campaign in which the Hillsboro band 
 led early morning parades to the flowing waters south of 
 TaylorN-ille Road. There a photographer would be waiting 
 to preserve evidence of the popularity of the springs. 
 
 That citizens from the neighboring town of Litchfield 
 were in some doubt as to the value and purity of the Hills- 
 boro waters is indicated by the Hillsboro Journal of 
 June 24. which stated: 
 
 The waters of the Hillsboro Mineral Springs come from a 
 depth of S5 feet and we believe that It is very pure water, 
 notwithstanding the assertion of the wise doctor and the 
 wise editor of the Litchfield Monitor. The Litchfield 
 M. D. has probably found out that the \v:iter is benefiting 
 his patients more than his medicine. 
 
 When workmen at the mine reached a 5-foot vein of 
 coal on Thanksgiving Day, 1887, the people of Hillsboro 
 once more felt the need of a celebration. Ihe Hillsboro 
 Journal selected its biggest type to proclaim that "The 
 silver lining in Hillsboro's destiny is plainly visible." 
 
 Again the citizens assembled at the mine. Whistles 
 blew, dynamite exploded, and the Silver Cornet Band play- 
 ed stirring numbers. The American flag floated over the 
 first wagon load of coal taken from the mine. Headed 
 by the band and the load of coal, the long line marched to 
 the courthouse. When the procession reached the public 
 
 31
 
 square, Col. Walter mounted the wagon and announced that 
 the coal would be sold to the highest bidder. J. R. Glenn 
 ran the bid to $150 and then gave the load of coal back to 
 the coal company, which in turn donated it to the Hillshoro 
 Journal and the Montgomery Nezvs. 
 
 With a coal mine in operation, and other industries 
 springing up, Hillsboro began to think about its water sup- 
 ply. W^ells, and the big spring at Central Park, furnished 
 all the city water; but during a hot, dry August in 1887 when 
 every one looked for rain, the dusty streets had to go with- 
 out their summer sprinkling. "What a blessing a water- 
 works would be right now," sighed the Hillshoro Journal. 
 
 In 1888 the old spring was enlarged and a pumping 
 station built to throw water into Hillsboro's Hrst water tank. 
 The city council fixed the following rates: 
 
 Dwelling house, one faucet, S4 per year. 
 Bath, one tub. $10. 
 Bank, one faucet, $7. 
 Barber shops, first chair, $5. 
 
 With the installation of a water system, the council 
 drafted an ordinance requiring all members of the Volun- 
 teer Fire Department to meet once each month and to have 
 "public drill once each year." 
 
 The volunteer firefighters had some difficulty with 
 their hose cart when the old Empire Mill on Vawter Street 
 burned in 1896. 
 
 According to an account of the MonUjonicry S'cils, 
 
 The hose was unreeled at the corner of the city hall and 
 had to be carried the rest of the way by the men. The 
 tool box had been taken off the cart and not replaced and 
 the boys found they had no wrench or nozzle to make the 
 connection. A second trip had to be made for the missing 
 articles and that consumed considerable time; but when 
 the boys did get ready, they did splendid work. 
 
 The Ilillsiioro Electric 1 ight and Power Company 
 was incorporated in 1893 by J. J. Krey, A. M. Howell, 
 William Wurdack, II. H. Humphrey, and Charles Lampel. 
 
 32
 
 A building on Broad Street was erected by Frank Frarer 
 and James Lewis; Quince Summers was employed as plant 
 engineer, and I/illsboro's first electric lights went into serv- 
 ice on the night oJ October 30, 1893. The initial contract 
 with the light company and the city of Ilillsboro called for 
 eighteen arc lights. McIItnry's hardware store advertised 
 an electric doorbell that "can be installed any place in your 
 home for $3.50." 
 
 The telegraph office, managed by C A. Rolston, had 
 a telephone in 1887, but it was not until two years after 
 the advent of electric lights that the Montgomery County 
 Telephone Company was formed. Jack Finley, superinten- 
 dent of construction for forty-three years, set the first poles 
 in 1895 and in a short time the town boasted twenty-five 
 telephones. The first telephone exchange, in a room over 
 Shaner's store, was operated by Grace Moore, Etta Stookey, 
 and Mrs. Mattie Rush. 
 
 In 1904, while the Kortkamp brothers were adding 
 another shaft to the Hillsboro field, the city increased its 
 water supply by erecting a dam on Seward Street and form- 
 ing a lake that covered all of Central Park. The lake prov- 
 ed so attractive for boating that there was talk of organiz- 
 ing a boat club. Owners of the lake craft at that time were 
 Fdward Taulbee, Charlie McDavid, Joe Jones, Harry 
 Blockburger, Doss Williams, Farkin Starr. Sam Little, 
 Clint Bliss, Chester Dreyhus, Walter Clotfelter, and Otto 
 Bremer. 
 
 In the fall of 1905, A. L. Schram came to establish 
 a fruit jar factory near Hillsboro. W^ork on the buildings 
 began in January, 1906, and before the end of the year the 
 plant employed two hundred persons and manufactured 
 more than 45,000 fruit jars daily. 
 
 In 1906 the Hillsboro fire department went to Peoria 
 for foot races with the Peoria firemen. Those who made 
 the trip were Charles McHenry, Tom Angerstein, Jesse 
 Criswell, Guy Spangler, Farl Risk, Laverne Haag, Fred 
 Wclge, George Angerstein, Claude Klar, Harry Wilton, 
 
 33
 
 Bob Gilniorc, and Jack Miller. In the same year on May 
 5, the Litchlield-Hillsboro electric line began service. The 
 cars ran every two hours and were reported to be "loaded 
 to the guards." 
 
 Hillsboro's streets were still deep with mud. During 
 the spring thaws, horses sank to their knees and wagons 
 to the axles. In October of 1906 a force of 125 men and 
 25 teams began preliminary work for paving. The follow- 
 ing month thirty Negroes arrived to lay brick on Wood 
 Street. 
 
 A Hillsboro resident, E. B. Hess, purchased a ten 
 horsepower Maxwell automobile in St. Louis and spent sev- 
 en hours on the drive to Hillsboro. He was congratulated 
 on the ease with which he controlled the machine. In 1908 
 George Brown, Jr., sold Buicks ,and J. L. McDavid was 
 agent for the Regal and the Rambler. 
 
 The first night baseball game was played June 26, 
 1906, when the visiting Cherokee Indians met the Hillsboro 
 Blues. Horse racing was popular during this period and 
 John Crabtree's race track southwest of Hillsboro was a 
 busy place. His famous pacers, "Lady Maude C." and 
 "Hedgewood Boy" were beginning to attract nationwide at- 
 tention. Moving picture shows were known as "Electric 
 Theaters." Ed Fellis, Sr., exhibited 2,000 feet of film ar 
 the popular prices of five and ten cents. And D. D. Goad, 
 veteran merchant, drew crowds to his grocery store with 
 such newspaper ad\ertising as: 
 
 Enjoy the best there is in Life, 
 The money saved today 
 Will never buy asbestos clothes 
 Or wings on judgment day. 
 
 A third coal mine was opened at Taylor Springs in 
 1908, and although the peak of Hillsboro's industrial de- 
 velopment was not reached until several years later, it was 
 coal that served as the catalytic agent in this development. 
 Over in Missouri lay great fields of zinc ore. Since smelt- 
 ing required proportionately more coal than zinc ore, smel- 
 
 34
 
 ters were usually established near the fuel supply, thereby 
 effecting an economy in freight costs. In 1911 construc- 
 tion was begun on two sn^elters, one for the American /inc 
 Company, at Taylor Springs; the other, the I.anyon Smel- 
 ter, later absorbed by the I'.agle Picher Company, on land 
 purchased from H. S. Hargravc and F. H. Brown. Pay- 
 rolls for Hillsboro industries soared to more than $100,000 
 a month, and several hundred houses went up in Taylor 
 Springs, Hillsboro, and Schram City. Both the Hillsboro 
 Brick and Tile Company and the Southern Illinois Light 
 and Power Company spent large sums on improvements and 
 new construction. I'rom Waverly came J. A. Wibe, who 
 erected several greenhouses, later taken over by B. B. Pohl- 
 man. The city itself laid sidewalks, paved streets, and built 
 a bridge on School Street. Within a few short years, coal 
 changed Hillsboro from a quiet country town to a fledgling 
 industrial center. 
 
 The boomlet lasted for a decade and a half, with the 
 smelters, coal mines, and glass factory running at full ca- 
 pacity. But shortly after the war the lead and zinc mar- 
 kets slumped, and eventually the payrolls of the smelters 
 were cut in half. The reduction in the smelters hit the lo- 
 cal coal mines hard, because the general demand for coal 
 was also beginning to slacken. On October 15, 1923, Su- 
 perintendent H. C. Perry announced that the Taylor Springs 
 mine would be sealed. The following year the Kortkamp 
 mine shut down and altogether more than 300 miners left 
 in search of other employn.ent. 
 
 Construction of two state highways. State 16 in 1925 
 and State 127 in 1928, absorbed some of the surplus Hills- 
 boro labor, but many miners were still without steady em- 
 ployment. In 1933 the .AnR-rican Legion suggested the 
 plan of "script money." 
 
 PWA and WPA projects have offered some solution 
 to the unemployment problem in the community. A $100,- 
 000 sewage disposal plant and the Central Park swimming 
 pool were completed in 1936 under the administration of 
 
 3S
 
 Mayor II. J. Yoffie. Improvements to parks, public build- 
 ings and city streets are now being made. And there is 
 some indication of an upswing in Ilillsboro industries, par- 
 ticularly the smelters. 
 
 City officials, Hillsboro men, and Hillsboro women 
 have met the depression years with the same unwavering 
 faith that existed in 1821 when the county commissioners, 
 faced with an empty treasury, ordered the clerk to pay the 
 first bill "just as soon as he gets some money in his hands." 
 
 36
 
 A Tall Gaunt Man 
 
 Half way down main' sirket stands an old pine tree 
 which is believed to he the oldest living thing in town. An 
 aged resident of Montgomery County, a ninety-four-year 
 old Civil War veteran, told this story shortly before his 
 death : 
 
 When I was a y<>iing man. I went to HlUshoro to attend 
 the Academy where I also had a job with Dr. HllUs. His 
 office was not far from the old pine tree and on warm 
 nights, while waiting for the doctor to come In from 
 visits to the sick. I would sleep out in the yard under 
 the tree. At that time the tree was fully grown. Main 
 Street was just a country lane, dusty in summer, and hub 
 deep with mud in winter. This old tree has Been Main 
 Street change into one of the busiest thoroughfares in the 
 oounty. It has seen schools and cliurches spring up, and 
 generations come and go. It must have seen a tall gaunt 
 man on horseback riding slowly along on his way from 
 Springfield to the Capitol building at Vandalla. 
 
 Abraham Lincoln frequently stopped in Hillsboro and 
 vicinity. The old Seward farm, on State 127 south of But- 
 ler, was a combination inn and stage stand where travelers 
 refreshed themselves and stage dri\ers replaced tired horses 
 with fresh ones for the stage run. George Seward used to 
 
 37
 
 point out one of the rooms where IJncoln slept. He said 
 Lincoln drove up one evening in an old rattle-trap buggy 
 with a hole in the dashboard through which one of his long 
 legs was sticking, and without saying a word got out and 
 began to unhitch his horse. Another favorite stopping 
 place was the Blockburger Inn. which stood at the corner 
 of Main and Tillson streets. 
 
 Newspaper accounts of Lincoln furnish interesting 
 sidelights on the political situation when Lincoln and Ste- 
 phen Douglas were making speeches in Illinois. Of the ap- 
 pearance of Judi^c Douglas in Hillsboro on August 2, 1858, 
 the Montgomery Herald said : 
 
 Above the fairground gate entrance was fastened a can- 
 vas on one side of which was printed "The Union can 
 exist half slave an^ half free," and on the reverse side was 
 "Douglas, the champion of popular Sovereignty." The 
 crowd continued to pour in at one o'clock headed by the 
 brass band and proceeded to the grounds through a cloud 
 of dust that was almost suffocating. James M. Davis 
 made a few remarks and gave way for the speech of Mr. 
 Rice in the reception nf Mr. Douglas. Mr. Douglas then 
 addressed the people for about an hour and a half. We 
 have heard his speech both praised and ridiculed. 
 
 An excerpt from The Herald of September 3 of the 
 same year calls attention to Lincoln's speech: 
 
 Our readers are well aware of the day Mr. Lincoln is to 
 address the people of Hillsboro. namely the 9th inst. . . . 
 It will also be seen that tlie same day has been chosen 
 for the exhibition of Spaulding and Rodger's Circus. We 
 learn that an arrangement has been made by which Mr. 
 Linooln is to speak inside the canvas of the circus at 1 "^/z 
 o'clock P. M. 
 
 The Montgomery County Herald, previously ed- 
 ited by John W. Kitchell, an editor neutral in politics, was 
 sold in September, 1858, to A. N. Kingsbury. In the issue 
 of September 10, Kingsbury can-c out in fa\or ot Douglas. 
 The following story of I incoln's address in Hillsboro re- 
 flects the new editor's loyalty to the Little (Jiant: 
 
 At Hillsboro on the 9th. .Mr. Lincoln devoted the greater 
 
 38
 
 portion of his sptvch In proving that the Dred Scott de- 
 cision placed it beyond the power of the people in the ter- 
 ritories to exclude slavery therefrom. Mr. I^inroln uh- 
 serted here in liillKboro that "there !h n physical difference 
 between the NeKro and the white man, that would forever 
 prevent them from llvinR toRether In a state of social and 
 political equality." This decision is in direct conflict with 
 a part of the KentleninrrH ChlcaRo speech In which he said 
 "Let us discard all th"'* • things and unite as one p<?oplc 
 throuRhout ihf land, until we sliall once more stand "P 
 and declare that all men are created equal." In contraht 
 with the above we place the declaration from Mr. Lincoln's 
 HlUsboro speech. W«* understand that Mr IJncoln is in- 
 structed to declare at Jonesboro "that a NeRro is no belter 
 than a horse." The graduatinR scale from Chicago to 
 Jonesboro will then he complete according to the latitude. 
 
 And on \i)\eirhcr 12, IS5S, Mr. Kin^slniry wrote 
 that "Old Abe has become extinguished, and the star of 
 Douglas shines brightly, and in 1860 we intend to make 
 him President." 
 
 John M. Whitehead in the Journal of the lUinois Stair 
 Historical Sodfty gives a delightful picture of Lincoln 
 and Douglas in Hillsboro: 
 
 In the Lincoln-Douirlas campaign both men made speeches 
 in Hillsboro. As I remember. Mr. Llncdn .-^poke in Sep- 
 tember. There was a circus in town that day and the 
 committee having charge of the Lincoln meeting chartered 
 the "Big Top" and Mr. Lincoln delivered his speech from 
 the circus wagons. The reason for this was the rain. I 
 remember him standing In the wagon In the circus ring. 
 My father had taken me in the forenoon to the place, the 
 old lyceum. where other citizens had congregated to meet 
 Mr. Lincoln, so I had a very distinct impreesion of him 
 which has remained with me all my life. 
 
 My father used to tell of the first speech he heard Mr. Lin- 
 coln make In the old log courthouse at Hillsboro. A po- 
 litical meeting was being held and one of the well known 
 men of the day was talking. At the conclusion of hi.s 
 speech a call for Mr. Lincoln came from the crowd. Pres- 
 ently a tall, awkward, homespun sort of a young man 
 began to make his way to the front. He finally reached 
 the desired position and proceeded to make a speech. The 
 time was "wayback ycjnder," perhaps In one of the excit- 
 ing campaigns of the 40*8. 
 
 The Sauyamo Journal of July 25, 1844, verifies the 
 courthouse speech of Lincoln with : "delegates from Sanga- 
 
 39
 
 mon county to the mass convention, left this city on Mon- 
 day morning of last week, were treated with the utmost 
 hospitality going and coming. Delegation escorted Into 
 Hillsborough and the citizens assembled at the courthouse. 
 Addresses were made by Judge Robblns, Mr. Lincoln and 
 Dr. Anson G. Henry." 
 
 Writing in the Illinois State Journal of Lincoln's 
 message in 1858, a Hillsboro resident who signed his name 
 "Absalom" said: "It continued to rain a perfect torrent 
 during the whole time of the speaking. The seats and pits 
 were packed full of men who hoisted their umbrellas and 
 stood until the last word was heard. At the close, cheer 
 after cheer was given and a thousands hats were thrown 
 Into the air in token of the principles and soul of our own 
 Abe Lincoln." 
 
 The letter from Absalom drew the ire of editor Kings- 
 bury, who wrote on September 24, 1858: 
 
 Lincoln's contortions and grimaces did create some laugh- 
 ing among the children and boys because they thought It 
 a part of the circus. A special committee on cheering had 
 been appointed, composed of fifteen persons, and they 
 joined in manfully and appeared to enjoy the antics of 
 their champion as much as the boys. 
 
 Continuing his recollections of Lincoln and Douglas 
 Mr. Whitehead wrote: 
 
 There were a number of citizens of Hillsboro who were 
 life long acquaintances of Mr. Lincoln. Joseph T. Eccles 
 was a Kentuckian of the fine old type who had known 
 Mr. Lincoln from his youth up and was one of his trusted 
 advisers in this part of the country. I remember one cold 
 Sunday morning at the Presbyterian church I went lo 
 Sunday School and there were gathered around the etovo 
 Mr. Eccles and others who were interested in what he 
 had to say about his visit to Washington from which he 
 had just returned. 
 
 I remember my father asked Mr. Eccles if "Old Abe" knew 
 him. Mr. Eccles had a very heavy voice and a prolonged 
 chuckle when he laughed. He laughed and said, "Know 
 me? I guess he did. He took care of me at the White 
 House in the old fashioned way." I do not recall all the 
 details of the tonversaMon except that Mr. Eccles was 
 
 40
 
 extroniL'ly pleased willi his visit to Wushlimlon and wH»i 
 the President. 
 
 The JudKe of the Circuit Court was R. Y. Rice, a Ken- 
 tucklan of the old sihool, who had hot-n long acquainted 
 with Mr. Lincoln and associated with him In professional 
 activities, though opposed In politicB. 
 
 The vllIaKe tavern stood two hlocks from my father's home 
 where all the lawyers were wont to put up when they 
 came to llill8l)tiro to the term of court. I remember dis- 
 tinctly many tiiiu-s seeing the members of the bar sitllnK 
 out oil lh«' porch or in tlie street with tlieir feot propi)ed u;» 
 against posts swappiiiK stories, and Llicoln was often 
 among the number. Among these awyrs were C.eneral 
 John M. Palmer. U. K. hinder. Anthony Thorton and many 
 others. 
 
 Mr. Douglas, when lie spoke in Hlllshoro. spoke briefly 
 from the roof of the tavern porch and he could be dis- 
 tinctly heard at my fatlier's home. He had a marvelous 
 voice. His principal spci-ch was made in the afternoon at 
 the Fairgrounds. 
 
 On the morning that the news came of Mr. Lincoln's death. 
 I was going with my father and the rest of the family 
 from our farm v.est of town to Hillsboro to attend the 
 funeral of a relative whose body was coming in on the 
 morning train from the southwest. One of our neighbors 
 was on his way home wearing the blue swallow tail coat 
 with brass buttons, buff vest and silk hat of the style then 
 worn by the old fashioned gentlemen. He stopped ana 
 told us the news of the President's death. His name was 
 Mr. Cory. He had been a life long Democrat and politically 
 opposed to Lincoln but his voice was thick and his whole 
 frame shook with emotion. My father whipped up hi- 
 horses and hurried on Into town hoping against hope that 
 later news would not bear out the earlier reports of the 
 morning that the President was dead: but alas, the daily 
 papers came in from St. Louis about the middle of the day 
 and we had to know that the President's earthly career 
 was ended. 
 
 There was a meeting at the Presbyterian church the fol- 
 lowing Sunday evening to commemorate the life and pub- 
 lic service of .Mr. Lincoln. The old fashioned church was 
 packed to the doors. There was some formality in the 
 opening of the meeting but presently the opportunity was 
 given to any to speak from where he sat in the congre- 
 gation. No experience in my childhood stands out more 
 distinctly in my memory than my recollection of that woa- 
 derful meeting. Oi'e after another, the old men arose 
 some with tears streaming down their faces, and with 
 trembling voices e.vpressed their love and admiration for 
 the dead president and more particularly for the man 
 whom they had known so familiarly for so many yeai-s. 
 
 41
 
 I particularly remember the remarks of Mr. Stickel, one 
 of the guests in our home on the date when Mr. Lincoln 
 spoke in the circus tent. 
 
 On the day of Mr. Lincoln's funeral in Springfield business 
 was generally suspended in Hillsboro. Public services 
 were held iu one of the churches and the people came from 
 far and near to show their respect for the great dead. 
 It has always been a matter of deep regret to me that I 
 was not required by my parents to accompany them to the 
 memorial services. Some childish whim beset my mind 
 and I did not care to go and I was nat required to go; and 
 so all my life I have felt a sense of loss on this account. 
 
 There was a very bitter partisanship in our part of the 
 state. Many bitter things were said after Mr. Lincoln's 
 death which resulted in the severance of lifelong friend- 
 ships and business relations, but there is no part of the 
 country with which I am familiar where the memory of 
 Abraham Lincoln is today more tenderly cherished than 
 in Montgomery county. 
 
 42
 
 Bugle Calls 
 
 The first armed conflict in which the citizens of 
 Hillsboro were called upon to take part was the Black Hawk 
 War of 1832. Two companies responded, one command- 
 ed by Dr. Levi Boone, the other by Hiram Rountree. The 
 war ended with the capture of Black Hawk; but the plight 
 of the Hillsboro men upon reaching the designated place 
 of assembly at Peru, LaSalle County, is revealed in a letter 
 written by Captain Rountree to the governor of Illinois: 
 
 These nun after coming a distance of two hundred miles 
 from home, are without provisions, and there are none 
 in the immediate country even if they had the means of 
 buying. This note is drafted to know of Your Excellency, 
 and that immediately, what the men are to depend ou. 
 As regards myself, I shall never complain, but the condi- 
 tion in which the company is placed, demands immediate 
 attention. Their crops for the season are lost, and they 
 are in debt for their preparation to defend their country. 
 
 Governor Reynolds, who was personally acquainted 
 with many of the Hillsboro volunteers, promptly ordered 
 provisions and equipment for Captain Rountree's soldiers. 
 
 In the Mexican War a company of ninety-six men 
 commissioned by James McAdams, Thomas Rhodes, and 
 John Corlew joined a regiment commanded by Colonel 
 
 43
 
 Foreman of Vandalia. iicrce fighting for two years, hun- 
 ger, and disease thinned the ranks of the company. An old 
 Hillsboro newspaper contains the following: 
 
 Do you remember tlie gallant company of 9 6 men who left 
 Montgomery county? Do you remember the gathering at 
 Woodsboro, on the day of the departure when the fifes 
 and drums were playing, and there were tears in the eyes 
 of almost every man and woman? Do you remember that 
 out of 9 6 gallant men, only forty-five returned to tell the 
 fate of their comrades? 
 
 7'he peace that followed the Mexican War was of 
 short duration. The approach of the sixties found the 
 nation in a state of excitement and bitterness over the 
 questions of slavery and secession. A hint of preparedness 
 and mobilization was evident in 1859. The Montgomery 
 Herald reported the formation of a Hillsboro "Indepen- 
 dent Light Guard Infantry" at a meeting held in the court- 
 house June 24. R. W. Davis was chosen captain, Jesse J. 
 Phillips, first lieutenant, E. T. Sammons, second lieutenant, 
 W. V. Armstrong, third lieutenant, and R. N. Paden, ser- 
 geant. 
 
 "We are glad to see the organization of such a com- 
 pany, as the cultivation of the martial spirit is desirable," 
 wrote the Herald. "The Sergeant will doubtless be mis- 
 taken for the Captain as he bears a striking resemblance 
 to the 'Iron Duke.' " 
 
 The roll of drums and the notes of bugles soon brought 
 men from all parts of the county, and the first Independent 
 Light Guard company was absorbed by regimental organi- 
 zations. The Ninth Illinois Infantry, one of Hillsboro's 
 first regiments, was commanded by Col. J. J. Phillips. Com- 
 missioned officers of Company C were Jacob Miller, A. J. 
 Shelton, and George Short. 
 
 Other units summoned for military service were Com- 
 pany B of the One Hundred and Seventeenth Infantry, in 
 command of Robert McWilllams, Frank Gilmore, and 
 George Potter; the One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Illi- 
 nois Infantry, with Daniel Munn as adjutant; the One I lun- 
 
 44
 
 dred and Forty-third Infantry, with James G. Seward, 
 William Truesdell, and Georjjje lowlcr as officers, and the 
 lirst Illinois Ca\alry. staffed by Capt. Paul Walter, Isaac 
 Skillman, anti Morgan Blair. 
 
 Company after company was formed from Ilillsboro 
 and Montgomery County to replace casualties of the Union 
 Army. Finally came the news of Fee's surrender and the 
 end of the war. The Ilillsboro ncwspa|icr of April 14, 
 1865, reported: 
 
 A big celebration was hold at the courthouse and speeches 
 were made by Rev. G. A. Adams. James R. Glenn, Solomon 
 Harkey, and L- G. Brown. After the speeches the meeting 
 adjourned with three cheers for General Grant. All were 
 pleased with the performance and went liome satisfiod 
 that the Union was safe. 
 
 From the survivors of the northern forces came the 
 Grand Army of the Republic, which Henry Berry of Hills- 
 boro helped to organi/e at Decatur on April 6, 1866, and 
 from which grew the F. D. Hubbell Post Xo. 403. Only 
 one member of this post is still living, John M. Woods of 
 Butler. 
 
 The W^oman's Relief Corps, an auxiliary of the G. A. 
 R., was formed in Hillsboro on March 13, 1888, with the 
 following officers: Mrs. Minnie Walsh, Mrs. Jennie Truitt, 
 Mrs. Fucy Tyler, Mrs. Jennie Glenn, Mrs. Bettie Sam- 
 mons, Mrs. Mary Rolston, Mrs. Addie Armstrong, Mrs. 
 Mattie Haynes, Mrs. Flizabeth Ramsey, and Mrs. Mary 
 Boone. 
 
 In the Spanish-American War of 1898 most of the 
 Hillsboro men who served went into Company F, Fifth 
 Illinois Infantry. Company F left for Springfield on April 
 26, 1898, under the command of Captain W. A. Howett 
 and Ficutenants W. K. Hays and Fzra Chacey. When the 
 Hillsboro volunteers left Springfield for Chickamauga. 
 Georgia, their officers were Captain A. F. Hardy, James 
 Grimes, and Fzra Chacey. 
 
 Company E remained in Hillsboro several years after 
 
 45
 
 the war. drilling in the armory over the present J. O. 
 Brown Store. The company was later transferred to Ma- 
 comb, Illinois, but shortly before the outbreak of the World 
 War in 1917, the Hillsboro unit was reorganized and re- 
 cruited to full strength. .AJthough war had not been offi- 
 cially declared, the Hillsboro soldiers left for guard duty 
 at Cairo and Thebes on Saturday, March 31, 1917. The 
 Hillsboro Journal of April 3, announced: 
 
 A long blast of thp city's siren at nine o'clock Friday 
 morning carried the news that Hillsboro's Company E and 
 the county soldiers had received orders to depart for 
 duty. Cheered by two thousand voices singing patriotic 
 airs, they left Saturday morning by Big Four for Cairo 
 and Thebes. 
 
 Captains L. A. Tuggle of Danville and Charles Hill 
 of Hillsboro were in command when the company left for 
 guard duty. Majors G. A. Clotfelter and E. T. Douglas 
 commanded medical units. Lieutenant Pryor King, held in 
 Hillsboro for recruiting duty, rejoined the Hillsboro unit 
 and it sailed for France on May 10, 1918. The Hillsboro 
 battalions, after serving with valor on several front-line 
 sectors, returned to Hillsboro on May 30, 1919. Luther 
 McLain and Ray Chandler, for whom the McLain-Chand- 
 ler American Legion Post is named, were among the many 
 Hillsboro and Montgomery County men who lost their 
 lives in the World W^ar. 
 
 Hundreds of men enlisted in the army, navy, and ma- 
 rine corps; and many women entered the military nursing 
 service. Other Hillsboro persons at home assisted in draft 
 registration. Liberty Loan drives, and in Red Cross work. 
 
 46
 
 Old Settlers' Day 
 
 Old sktilkrs' day at HilUboro is an annual attrac- 
 tion for thousands of visitors from all parts of Montgom- 
 ery County, and the surrounding countryside. It is a day 
 for parades and carnival entertainment, for soda pop and 
 dancing. It offers a home-coming and reunion for the older 
 people, and a parade of floats for both young and old. In- 
 deed, a St. Louis newspaper reporter once wrote: " Old 
 Settlers' Day at Hillsboro has come to be that gala day of 
 the year when Old Age is literally swamped in waves of 
 Youth." 
 
 The local holiday grew out of the old county fair, 
 which started in 1854. Year after year, men and women 
 came to the fair at Hillsboro to see and to be seen; to re- 
 new old acquaintances and to make new ones. The women 
 brought jellies, jams, cakes and cookies, quilts and fancy 
 work, and other products oi their domestic skill. The men 
 took part in contests, entered their line horses for exhibition, 
 or hitched thcrn to heavily-loaded wagons to test their 
 pulling powers. The track where horses raced at the 
 county fairs is still to be seen on the campus of the Junior 
 High School. 
 
 On September 25, 1883, during the county fair, a lit- 
 47
 
 tie band of pioneers got together and formed the first offi- 
 cial Old Settlers' Association. The Montgomery Xezcs 
 of that date reported: 
 
 The Hillsboro band at the log cabin discoursed pome 
 music and at the south side of the cabin the meetins 
 was called to order with a prayer by Rev. A. J. Williford. 
 The old settlers were ca-lled upon to sign the constitution 
 and pay twenty-five cents to become members. Seventy- 
 four signed. Officers elected were: Solomon Harkey, pres- 
 ident, William Bowles and Samuel Paisley, vi;' pre idpnt; 
 J. T. Maddux, secretary; .M. S. Gowin, assistant sec- 
 retary; T. J. Rutledge, treasurer. The meeting will be 
 held hereafter at the log cabin, on the first Tuesday of 
 the county fair. 
 
 Some of the charter members of the first Old Settlers' 
 Association were residents of Montgomery County before 
 Hillsboro was selected as the county seat in 1823. Others 
 came to Hillsboro and vicinity during the early thirties and 
 forties. Among the earliest inhabitants of the Fillmore 
 commmunit>% south and east of Hillsboro, were: Harris 
 Reavis, Henry Pyatt, John Levi, and Aaron Casey, John 
 and Henry Hill, William McDavid, Easton Whitten, James 
 Card, John Russell, Jacob Bost, and Peter Cress. 
 
 Among the first residents to settle the Shoal Creek 
 area, south and west of Hillsboro were: William Clark, 
 Jarvis Forehand, John McPhail, Luke Steel, David Kill- 
 patrick, Jesse Townsend, Melcher Fogleman, Joseph Mc- 
 Adams, and many others whose names have disappeared 
 from the records of that day. 
 
 Hiram Rountree, sometimes called the "Father of 
 Montgomery County," made the Hillsboro community his 
 home from 1820 until his death in 1873. For more than 
 forty years he served the county in some official capacity. 
 As county clerk he was called upon to make many decisions 
 concerning the business of the county. One August morn- 
 ing in 1837 he reccixed the following letter: 
 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 Please to send me to pare of shoes and take my services 
 
 as clerk in August, lS3t!, and you will be much o'blige. 
 
 48
 
 The records reveal that the county owed three dollars 
 to the writer of the letter. In keeping with the spirit of co- 
 operation of those days, county clerk Rountree probahly ar- 
 ranged to send the shoes and mark the account paid. 
 
 John Tillson, first postinaster and first county treas- 
 urer, opened a store in Hillshoro in 1825 and erected the 
 first brick house, on the northwest corner of Main and Tre- 
 mont streets. Mr. and Mrs. Tillson, who lived in Hills- 
 horo until \SM, were active in religious ami civic affairs, 
 riu'v were responsible for the foundation of the Hillshoro 
 Academy and the first Presbyterian church. Mrs. Tillson, 
 a well educated woman, later gave to the public ./ If'mnau's 
 Story of Piont'i'r Illinois, in which she vividly related her 
 early life in Hillshoro. 
 
 The Whittens, an old Kentucky family which in- 
 cluded Easton. I""lisha, Josiah, and Austin, settled in the 
 Hurricane neighborhood as early as 1817. P'aston Whit- 
 ten, Sr., represented Montgomery County when the legisla- 
 ture convened at V'andalia and later at Springfield. 
 
 Dr. Levi Boone, one of the first physicians of the 
 county, was an intelligent man of the old Daniel Boone 
 stock. He led a company from Hillshoro during the Black 
 Hawk War. 
 
 Wesley Seymour can:e to Hillshoro in 1825. His son, 
 William, was educated in the Hillshoro Academy, and mar- 
 ried Miss Elizabeth Christian. Their children were Dr. 
 H. A. Seymour, Mrs. Sumner Kilpatrick, Dr. J. B. Sey- 
 mour, and W. L. Seymour. 
 
 Joseph McAdams settled on a farm southwest of Hills- 
 horo, where he reared a family of nine sons and three 
 daughters. He served as the first coroner of Montgomery 
 County and at his home the first courts were held. 
 
 The McDavid family came from Tennessee in IS 19. 
 The first William McDavid settled six miles south of Hills- 
 horo on a creek and point of land which took the name ".Mc- 
 
 49
 
 David's Point." The entire family were members of the 
 Presbyterian Church. 
 
 Judge William Brewer came to Hillsboro in IS^O. He 
 was the first Whig ever elected to office in this county. In 
 1850 he was elected to the legislature and served two 
 terms. 
 
 David Killpatrick, of Irish descent, was one of the first 
 mathematicians of the county. He was frequently elected 
 to office. Many of his descendants, the Killpatricks, the 
 Littles, and the Helstons, still live in the vicinity of Hills- 
 boro. 
 
 The older residents of Hillsboro remember hearing 
 of "Uncle Joe" and "Aunt Jane" Eccles, who came to Hills- 
 boro in the forties. "Uncle Joe" was a soldier in the 
 Black Hawk W^ar, and a delegate to the State Constitu- 
 tional Convention in 1847. The Eccles family entertained 
 Abraham Lincoln in their home on the corner of Berry and 
 Water streets. 
 
 Israel Seward and his wife, "Aunt Peggy," had a farm 
 on the brow of the hill half-way between Butler and Hills- 
 boro. Their place was a stage and mail stop on the \'an- 
 dalia-Springfield route. 
 
 The five Clotfelter brothers, Amos, Lee, William, D. 
 Stokes and James, and their sister Zilpha, were North Car- 
 olinians who left their home state March 1, 1833, with their 
 parents and journeyed to Montgomery county. Their de- 
 scendants are among the best-known citizens of the Hills- 
 boro neighborhood. 
 
 John T. Maddux settled in Hillsboro in 1836. First 
 mayor of Hillsboro, he was active in many community en- 
 terprises. In 1860 he narried Mar)' F. Sammons. 
 
 Col. Paul Walter, farmer and horse fancier, came to 
 Montgomery County from North Carolina in 1839. He 
 was one of the original "forty-niners" and spent six years 
 in the California gold fields, where he made a modest for- 
 tune. He was an officer in Company E, First Illinois Cav- 
 alry, in the Civil War. Two daughters, Miss Susan Walter 
 
 50
 
 and Mrs. Stella I). Downing, reside in Hillsboro. 
 
 Capt. Thomas Phillips, a soldier in the Black Hawk 
 War, lived in Hillsboro for many years. His wife was the 
 former Miss Jane Roberts of Kentucky. Judge Jesse J. 
 Phillips, one of the supreme court justices of the state, was 
 their son. 
 
 E. Y. Rice, the son of a minister, came to Hillsboro in 
 1845, after having studied law with John M. Palmer in Car- 
 linvillc. In 1849 he married Susan R. Coudy and two chil- 
 dren were born, Mrs. Amos Miller and James I'.. Y. Rice. 
 He served as recorder of deeds, county judge, circuit judge, 
 and, in 1873, as a member of Congress. 
 
 George \V. Brown, Sr., arrived in Hillsboro from Ohio 
 in 1836. His son George, Jr., attended the old academy, 
 and for a number of years was engaged in the implement 
 and hardware business in Hillsboro and in Butler. On Jan- 
 uary 4, 1865, he married Henrietta Judson and they became 
 the parents of six children; James, Mrs. W. A. White, 
 Charles, Frank, Louis, and Roland. 
 
 Descendants of the Cress families are well-known in 
 Hillsboro. Jacob Cress, who in 1840 married a daughter 
 of Rev. David Scherer, pioneer Lutheran minister, reared 
 a large family. Absalom Cress and his wife, the former 
 Catherine Foglemrn, were among the earliest settlers in 
 the county. They were the grandparents of H. A. Cress, Sr. 
 
 Amos Sawyer, a native of Boston, moved to Hillsboro 
 in 1842. It is said that he had a house built in Boston, 
 shipped by river to St. Louis, and transported by teams to 
 Hillsboro. His son, A. A. K. Sawyer, a Hillsboro mer- 
 chant for many years, married a daughter of Ju-lge Brewer. 
 Miss Nellie Sawyer, a granddaughter of Amos Sawyer, 
 lives in Hillsboro. 
 
 The old log cabin of the first gathering of old settlers 
 is gone, and the original old settlers have been dead for 
 many years, but the spirit of Old Settlers' Day carries on 
 one day each year, from the old west part of town, up 
 through Main Street, from early morning until late at night. 
 
 51
 
 School and Churches, 
 Clubs and Culture 
 
 In the fall of 1825 the first log school house was 
 built on the brow of the hill overlooking the natural spring 
 which still gushes forth in Central Park — the same spring 
 discovered by Mrs. Nussman. 
 
 This school house was used for all public assemblies, 
 including religious meetings. It was built of scalped logs, 
 with the cracks chinked with mud. The floor was of pun- 
 cheons, the benches of split logs. The site was surrounded 
 by forest trees and hazel thickets, furnishing sufficient pro- 
 tection for horses as well as switches for the unruly. Hiram 
 Rountree described the early means of education as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 In the early days, it must be remembered that schools 
 were private institutions and that each parent felt it his 
 duty to raise and educate his own family, at his own ex- 
 pense, and consequently he felt it to be his interest, as 
 well as his duty to see that proper teachers were employed 
 and that tliey save their pupils proper instruction; to see 
 that the teachers taught the pupils not only what was to 
 be found In books, but also how to behave in the world. 
 
 One of the earliest teachers in Hillsboro was Nancy Crum- 
 
 52
 
 ba who was a sister of the first wife of David B. Jackson, 
 pioneer resident of Hillsboro. GirlB were Bent to her from 
 Vaiidalia. Carlyle, and Kdward vilK-. so that nhe n»i;;ht 
 put the finishing touches to the education they had re- 
 ceived at home. 
 
 It was a fustom with Miss ('rumba, that each scholar, on 
 entering the school room should, if a boy. gracefully re- 
 move his hat, make a silent bow first to the teacher and 
 then to the rest of the school; or if a girl, should make 
 a gentle graceful "curtsy." and such was the usual differ- 
 ence of obeisance of the sexes in that day and generation. 
 
 Many good and useful teachers were to be found in Hills- 
 boro teaching private schools or classes, from the time 
 our town was founded in 1823 until 1836. the year our 
 people united their purposes together in a i)riv:U<' w;iy .irwl 
 built what was then esteemed a truly magnificent build- 
 ing, the Hillsboro Academy 
 
 However, private schools flourished to some extent for 
 several years after the building of the Academy. The 
 Motitcfomery Herald of October 11. 1857, announced 
 that "Miss luinice Clark would respectfully inform the citi- 
 zens of this place that she is still engaged in teaching at 
 the Frank Dixon place. Terms: Reading & Spelling, $2.50 
 per quarter, Arithmetic & Geography, $3.00 per quarter." 
 On January 2, of the following year, the same publication 
 reported that Prof. \V. D. Gunning would resume the 
 charge of his high school in the basement of the Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 In March, 1880, Miss Maggie Beck advertised that 
 she would teach a "select school" in the basement of the 
 Lutheran church, commencing the first Monday in May 
 and continuing for ten weeks with "Tuition $2 to $3 per 
 term." In addition to the regular studies, instruction was 
 given in fancy work and plain sewing. 
 
 The Academy opened in Xovember, 1837. John Fill- 
 son gave freely of his time and money, both in the erection 
 of the building and in the securing of excellent teachers 
 for the staff. He brought from the I'last the first superin- 
 tendent, Isaac Wctherell, his wife, who served as an as- 
 sociate teacher. Professor Kdward Wyman, and Miss Fliz- 
 abeth Hadley, instructor of instrumental music. 
 
 53
 
 In 1846 the name of the Academy was changed to the 
 Lutheran College, although it continued to he referred to 
 as the Hillshoro College, or Academy. In 1852, the Lu- 
 therans, seeking a larger center of population for their 
 school, moved it to Springfield. Finding inadequate sup- 
 port at Springfield, they eventually moved the institution 
 to Carthage, where it has since been known as Carthage 
 College. But the Academy continued to receive students, 
 and no other school building was erected in ILllsboro until 
 the free (Winhold) school was constructed in 1861. 
 
 After the introduction of the free school system, it 
 became increasingly difficult to maintain the Academy on 
 a sound financial basis. According to the News of October 
 4, 1867, the Academy was operated on a year by year basis: 
 
 Notwithstanding the fact that it was not known till nearly 
 the middle of the month that there would be exercises 
 in the Academy this year, there are now enrolled in the 
 institution upward of forty students. Three fifths of the 
 number are young men over eighteen years of age. A 
 certain number, both young gentlemen and young ladies, 
 have made known the fact that they will enter the Acad- 
 emy in a short time. The Academy is located in one of 
 the most pleasant parts of town. It is certainly encour- 
 aging to know that here in our home institution, classes 
 have been organized in Latin, Greek, Algebra, Geometry, 
 Milton's Paradise Lost and Natural Philosophy. 
 
 The year 1880 marked the end of Hillsboro's only 
 college. The A'cco- of March 12, 1880, stated: 
 
 The Academy closed last Friday and its principal, Prof. 
 F. H. Helsell, left Monday for Odebolt, Iowa. He claims 
 to have lost money while teaching in the Academy, the 
 receipts not being sufficient to meet the current expenses. 
 
 The other school officials and citizens of Hillsboro did 
 not give up without a fight. Immediately after the de- 
 parture of Professor Helsell, the trustees announced that 
 "Miss Emma Cromer would teach a select school at the 
 Academy for a term of twelve weeks. Tuition for chil- 
 dren, $5.00 per term. Advanced students, $8 per term." 
 But the Academy failed to open in 1881, and eventually 
 
 54
 
 the building was moved to another part of town and con- 
 verted into a barn. In its hist days its walls, which had 
 once heard learned professors expound the classics and 
 Milton's Paradise Lost, echoed to the grunting of pigs 
 and the lowing of cattle 
 
 The public school system of Hillsboro also encounter- 
 ed financial diHicultics. When the term opened in the fall 
 of 1858, under the superintendence of Mr. and Mrs, J. A. 
 Douhit, formerly of Shclbyville, the Montgomery Herald 
 commented : 
 
 Wc understand that thoy are efficient teac-licrs and that 
 their services are engaged for six months. We are also 
 Informed that there are funds now In the treasury to keep 
 the school up nearly that length of time. 
 
 The building of a new school house was looked upon 
 by many citizens as an unnecessary expenditure. Although 
 the Winhold school was talked of in 1858, a tax "for the 
 purpose of building a common school house," was defeated 
 on July 10 of that year by a 68-40 vote. 
 
 "We have not built even one school for the establish- 
 m e n t of a free school," said the Montijomcry Herald, 
 "and have kept up a free school only part of the time. The 
 Academy has been used hitherto for the purpose, but it 
 does not accommodate the upper portion of the town." 
 
 Through the perseverance of the directors, A. H. H. 
 Rountree, J. T. I^ccles, and William Witherspoon, and 
 through the interest of other Hillsboro residents, the North 
 School was erected in 1861. The building was later re- 
 named in honor of Miss Mary Winhold, who taught in 
 the Hillsboro schools from 1860 until 1897, when ill health 
 forced her resignation. 
 
 The same year in which the electorate voted down the 
 construction of a free school, the teachers of Montgomery 
 County asked for a meeting of all instructors interested in 
 organizing a "Teachers' Institute." On Saturday morning, 
 October 2i, 1858, teachers from town and rural schools met 
 
 ss
 
 at the Academy and held Montgomery County's first Teach- 
 ers' Institute. 
 
 The High School was organized in 1881. Since the 
 Academy had closed its doors, the old building was rented 
 for school purposes until 1888, when the new Edison School 
 was ready for occupancy. The need of a separate build- 
 ing for high school purposes became more acute each 
 year. In 1904 land was purchased from Arthur Kin- 
 kead, and work begun on the present Junior High 
 School. The building, erected by F. M. Garthwait, 
 contractor for the Hillsboro Library, was to have 
 been completed by October 15, but some delay was 
 experienced and the students moved into their new home 
 in December, after holding school for a few weeks in the 
 basement of the Presbyterian Church. 
 
 In 1912 the school board found it necessary to enlarge 
 the Edison School, and four more rooms were added to the 
 east side. In May, 1915, the Hillsboro firm of Johnsey 
 and Nichols was awarded a contract to build another school, 
 and in the following year, Burbank, named in honor of the 
 scientist, Luther Burbank, was ready for Hillsboro's grow- 
 ing school population. 
 
 The new high school {see Points of Interest) was be- 
 gun in 1920 and occupied in the fall of the following year. 
 
 Many persons have contributed to the success of the 
 Hillsboro schools. H. J. Beckemeyer, superintendent of the 
 grade schools, came to Hillsboro as a teacher in 1910. 
 George Girhard, principal of the community high school, 
 has been here since 1913. Walter F. Grotts, with his of- 
 fice in Hillsboro, is serving his second term as county super- 
 intendent of schools. 
 
 The Parent-Teacher Associations, the first of which 
 was organized in March, 1916, at the Winhold, with Miss 
 Elizabeth Coale as president, have been vital factors in the 
 advancement of the Hillsboro educational system. Each 
 school has an organization of parents, deeply interested in 
 the welfare of the school child. 
 
 56
 
 Churches 
 
 After the sernuHi, ilu- prtaclicr saiiR another "hymn." the 
 congregation jolnlnK tn. It was then announced that after 
 a few minutes' recess another brother would speak; then 
 commenoed the performance. The youngsters rushed to 
 the flre with sticks and pltn-es of clapboard and rolled out 
 the eggs they had deposited in the ashes to roast whilo 
 the preacher was speaking. 
 
 So wrote Mrs. Tillson in her story of an early all-day 
 church meeting in the Hillsboro neighborhood. 
 
 The open fireplaces of the first churches have given 
 way to modern heating plants in comfortable brick build- 
 ings, but the spiritual life in Hillsboro today rests upon 
 the organization started more than a century ago. From 
 the old log cabin above Rountree's swamp came the nucleus 
 of the Methodists, Presbyterians, and Lutherans. 
 
 Methodist circuit riders preached the gospel to scat- 
 tered settlers, and later formed church societies. In mild 
 weather "cabin preaching" was supplemented by two and 
 three day camp meetings held in shaded groves. A favor- 
 ite meeting place was on land once owned by Wesley Sey- 
 mour, and now a part of the Junior High School campus. 
 Despite the sparse population, hundreds of people came — 
 some from points twenty and thirty miles away. 
 
 rhe Methodist organization in Hillsboro dates back, 
 to 1824-25, but it was not until 1834 that construction was 
 begun on a frame building on North Main Street. John 
 Tillson promised to aid the Methodists in completing the 
 building if they would move it to a new site at the corner 
 of Rountree and School streets where Miss Xellie Miller 
 now lives. The financial panic of 1837-.38 pre\enred his 
 carrying out the promise, and the first building was moved 
 but never completed. Ihe second building was erected in 
 1840, when Rev. N. L. Bastian was pastor of the church. 
 Formerly it stood back several feet from the walk; but 
 when it was later converted into a business house, the 
 
 57
 
 front was extended Hush with the present line of stores. 
 Althougli ahnost one hundred years have elapsed, the roof 
 of the original structure may still be seen on the east side 
 of the public square. 
 
 By 1862 the church was found to be inadequate for the 
 growing congregation, and under the leadership of S. S. 
 McGinnis a movement was started to purchase ground 
 owned by Solomon Harkey. This movement culminated 
 the following year in a new building facing north on Church 
 Street. On Sunday, May 31, 1903, a fourth house of wor- 
 ship was dedicated under the pastorate of Rev. Presley P. 
 Carson. The first parsonage, erected in 1867 for a Hills- 
 boro Methodist pastor, still stands at 202 North Main 
 Street. Rev. James Reynolds is serving his fifth year as 
 pastor of the church. 
 
 On March 10, 1828, Rev. John Ellis met with sev- 
 eral people at the Tillson home and formed a church known 
 as the Presbyterian Church of Hillsboro. In 1831, with 
 Rev. Thomas A. Spilman, the Presbyterians erected a one 
 story brick structure which was occupied in an unfinished 
 state until 1837. 
 
 At a meeting of January 23, 1837, there was proposed 
 a plan for 'Tinishing Off the Meeting House." "Finish- 
 ing" the house meant the building of a pulpit, pews, gallery, 
 cupola, and the purchase of a suitable bell and two good 
 stoves. Funds were raised from the sale of church pews, 
 twenty-six of which brought $1,664. 
 
 A bill of sale to Charles Holmes, trustee of the church, 
 gave the purchaser pew number four with the right to use 
 it in preference to others "but no authority to control the 
 house or exclude the public from the use of the pew when 
 not used by Holmes or his friends." I'he bill of sale was 
 signed by James Paden, C. Holmes, and T. Sturtevant. 
 
 In 1860, with Rev. R. M. Roberts canvassing for sub- 
 scriptions, the Presbyterians built a new house of worship. 
 
 According to the semi-centennial booklet issued in 1878 
 the music of the church was at times a source of discord. 
 
 58
 
 Th« sflssion and leaders of tho Ringing aMmad to have 
 labored to secure hurmony. sometimes oanTasilnR the 
 whole congreKatlon to lourn the winhos as to "how shall 
 the KinnInK be coiuluct<'d and who shall l«'ad It?" I-oiik 
 papers were adopted at meetlnRS and the frequency with 
 which the subject wus acted upon JustifluH the conclusion 
 that In this part of tho sanctuary, then- was not always 
 the sweet accord so (h'slrable and ne<-essary to make It 
 attractive and profitable. 
 
 In l^M.^. urulcr the lc:ulcrship of Rev. H. I^ Wilson, 
 the old church house was ra/eii and the |)resenr commo- 
 dious structure erectcii in its stead. Rev. Thomas Melton 
 is serving his ele\ cnth year as pastor of the 1 lillshoro 
 church. 
 
 Rev. David Scherer founded St. Paul's I utheran 
 Church at Hillsboro in 1832. Services were first held in 
 the courthouse and two years later a frame building was 
 erected on a site north of the present church. In 1857, un- 
 der the leadership of Rev. Jeremiah Livengood, who also 
 organized the Ware's Cirove congregation, the Lutherans 
 built a two story structure for a place of worship. In 
 1896 the church officers decided to erect another building 
 on ground purchased four years earlier when Rev. E. B. 
 Killinger was pastor. This, the present structure, was ded- 
 icated April 4, 1897, with Rev. Kzra Keller as pastor. Rev. 
 Keller has been pastor of the church since June, 1895. 
 
 The Unitarians, who at one time had a building on 
 Main Street, south of the Seymour drug store, became in- 
 active shortly after the close of the Civil War. 
 
 The Congregational Church was organized in 1859 
 and in 1865 its members erected the brick building on the 
 corner of Hamilton and Wood streets. The church dis- 
 banded after the sale of their building to the Baptists in 
 1904. 
 
 Ihc organization of Baptists was completed on June 
 25, 1876, with eleven charter members. Prior to 1904, 
 when they purchased the Congregational building, the Bap- 
 tists held services in the Presbyterian Church, and in other 
 Hillsboro buildings. 
 
 59
 
 Traveling priests first administered to the spiritual 
 needs of Hillsboro Catholics in private homes. St. Agnes 
 Church was constructed in 1869, and for many years its tall 
 spire towered in the air as a landmark for miles around. 
 Dn Sunday, May 31, 1931, one of Hillsboro's most de- 
 structive fires razed the edifice. The pastor, Rev. John M. 
 Heslin, had just gone to Ireland for a visit with relatives. 
 After the fire the church trustees were given the use of 
 the Grand Theater on West Wood Street for services until 
 the new building on East Tremont Street was ready for 
 occupancy. On Sunday, September 13, 1936, Rev. Fr. Hes- 
 lin and visiting priests laid the cornerstone of the present 
 Romanesque building. Rev. Fr. Heslin has been in Hills- 
 boro since 1921. 
 
 Fifty years ago four women of the Pentecostal faith 
 s*-prted revival services in Hillsboro. From these services 
 grew the present Free Methodist Society, the first building 
 of which was dedicated December 21, 1890. The building 
 was moved a short distance east and again dedicated on 
 November 2, 1913, under the pastorate of Rev. B. F. 
 Grigg. Rev. B. T. Bonham was the first regular pastor, 
 and for many years Cyrus Tiffin was one of the most 
 zealous workers for the church. Rev. R. R. Thompson 
 is serving his third year as pastor. 
 
 On September 9, 1904, the Montgomery Nezvs re- 
 ported : 
 
 Evangelist Sharpe gave two stirring addresses at the 
 courthouse, and it was decided to open a campaign to ar- 
 range a permanent organization of a Christian church. 
 
 As a result of the evangelist's work a congregation of 
 the Christian Church was organized. For many years they 
 met at the courthouse, and at other times in the Odd I'cl- 
 lows Hall. Their first building, a frame structure, was 
 torn down in August, 1921, and ground was broken for the 
 new house. The years from 1921 to 1924 were trying ones 
 for the pastor, Rev. H. J. Hostetler, and for members of 
 
 60
 
 his Hock; but financial difficulties were eventually overcome 
 and the dedication services were conducted in 1924 by Rev. 
 H. H. Peters of Blc)oiiiinjj[ton. The present pastor, Rev. 
 R, N. Cloyd, is starting; his sixth year at Hillsboro. 
 
 Clubs 
 
 Hillsboro fraternal and social organizations repre- 
 sent a cross-section of the small-town cultural field in the 
 Middle West. They began early and have prospered 
 steadily. 
 
 The Masonic I odge was organized In 1839, the Odd 
 Fellows in 1848. Both orders have large memberships. 
 The Modern Woodmen flourished for several years, their 
 organization dating back to 1886. The Knights of Pythias, 
 at one time a powerful benevolent order here, still has a 
 number of Hillsboro members. The Loyal Order of 
 Moose, formed in 1913, has a large club room on South 
 Main Street. 
 
 Literary societies were popular in the early days. One, 
 known by the ponderous name of "The Philomathean So- 
 ciety," was active in the period prior to the Civil War. The 
 Montgomery Herald of November 28, 1857, reported: 
 
 The meeting of the Philomathean Society was well attend- 
 ed last Tuesday evening. There was an essay read by .Miss 
 Susan Cram, an oration by Mr. Jesse PhlUipe. and a de- 
 bate conducted by Dr. Washburn and .Mr. Kingsbury. 
 
 The Hillsboro Debating Society of 1865 tackled such 
 problems as "Resolved that the Congressional Test Oath 
 is Unconstitutional, Impolitic, and Unjust." 1 he leader for 
 the affirmative was Ldward Lane; for the negative side, NL 
 V. Zimmerman. Officers of the club were Dr. Thomas 
 Washburn and William Abbott. 
 
 The Hillsboro Division Number 179, Sons of Tem- 
 perance, was organized in 1848 to promote temperance 
 reform. Harmony ruled in the organization during its 
 
 61
 
 first year, but along about 1850 trouble began to creep into 
 the Hillsboro Division. Charges of "excessive brandy 
 drinking" were filed against several individuals, whose prin- 
 cipal defense was that the brandy had been consumed to 
 check the progress of a stomach ailment "which was pre- 
 vailing in our midst to an alarming extent." An investi- 
 gating committee exonerated the accused members, but re- 
 ported that "the manner in which the brandy was taken, 
 publicly, was not calculated to maintain unsullied the repu- 
 tation of the Sons of Temperance." 
 
 The Ladies' Reading Circle was organized in 1889. 
 Some of its early officers were: Mrs. C. A. Ramsey, Miss 
 Sue Walter, Mrs. William Abbot, Mrs. John Miller, and 
 Mrs. Johnanna Chacey. The History Club dates back to 
 1897. In 1905 the officers chosen to serve were Mrs. Mat- 
 tie Harris, Mrs. Jessie Wolfe, Mrs. Josie Hill, and Mrs. 
 Gertie Duncan. The Self Culture Club was formed in 
 1904; the next year the following officers were appointed: 
 Mrs. J. L. McDavid, Mrs. Rice Miller, Mrs. J. E. Y. 
 Rice, and Mrs. T. S. Evans. The Monday Club was also 
 organized in 1904 with Miss Margaret Wilson, president, 
 and Miss Clara Noterman, secretary. 
 
 The Hillsboro Woman's Club, an association closely 
 identified with the later civic and cultural development of 
 Hillsboro, was organized in 1914. The officers that year 
 were Mrs. A. M. Howell. Mrs. J. O. Fisher, Miss Clara 
 Noterman, Mrs. H. M. Dorsey, Mrs. E. C. Chase, Mrs. 
 H. A. Cress Jr., Mrs. J. Harvey Brown, Mrs. James P. 
 Brown, Mrs. Nellie B. White, Mrs. John R. Challacombe, 
 Mrs. LaRue Lindberg, Mrs. S. E. Washburn, and Mrs. 
 Dillon Swingle. 
 
 The Business and Professional Women's Club, a com- 
 paratively new Hillsboro club, was organized in April, 
 1924, with Miss Ottie Gannon, president; Mrs. Ed. Fellis 
 Jr., vice president; Miss Grace Potter and Miss Adell 
 Phillips, secretaries; and Miss Ruby Harkey, treasurer. 
 
 A Hillsboro chapter of the Rotary was formed in 
 62
 
 April, 1923, with 1.. \'. Mill as president, and H. M. 
 Beckwith, secretary. 1 he Rotarians meet each Monday 
 night at the Hillshoro Cduntry Club. The local chapter 
 of the Kiwanis Club, foumieil in 1935 with Jim Hilt as 
 the first president, meets each Tuesday night at the Ilills- 
 boro Country Club. 
 
 Hillsboro business men have hail a Commercial Club 
 since 1882. The cluli has been especially active in develop- 
 ing Hillsboro industries. Businessmen got together long 
 before 1882, but on March 25 of that year the local mer- 
 chants secured the first articles of incorporation. The di- 
 rectors were Fred Xoterman, jeweler; (ieorge H. Black- 
 burn, storekeeper; M. M. Walsh, proprietor of a furni- 
 ture store and undertaking establishment; \V. L. Blackburn, 
 storekeeper; A. A. K. Sawyer, merchant and land owner. 
 
 Music 
 
 **Hillsboro is now quite a musical city," said the Hills- 
 boro Journal of July 28, 1899. "The I ight Guard Band 
 gives a concert once a week; Mr. Cully has started a music 
 store, keeping some of his instruments going all the time; 
 and occasionally the niano at the Armory chips in with 
 "There's Only One Girl In The World." 
 
 Long before 1S99, however, Hillsboro persons were 
 showing an interest in music. The first means of musical 
 expression were the singing school and the violin. One of 
 the best known vocal teachers of the early days was Profes- 
 sor A. C. Williams, who conducted singing schools in Hills- 
 boro and in other towns in central Illinois from I860 to 
 1899. 
 
 As early as 1857 the Hillsboro "Sax-Hom Band" was 
 giving concerts and leading parades for political rallies. 
 The Silver Comet Band was popular in the eighties. Jo- 
 seph Baker, Hillsboro attorney, in recalling the days of 
 this band has said : 
 
 Whfn I came to Hillsboro In 1883 to attend the high 
 achool. the Sliver Cornet Band practiced several nighta 
 
 63
 
 each week In the City Hall building. Among its members 
 were Riley Mason, Warren Neff, and Louis .Mey. The 
 band had a high seated, gayly deforated wagon, drawn 
 by four horses. Not long afterwards the Light Guard 
 Band was organized, and there was considerable rivalry 
 between the two groups. 
 
 The I-ight Guard consisted of twenty-six pieces, under 
 the leadership of George Pearson. Perhaps the splendid 
 new uniforms of the I-ight Guards, especially the ones pro- 
 cured for the season of 1893, had something to do with 
 the jealousy among the members of the other musical or- 
 ganizations. The Nfzvs of May 19, 1893, announced: 
 
 The Light Guard Band boys have received their new uni- 
 forms. The suits are green and bedecked all over with 
 gold braid and brass buttons. 
 
 Another musical group that delighted the people of 
 Hillsboro was the Mikado orchestra, directed by the same 
 George Pearson. The orchestra disbanded when Mr. 
 Pearson moved to Shelbyville; but out of gratitude for the 
 pleasure the Mikado musicians and George Pearson gave 
 the people here, the citizens of Hillsboro for several years 
 held an annual homecoming "Old Time Dance." 
 
 A father and nine sons, who came to Hillsboro in 1907 
 to work in the coal mines, organized a band which for 
 years made a contribution to the musical advancement of 
 the community .As late as 1916, a Hillsboro newspaper 
 announced: "The Mollman band of this city will give a 
 mid-winter concert at the Fellis Opera House. Miss Bertha 
 Root and George Trimby will sing." 
 
 An orchestra composed of Charles Pullen, Edward 
 Williams, John Fletcher, Edward Robbins, Dr. Earhart. 
 and Jennievee Smith furnished music in 1906 at the old 
 opera house. I'rom 1918 to 1922 Dr. E. B. Strange train- 
 ed and conducted a group of young people known as the 
 "Strange Saxo Band." Music in the Hillsboro public 
 schools began as early as 1899 under Miss Margaret Wil- 
 
 ^4
 
 Hams, daughter of Professor A. C. Williams. Mrs. John 
 B. White tau^^ht music from 1904 through 1906. Mrs. 
 iimma Gilmore was also supervisor of vocal music for many 
 years. Band instruments were introduced in 1926 under 
 Willis X'arner. Miss Dorothy Perry and lee Hope are 
 the present supervisors of music in the grade schools. J. 
 B. Cox directs the hand and orchestra at the high school. 
 
 Chautauqua 
 
 The annual Chautautjua, a major attraction from 19U6 
 to 1931, started in 19U5 at Litchfield; but when the electric 
 interurban connecteil I.itchticld and Hillsboro in 1906, res- 
 idents of both towns selected a wooded tract of land half 
 way between the two places for a combined Litchficld-Hills- 
 boro Chautauqua. Ihc first directors for the Chautauqua 
 were: J. K, McDavid, A. M. Howell, William Vawter, C. 
 A. Ramsey, and J. B. Barringer, Hillsboro; Dr. R. F. 
 Bennett, Dr. P. M. Kelly, K. H. Baldwin, Charles I-. Mor- 
 gan, J. A. Pappmeier, A. R. Stansifer, John Henley, Mrs. 
 G. L. Settlemire, Mrs. G. W. Fisher, and J. T. Ogle, Litch- 
 field. 
 
 Perhaps the chief pleasure of Chautauqua was simply 
 in the assembly. There were programs, of course, featur- 
 ing the great William Jennings Bryan, who gave his famous 
 lecture "The Prince of Peace," Billy Sunday, Senator Rob- 
 ert NL La FoUette, Sr., Champ Clark, Sr., Opie Read, the 
 Swiss Bell Ringers, magicians, musicians, and jugglers. 
 Church and Sunday School were held regularly during the 
 Chautauqua sessions. There were Home Talent Days, Ath- 
 letic Days, Democratic Days, and Republican Days — days 
 for this and days for that; but the memory of "meeting 
 at Chautauqua," and the recollection of days of pleasant 
 fellowship are stronger than the memory of any one pro- 
 gram. 
 
 At first there was a hitching rack around one side of 
 the grounds, but in later years the roads were heavy with 
 
 65
 
 the dust from automobiles. Inside the timbered grounds 
 were grassy slopes and a lake for canoes. 
 
 A long rustic bridge crossed the lake, which was fringed 
 with many cottages, a dining hall, a grocery store, and a 
 soft drink stand. Ihere were mosquitoes, too, but they are 
 forgotten in the memories of quiet evenings in August and 
 the play of moonbeams on the water. 
 
 Sunday night brought the two weeks' session to a close. 
 Equipment was packed, and the weary campers prepared 
 to board the interurban, or to climb into an automobile for 
 the return journey. Some lingered for another week of 
 life in the open. 
 
 The final program was given in 1931, and a few years 
 later the cottages were sold and moved away. Chautauqua 
 is now just a pleasant memory in the minds of hundreds of 
 Montgomery County persons. 
 
 r.6
 
 Newspapers 
 
 The first newspaper in Hillsboro was the Prairie 
 Beacon, published by Aaron Clapp in 1838. The Btacon 
 expired a year later and no publication appeared in Hills- 
 boro until 1850, when Rev. Francis Springer edited the 
 Prairie Mirror. When James Blackman took over the 
 Mirror in 1854, he changed the name to the Montgomery 
 Herald. 
 
 Despite a series of new owners, the Herald retained 
 its name until 1868, when it became known as the Hillshoro 
 Democrat. E. J. C. Alexander, perhaps the most fearless 
 and outspoken editor of the early days, was an ardent ex- 
 ponent of the farmers' cause and a short time later his 
 weekly came out under the banner of the Anti-Monopolist. 
 In 1877 the Anti-Monopolist found its way into the hands 
 of James Slack, who renamed it the Hillshoro Journal. 
 
 Charles Truitt and Ben F. Boyd were the next proprie- 
 tors of the Journal. In 1898 the Journal was sold to 
 Josiah Bixler, who in turn sold it to Sam Little and Harry 
 T. Shipman. Sam Little, the present editor and publisher, 
 took charge in 1907. 
 
 The Montgomery Neus is a product of the old Xens 
 Letter, conducted in 1870 by Charles L. and Emma T. 
 
 67
 
 Bangs. Ben Johnson and Charles Tobin acquired the pub- 
 lication in 1875 and changed the name to the Montgomery 
 Nezvs. George Paisley bought Johnson's interest in 1878; 
 but four years later Johnson was again a partner, continu- 
 ing as editor until his death in 1887, when his son Emmett 
 became editor. In 1892 the Neivs became the prop- 
 erty of C. W. Bliss. In 1904 his son, Clinton Bliss, joined 
 the Nezcs as a partner and associate editor, and since his 
 father's death in 1931 has been the owner and editor. 
 
 Both the Nezis and the Journal became semi-week- 
 lies in 1913. 
 
 One of the most interesting features of early Hillsbor j 
 newspapers was the rather sensational advertising written 
 to catch the eye of the most casual reader and fix his mind 
 upon the merits of a particular product. "A Man Killed," 
 was the startling announcement in one paper in 1867 but a 
 further perusal of the story disclosed that the report of the 
 man's death was based on the rumor that he had ruptured a 
 blood vessel trying to carry home an exceptionally heavy 
 load of bargain merchandise from a certain Hillsboro 
 store. "Truth Stranger Than Fiction," was the opening 
 sentence of another advertisement, which related that one 
 of the county's oldest merchants had "forsaken the ranks 
 of his old fogey competitors, fitted up his store in modern 
 style, and adopted the Young-American system of selling 
 cheap." A well-known auctioneer was further publicized 
 with the announcement that "Anybody wanting anything 
 done in his line will always find him wide awake and full 
 of flees." 
 
 Patent medicines were given considerable space in the 
 publications. Citron's Balsam "At half the money and 
 no scratching," was a well known ointment for the itch. 
 Hoofland's German Bitters was "A sure cure to renew 
 strength in any soldier, citizen, adult or youth." The dread- 
 ed chills which seemed prevalent in the early sixties were 
 counteracted with Pashall's Fever and Ague Mixture. 
 
 The country newspapers were often unprofitable in- 
 
 68
 
 vestments for their editors and publishers, wlio at times 
 found themselves less than one jump ahead of the sheriff. 
 When on June 1, 1866, subscribers to the short-lived Utiion 
 Monitor failed to get their weekly paper, editor li. J. C. 
 Alexander, who later took over tlie Demoirat, had the fol- 
 lowing explanation in the next issue of the Monitor: 
 
 Many of our 8ubscilb<Ts were surprised at Iho non-arrlvil 
 last week of the MONITOR. We propoBo to L'xpluln brief- 
 ly. We liud a call. A call was paid us by an old and val- 
 ued friend, a Kontlomun occupying an important poaition. 
 He la in short, the Sheriff of the county. We huv.- known 
 him for many year.s and we are very much attached to 
 him. He also had an attachment for us. 
 
 But this week, calling to our aid a writ of replevin, we 
 have girded up our loins and go on our way rejoicing. 
 
 Mindful of the community's need for his newspaper, 
 editor Alexander urged delinquent subscribers to pay up and 
 to remember that "If intelligence is not worth paying for, 
 it is not worth having." 
 
 69
 
 Points of Interest 
 
 1. The Montgomery County Courthouse, a three 
 story brick structure with a mansard tower, stands at the 
 north end of Hillsboro's business district on Main Street, 
 Generally known as the fourth courthouse, the present build- 
 ing is really the result of an extensive repair job started in 
 1868 on the third courthouse. 
 
 On the first floor are the offices of the circuit clerk, 
 sheriff, county clerk, treasurer, county judge, and superin- 
 tendent of highways, and a fireproof vault for the protec- 
 tion of valuable records. The second floor has the circuit 
 court and circuit judges' rooms, state's attorney's office, and 
 county superintendent of schools' ofl^ce. The county super- 
 visors and members of the grand jury meet on the third 
 floor. 
 
 2. The Montgomery County F.arm Bureau has its 
 headquarters in a building on the west side of the court- 
 house square. The local Farm Bureau was organized April 
 1, 1918, but it is known that as early as 1870 the farmers 
 
 70
 
 of Montgomery county recognized the need of co-operation 
 in solving their many problems. In March of that year they 
 formed a club and employcil a special agent to travel in 
 the east, where he could watch the livestock markets and 
 send reports to members. 
 
 Alden Snyder has managed the local bureau since its 
 inception in 1918, and from point of service is now the old- 
 est farm adviser in Illinois. The office staff handles the de- 
 tails of subsidiary divisions dealing in petroleum products, 
 insurance, crop control, soil conservation, marketing, se- 
 rums, and insect eradication. The 725 members are stock- 
 holders in the major subsidiaries, sharing in the profits ac- 
 cording to the patronage contributed. Home Bureau Units, 
 with 216 women members, are under the super\ision of 
 Mrs. Mabel Albrecht. The larm Bureau gives special at- 
 tention to rural youth activities, particularly to the 4-H 
 Clubs. Almost three hundred boys and girls are interested 
 in crop and livestock projects, sewing and domestic science. 
 
 3. The WixHOLD School, at 101 E. Brailley, is Hills- 
 boro's first public school building. Erected in 1861, it is 
 still one of the units in the city's school system. In 1915 
 the school was named Winhold, in honor of Miss Mary 
 Winhold, who taught in the Hillsboro schools for many 
 years. 
 
 4. The Bluffs Cemetery, known also as the Method- 
 ist Cemetery, is located on a high bluff at the end of North 
 Hamilton Street. Hiram Rountree is buried in the fenced 
 Kountree lot, and here too are headstones for C. B. Block- 
 burger, one of the first Hillsboro innkeepers, Riley iMason, 
 Warren Ncff, and other old settlers. The graves of four- 
 teen soldiers are cared for by the .\merican Legion. 
 
 The Bluff Cemcter)' Association was incorporated in 
 1869 by William C. Miller, Wooten Harris, Thomas 
 Standring, I'ldward Y. Rice, and Aaron H. Rountree. The 
 association was reorganized in 1923 and meetings have been 
 held twice a year since that time. Present directors are Mrs. 
 E. M. Stubblefield, Marcus Jones, Albert Roberts, William 
 
 71
 
 Sharp, Kenneth Edwards, and Dwight Puckett. The secre- 
 tary is Miss Agnes Reed. 
 
 5. The MiLLKR House, at 305 West Wood Street, is 
 one of several large old houses, built in pioneer times, which 
 has been occupied by three generations of the same family. 
 About ninety years old, it was built by Ira Millard and sold 
 to Jacob Whitehead, who later sold it to Judge Edward 
 Rice. The late Judge and Mrs. Amos Miller moved to the 
 place when they were married in 1871, and all of their 
 married years, more than sixty, were spent there. The 
 Miller house is now the home of Mr. and Mrs. H. O. Pink- 
 erton, the latter a daughter of Judge and Mrs. Amos Mil- 
 ler, and a granddaughter of Judge Rice. 
 
 6. The HiLLSBORO Postoffice, on West Wood Street, 
 was completed in April, 1934. The structure, which cost 
 $42,827 without equipment, is of light colored brick with 
 stone trimming, with an interior decorated in marble. 
 
 John Tillson was Hillsboro's first postmaster. The 
 mail was brought in from Greenville every two weeks by 
 carrier, who went as far as the old Seward place near But- 
 ler, the northern terminus of the mail route. It is said 
 that in the early days a letter could be mailed with or with- 
 out postage, but if not prepaid, the addressee w^as expected 
 to pay the postage before receiving the letter. 
 
 The exact location of the first postoffice in Hillsboro 
 is not known. In 1858, when Joseph Rolston was postmas- 
 ter, the postoffice was combined with his store, on the site 
 of the present Brungger bakery at 231 South Main Street. 
 That year Tom Cory ran a mail and stage route from the 
 Hillsboro postoffice to Carlyle and Shipman. The coach 
 left Hillsboro at six in the morning and arrived in Carlyle, 
 forty-five miles by today's highway, the same day. 
 
 The postoffice was moved frequently during the next 
 few years. In 1870 it was located in the present Shaner 
 Toggery, 206 South Main Street. Later the mail was han- 
 dled in Stubblefield's drug store, now Mobley's. Robbins's 
 barber shop also was a postoffice site. In 1915 the office 
 
 72
 
 was moved from the Odd I'ellows' Building to tlic Hamil- 
 ton Building where it remained until 1934. 
 
 Rural delivery was established March I, 1900, with 
 Albert Fish and Len Clotfelter as the first rural carriers. 
 City delivery was begun on April 1, 1912, The city route 
 men that year were Theodore I ind and Chester Dreyhus. 
 The present postmaster is A. II. Bartlctt. 
 
 7. The Ono Fellows' Builoing, southeast corner of 
 Main and Wood streets, occupies the site of liillsboro's 
 first hotel, the American House. Built in 1829 by John 
 Tillson and David Jackson, the spacious frame building was 
 a favorite inn for more than a half a century. In 1887 
 the American House was replaced by the present structure, 
 which was built for an opera house. The Odd Fellows' 
 lodge purchased the building in 1922. 
 
 8. The Slle of the Joseph T. Eccles House, Berry 
 and Water streets, is now occupied by a brick building. 
 Lincoln stayed at the home of Mr. Eccles while campaign- 
 ing for the Senate in 1858. 
 
 9. The Second Oldest House in Hillsboro is be- 
 lieved to be the two-story frame structure on Broad Street, 
 east of the Methodist Church. The house, with its original 
 stairway of walnut lumber, is said to have been built in 1832 
 by Solomon Harkey, who at that time owned all the land 
 now embraced by Central Park. The present owners and oc- 
 cupants of the house are Mrs. Attilia Zeigler and her daugh- 
 ter, Mrs. linmia Gihr.ore. 
 
 10. The Hiram Rountree House, on the southwest 
 corner of Wood and Rountree streets, is the oldest building 
 in Hillsboro. Erected in 1831 by Hiram Rountree, the ram- 
 bling but sturdy brick building has a long porch partly cov- 
 ered with lattice work. The place, always a home for the 
 Rountrees, is now owned and occupied by Mrs. Etta Stub- 
 blefield, a granddaughter of Hiram Rountree. 
 
 11. Centr.al P.\RK, a block east of the courthouse be- 
 tween Seward and Wood streets, is a 6-acre tract with a 
 ball diamond, tennis courts, horseshoe courts, croquet 
 
 73
 
 grounds, swimming pool, and children's wading pool. The 
 swimming pool {Mny-Scpl.; season tickets accepted at City 
 Lake Park pool also) has been improved by the addition 
 of a sanitary Hlter system which meets the requirements of 
 the state board of health. In the southwest corner of 
 Central Park is the old spring which is believed to be the 
 one discovered more than a century ago by the Nussmans, 
 Hillsboro's first settlers. 
 
 12. The City Water Works {visitors zicliome) north 
 of the light plant, was completed in December, 1926, at a 
 cost of $55,600. Approximately 250,000 gallons of water 
 are distributed daily. Water from the 600,000,000 gallon 
 city lake flows by gravity through a 14-inch main to the 
 filtration plant where it first enters a coagulation basin. 
 The water then winds its way 985 feet over and under 
 baffile plates to two sediment basins, each of which holds 
 125,000 gallons. The next receptacles are two 100,000 
 gallon gravity sand filters, which slowly filter the water into 
 a large clear well. Powerful electric pumps then force the 
 water from the clear well to the new 250,000 gallon tower 
 at the top of the hill whence it is distributed by pressure 
 to city mains. 
 
 Each step in the chemical treatment of water is care- 
 fully supervised by employees at the plant. Samples of 
 both raw and treated water are sent every thirty days to 
 the state board of health for a rigid inspection. The city 
 has recently installed a complete laboratory which will en- 
 able the Hillsboro plant to test water by the same methods 
 used in state laboratories. 
 
 13. Lake Hillsboro Park, two miles northeast of 
 Hillsboro, attracts thousands of visitors during the outdoor 
 season. A large lake, well stocked with fish, attracts anglers 
 from many points in central Illinois and eastern Missouri. 
 A concrete dock, which serves as a walk and a boat landing, 
 runs along the base of the hill. An outdoor swimming pool, 
 under the supervision of life guards, is open from May un- 
 til September. 
 
 74
 
 'I he park, with its trec-covcrcd hills, has all facilities 
 for picnickers, including good drinking water, fireplaces, 
 lavatories, shelters, and refreshment stand. An all-weather 
 road to the park is now being extended to the east side 
 of the lake. :uul when conipletcil will serve as a scenic outer 
 drive. 
 
 ^^'ork on the city lake, which also supplies Hillsboro's 
 water, began in 1917. .\ large earth embankment and con- 
 crete spillway, completed in 1918, impounds approximately 
 114 acres of water. The park, which includes the ground 
 now leased by the countrv club, contains 240 acres. 
 
 14. The Hii.LSBORO Coitnirv Club, occupying sixty 
 acres on the road to the City Park, has a $25,000 brick and 
 stucco building overlooking the lake, which stretches far 
 to the south and east. Within sight of the club house is the 
 big dam which holds back the waters of the lake. 
 
 The structure, erected under the direction of R. M. 
 Roosevelt, was opened with a reception for guests and 
 members on April 2, 1923. Miss Ray Phillips was the 
 first manager of the club. 
 
 Although the country club is private, its membership 
 represents almost every profession and business in Hills- 
 boro. The nine-hole golf course is available to guests spon- 
 sored by any member of the club. The club house serves 
 as a meeting place for the Rotary and Kiwanis clubs, and 
 is a center for many ci\ ic gatherings in Hillsboro. 
 
 Officers of the club are: president, Charles Toberman; 
 vice-president. John B. White; secretary. Brewer Dam- 
 mann; directors. Dr. C. M. Boyd. Dr. II. I,, flranlcr, II. 
 Clav I p.tham. Sam I ittlc. C. F. McUcnry. M. C. Brown. 
 
 15. The Fagle Pichf.r I. fad Company Plant, one- 
 half mile northwest of the railroad depot, is one of Hills- 
 boro's main industrial concerns. The plant buildings occupy 
 about thirty acres of ground. The company manufactures all 
 grades of zinc oxides, including American process, French 
 process, and leaded zinc oxides. The finished product is 
 
 75
 
 used in the manufacture of paint, potter)' clays, and rubber 
 tires. 
 
 Zinc and lead ores and slab zinc from the lead mines 
 in the Tri-State area are first oxidized by heating them 
 to a vapor temperature. The zinc oxide is then conveyed 
 from the furnaces through large pipes to the bag houses 
 where it is blended and packed for shipment. Oxides from 
 the Hillsboro plant are shipped to all points in the United 
 States and to many foreign countries. The employees have 
 a large, well equipped clubroom and other recreational fa- 
 cilities. The company has an excellent record in the field 
 of safety and health. 
 
 16. The Hillsboro Mine, 1123 School Street, is Hills- 
 boro's oldest industrial concern. Opened in 1887 by a 
 group of Hillsboro men, the mine today is operated by the 
 Hillsboro Mining Company. It hoists approximately 700 
 tons of coal each working day. Coal from the mine is 
 graded as egg, nut, lump, screenings, and stoker. 
 
 17. The Hillsboro Hospital, 800 School Street, has 
 thirty-three beds and excellent operating and X-ray rooms. 
 On March 17, 1905, representatives of the Woman's Relief 
 Corps, the W. C. T. U., the Rebekahs, the Order of Eastern 
 Star, and the Rathbone societies organized the first hos- 
 pital association. Officers elected were Mrs. Jennie Truitt, 
 Mrs. Hattie McDavid, Mrs. Lizzie Michel, Mrs. Sophia 
 Tobias, Mrs. Olive Roberts, and Mrs. Delia Shoemaker. 
 A campaign to raise money was begun with a benefit show 
 at the old opera house. Miss Xellie Woodruff won the 
 prize for selling the most tickets. Hospital boxes were 
 placed in Hillsboro stores. Fairs, tag days, and contribu- 
 tions from the people of Hillsboro, Butler Grove, and oth- 
 er communities swelled the fund. 
 
 Year after year the drive went on until in 1915 there 
 was sufficient money to begin construction of the hospital 
 building. In January, 1916, rooms were furnished by the 
 American Smelter, the Woman's Relief Corps, citizens of 
 Donnellson, Mrs. J. K. McDavid, the employees of the 
 
 76
 
 Schram Glass Factory, the Ladies' Heading Circle, the Odd 
 I-ellows' Lodge, the Preshyterian Church, the History Club, 
 and the Self Culture Club. Dr. IL K. link, H. S. Har- 
 grave, and Frank IL Brown securcil donations for fur- 
 nishing two wards. 
 
 At the opening, February 22, 1016, Jutlge Arnos Mil- 
 ler dedicated the buiiiling as tollows: 
 
 On this optnliiK day we dedicate this bulldluK and all 
 lis equipment to the Borvlce of rfllevlnR pain and restor- 
 ing to hfulth and vlRor. the sick and Injured. In a deep- 
 er seuse. If possible, let us one and all dedicate our«elveB 
 to an unselllsh service for the support and nialnttnance 
 of this hospital, to th«' lud that it may becouu- a bli^ssing 
 to the city of Hlllsboro and surrounding community. 
 
 Officers of the Hospital Association at the time the 
 building was completed were: Mrs. Fugcnia Helston, Mrs. 
 Kate Seward, Mrs. Addie Anr.strong, Mrs. A. NL Howell, 
 and Mrs. Hattie McDavid. The committees were: finance, 
 J. J. Frey and Frank H. Brown; construction: Doctors Z. 
 V. Kimball. W. W. Douglas, H. A. Seymour, James P. 
 Brown, and J. L. Dryer. 
 
 The first hospital superintendent was Mr. B. Bye, a 
 native of Norway who had been in Hillsboro caring for the 
 late Judge Cooper. Miss Ota Denton was one of the first 
 nurses at the institution. 
 
 Facilities at the hospital eventually proved inadequate, 
 and in April. 1922, a new addition was completed. Other 
 improvements have made this hospital one of the best of 
 its size in central Illinois. Mrs. Amos Dort is the super- 
 intendent of nineteen employees. 
 
 Members of the hospital board are Mrs. J. F. Y. Rice, 
 Miss Ida Truitt, Frank H. Brown, A. L. Schram, A. H. 
 Dorsey, Mrs. C. C. Baxter, Mrs. Frank I. Clotfelter, NFiss 
 Esther Challacombc, and Flbert Butler. 
 
 18. The Hillsboro Community High School, on Flast 
 Tremont Street, is approached by a lane that winds past 
 stately oaks, elms, and willows on the landscaped campus. 
 The three-storied, brick building stands on a 21 -acre tract 
 
 77
 
 purchased from the estate of John T. MadJux. A 
 handsome old brick house occupied a half-century ago by 
 Judge Jesse J. Phillips, who called his home Crow Hill, 
 provides a residence for the superintendent of buildings, 
 Samuel Paton. 
 
 When it became evident in 1920, that the old high 
 school on Fairground Avenue was inadequate, a commun- 
 ity high school district was formed and a bond issue of 
 $180,000 was voted to finance the construction of a com- 
 munity high school building. On June 22, 1920, a 
 contract was awarded Jesse Gedney of East St. Louis. 
 Ground was broken on July 19 of the same year and the 
 building was ready for occupancy in the fall of 1921. The 
 total cost of the building was approximately $250,000. J. 
 \V. Kennedy of East St. Louis was the architect. 
 
 On October 11, 1938, the Evans Brothers' Construc- 
 tion Company of Springfield submitted a low bid of $127,- 
 000 for a gymnasium building. Work was started imme- 
 diately and the structure, designed by Rover, Danely, and 
 Davis of Urbana, was completed in November, 1939. The 
 gymnasium was financed in part by P. W. A. funds. 
 
 The enrollment (1939) is 615, some of whom come 
 from the neighboring towns of Butler, Irving, Donnellson, 
 Panama, and Sorento. In addition to the regular school 
 curriculum, which includes music, speech, home economics, 
 commercial subjects, and agriculture, there is a full pro- 
 gram of athletics for both boys and girls. A course in 
 manual training and shop work will be given in the new 
 gymnasium building. 
 
 Principal (leorge Girhard, a teacher in the Hillsboro 
 schools for twenty-live years, supervises a staff of nineteen 
 instructors. The school employs a full time secretary. 
 Members of the high school board are Dr. H. A. Seymour, 
 Charles Attebery, M. C. Pressmar, James Cress, and An- 
 thony Schindler. 
 
 19. The St. Agnks Church, corner of Tremont and 
 Rountree streets, is the newest church in Hillsboro. Dedi- 
 
 78
 
 cated Sunday, October 10. 1937, the twin towered struc- 
 ture of yellow brick is a model of simplicity and beauty. 
 
 20. The HiLLSBORO Pl'blic Library, (2-9 except It'ed., 
 2-6, and Sat. 2-8:30) at School and Rountrcc streets, has 
 9,105 Nolumes of fiction and non-fiction for both junior 
 and adult readers. Hooks are free to residents of Hills- 
 boro and to all school students; non-residents pay a small 
 fee. 
 
 It might be saiil that the llillsboro library' had its in- 
 ception in 1858 when postmaster Joseph Rolston kept a 
 small collection of books which he proposed to use as a cir- 
 culnting library. However, definite action for a library 
 did not crystalli7e until 1895. when a meeting was called to 
 plan for the establishment of a "Reading Room and I.i- 
 brary." J. J. Phillips, Amos Miller, George Cooper, W. 
 H. North, Charles H. Ramsey, George Walter. Mrs. Fred 
 Noterman. Mrs. C. \V. Bliss, Mrs. H. \l. Keithlcy, and 
 Mrs. Arthur Cole were elected directors. Space in the 
 Corner Block BuiKling was donated by John M. White- 
 head, and the reading room was officially opened to the 
 public on October 10. 1895. 
 
 In 1896 the city council assumed partial control of the 
 library. In 1903 the citi/ens of Hillsboro voted to accept 
 Andrew Carnegie's gift of :? 1 0,000 for a library building. 
 Selection of a building site brought on considerable discus- 
 sion among members of the library board and members of 
 the city council. There was strong sentiment for placing 
 the new library on a lot in Tillson Place but after some con- 
 troversy it was decided to build on the site donated by John 
 M. Whitehead. 
 
 The new building, a reproduction of the old Hillsboro 
 Academy, was designed by Paul G. Moratz of Blooming- 
 fon. I . M. Garthwait was the contractor, H. B. McCoy 
 the superintendent of construction. The library was opened to 
 the public on March 18- 1905, with a musical program in 
 the afternoon and evening. 
 
 79
 
 At the entrance of the building Is a bronze tablet on 
 which is inscribed: 
 
 Andrew Carnegie, Building Gift, $10,000 — 1904. 
 Site Gift, John M. Whitehead. 
 
 Board of Directors: 
 Carrie M. Howell, Pres. 
 George A. Walter, Secretary. 
 Nettle T. Douglas. 
 Anna Chacey. 
 Anna W. Bixler. 
 Larkin G. Tyler. 
 
 Building committee: 
 
 C. A. Ramsey, Amos Miller, C. H. Witherspoon. 
 
 Miss Ottie Gannon served as librarian in the old Read- 
 ing Room until August 30, 1899, when she was succeeded 
 by Miss Ada Gilmore. Miss Bertha Welge served from 
 January 1, 1900, until the World War, when she was em- 
 ployed in the offices of the railroad company. Miss Jessie 
 Best and Miss Jennie Hayes were librarians until Decem- 
 ber 1, 1921, when Miss Welge resumed the position until 
 a short time before her death on December 10, 1924. Miss 
 Lois Lyerla was librarian until 1939, when she resigned 
 and was succeeded by the assistant librarian. Earl Rush. 
 
 Present members of the library board are: 
 
 H. J. Beckemeyer. 
 
 Mrs. A. M. Howell. 
 
 O. M. Hampton. 
 
 Miss Ida Truitt. 
 
 Miss Esther Challacombe. 
 
 Chester Guthrie 
 
 Mrs. J. E. Y. Rice. 
 
 Mrs. Walter McLean. 
 
 Mrs. Edward Fellis. 
 
 21. The Edison School, 101 School Street, stands on 
 the site of the old Hillsboro Academy. The Academy build- 
 ing, of frame, but similar in design to the Hillsboro li- 
 brary, was used as a college from 1837 to 1880. 
 
 22. The Site of the Btockburcer Inn, at the corner 
 of Main and Tillson streets, is now occupied by a filling sta- 
 
 80
 
 tion. Here Lincoln, acconling tt) Hcrndon's l.ifr of Lin- 
 coln, stopped overnight shortly before he was to fight his 
 duel with James T. Shields. Here, also, on August 31, 
 1839, a little hand of pioneers met and organized the first 
 Hillshoro Masonic Lodge, 'Lhe two-story building, erect- 
 ed shortly after 1830, was torn down in 1927. 
 
 23. O.AK Grove Cemktery, at the end of West Fremont 
 Street, was laid out in 1843 on 4 2-3 acres of ground orig- 
 inally set aside as a public burial ground by John 'Lillson, 
 Jr. Lhe first meeting of the Oak Grove Cemetery .Asso- 
 ciation was hell! March 29, 1843, when James Blackman 
 was chosen chairman, and John Hayward, secretary. On 
 July 29 of that year, thirty-two lots were sold at public 
 auction. Harry Wilton purchased lot number one for 
 nine dollars. 
 
 In 1870 the directors of the cemetery instructed the 
 superintendent to keep a record of the deceased "including 
 the age, sex, and disease of which they die." A tract of 
 ground was set aside for the burial of strangers and those 
 unable to pay for lots. 
 
 In 1894 the association purchased five acres from 
 Charles Seymour, and in 1922 it acquired another five acres 
 from Mrs. Sarah Seymour. A mausoleum was constructed 
 in 1913. 
 
 Records fail to disclose the exact number of graves. 
 Old stones, almost smooth from time and weather, show 
 deaths as early as 1831, twelve years before the association 
 was formed. 7 he only Negro buried in Oak Grove is Mar- 
 tha, the servant of "L'nclc Joe" and ":\unt Jane" Eccles. 
 She is buried on the Eccles lot. 
 
 A monument erected by V. I). Ilubbel Post No. 403 
 and the Woman's Relief Corps, at the entrance of the 
 cemetery, commemorates the soldier dead. Lhere are 225 
 military graves, which are given special attention by the 
 American Legion and veterans' organizations. 
 
 A few feet south of Oak Grove is the well-kept St. 
 81
 
 Agnes Cemetery for those of the Catholic faith. St. Ag- 
 nes cemetery has nine soldiers' graves. 
 
 24. The campus of the Junior High School, at the end 
 of West Fairground Avenue, was the site of the first counts- 
 fair in 1854, and here Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. 
 Douglas spoke in 1858. Here, too, the pioneers of Mont- 
 gomery County erected a cabin and formed their first Old 
 Settlers' Association in 1883. 
 
 25. The Cress Hill Cemetery, one mile west of Hills- 
 boro on Route 16, contains five acres of ground. In 1860, 
 the Hillsboro Lutherans, seeking a new burial ground, pur- 
 chased the tract of land from George Henry Cress and Tom 
 Cory. On October 25, 1890, the site was sold to the newly 
 organized Cress Hill Cemetery Association, whose first of- 
 ficers were Jacob Beck, Jesse C. Barrett, Henry A. Cress, 
 John J. Scherer, and Christopher Kober. H. A. Cress, Sr., 
 the only surviving member of the first association, is serv- 
 ing his fiftieth year as secretary and treasurer. 
 
 Cress Hill Cemetery is the burial place for stage coach 
 driver Tom Cory, for the Cress ancestors, and for many 
 pioneers of the Hillsboro community. There are twenty- 
 one soldiers' graves on the ground, including two veterans 
 cf the Black Hawk War. 
 
 A tourist traveling on North Broad Street will see 
 only a row of houses on the east side of the street, but al- 
 most a century ago the ground east of Broad Street and 
 south of Vawter Street was the burial place for many mem- 
 bers of the Lutheran faith, and for other citizens of Hills- 
 boro. Shortly after the purchase of the Cress Hill plot, the 
 Broad Street graves were moved there nnd to other ceme- 
 teries. 
 
 .S2
 
 Chronology 
 
 1821 Montgomery County organized. County seat site three 
 miles southwest of Hillshoro selected March 21 and 
 site named Hamilton on April 23. 
 
 1822 Robert Anderson and Milton Shurtleff secure per- 
 mits to sell liquor and other articles. 
 
 1823 Commissioners select Hillsboro for new county seat. 
 George File, surveyor, receives $3.75 for laying out 
 town lots. 
 
 1824 Contract of $221.83H awarded to Thomas McAdams 
 for building courthouse. Commissioners give free lots 
 to Joseph and Benjamin Miller for tan yard. 
 
 1825 Erect log house on hill west of Central Park for 
 school and church. John Tillson builds brick house 
 on northwest corner of Main and Tremont streets. 
 
 1826 Commissioners order stairway built between first 
 and second floors of courthouse. 
 
 1827 Israel Seward appointed assessor at $17 per year. 
 
 1828 Commissioners contract for first jail. Meeting at 
 John Tillson's house to organize Presbyterian church. 
 
 1829 Hiram Rountree receives $20 for six months' service 
 
 as county and circuit clerk. 
 
 1830 Stephen Fulllngsworth appointed keeper of stray pen 
 for wandering livestock. 
 
 1831 Hiram Rountree builds brick house on corner of 
 Rountree and Wood streets. Presbyterians erect first 
 church building. 
 
 1832 Two Hillsboro companies leave for Black Hawk 
 war. St. Paul's Lutheran church founded and ser\'- 
 ices held in courthouse. 
 
 1833 Thomas Whitten contracts to build frame courthouse 
 for $1,800. 
 
 1834 Population of Hillsboro placed at 250. Methodists 
 and Lutherans erect their first church buildings. 
 
 83
 
 1835 Hillsboro streets opened "sufficient width to permit 
 passage of wagons and carriages." Frame courthouse 
 given two coats of paint. 
 
 1836 John T. Maddux, first mayor, settles in Hillsboro. 
 Village grants license for hrst show, a zoological dis- 
 play. 
 
 1837 Academy opens. County commissioners seek loan of 
 $600 to build three bridges across Shoal Creek. 
 
 1838 First newspaper, the Prairie Beacon, published by 
 Aaron Clapp. 
 
 1839 First Masonic Lodge organized. 
 
 1840 Methodists build second church. 
 
 1843 Organize Oak Grove Cemetery Association. 
 
 1844 Lincoln speaks from courthouse. 
 
 1846 Company of ninety-six men leaves for Mexican War. 
 Lutherans acquire Hillsboro Academy. 
 
 1847 First county poor farm established in Irving Town- 
 ship. 
 
 1848 First Odd Fellows' Lodge organized. 
 
 1849 Six thousand attend railroad convention and barge- 
 cue. 
 
 1850 Rev. Francis Springer edits the Prairie Mirror. 
 
 1851 Citizens of Hillsboro and Montgomery county vote 
 to purchase $50,000 stock of the Terre Haute and 
 Alton R. R. Co. 
 
 1852 Lutherans move college to Springfield but Academy 
 continues at Hillsboro. 
 
 1854 Hold first county fair. Frame courthouse replaced 
 by two-story brick. 
 
 1855 Railroad reaches Hillsboro. Hillsboro becomes in- 
 corporated town with Thomas Phillips as president 
 of the board. First ordinance prohibits the running 
 of animals at large. 
 
 1857 County Medical Association holds first meeting. Lu- 
 therans erect two-story church building. 
 
 84
 
 1858 Telegraph line completed. Stephen A. Douglas and 
 Abraliani Lincoln speak at I'airgrounds. Lincoln is 
 guest of Joseph Lcdes. School teachers holil first 
 county institute. 
 
 1859 Pike's l^eak gold rush takes many from Ilillshoro to 
 Colorado. Davis, I laskell. ami Clark open first 
 bank. Independent Light (Juard Company, with R. 
 \V. Davis as captain, formed. 
 
 1860 Presbyterians build new church. 
 
 1861 Military companies leave for war siivkc North 
 School is erccteii. 
 
 1865 Citizens meet at courthouse to celebrate cU)se of CiNil 
 
 War. Congregational church is built. 
 1867 Louis Welge opens furniture factory. Clotfelter 
 
 Building and Masonic Mail are erectetl. 
 
 1869 Hillsboro incorporated as a city and John T. Mad- 
 dux elected mayor. First test for coal is made. Glenn 
 mills ship sixt)- cars of flour and grain. St. Agnes 
 Church is erected. 
 
 1870 Montgomery County 1 oaii &: 1 rust Company, or- 
 ganized in 1869, opens for business. Courthouse re- 
 modeled. 
 
 1872 Union Block building erected. 
 
 1874 Site for county poor farm selected. Amos Miller 
 
 and Judge L. Y. Rice form law partnership. 
 1880 Academy discontinued and buikling used for public 
 
 school. 
 
 1882 Hillsboro National Bank organized. Merchants in- 
 corporate Commercial Club. 
 
 1883 Old Settlers' Association formed. 
 Hold first high school commencement. 
 
 1885 Merchants fight removal of wooden awnings. 
 
 1886 Ldward Lane elected to Congress. 
 
 1887 Coal mine completed. Company to promote mineral 
 springs fomied. Fiiison School and Opera House 
 built. 
 
 1888 Pump house and water tank erected. Schedule of 
 water rates fixed. 
 
 85
 
 1889 City ordinance makes possession of slingshot a mis- 
 demeanor. Organize Hillsboro Township Fire Mu- 
 tual Insurance Company, 
 
 1890 Free Methodists dedicate church building. Cress 
 Hill Cemetery Association buys burial ground from 
 Lutherans. 
 
 1891 City grants franchise for light, heat, and power. 
 
 1892 Ordinance prohibits barbed wire fences near walks. 
 C. W. Bliss becomes owner and editor of Mont- 
 gomery xXezis. C. A. Ramsey elected to state legis- 
 lature. 
 
 1893 Hillsboro obtains first electric lights. 
 
 1894 John M. Whitehead and Amos Miller erect Corner 
 Block Building, John R. Challacombe elected to 
 state legislature. 
 
 1895 Reading room opened. Telephone system begins 
 with twenty-five telephones. 
 
 1896 Empire Mill on Vawter Street destroyed by fire. 
 
 1897 Thomas Jett elected to Congress, first of three con- 
 secutive terms. Lutherans dedicate new church. 
 
 1898 Company E leaves for Springfield en route to Span- 
 ish-American War. 
 
 1899 Miss Margaret Williams employed as music instruc- 
 tor for Hillsboro schools. 
 
 1900 Post office begins rural delivery. 
 
 1901 Businessmen meet to promote lake and new water 
 supply. Creamery receives 3,000 pounds milk daily. 
 
 1902 Mutual Telephone Company organized. 
 
 1903 Methodists dedicate new church structure. City 
 Council requests curfew ordinance. Contract is let 
 to Challacombe and Minton for lake dam. 
 
 1904 Second railroad reaches Hillsboro. Kortkamp mine 
 opened. Students enter new high school. 
 
 1905 Peoples National Bank organized. Library opened 
 to public. Roundhouse and turntable for railroad 
 are built. 
 
 86
 
 19U6 Schrani glass factory begins manufacture ol jars and 
 glasses. Klectric interurban reaches Hillsboro. I'Irst 
 I.itchfield-Hillsboro Chautauqua program given. 
 
 1907 Track laid from courthouse to depot for city electric 
 streetcars. South Main Street paved. 
 
 1908 Faylor Springs mine opencil. County jail and sher- 
 iff's quarters built. 
 
 1909 Congressman Jett elected circuit judge, ami serves 
 in that capacity until his death in 19.39. 
 
 1910 Worst hailstorm in history of Hillsboro does severe 
 damage to buildings on .\pril 15. 
 
 1911 American Smelter at Taylor Springs, and Robert 
 i.anyon Smelter at Hillsboro build plants. City 
 adopts commission form of government. 
 
 1912 City n^.ail delivery established. 
 
 1913 City installs fire siren at light plant. I'.vans Brothers 
 buy auto ambulance. Moose Club organized. 
 
 1914 High school wins state basket ball championship. 
 Hillsboro Woman's Club organized. 
 
 1915 Build Burbank School. State Senator S. I). Canaday 
 serves as Acting Governor of Illinois during absence 
 of Governor Edward F. Dunne and Lt. Governor 
 Barratt O'Hara. 
 
 1916 Hillsboro Hospital dedicated. Winhold Parent- 
 Teachers' Association organized. 
 
 1917 Hillsboro men leave for World War. Work on new 
 City Lake begun. 
 
 1918 Farmers meet at Hillsboro to organize P^arm Bureau. 
 
 1919 Company E and other soldiers return from France. 
 
 1920 City pays $9,000 for first auto fire engine. Sheriff 
 M. T. Kiggins begins raids on illicit stills. Women 
 cast first general vote. 
 
 1921 New community high school opened. Fire destroys 
 packing room of glass factory. Robert Zuppke, Illi- 
 nois coach, addresses newly formed Montgomery 
 County mini Club. William Jennings Bryan speaks 
 at Chautauqua. 
 
 87
 
 1923 National Guard called for labor trouble at American 
 Smelter. Taylor Springs mine closed. Rotary Club 
 formed. Hillsboro Country Club opened. Former 
 Hillsboro orphan, Harry Ferguson, returns as 
 "Prince Obolensky". 
 
 1924 Christian Church dedicated. Kortkamp mine closed. 
 Big Four subway completed. Harold Osborne wins 
 Olympic Decathlon in France. 
 
 1925 Schram Glass factory sold to Ball Brothers. Route 
 16 between Irving-Hillsboro-Litchfield completed. 
 
 1926 City water works built. Sheet and pillow-case fac- 
 tory opened. Fire destroys A. H. Bartlett garage 
 and American Express office. J. Earl Major elected 
 to Congress, first of three terms. 
 
 1927 Light and power company replaces street cars with 
 buses. Old Blockburger Inn torn down for -^erx-ice 
 station, Trans-Atlantic telephone service available, 
 $78 for three minutes. 
 
 1928 Frank M. Ramey elected to Congress. 
 
 1929 Fire sweeps light and power office and American 
 pants factory. Route 127 completed to Hillsboro. 
 
 1930 Thermometer registers 20 below on January 18, and 
 112 on July 28. Ben Wilton sells Lincoln furniture 
 to Henry Ford for Dearborn \'illage. Banks closed 
 at Donnellson, Nokomis, Rosamond, and Fillmore. 
 Population of Montgomery county placed at 35,268. 
 
 1931 Final Chautauqua program given. Fire destroys St. 
 Agnes Church. Newton Coffey heir claims title to 
 original site of Hillsboro but Coffey deed shows land 
 given to county "forever." Peoples Bank and Tay- 
 lor Springs Bank absorbed by Montgomery County 
 Loan & Trust Co. 
 
 1932 Overhead bridge south of Hillsboro opened. Beatrice 
 Imhoff elected "Miss Illinois" at State American Le- 
 gion convention. I'ire destroys Old Settlers' cabin 
 at Junior High School. 
 
 88
 
 1933 All banks close for national hank holiday. Blue eagle 
 of N, R. A. appears as merchants conform to new act. 
 Pay checks po to unemployed under new C. W. A. 
 plan. 
 
 1934 New Post OHicc Buildinjr completed. Citizens vote 
 to continue commission form of city government. 
 First airplane acciilcnt in community takes lives of 
 Allen Harwood and John Mikeska. 
 
 1935 C. & E. I. passenger train wreck kills live, injures 
 many. W. P. .\. projects begin in county. Kiwanis 
 Club receives charter. 
 
 1936 City builds P. W. A. sewage disposal plant and Cen- 
 tral Park Swimming pool. New city hall erected. 
 
 1937 Hall Brothers rebuild glass factory. Ordinance pro- 
 hibits the keeping of hogs in city limits. New city 
 jail built. 
 
 1938 Business men work for proposed veterans' hospital. 
 City sells water to Big Four Railroad. 
 
 1939 High school gymnasium, new water tower, and filtra- 
 tion system at swimming pool completed. Build all- 
 weather roads to Fillmore, Walshville, and Raymond. 
 One killed, six injured as dynamite blast levels two 
 story flat and shatters windows in business area. J. 
 T. BuUington elected circuit judge. 
 
 89
 
 Town Presidents 
 
 1855 Thomas Phillips 1863 
 
 1856 Jacob Whitehead 18 64 
 
 1857 Joseph T. Eccles 1865 
 1858, 59 David B. Jackson 1866 
 
 1860 Jacob Whitehead 186 7 
 
 1861 David McEwen 1868 
 
 1862 Amos L. Clotfelter 18 69 
 
 Phordice Boutwell 
 Robert H. Stewart 
 Austin Whitten 
 John M. Keith 
 Thomas D. Washburn 
 Frank H. Gllmore 
 Burrell Phillips 
 
 Mayors 
 
 1869 
 
 John T. Maddux 
 
 1893 
 
 James M. Truitt 
 
 1870 
 
 Fred Noterman 
 
 1895 
 
 Samuel H. McLean 
 
 1871 
 
 Paul Walter 
 
 1897 
 
 Duncan Best 
 
 1872 
 
 Fred Noterman 
 
 1899 
 
 Larkin G. Tyler 
 
 1873 
 
 A. H. Brown 
 
 1901 
 
 Henry N. Randle 
 
 1874 
 
 A. H. H. Rountree 
 
 1903 
 
 G. A. Clotfelter 
 
 1875 
 
 Edward S. Burns 
 
 1905 
 
 Rice Miller 
 
 1876 
 
 John F. Glenn 
 
 1907 
 
 Rice Miller 
 
 1877 
 
 M. M. Walsh 
 
 1909 
 
 E. B. Truitt 
 
 1878 
 
 William Conklin 
 
 1911 
 
 E. B. Truitt 
 
 1879 
 
 George H. Blackwelder 
 
 1912 
 
 H. C. Latham, Sr. 
 
 1880 
 
 Charles B. Rhoads 
 
 1915 
 
 Homer S. Butler 
 
 1881 
 
 Benjamin E. Johnson 
 
 1919 
 
 Charles Weber 
 
 1883 
 
 M. M. Walsh 
 
 1923 
 
 Charles Weber 
 
 1885 
 
 John T. Maddux 
 
 1927 
 
 Charles Weber 
 
 1887 
 
 Samuel H. McLean 
 
 1931 
 
 Ed. Ludwig. Sr. 
 
 1889 
 
 William A. Howett 
 
 1935 
 
 Harry J. Yoffie 
 
 1891 
 
 Charles A. Ramsey 
 
 1939 
 
 Walter R. McLean 
 
 90
 
 Personal Interviews 
 
 John little. 312 W. Wooil Street. 
 
 Harry IJIockburycr, Municipal Heating Plant. 
 
 Miss Marj»arct Williams, 425 Rountrec Street. 
 
 C. H. Kolston, Abstracter, 204 S. Main Street. 
 
 Miss Adell Phillips, Assistant liditor, Montgomery 
 News. 
 
 Thomas Bliss, .Assistant I'ditor, Montgomery Xews. 
 
 Robert Bliss, Assistant Iiditor, Montgomery News. 
 
 Sam Little, luiitor, Ilillshoro Journal. 
 
 Miss Rex Morehouse, Assistant Editor, Hillsboro 
 Journal. 
 
 Mr. E. M. Stubbleficld. 210 E. Wood Street. 
 
 F. L. McDavid. Abstracter, 204 S. Main Street. 
 
 Mrs. H. O. Pinkerton, 305 W. Wood Street. 
 
 H. A. Cress, Sr., 127 N. Main Street. 
 
 H. M. Bcckwith, Abstracter, 207 S. Main Street. 
 
 H. J. Beckcmeyer. Superintendent. Hillsboro Grade 
 Schools. 
 
 J. K. Reynolds, Pastor, Methodist Church. 
 
 John \'a\vter, 2 X'awter Place. 
 
 Joseph M. Baker, 220A S. Main Street. 
 
 Mrs. Alice Neylon, Hillsboro Community High School. 
 
 John Good, Eagle Picher Lead Co. 
 
 H. J. Yoffie, 301 S. Main Street. 
 
 Fred Roemelin, City Water Works. 
 
 Paul Gradcn. City Water Works. 
 
 Earl Rush, Librarian, Public Library. 
 
 91
 
 Bibliography 
 
 City Ordinance Records. 
 
 County Commissioners Records, Book A. 
 
 Illinois State Historical Society Journal, Vol. XIII, 
 July, 1920. 
 
 Perrin, William H., History of Bond and Muntyomery 
 Counties. Chicago: Culver, Page, I'oynes, 1882. 
 
 Strange, A. T., History of Montgomery County. Chi- 
 cago: Munsell Publishing Co., 1918. 
 
 Tillson, Mrs. Christiana Holmes. A Woman's Story 
 of Pioneer Illinois. Chicago: The Lakeside Press, 1919. 
 
 Traylor, Jacob L., Past and Present Montgomery 
 County. Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1904. 
 
 Montgomery Herald, July, 1857-July, 1860. 
 
 Montgomery News, July, 1876-July, 1880. 
 
 Montgomery News, January, 1900-1939. 
 
 Hillshoro Journal January, 1900-1939. 
 
 Other Hillsboro newspapers from 1866 to 1939, ex- 
 cepting the years 1875, 1888, and 1889 are on file at the 
 offices of the Montgomery News or the Hillsboro Journal. 
 
 92
 
 Views of Hillsboro
 
 .11 III "^ 
 
 ""1 
 
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 ■0, 
 
 
 THE COURTHOUSE- THE HUB OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY'S BUSINESS.
 
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 . ^^ '"M"^ 
 
 ,1 ^i;i^* 
 
 MAIN STREET AND THE SHOPPING DISTRICT 
 
 ^-.u-^mmt^^.- M 
 
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 THE POSTOFFICE 
 
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 THE SOLOMON HARKEY HOUSE. ERECTED IN 1832 
 
 ■.■ » l^w i MJ. I U 1 ■ H IM II I I 
 
 THE HILLSBORO HOSPITAL
 
 
 THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 
 
 [^ 
 
 THE HIRAM ROUNTREE HOUSE. BUILT IN 1831
 
 A WINDING LANE LEADS TO THE HIGH 
 
 ir-.t^ i.ir>i\/\i\i jJMii An i ii I't. 
 
 ACAPrW
 
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 THE EAGLE-PICHER PLANT, MANUFACTURERS OF ZINC OXIDES 
 
 QDBiiara 
 
 ■ ■■■■■■■H|:^.H 
 
 IT 
 
 I 
 
 THE NEW CITY HALL AND FIRE STATION
 
 ST. AGNES CATHOLIC CHURCH— HILLSBORO'S NEWEST HOUSE OF WORSHIP 
 
 ENTRANCE TO OAK GROVE CEMETERY
 
 LAKE HILLSBORO— A POPULAR PLACE IN SUMMER 
 
 f-^^^ 
 
 THE COUNTRY CLUB AT LAKE HILLSBORO
 
 7200-815 
 
 c 

 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 
 817 7382 W93H rflOl 
 
 HILL8BOR0 GUIOE HILLSBORO 
 
 MADE av ILHWOISWPA ART PROJCCr CHICAGO