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Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenville,_Illinois
Greenville is a city in Bond County, Illinois, United States, 51 miles (82 km) east of St. Louis. The population as of the 2010 census was 7,000. It is the county seat of Bond County.
Greenville is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is also considered part of the Metro East region of Illinois.
Greenville celebrated its Bicentennial in 2015 as one of the oldest communities in Illinois. It is home to Greenville University, the Richard Bock Museum, the American Farm Heritage Museum, the Armed Forces Museum and the Demoulin Museum and a federal prison, Federal Correctional Institution, Greenville (FCI Greenville). It is also home to internationally known companies, including Nevco Scoreboard, the largest privately owned scoreboard company in the world, and DeMoulin Brothers, the world's oldest and largest manufacturer of band uniforms.
Source: www.americanfarmheritagemuseum.com/about-us.html
The American Farm Heritage Museum was one man's dream. The Museum became a reality when a group of men, mostly farmers, sitting in coffee shop, talked about the dream of building a museum to preserve the farm heritage. Sixty farmers, collectors, and civic leaders held a meeting to share their ideas with the public in April of 2002. It was agreed that Bond County, being near the middle of the state and right along 1-70, would be the perfect place. Meetings were conducted, fundraisers were held, and ideas were passed around. In 2002 the land for the museum was acquired and a name for the museum was chosen.
The American Farm Heritage Museum would sit on seventeen acres, along the south side of interstate 70, just east of the Route 127 overpass. Its goal would be to promote and share the heritage of America's rural life: living, farming and travel. One very generous family purchased the land and leased it for ninety-nine years to the American Farm Heritage Museum, NFP organization. After a year of planning, the first 32'x64' building, with a gambrel roof, was completed. It was finished just days before the first Heritage Days Show in July 2004. This building, originally was to be a tractor maintenance shop, but later became known as the Lil' Red Barn Museum.
In the winter of 2005, owners of a truck terminal building in St. Louis gave the building to the Museum, if we took it down. Several members went to work and got the 200'x100' building moved and rebuilt. Since then other buildings and groups have been added to the show grounds.
We are growing with each passing year. Our Main building is the site of numerous events throughout the year. The Lil' Red Barn is a little piece of history, with collections of items from the past. In 2009 this building received the Illinois Governor's Home Town Award. The Tractor Shed displays different makes of tractors and tools of the past. Our Christmas building, which operates as a work shop and houses all the Christmas boxes for The Christmas Lights Wonderland, partners with The Lil' Red Barn, Railroad, Hill's Fort and the Armed Forces Museum to put on a spectacular Christmas display.
The American Heritage Railroad, established in 2003 is a division of the American Farm Heritage Museum. Many rail-enthusiast members realized as farms were connected by the American Railroad so should the Museum have an operating railroad for its historic value, as well as provide a fun ride for visitors. May 10, 2005 the railroad division was officially formed and an intensive search began to procure equipment. Many thousands of hours of volunteer labor, by friends of the railroad, have resulted in over a mile of 13" gauge track being laid, on the grounds. It is our desire to honor the great railroads that have served Bond County, such as the Vandalia, Nickel Plate, Pennsylvania and CB & Q. In 2005 the Ben Winter's Museum railroad was purchased which provided a G-15 diesel train set. The final move of the Ben Winter's railroad was completed in November, in three days with 20 volunteers, 9 trailers and one semi-truck. The collection has grown to include both diesel and steam engines and a variety of rolling stock. The railroad owns three steam locomotives. It is hoped the 1926 Wagner 4-4-2 steam engine will be ready for operation for the 2015 season.
2005 Hill's Fort also joined the Museum. Hill's Fort played an important part in the opening of Northwest Territory. Hill's Fort may have started as early as 1806 when early settlers first arrived. The Fort's location appears on an 1808 survey map by Capt. Isaac Hill, leader of a team commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to survey the Illinois Territory. The Legislature fixed Hill's Fort as the temporary county seat. Earliest records are preserved from Hill's Fort and include court and marriage dockets. The Bond County seat was later moved to Perrysville and, in 1821 to Greenville, Illinois. No longer useful as a fort or county seat, Hill's Fort was abandoned and fell to ruin.
Following excruciating study of the original site, a replica of the Fort has been recreated on the grounds of the Farm Museum. It is open to the public on the 1st Saturday of the month from May through October and also open, for tours and special occasions. At Christmas time they are open Friday and Saturday nights for the Christmas lights. They dress in period dress and cook over the open fireplace in the cabin, and are eager to answer questions.
In 2012 The Armed Forces Museum, "Memories of Steel", joined our Museum. It maintains as its sole mission, to preserve these important pieces of military history. The Museum houses one of the largest collections of military vehicles in the County. It currently watches over approximately 15 privately-owned and 25 museum-owned vehicles. The members are involved in a program called "Living history" which furnishes displays of t1istoric vehicles and memorabilia and, works with re-enactors at civil events like Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day. Each of these vehicles has an historic story and plays a very important role in connecting us with the soldiers who lived and died in their service to the country.
A shot of the old railroad depot in the town of Umapine in Umatilla County, Oregon. Located in the heart of the rich Walla Walla Valley fruit country.
This depot was in use by the railway for about 30 years until the line was abandoned and tracks removed in 1942 according to the bulletin below. In 1931 the railway ended remaining passenger services, and by that time freight derived 93% of its annual gross revenues.
Union Pacific Railroad
Docket: 139419/14/1942Section: 1
Application of Walla Walla Valley Railway Company, Oregon-Washington Railroad and Navigation Company to abandon the line and operation of the "Umapine Branch" 4.91 miles of branch line and 1.12 miles of spur and wye tracks located in Umatilla County, Oregon.
Length: 4.91 miles681Citation: 254 ICC 812
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenville,_Illinois
Greenville is a city in Bond County, Illinois, United States, 51 miles (82 km) east of St. Louis. The population as of the 2010 census was 7,000. It is the county seat of Bond County.
Greenville is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is also considered part of the Metro East region of Illinois.
Greenville celebrated its Bicentennial in 2015 as one of the oldest communities in Illinois. It is home to Greenville University, the Richard Bock Museum, the American Farm Heritage Museum, the Armed Forces Museum and the Demoulin Museum and a federal prison, Federal Correctional Institution, Greenville (FCI Greenville). It is also home to internationally known companies, including Nevco Scoreboard, the largest privately owned scoreboard company in the world, and DeMoulin Brothers, the world's oldest and largest manufacturer of band uniforms.
Source: www.americanfarmheritagemuseum.com/about-us.html
The American Farm Heritage Museum was one man's dream. The Museum became a reality when a group of men, mostly farmers, sitting in coffee shop, talked about the dream of building a museum to preserve the farm heritage. Sixty farmers, collectors, and civic leaders held a meeting to share their ideas with the public in April of 2002. It was agreed that Bond County, being near the middle of the state and right along 1-70, would be the perfect place. Meetings were conducted, fundraisers were held, and ideas were passed around. In 2002 the land for the museum was acquired and a name for the museum was chosen.
The American Farm Heritage Museum would sit on seventeen acres, along the south side of interstate 70, just east of the Route 127 overpass. Its goal would be to promote and share the heritage of America's rural life: living, farming and travel. One very generous family purchased the land and leased it for ninety-nine years to the American Farm Heritage Museum, NFP organization. After a year of planning, the first 32'x64' building, with a gambrel roof, was completed. It was finished just days before the first Heritage Days Show in July 2004. This building, originally was to be a tractor maintenance shop, but later became known as the Lil' Red Barn Museum.
In the winter of 2005, owners of a truck terminal building in St. Louis gave the building to the Museum, if we took it down. Several members went to work and got the 200'x100' building moved and rebuilt. Since then other buildings and groups have been added to the show grounds.
We are growing with each passing year. Our Main building is the site of numerous events throughout the year. The Lil' Red Barn is a little piece of history, with collections of items from the past. In 2009 this building received the Illinois Governor's Home Town Award. The Tractor Shed displays different makes of tractors and tools of the past. Our Christmas building, which operates as a work shop and houses all the Christmas boxes for The Christmas Lights Wonderland, partners with The Lil' Red Barn, Railroad, Hill's Fort and the Armed Forces Museum to put on a spectacular Christmas display.
The American Heritage Railroad, established in 2003 is a division of the American Farm Heritage Museum. Many rail-enthusiast members realized as farms were connected by the American Railroad so should the Museum have an operating railroad for its historic value, as well as provide a fun ride for visitors. May 10, 2005 the railroad division was officially formed and an intensive search began to procure equipment. Many thousands of hours of volunteer labor, by friends of the railroad, have resulted in over a mile of 13" gauge track being laid, on the grounds. It is our desire to honor the great railroads that have served Bond County, such as the Vandalia, Nickel Plate, Pennsylvania and CB & Q. In 2005 the Ben Winter's Museum railroad was purchased which provided a G-15 diesel train set. The final move of the Ben Winter's railroad was completed in November, in three days with 20 volunteers, 9 trailers and one semi-truck. The collection has grown to include both diesel and steam engines and a variety of rolling stock. The railroad owns three steam locomotives. It is hoped the 1926 Wagner 4-4-2 steam engine will be ready for operation for the 2015 season.
2005 Hill's Fort also joined the Museum. Hill's Fort played an important part in the opening of Northwest Territory. Hill's Fort may have started as early as 1806 when early settlers first arrived. The Fort's location appears on an 1808 survey map by Capt. Isaac Hill, leader of a team commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to survey the Illinois Territory. The Legislature fixed Hill's Fort as the temporary county seat. Earliest records are preserved from Hill's Fort and include court and marriage dockets. The Bond County seat was later moved to Perrysville and, in 1821 to Greenville, Illinois. No longer useful as a fort or county seat, Hill's Fort was abandoned and fell to ruin.
Following excruciating study of the original site, a replica of the Fort has been recreated on the grounds of the Farm Museum. It is open to the public on the 1st Saturday of the month from May through October and also open, for tours and special occasions. At Christmas time they are open Friday and Saturday nights for the Christmas lights. They dress in period dress and cook over the open fireplace in the cabin, and are eager to answer questions.
In 2012 The Armed Forces Museum, "Memories of Steel", joined our Museum. It maintains as its sole mission, to preserve these important pieces of military history. The Museum houses one of the largest collections of military vehicles in the County. It currently watches over approximately 15 privately-owned and 25 museum-owned vehicles. The members are involved in a program called "Living history" which furnishes displays of t1istoric vehicles and memorabilia and, works with re-enactors at civil events like Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day. Each of these vehicles has an historic story and plays a very important role in connecting us with the soldiers who lived and died in their service to the country.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenville,_Illinois
Greenville is a city in Bond County, Illinois, United States, 51 miles (82 km) east of St. Louis. The population as of the 2010 census was 7,000. It is the county seat of Bond County.
Greenville is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is also considered part of the Metro East region of Illinois.
Greenville celebrated its Bicentennial in 2015 as one of the oldest communities in Illinois. It is home to Greenville University, the Richard Bock Museum, the American Farm Heritage Museum, the Armed Forces Museum and the Demoulin Museum and a federal prison, Federal Correctional Institution, Greenville (FCI Greenville). It is also home to internationally known companies, including Nevco Scoreboard, the largest privately owned scoreboard company in the world, and DeMoulin Brothers, the world's oldest and largest manufacturer of band uniforms.
Source: www.americanfarmheritagemuseum.com/about-us.html
The American Farm Heritage Museum was one man's dream. The Museum became a reality when a group of men, mostly farmers, sitting in coffee shop, talked about the dream of building a museum to preserve the farm heritage. Sixty farmers, collectors, and civic leaders held a meeting to share their ideas with the public in April of 2002. It was agreed that Bond County, being near the middle of the state and right along 1-70, would be the perfect place. Meetings were conducted, fundraisers were held, and ideas were passed around. In 2002 the land for the museum was acquired and a name for the museum was chosen.
The American Farm Heritage Museum would sit on seventeen acres, along the south side of interstate 70, just east of the Route 127 overpass. Its goal would be to promote and share the heritage of America's rural life: living, farming and travel. One very generous family purchased the land and leased it for ninety-nine years to the American Farm Heritage Museum, NFP organization. After a year of planning, the first 32'x64' building, with a gambrel roof, was completed. It was finished just days before the first Heritage Days Show in July 2004. This building, originally was to be a tractor maintenance shop, but later became known as the Lil' Red Barn Museum.
In the winter of 2005, owners of a truck terminal building in St. Louis gave the building to the Museum, if we took it down. Several members went to work and got the 200'x100' building moved and rebuilt. Since then other buildings and groups have been added to the show grounds.
We are growing with each passing year. Our Main building is the site of numerous events throughout the year. The Lil' Red Barn is a little piece of history, with collections of items from the past. In 2009 this building received the Illinois Governor's Home Town Award. The Tractor Shed displays different makes of tractors and tools of the past. Our Christmas building, which operates as a work shop and houses all the Christmas boxes for The Christmas Lights Wonderland, partners with The Lil' Red Barn, Railroad, Hill's Fort and the Armed Forces Museum to put on a spectacular Christmas display.
The American Heritage Railroad, established in 2003 is a division of the American Farm Heritage Museum. Many rail-enthusiast members realized as farms were connected by the American Railroad so should the Museum have an operating railroad for its historic value, as well as provide a fun ride for visitors. May 10, 2005 the railroad division was officially formed and an intensive search began to procure equipment. Many thousands of hours of volunteer labor, by friends of the railroad, have resulted in over a mile of 13" gauge track being laid, on the grounds. It is our desire to honor the great railroads that have served Bond County, such as the Vandalia, Nickel Plate, Pennsylvania and CB & Q. In 2005 the Ben Winter's Museum railroad was purchased which provided a G-15 diesel train set. The final move of the Ben Winter's railroad was completed in November, in three days with 20 volunteers, 9 trailers and one semi-truck. The collection has grown to include both diesel and steam engines and a variety of rolling stock. The railroad owns three steam locomotives. It is hoped the 1926 Wagner 4-4-2 steam engine will be ready for operation for the 2015 season.
2005 Hill's Fort also joined the Museum. Hill's Fort played an important part in the opening of Northwest Territory. Hill's Fort may have started as early as 1806 when early settlers first arrived. The Fort's location appears on an 1808 survey map by Capt. Isaac Hill, leader of a team commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to survey the Illinois Territory. The Legislature fixed Hill's Fort as the temporary county seat. Earliest records are preserved from Hill's Fort and include court and marriage dockets. The Bond County seat was later moved to Perrysville and, in 1821 to Greenville, Illinois. No longer useful as a fort or county seat, Hill's Fort was abandoned and fell to ruin.
Following excruciating study of the original site, a replica of the Fort has been recreated on the grounds of the Farm Museum. It is open to the public on the 1st Saturday of the month from May through October and also open, for tours and special occasions. At Christmas time they are open Friday and Saturday nights for the Christmas lights. They dress in period dress and cook over the open fireplace in the cabin, and are eager to answer questions.
In 2012 The Armed Forces Museum, "Memories of Steel", joined our Museum. It maintains as its sole mission, to preserve these important pieces of military history. The Museum houses one of the largest collections of military vehicles in the County. It currently watches over approximately 15 privately-owned and 25 museum-owned vehicles. The members are involved in a program called "Living history" which furnishes displays of t1istoric vehicles and memorabilia and, works with re-enactors at civil events like Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day. Each of these vehicles has an historic story and plays a very important role in connecting us with the soldiers who lived and died in their service to the country.
Lower East Side. Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States
The four-story, red brick-clad Aschenbroedel Verein Building, in todayís East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, was constructed in 1873 to the design of German-born architect August H. Blankenstein for this German-American professional orchestral musiciansí social and benevolent association. Founded informally in 1860, it had grown large enough by 1866 for the society to purchase this site and eventually construct the purpose-built structure. The Aschenbroedel Verein became one of the leading German organizations in Kleindeutschland on the Lower East Side.
It counted as members many of the most important musicians in the city, at a time when German-Americans dominated the orchestral scene. These included conductors Carl Bergmann, Theodore Thomas and Walter Damrosch, and the musicians of the New York Philharmonic and Theodore Thomas Orchestras. After the Aschenbroedel Verein moved to Yorkville in 1892, this building was subsequently owned for four years by the Gesangverein Schillerbund, one of the cityís leading and oldest German singing societies. The design of the main facade, altered at this time with the addition of cast-iron ornament by German-born architects [Frederick William] Kurtzer & [Richard O.L.] Rohl, combines elements of the German Renaissance Revival and neo-Grec styles with folk motifs , and features a variety of pedimented lintels, quoins, fraktur-like incising, three composersí busts over the second-story windows, and a prominent cornice with a large broken pediment.
After 1895, the building housed a variety of disparate uses, including a series of public meeting and dance halls, the Newsboysí Athletic Club, a laundry, and a meatpacking plant. Since 1969, it has been the home of the renowned La Mama Experimental Theatre Club, established in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, and today considered the oldest and most influential off-Off-Broadway theater in New York City. The building remains one of the significant reminders of 19th-century German-American cultural contributions to New York City, as well as the continuing vitality of off-Off-Broadway theater in the East Village.
DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS
The 19th-Century Development of East Village Neighborhood
The area of todayís Greenwich Village was, during the 18th century, the location of the small rural hamlet of Greenwich, as well as the country seats and summer homes of wealthy downtown aristocrats, merchants, and capitalists. A number of cholera and yellow fever epidemics in lower Manhattan between 1799 and 1822 led to an influx of settlers in the Greenwich area, with the population quadrupling between 1825 and 1840. Previously undeveloped tracts of land were speculatively subdivided for the construction of town houses and rowhouses. Whereas in the early 19th century many of the wealthiest New Yorkers lived in the vicinity of Broadway and the side streets adjacent to City Hall Park between Barclay and Chambers Streets, by the 1820s and 30s, as commercial development and congestion increasingly disrupted and displaced them, the elite moved northward into Greenwich Village east of Sixth Avenue.
To the east, during the 17th and 18th centuries, was Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesantís Bowery farm. In the vicinity were Native American trails, todayís Broadway and Bowery, that the Lenape Indians traversed from the southern tip of Manhattan to Inwood and Harlem. St. Markís-in-the-Bowery Church was built on a higher, dry piece of land, while the area to the east of todayís Second Avenue, known as Stuyvesant Meadows, remained an undeveloped marshy area. In the late 18th century, the area east of Second Avenue was the estate of Mangle Minthorn, father-in-law of Daniel Tompkins , governor of New York and
U.S. vice president under James Monroe . Both Stuyvesant and Minthorn were slave owners. In 1832, the Common Council created the 15th Ward out of the eastern section of the large 9th Ward, its boundaries being Sixth Avenue, Houston and 14th Streets, and the Bowery. According to Luther Harrisí history Around Washington Square, during the 1830s-40s ìthis ward drew the wealthiest, most influential, and most talented people from New York City and elsewhere. For a brief period beginning in the 1820s-30s, Lafayette Place, including the grand marble Greek Revival style LaGrange Terrace , St. Markís Place, and Bond, Great Jones, East 4th and Bleecker Streets were also among the cityís most fashionable addresses. Lower Second Avenue and adjacent side streets remained prestigious through the 1850s.
Commercial and institutional intrusions and the continual arrival of immigrants ended the fashionable heyday of these wealthier enclaves before the Civil War. In the 1850s, Broadway north of Houston Street was transformed from a residential into a significant commercial district. Also beginning in the 1850s, after the political upheavals in Europe of 1848 and the resulting influx of German-speaking immigrants to New York City, the Lower East Side became known as Kleindeutschland . Aside from their presence as residents, these immigrants contributed in significant ways to the vibrant commercial and cultural life of the neighborhood and the city at large. By 1880, this neighborhood constituted one-fourth of the cityís population and was the first major urban foreign-speaking neighborhood in the U.S., as well as the leading German-American center throughout the century. A massive exodus of Jews from Eastern Europe from the 1880s to World War I led to approximately two million Jewish immigrants settling in New York; most lived for a time on the Lower East Side, establishing their own cultural and religious institutions there.
Beginning in the 1850s-60s, the vicinity of 14th Street and Union Square developed into a center of musical and theatrical culture. The Academy of Music , East 14th Street and Irving Place, an opera house with the worldís largest seating capacity at the time, quickly became the center of musical and social life in New York, presenting such notable performers as Adelina Patti , and events such as the grand ball in honor of the Prince of Wales in the autumn of 1860. The building burned down in 1866, and was replaced by a new Academy of Music . Irving Hall , a ballroom, concert, and lecture hall annex to the Academy, served as the home of the New York Philharmonic in 1861-63. The Steinway piano company opened Steinway Hall , a combination showroom and recital hall at 109 East 14th Street, which for many years was the foremost concert hall in the country . By the mid-1860s, a number of legitimate theaters were also opening in the vicinity of Union Square, which during the last quarter of the nineteenth century became the center of New York theater. These included Wallack's Theater , 728 Broadway at 13th Street, the most prestigious dramatic theater in the country during this period; the Union Square Theater , an adjunct of the former Union Place Hotel; Chickering Hall , Fifth Avenue and 18th Street; and Amberg Theater , 11 Irving Place . The Germania Theater, which along with the Amberg catered to a specifically German clientele, was located in Tammany Hall in 1874-81, in Wallackís Theater in 1881-82, and until 1902 in the former Church of St. Ann, East 8th Street near Broadway. Union Square, after the Civil War, became the traditional site for workersí, union, and political protests and rallies.
As wealthier residents moved northward in the 1850s, their single-family residences were converted into multiple dwellings or boardinghouses, as well as other uses, such as clubs or community cultural institutions. For instance, the former Ralph and Ann E. Van Wyck Mead House at 110 Second Avenue in 1874 became the Isaac T. Hopper Home of the Womenís Prison Association, and, of the Federal style houses on the westernmost block of St. Markís Place: No. 29 became the Harmonie Club, a German-Jewish singing club ; Nos. 19-21 housed another German musical club, the Arion Singing Society , and these buildings, along with No. 23, became Arlington Hall, a ballroom-community center in 1887. Most of the remaining houses were demolished for denser development with French flats and tenements between 1874 and 1902.
Hastening the change in the residential character of this section of the Lower East Side after mid-century were a wide variety of major cultural, religious, commercial, and educational institutions, including the Astor Place Opera House , Astor and Lafayette Places; Astor Library , 425 Lafayette Street; Bible House , home of the American Bible Society and other religious organizations, Astor Place and Third Avenue; and Cooper Union , Astor Place and Third Avenue. The New York Free Circulating Library, Ottendorfer Branch, and German Dispensary , 135 and 137 Second Avenue, among others, catered to the German community. Assembly halls such as Webster Hall and Annex , 119-125 East 11th Street, became important neighborhood social centers. The Third Avenue elevated railroad opened in 1878.
The Aschenbroedel Verein
A social and benevolent association composed almost exclusively of German-American professional orchestral musicians, the Aschenbroedel Verein was founded informally in 1860, with its name, ìCinderella Society,î supposedly a play on the last name of one of its members , August Asche. After initially meeting at Schneiderís Hall, 371 Broome Street, by 1866 the group had grown large enough with some 300 members for it to acquire a building on East 4th Street. The Aschenbroedel Verein became one of the leading German organizations in Kleindeutschland on the Lower East Side, and counted as members many of the most important musicians in the city, including conductors Carl Bergmann, Theodore Thomas, and Walter Damrosch, as well as all of the members of the Theodore Thomas Orchestra and most of the members of the New York Philharmonic. According to Groveís Dictionary of Music and Musicians in 1880, this was also ìthe headquartersî of the New York Philharmonic Society, though the Philharmonicís Minutes books illustrate that this was one of several locations in the neighborhood where its directorsí and business meetings were held, between 1873 and 1888. Howard Shanet, in Philharmonic: A History of New Yorkís Orchestra , stated that the Aschenbroedel Verein was the first organization in New York to advance the unionization of musicians, as early as 1860, an effort that culminated later with the formation of the Musical Mutual Protective Union. Shanet called Aschenbroedel ìat once a cultural, a benevolent, a social, and a labor association.î He further emphasized the total domination of the symphonic world in New York by the German community, with nearly all of the Philharmonic men of German birth or parentage by 1892. The Aschenbroedel Vereinís motto was ìFreundschaft, Geselligkeit, Befoerderung der Kunstî .
By 1870, there were an estimated 64 German musical societies within New York City, and a number of them were located in the vicinity, either in converted structures or purpose-built ones. These included the Arion Singing Society ; Liederkranz , 31-35 East 4th Street; and Beethoven Maennerchor , located in a hall built in 1870 at 210-214 East 5th Street. In addition, Turnverein Halle , 66-68 East 4th Street, was built just down the block from the Aschenbroedel Verein.
In 1873, the Aschenbroedel Verein, under president George Matzka , constructed this purpose-built structure, clad in brick and four stories , at an estimated cost of $24,000. Construction began in June and was completed in October. The architect was August H. Blankenstein , who was born in Germany and immigrated to the U.S. in 1860. Active from 1872 to 1899, he designed tenement, flats, and factory buildings for a mostly German clientele, as well as the addition to the Centre Market Armory , Grand and Centre Streets; work on the 55th Regiment, 23rd Regiment, and First Cavalry 22nd Regiment Armories ; and St. Josephís R.C. Orphan Asylum School , Avenue A and 90th Street. A 1894 lawsuit indicated that Blankenstein had been a partner of architect Henry Herter prior to 1886 . Blankenstein was also listed as an architect in an 1890 directory in Buffalo, N.Y.
The Times reported on November 7, 1873, that the Aschenbroedel Verein had ìinaugurated its new club-house... last night, by an entertainment of music and social festivities.î Considered ìone of the most commodious German clubhouses in the city,î its amenities included a restaurant, a library, a billiard room, and a bowling alley in the basement. Among activities conducted here were meetings of the Ancient Lodge of Perfection in 1873, and the 1876 funeral of Philharmonic conductor and Aschenbroedel Verein member Carl Bergmann. For unknown reasons, the building was listed for sale in 1882, but the Aschenbroedel Verein remained here until it sold the building in September 1891. The society, then having some 700 members, moved in November 1892 into a new clubhouse at 144 East 86th Street in Yorkville.
The Gesangverein Schillerbund and Schillerbund Halle
In June 1892, the Aschenbroedel Verein Building was acquired by the Gesangverein Schillerbund , one of the cityís leading and oldest German singing societies. Founded in 1850 and named after the poet Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller , the Schillerbund had been meeting since 1872 in Turnverein Halle. The purchase price of its new building was $1.00, subject to $37,500 in mortgages held by the Bachmann Brewing Co. of Clifton, Staten Island. This structure was altered between September and October 1892 by the architectural firm of [Frederick William] Kurtzer & [Richard O.L.] Rohl. Interestingly, Kurtzer was a member of the Beethoven Maennerchor. In partnership from about 1888 until 1901, Kurtzer & Rohl specialized in tenements and flats buildings for a largely German clientele; examples of its work include Nos. 95 Bedford Street and 285 West 4th Street , located within the Greenwich Village Historic District, and No. 121 East 10th Street , located within the St. Markís Historic District. The firm was also responsible for the First German Reformed Church , 351 East 68th Street, and its Sunday School . Richard O.L. Rohl , an immigrant from Prussia in 1880, maintained an independent practice from 1902 until around 1919. No. 391 West Street , located within the Weehawken Street Historic District, was his first independent commission, and he also designed the double tenement buildings at Nos. 35-39 Christopher Street , located within the Greenwich Village Historic District. Frederick William Kurtzer , emigrated from Germany around 1870. He worked independently in 1901-02, then became a partner in Kurtzer & Rentz in 1903-06, with Charles Rentz, Jr. , an architect who was born in New York City of German descent. Rentz was extraordinarily prolific in the design of flats and tenement buildings in the 1880s, but is best known for the design of Webster Hall and Annex . Kurtzer continued to practice in Manhattan and the Bronx until around 1925.
The Dept. of Buildings 1892 alteration application for the Gesangverein Schillerbund Building, as well as the dockets, only listed $1,200 in work, involving interior partition alterations in the basement and second story. In an article on the buildingís opening in November 1892, however, the New York Times indicated that it had been ìalmost entirely rebuilt and refitted,î and that ìthe building cost in all about $45,000. ... On the ground floor are fine bowling alleys, the kitchen and restaurant. The second floor is used for assembly and meeting rooms, the third for lodge rooms, and the top of the house is occupied by the tenant.î The 1892 tax assessment for the property increased by more than 25 percent, and the structure was later described in the Times as ìone of the best Maennerchor clubhouses in that section of this city.î The design of the main facade, altered at this time with the addition of cast-iron ornament, combines elements of the German Renaissance Revival and neo-Grec styles with folk motifs , and features a variety of pedimented lintels, quoins, fraktur-like incising, three composersí busts over the second-story windows, and a prominent cornice with a large broken pediment.
A Schillerbund Fair was held here December 10-20, 1892. By 1895, the membership of the Schillerbund was around 400, and the hall, managed by Gustav Schunemann, reportedly enjoyed ìmuch popularity among the merrymakers of that neighborhood.î In November 1896, however, the Gesangverein Schillerbund sold the property and moved to Yorkville . This building was purchased for $40,195 by the Bachmann Brewing Co., holder of the mortgage. The company was founded by the German-born Frederick Bachmann , who had immigrated to New York in 1859, and worked at the Lion Brewery in Manhattan, prior to moving to Staten Island, where he was employed by the Schmidt Brewery and Gabriel Meyer Brewery, becoming the co-owner with David Meyer until it was destroyed by fire in 1881. As indicated by Charles L. Sachs in Made on Staten Island, ìThe successful breweries were not just efficient manufacturing enterprises. To market and distribute their products the breweries acquired real estate holdings and developed close ties with the restaurant, recreation, and tourism businesses. The major breweries owned, operated, and rented saloons, taverns, beer gardens, hotels, and even resort complexes.î
This building became a rental assembly hall, and there are references in newspapers calling it ìSchillerbund Halleî as late as 1901. A sampling of meetings and events held here included: pattern makers ; Eastern Star chapter of the Order of Chosen Friends ; New York branch of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers ; New York Engineers & Machinists Society ; New York Engineersí Protective Association ; and Poles celebrating the 1863 insurrection .
Krywaczyís Hall, Saenger Hall, and McKinley Hall
The building continued to be used as a public rental hall and social center, under three different names, and like such sites as Webster Hall , was a venue for organizational meetings and political and union functions, particularly for the working-class and immigrant population of the Lower East Side. As opined by historian Kathy Peiss:
For the working-class population packed into small tenement apartments, large halls that could be rented for dances, weddings, mass meetings, and other gatherings were a requirement of social life. The number of public halls in Manhattan rose substantially in a short period; business directories listed 130 halls in 1895 and 195 in 1910, an increase of 50 percent. While some of these, like Carnegie Hall, were cultural spaces of the privileged, most were located in working-class districts. The largest East Side halls... were always in great demand.
In a September 12, 1901, New York Times announcement of a meeting here of the Polish community to denounce Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist who had shot President William McKinley on September 6, the location was referred to as ìKrywaczyís Hallî . John Krywacsy was listed in directories as a liquor dealer on Forsyth Street. City directories in 1901-03, as well as the 1903 Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac, called this ìSaenger Hall.î The Bachmann Brewing Co. leased the property in April 1903 to Max Sapiro and Ike Lifschitz. Sapiro was listed in the 1910 Census as a Polish/Austrian-born cafÈ proprietor, though he was not listed in directories in connection with this property, while Issac Lifshitz was Russian-born according to the 1900 Census, and was listed in directories in this building in 1903-05 operating a saloon. Among groups meeting here were the Heinrich Heine lodge , Smoking Pipe Makersí Union , and East Side Restaurant Keepers . Apparently in commemoration of the assassinated President, the name of the building was changed to ìMcKinley Hallî by 1904. Organizations that met here included the formation of the New-York Rent Payersí Protective Association , Lady Lining Makers , and Cloth Hat and Cap Makers of North America . Frederick Bachmann was judged to be incompetent in July 1904 ; in November 1904, Bachmannís trustees transferred this property to Combined Securities Co., which held an auction in January 1905. The auction advertisement listed ìBowling alleys in cellar. Store, meeting, lodge, music rooms, and apartments above.î After passing through several owners, the building was acquired in February 1906 by Malka Marder; the wife of Benjamin Marder, a cloak contractor in the 1910 Census, both were Polish/Austrian-born.
The Newsboysí Athletic Club
In September 1905, the three upper stories of the former McKinley Hall were leased for use as the Newsboysí Athletic Club, founded by Jack Sullivan , known as the ìKing of the Newsboys,î a former newsboy and prizefighter who then sold papers to newsboys. The Club had a gymnasium and showers, a reading/classroom, and a lodging room for over fifty boys. The club depended on donations from New Yorkís society ñ one benefit, held in March 1907 at the Academy of Music, was directed by impresarios George M. Cohan and Sam Harris. By May 1911, with the expiration of its lease, the Club, by that time serving some 2,000 newsboys, purchased the former home of the New-York Historical Society at Second Avenue and 11th Street. The basement and storefront of the Newsboysí Athletic Club building had been leased for use as a laundry in 1905-07 to Paul C. Port , and from 1908 to March 1912 to the New System Napkin, Towel Supply & Steam Laundry Co., until legal action against the company was taken by the Marders.
Floral Garden Hall
Malka Marder sold the building in February 1913, and it was purchased the following month by Sarah Hirsch, the wife of Charles Hirsch, proprietor of the Manhattan Lyceum at 66-68 East 4th Street; both Hirsches were born in Romania. Operated as Floral Garden Hall, it was altered into a dance hall on the ground story, with meeting and banquet rooms above. Among the many events held here were: the annual convention of the Federation of Rumanian Jews of America ; Brotherhood Welfare Association gathering on behalf of New Yorkís hoboes ; Women Dressmakersí Association and Journeymen Barbersí League strike meetings ; a planned meeting of the Anti-Militarist League, which resulted in a riot after the owner reneged on the use of the hall ; Sheet Metal Workersí meetings ; garment workers strike meetings ; Messenger Boysí Union strike headquarters ; and Branch No. 578, Arbeiter Ring of the Socialist Party, and Sholom Aleichem Lodge of the Jewish National Workersí Alliance of America . In 1916, the ground story was altered for a storefront, incorporating 1892 cast-iron pilasters . The property was foreclosed in January 1919 and sold at auction.
Standard Provision Co./ Hygrade Food Products Corp.
After 45 years of use as a social and meeting hall, the former Aschenbroedel Verein Building for the next four decades served as meatpacking plant. The property was purchased in February 1919 by the Standard Provision Co. at 102 Rivington Street. A Dept. of Buildings application indicated that the building would be used for meatpacking, with storage in the basement, shipping and receiving on the ground story, a meat provisions and drying factory on the second story, and offices on the third story. In December 1927, Standard Provision was acquired through a merger of nine wholesale provisions companies by the Hygrade Food Products Corp. , 152 Broadway. The Washington Post called this ìthe first consolidation of delicatessen food properties ever effected.î According to a notice in the New York Times, the constituent companies
manufacture and sell frankfurters, bolognas, salamis, smoked and cured tongues, spiced, pickled and corned beef and various other ready-to-serve meat products. The companies are among the most important serving New York and Philadelphia. Their success individually and collectively has established an enviable record in the industry. Their products are sold to over 5,000 customers, including delicatessen stores, chain stores, drug stores, meat markets, clubs, grocers, hotels, restaurants, steamship and railroad companies, etc., throughout the United States and in foreign countries.
City directories over the years variously listed divisions of the corporation here: Hebrew National Food Products ; Carmel Kosher Provision Co. ; and Hod Carmel Kosher Provision Co. . Hygrade sold this property in February 1960.
20th-Century History of the East Village
After a period of decline, Greenwich Village was becoming known, prior to World War I, for its historic and picturesque qualities, its affordable housing, and the diversity of its population and social and political ideas. Many artists and writers, as well as tourists, were attracted to the Village. By the 1910s, property owners and merchants attempted to improve the Villageís economy and rehabilitate its physical condition, with ìshrewd realtors beg[inning] to amass their holdings of dilapidated housing.î These various factors and the increased desirability of the Village to upper-middle-class professionals lead to a real estate boom ñ ìrents increased during the 1920s by 140 percent and in some cases by as much as 300 percent.î
After World War II, the ethnic make-up of the Lower East Side changed again, becoming dominated by Latin American immigrants, especially those from Puerto Rico. Their immigration was encouraged by the government as a source of cheap labor, particularly for the garment trades, hotels, and small manufacturing. The community named itself Loisaida to symbolize the second generation Hispanic roots that had developed in the context of the African-American and Latino movements for social and economic justice, equality, and identity. The residential and cultural desirability of the neighborhood that came to be known as the ìEast Villageî increased with the removal of the Third Avenue El in 1955. As indicated by Terry Miller,
the psychological barrier that had marked the eastern boundary of Greenwich Village was gone. Blocks that once had no prestige were suddenly seen as intriguing, and apartments here were less costly than those in Greenwich Village. ... As artists and writers moved east, the blocks from St. Markís Place to Tenth Street were the first to hint that the Lower East Side was being transformed. Realtors began marketing the area as ìVillage East,î and by 1961 as the ìEast Village,î a name that stuck.
From World War I to the 1940s, Second Avenue between East 14th and Houston Streets had been considered the heart of New Yorkís Jewish community, known as the ìYiddish Rialtoî for its role as the worldís center of Yiddish theater. As Yiddish theater declined, the East Village gave rise in the 1950s to ìOff-Broadwayî theater, including the Phoenix Theater in the former Louis N. Jaffe Art Theater building , 181-189 Second Avenue; the Tempo Playhouse and Pyramid, Key, Bowery, New Bowery, and Bridge Theaters in the former Hamilton-Holly House, 4 St. Marks Place; and the Orpheum Theater , 126 Second Avenue. An ìoff-Off-Broadwayî theater also emerged in the late 1950s, characterized by the small size of the venues and total avoidance of commercialism and its pressures. Joe Cinoís Caffe Cino , 31 Cornelia Street, is generally recognized as the first, and other significant early off-Off-Broadway theaters were Judson Memorial Church under Rev. Al Carmines; Ellen Stewartís CafÈ La Mama/ La Mama Experimental Theatre Club , 321 East 9th Street ; and Theater Genesis in St. Marks in the Bowery Church under Michael Allen and Ralph Cook. Off-Off Broadway theater coincided with the emergence of gay theater in New York.
In the 1950s, the East Village also became home to a number of key Beat Generation writers, including Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Norman Mailer, and W.H. Auden, and was renowned for its protest art and politics, galleries, poetry and coffee houses, bookstores, clubs, with a ìcountercultureî scene centered on St. Markís Place.
Rodale Press, Inc.
The 74 East 4th Street building was purchased in February 1960 by Rodale Press, Inc., of Emmaus, Pa. Jerome Irving Rodale was a New York accountant who, with a brother, in 1923 founded Rodale Mfg. Co., which made commercial and residential electrical connectors. After relocating the firm to Emmaus, Rodale became interested in organic farming. Rodale Press began publishing Organic Farming & Gardening and Prevention , a magazine devoted to nutrition and personal health, and later, other magazines and health books. In order to promote his concepts, he was also a playwright and theatrical producer. Rodale apparently originally intended to use No. 74 as a theater ñ the Times listed building plans as such in 1960; instead, Rodale in 1962 purchased No. 64 East 4th Street with the intention to ìconvert it into an intimate playhouse, theatre workshop and acting school.î A directory in 1963 listed Rodale Press and the Rodale Theater at 62 East 4th Street, and Rodale Mfg. Co. at No. 60. Rodale sold the property in September 1967.
La Mama Experimental Theatre Club
In November 1967, the former Aschenbroedel Verein Building was acquired by the La Mama Experimental Theatre Club, an off-Off-Broadway theater company that had been founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart. After her arrival in New York in 1950, Ms. Stewart worked in retail clothing and fashion, becoming a freelance designer. She opened a basement CafÈ La Mama at 321 East 9th Street in 1961, intended as a combination boutique and theater, the latter partly inspired by the experience of a brother who was an aspiring playwright. The cafÈís first play in July 1962 was Tennessee Williamsí ìOne Arm,î and later that year Stewart put on the first American production of a Harold Pinter play, ìThe Room.î She was forced, however, to move several times: to 82 Second Avenue in 1963, after being closed by the Dept. of Buildings due to a zoning violation; and to a loft at 122 Second Avenue in 1964, after being closed twice by the Police, Fire, Licenses, and Health Departments. In March 1964, the company was renamed the La Mama Experimental Theatre Club, and Stewart was acclaimed during its first European tour in 1965. An Actorsí Equity crackdown in 1966 on coffee houses and theater workshops nearly ended the company, but the union relented in recognition of the importance in New York of experimental theater . By 1967, the Times called Ms. Stewart ìthe most active producer in New York City,î with a new American play every two weeks. Her abiding philosophy has been that La Mama is ìdedicated to the playwright and all forms of theater.î She notes that ìI started La Mama so there would be a place where a playwright could write, see and learn. Why should a new playwright be regarded on the same terms as an experienced playwright the very first time out ñ which is what most professional criticism does?î She has personally selected and invited these playwrights, who then act as their own producer, with La Mama considered an attractive venue due to its lack of censorship.
La Mama received major Ford and Rockefeller Foundations grants in 1967, allowing the purchase and renovation of the 74 East 4th Street building, which was then ìin ruins.î In June 1968, its Second Avenue theater closed, with plays temporarily produced at 9 St. Markís Place, while renovations occurred on East 4th Street. The current La Mama Experimental Theatre Club opened in March 1969, with repertory and ensemble theaters on the first and second stories, rehearsal space on the third story, and Stewartís apartment on the top story. The first two productions inaugurating the theaters were the musical ìCaution: A Love Story,î by Tom Eyen and Bruce Kirle, based on the story of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and Julie Bovassoís ìGloria and Esperanza.î The first-story theater was renovated in 1972. A National Endowment for the Arts grant in 1974 allowed for the expansion into an Annex at 66-68 East 4th Street .
Today, La Mama, the oldest off-Off-Broadway theater in New York City, is widely considered the most influential and has been called ìthe most prolific of all the off off-Broadway stages,î to date having produced an estimated 1,900 plays in New York City, and countless more around the world. La Mama has received more than sixty Obie Awards for Off-Broadway theater , as well as dozens of Drama Desk, Bessie, and Villager Awards. Ellen Stewart, recognized as a pioneering African-American theater impresario, was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship Award and MacArthur Fellows Award , and was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame . Though commercial theater has not been its focus, a number of La Mama plays achieved success on Broadway, including ìGodspellî and ìTorch Song Trilogy,î and its resident director, Tom OíHorgan, later produced the influential hit ìHair.î Among the notable playwrights associated with La Mama have been Jean-Claude van Itallie, Paul Foster, Ruth Yorck, Tom Eyen, Julie Bovasso, David Starkweather, Sam Shepard, Lanford Wilson, Harvey Fierstein, William Hoffman, Adrienne Kennedy, Charles Ludlam, and Terence McNally; eminent directors have included OíHorgan, Joseph Chaiken, Andrei Serban, Wilford Leach, John Vacarro, Marshall Mason, and Meredith Monk; and performers of note have included Bill Irwin, Billy Crystal, Nick Nolte, Danny De Vito, Bette Midler, and Estelle Getty.
Description
The four-story and three-bay, red brick-clad Aschenbroedel Verein Building was originally built in 1873; the front facade was altered in 1892 with the addition of cast-iron ornament that combines elements of the German Renaissance Revival and neo-Grec styles with folk motifs.
Ground Story: Four 1892 cast-iron pilasters survive, which are fluted at the base, paneled above, and ornamented with incised blocks that are surmounted by bosses and inverted hearts. The iron entablature once supported by the pilasters has been removed ; the story is terminated by a painted stone stringcourse. Alterations dating from 1969 include: the central metal-and-glass entrance doors , which are surmounted by a wooden panel and sign; brick infill between and above the pilasters; announcement board on the east side of the facade; and two light fixtures placed above the entrance.
Second through Fourth Stories: The upper stories are flanked by vermiculated cast-iron quoins . All windows have cast-iron surrounds, ornamented with hearts on the sides and incised motifs on the sills, and are linked together and to the quoins by panels with fraktur-like incising. Many of the moldings once located above the hearts on the windows are missing. The second-story windows are double-height, are capped by round-arched pediments ornamented with three composersí busts, and have six-over-six double-hung wood sash . The third story windows have segmental broken-scroll pediments and six-over-six double-hung wood sash . The central fourth-story window is capped by a pediment, while the outer windows have entablatures . The prominent metal cornice has stylized modillions ornamented with hearts , rods, and incised ends and is surmounted by a large molded, broken pediment, ornamented at the ends by sunbursts.
Western Facade: This facade, currently visible above the first story, has keyed returns of the front facadeís quoins, and a portion of red brick facing; the rest of the facade is unarticulated and parged.
Eastern Facade: Attached to the eastern side of the building [and not on the designated Landmark Site] is a tan brick wall, constructed as part of a light court for No. 63-65 Second Avenue .
- From the 2009 NYCLPC Landmark Designation Report
I attended the Barrett Jackson Spring 2025 Car Show at WestWorld in Scottsdale with my son.
This is a 1941 Willys Americar Custom Coupe
www.barrett-jackson.com/scottsdale-2025/docket/vehicle/19...
This professionally built custom 1941 Willys Americar features an Active Power body with tilt front and Stage 11 frame. It is powered by a new Skip White Performance 555ci engine, dyno-tested at 688hp and 700 ft/lbs of torque, connected to a TH400 3-speed automatic transmission with high-stall converter, and Currie-built 9-inch 4-link with 3.50 gears and 31-spline axles. It is equipped with chrome A-arms with air bags, Mustang II rack & pinion steering, billet belt system, Be Cool large-capacity radiator with dual fans and Be Cool overflow tank, and Wilwood brakes. It also has a 15-gallon fuel cell with Aeromotive high-pressure external fuel pump and two Aeromotive filters, MSD distributor, coil and ignition box, custom side exhaust and two new Redtop batteries in the trunk. This Americar is finished in ceramic-coated House of Kolor Cinnamon Pearl paint, body and undercarriage, and also features shaved door handles with poppers, power windows and fold-down license plate, and rides on Billet Specialties wheels. It also features a custom leather interior and trunk, as well as AutoMeter gauges, a chrome tilt steering column and a Lokar shifter.
finance.yahoo.com/news/barrett-jackson-kicks-off-2025-215...
"Barrett-Jackson delivered many magical experiences for everyone who joined us in Scottsdale," said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson. "From the excitement of the auction block to the thrill rides, exhibits, STEM Fest and live music, there was truly something that everyone in the family could enjoy. We filled our docket with so much diversity that collectors from every walk of life found something they loved. We stay on top of the trends and consign the vehicles that people want, provin
Barrett Jackson 2025
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenville,_Illinois
Greenville is a city in Bond County, Illinois, United States, 51 miles (82 km) east of St. Louis. The population as of the 2010 census was 7,000. It is the county seat of Bond County.
Greenville is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is also considered part of the Metro East region of Illinois.
Greenville celebrated its Bicentennial in 2015 as one of the oldest communities in Illinois. It is home to Greenville University, the Richard Bock Museum, the American Farm Heritage Museum, the Armed Forces Museum and the Demoulin Museum and a federal prison, Federal Correctional Institution, Greenville (FCI Greenville). It is also home to internationally known companies, including Nevco Scoreboard, the largest privately owned scoreboard company in the world, and DeMoulin Brothers, the world's oldest and largest manufacturer of band uniforms.
Source: www.americanfarmheritagemuseum.com/about-us.html
The American Farm Heritage Museum was one man's dream. The Museum became a reality when a group of men, mostly farmers, sitting in coffee shop, talked about the dream of building a museum to preserve the farm heritage. Sixty farmers, collectors, and civic leaders held a meeting to share their ideas with the public in April of 2002. It was agreed that Bond County, being near the middle of the state and right along 1-70, would be the perfect place. Meetings were conducted, fundraisers were held, and ideas were passed around. In 2002 the land for the museum was acquired and a name for the museum was chosen.
The American Farm Heritage Museum would sit on seventeen acres, along the south side of interstate 70, just east of the Route 127 overpass. Its goal would be to promote and share the heritage of America's rural life: living, farming and travel. One very generous family purchased the land and leased it for ninety-nine years to the American Farm Heritage Museum, NFP organization. After a year of planning, the first 32'x64' building, with a gambrel roof, was completed. It was finished just days before the first Heritage Days Show in July 2004. This building, originally was to be a tractor maintenance shop, but later became known as the Lil' Red Barn Museum.
In the winter of 2005, owners of a truck terminal building in St. Louis gave the building to the Museum, if we took it down. Several members went to work and got the 200'x100' building moved and rebuilt. Since then other buildings and groups have been added to the show grounds.
We are growing with each passing year. Our Main building is the site of numerous events throughout the year. The Lil' Red Barn is a little piece of history, with collections of items from the past. In 2009 this building received the Illinois Governor's Home Town Award. The Tractor Shed displays different makes of tractors and tools of the past. Our Christmas building, which operates as a work shop and houses all the Christmas boxes for The Christmas Lights Wonderland, partners with The Lil' Red Barn, Railroad, Hill's Fort and the Armed Forces Museum to put on a spectacular Christmas display.
The American Heritage Railroad, established in 2003 is a division of the American Farm Heritage Museum. Many rail-enthusiast members realized as farms were connected by the American Railroad so should the Museum have an operating railroad for its historic value, as well as provide a fun ride for visitors. May 10, 2005 the railroad division was officially formed and an intensive search began to procure equipment. Many thousands of hours of volunteer labor, by friends of the railroad, have resulted in over a mile of 13" gauge track being laid, on the grounds. It is our desire to honor the great railroads that have served Bond County, such as the Vandalia, Nickel Plate, Pennsylvania and CB & Q. In 2005 the Ben Winter's Museum railroad was purchased which provided a G-15 diesel train set. The final move of the Ben Winter's railroad was completed in November, in three days with 20 volunteers, 9 trailers and one semi-truck. The collection has grown to include both diesel and steam engines and a variety of rolling stock. The railroad owns three steam locomotives. It is hoped the 1926 Wagner 4-4-2 steam engine will be ready for operation for the 2015 season.
2005 Hill's Fort also joined the Museum. Hill's Fort played an important part in the opening of Northwest Territory. Hill's Fort may have started as early as 1806 when early settlers first arrived. The Fort's location appears on an 1808 survey map by Capt. Isaac Hill, leader of a team commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to survey the Illinois Territory. The Legislature fixed Hill's Fort as the temporary county seat. Earliest records are preserved from Hill's Fort and include court and marriage dockets. The Bond County seat was later moved to Perrysville and, in 1821 to Greenville, Illinois. No longer useful as a fort or county seat, Hill's Fort was abandoned and fell to ruin.
Following excruciating study of the original site, a replica of the Fort has been recreated on the grounds of the Farm Museum. It is open to the public on the 1st Saturday of the month from May through October and also open, for tours and special occasions. At Christmas time they are open Friday and Saturday nights for the Christmas lights. They dress in period dress and cook over the open fireplace in the cabin, and are eager to answer questions.
In 2012 The Armed Forces Museum, "Memories of Steel", joined our Museum. It maintains as its sole mission, to preserve these important pieces of military history. The Museum houses one of the largest collections of military vehicles in the County. It currently watches over approximately 15 privately-owned and 25 museum-owned vehicles. The members are involved in a program called "Living history" which furnishes displays of t1istoric vehicles and memorabilia and, works with re-enactors at civil events like Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day. Each of these vehicles has an historic story and plays a very important role in connecting us with the soldiers who lived and died in their service to the country.
Gardner Bishop walks a picket line (probably in front of the Blow School at 19t and Benning Road NE in December 1947) at the beginning of a student strike he called to protest the inferior, segregated education that black children were receiving.
Picket signs read “Equal Education for All Children,” “No Second Class Schools for First Class Pupils,” and “We Want to Study Not Walk.”
The boycott, which Bishop called a “sit-out,” would develop into a seven-year battle that involved meetings, demonstrations, petitions and lawsuits that ultimately resulted in the 1954 Bolling vs. Sharpe U.S. Supreme Court decision that outlawed legal segregation in District of Columbia schools.
Browne students began the school year in double shifts. Garnet Wilkinson, the African American assistant superintendent in charge of black schools, devised a plan where Browne would end some of the double shifts by using the formerly white, but now unused Blow and Webb elementary schools as annexes.
Browne students’ parents were outraged. The double shifts effectively cut students education in half while the use of the elementary schools meant longer walks for students to facilities with no equipment and desks too small for the larger adolescents.
Wilkinson’s plan went into effect December 1st. Classroom assignments called for 1,146 students to “shuttle” between the Browne school at 24th Street and Benning Road NE, the Blow School at 19th Street and Benning Road NE and the Webb School at 15th and Rosedale Streets NE. At the same time 680 students would continue their part time status at Browne.
Bishop disdained the Browne PTA, calling them “handpicked.” According to Bishop they had property owners in the area, various civic association representatives and non-parents in leadership. When working class parents attended the meetings, they felt “passed over,” according to Bishop.
In response, Bishop organized Browne students’ parents who “worked two jobs and went to church on Sundays” to meet at the Jones Memorial Church where they voted to stage a student strike or “sit-out.” The group would come be known as the Consolidated Parents Group.
The day before the planned boycott, Bishop organized a cab caravan to transport students to the Board of Education meeting at the Franklin Administration Building at 13th & K Streets NW.
Without any warning, Bishop led 40 children into the meeting and announced, “These are children from the Browne Junior High School and there’s not going to be—not one of them—or anyone else—at that school tomorrow, so I just wanted to explain who’s doin’ it and why.”
Browne recalled the board initially denied him the right to speak, but relented. “They sat there like a bunch of fools not believing a word they heard.”
The boycott began December 3rd with all children staying away from school and with children picketing at the schools and parents at the Franklin building. The city’s newspapers picked up the story and ran sympathetic articles.
Bishop’s group eventually organized itself as Consolidated Parents and Bishop came to rely on a core group of leaders composed of Marie W Smith and Burma Whitted, vice presidents; Unity T. Macklin, secretary; and James Haley Sr., Treasurer along with a dozen other member activists among the hundreds of members.
By mid-December, under ferocious attack from more conservative elements in the black community, Consolidated partially ended their boycott by having children return to Browne but continue boycotting Blow and Webb.
Supplementary classes for children were set up by the group at Jones Memorial Church.
As the weeks wore on, the strike began faltering and some parents began sending their children to the annexes. Shortly afterward a settlement was finally reached whereby students returned to the classrooms February 3, 1948.
The issues that arose in the strike would be settled by two lawsuits. One sponsored by the Browne PTA asked that the Board of Education be enjoined from assigning black junior high students to elementary schools while there was space available in white schools. The other sponsored by Consolidated Parents challenged the unequal facilities of the segregated school system itself.
As part of ending the strike, the Board of Education agreed to house the students in five different self-contained school buildings and ended students “shuttling” between facilities.
This was only the beginning of the battle. Bishop engaged Charles Hamilton Houston, the premier rights attorney of the day, in bringing suit against the school system. The initial Carr suit was unsuccessful, but Houston had already planned a different strategy—taking on the “separate but equal” doctrine itself and calling on the Supreme Court to reverse its 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision,
The group obtained widespread data that damned the school system’s so-called separate but equal education, but Houston died before the new suit got off the ground.
Fresh with victory in the Carr case, the DC school board continued to build segregated schools. They opened the white John Phillips Sousa Junior High in Anacostia on September 11, 1950 with a large auditorium, double gyms, seven basketball courts, a softball field and a number of empty classrooms.
Bishop escorted eleven black children to enroll on the first day of school.
“Those black children walked in there and they saw the most beautiful school they had ever seen. All those wonderful typewriters, the laboratories, the great gymnasium…” Bishop said.
While the principal of the all-white school graciously took them on a tour, he refused to admit the students.
One of the students was Spottswood Bolling Jr., whose mother was a bookbinder for the federal government. Bolling was assigned to Shaw Junior High on U Street NW, an overcrowded black school with no science equipment and no playground.
The new attorney recommended by Houston, James Nabritt, enlisted another Washington, D.C. civil rights attorney, George E. C. Hayes, as co-counsel. They filed suit with Bolling’s being the first name on the document. The suit named C. Melvin Sharpe, the District’s school superintendent as the defendant.
The case took several years to wind its way through the courts, but in 1954 the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision along with three other school integration decisions, including the more famous Brown vs. Board of Education.
The Court, led by newly confirmed Chief Justice Earl Warren decided unanimously in favor of the plaintiffs.
In his opinion, he noted that while the 14th Amendment, whose Equal Protection Clause was cited in the Brown vs. Board in order to declare segregation unconstitutional did not apply in the District of Columbia, the 5th Amendment did in fact apply.
Warren held that “the concepts of equal protection and due process, both stemming from our American ideal of fairness, are not mutually exclusive.” While equal protection is a more explicit safeguard against discrimination, the Court stated, “…discrimination may be so unjustifiable as to be violative of due process.”
Referring to the technicalities raised by the case’s location in the District of Columbia, the Court held that, in light of their decision in Brown that segregation in state public schools is prohibited by the Constitution, it would be “unthinkable that the same Constitution would impose a lesser duty on the Federal Government.”
The Court concluded: “racial segregation in the public schools of the District of Columbia is a denial of the due process of law guaranteed by the 5th Amendment.” The Court restored both Bolling and Brown to the docket until they could reconvene to discuss how to effectively implement the decisions.
Bishop and Consolidated Parents had their victory for working class African Americans in the only major school case decided without counsel from the NAACP.
After the Court’s decision, Bishop stepped down as head of the Consolidated Parents Group. Bishop continued to hold his own court in his B&D Barbershop near 15th & U Streets NW where he worked until he retired in 1985. He died November 25, 1992.
--Much of this description is excerpted from Daniel Hardin’s article in the Washington Area Spark blog washingtonareaspark.com/2015/08/20/dcs-fighting-barber-th...
For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHskivJu7g
The photographer is unknown. The image is housed in the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, Howard University.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenville,_Illinois
Greenville is a city in Bond County, Illinois, United States, 51 miles (82 km) east of St. Louis. The population as of the 2010 census was 7,000. It is the county seat of Bond County.
Greenville is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is also considered part of the Metro East region of Illinois.
Greenville celebrated its Bicentennial in 2015 as one of the oldest communities in Illinois. It is home to Greenville University, the Richard Bock Museum, the American Farm Heritage Museum, the Armed Forces Museum and the Demoulin Museum and a federal prison, Federal Correctional Institution, Greenville (FCI Greenville). It is also home to internationally known companies, including Nevco Scoreboard, the largest privately owned scoreboard company in the world, and DeMoulin Brothers, the world's oldest and largest manufacturer of band uniforms.
Source: www.americanfarmheritagemuseum.com/about-us.html
The American Farm Heritage Museum was one man's dream. The Museum became a reality when a group of men, mostly farmers, sitting in coffee shop, talked about the dream of building a museum to preserve the farm heritage. Sixty farmers, collectors, and civic leaders held a meeting to share their ideas with the public in April of 2002. It was agreed that Bond County, being near the middle of the state and right along 1-70, would be the perfect place. Meetings were conducted, fundraisers were held, and ideas were passed around. In 2002 the land for the museum was acquired and a name for the museum was chosen.
The American Farm Heritage Museum would sit on seventeen acres, along the south side of interstate 70, just east of the Route 127 overpass. Its goal would be to promote and share the heritage of America's rural life: living, farming and travel. One very generous family purchased the land and leased it for ninety-nine years to the American Farm Heritage Museum, NFP organization. After a year of planning, the first 32'x64' building, with a gambrel roof, was completed. It was finished just days before the first Heritage Days Show in July 2004. This building, originally was to be a tractor maintenance shop, but later became known as the Lil' Red Barn Museum.
In the winter of 2005, owners of a truck terminal building in St. Louis gave the building to the Museum, if we took it down. Several members went to work and got the 200'x100' building moved and rebuilt. Since then other buildings and groups have been added to the show grounds.
We are growing with each passing year. Our Main building is the site of numerous events throughout the year. The Lil' Red Barn is a little piece of history, with collections of items from the past. In 2009 this building received the Illinois Governor's Home Town Award. The Tractor Shed displays different makes of tractors and tools of the past. Our Christmas building, which operates as a work shop and houses all the Christmas boxes for The Christmas Lights Wonderland, partners with The Lil' Red Barn, Railroad, Hill's Fort and the Armed Forces Museum to put on a spectacular Christmas display.
The American Heritage Railroad, established in 2003 is a division of the American Farm Heritage Museum. Many rail-enthusiast members realized as farms were connected by the American Railroad so should the Museum have an operating railroad for its historic value, as well as provide a fun ride for visitors. May 10, 2005 the railroad division was officially formed and an intensive search began to procure equipment. Many thousands of hours of volunteer labor, by friends of the railroad, have resulted in over a mile of 13" gauge track being laid, on the grounds. It is our desire to honor the great railroads that have served Bond County, such as the Vandalia, Nickel Plate, Pennsylvania and CB & Q. In 2005 the Ben Winter's Museum railroad was purchased which provided a G-15 diesel train set. The final move of the Ben Winter's railroad was completed in November, in three days with 20 volunteers, 9 trailers and one semi-truck. The collection has grown to include both diesel and steam engines and a variety of rolling stock. The railroad owns three steam locomotives. It is hoped the 1926 Wagner 4-4-2 steam engine will be ready for operation for the 2015 season.
2005 Hill's Fort also joined the Museum. Hill's Fort played an important part in the opening of Northwest Territory. Hill's Fort may have started as early as 1806 when early settlers first arrived. The Fort's location appears on an 1808 survey map by Capt. Isaac Hill, leader of a team commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to survey the Illinois Territory. The Legislature fixed Hill's Fort as the temporary county seat. Earliest records are preserved from Hill's Fort and include court and marriage dockets. The Bond County seat was later moved to Perrysville and, in 1821 to Greenville, Illinois. No longer useful as a fort or county seat, Hill's Fort was abandoned and fell to ruin.
Following excruciating study of the original site, a replica of the Fort has been recreated on the grounds of the Farm Museum. It is open to the public on the 1st Saturday of the month from May through October and also open, for tours and special occasions. At Christmas time they are open Friday and Saturday nights for the Christmas lights. They dress in period dress and cook over the open fireplace in the cabin, and are eager to answer questions.
In 2012 The Armed Forces Museum, "Memories of Steel", joined our Museum. It maintains as its sole mission, to preserve these important pieces of military history. The Museum houses one of the largest collections of military vehicles in the County. It currently watches over approximately 15 privately-owned and 25 museum-owned vehicles. The members are involved in a program called "Living history" which furnishes displays of t1istoric vehicles and memorabilia and, works with re-enactors at civil events like Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day. Each of these vehicles has an historic story and plays a very important role in connecting us with the soldiers who lived and died in their service to the country.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenville,_Illinois
Greenville is a city in Bond County, Illinois, United States, 51 miles (82 km) east of St. Louis. The population as of the 2010 census was 7,000. It is the county seat of Bond County.
Greenville is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is also considered part of the Metro East region of Illinois.
Greenville celebrated its Bicentennial in 2015 as one of the oldest communities in Illinois. It is home to Greenville University, the Richard Bock Museum, the American Farm Heritage Museum, the Armed Forces Museum and the Demoulin Museum and a federal prison, Federal Correctional Institution, Greenville (FCI Greenville). It is also home to internationally known companies, including Nevco Scoreboard, the largest privately owned scoreboard company in the world, and DeMoulin Brothers, the world's oldest and largest manufacturer of band uniforms.
Source: www.americanfarmheritagemuseum.com/about-us.html
The American Farm Heritage Museum was one man's dream. The Museum became a reality when a group of men, mostly farmers, sitting in coffee shop, talked about the dream of building a museum to preserve the farm heritage. Sixty farmers, collectors, and civic leaders held a meeting to share their ideas with the public in April of 2002. It was agreed that Bond County, being near the middle of the state and right along 1-70, would be the perfect place. Meetings were conducted, fundraisers were held, and ideas were passed around. In 2002 the land for the museum was acquired and a name for the museum was chosen.
The American Farm Heritage Museum would sit on seventeen acres, along the south side of interstate 70, just east of the Route 127 overpass. Its goal would be to promote and share the heritage of America's rural life: living, farming and travel. One very generous family purchased the land and leased it for ninety-nine years to the American Farm Heritage Museum, NFP organization. After a year of planning, the first 32'x64' building, with a gambrel roof, was completed. It was finished just days before the first Heritage Days Show in July 2004. This building, originally was to be a tractor maintenance shop, but later became known as the Lil' Red Barn Museum.
In the winter of 2005, owners of a truck terminal building in St. Louis gave the building to the Museum, if we took it down. Several members went to work and got the 200'x100' building moved and rebuilt. Since then other buildings and groups have been added to the show grounds.
We are growing with each passing year. Our Main building is the site of numerous events throughout the year. The Lil' Red Barn is a little piece of history, with collections of items from the past. In 2009 this building received the Illinois Governor's Home Town Award. The Tractor Shed displays different makes of tractors and tools of the past. Our Christmas building, which operates as a work shop and houses all the Christmas boxes for The Christmas Lights Wonderland, partners with The Lil' Red Barn, Railroad, Hill's Fort and the Armed Forces Museum to put on a spectacular Christmas display.
The American Heritage Railroad, established in 2003 is a division of the American Farm Heritage Museum. Many rail-enthusiast members realized as farms were connected by the American Railroad so should the Museum have an operating railroad for its historic value, as well as provide a fun ride for visitors. May 10, 2005 the railroad division was officially formed and an intensive search began to procure equipment. Many thousands of hours of volunteer labor, by friends of the railroad, have resulted in over a mile of 13" gauge track being laid, on the grounds. It is our desire to honor the great railroads that have served Bond County, such as the Vandalia, Nickel Plate, Pennsylvania and CB & Q. In 2005 the Ben Winter's Museum railroad was purchased which provided a G-15 diesel train set. The final move of the Ben Winter's railroad was completed in November, in three days with 20 volunteers, 9 trailers and one semi-truck. The collection has grown to include both diesel and steam engines and a variety of rolling stock. The railroad owns three steam locomotives. It is hoped the 1926 Wagner 4-4-2 steam engine will be ready for operation for the 2015 season.
2005 Hill's Fort also joined the Museum. Hill's Fort played an important part in the opening of Northwest Territory. Hill's Fort may have started as early as 1806 when early settlers first arrived. The Fort's location appears on an 1808 survey map by Capt. Isaac Hill, leader of a team commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to survey the Illinois Territory. The Legislature fixed Hill's Fort as the temporary county seat. Earliest records are preserved from Hill's Fort and include court and marriage dockets. The Bond County seat was later moved to Perrysville and, in 1821 to Greenville, Illinois. No longer useful as a fort or county seat, Hill's Fort was abandoned and fell to ruin.
Following excruciating study of the original site, a replica of the Fort has been recreated on the grounds of the Farm Museum. It is open to the public on the 1st Saturday of the month from May through October and also open, for tours and special occasions. At Christmas time they are open Friday and Saturday nights for the Christmas lights. They dress in period dress and cook over the open fireplace in the cabin, and are eager to answer questions.
In 2012 The Armed Forces Museum, "Memories of Steel", joined our Museum. It maintains as its sole mission, to preserve these important pieces of military history. The Museum houses one of the largest collections of military vehicles in the County. It currently watches over approximately 15 privately-owned and 25 museum-owned vehicles. The members are involved in a program called "Living history" which furnishes displays of t1istoric vehicles and memorabilia and, works with re-enactors at civil events like Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day. Each of these vehicles has an historic story and plays a very important role in connecting us with the soldiers who lived and died in their service to the country.
The U.S. Bank Derby Festival Great Balloon Race; one of Louisville's beloved family traditions. The multi-race docket gives spectators young and old more chances to take in the exhilarating view of boundless colors and shapes.
Shopko put within bankruptcy docket 6 that these two stores, Emmetsburg, Iowa, Delevan, Wisconsin and more are closing. Sales are sussposed to be from Febuary 1, 2019 to April 28, 2019. Check the first docket 6 for the official list. The media and general public are not aware of this list which is why there is no report any where but the bankrupty docket and from me which I figured out from the docket.
The fishing boat Harbour Mist is docked at a wharf in Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia. Photo taken on July 7, 2018.
Camera: Nikon D7100 & Nikkor 18-105mm lens
Flickr album : Final Dublin Bus Volvo Olympian / Dublin Bus.
After completing the historic journey on route 16 driver, David Maher hands over the final defect docket to Summerhill Maintenance manager Bobby Fields. A chapter closes.
RV560 probably would have gone on forever............
All this fencing has tired me out so I'll just head up the old road-become-trail. I suppose I was destined to capture something of the canyon in it's skinny-firmness even today. Oh well, the return trip is all downhill, grin.
I have been busy traveling to new photo venues that includes Jamestown, Boulder County Colorado and carrying the big camera and saw this pastoral view. I was in no particular hurry and I noticed this on the road officially designated 102J or Ward Road. This capture will have to cap the story presently. A lot of the canyon snaps would be similar until I got all the way up to New Providence and mining structures. That is not on the docket today. I will try to get back again this summer. I have other captures on this walk and I will study them later.
James Creek has a big spot in my heart. Probably for my fly fishing "up the creek." Now those episodes will not come to light except in person! I think that because the flat spot behind me is mill tailings, I would put trout back, below here on the river. I will probably sit for a time when I get to the bench. The day saw t-storms slowly building. This spot is just down stream from the town "center" and is generally has much water as it ever has. Jamestown was an early mountain town started just after the gold rush. I wanted to look for possible scenes I have yet to discover. I opted for this scene under the building overcast. I hoped the sky would present possibilities later. I knew I'd have some work to try to contain the range so I extracted three layers. I wandered up the creek and took some detail shots that were available,
I attended the Barrett Jackson Spring 2025 Car Show at WestWorld in Scottsdale with my son.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDTMiojsxVY
HELLTRAXX is the premiere removable snow track product on the market .
Its unmatched versatility allows you to rip up the mountain all season long and conveniently remove the tracks when the snow melts away. Built with superior durability and strength, HELLTRAXX is designed to withstand the harshest winter conditions. Whether you’re seeking adrenaline-filled fun or need a reliable tool for emergency situations on the slopes, HELLTRAXX is the only essential you'll need. Experience the power, freedom, and security of HELLTRAXX on your next snow adventure!
"Winters, Steve went snowmobiling, first in Northern Michigan and Canada, then further west, racing Colorado’s snowscapes with his son. For him, nothing beats a panoramic view at 11,000 feet, where mountains poke the skies. “You don’t get any closer to God!” he thought.
Initially, Steve just wanted to find a way to share this experience with his family. A side-by-side with four single tracks lacked horsepower and torque, and most importantly a quality heating system for his wife. And the slouch of a snow groomer didn’t cut his idea of high-altitude cruising. He needed power without sacrificing comfort.
The goal was to fuse the muscle of a Hellcat-powered Jeep – the cat inspired the name of the tracks – with the competence of a snow groomer. Ambitious, but the math was simple: equip the power, articulation, and maneuverability of the best 4x4s with enough flotation to master deep powder. The tracks needed to cover enough square feet to glide over the snow. The construction had to be super light and extra durable for the terrain he was gunning for.
Steve went to the drafting board. The resulting prototype scaled hills with ease, gripping steadily, even icier surfaces. In fresh powder HELLTRAXX’s performance exceeded expectations. It felt like surfing over clouds. As a trained pilot, Steve knew a thing or two about that.
Even Colorado locals had never seen anything like that. Steve realized HELLTRAXX had more potential than backcountry recreation. The versatile vehicles would be a game-changer for mountain access, rescue missions, ski resort maintenance, and avalanche control. "
finance.yahoo.com/news/barrett-jackson-kicks-off-2025-215...
"Barrett-Jackson delivered many magical experiences for everyone who joined us in Scottsdale," said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson. "From the excitement of the auction block to the thrill rides, exhibits, STEM Fest and live music, there was truly something that everyone in the family could enjoy. We filled our docket with so much diversity that collectors from every walk of life found something they loved. We stay on top of the trends and consign the vehicles that people want, proving once again that the car collector hobby is thriving. Those trends include the growing popularity of Resto-Mods, SUVs and trucks, which are gaining momentum because they appeal to such a broad cross section of people. I’m especially proud of our support for important charities again this year. We not only raised millions of dollars but also critical awareness that will help make a positive impact on so many communities."
www.classic-car-auctions.info/usa/scottsdale/2025-barrett...
In 2025, Barrett-Jackson earned $198 million by selling 2013 car lots and $5.2 million from 957 pieces of automobilia. A further $6.2 million was raised for charity.
The first production 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 VIN001 achieved $3.7 million as a charity lot and the highest result at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2025 collector car auction in Arizona, USA. The most expensive regular lots were a 2023 Hennessey Venom F5 Roadster ($2,200,000) and a 2014 Pagani Huayra ($1,925,000). DJ Marshmello’s 2020 Ford GT Liquid Carbon Special Edition achieved a strong $1,780,000.
The top four results at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2025 collector car auction were all for modern supercars. The top result was for charity (see below) while the most expensive regular car in the sale was for the nearly new 2023 Hennessy Venom F5 Roadster. This F5 Roadster was the second of only 30 produced and was sold with only 681 miles on the clock.
Special car
Barrett Jackson 2025
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenville,_Illinois
Greenville is a city in Bond County, Illinois, United States, 51 miles (82 km) east of St. Louis. The population as of the 2010 census was 7,000. It is the county seat of Bond County.
Greenville is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is also considered part of the Metro East region of Illinois.
Greenville celebrated its Bicentennial in 2015 as one of the oldest communities in Illinois. It is home to Greenville University, the Richard Bock Museum, the American Farm Heritage Museum, the Armed Forces Museum and the Demoulin Museum and a federal prison, Federal Correctional Institution, Greenville (FCI Greenville). It is also home to internationally known companies, including Nevco Scoreboard, the largest privately owned scoreboard company in the world, and DeMoulin Brothers, the world's oldest and largest manufacturer of band uniforms.
Source: www.americanfarmheritagemuseum.com/about-us.html
The American Farm Heritage Museum was one man's dream. The Museum became a reality when a group of men, mostly farmers, sitting in coffee shop, talked about the dream of building a museum to preserve the farm heritage. Sixty farmers, collectors, and civic leaders held a meeting to share their ideas with the public in April of 2002. It was agreed that Bond County, being near the middle of the state and right along 1-70, would be the perfect place. Meetings were conducted, fundraisers were held, and ideas were passed around. In 2002 the land for the museum was acquired and a name for the museum was chosen.
The American Farm Heritage Museum would sit on seventeen acres, along the south side of interstate 70, just east of the Route 127 overpass. Its goal would be to promote and share the heritage of America's rural life: living, farming and travel. One very generous family purchased the land and leased it for ninety-nine years to the American Farm Heritage Museum, NFP organization. After a year of planning, the first 32'x64' building, with a gambrel roof, was completed. It was finished just days before the first Heritage Days Show in July 2004. This building, originally was to be a tractor maintenance shop, but later became known as the Lil' Red Barn Museum.
In the winter of 2005, owners of a truck terminal building in St. Louis gave the building to the Museum, if we took it down. Several members went to work and got the 200'x100' building moved and rebuilt. Since then other buildings and groups have been added to the show grounds.
We are growing with each passing year. Our Main building is the site of numerous events throughout the year. The Lil' Red Barn is a little piece of history, with collections of items from the past. In 2009 this building received the Illinois Governor's Home Town Award. The Tractor Shed displays different makes of tractors and tools of the past. Our Christmas building, which operates as a work shop and houses all the Christmas boxes for The Christmas Lights Wonderland, partners with The Lil' Red Barn, Railroad, Hill's Fort and the Armed Forces Museum to put on a spectacular Christmas display.
The American Heritage Railroad, established in 2003 is a division of the American Farm Heritage Museum. Many rail-enthusiast members realized as farms were connected by the American Railroad so should the Museum have an operating railroad for its historic value, as well as provide a fun ride for visitors. May 10, 2005 the railroad division was officially formed and an intensive search began to procure equipment. Many thousands of hours of volunteer labor, by friends of the railroad, have resulted in over a mile of 13" gauge track being laid, on the grounds. It is our desire to honor the great railroads that have served Bond County, such as the Vandalia, Nickel Plate, Pennsylvania and CB & Q. In 2005 the Ben Winter's Museum railroad was purchased which provided a G-15 diesel train set. The final move of the Ben Winter's railroad was completed in November, in three days with 20 volunteers, 9 trailers and one semi-truck. The collection has grown to include both diesel and steam engines and a variety of rolling stock. The railroad owns three steam locomotives. It is hoped the 1926 Wagner 4-4-2 steam engine will be ready for operation for the 2015 season.
2005 Hill's Fort also joined the Museum. Hill's Fort played an important part in the opening of Northwest Territory. Hill's Fort may have started as early as 1806 when early settlers first arrived. The Fort's location appears on an 1808 survey map by Capt. Isaac Hill, leader of a team commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to survey the Illinois Territory. The Legislature fixed Hill's Fort as the temporary county seat. Earliest records are preserved from Hill's Fort and include court and marriage dockets. The Bond County seat was later moved to Perrysville and, in 1821 to Greenville, Illinois. No longer useful as a fort or county seat, Hill's Fort was abandoned and fell to ruin.
Following excruciating study of the original site, a replica of the Fort has been recreated on the grounds of the Farm Museum. It is open to the public on the 1st Saturday of the month from May through October and also open, for tours and special occasions. At Christmas time they are open Friday and Saturday nights for the Christmas lights. They dress in period dress and cook over the open fireplace in the cabin, and are eager to answer questions.
In 2012 The Armed Forces Museum, "Memories of Steel", joined our Museum. It maintains as its sole mission, to preserve these important pieces of military history. The Museum houses one of the largest collections of military vehicles in the County. It currently watches over approximately 15 privately-owned and 25 museum-owned vehicles. The members are involved in a program called "Living history" which furnishes displays of t1istoric vehicles and memorabilia and, works with re-enactors at civil events like Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day. Each of these vehicles has an historic story and plays a very important role in connecting us with the soldiers who lived and died in their service to the country.
This Hamilton Asphalts Western Star tractor/semi-trailer unit is one of two such vehicles operated by this company. Somehow it has lost its front bumper in recent times......
Seen here after having dumped some spoil at Porritt's sand quarry near Cambridge. Such spoil is used to back-fill the quarry.
The driver will have gone to the load scanner hut in order to fill-out a docket for his load.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenville,_Illinois
Greenville is a city in Bond County, Illinois, United States, 51 miles (82 km) east of St. Louis. The population as of the 2010 census was 7,000. It is the county seat of Bond County.
Greenville is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is also considered part of the Metro East region of Illinois.
Greenville celebrated its Bicentennial in 2015 as one of the oldest communities in Illinois. It is home to Greenville University, the Richard Bock Museum, the American Farm Heritage Museum, the Armed Forces Museum and the Demoulin Museum and a federal prison, Federal Correctional Institution, Greenville (FCI Greenville). It is also home to internationally known companies, including Nevco Scoreboard, the largest privately owned scoreboard company in the world, and DeMoulin Brothers, the world's oldest and largest manufacturer of band uniforms.
Source: www.americanfarmheritagemuseum.com/about-us.html
The American Farm Heritage Museum was one man's dream. The Museum became a reality when a group of men, mostly farmers, sitting in coffee shop, talked about the dream of building a museum to preserve the farm heritage. Sixty farmers, collectors, and civic leaders held a meeting to share their ideas with the public in April of 2002. It was agreed that Bond County, being near the middle of the state and right along 1-70, would be the perfect place. Meetings were conducted, fundraisers were held, and ideas were passed around. In 2002 the land for the museum was acquired and a name for the museum was chosen.
The American Farm Heritage Museum would sit on seventeen acres, along the south side of interstate 70, just east of the Route 127 overpass. Its goal would be to promote and share the heritage of America's rural life: living, farming and travel. One very generous family purchased the land and leased it for ninety-nine years to the American Farm Heritage Museum, NFP organization. After a year of planning, the first 32'x64' building, with a gambrel roof, was completed. It was finished just days before the first Heritage Days Show in July 2004. This building, originally was to be a tractor maintenance shop, but later became known as the Lil' Red Barn Museum.
In the winter of 2005, owners of a truck terminal building in St. Louis gave the building to the Museum, if we took it down. Several members went to work and got the 200'x100' building moved and rebuilt. Since then other buildings and groups have been added to the show grounds.
We are growing with each passing year. Our Main building is the site of numerous events throughout the year. The Lil' Red Barn is a little piece of history, with collections of items from the past. In 2009 this building received the Illinois Governor's Home Town Award. The Tractor Shed displays different makes of tractors and tools of the past. Our Christmas building, which operates as a work shop and houses all the Christmas boxes for The Christmas Lights Wonderland, partners with The Lil' Red Barn, Railroad, Hill's Fort and the Armed Forces Museum to put on a spectacular Christmas display.
The American Heritage Railroad, established in 2003 is a division of the American Farm Heritage Museum. Many rail-enthusiast members realized as farms were connected by the American Railroad so should the Museum have an operating railroad for its historic value, as well as provide a fun ride for visitors. May 10, 2005 the railroad division was officially formed and an intensive search began to procure equipment. Many thousands of hours of volunteer labor, by friends of the railroad, have resulted in over a mile of 13" gauge track being laid, on the grounds. It is our desire to honor the great railroads that have served Bond County, such as the Vandalia, Nickel Plate, Pennsylvania and CB & Q. In 2005 the Ben Winter's Museum railroad was purchased which provided a G-15 diesel train set. The final move of the Ben Winter's railroad was completed in November, in three days with 20 volunteers, 9 trailers and one semi-truck. The collection has grown to include both diesel and steam engines and a variety of rolling stock. The railroad owns three steam locomotives. It is hoped the 1926 Wagner 4-4-2 steam engine will be ready for operation for the 2015 season.
2005 Hill's Fort also joined the Museum. Hill's Fort played an important part in the opening of Northwest Territory. Hill's Fort may have started as early as 1806 when early settlers first arrived. The Fort's location appears on an 1808 survey map by Capt. Isaac Hill, leader of a team commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to survey the Illinois Territory. The Legislature fixed Hill's Fort as the temporary county seat. Earliest records are preserved from Hill's Fort and include court and marriage dockets. The Bond County seat was later moved to Perrysville and, in 1821 to Greenville, Illinois. No longer useful as a fort or county seat, Hill's Fort was abandoned and fell to ruin.
Following excruciating study of the original site, a replica of the Fort has been recreated on the grounds of the Farm Museum. It is open to the public on the 1st Saturday of the month from May through October and also open, for tours and special occasions. At Christmas time they are open Friday and Saturday nights for the Christmas lights. They dress in period dress and cook over the open fireplace in the cabin, and are eager to answer questions.
In 2012 The Armed Forces Museum, "Memories of Steel", joined our Museum. It maintains as its sole mission, to preserve these important pieces of military history. The Museum houses one of the largest collections of military vehicles in the County. It currently watches over approximately 15 privately-owned and 25 museum-owned vehicles. The members are involved in a program called "Living history" which furnishes displays of t1istoric vehicles and memorabilia and, works with re-enactors at civil events like Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day. Each of these vehicles has an historic story and plays a very important role in connecting us with the soldiers who lived and died in their service to the country.
NTSB releases docket on the August 20, 2015 CSX Transportation crude oil unit train K08227 derailment in Lynchburg, VA.
I attended the Barrett Jackson Spring 2025 Car Show at WestWorld in Scottsdale with my son.
www.shelby.com/Vehicles/2025-Shelby-GT350
Sixty years ago, the Shelby GT350 redefined performance, launching a new era in motorsports. Shelby American transformed the 1965 Mustang into an international icon, and for 2025, they've done it again.
Teaming up with industry leaders, Shelby American has crafted the most powerful Shelby GT350 ever. The 5.0L V8 engine, available in 480 and 810 horsepower versions (supercharged), is complemented by performance-focused upgrades in suspension, exhaust, and aerodynamics. The result? A car that's thrilling on both the street and the track.
The GT350's styling is as purposeful as its performance. From 60th anniversary badges to carbon fiber accents and the functional aluminum hood with heat extraction, every detail honors the original GT350 while embracing modern performance.
In 1965, Shelby American produced 562 GT350s, and for 2025, the number remains the same—making this model just as exclusive. Production begins in the second quarter of the year, with cars available through selected Ford dealers in the U.S., and a limited number of international models built by Shelby mod shops.
www.motortrend.com/news/2025-shelby-american-ford-mustang...
The new Shelby GT350 is based on the current Ford Mustang GT, and so the engine it builds off of is the excellent Coyote V-8 rather than the exotic flat-plane-crank Voodoo 5.2-liter found in Ford's homegrown GT350 and GT350R. Shelby American adds a supercharger which boosts output to 810 horsepower. There’s a short list of other performance mods including lowering springs and sway bars. Naturally with it being a Shelby there is a host of aesthetic pieces thrown in as well like an aero package, wheels, and decals. If you want an idea of what it’s capable of, the team at HOT ROD spent a track day with an early prototype. Spoiler alert: they had a great time with it.
www.hotrod.com/features/2025-shelby-gt350-ford-track-drive/
“Sixty years ago, the Shelby GT350 marked a new chapter in performance and motorsports history,” said Joe Conway, CEO of Shelby American. “It was Shelby’s first model based on the Ford Mustang, the perfect follow-up to the groundbreaking Shelby Cobra. Shelby American poured its performance expertise into the 1965 Mustang, turning it into an iconic international sports car. We followed the same strategy for 2025 and collaborated with industry leaders to create this very special Shelby car.”
“The Shelby GT350 and the Shelby GT350R are back for 2025,” said Gary Patterson, president of Shelby American. “Just as Carroll Shelby envisioned in 1965, this sports car is designed to be exhilarating and competitive on both the street and track. The Shelby GT350 and Shelby GT350R each have unique personalities that are very different from our halo Shelby Super Snake. The 2025 Shelby GT350 models are pure sports car, while the Shelby Super Snake is the highest-performance supercar in our lineup.
finance.yahoo.com/news/barrett-jackson-kicks-off-2025-215...
"Barrett-Jackson delivered many magical experiences for everyone who joined us in Scottsdale," said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson. "From the excitement of the auction block to the thrill rides, exhibits, STEM Fest and live music, there was truly something that everyone in the family could enjoy. We filled our docket with so much diversity that collectors from every walk of life found something they loved. We stay on top of the trends and consign the vehicles that people want, proving once again that the car collector hobby is thriving. Those trends include the growing popularity of Resto-Mods, SUVs and trucks, which are gaining momentum because they appeal to such a broad cross section of people. I’m especially proud of our support for important charities again this year. We not only raised millions of dollars but also critical awareness that will help make a positive impact on so many communities."
www.classic-car-auctions.info/usa/scottsdale/2025-barrett...
In 2025, Barrett-Jackson earned $198 million by selling 2013 car lots and $5.2 million from 957 pieces of automobilia. A further $6.2 million was raised for charity.
The first production 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 VIN001 achieved $3.7 million as a charity lot and the highest result at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2025 collector car auction in Arizona, USA. The most expensive regular lots were a 2023 Hennessey Venom F5 Roadster ($2,200,000) and a 2014 Pagani Huayra ($1,925,000). DJ Marshmello’s 2020 Ford GT Liquid Carbon Special Edition achieved a strong $1,780,000.
The top four results at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2025 collector car auction were all for modern supercars. The top result was for charity (see below) while the most expensive regular car in the sale was for the nearly new 2023 Hennessy Venom F5 Roadster. This F5 Roadster was the second of only 30 produced and was sold with only 681 miles on the clock.
Special car
Barrett Jackson 2025
The most powerful Golf ever is coming to America: Its name: R32. Its output: 177 kW / 240 hp: Its engine: An extremely agile 3.2 liter V6 - which is also installed in the new Phaeton. This compact four-wheel drive sports car from Volkswagen allows a top speed of 247 km/h (153 mph) wherever this is permitted. However, this value only reveals one of the Golf R32's dynamic sides. The manner in which this sports car exhibits a high level of agility, superiority and safety in all speed ranges and in all conceivable situations is equally as fascinating.
V6 with an output of 177 kW / 240 hp: In technical terms, the compact six-cylinder engine is characterized, amongst other aspects, by the continuously adjustable inlet and exhaust camshaft, cylinder-selective knock control and variable intake manifold geometry. The engine's power (a maximum of 320 Newtonmeters) is transferred to the standard 4MOTION four-wheel drive via a six-speed gearbox with tightly graduated shifting travel. A twin-branch exhaust system with two chrome-plated tailpipes ensures that the R32 emits an appropriately throaty roar.
The optical appearance of this new, top Golf model is characterized by its sports running gear which - in comparison with the standard model - has been lowered by 20 millimeters, 18" alloy wheels with 225/40 ZR 18 tires and extensive modifications at the front and rear.
In the passenger compartment, brushed aluminum trim (pedals, center console, gearshift lever, etc.) underlines the dynamic orientation of the most successful car ever built in Germany. The newly-designed front sports seats with integrated headrests and a leather-covered steering wheel exclusive to the R32 have been designed for sporty driving.
The extensive standard equipment fitted in the R32, which will initially be available as a two-door model, includes: Electronically-controlled automatic air conditioner, a high-quality radio system with eight loudspeakers, multi-function display, rain sensor, a rear-view mirror with automatic anti-dazzle setting, heated seats and xenon headlights including a headlight washer system.
As the new top model in the Golf model series, all of the R32's drive characteristics impressively demonstrate the dynamic potential of this compact class best-seller. However, the R32 also shows what is possible when luxury class technology is transferred to another, smaller vehicle class. Because the combination of such a powerful, naturally-aspirated six-cylinder engine with standard four-wheel drive is currently unique in this segment.
Volkswagen USA
Firing up the 3.2l sounds like any other VR6 engine until you dip into the throttle which unleashes a very healthy and low growl from the dual exhaust system. Volkswagen takes pride in mentioning the special exhaust "tuning" that went into this system and we're here to tell you that it sounds simply awesome. In fact if we didn't know any better we would have thought the exhaust was a straight aftermarket piece - it was that noticeable.
Clutch take up was lighter than expected, but the new six-speed is smooth and fairly precise making it easy to get going. You can tell that the R32 is a heavy car getting under way, yet it didn't feel too ponderous. The 236 lb-ft. of torque pulls the car out of the hole rather nicely and when you keep your foot planted past 4000 rpms things start to really move with both mechanical engine noises and exhaust tones fighting for attention - this is something we could definitely get used to.
Volkswagen had previously laid out a cone course for us earlier in the day which included a slalom section right out of the gate. This was the most telling part of the whole course and where the R32 truly separated itself from every other Golf and GTI we've driven. In to the first cone the first thing you notice is the very sharp and precise turn-in, but also the fact that the rear of the car is actively part of the program not just being tugged along for the ride like the regular beam axle GTI. By the third cone I found myself needing to correct for oversteer as I hadn't expected any cooperation from the rear of the car, nor any sort of neutrality. Once accustomed to the completely different handling characteristics, the R32 was easy to dice between the cones and provided a great balance all the way up to about 9/10ths when, in typical iron-block-completely-in-front-of-the-strut-towers VR6 fashion the car plowed hard at the limit driving wide of the line. Simply backing off the throttle part-way and scrubbing some speed helped correct the problem, but there is little anyone can do when it comes to the pure physics of placing that much weight in front of the wheels. Just below that threshold though, Volkswagen did a phenomenal job of bringing neutral handling back into the Golf platform and making the car feel completely different than any Golf or GTI to date.
Does it feel fast? Quick and fun absolutely... fast, well.... The R32 tips the scales at a heavy 3,256 lb. which conspires to intrude on any light and nimble feeling one might have in a regular GTI. It is still an aggressive car in so many other ways, with a wonderful engine, wonderful sounds and great handling up to a point that you are willing to forget about the weight. The brakes are easily up to the task and provided fade-free solid braking every time we touched the pedal.
VW Vortex
Launching the R32 is an exhilarating experience, and getting the right amount of clutch-slip will net a 5.9-second 0-to-60 time on the way to the quarter mile in 14.2 seconds at 97.6 mph. While these times don't beat the more powerful Evo or STi, the R32's smooth and snarling V-6 doesn't tousle the driver with the lag 'n' boost of those turbocharged cars, and the R32's suspension isn't as firm or punishing, either. The new MQ350 six-speed offers hugely improved shift feel over previous manual VW transmissions, which have been vague and rubbery. There's no automatic available in the R32, and only Europeans can option the magic DSG auto-dual-clutch manual found in the Audi TT 3.2 quattro. And whoever is responsible for tuning this car's dual exhaust system deserves a pat on the back.
R-spec blue-powder-coated four-piston brake calipers grab large (13.1-inch front, 10.1-inch rear) vented discs so well that this hatchback stops better from 60 mph than all but the most-expensive supercars--in a mere 108 feet. Smooth-riding and true, independent-rear multilink suspension is another first (versus a GTI's torsion-beam), which complements the car's 22mm-lower sport-tuned suspension and steering. Rounding out the hardware are O*Z Aristo 18-inch wheels wrapped in Goodyear Eagle F1 summer performance tires, sized 225/40R18 at all four corners.
Put it all together, and the R32's handling is both entertaining and compromised. The chassis is so communicative, predictable, and controllable that the tires are easily overwhelmed. As soon as things start to get fun, the Goodyears give up long before the driver or the chassis do. Just over $30K gets everything on the docket from heated seats to Monsoon audio and moonroof.
Motor Trend
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenville,_Illinois
Greenville is a city in Bond County, Illinois, United States, 51 miles (82 km) east of St. Louis. The population as of the 2010 census was 7,000. It is the county seat of Bond County.
Greenville is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is also considered part of the Metro East region of Illinois.
Greenville celebrated its Bicentennial in 2015 as one of the oldest communities in Illinois. It is home to Greenville University, the Richard Bock Museum, the American Farm Heritage Museum, the Armed Forces Museum and the Demoulin Museum and a federal prison, Federal Correctional Institution, Greenville (FCI Greenville). It is also home to internationally known companies, including Nevco Scoreboard, the largest privately owned scoreboard company in the world, and DeMoulin Brothers, the world's oldest and largest manufacturer of band uniforms.
Source: www.americanfarmheritagemuseum.com/about-us.html
The American Farm Heritage Museum was one man's dream. The Museum became a reality when a group of men, mostly farmers, sitting in coffee shop, talked about the dream of building a museum to preserve the farm heritage. Sixty farmers, collectors, and civic leaders held a meeting to share their ideas with the public in April of 2002. It was agreed that Bond County, being near the middle of the state and right along 1-70, would be the perfect place. Meetings were conducted, fundraisers were held, and ideas were passed around. In 2002 the land for the museum was acquired and a name for the museum was chosen.
The American Farm Heritage Museum would sit on seventeen acres, along the south side of interstate 70, just east of the Route 127 overpass. Its goal would be to promote and share the heritage of America's rural life: living, farming and travel. One very generous family purchased the land and leased it for ninety-nine years to the American Farm Heritage Museum, NFP organization. After a year of planning, the first 32'x64' building, with a gambrel roof, was completed. It was finished just days before the first Heritage Days Show in July 2004. This building, originally was to be a tractor maintenance shop, but later became known as the Lil' Red Barn Museum.
In the winter of 2005, owners of a truck terminal building in St. Louis gave the building to the Museum, if we took it down. Several members went to work and got the 200'x100' building moved and rebuilt. Since then other buildings and groups have been added to the show grounds.
We are growing with each passing year. Our Main building is the site of numerous events throughout the year. The Lil' Red Barn is a little piece of history, with collections of items from the past. In 2009 this building received the Illinois Governor's Home Town Award. The Tractor Shed displays different makes of tractors and tools of the past. Our Christmas building, which operates as a work shop and houses all the Christmas boxes for The Christmas Lights Wonderland, partners with The Lil' Red Barn, Railroad, Hill's Fort and the Armed Forces Museum to put on a spectacular Christmas display.
The American Heritage Railroad, established in 2003 is a division of the American Farm Heritage Museum. Many rail-enthusiast members realized as farms were connected by the American Railroad so should the Museum have an operating railroad for its historic value, as well as provide a fun ride for visitors. May 10, 2005 the railroad division was officially formed and an intensive search began to procure equipment. Many thousands of hours of volunteer labor, by friends of the railroad, have resulted in over a mile of 13" gauge track being laid, on the grounds. It is our desire to honor the great railroads that have served Bond County, such as the Vandalia, Nickel Plate, Pennsylvania and CB & Q. In 2005 the Ben Winter's Museum railroad was purchased which provided a G-15 diesel train set. The final move of the Ben Winter's railroad was completed in November, in three days with 20 volunteers, 9 trailers and one semi-truck. The collection has grown to include both diesel and steam engines and a variety of rolling stock. The railroad owns three steam locomotives. It is hoped the 1926 Wagner 4-4-2 steam engine will be ready for operation for the 2015 season.
2005 Hill's Fort also joined the Museum. Hill's Fort played an important part in the opening of Northwest Territory. Hill's Fort may have started as early as 1806 when early settlers first arrived. The Fort's location appears on an 1808 survey map by Capt. Isaac Hill, leader of a team commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to survey the Illinois Territory. The Legislature fixed Hill's Fort as the temporary county seat. Earliest records are preserved from Hill's Fort and include court and marriage dockets. The Bond County seat was later moved to Perrysville and, in 1821 to Greenville, Illinois. No longer useful as a fort or county seat, Hill's Fort was abandoned and fell to ruin.
Following excruciating study of the original site, a replica of the Fort has been recreated on the grounds of the Farm Museum. It is open to the public on the 1st Saturday of the month from May through October and also open, for tours and special occasions. At Christmas time they are open Friday and Saturday nights for the Christmas lights. They dress in period dress and cook over the open fireplace in the cabin, and are eager to answer questions.
In 2012 The Armed Forces Museum, "Memories of Steel", joined our Museum. It maintains as its sole mission, to preserve these important pieces of military history. The Museum houses one of the largest collections of military vehicles in the County. It currently watches over approximately 15 privately-owned and 25 museum-owned vehicles. The members are involved in a program called "Living history" which furnishes displays of t1istoric vehicles and memorabilia and, works with re-enactors at civil events like Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day. Each of these vehicles has an historic story and plays a very important role in connecting us with the soldiers who lived and died in their service to the country.
1. Satisfaction
It usually feels great to send an email and get it off your to-do list, especially if it was an important one. For about 30 seconds, you’re just high from the feeling that you accomplished something. Sadly, that doesn’t last long.
2. Humor
Ha. That’s funny. She hasn’t responded back within 31 seconds—even though you put so much time and effort into this email and it possesses a very important question!
3. Curiosity
What could she be doing that she can’t respond right now? Maybe she’s writing an email and yours is next on the docket, or maybe she’s reading a really in-depth New Yorker piece…or fell into a BuzzFeed coma.
4. Anger
OK, seriously, how hard it is write a short email? All you want is a response. A simple response. A 2-year-old child could do this! And if she’s on vacation, why doesn’t she have an Out of Office response?! That’s just common courtesy!
5. Sadness
Guess this person just doesn’t think you’re important. Maybe everyone feels that way. Might as well just go and eat worms.
6. The Crazy Hypothesis Stage
Hmm, maybe her computer broke? Or the window washer’s harness broke and she was the only one who could save him? Or maybe she writes Pretty Little Liars fan fiction and got stuck on the cliffhanger? Or maybe she got one of those Chinese finger traps and actually got her fingers stuck in it so she can’t type. Yeah, that’s probably it.
7. Resentment
Now you can’t do anything else because all you can think about is this email. Your coworkers are talking about Bachelor in Paradise and you don’t even want to weigh in on it. You’re literally 11 seconds away from having a full-on meltdown, Elfaba Finale of Act 1 in Wicked style.
8. Denial
Maybe she just didn’t get it. It says it went through, but maybe it didn’t. Or the computer exploded at the exact moment you sent it. You’ll just keep checking. Checking repeatedly always helps.
9. Distraction
It’s fine. You can be super busy and important, too. You’re going to get a Pumpkin Spice Latte, like important people do, and you won’t think about the fact that she hasn’t emailed while you wait in line for your Pumpkin Email Latte. Damnit. Pumpkin Spice Latte.
10. Acceptance
OK, your email will never be answered. Ever. This is just part of your life now.
11. Relief (When They Finally Respond to Your Email)
Oh, she was in a meeting. That makes sense. I’ll read this later.
This article originally appeared on Levo.com
More from Levo.com:
The Right Way to Send Emails
8 Things That May Be Decreasing Your Productivity
10 Ways to Sharpen Your Listening Skills at Work
economyechoes.com/the-11-emotional-stages-of-waiting-for-...
This photo is in memory of Willard Boerger who passed away May 11, 2015 and was a member of this team. All his teammates knew him as "Bill." He got off to a fast 9-0 record and finished the season at 15-8.
Back Row: Leonard Vandehey, Jack Milster, Jerry Rendelsham, Willard "Bill" Boerger, Leonard "Bud" McClure and Don Schmitt.
Another bit of trivia. All but three of the uniforms in this photo were the ones purchased new by the Carthage Cardinals in the latter part of the 1948 season. When Carthage became a Cub franchise they placed a Cubs patch on the right sleeve. Not until 1951 did Carthage have real Cub uniforms. They received the hand me downs from the Chicago Cubs that they had worn in 1949.
Middle Row: Don Anderson, Sam Wattles, Dean Manns, Paul Hoffmeister, Benny Bennett, Don Annen and Tom Vines.
Front Row: Duane Zimmer, Art Gapinski, Dale Loeber, Ralph Brockert, Don Biebel, Johnny LaPorta and Woody Wuethrich.
Ed note: Nine of the aforementioned are still living. They are: Vandehey, Schmitt, Wattles, Manns, Hoffmeister Annen Loeber, Brockert and Biebel.
This was a late season photofor the roster had been expanded and Len Van de Hey had been brought in as a pitcher due to a lot of rain outs during the season that had to be made up.
Do you want a challenge? By looking at the photo can you tell me who Carthage played the previous night? And if not, why not? Want a hint? The names of the lineup for opposing teams were white washed on to those slate slabs. Then, the next day they were washed off but never entirely. The game the night before was with the Pittsburg, Kansas Browns and I can see the names of Don Phillips, Jim Pisoni, Ed Gustin and Jack Brown very clearly. For some reason the name at the top was in no way connected with the previous game. It was a slate left over from a previous series when Leo Kedzierski was in town and playing for the Iola, KS Indians. Leo was the only player in KOM history whose last name started with "Ked." It also appears to have part of another name that Pee Wee Smith, the groundskeeper hadn't entirely expunged.
Now to the updated KOM Flash Report for the week of May 24--30, 2015.
The KOM League
Flash Report
for
May 24 through 30, 2015
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Here’s hoping this report doesn’t destroy your Memorial Day—Decoration Day—weekend. There is a “pile” of stuff in this report so pick and choose and read or ignore as the spirit leads you.
If I had any suggestions for the best item in this report I’d recommend “An Unfinished Story.” This deals with one of the young men seen in the 1948 Baxter Springs Whiz Kid photo www.flickr.com/photos/60428361@N07/17557016279/ I’ve featured, on the Flickr site, who dropped off the radar and no one in my circle of acquaintances has been able to account for since 1949. It is a pretty good account of history in the Tri-State mining area going back to 1884 in one case.
So, with that bit of comment I take you now to the first article which is an obituary and from there this report goes in many directions. If you happen to read any of it let me know. If I don’t hear from two or three of you I’m liable to give up this cause and do something worthwhile for a change.
At present, this week’s Flash Report isn’t posted on the Flickr site. As soon as I come up with a good photo to place there, with this report, I’ll do it. But, posting anything on Flickr may be a waste of my limited ability. Last week, for example, only 2,167 “hits” were made on that site. Some of the previous reports had from 30,000 to 50,000 visits. So, I’m going downhill, in readership, like a snowball headed to you-know-where.
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The obituary:
Hi John, I just got back from a long weekend so I don’t know if you’ve already written about this: Jack Morris—Coventry, PA
www.legacy.com/obituaries/dailybreeze/obituary.aspx?n=Wil...
Ed reply:
I have been busy all weekend and every day this week giving away Mantle books and haven't turned on the computer until today. That means I hadn't seen Boerger's obituary. I noticed that it was a bit "skimpy" on information so I'll have to work on it a bit for my report. He was a very, very good pitcher for Carthage. He is one of the many guys who played in the KOM with a connection with Torrance, Calif. Maybe I should have had an alumni group out there.
Willard Boerger
January 31, 1927 - May 11, 2015
Born in 1927, Willard Boerger served in the army and played minor-league baseball for the Chicago Cubs before graduating from Ohio State. He married the love of his life, Rosemary, and moved to California to teach and coach basketball, baseball and eventually golf at Torrance High School.
Gregarious and generous, Will taught values and character development such as respecting authority, obeying the rules, having a positive attitude, and making your parent's proud.
Surviving him is his wife of sixty-four years, Rose; children, Linda and Jeff; and grandchildren, Hilary, Katherine and Nathaniel. All are invited to his memorial service at Christ Lutheran Church in Rancho Palos Verdes on Saturday, May 30th, 2015 at 11:00 AM.
In lieu of flowers, Will asked for donations to the Will Boerger - Memorial Account, c/o Pacific Western Bank, 2200 Sepulveda Blvd. Torrance, CA 90501, which yearly provides a scholarship to the best senior athletes at Torrance High. Please sign the guestbook at www.dailybreeze.com/obits.
Published in Daily Breeze on May 17, 2015
- See more at: www.legacy.com/obituaries/dailybreeze/obituary.aspx?n=Wil...
Ed comment:
Willard Boerger had his best season in professional baseball with the 1950 Carthage, Missouri Cubs. In my search for former players I spent too much time looking for him in his native state of Ohio. He was born in Plain City and, as his obituary indicates, on January 31, 1927. He signed with the Chicago Cubs right out of high school and was sent to Marion, Ohio in the Ohio State league where he lasted until late June of 1945 when someone wanted him worse than the Cubs. It was his Uncle Sam. Boerger served with his uncle for a couple of post-World War II years and was back with Richmond of the Ohio State league in 1949 and learning to pitch all over again. The Chicago Cubs sent him to Carthage for the 1950 season where he had his best year in professional baseball. However, he was going to Ohio State under the GI bill and finished up there and went into teaching and coaching eventually working his way to the west coast. In the only conversation I ever had with him he said that at age 22 and still in Class D baseball he knew his future was not in that sport. He was also sure he could have competed a few more years in the game, however. (Here is a challenge to anyone who kept the KOM League Remembered newsletters from 1994 through 2008. I wrote an article about Willard Boerger in that time frame and if you can locate it, and tell me in what edition it appeared, you will win the prestigious “Reader of the Week” award.)
When we spoke I related to him how difficult it had been to locate him. Not only had he moved from Ohio to California but he had teammates at Carthage, in 1950, by the names of Allen Burger Jr. (also from Ohio—Centerville) and Daniel Walter Berger (Burtonview, IL). Daniel Berger was released by Carthage during the season and wound up being signed by the Iola, KS Indians. Those similar names were many times scrambled in the box scores especially those of out of town games that were reported on the Associated Press wire service. To top that there was a Gerald Boerger, from St. Louis, MO, who played for the Chanute, Kansas Giants in 1948 and I never found a trace of evidence on him unless he was the fellow who became a pastor of a church in west Texas.
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An unfinished story:
Over the past few weeks the Mantle book I wrote, and now a decade later still have a supply of them, has generated some interest. Most of that interest is on my part and largely due to a photo of the 1948 Whiz Kids in which a fellow by the name of Gene Linderman-Lindeman-Lindenman was shown.
I’ll call him Gene for the sake of this article until I spring upon you the “near conclusion” of the story. None of the former Whiz Kids with whom I’ve spoken ever knew what became of him following his junior year in high school. I contacted a former Baxter Springs Whiz Kid whose brother, Jim, played on the same team with Gene in 1948. Here was the response received from Don Steele. “I visited the Baxter Museum yesterday and found the following. Gene was in the 1948, 1949 and 1950 annuals as freshman, sophomore and junior and in all instances spelled his last name Lindenman. That included Student, Football and Basketball. I was unable to find why he didn't attend his senior year at Baxter High School. I didn't find any other Lindenmans in the annual. I'll contact a good friend that would have played both football and basketball with him and, hopefully, will know where he disappeared to. Later. Don.”
For quite some time I have thought that the spelling most commonly used for his last name was wrong. Joplin Globe references to him spelled the name “Linderman.” There were references to some Lindenmans in city directories and high school yearbooks of those who appeared might be kin to Gene but older than him. It appeared his mother was named Nellie and worked as a cook in a Baxter Springs café in the 1940 Census.
So, using all the resources at my disposal I started “tinkering” with names on the Internet and I’ve almost solved the “Mystery of Gene.” Here is a citation from the February 15, 1938 edition of the Miami, Oklahoma News-Record-page 2. “Funeral services for Ted Ray Roy, 33 years old was shot to death in a gun duel Saturday morning with his stepfather, Mike Giyer, were held at 2 o’clock Monday afternoon at the Fifth Street Mission in Baxter Springs, with the Rev. Lou Love of Galena officiating. Burial was in G. A. R. Cemetery at Miami under the direction of the Hoskins Funeral Home. Mr. Roy was born and reared n Galena. He had lived in Baxter Springs about four years. Survivors are his wife Mrs. Nellie Roy; four step children Juanita, Richard, Billy and Gene Lindenman, his mother Alma Giyer; three brothers; Earl, Floyd and Kenneth Roy; and two sisters, Mrs. Beulah Agee and Miss Avalon Ray, all of Baxter Springs.”
With that obituary I was on my way to what I thought would be locating Gene Lindenman or learning of his fate. Further searching produced the following time line of a murder trail, which after I read it still left me wondering “Did Gene Lindenman’s step father’s death result in his step father’s, step father, being convicted of murder?” (Read that statement a couple of times and you’ll get it.)
MIKE GIYER WAIVES MURDER HEARING
Baxter Springs, April 12 -- Mike Giyer waived his preliminary hearing before Justice J. T. Morrison Monday morning and was bound over to the May term of district court at Columbus, where he will face murder charges in connection with the fatal shooting of his step-son, Ted Ray Roy, on Feb. 12. Giyer was released on a $2,500 appearance bond.
(Miami Daily News Record ~ April 12, 1938 ~ Submitted by Lori DeWinkler)
GIYER MURDER TRIAL WILL OPEN MONDAY
Baxter Springs, May 7 --- The trial of Mike Giyer of this city who is charged with murder, has been docketed for Monday by Judge V. J. Bowersock in district court at Columbus.
Giyer is charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of his step-son, Ted Ray Roy, in a gun duel in Baxter Springs on the morning of February 12.
(Miami Daily News Record ~ May 8, 1938 ~ Submittedy Lori DeWinkler)
TRIAL OF MIKE GIYER OPENS AT COLUMBUS
Columbus, Kan., May 10 --- The trial of Mike Giyer of Baxter Springs, charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of his stepson, Ted Roy, at Baxter Springs February 12, opened in district court today. The work of selecting a jury, which started yesterday, was completed this morning and a number of witnesses were heard today. Several days probably will be required in taking the testimony.
(Joplin Globe ~ May 11, 1938 ~ Submitted by Lori DeWinkler)
TEN WITNESSES ARE HEARD IN GIYER TRIAL
Columbus, Kan., May 11 -- The state continued in district court here today its efforts to convict Mike Giyer, Baxter Springs man, of murder in the fatal shooting last February 12 of his step-son, Ted Ray Roy, also of Baxter Springs.
The state used more than 10 witness yesterday after impanelment of the jury, which required the entire day Monday. Among state witnesses testifying yesterday were Dr. F. E. Wynne, E. B. Durr, Police Chief John T. Moyer of Baxter, Sheriff Fred Simkin, Deputy Sheriff C. K. Roberts, Floyd Roy, Larry Williams and Roy Huddleston.
More than 20 other state witnesses have been subpoenaed. The cause is not expected to reach completion until late tomorrow.
(Joplin Globe ~ May 12, 1938)
JURY DELIBERATES MIKE GIYER'S FATE
Unable to Reach Verdict After More Than Seven Hours---Reported 9 to 3
Columbus, Kan., May 13 --- After deliberating more than seven hours the fate of Mike Giyer, 50 years old, of Baxter Springs, on trial for murder of his step-son, Ted Ray Roy, 33, last February 12, a district court jury had not returned a verdict shortly before midnight.
Judge Vernon Bowersock said he would keep the jurors until after midnight, before making a decision of dismissing the jury, unless a verdict was returned in the meantime. It was reported the jury was deadlocked 9 to 3, but it was not indicated whether it was for conviction or acquittal.
TRIAL BEGUN MONDAY
Trial of the case was begun Monday and finally handed to the jury at 2:45 o'clock this afternoo. At 6 o'clock, when no verdict had been reached, Judge Bowersock permitted the jurors to eat dinner and ordered them to continue their deliberations at 7 o'clock.
Giyer, testifying in his own defense, first took the stand Wednesday afternoon. He completed his testimony Thursday morning, declaring that he killed in self-defense. Two hours of cross-examination by County Attorney Joe L. Henbest failed to shake the accused man's story of the shooting.
He maintained in his testimony that Roy fired the first shot at him and that, "I had to do it, there was nothing else to do."
Several witnesses were called by the defense during the trial and testified to Giyer's family troubles and his allegations that at several times he had been threatened by members of his family.
Roy was slain in an exchange of shots on a Baxter Springs street. Giyer was injured and remained for some time in a Columbus hospital.
(Joplin Globe ~ May 14, 1938 ~ Submitted by Lori DeWinkler)
After reading the foregoing timeline I soon figured out that Gene Lindenman’s mother, Nellie, had a maiden name of Coppenbarger and was born March 3, 1907 in Joplin, Missouri. She married a man obviously by the name of Lindenman but as lunch approached, while this article was being prepared, I had no idea how to find his first name. Due to luck, or a good meal, returning to the computer, I found an Elwin and Nellie Lindenman in the 1930 Census and they were residing in Bisbee, Arizona. Elwin was a copper miner and they had three children born in the time-frame from 1925 to 1929 and those names matched those of the brothers and sisters of Gene Lindenman of the Whiz Kids.
A little more research showed where Elwin passed away at the age of 33, in 1936. Gene’s father and step-father both passed away at the same age. Whereas Gene’s step father was buried is the cemetery where most of Mickey Mantle’s family members were laid to rest, in Miami, OK. I was startled to learn that Gene’s father was buried where most of my family now resides—Park Cemetery in Carthage, MO. Small world eh?
Thus, Gene’s mother Nellie could only have been married to her second husband for two years, or less, prior to the big shoot out. It is evident from the city directories that Nellie took back the name of her first husband after her second husband lost the gunfight with his step-father. Nellie eventually moved back to Joplin, Missouri and passed away there on November 20, 1992. She outlived two husbands by 54 and 56 years respectively. That leaves me with just two questions? Where is, or whatever happened to, her fourth child, Gene, and what was the legal verdict in the shoot-out between her second husband and his step-father?
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A few words from Wylie Pitts
Not many of the former Baxter Springs Whiz Kids are still around. Thus, when I get a telephone call from one of the first guys to play for Barney Barnett it is an interesting time. Pitts’ wife’s computer had been down recently and we had a lull in communication. What Wylie wanted to share was the story of his first tryout with the Yankees. He and teammate Ben Craig had been invited to Joplin in 1946 to tryout. Both he and Craig were enrolled at Northeastern Oklahoma A & M in Miami and had athletic scholarships there. When they arrived at Miner’s Park, in Joplin, about all Wylie recalled they got to do was run races against the other hopefuls. At that time he said the Yankees wanted to send him to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin but he didn’t think playing in cold weather or losing his scholarship was worth it.
Thus, Craig and Pitts said “Goodbye” to the Yankees and went back to college to basically play football. The next spring Pitts and Craig were back and they were with a group that was being scouted and placed in the Yankee Class D system. Both thought they were headed for the new KOM league team at Independence, KS but Ray “Rabbit” Powell was on the selection committee and decided the two Baxter Springs stars would go to McAlester, OK. Pitts recalled that the manager at McAlester had been injured during the war and couldn’t hear very well and had some other problems inflicted on him during battle. While at McAlester Pitts roomed with Vern Hoscheit who had a long career in professional baseball in many roles. www.google.com/search?rls=aso&client=gmail&q=Vern...
When it came time to trim the roster Pitts was considered for his release much to the consternation of a catcher, who was called “Chief,” due to his full-blood ancestry. But, not even the Chief pleading with the manager saved Pitts from being released. Pitts later went to the Evangeline league before going back home and again playing for the Whiz Kids and performing in the first game they ever played in the Southeast Kansas Ban Johnson league on May 27, 1949.
Pitts was and is the “go to guy.” During the Korean War he was in the Air Force and while serving in Greenland received a signed baseball from the 1951 Whiz Kids. He recalled that he would take that ball and throw it against the wall in one of those barracks that was amenable to such activity. He’d throw the ball and catch it on the rebound. What turned out is, if that building still standing “There is a hole in the wall with a ball inside it with the names of the Baxter Springs Whiz Kids affixed thereto.” If that building has been razed I wonder what the person finding the ball thought about it?
Pitts answered the question about Ralph Terry and his time with the Whiz Kids and the fate of Baxter Springs baseball following the death of Barney Barnett Sr. Pitts said that Terry played on the last club Barney Sr. coached before his death in late 1952 and that the next year Baxter Springs were known as the Cardinals and Barney Jr. managed them.
________________________________________________
Bill Virdon Mural at West Plains
Shirley Virdon got out her camera on a recent trip to West Plains, MO and photographed a mural that featured her husband among other famous folks from there. Shirley said she wasn’t too good with the camera angle so I decided to help her out. If you ever go to West Plains you can see Shirley’s husband along with Jan Howard, Dick Van Dyke, Porter Wagoner and Preacher Roe on the same mural. If not, you can view it right here: www.google.com/search?rls=aso&client=gmail&q=mura...
________________________________________________
Update on Lilburn Smith’s death
Dear Friends, I spoke with Joanne tonight, and she is aware of the abbreviated obit which appeared in the Springfield, MO News-Leader last Thurs, May 14th, which only listed Lilburn's "name, age, former Springfield resident, arrangements". No details were stated in regards to the arrangements.
Joanne stated she is awaiting the receipt of the official death certificates pending cremation, in Tucson, per Lilburn's wishes.
She is planning to return to Springfield in early June before making arrangements for a detailed obituary to appear in the Springfield News-Leader, and for the Memorial Service. She estimates the Service will be held in mid-June in Springfield. Joanne said she will keep me informed when the Obit will appear and when the Memorial Service will be scheduled. I, in turn, will keep you informed.
Best Regards, Frank Hungerford.
Flash Report fact checking in Jarma, Sweden
John, I really like reading your reports. Thanks for sending them.
This is not really important, but, when Ralph (Terry) picked up Dad (Barney Barnett Jr.) to go to Mickey’s (Mantle) funeral, he was still at home. He didn’t go into the nursing home until after he broke his hip in 2000. I remember it well because we were leaving to go back to Sweden the same day. He always drove the boys and me to the airport in Tulsa. He really struggled with not getting to do that, It didn’t matter how many times I told him that going to Mickey’s funeral was more important than driving us to the airport. He really loved those grandsons and wanted to spend as much time with them as he could.
It’s hard to imagine that he’s been gone 11 years tomorrow! Mia Almsater
Ed reply:
Thanks for setting me straight. At least your dad and Ralph shared some great memories. I was giving those books away today and the telephone rang and it was Bob Mallon in Denver telling me he couldn't find one of his prize possessions. He had no idea I was giving books away about his first roommate in baseball. I told some people standing around that they probably wouldn't believe me but I had just spoken with Mickey's first roommate.
Someone asked me how widespread my reports went and I told them about you. Small world. Isn't that a coincidence we are talking about your dad so near the 11th anniversary of his passing?
Mia’s reply:
John, it wasn’t really important. Yes, Dad and Ralph were close for years. One of my earliest childhood memories was going to his wedding in Kansas City. Amazing what you remember when you are very small. Ralph came to the house many times, and I was really happy that he took Dad to Dallas with him.
Thanks again for your reports.
Ed reply:
I think your dad went to Chelsea many times to pick up Ralph and then take him home after Whiz Kid games. I don't think he had to do that every time for some one told me that Ralph got a job when he played at Baxter. I think your dad probably got him the job.
Mia’s reply:
I didn’t know this. I do know that grandpa was a mine boss, and he would give jobs to players if they needed to work (so they could play for him, of course!!).
I was sorry not to have been able to go to the awards ceremony where Ralph and one of Mickey’s sons attended. The grandchildren donated the award to the wonderful museum that is in Baxter. Wylie Pitts brought it back and it is an honor that Dad would have loved. From the stories I’ve heard, Grandpa would have probably shrugged his shoulders, grabbed a glove, and gone outside to play catch.
If you ever are out that way, you should stop in at the museum. They have a beautiful display of baseball, Mickey (I loaned them a couple of pictures) and it’s an impressive museum for a small town.
Ed reply:
I was there for one of the Baxter days a few years ago and left them a case of Mantle books. I was supposed to sign books but spent the day with Wylie and Ben Craig doing things around Baxter. Craig was the grand marshal for the parade that year.
Comment:
Mia and I had a discussion regarding whether or not Ralph Terry played for Barney Sr. or Barney Jr. Here was her reply. “I’m almost certain that Ralph played for Grandpa before he signed on to Yankees. Dad never coached Whiz Kids. Uncle Dick (Dad’s brother) helped Grandpa. Dad pitched, but never for Whiz Kids. Dad was off to war and threw his arm out in a hand grenade throwing contest (!!), so the best he could was pitch to me…which was hard enough! As always…so good to hear from you!”
Following that e-mail exchange I contacted three sources namely a researcher in Independence by the name of Mark Metcalf, Don Steele who played with the Whiz Kids and Wylie Pitts who played on the Whiz Kid team from its inception. All agree that Ralph Terry played for Barney Sr. in 1952. Following that season Barney Sr. passed away and the next year Barney Jr. took over the Baxter Springs team and changed their name to “The Cardinals.” According to all my sources that team didn’t finish the year in the Ban Johnson league. However, Ralph Terry had moved over to Independence, Kansas to pitch for that team.
When Ralph Terry got to Independence a teammate of his was another young man from Chelsea, OK by the name of Galen Hudspeth. The Hudspeth name was well known to Mickey Mantle and his Commerce Tigers for they had played against Afton, OK whose top performer was Tommy Hudspeth. He was recruited by Tulsa University and after his playing days had a long career in the college and professional coaching ranks. He rose to the “top” when he was named head coach of the Detroit Lions in 1977. www.google.com/search?rls=aso&client=gmail&q=Tomm...
This is a note received from Don Steele about the year, 1952, when he played on the same Baxter Springs team with future Yankee, Ralph Terry. “Barney Barnett Jr. did manage the team after Sr. passed away. I remember a game we played in Coffeyville, KS in 1952 and Ralph was pitching. A side note - our catcher was Kenny Cochran. Kenny was mercilessly ragging the opposing catcher who had all he could stand. He proceeded to our bench and threw a punch at Kenny who ducked and he hit Ralph in the mouth. It took Barney and a man from the stands, that was obviously a fan of Coffeyville and about the same size as Barney, to stop a big fiasco. I recall seeing Ralph laugh about it while (Jack)Dorrell and I were safely behind the benches. The Coffeyville team was made up of mostly Oklahoma A & M (Okla. State) players and they were huge guys. At this time, I cannot remember who won, but would guess Ralph did. Will research that further and advise you on it.”
________________________________________________
Who would have ever “thunk” it.
When the kids on Valley Street, in Carthage, my hometown, were playing ball none ever dreamed they would ever meet a big league player let alone know some and other big names in the baseball world. One of the “sandlot” players became a nationally known baseball writer and another had a peak in Antarctica named for him. The baseball writer was Corky Simpson and the geologist who had the peak named in his behalf carries the last name of Southern and a first name of Merle.
To protect the innocent I won’t reveal the names of the persons for whom Merle purchased a Mantle book but will share his note, with a little editing. “ John, the two ladies I’m giving your book to are L. K. and my daughter’s mother-in-law. She has an extensive Yankee collection. The other lady, J. H., has a daughter on the Yankee Board of Directors.”
Merle went on to say that J. H. was around the Yankees when Mantle played for them.
_______________________________________________
Homework assignment on Kenny Boyer:
Good morning John, I've been working this spring to finish the biography I'm writing on the life and playing career of Ken Boyer. I wondered if you would consider reading over the first two chapters that deal with his life in Jasper County and his time with the Alba Aces? Your knowledge of the area and this particular phase of his life would be very helpful. Please let me know and I will forward them to you. Sincerely, Kevin McCann
Ed comment:
I spent a few minutes editing the chapters for Mr. Cann and I can say that he has his “ducks in a row” in that section of his book. I was hard pressed to make any comments but wanted him to be sure I had read every word of his well researched manuscript. When the book is ready for “prime time” I will advise the readership.
McCann’s reply:
Thank you so much for reading it and for your suggestions. Your Mantle book was a great help to me in my research.
I'll incorporate some of the information you sent into the narrative and send those portions back to you.
In the first paragraph, you mentioned a non-Ban Johnson League game that both Ken and Mickey played. Would this be the April 24, 1949, game at Alba? Is this game mentioned in your Mantle book? I saw mention of this game in the Joplin Globe on April 22, but couldn't find the results in that paper. In fact, I'm surprised there wasn't as much coverage of either the BJL or the Cardinal Junior League in the Globe that early spring. In seasons past, it seemed to receive a lot more coverage.
Thank you, Kevin
Ed comment:
April 24 wasn’t the game where Boyer homered. A few more e-mails went back and forth and the issue was resolved. If you have my Mantle book you can find the account of that game on page 123.
_______________________________________________________________________
Summary of the big book give-away
For a few weeks I mentioned the Mickey Mantle book I wrote was cluttering up my garage and driving my wife to distraction for being in the way. For a while I advertised them in this forum for free if the person wanting them would pay the freight. That was a modest success at eliminating the stockpile.
Then on May 15 Bill Clark’s article appeared in the Columbia Tribune and my phone and door bell rang incessantly for about four days. I became thankful that the news article had the wrong e-mail address. I learned very quickly it is easier to give things away than it is to sell them. Over the course of exactly 168 hours, as this report is being written, 29 people have walked out of my garage with 127 books ranging in total from 1 to 14. One of Clark’s readers lived out of town and wanted me to send him a copy even though he would have a postage fee. A number of others from out of town wanted a book but they drove to Columbia to help the local economy and most likely just wanted to get a peek at the world’s oldest living Class D batboy.
From the books mailed recently I had a reply from a first cousin of Mickey, Barbara Haggard, in Memphis, Tennessee. She wrote “I haven’t started serious reading yet but have thumbed through a lot of it. It’s very interesting. I can’t even imagine how many hours, days and weeks were put into to this. (She left out months and years.) I really enjoyed talking to you—it seemed like I was talking to family and I don’t have too many relatives left. Thanks again.”
Those who came to my home to pick up books were an interesting bunch. Since I’m about out of space in this report and the readership has eye-strain from this missive I’ll list some of the things I learned from handing out books.
1. A couple picked up some books who had two grand nephews who played professional baseball, one of which played for the San Diego Padres, Blake Tekote, and is now in the Red Sox organization. The lady told me of her sports background as her first cousin was the wife of the former Oklahoma Sooner All-American and Heisman Trophy winner, Billy Vessels.
2. The second book went to a former Springfield, Mo resident who played basketball at Drury College of Springfield, in 1944, with former Cub shortstop, Roy Smalley. He moved to Columbia and became a writer of stories regarding Missouri Mules and Harry S. Truman. He gave me both of his books and one where he is shown with Pres. Truman. Truman who asked him if all the stories in the book were true and the author replied “I hope so for I quoted you in many of them.” This gentleman asked me if I had ever heard of Tommy Gott. I picked up a copy of the Mantle book and turned to the page where Tommy is shown with some of his Joplin teammates. I told the gentleman that Gott was the person who primarily talked me into writing the Mantle book. Looking at the photo the gentleman asked me where that photo of Gott had been taken and I told him it was about ten feet from where he was currently standing. I mentioned to the writer of the Truman book that I wish the former Lamar, MO native was still the president and when he asked why I said “I’ve never known a 131 year-old person.”
Another person born in 1884 is mentioned in this report. I’ll give you a hint. He was one of the participants in a gun fight at Baxter Springs, KS, in 1938, he born the same year as Truman and he entered the world at Coffeyville, Kansas. The Dalton Gang rode into Coffeyville when the man in my story was eight years old and got more than silver and gold. They took a lot of lead into their bodies and some left in a pine box.
3. One gentleman arrived with four issues of KOM League Remembered newsletters that were written 20 years ago. They were in pristine condition. He handed them to me and I asked if he wanted me to put them in the trash. His reply was “I want them autographed.” I still can’t figure out how he came to possess them or why he’d wanted them signed.
4. A man who purchased one of my books at the regular price 10 years ago showed up and wanted ten free ones. I surmised that was a good deal. He wound up, over the years with 11 for the price of one.
5. A few people showed up wanting enough books for kid teams or for the reunion of their high school graduating classes from 50-55 years ago. That was the era of people who remember the name of Mantle. One stack of those books will wind up at the high school from which Rush Limbaugh graduated.
6. Some people showed up with cherished photos from the past of former players with whom they got to meet such as Whitey Herzog.. Others came with stories such as the time Wilmer David “Vinegar Bend” Mizell showed up in a small town north of Columbia –Clark. Mizell had made the trip to go fishing. For those of you under age 65 Mizell was touted as being the next Dizzy Dean for the St. Louis Cardinals.
7. Others who came calling included a former Missouri Tiger baseball player from Greenfield, MO who later played in the Basin league. And to remember the Basin league you have to be a “real” fan. That guy is Bob Jenkins. Jenkins started out in the Big 7 Conference, in 1958, under the legendary coach, John “Hi” Simmons. That conference at the time was known in football circles as “Oklahoma and the six dwarfs.”
8. I don’t want to leave anyone out of my tales but space now is at a premium. One of the fellows who showed up claimed that he was a former resident of Joplin and Webb City and that in 1950, he along with his friend, Stan Jones, served as batboys for the Joplin Miners. With a statement like that I needed to dig into that subject a lot deeper.
When the gentleman got inside and was invited to the KOM dungeon his first words were “Do you know Emma Nealy?” I asked why and he said his wife knew her. Now I’m beginning to believe the guy had Southwest Missouri roots since the Nealys are my kin. As the conversation progressed I learned that the fellow and his buddy got to help out around Miners Park in 1950 after they were caught by groundskeeper, William Wolf, trying to sneak into a Miners game.
Sitting and conversing with me was a fellow much younger than me, Jerry Hewlett. But, the age difference was just a couple of years. Wearing his St. Louis Cardinal warm up jacket, redbird ball cap and a huge smile he introduced me to one of his notebooks full of Joplin Miner “stuff.” He had the 1950 scorecard and the edition he had was a photo of Cromer Smotherman as the featured player. Mine has the photo of Carl Lombardi and I offered to trade him seven of my Lombardi’s for his Smotherman but no deal was made.
A very interesting time was spent going over names of guys in the Joplin area such as Ferrell Anderson, Al Gerhauser et. al. These were the fellows with big league experience who helped out in Joplin youth baseball. Keep that thought in mind, I’ll bet back to that if time and my memory permits.
Hewlett spoke of some of his relatives from that area such as George New who not only pitched professionally but played in all the “big” games in the area when the Mantles and Boyers got together for an exhibition contest. New had once pitched for the Alba Aces.
One of the things Hewlett recalled about Ferrell Anderson was that he once gave him a baseball bat from the 1947 World Series that had been signed by the New York Yankees and it was in gold inlay. He mentioned that he still had it in a basement museum at his home and that I’d have to come up and see it. He also has a photo Anderson gave him of the time he and Jackie Robinson collided and Anderson’s eyeball had been knocked out of its socket. I’m not to sure I want to see that photo but will look at it if Hewlett will allow me to look at the 1947 World Series bat.
While Hewlett talked I pulled items from his notebook and photographed many of his old scorecards and pictures of Joplin’s Miners Park. I have many of them now stored on my computer and know that I haven’t seen a fraction of his amazing collection. In time maybe I can and I’ll share what I learn.
But, I learned something else in our conversation. As Hewlett spoke he was talking about playing for a team managed by Al Gerheauser in 1958. I made direct eye contact and stared intently as he spoke. Then, I held out my hand to shake his and remarked “Jerry, this is not the first time we ever met.” He looked at me inquisitively and I went on talking. I told him that in 1958 I had played for an opposing team in that league for a former Joplin standout athlete, Terry Wilson. Wilson, however, preferred a big kid from Joplin over me by the name of Raymond Love who among other things was a Golden Gloves boxer. After warming the bench for a few games I handed in my uniform and never went back to Miners Park. That was tough for early in that season Ferrell Anderson had approached me and told me that he had seen me field baseballs and that I could play Class B baseball. My baseball career ended before it started in 1958.
I’m not done but will stop
There were a couple of other tales I intended to share in this report but maybe I can do that next time, assuming there will be one. Who knows, the readers may start blocking my messages due to many things including; verbosity and boredom.
I attended the Barrett Jackson Spring 2025 Car Show at WestWorld in Scottsdale with my son.
This is a 1958 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible
www.barrett-jackson.com/scottsdale-2025/docket/vehicle/19...
This 1958 Pontiac Bonneville convertible is powered by a 370ci V8 engine with a Tri-Power carburetor setup rated at 300hp thanks to a 10.5 compression and a high-lift camshaft. The engine is connected to a Hydramatic automatic transmission. This Bonneville is finished in red and white with a similarly colored interior, along with a power-operated black convertible top. It has many original accessories and details, including factory power steering and power brakes, dual headlights, honeycomb grille, distinctive brightwork, intricate trim elements, power seats, dual rearview mirrors, factory air conditioning, factory-style fender skirts and wheel covers, and a Continental kit.
finance.yahoo.com/news/barrett-jackson-kicks-off-2025-215...
"Barrett-Jackson delivered many magical experiences for everyone who joined us in Scottsdale," said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson. "From the excitement of the auction block to the thrill rides, exhibits, STEM Fest and live music, there was truly something that everyone in the family could enjoy. We filled our docket with so much diversity that collectors from every walk of life found something they loved. We stay on top of the trends and consign the vehicles that people want, proving once again that the car collector hobby is thriving. Those trends include the growing popularity of Resto-Mods, SUVs and trucks, which are gaining momentum because they appeal to such a broad cross section of people. I’m especially proud of our support for important charities again this year. We not only raised millions of dollars but also critical awareness that will help make a positive impact on so many communities."
www.classic-car-auctions.info/usa/scottsdale/2025-barrett...
In 2025, Barrett-Jackson earned $198 million by selling 2013 car lots and $5.2 million from 957 pieces of automobilia. A further $6.2 million was raised for charity.
The first production 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 VIN001 achieved $3.7 million as a charity lot and the highest result at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2025 collector car auction in Arizona, USA. The most expensive regular lots were a 2023 Hennessey Venom F5 Roadster ($2,200,000) and a 2014 Pagani Huayra ($1,925,000). DJ Marshmello’s 2020 Ford GT Liquid Carbon Special Edition achieved a strong $1,780,000.
The top four results at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2025 collector car auction were all for modern supercars. The top result was for charity (see below) while the most expensive regular car in the sale was for the nearly new 2023 Hennessy Venom F5 Roadster. This F5 Roadster was the second of only 30 produced and was sold with only 681 miles on the clock.
Special car
Barrett Jackson 2025
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenville,_Illinois
Greenville is a city in Bond County, Illinois, United States, 51 miles (82 km) east of St. Louis. The population as of the 2010 census was 7,000. It is the county seat of Bond County.
Greenville is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is also considered part of the Metro East region of Illinois.
Greenville celebrated its Bicentennial in 2015 as one of the oldest communities in Illinois. It is home to Greenville University, the Richard Bock Museum, the American Farm Heritage Museum, the Armed Forces Museum and the Demoulin Museum and a federal prison, Federal Correctional Institution, Greenville (FCI Greenville). It is also home to internationally known companies, including Nevco Scoreboard, the largest privately owned scoreboard company in the world, and DeMoulin Brothers, the world's oldest and largest manufacturer of band uniforms.
Source: www.americanfarmheritagemuseum.com/about-us.html
The American Farm Heritage Museum was one man's dream. The Museum became a reality when a group of men, mostly farmers, sitting in coffee shop, talked about the dream of building a museum to preserve the farm heritage. Sixty farmers, collectors, and civic leaders held a meeting to share their ideas with the public in April of 2002. It was agreed that Bond County, being near the middle of the state and right along 1-70, would be the perfect place. Meetings were conducted, fundraisers were held, and ideas were passed around. In 2002 the land for the museum was acquired and a name for the museum was chosen.
The American Farm Heritage Museum would sit on seventeen acres, along the south side of interstate 70, just east of the Route 127 overpass. Its goal would be to promote and share the heritage of America's rural life: living, farming and travel. One very generous family purchased the land and leased it for ninety-nine years to the American Farm Heritage Museum, NFP organization. After a year of planning, the first 32'x64' building, with a gambrel roof, was completed. It was finished just days before the first Heritage Days Show in July 2004. This building, originally was to be a tractor maintenance shop, but later became known as the Lil' Red Barn Museum.
In the winter of 2005, owners of a truck terminal building in St. Louis gave the building to the Museum, if we took it down. Several members went to work and got the 200'x100' building moved and rebuilt. Since then other buildings and groups have been added to the show grounds.
We are growing with each passing year. Our Main building is the site of numerous events throughout the year. The Lil' Red Barn is a little piece of history, with collections of items from the past. In 2009 this building received the Illinois Governor's Home Town Award. The Tractor Shed displays different makes of tractors and tools of the past. Our Christmas building, which operates as a work shop and houses all the Christmas boxes for The Christmas Lights Wonderland, partners with The Lil' Red Barn, Railroad, Hill's Fort and the Armed Forces Museum to put on a spectacular Christmas display.
The American Heritage Railroad, established in 2003 is a division of the American Farm Heritage Museum. Many rail-enthusiast members realized as farms were connected by the American Railroad so should the Museum have an operating railroad for its historic value, as well as provide a fun ride for visitors. May 10, 2005 the railroad division was officially formed and an intensive search began to procure equipment. Many thousands of hours of volunteer labor, by friends of the railroad, have resulted in over a mile of 13" gauge track being laid, on the grounds. It is our desire to honor the great railroads that have served Bond County, such as the Vandalia, Nickel Plate, Pennsylvania and CB & Q. In 2005 the Ben Winter's Museum railroad was purchased which provided a G-15 diesel train set. The final move of the Ben Winter's railroad was completed in November, in three days with 20 volunteers, 9 trailers and one semi-truck. The collection has grown to include both diesel and steam engines and a variety of rolling stock. The railroad owns three steam locomotives. It is hoped the 1926 Wagner 4-4-2 steam engine will be ready for operation for the 2015 season.
2005 Hill's Fort also joined the Museum. Hill's Fort played an important part in the opening of Northwest Territory. Hill's Fort may have started as early as 1806 when early settlers first arrived. The Fort's location appears on an 1808 survey map by Capt. Isaac Hill, leader of a team commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to survey the Illinois Territory. The Legislature fixed Hill's Fort as the temporary county seat. Earliest records are preserved from Hill's Fort and include court and marriage dockets. The Bond County seat was later moved to Perrysville and, in 1821 to Greenville, Illinois. No longer useful as a fort or county seat, Hill's Fort was abandoned and fell to ruin.
Following excruciating study of the original site, a replica of the Fort has been recreated on the grounds of the Farm Museum. It is open to the public on the 1st Saturday of the month from May through October and also open, for tours and special occasions. At Christmas time they are open Friday and Saturday nights for the Christmas lights. They dress in period dress and cook over the open fireplace in the cabin, and are eager to answer questions.
In 2012 The Armed Forces Museum, "Memories of Steel", joined our Museum. It maintains as its sole mission, to preserve these important pieces of military history. The Museum houses one of the largest collections of military vehicles in the County. It currently watches over approximately 15 privately-owned and 25 museum-owned vehicles. The members are involved in a program called "Living history" which furnishes displays of t1istoric vehicles and memorabilia and, works with re-enactors at civil events like Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day. Each of these vehicles has an historic story and plays a very important role in connecting us with the soldiers who lived and died in their service to the country.
8mm and Super 8 film editor purchased new by me in 1974. Took it out of box for probably first time in 20 years today and found the original sales docket from Michaels in Melbourne for $29.50.
iPad photo
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenville,_Illinois
Greenville is a city in Bond County, Illinois, United States, 51 miles (82 km) east of St. Louis. The population as of the 2010 census was 7,000. It is the county seat of Bond County.
Greenville is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is also considered part of the Metro East region of Illinois.
Greenville celebrated its Bicentennial in 2015 as one of the oldest communities in Illinois. It is home to Greenville University, the Richard Bock Museum, the American Farm Heritage Museum, the Armed Forces Museum and the Demoulin Museum and a federal prison, Federal Correctional Institution, Greenville (FCI Greenville). It is also home to internationally known companies, including Nevco Scoreboard, the largest privately owned scoreboard company in the world, and DeMoulin Brothers, the world's oldest and largest manufacturer of band uniforms.
Source: www.americanfarmheritagemuseum.com/about-us.html
The American Farm Heritage Museum was one man's dream. The Museum became a reality when a group of men, mostly farmers, sitting in coffee shop, talked about the dream of building a museum to preserve the farm heritage. Sixty farmers, collectors, and civic leaders held a meeting to share their ideas with the public in April of 2002. It was agreed that Bond County, being near the middle of the state and right along 1-70, would be the perfect place. Meetings were conducted, fundraisers were held, and ideas were passed around. In 2002 the land for the museum was acquired and a name for the museum was chosen.
The American Farm Heritage Museum would sit on seventeen acres, along the south side of interstate 70, just east of the Route 127 overpass. Its goal would be to promote and share the heritage of America's rural life: living, farming and travel. One very generous family purchased the land and leased it for ninety-nine years to the American Farm Heritage Museum, NFP organization. After a year of planning, the first 32'x64' building, with a gambrel roof, was completed. It was finished just days before the first Heritage Days Show in July 2004. This building, originally was to be a tractor maintenance shop, but later became known as the Lil' Red Barn Museum.
In the winter of 2005, owners of a truck terminal building in St. Louis gave the building to the Museum, if we took it down. Several members went to work and got the 200'x100' building moved and rebuilt. Since then other buildings and groups have been added to the show grounds.
We are growing with each passing year. Our Main building is the site of numerous events throughout the year. The Lil' Red Barn is a little piece of history, with collections of items from the past. In 2009 this building received the Illinois Governor's Home Town Award. The Tractor Shed displays different makes of tractors and tools of the past. Our Christmas building, which operates as a work shop and houses all the Christmas boxes for The Christmas Lights Wonderland, partners with The Lil' Red Barn, Railroad, Hill's Fort and the Armed Forces Museum to put on a spectacular Christmas display.
The American Heritage Railroad, established in 2003 is a division of the American Farm Heritage Museum. Many rail-enthusiast members realized as farms were connected by the American Railroad so should the Museum have an operating railroad for its historic value, as well as provide a fun ride for visitors. May 10, 2005 the railroad division was officially formed and an intensive search began to procure equipment. Many thousands of hours of volunteer labor, by friends of the railroad, have resulted in over a mile of 13" gauge track being laid, on the grounds. It is our desire to honor the great railroads that have served Bond County, such as the Vandalia, Nickel Plate, Pennsylvania and CB & Q. In 2005 the Ben Winter's Museum railroad was purchased which provided a G-15 diesel train set. The final move of the Ben Winter's railroad was completed in November, in three days with 20 volunteers, 9 trailers and one semi-truck. The collection has grown to include both diesel and steam engines and a variety of rolling stock. The railroad owns three steam locomotives. It is hoped the 1926 Wagner 4-4-2 steam engine will be ready for operation for the 2015 season.
2005 Hill's Fort also joined the Museum. Hill's Fort played an important part in the opening of Northwest Territory. Hill's Fort may have started as early as 1806 when early settlers first arrived. The Fort's location appears on an 1808 survey map by Capt. Isaac Hill, leader of a team commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to survey the Illinois Territory. The Legislature fixed Hill's Fort as the temporary county seat. Earliest records are preserved from Hill's Fort and include court and marriage dockets. The Bond County seat was later moved to Perrysville and, in 1821 to Greenville, Illinois. No longer useful as a fort or county seat, Hill's Fort was abandoned and fell to ruin.
Following excruciating study of the original site, a replica of the Fort has been recreated on the grounds of the Farm Museum. It is open to the public on the 1st Saturday of the month from May through October and also open, for tours and special occasions. At Christmas time they are open Friday and Saturday nights for the Christmas lights. They dress in period dress and cook over the open fireplace in the cabin, and are eager to answer questions.
In 2012 The Armed Forces Museum, "Memories of Steel", joined our Museum. It maintains as its sole mission, to preserve these important pieces of military history. The Museum houses one of the largest collections of military vehicles in the County. It currently watches over approximately 15 privately-owned and 25 museum-owned vehicles. The members are involved in a program called "Living history" which furnishes displays of t1istoric vehicles and memorabilia and, works with re-enactors at civil events like Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day. Each of these vehicles has an historic story and plays a very important role in connecting us with the soldiers who lived and died in their service to the country.
Aschenbroedel Verein (later Gesangverein Schillerbund / now La Mama Experimental Theatre Club) Building, East Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York
The four-story, red brick-clad Aschenbroedel Verein Building, in today’s East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, was constructed in 1873 to the design of German-born architect August H. Blankenstein for this German-American professional orchestral musicians’ social and benevolent association. Founded informally in 1860, it had grown large enough by 1866 for the society to purchase this site and eventually construct the purpose-built structure. The Aschenbroedel Verein became one of the leading German organizations in Kleindeutschland on the Lower East Side.
It counted as members many of the most important musicians in the city, at a time when German-Americans dominated the orchestral scene. These included conductors Carl Bergmann, Theodore Thomas and Walter Damrosch, and the musicians of the New York Philharmonic and Theodore Thomas Orchestras. After the Aschenbroedel Verein moved to Yorkville in 1892, this building was subsequently owned for four years by the Gesangverein Schillerbund, one of the city’s leading and oldest German singing societies. The design of the main facade, altered at this time with the addition of cast-iron ornament by German-born architects [Frederick William] Kurtzer & [Richard O.L.] Rohl, combines elements of the German Renaissance Revival and neo-Grec styles with folk motifs (including hearts), and features a variety of pedimented lintels, quoins, fraktur-like incising, three composers’ busts over the second-story windows, and a prominent cornice with a large broken pediment.
After 1895, the building housed a variety of disparate uses, including a series of public meeting and dance halls, the Newsboys’ Athletic Club, a laundry, and a meatpacking plant. Since 1969, it has been the home of the renowned La Mama Experimental Theatre Club, established in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, and today considered the oldest and most influential off-Off-Broadway theater in New York City. The building remains one of the significant reminders of 19th-century German-American cultural contributions to New York City, as well as the continuing vitality of off-Off-Broadway theater in the East Village.
DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS
The 19th-Century Development of (Today’s) East Village Neighborhood
The area of today’s Greenwich Village was, during the 18th century, the location of the small rural hamlet of Greenwich, as well as the country seats and summer homes of wealthy downtown aristocrats, merchants, and capitalists. A number of cholera and yellow fever epidemics in lower Manhattan between 1799 and 1822 led to an influx of settlers in the Greenwich area, with the population quadrupling between 1825 and 1840. Previously undeveloped tracts of land were speculatively subdivided for the construction of town houses and rowhouses. Whereas in the early 19th century many of the wealthiest New Yorkers lived in the vicinity of Broadway and the side streets adjacent to City Hall Park between Barclay and Chambers Streets, by the 1820s and 30s, as commercial development and congestion increasingly disrupted and displaced them, the elite moved northward into Greenwich Village east of Sixth Avenue.
To the east, during the 17th and 18th centuries, was Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant’s Bowery farm. In the vicinity were Native American trails, today’s Broadway and Bowery, that the Lenape Indians traversed from the southern tip of Manhattan to Inwood and Harlem. St. Mark’s-in-the-Bowery Church (1799) was built on a higher, dry piece of land, while the area to the east of today’s Second Avenue, known as Stuyvesant Meadows, remained an undeveloped marshy area. In the late 18th century, the area east of Second Avenue was the estate of Mangle Minthorn, father-in-law of Daniel Tompkins (1775-1825), governor of New York (1807-17) and
U.S. vice president under James Monroe (1817-25). Both Stuyvesant and Minthorn were slave owners. In 1832, the Common Council created the 15th Ward out of the eastern section of the large 9th Ward, its boundaries being Sixth Avenue, Houston and 14th Streets, and the Bowery. According to Luther Harris’ history Around Washington Square, during the 1830s-40s “this ward drew the wealthiest, most influential, and most talented people from New York City and elsewhere. For a brief period beginning in the 1820s-30s, Lafayette Place, including the grand marble Greek Revival style LaGrange Terrace (1832-33, attributed to Seth Geer), St. Mark’s Place, and Bond, Great Jones, East 4th and Bleecker Streets were also among the city’s most fashionable addresses. Lower Second Avenue and adjacent side streets remained prestigious through the 1850s.
Commercial and institutional intrusions and the continual arrival of immigrants ended the fashionable heyday of these wealthier enclaves before the Civil War. In the 1850s, Broadway north of Houston Street was transformed from a residential into a significant commercial district. Also beginning in the 1850s, after the political upheavals in Europe of 1848 and the resulting influx of German-speaking immigrants to New York City, the Lower East Side (the area bounded roughly by 14th Street, the East River, the Bowery/Third Avenue, and Catherine Street) became known as Kleindeutschland (“Little Germany”). Aside from their presence as residents, these immigrants contributed in significant ways to the vibrant commercial and cultural life of the neighborhood and the city at large. By 1880, this neighborhood constituted one-fourth of the city’s population (as one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in the world) and was the first major urban foreign-speaking neighborhood in the U.S., as well as the leading German-American center throughout the century. A massive exodus of Jews from Eastern Europe from the 1880s to World War I led to approximately two million Jewish immigrants settling in New York; most lived for a time on the Lower East Side, establishing their own cultural and religious institutions there.
Beginning in the 1850s-60s, the vicinity of 14th Street and Union Square developed into a center of musical and theatrical culture. The Academy of Music (1853-54, Alexander Saeltzer), East 14th Street and Irving Place, an opera house with the world’s largest seating capacity at the time, quickly became the center of musical and social life in New York, presenting such notable performers as Adelina Patti (who made her debut here in 1854), and events such as the grand ball in honor of the Prince of Wales in the autumn of 1860. The building burned down in 1866, and was replaced by a new Academy of Music (1868, Thomas R. Jackson). Irving Hall (1860), a ballroom, concert, and lecture hall annex to the Academy, served as the home of the New York Philharmonic in 1861-63. The Steinway piano company opened Steinway Hall (1866), a combination showroom and recital hall at 109 East 14th Street, which for many years was the foremost concert hall in the country (it closed in 1890 and was demolished). By the mid-1860s, a number of legitimate theaters were also opening in the vicinity of Union Square, which during the last quarter of the nineteenth century became the center of New York theater. These included Wallack's Theater (1861, Thomas R. Jackson), 728 Broadway at 13th Street, the most prestigious dramatic theater in the country during this period; the Union Square Theater (1870), an adjunct of the former Union Place Hotel; Chickering Hall (1875), Fifth Avenue and 18th Street; and Amberg Theater (1888, Theodore G. Stein; Irving Place Theater after 1893), 11 Irving Place (all demolished). The Germania Theater, which along with the Amberg catered to a specifically German clientele, was located in Tammany Hall in 1874-81, in Wallack’s Theater in 1881-82, and until 1902 in the former Church of St. Ann, East 8th Street near Broadway. Union Square, after the Civil War, became the traditional site for workers’, union, and political protests and rallies.
As wealthier residents moved northward in the 1850s, their single-family residences were converted into multiple dwellings or boardinghouses, as well as other uses, such as clubs or community cultural institutions. For instance, the former Ralph and Ann E. Van Wyck Mead House at 110 Second Avenue in 1874 became the Isaac T. Hopper Home of the Women’s Prison Association, and, of the Federal style houses on the westernmost block of St. Mark’s Place: No. 29 became the Harmonie Club, a German-Jewish singing club (1856-59); Nos. 19-21 housed another German musical club, the Arion Singing Society (1870-87), and these buildings, along with No. 23, became Arlington Hall, a ballroom-community center in 1887. Most of the remaining houses were demolished for denser development with French flats and tenements between 1874 and 1902.
Hastening the change in the residential character of this section of the Lower East Side after mid-century were a wide variety of major cultural, religious, commercial, and educational institutions, including the Astor Place Opera House (1847; later Clinton Hall/Mercantile Library; demolished), Astor and Lafayette Places; Astor Library (1849-52, Alexander Saeltzer; 1856-69, Griffith Thomas; 1879-81, Thomas Stent), 425 Lafayette Street; Bible House (1852; demolished), home of the American Bible Society and other religious organizations, Astor Place and Third Avenue; and Cooper Union (1853-58, Frederick A. Petersen), Astor Place and Third Avenue. The New York Free Circulating Library, Ottendorfer Branch, and German Dispensary (1883-84, William Schickel), 135 and 137 Second Avenue, among others, catered to the German community. Assembly halls such as Webster Hall and Annex (1886-87, 1892, Charles Renz, Jr.), 119-125 East 11th Street, became important neighborhood social centers. The Third Avenue elevated railroad opened in 1878.
The Aschenbroedel Verein
A social and benevolent association composed almost exclusively of German-American professional orchestral musicians, the Aschenbroedel Verein was founded informally in 1860, with its name, “Cinderella Society,” supposedly a play on the last name of one of its members (and first president), August Asche. After initially meeting at Schneider’s Hall, 371 Broome Street, by 1866 the group had grown large enough with some 300 members for it to acquire a building on East 4th Street. The Aschenbroedel Verein became one of the leading German organizations in Kleindeutschland on the Lower East Side, and counted as members many of the most important musicians in the city, including conductors Carl Bergmann, Theodore Thomas, and Walter Damrosch, as well as all of the members of the Theodore Thomas Orchestra and most of the members of the New York Philharmonic. According to Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians in 1880, this was also “the headquarters” of the New York Philharmonic Society, though the Philharmonic’s Minutes books illustrate that this was one of several locations in the neighborhood where its directors’ and business meetings were held, between 1873 and 1888. Howard Shanet, in Philharmonic: A History of New York’s Orchestra (1975), stated that the Aschenbroedel Verein was the first organization in New York to advance the unionization of musicians, as early as 1860, an effort that culminated later with the formation of the Musical Mutual Protective Union. Shanet called Aschenbroedel “at once a cultural, a benevolent, a social, and a labor association.” He further emphasized the total domination of the symphonic world in New York by the German community, with nearly all of the Philharmonic men of German birth or parentage by 1892. The Aschenbroedel Verein’s motto was “Freundschaft, Geselligkeit, Befoerderung der Kunst” (Friendship, Sociability, Advancement of the Art).
By 1870, there were an estimated 64 German musical societies within New York City, and a number of them were located in the vicinity, either in converted structures or purpose-built ones. These included the Arion Singing Society (founded 1854); Liederkranz (founded 1847), 31-35 East 4th Street; and Beethoven Maennerchor (founded 1859), located in a hall built in 1870 (William Graul, architect) at 210-214 East 5th Street. In addition, Turnverein Halle (1871), 66-68 East 4th Street, was built just down the block from the Aschenbroedel Verein.
In 1873, the Aschenbroedel Verein, under president George Matzka (died 1883), constructed this purpose-built structure, clad in brick and four stories (plus basement; the rear portion is only two stories), at an estimated cost of $24,000. Construction began in June and was completed in October. The architect was August H. Blankenstein (1830-1914), who was born in Germany and immigrated to the U.S. in 1860. Active from 1872 to 1899, he designed tenement, flats, and factory buildings for a mostly German clientele, as well as the addition to the Centre Market Armory (1873-74; demolished), Grand and Centre Streets; work on the 55th Regiment, 23rd Regiment, and First Cavalry 22nd Regiment Armories (c. 1878); and St. Joseph’s R.C. Orphan Asylum School (1883, demolished), Avenue A and 90th Street. A 1894 lawsuit indicated that Blankenstein had been a partner of architect Henry Herter prior to 1886 (Herter then became a partner in [Ernest W.] Schneider & Herter). Blankenstein was also listed as an architect in an 1890 directory in Buffalo, N.Y.
The Times reported on November 7, 1873, that the Aschenbroedel Verein had “inaugurated its new club-house... last night, by an entertainment of music and social festivities.” Considered “one of the most commodious German clubhouses in the city,” its amenities included a restaurant, a library, a billiard room, and a bowling alley in the basement. Among activities conducted here were meetings of the Ancient Lodge of Perfection (Scottish Rite) in 1873, and the 1876 funeral of Philharmonic conductor and Aschenbroedel Verein member Carl Bergmann. For unknown reasons, the building was listed for sale in 1882, but the Aschenbroedel Verein remained here until it sold the building in September 1891. The society, then having some 700 members, moved in November 1892 into a new clubhouse (George H. Griebel, architect; demolished) at 144 East 86th Street in Yorkville.
The Gesangverein Schillerbund and Schillerbund Halle
In June 1892, the Aschenbroedel Verein Building was acquired by the Gesangverein Schillerbund (Schillerbund Singing Society), one of the city’s leading and oldest German singing societies. Founded in 1850 and named after the poet Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805), the Schillerbund had been meeting since 1872 in Turnverein Halle. The purchase price of its new building was $1.00, subject to $37,500 in mortgages held by the Bachmann Brewing Co. of Clifton, Staten Island. This structure was altered between September and October 1892 by the architectural firm of [Frederick William] Kurtzer & [Richard O.L.] Rohl. Interestingly, Kurtzer was a member of the Beethoven Maennerchor. In partnership from about 1888 until 1901, Kurtzer & Rohl specialized in tenements and flats buildings for a largely German clientele; examples of its work include Nos. 95 Bedford Street (1894) and 285 West 4th Street (1900), located within the Greenwich Village Historic District, and No. 121 East 10th Street (1899), located within the St. Mark’s Historic District. The firm was also responsible for the First German Reformed Church (1897, demolished), 351 East 68th Street, and its Sunday School (1901). Richard O.L. Rohl (1857-1923), an immigrant from Prussia in 1880, maintained an independent practice from 1902 until around 1919. No. 391 West Street (aka 8 Weehawken Street) (1902), located within the Weehawken Street Historic District, was his first independent commission, and he also designed the double tenement buildings at Nos. 35-39 Christopher Street (1907), located within the Greenwich Village Historic District. Frederick William Kurtzer (c. 1849- ), emigrated from Germany around 1870. He worked independently in 1901-02, then became a partner in Kurtzer & Rentz in 1903-06, with Charles Rentz, Jr. (1855-1906), an architect who was born in New York City of German descent. Rentz was extraordinarily prolific in the design of flats and tenement buildings in the 1880s, but is best known for the design of Webster Hall and Annex (1886-87, 1892). Kurtzer continued to practice in Manhattan and the Bronx until around 1925.
The Dept. of Buildings 1892 alteration application for the Gesangverein Schillerbund Building, as well as the dockets, only listed $1,200 in work, involving interior partition alterations in the basement (and a new bowling alley) and second story. In an article on the building’s opening in November 1892, however, the New York Times indicated that it had been “almost entirely rebuilt and refitted,” and that “the building cost in all about $45,000. ... On the ground floor are fine bowling alleys, the kitchen and restaurant. The second floor is used for assembly and meeting rooms, the third for lodge rooms, and the top of the house is occupied by the tenant.” The 1892 tax assessment for the property increased by more than 25 percent, and the structure was later described in the Times as “one of the best Maennerchor clubhouses in that section of this city.” The design of the main facade, altered at this time with the addition of cast-iron ornament, combines elements of the German Renaissance Revival and neo-Grec styles with folk motifs (including hearts), and features a variety of pedimented lintels, quoins, fraktur-like incising, three composers’ busts over the second-story windows, and a prominent cornice with a large broken pediment.
A Schillerbund Fair was held here December 10-20, 1892. By 1895, the membership of the Schillerbund was around 400, and the hall, managed by Gustav Schunemann, reportedly enjoyed “much popularity among the merrymakers of that neighborhood.” In November 1896, however, the Gesangverein Schillerbund sold the property and moved to Yorkville (later returning to another building on East 4th Street). This building was purchased for $40,195 by the Bachmann Brewing Co., holder of the mortgage. The company was founded by the German-born Frederick Bachmann (1839-1905), who had immigrated to New York in 1859, and worked at the Lion Brewery in Manhattan, prior to moving to Staten Island, where he was employed by the Schmidt Brewery and Gabriel Meyer Brewery, becoming the co-owner with David Meyer until it was destroyed by fire in 1881. As indicated by Charles L. Sachs in Made on Staten Island, “The successful breweries were not just efficient manufacturing enterprises. To market and distribute their products the breweries acquired real estate holdings and developed close ties with the restaurant, recreation, and tourism businesses. The major breweries owned, operated, and rented saloons, taverns, beer gardens, hotels, and even resort complexes.”
This building became a rental assembly hall, and there are references in newspapers calling it “Schillerbund Halle” as late as 1901. A sampling of meetings and events held here included: pattern makers (1895); Eastern Star chapter of the Order of Chosen Friends (1897); New York branch of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers (1897); New York Engineers & Machinists Society (1897); New York Engineers’ Protective Association (1900); and Poles celebrating the 1863 insurrection (1901).
Krywaczy’s Hall, Saenger Hall, and McKinley Hall
The building continued to be used as a public rental hall and social center, under three different names, and like such sites as Webster Hall (though on a smaller scale), was a venue for organizational meetings and political and union functions, particularly for the working-class and immigrant population of the Lower East Side. As opined by historian Kathy Peiss:
For the working-class population packed into small tenement apartments, large halls that could be rented for dances, weddings, mass meetings, and other gatherings were a requirement of social life. The number of public halls in Manhattan rose substantially in a short period; business directories listed 130 halls in 1895 and 195 in 1910, an increase of 50 percent. While some of these, like Carnegie Hall, were cultural spaces of the privileged, most were located in working-class districts. The largest East Side halls... were always in great demand.
In a September 12, 1901, New York Times announcement of a meeting here of the Polish community to denounce Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist who had shot President William McKinley on September 6, the location was referred to as “Krywaczy’s Hall” (McKinley died on the day of the meeting). John Krywacsy (Krywaczy) was listed in directories as a liquor dealer on Forsyth Street. City directories in 1901-03, as well as the 1903 Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac, called this “Saenger Hall.” The Bachmann Brewing Co. leased the property in April 1903 to Max Sapiro and Ike Lifschitz. Sapiro was listed in the 1910 Census as a Polish/Austrian-born café proprietor, though he was not listed in directories in connection with this property, while Issac Lifshitz (Ike Lifschitz) was Russian-born according to the 1900 Census, and was listed in directories in this building in 1903-05 (in 1903 as partner of Joseph Lublinsky) operating a saloon. Among groups meeting here were the Heinrich Heine lodge (1902), Smoking Pipe Makers’ Union (1903), and East Side Restaurant Keepers (1903). Apparently in commemoration of the assassinated President, the name of the building was changed to “McKinley Hall” by 1904. Organizations that met here included the formation of the New-York Rent Payers’ Protective Association (1904), Lady Lining Makers (1904), and Cloth Hat and Cap Makers of North America (1904-07). Frederick Bachmann was judged to be incompetent in July 1904 (he died in January 1905); in November 1904, Bachmann’s trustees transferred this property to Combined Securities Co., which held an auction in January 1905. The auction advertisement listed “Bowling alleys in cellar. Store, meeting, lodge, music rooms, and apartments above.” After passing through several owners, the building was acquired in February 1906 by Malka Marder; the wife of Benjamin Marder, a cloak contractor in the 1910 Census, both were Polish/Austrian-born.
The Newsboys’ Athletic Club
In September 1905, the three upper stories of the former McKinley Hall were leased for use as the Newsboys’ Athletic Club, founded by Jack Sullivan (ne Jacob A. Reich), known as the “King of the Newsboys,” a former newsboy and prizefighter who then sold papers to newsboys. The Club had a gymnasium and showers, a reading/classroom, and a lodging room for over fifty boys. The club depended on donations from New York’s society – one benefit, held in March 1907 at the Academy of Music, was directed by impresarios George M. Cohan and Sam Harris. By May 1911, with the expiration of its lease, the Club, by that time serving some 2,000 newsboys, purchased the former home of the New-York Historical Society at Second Avenue and 11th Street. The basement and storefront of the Newsboys’ Athletic Club building had been leased for use as a laundry in 1905-07 to Paul C. Port (also at 88 East 4th Street), and from 1908 to March 1912 to the New System Napkin, Towel Supply & Steam Laundry Co., until legal action against the company was taken by the Marders.
Floral Garden Hall
Malka Marder sold the building in February 1913, and it was purchased the following month by Sarah Hirsch, the wife of Charles Hirsch, proprietor of the Manhattan Lyceum (formerly Turnverein Halle) at 66-68 East 4th Street; both Hirsches were born in Romania. Operated as Floral Garden Hall, it was altered into a dance hall on the ground story, with meeting and banquet rooms above. Among the many events held here were: the annual convention of the Federation of Rumanian Jews of America (1913); Brotherhood Welfare Association gathering on behalf of New York’s hoboes (1913); Women Dressmakers’ Association and Journeymen Barbers’ League strike meetings (1914); a planned meeting of the Anti-Militarist League, which resulted in a riot after the owner reneged on the use of the hall (1914); Sheet Metal (Automobile) Workers’ meetings (1914); garment workers strike meetings (1916); Messenger Boys’ Union strike headquarters (1916); and Branch No. 578, Arbeiter Ring (Workmen’s Circle) of the Socialist Party, and Sholom Aleichem Lodge of the Jewish National Workers’ Alliance of America (1917-18). In 1916, the ground story was altered for a storefront, incorporating 1892 cast-iron pilasters (which survive). The property was foreclosed in January 1919 and sold at auction.
Standard Provision Co./ Hygrade Food Products Corp.
After 45 years of use as a social and meeting hall, the former Aschenbroedel Verein Building for the next four decades served as meatpacking plant. The property was purchased in February 1919 by the Standard Provision Co. (Isidor Chorney, president) at 102 Rivington Street. A Dept. of Buildings application indicated that the building would be used for meatpacking, with storage in the basement, shipping and receiving on the ground story, a meat provisions and drying factory on the second story, and offices on the third story. In December 1927, Standard Provision was acquired through a merger of nine wholesale provisions companies by the Hygrade Food Products Corp. (Hugo Slotkin, president), 152 Broadway. The Washington Post called this “the first consolidation of delicatessen food properties ever effected.” According to a notice in the New York Times, the constituent companies
manufacture and sell frankfurters, bolognas, salamis, smoked and cured tongues, spiced, pickled and corned beef and various other ready-to-serve meat products. The companies are among the most important serving New York and Philadelphia. Their success individually and collectively has established an enviable record in the industry. Their products are sold to over 5,000 customers, including delicatessen stores, chain stores, drug stores, meat markets, clubs, grocers, hotels, restaurants, steamship and railroad companies, etc., throughout the United States and in foreign countries.
City directories over the years variously listed divisions of the corporation here: Hebrew National Food Products (c.1928-29); Carmel Kosher Provision Co. (c. 1933-45); and Hod Carmel Kosher Provision Co. (c. 1950-57). Hygrade sold this property in February 1960.
20th-Century History of the East Village
After a period of decline, Greenwich Village was becoming known, prior to World War I, for its historic and picturesque qualities, its affordable housing, and the diversity of its population and social and political ideas. Many artists and writers, as well as tourists, were attracted to the Village. By the 1910s, property owners and merchants attempted to improve the Village’s economy and rehabilitate its physical condition, with “shrewd realtors beg[inning] to amass their holdings of dilapidated housing.” These various factors and the increased desirability of the Village to upper-middle-class professionals lead to a real estate boom – “rents increased during the 1920s by 140 percent and in some cases by as much as 300 percent.”
After World War II, the ethnic make-up of the Lower East Side changed again, becoming dominated by Latin American immigrants, especially those from Puerto Rico. Their immigration was encouraged by the government as a source of cheap labor, particularly for the garment trades, hotels, and small manufacturing. The community named itself Loisaida to symbolize the second generation Hispanic roots that had developed in the context of the African-American and Latino movements for social and economic justice, equality, and identity. The residential and cultural desirability of the neighborhood that came to be known as the “East Village” increased with the removal of the Third Avenue El in 1955. As indicated by Terry Miller,
the psychological barrier that had marked the eastern boundary of Greenwich Village was gone. Blocks that once had no prestige were suddenly seen as intriguing, and apartments here were less costly than those in Greenwich Village. ... As artists and writers moved east, the blocks from St. Mark’s Place to Tenth Street were the first to hint that the Lower East Side was being transformed. Realtors began marketing the area as “Village East,” and by 1961 as the “East Village,” a name that stuck.
From World War I to the 1940s, Second Avenue between East 14th and Houston Streets had been considered the heart of New York’s Jewish community, known as the “Yiddish Rialto” for its role as the world’s center of Yiddish theater. As Yiddish theater declined, the East Village gave rise in the 1950s to “Off-Broadway” theater, including the Phoenix Theater (1953-61) in the former Louis N. Jaffe Art Theater (Yiddish Art Theater) building (1925-26, Harrison G. Wiseman), 181-189 Second Avenue; the Tempo Playhouse and Pyramid, Key, Bowery, New Bowery, and Bridge Theaters (1955-67) in the former Hamilton-Holly House, 4 St. Marks Place; and the Orpheum Theater (1958), 126 Second Avenue. An “off-Off-Broadway” theater also emerged in the late 1950s, characterized by the small size of the venues and total avoidance of commercialism and its pressures. Joe Cino’s Caffe Cino (1958), 31 Cornelia Street, is generally recognized as the first, and other significant early off-Off-Broadway theaters were Judson Memorial Church (1961) under Rev. Al Carmines; Ellen Stewart’s Café La Mama/ La Mama Experimental Theatre Club (1961), 321 East 9th Street (after 1969 at 74 East 4th Street); and Theater Genesis (1964) in St. Marks in the Bowery Church under Michael Allen and Ralph Cook. Off-Off Broadway theater coincided with the emergence of gay theater in New York.
In the 1950s, the East Village also became home to a number of key Beat Generation writers, including Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Norman Mailer, and W.H. Auden, and was renowned for its protest art and politics, galleries, poetry and coffee houses, bookstores, clubs, with a “counterculture” scene centered on St. Mark’s Place.
Rodale Press, Inc.
The 74 East 4th Street building was purchased in February 1960 by Rodale Press, Inc., of Emmaus, Pa. Jerome Irving Rodale (1898-1971) was a New York accountant who, with a brother, in 1923 founded Rodale Mfg. Co., which made commercial and residential electrical connectors. After relocating the firm to Emmaus, Rodale became interested in organic farming. Rodale Press began publishing Organic Farming & Gardening (1942) and Prevention (1950), a magazine devoted to nutrition and personal health, and later, other magazines and health books. In order to promote his concepts, he was also a playwright and theatrical producer. Rodale apparently originally intended to use No. 74 as a theater – the Times listed building plans as such in 1960; instead, Rodale in 1962 purchased No. 64 East 4th Street with the intention to “convert it into an intimate playhouse, theatre workshop and acting school.” A directory in 1963 listed Rodale Press and the Rodale Theater at 62 East 4th Street, and Rodale Mfg. Co. at No. 60. Rodale sold the property in September 1967.
La Mama Experimental Theatre Club
In November 1967, the former Aschenbroedel Verein Building was acquired by the La Mama Experimental Theatre Club, an off-Off-Broadway theater company that had been founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart. After her arrival in New York in 1950, Ms. Stewart worked in retail clothing and fashion, becoming a freelance designer. She opened a basement Café La Mama at 321 East 9th Street in 1961, intended as a combination boutique and theater, the latter partly inspired by the experience of a brother who was an aspiring playwright. The café’s first play in July 1962 was Tennessee Williams’ “One Arm,” and later that year Stewart put on the first American production of a Harold Pinter play, “The Room.” She was forced, however, to move several times: to 82 Second Avenue in 1963, after being closed by the Dept. of Buildings due to a zoning violation; and to a loft at 122 Second Avenue in 1964, after being closed twice by the Police, Fire, Licenses, and Health Departments. In March 1964, the company was renamed the La Mama Experimental Theatre Club, and Stewart was acclaimed during its first European tour in 1965. An Actors’ Equity crackdown in 1966 on coffee houses and theater workshops nearly ended the company, but the union relented in recognition of the importance in New York of experimental theater (La Mama then adhered to a policy of no formal admission charge – instead there was a $1 per week membership fee – and a maximum of ten performances). By 1967, the Times called Ms. Stewart “the most active producer in New York City,” with a new American play every two weeks. Her abiding philosophy has been that La Mama is “dedicated to the playwright and all forms of theater.” She notes that “I started La Mama so there would be a place where a playwright could write, see and learn. Why should a new playwright be regarded on the same terms as an experienced playwright the very first time out – which is what most professional criticism does?” She has personally selected and invited these playwrights, who then act as their own producer, with La Mama considered an attractive venue due to its lack of censorship.
La Mama received major Ford and Rockefeller Foundations grants in 1967, allowing the purchase and renovation of the 74 East 4th Street building, which was then “in ruins.” In June 1968, its Second Avenue theater closed, with plays temporarily produced at 9 St. Mark’s Place, while renovations occurred on East 4th Street. The current La Mama Experimental Theatre Club opened in March 1969, with repertory and ensemble theaters on the first and second stories, rehearsal space on the third story, and Stewart’s apartment on the top story. The first two productions inaugurating the theaters were the musical “Caution: A Love Story,” by Tom Eyen and Bruce Kirle, based on the story of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and Julie Bovasso’s “Gloria and Esperanza.” The first-story theater was renovated in 1972. A National Endowment for the Arts grant in 1974 allowed for the expansion into an Annex at 66-68 East 4th Street (former Turnverein Halle).
Today, La Mama, the oldest off-Off-Broadway theater in New York City, is widely considered the most influential and has been called “the most prolific of all the off off-Broadway stages,” to date having produced an estimated 1,900 plays in New York City, and countless more around the world. La Mama has received more than sixty Obie Awards for Off-Broadway theater (including a Special Obie for its 20th anniversary in 1981), as well as dozens of Drama Desk, Bessie, and Villager Awards. Ellen Stewart, recognized as a pioneering African-American theater impresario, was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship Award (1985) and MacArthur Fellows Award (1991), and was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame (1993). Though commercial theater has not been its focus, a number of La Mama plays achieved success on Broadway, including “Godspell” and “Torch Song Trilogy,” and its resident director, Tom O’Horgan, later produced the influential hit “Hair.” Among the notable playwrights associated with La Mama have been Jean-Claude van Itallie, Paul Foster, Ruth Yorck, Tom Eyen, Julie Bovasso, David Starkweather, Sam Shepard, Lanford Wilson, Harvey Fierstein, William Hoffman, Adrienne Kennedy, Charles Ludlam, and Terence McNally; eminent directors have included O’Horgan, Joseph Chaiken, Andrei Serban, Wilford Leach, John Vacarro, Marshall Mason, and Meredith Monk; and performers of note have included Bill Irwin, Billy Crystal, Nick Nolte, Danny De Vito, Bette Midler, and Estelle Getty.
Description
The four-story (plus basement; the rear portion is only two stories) and three-bay, red brick-clad Aschenbroedel Verein Building was originally built in 1873; the front facade was altered in 1892 with the addition of cast-iron ornament that combines elements of the German Renaissance Revival and neo-Grec styles with folk motifs.
Ground Story: Four 1892 cast-iron pilasters survive, which are fluted at the base, paneled above, and ornamented with incised blocks that are surmounted by bosses and inverted hearts. The iron entablature once supported by the pilasters has been removed (post-1939); the story is terminated by a painted stone stringcourse. Alterations dating from 1969 (or after) include: the central metal-and-glass entrance doors (with stone threshold), which are surmounted by a wooden panel and sign; brick infill between and above the pilasters; announcement board on the east side of the facade; and two light fixtures placed above the entrance.
Second through Fourth Stories: The upper stories are flanked by vermiculated cast-iron quoins (many blocks and/or vermiculation are missing). All windows have cast-iron surrounds, ornamented with hearts on the sides and incised motifs on the sills, and are linked together and to the quoins by panels with fraktur-like incising. Many of the moldings once located above the hearts on the windows are missing. The second-story windows are double-height, are capped by round-arched pediments ornamented with three composers’ busts, and have six-over-six double-hung wood sash (the outer windows have transoms, while the central window has double pairs). The third story windows have segmental broken-scroll pediments (only the eastern window has a surviving acroterion ornament) and six-over-six double-hung wood sash (paired in the center). The central fourth-story window is capped by a pediment, while the outer windows have entablatures (the western window’s was replaced in pressed metal c. 1980s-90s; all have six-over-six double-hung wood sash (paired in the center). The prominent metal cornice has stylized modillions ornamented with hearts (the easternmost is missing), rods, and incised ends and is surmounted by a large molded, broken pediment, ornamented at the ends by sunbursts.
Western Facade: This facade, currently visible above the first story, has keyed returns of the front facade’s quoins, and a portion of red brick facing; the rest of the facade is unarticulated and parged.
Eastern Facade: Attached to the eastern side of the building [and not on the designated Landmark Site] is a tan brick wall, constructed as part of a light court for No. 63-65 Second Avenue (aka 76-82 East 4th Street) (1926, Charles B. Meyers).
- From the 2009 NYCLPC Landmark Designation Report
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenville,_Illinois
Greenville is a city in Bond County, Illinois, United States, 51 miles (82 km) east of St. Louis. The population as of the 2010 census was 7,000. It is the county seat of Bond County.
Greenville is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is also considered part of the Metro East region of Illinois.
Greenville celebrated its Bicentennial in 2015 as one of the oldest communities in Illinois. It is home to Greenville University, the Richard Bock Museum, the American Farm Heritage Museum, the Armed Forces Museum and the Demoulin Museum and a federal prison, Federal Correctional Institution, Greenville (FCI Greenville). It is also home to internationally known companies, including Nevco Scoreboard, the largest privately owned scoreboard company in the world, and DeMoulin Brothers, the world's oldest and largest manufacturer of band uniforms.
Source: www.americanfarmheritagemuseum.com/about-us.html
The American Farm Heritage Museum was one man's dream. The Museum became a reality when a group of men, mostly farmers, sitting in coffee shop, talked about the dream of building a museum to preserve the farm heritage. Sixty farmers, collectors, and civic leaders held a meeting to share their ideas with the public in April of 2002. It was agreed that Bond County, being near the middle of the state and right along 1-70, would be the perfect place. Meetings were conducted, fundraisers were held, and ideas were passed around. In 2002 the land for the museum was acquired and a name for the museum was chosen.
The American Farm Heritage Museum would sit on seventeen acres, along the south side of interstate 70, just east of the Route 127 overpass. Its goal would be to promote and share the heritage of America's rural life: living, farming and travel. One very generous family purchased the land and leased it for ninety-nine years to the American Farm Heritage Museum, NFP organization. After a year of planning, the first 32'x64' building, with a gambrel roof, was completed. It was finished just days before the first Heritage Days Show in July 2004. This building, originally was to be a tractor maintenance shop, but later became known as the Lil' Red Barn Museum.
In the winter of 2005, owners of a truck terminal building in St. Louis gave the building to the Museum, if we took it down. Several members went to work and got the 200'x100' building moved and rebuilt. Since then other buildings and groups have been added to the show grounds.
We are growing with each passing year. Our Main building is the site of numerous events throughout the year. The Lil' Red Barn is a little piece of history, with collections of items from the past. In 2009 this building received the Illinois Governor's Home Town Award. The Tractor Shed displays different makes of tractors and tools of the past. Our Christmas building, which operates as a work shop and houses all the Christmas boxes for The Christmas Lights Wonderland, partners with The Lil' Red Barn, Railroad, Hill's Fort and the Armed Forces Museum to put on a spectacular Christmas display.
The American Heritage Railroad, established in 2003 is a division of the American Farm Heritage Museum. Many rail-enthusiast members realized as farms were connected by the American Railroad so should the Museum have an operating railroad for its historic value, as well as provide a fun ride for visitors. May 10, 2005 the railroad division was officially formed and an intensive search began to procure equipment. Many thousands of hours of volunteer labor, by friends of the railroad, have resulted in over a mile of 13" gauge track being laid, on the grounds. It is our desire to honor the great railroads that have served Bond County, such as the Vandalia, Nickel Plate, Pennsylvania and CB & Q. In 2005 the Ben Winter's Museum railroad was purchased which provided a G-15 diesel train set. The final move of the Ben Winter's railroad was completed in November, in three days with 20 volunteers, 9 trailers and one semi-truck. The collection has grown to include both diesel and steam engines and a variety of rolling stock. The railroad owns three steam locomotives. It is hoped the 1926 Wagner 4-4-2 steam engine will be ready for operation for the 2015 season.
2005 Hill's Fort also joined the Museum. Hill's Fort played an important part in the opening of Northwest Territory. Hill's Fort may have started as early as 1806 when early settlers first arrived. The Fort's location appears on an 1808 survey map by Capt. Isaac Hill, leader of a team commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to survey the Illinois Territory. The Legislature fixed Hill's Fort as the temporary county seat. Earliest records are preserved from Hill's Fort and include court and marriage dockets. The Bond County seat was later moved to Perrysville and, in 1821 to Greenville, Illinois. No longer useful as a fort or county seat, Hill's Fort was abandoned and fell to ruin.
Following excruciating study of the original site, a replica of the Fort has been recreated on the grounds of the Farm Museum. It is open to the public on the 1st Saturday of the month from May through October and also open, for tours and special occasions. At Christmas time they are open Friday and Saturday nights for the Christmas lights. They dress in period dress and cook over the open fireplace in the cabin, and are eager to answer questions.
In 2012 The Armed Forces Museum, "Memories of Steel", joined our Museum. It maintains as its sole mission, to preserve these important pieces of military history. The Museum houses one of the largest collections of military vehicles in the County. It currently watches over approximately 15 privately-owned and 25 museum-owned vehicles. The members are involved in a program called "Living history" which furnishes displays of t1istoric vehicles and memorabilia and, works with re-enactors at civil events like Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day. Each of these vehicles has an historic story and plays a very important role in connecting us with the soldiers who lived and died in their service to the country.
My ' Docket ' , as it is called in railway terms, for my final shift with Virgin Trains.
AVANTI have chosen a triangle as their logo but we at Virgin Preston Depot have been doing Triangular working for years, simply join up Preston, Brum and London and there you go. At Preston we also work triangular working north of the border as we work into either Glasgow or Edinburgh and return from Edinburgh or Glasgow...
Three more days to go for Virgin Trains ( West Coast ) but my final shift before leave and returning to another new company, having been British Rail, Virgin Cross Country and Virgin West Coast.
Out of 500 odd current Drivers with Virgin Trains I am also one of the longest serving from a small group of eleven of us who actually started with Virgin Cross Country on the 6/1/97 two months before Virgin West Coast (9/3/97) came into being and the main TOC we know today, and who the eleven migrated to when Virgin Cross Country ceased on the 10/11/07 as Preston, and some Edinburgh, drivers didn't move to Cross Country as they abandoned the WCML north.
A good move for me and opportunity to drive the splendid Class 390 Pendolinos and some classic traction in the form of Class 57s, although we no longer drive them.
4-12-19
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenville,_Illinois
Greenville is a city in Bond County, Illinois, United States, 51 miles (82 km) east of St. Louis. The population as of the 2010 census was 7,000. It is the county seat of Bond County.
Greenville is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is also considered part of the Metro East region of Illinois.
Greenville celebrated its Bicentennial in 2015 as one of the oldest communities in Illinois. It is home to Greenville University, the Richard Bock Museum, the American Farm Heritage Museum, the Armed Forces Museum and the Demoulin Museum and a federal prison, Federal Correctional Institution, Greenville (FCI Greenville). It is also home to internationally known companies, including Nevco Scoreboard, the largest privately owned scoreboard company in the world, and DeMoulin Brothers, the world's oldest and largest manufacturer of band uniforms.
Source: www.americanfarmheritagemuseum.com/about-us.html
The American Farm Heritage Museum was one man's dream. The Museum became a reality when a group of men, mostly farmers, sitting in coffee shop, talked about the dream of building a museum to preserve the farm heritage. Sixty farmers, collectors, and civic leaders held a meeting to share their ideas with the public in April of 2002. It was agreed that Bond County, being near the middle of the state and right along 1-70, would be the perfect place. Meetings were conducted, fundraisers were held, and ideas were passed around. In 2002 the land for the museum was acquired and a name for the museum was chosen.
The American Farm Heritage Museum would sit on seventeen acres, along the south side of interstate 70, just east of the Route 127 overpass. Its goal would be to promote and share the heritage of America's rural life: living, farming and travel. One very generous family purchased the land and leased it for ninety-nine years to the American Farm Heritage Museum, NFP organization. After a year of planning, the first 32'x64' building, with a gambrel roof, was completed. It was finished just days before the first Heritage Days Show in July 2004. This building, originally was to be a tractor maintenance shop, but later became known as the Lil' Red Barn Museum.
In the winter of 2005, owners of a truck terminal building in St. Louis gave the building to the Museum, if we took it down. Several members went to work and got the 200'x100' building moved and rebuilt. Since then other buildings and groups have been added to the show grounds.
We are growing with each passing year. Our Main building is the site of numerous events throughout the year. The Lil' Red Barn is a little piece of history, with collections of items from the past. In 2009 this building received the Illinois Governor's Home Town Award. The Tractor Shed displays different makes of tractors and tools of the past. Our Christmas building, which operates as a work shop and houses all the Christmas boxes for The Christmas Lights Wonderland, partners with The Lil' Red Barn, Railroad, Hill's Fort and the Armed Forces Museum to put on a spectacular Christmas display.
The American Heritage Railroad, established in 2003 is a division of the American Farm Heritage Museum. Many rail-enthusiast members realized as farms were connected by the American Railroad so should the Museum have an operating railroad for its historic value, as well as provide a fun ride for visitors. May 10, 2005 the railroad division was officially formed and an intensive search began to procure equipment. Many thousands of hours of volunteer labor, by friends of the railroad, have resulted in over a mile of 13" gauge track being laid, on the grounds. It is our desire to honor the great railroads that have served Bond County, such as the Vandalia, Nickel Plate, Pennsylvania and CB & Q. In 2005 the Ben Winter's Museum railroad was purchased which provided a G-15 diesel train set. The final move of the Ben Winter's railroad was completed in November, in three days with 20 volunteers, 9 trailers and one semi-truck. The collection has grown to include both diesel and steam engines and a variety of rolling stock. The railroad owns three steam locomotives. It is hoped the 1926 Wagner 4-4-2 steam engine will be ready for operation for the 2015 season.
2005 Hill's Fort also joined the Museum. Hill's Fort played an important part in the opening of Northwest Territory. Hill's Fort may have started as early as 1806 when early settlers first arrived. The Fort's location appears on an 1808 survey map by Capt. Isaac Hill, leader of a team commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to survey the Illinois Territory. The Legislature fixed Hill's Fort as the temporary county seat. Earliest records are preserved from Hill's Fort and include court and marriage dockets. The Bond County seat was later moved to Perrysville and, in 1821 to Greenville, Illinois. No longer useful as a fort or county seat, Hill's Fort was abandoned and fell to ruin.
Following excruciating study of the original site, a replica of the Fort has been recreated on the grounds of the Farm Museum. It is open to the public on the 1st Saturday of the month from May through October and also open, for tours and special occasions. At Christmas time they are open Friday and Saturday nights for the Christmas lights. They dress in period dress and cook over the open fireplace in the cabin, and are eager to answer questions.
In 2012 The Armed Forces Museum, "Memories of Steel", joined our Museum. It maintains as its sole mission, to preserve these important pieces of military history. The Museum houses one of the largest collections of military vehicles in the County. It currently watches over approximately 15 privately-owned and 25 museum-owned vehicles. The members are involved in a program called "Living history" which furnishes displays of t1istoric vehicles and memorabilia and, works with re-enactors at civil events like Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day. Each of these vehicles has an historic story and plays a very important role in connecting us with the soldiers who lived and died in their service to the country.
Aschenbroedel Verein (later Gesangverein Schillerbund / now La Mama Experimental Theatre Club) Building, East Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York
The four-story, red brick-clad Aschenbroedel Verein Building, in today’s East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, was constructed in 1873 to the design of German-born architect August H. Blankenstein for this German-American professional orchestral musicians’ social and benevolent association. Founded informally in 1860, it had grown large enough by 1866 for the society to purchase this site and eventually construct the purpose-built structure. The Aschenbroedel Verein became one of the leading German organizations in Kleindeutschland on the Lower East Side.
It counted as members many of the most important musicians in the city, at a time when German-Americans dominated the orchestral scene. These included conductors Carl Bergmann, Theodore Thomas and Walter Damrosch, and the musicians of the New York Philharmonic and Theodore Thomas Orchestras. After the Aschenbroedel Verein moved to Yorkville in 1892, this building was subsequently owned for four years by the Gesangverein Schillerbund, one of the city’s leading and oldest German singing societies. The design of the main facade, altered at this time with the addition of cast-iron ornament by German-born architects [Frederick William] Kurtzer & [Richard O.L.] Rohl, combines elements of the German Renaissance Revival and neo-Grec styles with folk motifs (including hearts), and features a variety of pedimented lintels, quoins, fraktur-like incising, three composers’ busts over the second-story windows, and a prominent cornice with a large broken pediment.
After 1895, the building housed a variety of disparate uses, including a series of public meeting and dance halls, the Newsboys’ Athletic Club, a laundry, and a meatpacking plant. Since 1969, it has been the home of the renowned La Mama Experimental Theatre Club, established in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, and today considered the oldest and most influential off-Off-Broadway theater in New York City. The building remains one of the significant reminders of 19th-century German-American cultural contributions to New York City, as well as the continuing vitality of off-Off-Broadway theater in the East Village.
DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS
The 19th-Century Development of (Today’s) East Village Neighborhood
The area of today’s Greenwich Village was, during the 18th century, the location of the small rural hamlet of Greenwich, as well as the country seats and summer homes of wealthy downtown aristocrats, merchants, and capitalists. A number of cholera and yellow fever epidemics in lower Manhattan between 1799 and 1822 led to an influx of settlers in the Greenwich area, with the population quadrupling between 1825 and 1840. Previously undeveloped tracts of land were speculatively subdivided for the construction of town houses and rowhouses. Whereas in the early 19th century many of the wealthiest New Yorkers lived in the vicinity of Broadway and the side streets adjacent to City Hall Park between Barclay and Chambers Streets, by the 1820s and 30s, as commercial development and congestion increasingly disrupted and displaced them, the elite moved northward into Greenwich Village east of Sixth Avenue.
To the east, during the 17th and 18th centuries, was Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant’s Bowery farm. In the vicinity were Native American trails, today’s Broadway and Bowery, that the Lenape Indians traversed from the southern tip of Manhattan to Inwood and Harlem. St. Mark’s-in-the-Bowery Church (1799) was built on a higher, dry piece of land, while the area to the east of today’s Second Avenue, known as Stuyvesant Meadows, remained an undeveloped marshy area. In the late 18th century, the area east of Second Avenue was the estate of Mangle Minthorn, father-in-law of Daniel Tompkins (1775-1825), governor of New York (1807-17) and
U.S. vice president under James Monroe (1817-25). Both Stuyvesant and Minthorn were slave owners. In 1832, the Common Council created the 15th Ward out of the eastern section of the large 9th Ward, its boundaries being Sixth Avenue, Houston and 14th Streets, and the Bowery. According to Luther Harris’ history Around Washington Square, during the 1830s-40s “this ward drew the wealthiest, most influential, and most talented people from New York City and elsewhere. For a brief period beginning in the 1820s-30s, Lafayette Place, including the grand marble Greek Revival style LaGrange Terrace (1832-33, attributed to Seth Geer), St. Mark’s Place, and Bond, Great Jones, East 4th and Bleecker Streets were also among the city’s most fashionable addresses. Lower Second Avenue and adjacent side streets remained prestigious through the 1850s.
Commercial and institutional intrusions and the continual arrival of immigrants ended the fashionable heyday of these wealthier enclaves before the Civil War. In the 1850s, Broadway north of Houston Street was transformed from a residential into a significant commercial district. Also beginning in the 1850s, after the political upheavals in Europe of 1848 and the resulting influx of German-speaking immigrants to New York City, the Lower East Side (the area bounded roughly by 14th Street, the East River, the Bowery/Third Avenue, and Catherine Street) became known as Kleindeutschland (“Little Germany”). Aside from their presence as residents, these immigrants contributed in significant ways to the vibrant commercial and cultural life of the neighborhood and the city at large. By 1880, this neighborhood constituted one-fourth of the city’s population (as one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in the world) and was the first major urban foreign-speaking neighborhood in the U.S., as well as the leading German-American center throughout the century. A massive exodus of Jews from Eastern Europe from the 1880s to World War I led to approximately two million Jewish immigrants settling in New York; most lived for a time on the Lower East Side, establishing their own cultural and religious institutions there.
Beginning in the 1850s-60s, the vicinity of 14th Street and Union Square developed into a center of musical and theatrical culture. The Academy of Music (1853-54, Alexander Saeltzer), East 14th Street and Irving Place, an opera house with the world’s largest seating capacity at the time, quickly became the center of musical and social life in New York, presenting such notable performers as Adelina Patti (who made her debut here in 1854), and events such as the grand ball in honor of the Prince of Wales in the autumn of 1860. The building burned down in 1866, and was replaced by a new Academy of Music (1868, Thomas R. Jackson). Irving Hall (1860), a ballroom, concert, and lecture hall annex to the Academy, served as the home of the New York Philharmonic in 1861-63. The Steinway piano company opened Steinway Hall (1866), a combination showroom and recital hall at 109 East 14th Street, which for many years was the foremost concert hall in the country (it closed in 1890 and was demolished). By the mid-1860s, a number of legitimate theaters were also opening in the vicinity of Union Square, which during the last quarter of the nineteenth century became the center of New York theater. These included Wallack's Theater (1861, Thomas R. Jackson), 728 Broadway at 13th Street, the most prestigious dramatic theater in the country during this period; the Union Square Theater (1870), an adjunct of the former Union Place Hotel; Chickering Hall (1875), Fifth Avenue and 18th Street; and Amberg Theater (1888, Theodore G. Stein; Irving Place Theater after 1893), 11 Irving Place (all demolished). The Germania Theater, which along with the Amberg catered to a specifically German clientele, was located in Tammany Hall in 1874-81, in Wallack’s Theater in 1881-82, and until 1902 in the former Church of St. Ann, East 8th Street near Broadway. Union Square, after the Civil War, became the traditional site for workers’, union, and political protests and rallies.
As wealthier residents moved northward in the 1850s, their single-family residences were converted into multiple dwellings or boardinghouses, as well as other uses, such as clubs or community cultural institutions. For instance, the former Ralph and Ann E. Van Wyck Mead House at 110 Second Avenue in 1874 became the Isaac T. Hopper Home of the Women’s Prison Association, and, of the Federal style houses on the westernmost block of St. Mark’s Place: No. 29 became the Harmonie Club, a German-Jewish singing club (1856-59); Nos. 19-21 housed another German musical club, the Arion Singing Society (1870-87), and these buildings, along with No. 23, became Arlington Hall, a ballroom-community center in 1887. Most of the remaining houses were demolished for denser development with French flats and tenements between 1874 and 1902.
Hastening the change in the residential character of this section of the Lower East Side after mid-century were a wide variety of major cultural, religious, commercial, and educational institutions, including the Astor Place Opera House (1847; later Clinton Hall/Mercantile Library; demolished), Astor and Lafayette Places; Astor Library (1849-52, Alexander Saeltzer; 1856-69, Griffith Thomas; 1879-81, Thomas Stent), 425 Lafayette Street; Bible House (1852; demolished), home of the American Bible Society and other religious organizations, Astor Place and Third Avenue; and Cooper Union (1853-58, Frederick A. Petersen), Astor Place and Third Avenue. The New York Free Circulating Library, Ottendorfer Branch, and German Dispensary (1883-84, William Schickel), 135 and 137 Second Avenue, among others, catered to the German community. Assembly halls such as Webster Hall and Annex (1886-87, 1892, Charles Renz, Jr.), 119-125 East 11th Street, became important neighborhood social centers. The Third Avenue elevated railroad opened in 1878.
The Aschenbroedel Verein
A social and benevolent association composed almost exclusively of German-American professional orchestral musicians, the Aschenbroedel Verein was founded informally in 1860, with its name, “Cinderella Society,” supposedly a play on the last name of one of its members (and first president), August Asche. After initially meeting at Schneider’s Hall, 371 Broome Street, by 1866 the group had grown large enough with some 300 members for it to acquire a building on East 4th Street. The Aschenbroedel Verein became one of the leading German organizations in Kleindeutschland on the Lower East Side, and counted as members many of the most important musicians in the city, including conductors Carl Bergmann, Theodore Thomas, and Walter Damrosch, as well as all of the members of the Theodore Thomas Orchestra and most of the members of the New York Philharmonic. According to Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians in 1880, this was also “the headquarters” of the New York Philharmonic Society, though the Philharmonic’s Minutes books illustrate that this was one of several locations in the neighborhood where its directors’ and business meetings were held, between 1873 and 1888. Howard Shanet, in Philharmonic: A History of New York’s Orchestra (1975), stated that the Aschenbroedel Verein was the first organization in New York to advance the unionization of musicians, as early as 1860, an effort that culminated later with the formation of the Musical Mutual Protective Union. Shanet called Aschenbroedel “at once a cultural, a benevolent, a social, and a labor association.” He further emphasized the total domination of the symphonic world in New York by the German community, with nearly all of the Philharmonic men of German birth or parentage by 1892. The Aschenbroedel Verein’s motto was “Freundschaft, Geselligkeit, Befoerderung der Kunst” (Friendship, Sociability, Advancement of the Art).
By 1870, there were an estimated 64 German musical societies within New York City, and a number of them were located in the vicinity, either in converted structures or purpose-built ones. These included the Arion Singing Society (founded 1854); Liederkranz (founded 1847), 31-35 East 4th Street; and Beethoven Maennerchor (founded 1859), located in a hall built in 1870 (William Graul, architect) at 210-214 East 5th Street. In addition, Turnverein Halle (1871), 66-68 East 4th Street, was built just down the block from the Aschenbroedel Verein.
In 1873, the Aschenbroedel Verein, under president George Matzka (died 1883), constructed this purpose-built structure, clad in brick and four stories (plus basement; the rear portion is only two stories), at an estimated cost of $24,000. Construction began in June and was completed in October. The architect was August H. Blankenstein (1830-1914), who was born in Germany and immigrated to the U.S. in 1860. Active from 1872 to 1899, he designed tenement, flats, and factory buildings for a mostly German clientele, as well as the addition to the Centre Market Armory (1873-74; demolished), Grand and Centre Streets; work on the 55th Regiment, 23rd Regiment, and First Cavalry 22nd Regiment Armories (c. 1878); and St. Joseph’s R.C. Orphan Asylum School (1883, demolished), Avenue A and 90th Street. A 1894 lawsuit indicated that Blankenstein had been a partner of architect Henry Herter prior to 1886 (Herter then became a partner in [Ernest W.] Schneider & Herter). Blankenstein was also listed as an architect in an 1890 directory in Buffalo, N.Y.
The Times reported on November 7, 1873, that the Aschenbroedel Verein had “inaugurated its new club-house... last night, by an entertainment of music and social festivities.” Considered “one of the most commodious German clubhouses in the city,” its amenities included a restaurant, a library, a billiard room, and a bowling alley in the basement. Among activities conducted here were meetings of the Ancient Lodge of Perfection (Scottish Rite) in 1873, and the 1876 funeral of Philharmonic conductor and Aschenbroedel Verein member Carl Bergmann. For unknown reasons, the building was listed for sale in 1882, but the Aschenbroedel Verein remained here until it sold the building in September 1891. The society, then having some 700 members, moved in November 1892 into a new clubhouse (George H. Griebel, architect; demolished) at 144 East 86th Street in Yorkville.
The Gesangverein Schillerbund and Schillerbund Halle
In June 1892, the Aschenbroedel Verein Building was acquired by the Gesangverein Schillerbund (Schillerbund Singing Society), one of the city’s leading and oldest German singing societies. Founded in 1850 and named after the poet Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805), the Schillerbund had been meeting since 1872 in Turnverein Halle. The purchase price of its new building was $1.00, subject to $37,500 in mortgages held by the Bachmann Brewing Co. of Clifton, Staten Island. This structure was altered between September and October 1892 by the architectural firm of [Frederick William] Kurtzer & [Richard O.L.] Rohl. Interestingly, Kurtzer was a member of the Beethoven Maennerchor. In partnership from about 1888 until 1901, Kurtzer & Rohl specialized in tenements and flats buildings for a largely German clientele; examples of its work include Nos. 95 Bedford Street (1894) and 285 West 4th Street (1900), located within the Greenwich Village Historic District, and No. 121 East 10th Street (1899), located within the St. Mark’s Historic District. The firm was also responsible for the First German Reformed Church (1897, demolished), 351 East 68th Street, and its Sunday School (1901). Richard O.L. Rohl (1857-1923), an immigrant from Prussia in 1880, maintained an independent practice from 1902 until around 1919. No. 391 West Street (aka 8 Weehawken Street) (1902), located within the Weehawken Street Historic District, was his first independent commission, and he also designed the double tenement buildings at Nos. 35-39 Christopher Street (1907), located within the Greenwich Village Historic District. Frederick William Kurtzer (c. 1849- ), emigrated from Germany around 1870. He worked independently in 1901-02, then became a partner in Kurtzer & Rentz in 1903-06, with Charles Rentz, Jr. (1855-1906), an architect who was born in New York City of German descent. Rentz was extraordinarily prolific in the design of flats and tenement buildings in the 1880s, but is best known for the design of Webster Hall and Annex (1886-87, 1892). Kurtzer continued to practice in Manhattan and the Bronx until around 1925.
The Dept. of Buildings 1892 alteration application for the Gesangverein Schillerbund Building, as well as the dockets, only listed $1,200 in work, involving interior partition alterations in the basement (and a new bowling alley) and second story. In an article on the building’s opening in November 1892, however, the New York Times indicated that it had been “almost entirely rebuilt and refitted,” and that “the building cost in all about $45,000. ... On the ground floor are fine bowling alleys, the kitchen and restaurant. The second floor is used for assembly and meeting rooms, the third for lodge rooms, and the top of the house is occupied by the tenant.” The 1892 tax assessment for the property increased by more than 25 percent, and the structure was later described in the Times as “one of the best Maennerchor clubhouses in that section of this city.” The design of the main facade, altered at this time with the addition of cast-iron ornament, combines elements of the German Renaissance Revival and neo-Grec styles with folk motifs (including hearts), and features a variety of pedimented lintels, quoins, fraktur-like incising, three composers’ busts over the second-story windows, and a prominent cornice with a large broken pediment.
A Schillerbund Fair was held here December 10-20, 1892. By 1895, the membership of the Schillerbund was around 400, and the hall, managed by Gustav Schunemann, reportedly enjoyed “much popularity among the merrymakers of that neighborhood.” In November 1896, however, the Gesangverein Schillerbund sold the property and moved to Yorkville (later returning to another building on East 4th Street). This building was purchased for $40,195 by the Bachmann Brewing Co., holder of the mortgage. The company was founded by the German-born Frederick Bachmann (1839-1905), who had immigrated to New York in 1859, and worked at the Lion Brewery in Manhattan, prior to moving to Staten Island, where he was employed by the Schmidt Brewery and Gabriel Meyer Brewery, becoming the co-owner with David Meyer until it was destroyed by fire in 1881. As indicated by Charles L. Sachs in Made on Staten Island, “The successful breweries were not just efficient manufacturing enterprises. To market and distribute their products the breweries acquired real estate holdings and developed close ties with the restaurant, recreation, and tourism businesses. The major breweries owned, operated, and rented saloons, taverns, beer gardens, hotels, and even resort complexes.”
This building became a rental assembly hall, and there are references in newspapers calling it “Schillerbund Halle” as late as 1901. A sampling of meetings and events held here included: pattern makers (1895); Eastern Star chapter of the Order of Chosen Friends (1897); New York branch of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers (1897); New York Engineers & Machinists Society (1897); New York Engineers’ Protective Association (1900); and Poles celebrating the 1863 insurrection (1901).
Krywaczy’s Hall, Saenger Hall, and McKinley Hall
The building continued to be used as a public rental hall and social center, under three different names, and like such sites as Webster Hall (though on a smaller scale), was a venue for organizational meetings and political and union functions, particularly for the working-class and immigrant population of the Lower East Side. As opined by historian Kathy Peiss:
For the working-class population packed into small tenement apartments, large halls that could be rented for dances, weddings, mass meetings, and other gatherings were a requirement of social life. The number of public halls in Manhattan rose substantially in a short period; business directories listed 130 halls in 1895 and 195 in 1910, an increase of 50 percent. While some of these, like Carnegie Hall, were cultural spaces of the privileged, most were located in working-class districts. The largest East Side halls... were always in great demand.
In a September 12, 1901, New York Times announcement of a meeting here of the Polish community to denounce Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist who had shot President William McKinley on September 6, the location was referred to as “Krywaczy’s Hall” (McKinley died on the day of the meeting). John Krywacsy (Krywaczy) was listed in directories as a liquor dealer on Forsyth Street. City directories in 1901-03, as well as the 1903 Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac, called this “Saenger Hall.” The Bachmann Brewing Co. leased the property in April 1903 to Max Sapiro and Ike Lifschitz. Sapiro was listed in the 1910 Census as a Polish/Austrian-born café proprietor, though he was not listed in directories in connection with this property, while Issac Lifshitz (Ike Lifschitz) was Russian-born according to the 1900 Census, and was listed in directories in this building in 1903-05 (in 1903 as partner of Joseph Lublinsky) operating a saloon. Among groups meeting here were the Heinrich Heine lodge (1902), Smoking Pipe Makers’ Union (1903), and East Side Restaurant Keepers (1903). Apparently in commemoration of the assassinated President, the name of the building was changed to “McKinley Hall” by 1904. Organizations that met here included the formation of the New-York Rent Payers’ Protective Association (1904), Lady Lining Makers (1904), and Cloth Hat and Cap Makers of North America (1904-07). Frederick Bachmann was judged to be incompetent in July 1904 (he died in January 1905); in November 1904, Bachmann’s trustees transferred this property to Combined Securities Co., which held an auction in January 1905. The auction advertisement listed “Bowling alleys in cellar. Store, meeting, lodge, music rooms, and apartments above.” After passing through several owners, the building was acquired in February 1906 by Malka Marder; the wife of Benjamin Marder, a cloak contractor in the 1910 Census, both were Polish/Austrian-born.
The Newsboys’ Athletic Club
In September 1905, the three upper stories of the former McKinley Hall were leased for use as the Newsboys’ Athletic Club, founded by Jack Sullivan (ne Jacob A. Reich), known as the “King of the Newsboys,” a former newsboy and prizefighter who then sold papers to newsboys. The Club had a gymnasium and showers, a reading/classroom, and a lodging room for over fifty boys. The club depended on donations from New York’s society – one benefit, held in March 1907 at the Academy of Music, was directed by impresarios George M. Cohan and Sam Harris. By May 1911, with the expiration of its lease, the Club, by that time serving some 2,000 newsboys, purchased the former home of the New-York Historical Society at Second Avenue and 11th Street. The basement and storefront of the Newsboys’ Athletic Club building had been leased for use as a laundry in 1905-07 to Paul C. Port (also at 88 East 4th Street), and from 1908 to March 1912 to the New System Napkin, Towel Supply & Steam Laundry Co., until legal action against the company was taken by the Marders.
Floral Garden Hall
Malka Marder sold the building in February 1913, and it was purchased the following month by Sarah Hirsch, the wife of Charles Hirsch, proprietor of the Manhattan Lyceum (formerly Turnverein Halle) at 66-68 East 4th Street; both Hirsches were born in Romania. Operated as Floral Garden Hall, it was altered into a dance hall on the ground story, with meeting and banquet rooms above. Among the many events held here were: the annual convention of the Federation of Rumanian Jews of America (1913); Brotherhood Welfare Association gathering on behalf of New York’s hoboes (1913); Women Dressmakers’ Association and Journeymen Barbers’ League strike meetings (1914); a planned meeting of the Anti-Militarist League, which resulted in a riot after the owner reneged on the use of the hall (1914); Sheet Metal (Automobile) Workers’ meetings (1914); garment workers strike meetings (1916); Messenger Boys’ Union strike headquarters (1916); and Branch No. 578, Arbeiter Ring (Workmen’s Circle) of the Socialist Party, and Sholom Aleichem Lodge of the Jewish National Workers’ Alliance of America (1917-18). In 1916, the ground story was altered for a storefront, incorporating 1892 cast-iron pilasters (which survive). The property was foreclosed in January 1919 and sold at auction.
Standard Provision Co./ Hygrade Food Products Corp.
After 45 years of use as a social and meeting hall, the former Aschenbroedel Verein Building for the next four decades served as meatpacking plant. The property was purchased in February 1919 by the Standard Provision Co. (Isidor Chorney, president) at 102 Rivington Street. A Dept. of Buildings application indicated that the building would be used for meatpacking, with storage in the basement, shipping and receiving on the ground story, a meat provisions and drying factory on the second story, and offices on the third story. In December 1927, Standard Provision was acquired through a merger of nine wholesale provisions companies by the Hygrade Food Products Corp. (Hugo Slotkin, president), 152 Broadway. The Washington Post called this “the first consolidation of delicatessen food properties ever effected.” According to a notice in the New York Times, the constituent companies
manufacture and sell frankfurters, bolognas, salamis, smoked and cured tongues, spiced, pickled and corned beef and various other ready-to-serve meat products. The companies are among the most important serving New York and Philadelphia. Their success individually and collectively has established an enviable record in the industry. Their products are sold to over 5,000 customers, including delicatessen stores, chain stores, drug stores, meat markets, clubs, grocers, hotels, restaurants, steamship and railroad companies, etc., throughout the United States and in foreign countries.
City directories over the years variously listed divisions of the corporation here: Hebrew National Food Products (c.1928-29); Carmel Kosher Provision Co. (c. 1933-45); and Hod Carmel Kosher Provision Co. (c. 1950-57). Hygrade sold this property in February 1960.
20th-Century History of the East Village
After a period of decline, Greenwich Village was becoming known, prior to World War I, for its historic and picturesque qualities, its affordable housing, and the diversity of its population and social and political ideas. Many artists and writers, as well as tourists, were attracted to the Village. By the 1910s, property owners and merchants attempted to improve the Village’s economy and rehabilitate its physical condition, with “shrewd realtors beg[inning] to amass their holdings of dilapidated housing.” These various factors and the increased desirability of the Village to upper-middle-class professionals lead to a real estate boom – “rents increased during the 1920s by 140 percent and in some cases by as much as 300 percent.”
After World War II, the ethnic make-up of the Lower East Side changed again, becoming dominated by Latin American immigrants, especially those from Puerto Rico. Their immigration was encouraged by the government as a source of cheap labor, particularly for the garment trades, hotels, and small manufacturing. The community named itself Loisaida to symbolize the second generation Hispanic roots that had developed in the context of the African-American and Latino movements for social and economic justice, equality, and identity. The residential and cultural desirability of the neighborhood that came to be known as the “East Village” increased with the removal of the Third Avenue El in 1955. As indicated by Terry Miller,
the psychological barrier that had marked the eastern boundary of Greenwich Village was gone. Blocks that once had no prestige were suddenly seen as intriguing, and apartments here were less costly than those in Greenwich Village. ... As artists and writers moved east, the blocks from St. Mark’s Place to Tenth Street were the first to hint that the Lower East Side was being transformed. Realtors began marketing the area as “Village East,” and by 1961 as the “East Village,” a name that stuck.
From World War I to the 1940s, Second Avenue between East 14th and Houston Streets had been considered the heart of New York’s Jewish community, known as the “Yiddish Rialto” for its role as the world’s center of Yiddish theater. As Yiddish theater declined, the East Village gave rise in the 1950s to “Off-Broadway” theater, including the Phoenix Theater (1953-61) in the former Louis N. Jaffe Art Theater (Yiddish Art Theater) building (1925-26, Harrison G. Wiseman), 181-189 Second Avenue; the Tempo Playhouse and Pyramid, Key, Bowery, New Bowery, and Bridge Theaters (1955-67) in the former Hamilton-Holly House, 4 St. Marks Place; and the Orpheum Theater (1958), 126 Second Avenue. An “off-Off-Broadway” theater also emerged in the late 1950s, characterized by the small size of the venues and total avoidance of commercialism and its pressures. Joe Cino’s Caffe Cino (1958), 31 Cornelia Street, is generally recognized as the first, and other significant early off-Off-Broadway theaters were Judson Memorial Church (1961) under Rev. Al Carmines; Ellen Stewart’s Café La Mama/ La Mama Experimental Theatre Club (1961), 321 East 9th Street (after 1969 at 74 East 4th Street); and Theater Genesis (1964) in St. Marks in the Bowery Church under Michael Allen and Ralph Cook. Off-Off Broadway theater coincided with the emergence of gay theater in New York.
In the 1950s, the East Village also became home to a number of key Beat Generation writers, including Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Norman Mailer, and W.H. Auden, and was renowned for its protest art and politics, galleries, poetry and coffee houses, bookstores, clubs, with a “counterculture” scene centered on St. Mark’s Place.
Rodale Press, Inc.
The 74 East 4th Street building was purchased in February 1960 by Rodale Press, Inc., of Emmaus, Pa. Jerome Irving Rodale (1898-1971) was a New York accountant who, with a brother, in 1923 founded Rodale Mfg. Co., which made commercial and residential electrical connectors. After relocating the firm to Emmaus, Rodale became interested in organic farming. Rodale Press began publishing Organic Farming & Gardening (1942) and Prevention (1950), a magazine devoted to nutrition and personal health, and later, other magazines and health books. In order to promote his concepts, he was also a playwright and theatrical producer. Rodale apparently originally intended to use No. 74 as a theater – the Times listed building plans as such in 1960; instead, Rodale in 1962 purchased No. 64 East 4th Street with the intention to “convert it into an intimate playhouse, theatre workshop and acting school.” A directory in 1963 listed Rodale Press and the Rodale Theater at 62 East 4th Street, and Rodale Mfg. Co. at No. 60. Rodale sold the property in September 1967.
La Mama Experimental Theatre Club
In November 1967, the former Aschenbroedel Verein Building was acquired by the La Mama Experimental Theatre Club, an off-Off-Broadway theater company that had been founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart. After her arrival in New York in 1950, Ms. Stewart worked in retail clothing and fashion, becoming a freelance designer. She opened a basement Café La Mama at 321 East 9th Street in 1961, intended as a combination boutique and theater, the latter partly inspired by the experience of a brother who was an aspiring playwright. The café’s first play in July 1962 was Tennessee Williams’ “One Arm,” and later that year Stewart put on the first American production of a Harold Pinter play, “The Room.” She was forced, however, to move several times: to 82 Second Avenue in 1963, after being closed by the Dept. of Buildings due to a zoning violation; and to a loft at 122 Second Avenue in 1964, after being closed twice by the Police, Fire, Licenses, and Health Departments. In March 1964, the company was renamed the La Mama Experimental Theatre Club, and Stewart was acclaimed during its first European tour in 1965. An Actors’ Equity crackdown in 1966 on coffee houses and theater workshops nearly ended the company, but the union relented in recognition of the importance in New York of experimental theater (La Mama then adhered to a policy of no formal admission charge – instead there was a $1 per week membership fee – and a maximum of ten performances). By 1967, the Times called Ms. Stewart “the most active producer in New York City,” with a new American play every two weeks. Her abiding philosophy has been that La Mama is “dedicated to the playwright and all forms of theater.” She notes that “I started La Mama so there would be a place where a playwright could write, see and learn. Why should a new playwright be regarded on the same terms as an experienced playwright the very first time out – which is what most professional criticism does?” She has personally selected and invited these playwrights, who then act as their own producer, with La Mama considered an attractive venue due to its lack of censorship.
La Mama received major Ford and Rockefeller Foundations grants in 1967, allowing the purchase and renovation of the 74 East 4th Street building, which was then “in ruins.” In June 1968, its Second Avenue theater closed, with plays temporarily produced at 9 St. Mark’s Place, while renovations occurred on East 4th Street. The current La Mama Experimental Theatre Club opened in March 1969, with repertory and ensemble theaters on the first and second stories, rehearsal space on the third story, and Stewart’s apartment on the top story. The first two productions inaugurating the theaters were the musical “Caution: A Love Story,” by Tom Eyen and Bruce Kirle, based on the story of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and Julie Bovasso’s “Gloria and Esperanza.” The first-story theater was renovated in 1972. A National Endowment for the Arts grant in 1974 allowed for the expansion into an Annex at 66-68 East 4th Street (former Turnverein Halle).
Today, La Mama, the oldest off-Off-Broadway theater in New York City, is widely considered the most influential and has been called “the most prolific of all the off off-Broadway stages,” to date having produced an estimated 1,900 plays in New York City, and countless more around the world. La Mama has received more than sixty Obie Awards for Off-Broadway theater (including a Special Obie for its 20th anniversary in 1981), as well as dozens of Drama Desk, Bessie, and Villager Awards. Ellen Stewart, recognized as a pioneering African-American theater impresario, was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship Award (1985) and MacArthur Fellows Award (1991), and was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame (1993). Though commercial theater has not been its focus, a number of La Mama plays achieved success on Broadway, including “Godspell” and “Torch Song Trilogy,” and its resident director, Tom O’Horgan, later produced the influential hit “Hair.” Among the notable playwrights associated with La Mama have been Jean-Claude van Itallie, Paul Foster, Ruth Yorck, Tom Eyen, Julie Bovasso, David Starkweather, Sam Shepard, Lanford Wilson, Harvey Fierstein, William Hoffman, Adrienne Kennedy, Charles Ludlam, and Terence McNally; eminent directors have included O’Horgan, Joseph Chaiken, Andrei Serban, Wilford Leach, John Vacarro, Marshall Mason, and Meredith Monk; and performers of note have included Bill Irwin, Billy Crystal, Nick Nolte, Danny De Vito, Bette Midler, and Estelle Getty.
Description
The four-story (plus basement; the rear portion is only two stories) and three-bay, red brick-clad Aschenbroedel Verein Building was originally built in 1873; the front facade was altered in 1892 with the addition of cast-iron ornament that combines elements of the German Renaissance Revival and neo-Grec styles with folk motifs.
Ground Story: Four 1892 cast-iron pilasters survive, which are fluted at the base, paneled above, and ornamented with incised blocks that are surmounted by bosses and inverted hearts. The iron entablature once supported by the pilasters has been removed (post-1939); the story is terminated by a painted stone stringcourse. Alterations dating from 1969 (or after) include: the central metal-and-glass entrance doors (with stone threshold), which are surmounted by a wooden panel and sign; brick infill between and above the pilasters; announcement board on the east side of the facade; and two light fixtures placed above the entrance.
Second through Fourth Stories: The upper stories are flanked by vermiculated cast-iron quoins (many blocks and/or vermiculation are missing). All windows have cast-iron surrounds, ornamented with hearts on the sides and incised motifs on the sills, and are linked together and to the quoins by panels with fraktur-like incising. Many of the moldings once located above the hearts on the windows are missing. The second-story windows are double-height, are capped by round-arched pediments ornamented with three composers’ busts, and have six-over-six double-hung wood sash (the outer windows have transoms, while the central window has double pairs). The third story windows have segmental broken-scroll pediments (only the eastern window has a surviving acroterion ornament) and six-over-six double-hung wood sash (paired in the center). The central fourth-story window is capped by a pediment, while the outer windows have entablatures (the western window’s was replaced in pressed metal c. 1980s-90s; all have six-over-six double-hung wood sash (paired in the center). The prominent metal cornice has stylized modillions ornamented with hearts (the easternmost is missing), rods, and incised ends and is surmounted by a large molded, broken pediment, ornamented at the ends by sunbursts.
Western Facade: This facade, currently visible above the first story, has keyed returns of the front facade’s quoins, and a portion of red brick facing; the rest of the facade is unarticulated and parged.
Eastern Facade: Attached to the eastern side of the building [and not on the designated Landmark Site] is a tan brick wall, constructed as part of a light court for No. 63-65 Second Avenue (aka 76-82 East 4th Street) (1926, Charles B. Meyers).
- From the 2009 NYCLPC Landmark Designation Report
Doctor Margaret Norris Patterson: First Woman Police Magistrate in Eastern Canada - Toronto January 1922 to November 1934
Loraine Gordon Downsview, Ontario
On 4 January 1922, the government of E. C. Drury (United Farmers of Ontario) appointed Doctor Margaret Norris Patterson as the Junior Police Magistrate for the City of Toronto. Although women had previously served as magistrates in western Canada, Patterson's appointment was the first of its kind in eastern Canada.1 It was the crowning achievement of a career which had already encompassed ten years of service as a medical missionary in India and another decade of volunteer social work in Dr. Patterson's adopted city of Toronto. The following is a short and unavoidably incomplete account of that career.2
Margaret Rebecca Norris was born in 1876 on the family farm in Hibbert Township, Perth County, Ontario. Sarah and Robert Norris were Irish Protestants who farmed land which produced sufficient income to pay for the collegiate education of three of their six children. Margaret was educated in rural schools in Ontario prior to entering the Toronto Medical College for Women in 1895 at the age of twenty. Her medical degree was obtained in 1899 from the Woman's Medical
School of Northwestern University in Chicago.3 After one year of internship in Detroit's Woman's Hospital, Margaret Norris volunteered as a medical missionary to India. She was employed by the Board of Missions of the Presbyterian Church of the United States and was sent to the Seward Memorial Hospital for Women in Allahabad, India, where she served from 1900 to 1906. She did further medical work in Ludhiana, India, from 1906 to 1910.
Missionary work, as a career for single women, was a late development of the whole overseas missions movement. Although Catholic missionaries arrived in India in the sixteenth century and Protestant missionaries followed in the late eighteenth century, the mission fields were initially considered an inappropriate place for women. Eventually, it was realized that male missionaries, who were limited to dealing only with Indian men, were failing to reach half of the population. Moreover, as teaching and medical service became part of missionary activity in the mid-nineteenth century, the need for trained— and preferably low paid—labourers in the field
DR. MARGARET NORRIS PATTERSON, circa 1918. (Archives of Ontario Picture Collection No. S 17412), original 1 %" x 2
became obvious. As early as 1876 Canadian Methodists were commenting:
There are many foreign fields of labour, in which the employment of intelligent Christian ladies as teachers and workers is recommended, both on the grounds of efficiency and economy."4
Unmarried women, properly trained and motivated, were cheaper to support than a missionary family and, unlike men, they were able to go into the native homes to reach women and children. Women with medical skills were particularly well received. Female missionary doctors then were the answer to the problem of Protestant denominations determined to provide medical and spiritual help to the women and children of India.
Foreign mission work was also the answer to the problems of the first generation of Canadian women doctors who had little real scope for independant work at home. As general practitioners, women doctors in North America tended to be confined to the treatment of women and children. A few female doctors worked successfully in the Public Health field or as "House Doctors" in hospitals especially for women and children, but all too often they married professional men and retired from active practice, perhaps turning their energies to social service and suffrage work.5 Given the restricted environment at home, it is not surprising that many Canadian women doctors in the late nineteenth century went to India and China to serve their church and 'less fortunate' foreign sisters.6 Margaret Norris, later Patterson, is a good example of what could be and was accomplished by many Canadian missionary doctors serving overseas.
When Dr. Norris volunteered as a medical missionary to India in 1900, she was following an already well established path. In 1899 the Western Division (Ontario and Western Canada) of the Women's Foreign Mission Society of
the Presbyterian Church in Canada was supporting seventeen missionary women in India and four more in China.7 In 1900 there were 4,891 Canadian and American men and women overseas, 21% of the total missionaries in foreign missions. Ten years later, the numbers had increased to 7,219,34% of the total overseas, most found in India and China. Women as missionaries were supported morally and financially by women at home who were gaining their first organizational experience in the women's mission societies.8
Norris worked at the Seward Memorial Hospital for Women from 1900 to 1906. In addition to her regular hospital work Dr. Norris was involved in a number of other activities. She attended secluded Hindu and Muslim women in their own homes on a private patient basis, and when bubonic plague struck Northern India in 1901, she organized open air plague hospitals, relief camps and innoculation stations at Allahabad. She was awarded the Kaiser-I-Hind Medal for her work.9 During Lord Kitchener's investigation of the Indian Army (1903-1905), with particular emphasis on camp-followers, Dr. Margaret Norris served as one of his medical advisers. At this time she used her savings from private patient fees and her hospital salary to open a Rescue Home for camp-followers at Allahabad.10 She served as an expert medical witness in cases involving women and children in the High Court at Allahabad, gaining an early introduction to women's legal and court problems,11 and at one point she was also in charge of a Leper Asylum.12
The years in Allahabad (1900-1906) ended with Norris' marriage to John Patterson, a fellow Ontarian, who had worked as a Professor of Physics at the University of Allahabad from 1902 to 1904 and then as an Imperial Meterologist for the Indian government. After their wedding early in 1906, the Pattersons left Allahabad for Ludhiana in the Punjab. There Margaret Patterson continued to work as a medical doctor and,
in addition, became an instructor of Obstetrics at the Ludhiana Christian Medical College for Women. She taught at Ludhiana from 1906 to 1910. A career in higher education was one of the advantages of medical work in foreign countries. Teaching positions in medical faculties were not open to women in Canada after the closure of the Ontario Women's Medical College in 1906 and university faculties did not accept married women as instructors until much later. While in Ludhiana Margaret Patterson lost her first born to the 'rigors of the Indian climate.' She kept busy by teaching, by doing hospital work and by writing a public school level textbook on physiology and hygiene in the Indian context.
In May 1910, the Pattersons returned to Canada due to John Patterson's ill health. They settled in Toronto where John found work in the Dominion Meterological Service. Dr. Patterson did not practice as a medical doctor in Ontario, but she was by no means inactive.13 In addition to caring for her husband and one surviving child, she became deeply involved in the activities of a number of Toronto area women's volunteer groups.14 Patterson's experience in India and her religious values would make her open to the reform currents which convulsed church and society in the early twentieth century.15 Middle class Ontario citizens at the time perceived that their society faced a number of major social problems. As identified by women these problems included: 'feeblemindedness,' especially in potential mothers, the use and abuse of alcohol, social diseases and prostitution.To a lesser extent, women also worried about domestic relations, juvenile crime and the lack of respectable lodgings and recreation facilities for women and girls. Since many of these problems resulted in women and girls coming into open court, the judicial system became a focus of interest for women's reform groups.16
In 1910, the Toronto Local Council of Women and the National Council of Women sponsored a survey of the courts in Toronto with emphasis
on the treatment of women and girls. Several Toronto women attended the open Police Court every day over a period of months and then presented a report to the Board of Police Commissioners. One of those women was Dr. Margaret Patterson.17 The reason for their concern was later expressed by the National Council of Women:
Whereas, in the present practice of law, women offenders are arrested by men, tried by men, before men, and Whereas, in many cases disastrous results follow, which easily might have been averted by contact with women officials, and Whereas, the Standing Committee of the National Council of Women on Equal Moral Standards is of the opinion that the ideals, for which it stands would be more quickly attained if three agencies were more generally available, namely the Woman's Court, Woman Magistrate, and Policewoman, Therefore, this Committee recommends that the National Council of Women advocate the establishment of these valuable moral agencies in every community where they do not already exist.18
The Toronto City Council authorized the city's first Police Women and a separate court for women in January 1913. The members of the Toronto Local Council of Women were pleased that the Women's Court was created but they were disappointed that the first magistrate was a man.19 Despite the appointment of a male presiding officer, the new Women's Court was a decided improvement on the old open court system. It admitted only those who were actually concerned with its cases. To satisfy the need for a 'public' court process, the Local Council of Women started a system whereby women went to court everyday as witnesses to the fairness of the Women's Court proceedings. Often these
women offered a 'helping hand' to the women and girls who appeared in court.
With the beginning of World War One, Patterson's activities were temporarily re-directed. In common with many social service oriented women she put most of her time into war activities. She firmly believed that women could and should help with the war effort:
I think there are a great many of us who would be willing to take a man's place in any line that is necessary and there are a great many things we can do if the men only give us places in which to work, and we can, by showing our united determination to let nothing, absolutely nothing, interfere with attaining our object, win that victory for which we are all longing.20
She lectured to trainees of the St. John's Ambulance Brigade and eventually became Lady Division Surgeon in 1919. From 1914 to 1919 she gave summer lectures to from 25 to 36 Women's Institute groups. She spoke mainly on practical subjects such as emergency first aid, home care of the sick and Red Cross work and wrote articles for the Women's Institutes Annual Reports on the same subjects. In 1916 Patterson was in charge of the nursing at a convalescent hospital for soldiers returned from Europe. All through the war years she gave lectures to substantial numbers of Red Cross workers. On the national level she served from 1914 to 1921 as Convenor of the National Council of Women's Standing Committee on Equal Moral Standards and Prevention of Traffic in Women.21
As the First World War was drawing to a close, a Pandemic of Influenza struck with dire consequences. Canada suffered severely, losing 30,000 to the disease and its complications; in addition, at least one sixth of the population was infected to one degree or another. Ontario saw nearly 9,000 dead and 300,000 diagnosed cases of the 'flu' from July to December of 1918.22 Since the
medical profession was as severely affected as the general population, volunteer help was desperately needed. In this exigency prominent medical men and women, senior officers of the women's groups, social service officers and other interested parties organized The Ontario Emergency Volunteer Health Auxiliary. Dr. Margaret Patterson agreed to give a special course to young women volunteers in committee rooms at Queen's Park.23 Her lectures were designed to train volunteers how to treat people in their own homes thereby taking the strain off the overburdened hospitals. The government made arrangements to have the lectures reported via the telegraph system all across the province, reprinted by the local press in outlying communities and printed in pamphlet form. Surviving records indicate about 250 women attended Patterson's course.24 After completing their course they were given a special pin and the title 'Sisters of Service,' a title suggested by Dr. Patterson.
The war over, women's groups in Toronto continued to press for the appointment of a woman magistrate to the bench of the Women's Court. They eventually received a favourable hearing from the 'Farmer-Labour' government of E. C. Drury which had been elected in 1919. The result was the appointment of Patterson as the 'Junior Police Magistrate' for Toronto on January 4,1922,25 the actual nomination decided by the Toronto Local Council of Women.
The Local Council met on December 13, 1921 to decide on their nominee. There were three official candidates ready to present themselves. A Mrs. Sinclair sent a letter asking for support but it was simply tabled at the meeting and ignored. The actual candidates were Charlotte Whitton, Mrs. O'Sullivan and Dr. Margaret Patterson. Mrs. O'Sullivan was a prominent member of the Local Council of Women. Miss Whitton was j ust beginning her spectacular career as a professional social worker in Ontario. The minutes of the December 13th meeting provide little information as to exactly how or why Dr. Patterson
was chosen as the nominee for the position.26 Newspaper accounts after the actual appointment indicate that Dr. Patterson was probably supported by the executives of the Local Council of Women, by the Big Sister's Association and the Women's Christian Temperance Union. In general terms, she was the first choice of the more social service oriented groups within the Local Council rather than the patriotic and literary groups. She was also supported by locally prominent women such as Dr. Augusta Stowe Gullen and Mrs. Sidney Small.27
The officers of several Toronto women's groups saw Patterson's appointment as a victory. Mrs. R. G. Smy the, president of the Toronto Local Council of Women commented to the newspapers that:
We worked for the appointment of a woman magistrate, we recommended the appointment of Dr. Margaret Patterson and now we certainly will stand behind her.28
Mrs. Fred C. Ward, president of the Women's Christian Temperance Union told the same reporter:
We believe that Dr. Margaret Patterson is the right woman in the right place. We'll back her up and help in any way we are able.29
Dr. Augusta Stowe Gullen, herself one of the earliest women doctors and the daughter of the pioneer sufferage leader in Canada, commented:
I am pleased because I feel Doctor Patterson to be so eminently fitted for the position. It is so necessary to have a woman to work among the women and children who come within the jurisdiction of the court, but more necessary that it should be the right sort of woman.30
The general attitude to Dr. Patterson's appointment was summed up shortly after she started on the bench:
Toronto has been fortunate in claiming many energetic welfare workers but it would be difficult to find among them a woman with a greater will to serve or keener insight into the social and moral complexities of modern life than Dr. Patterson.31
Patterson's own comments on the appointment were of a somewhat different tone: "I told my husband that it was not a medical person they want but a chiropractor, because the work is largely one of making adjustments."32 She told reporters on 5 January, 1922, the day her appointment was announced that:
I should like to see it (the court) as a sort of social readjustment bureau. I believe that its function should be to prevent and correct wrong, rather than to distribute punishment.33
In the summer of 1922 she continued the medical metaphors when describing her court:
Crime is but a symptom of some maladjustment, physical, mental or social, and we can never hope to do away with crime by punishment alone. It can only be cured by removing the causes producing it.34
Despite the enthusiasm over her appointment, Patterson faced the usual bureaucratic problems. A dispute between the City of Toronto and the provincial government erupted over her salary. She was a provincial appointee but she was to be paid by the city. The Order-in-Council stated that she was to be paid $3500.00 per year. The City Council was determined that she would be paid $3200.00 which was the maximum that their By-laws would allow.35 The second problem was a lack of court room and office space which delayed her first day on the bench until 5
March, 1922. Doctor Patterson initially held court in the lower level of the now 'Old City Hall' of Toronto. The room had already been described as inadequate for the purpose but Patterson made no direct complaint to the City. Instead she asked the Local Council of Women to work quietly behind the scenes to see if something could be done.36
In the years immediately prior to Patterson's appointment there had been an average of more than 2,000 cases a year in which women were accused of a crime and many more cases in which they were the victims.37 As the new magistrate for the Toronto Women's Police Court, Patterson would be dealing with all the cases involving women, whether as offender or victim. Magistrate Patterson came to her position determined to bring about a few changes.
One of her earliest actions was to attempt to reach an understanding with the newspaper reporters who sat in the court each day.
I hope that I shall be able to come to an agreement with the police court reporters and that we'll be able to play fair with each other. There are many cases which should not be described to the public especially in the joking way they are at present. It tends to make people regard crime with levity and it stamps the people who appear in court with criminal labels which many of them never lose because their neighbours never forget.38
Aware of how cruel people could be, especially when they only heard or read part of the story, she waged a losing battle to raise the level of male-biased court reporting. Margaret Patterson also brought new ideas on the treatment of those women who came before her in the court. In many ways she was ahead of her time. She saw some domestic problems as rooted in the position of women in the marriage.
As long as the wife and mother is regarded as non-productive in a commercial sense and dependant upon the charity of her husband for her food and clothes, to say nothing of any spending money she may receive, it is surely an unbusiness-like partnership. The wife is in partnership with her husband in the conservation if not the production of the wealth that supports the home, and as such is entitled to some part of the profits of that partnership. At his death she is entitled to one-third of his property, why not during his life.39
She believed that Ontario should have laws that gave greater economic security to married women and a right to the municipal vote on the basis of the husband's property if wives had none of their own.
Dr. Patterson was to see many of the most pressing problems of the first third of the twentieth century on her bench. Massive changes in living patterns in rural areas and lure of the Big City with its greater opportunities for jobs and meeting people, brought young people into Toronto at an alarming rate. Neither the migrants nor urban institutions were equipped to handle the problems that arose.40 Many young women had no notion of where to find a job, no idea of even where they were going to sleep and often no friends or relatives to turn to for help. The lucky ones were met at the bus and train stations by volunteers from the Traveller's Aid Society and told where to find safe, respectable lodgings. They were also advised on how to look for work and which churches sponsored 'get-together rooms' for young women to make safe friends and relax in supervised surroundings.41
Patterson saw the unlucky or the unwary among these young 'travellers.' Most young women were brought into court under charges of vagrancy but a few were not that fortunate.42 If the charge was simple vagrancy and the women had a home to go back to, she was ordered to
leave Toronto and stay away. The alternative was anything from 30 days to two years less a day in the local 'House of Refuge' or the Reformatory. If the charge was for an offense other than vagrancy then the sentence would not be so lenient. Dr. Patterson had a reputation in her own time and later as a magistrate who handed down 'stiff penalties to the women and girls who faced her. A survey of her sentences indicates that her reputation for being somewhat harsher than her male counterparts in Toronto was, at least, partially true. Her sentences appear to be similar to those meeted out by Police Magistrates in a number of cities and towns outside of Toronto, suggesting that she agreed with the prevailing norms of small-town Ontario.43
The Toronto Women's Police court saw mainly female defendants, but men were also present if the victim was female. Other than vagrancy, women were most often charged under categories designated: Drunk, Breaches of the Ontario Temperance Act/Ontario Liquor Control Act, Breaches of the Veneral Disease Act, Keeping a Common Bawdy House/House of 111 Fame, Inmate or Frequenter of same, Prostitution, Theft, Having Drugs, Neglect of Children and Bigamy. Men appeared in Women's Police Court on many of the above noted charges plus Indecent Assault/Exposure, Living on the Avails of Prostitution, Procuring, Carnal Knowledge/ Seduction, Drunk and Assault on a female. Dr. Patterson tended to sentence men guilty of the latter group of charges to longer sentences than in other courts in Toronto, but, again, her sentences in these cases were similar to those of Police Magistrates across the province. Certain charges, such as Having Drugs, Indecent Assault and Carnal Knowledge were subject to long sentences from virtually all Police Magistrates.
In dealing with women defendants, Patterson usually did not convict on the first offense if she had any choice. First offenders were either released to their families or remanded for a few days to get a taste of jail and their possible future
and then released.44 Sometimes women and girls were placed in the hands of the various social service organizations such as the Salvation Army or the Big Sisters Association. When dealing with prostitutes Dr. Patterson tended to hand down an indeterminate sentence (which could be any term up to two years less one day) in the hopes that the unannounced release date would enable the women to elude the pimp attempting to regain control over her. Male Police Magistrates in Toronto and other centres usually gave the woman a choice of jail for two to six months or a relatively small fine, usually less than $25.00. Those who kept a Bawdy House, or the like, received a variety of sentences from Dr. Patterson, often ranging from three months or a fine to nine months without the option of a fine. On rare occasions an indeterminate sentence would be given to a Bawdy House keeper. The remaining Toronto Police Magistrates normally sentenced such women to two to three months or a fine, Rural Police Magistrates from six months to one year.
Women who faced Patterson on charges of "Having Drugs" could expect to receive a sentence of six months plus a fine of $204.00 or an additional six months. Occasionally the sentence for possession of drugs was from nine to twelve months. Male Magistrates in Toronto and other centres handed down virtually identical sentences but would sometimes hand down a sentence of two years less a day. Bigamy by a woman was an offense which periodically appeared in the Toronto Women's court and other similar courts across the province. Patterson usually sentenced women to Indeterminate terms, but they generally did not serve the maximum period. Male Magistrates gave similar sentences. The offense was universally decried for women. Male offenders, however, received substantially lower sentences from Patterson (three to twelve months) and from the other Toronto and rural Magistrates.
Men who were charged with offenses against women and certain general moral offenses were tried in the Toronto Women's Police Court. The charges were Indecent Assault/Exposure, Living on the Avails of Prostitution, Procuring and Carnal Knowledge/Seduction. Patterson generally handed down sentences of six months to two years plus a fine for Indecent Assault. Men who were Living on the Avails were given terms from three to fifteen months, repeat offenders often were given two years less a day. A Carnal Knowledge conviction before Patterson often resulted in a sentence of twelve to twenty-four months. Men convicted of Procuring regularly received a three month sentence with no option of a fine. The male Police Magistrates of Toronto tended to give substantially lighter sentences for Living on the Avails and Procuring although they did give sentences similar to Dr. Patterson's for Indecent Assault and Carnal Knowledge.
Margaret Patterson reacted harshly to men who injured or used women and girls. In such cases she regularly gave sentences more severe than her male counterparts in Toronto but similar to sentences prevailing elsewhere in Ontario. Only when the crime was universally decried as in the case of bigamy did the sentences of Dr. Patterson generally compare with the remaining Toronto Magistrates. As she held a very high opinion of a woman's responsibilities to herself and society, Patterson also tended to be somewhat harsher with her own gender than male Magistrates were. Her stiffest sentences were reserved for those women who had failed in their responsibilites as wives and mothers.
Doctor Patterson saw two types of women on Vagrancy charges, the young ones who were new to the city and the elderly who were no longer able to care for themselves. Often elderly women had been in the care of the Salvation Army or similar organizations for a period of time but were unwilling or unable to abide by the 'house rules' and left. Patterson often found herself in the unpleasant position of having to send such
women to the 'Houses of Refuge' or the Concord Industrial Farm for Women (a jail farm) so that they could receive medical care, good food and a warm bed. This was particularly true when the winter months were approaching. Concord registers show many such women in their care.49 It was a most unpopular sentence and one for which Patterson was occasionally severely criticized, but in such cases her concern was for life and limb rather than pride and freedom.
Another problem which brought many women into court was the use and abuse of alcohol. In 1921 the Toronto courts saw 381 women charged with liquor offenses including 'drunk.'46 The Women's Court also saw its share of men brought up on liquor charges. The Ontario Temperance Act was passed in 1916 as a province-wide measure intended to curb the use of all alcoholic beverages but it was open to many abuses. Approximately 14% of the case load of the Women's Court involved liquor charges. The fines and sentences imposed were based upon whether it was a first, second or third conviction. Conviction on a third offense could be very expensive if the charge was 'liquor for sale in the home': a third conviciton carried a $500.00 fine and costs. It was not at all uncommon for women in need of money (often they had been deserted) to earn some semi-respectable money by selling liquor in their homes. Another method of making ends meet was to run a 'resort' in their homes (not quite 'houses of ill fame') where men could come to drink and carouse. The usual penalty for a conviction on a 'resort' charge was $ 100 or 60 days and the loss of the liquor permit.
Prostitution was a major problem for most large cities in North America and Toronto was no exception. It was a generally held belief, by social workers, the general public, legal officials and Patterson, that the majority of prostitutes were both diseased and" feebleminded.47 Many sources from the period quote the feebleminded rate among prostitutes as 60% to 80%. According to the 1923 Provincial Board of Health Report
(Ontario), of the 167 new inmates in the Mercer Reformatory, 37% were found to have Syphillis and 41% to have Gonorrhea, while a few were infected with both. There was provision in the Mercer Reformatory Act and the Female Refuges Act to detain all inmates found to have one of the communicable diseases, especially veneral diseases, and have them treated. The ruling provided that such inmates were to be detained until they were pronounced cured even if they had to be held after their sentences had expired.
Throughout her career on the bench, Patterson complained that there was no proper place to care for the mentally retarded. They could only be jailed or sent to the 'Houses of Refuge.' Neither of those institutions was capable of dealing properly with the 'feebleminded' but they were all that was available. As early as 1917 she had been one of two 'Representative Women' on the executive of the Toronto Branch of the Provincial Association for the Care of the Feebleminded. In April of 1922 when discussing the feebleminded, she said:
It seems both cruel and unchristian to send a person with the mental age of nine out into the world and expect her to take care of an adult body and compete with those who are not labouring under such a handicap. Until our province will realize the economic as well as the moral benefit of proper farm colonies, with the cottage system of housing, where these people can be protected and have as far as possible useful lives, and where they are safe from themselves and no longer a menace to society -until this is done, our courts cannot be other than circumlocution offices."48
On 5 January, 1923 she was dealing with a confused and possibly mentally retarded young woman in her court. Patterson was upset about this case and she lamented that:
The heartbreaking thing is that there is no place that looks after people of this kind. If we get half a dozen more of these cases perhaps we shall get some place for them.49
She did not like having to sentence the feebleminded to the Industrial Farm or the Refuges but she was more or less powerless to do anything else with them once they had been convicted. Public opinion at the time was firmly convinced that the feebleminded, especially women and girls, should be kept in some form of custodial care at least until they were past their fertile years. Significantly, Dr. Patterson did not suggest sterilization, an increasingly more widely accepted method of control of the mentally retarded, but suggested 'farm colony' segregation instead.50
The Women's Court also saw those who were being ill-treated at home. Patterson heard many cases of family disputes; husbands who mistreated their wives, cases of desertion by the husband, cases of desertion by the wife which sometimes resulted in bigamy charges. When such cases came into court Dr. Patterson tended to determine what should be done that was best for everyone, not just the husband. If it was obvious that spouces were better away from each other for a period of time or permanently, the verdict could be an order to the husband to stay away from home. The time of short term absences could be a few weeks, a few months, or even a year. If there were any children, the husband was ordered to pay the wife a specific sum each week.
Another problem which often found its way into Patterson's court was the problem of the run-away girl. There was considerable concern over girls leaving home especially those who were considered too young to work or take care of themselves. When a run-away was caught every effort was made to send her back home or, if that was not possible, to put her in the care of the Salvation Army. These girls were a somewhat different group than the young women
being picked-up as vagrants. Those charged as vagrants were generally 20 years old or more, the run-aways were teenagers. The courts were only too well aware of what could happen to adolescent women who were too trusting. The courts and service organizations, as well as the police, kept an open eye for any young women who might be run-aways and did everything in their power to send such women home.
A March 1929 Chatelaine article by Anne Elizabeth Wilson describes two types of run-aways, one from a good home and the other from a bad home and explains why each type runs away. Wilson also gives details of some of the methods used to trap such girls into 'White Slavery.' She had high praise for the Toronto Women's Court:
One of the greatest arguments used in bringing into being the Toronto Women's Police Court was the established fact that women brought into the publicity of the general court were noted and trailed by men who came to court for no other purpose. The privacy of the women's court has helped to overcome this to a great extent, but reports of sentences in the papers still furnish information utilized by men in locating girls for immoral traffic.
She was also very much in favour of Doctor Patterson:
Social workers are agreed that purveyors of vice more greatly fear coming before Toronto's woman police magistrate, than facing a month of ordinary sessions.
Despite criticism from the accused and the court reporters, public service groups were in complete support of Patterson's efforts on the bench, particularly during the early years. In a letter to Premier Ferguson on 14 November, 1924 (which may have been response to newspaper criticism of Dr. Patterson) the Child Welfare Council of Toronto said the following:
The consensus of opinion was, that Dr. Margaret Patterson was working very wisely and courageously, in spite of much opposition, and that she was accomplishing most of the changes that had been hoped for by socially minded people when they asked for her appointment. A resolution was passed unanimously commending her work and expressing most hearty support of her efforts to improve the Women's Court.51
This same letter also included comments made during the meeting of the council by such prominent people as Robert E. Mills, Director of the Toronto Children's Aid Society. A statement was read to the meeting that was sent in by Wm. Horkins, a Barrister who said:
I approve very highly of Magistrate Patterson's work in the Women's Court and I don't mind saying so to anyone. She is always willing to hear all sides of a case, she gets the whole thing before she makes up her mind, but when she does make it up there is no moving her. She sticks to her decisions; sometimes they are against you and sometimes they are the way you want, but it makes no difference. She does the fair thing. I handle forty percent of the cases in that court and I know. What she needs is to be let alone. She is doing good work.52
Patterson's attitudes on what should and should not be reported by the press continued to draw criticism. The preliminary hearing of a 'botched' abortion case was held in the Toronto Women's Court on 23 August, 1927. As the case would have to go to a higher court for a jury trial Patterson explained to the reporters that she could not allow the press into the hearing. The reporters complained bitterly about her actions arguing that other magistrates trying abortion cases allowed them into the court room.53 It is significant that the one reporter actually present in the court that day took a different position at the time. When Patterson told him that he could
not stay in the court he commented "I would rather be outside than inside, Your Worship." She said she would tell him the result of the findings and he commented "Thank you, very much, that is all right."54 Nevertheless, her actions had deprived the press of a potentially juicy story which they generally would have published with the names and considerable detail. Dr. Patterson's reputation with the Toronto Press Corps, already tarnished by her efforts to play down sensational reporting, continued to suffer.
Dr. Patterson would face two major problems in her last five years on the bench, both of which rested on her interpretation of the law. In 1928 she sentenced a man to three years in jail for 'procuring' and 'living off the avails of prostitution.' She took into consideration his past conduct and the result was a stiff sentence. Although the sentence was applauded by several social service groups in Toronto it was an unusual punishment for 'pimps' who were generally only fined. The sentence upon appeal was reversed by Chief Justice Mulock who freed the man because Patterson's verdict was 'unsupported by sufficient evidence.'55 Following this decision, all the male offenders were removed from the docket of the Women's Court, obviously a form of censure for Dr. Patterson. Although the Women's Court was back to its usual mixed docket of men and women within a few months, Dr. Patterson's knuckles had been publicly rapped. In January of 1929 Patterson spoke to the National Council of Women on the workings of the law:
While it is absolutely necessary that every accused person be tried strictly according to the rules of evidence, the Individual as well as his crime should be carefully studied before sentence is pronounced. I do not believe that anyone can deal out even approximate justice, based only on the testimony developed in open court. The ramifications of the actual cause of any so-called
crime are too intricate to reduce to a legal formula.56
Despite the criticism leveled at Patterson in the Toronto newspapers she was supported by women's groups and by commentators in the recently founded Chatelaine Magazine, who took a different view of the law than Chief Justice Mulock.
In 1932 Patterson was again in the 'lime-light' because of a court decision. According to newspaper accounts Patterson sentenced a man to jail under the 'Master and Servant Act,' because he had failed to pay the wages of a workman who had completed the job he was hired to do. The case was placed before a Justice of the Peace and then before Dr. Patterson. Due to the very small amount of money that was involved ($1.50) it was folly to send the man to jail. It is now impossible to even guess at what was on her mind when she passed sentence. The case was soon in the newspapers and was the subject of an investigation. Patterson was officially censured on October 19, 1932, some three months after the original case. She received a verbal 'dressingdown' from Attorney General Price.
For the next two years Dr. Patterson continued with her court activities much as she always had. She retired, or more accurately, was fired, from her position as a Police Magistrate on 21 November, 1934. The Hepburn administration, which was elected on 19 June, 1934 drastically revamped the judicial system in Ontario in August 1934, 'retiring' two-thirds of the Magistrates then on the bench as well as large numbers of Justices of the Peace.57 The City of Toronto magistrates had initially been immune to the changes because they were paid by the city. However, on 21 November 1934, Patterson, while sitting on the bench, was handed a three line note to the effect that her services were no longer required.58 Although the official announcement stated that she had been retired as a magistrate and named a Justice of the Peace, she flatly refused to accept
the appointment as a J.P. "As you have seen fit to dismiss me as a magistrate I decline to accept the position as a Justice of the Peace," she announced.59
In the first year of the Hepburn regime many people lost their jobs as a direct result of the premier's desire to cut government costs and to meet campaign promises. Doctor Margaret Patterson, a Drury appointee, was only one of many who faced unemployment. She chose at the age of fifty-nine to go gracefully into retirement after a long and useful career as a medical missionary, social worker and police magistrate.
Although she continued her voluntary activities, she eventually faded from the public eye with the passage of time. Her last few years were spent in a nursing home where she died in December 1962, at the age of eighty-eight. Now she is only remembered by those who are old enough to have lived in Toronto during her active years from 1910to 1934 and few realize that she was the first woman Police Magistrate in Eastern Canada and the only one in Ontario.60 Her career on the bench is an important one, if only as a measure of the feminist values which informed her decisions. Patterson was a woman of high principles who had a vision of what women should be. She was not a sentimentalist, few doctors are; she was an idealist who placed strong emphasis on women's potential and like other maternal feminists of her day stressed the responsibilities as well as the rights of women in the modern world:
I believe a girl's value to her country is infinitely greater than a boy's. It is the women who gives a nation its vision, and a nation is great or small as it has a vision, a purpose, and a will to serve. Because, to women is given the privilege and also the responsibility of setting the moral standards throughout the world....62
She tried to live up to these standards and expected other women to do so as well. Female defendants quickly learned that Dr. Patterson was not impressed by 'fainting spells' (which often worked on other magistrates) or by the appearance of large 'broods' of children at sentencing time.61 She recognized that the roots of an offense were as important as the actual crime in determining a sentence or conviction, and sometimes drew upon her overseas and medical experiences to reach fair decisions. Her methods went largely unnoticed due to the small size and relative unimportance of the Women's Court. Yet few courts in Canada at the time could boast an incumbent with such professional credentials and such a clear view of women's right both under and outside the law.
LEGO CON is happening today! The livestream virtual event is scheduled for 9am Los Angeles / 12pm New York / 5pm London and will take place at LEGO.com/lego-con. LEGO will be providing sneak peeks and other activities across a variety of themes. Here’s what’s on the docket: LEGO Minecraft: Q&As with LEGO designers and Lydia […]
Stack of three chocolate cake pizzas. Top pizza covered in buttercream and the boxes fondant along with the pizza toppings. Handpainted logos on the boxes and a order docket that reads
"1 x Anniversary special
Drinks all around"
This was an honour to make as its for one of our cities personalities. She has just celebrated 35 years in business. The top holds a likeness of her based upon a photo provided and she sits on a stack of pizzas ( pizza has been on the menu for as long as I can remember).
Here is a link about her start in business.
www.revas.co.nz/about-revas-restaurant-whangarei.html
Congratulations Reva for an outstanding achievement in business
A Chinaman was interred yesterday at the Waikomiti cemetery in the section set apart for the Chinese. There were about 25 carriages in the procession. All the way from town pieces of tissue-paper, pierced with six holes, were scattered from the cabs on the roadway. The funeral service was conducted by Mr Joseph Lue (Chinese missionary).
paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS18970108.2.2
CHINESE RESURRECTIONISTS AT WAIKUMETE.
DISINTERMENT OF CORPSES.
A GRUESOME SPECTACLE.
Time, 5.30 a.m., on a bitterly cold morning, in Waikumete Cemetery. Half-frozen, a pressman and a photographer attached to the staff of the "Graphic" make their way from the sexton's house to the furthermost corner of the cemetery, where is situated the section for Chinese and Atheists and aliens unprovided for elsewhere. A noise of hammering comes from the section, which is a good half-mile from the Anglican and Presbyterian allotments, and on arrival work found to be in full operation. The reception of our reporter and his photographic confrere is the reverse of friendly, and an immediate wrangle ensues amongst the gravediggers, evidently on the subject of the camera fiend's presence. A Chinese halfcaste European insists on their instant ejectment. The sexton, however, who has been handed proper credentials, proves a firm friend, and insists that he, and not any Chinaman, or half-caste Chinaman, is in change of the cemetery, and that he has his instructions. Things then calm down a trifle, but the work is resumed amidst much grumbling, and many vindictive and malignant glances are cast at the camera, and muttered curses uttered at the photographer as he dodges round looking for a chance shot. Once, indeed, when the shutter clicks, a furious celestial raises his pick in menace, and mutters a threat to do for the intruders, but he thinks better of it, and at the intervention of the European coffinmaker a truce is declared until arrival of "the boss." That individual presently arrives. He scans the permit; gloomily enough, and bids that the photos be taken forthwith, and the photographer and pressman depart. It toeing pointed out that there is no picture yet to take, and seeing that bluff has no effect, all active opposition as at once and finally dropped, and no difficulty put in the way of obtaining pictures or witnessing the proceedings save in giving mendacious information, lighting fires to obscure the graves with smoke, and endeavouring to tire out the patience of the reporters, etc.
By ten o'clock four graves, are opened, but owing to the non-arrival of some solder and zinc from Auckland it, is decided to open only two coffins on this occasion. The first of these contained the corpse of one Kong Shang, who died in 1891, a young Celestial of 36. It was thought that there would be nothing but dry bones there, but the stiff white clay is evidently a preservative, for when the coffin, which is full of water, is opened, it is seen that the bones have a decided covering of what had once been flesh and though drenched in carbolic acid a sickening odour makes itself felt at intervals. Directly an attempt is made to stir the body it all falls to pieces, the decomposed flesh falling off in almost imperceptible flakes, which had doubtless been dust had the grave been dry. Very carefully the impassive Chinaman in the grave rinses and unconcernedly places on a sieve a thigh bone, then some ribs, and a skull, followed by the rest of the bones, minute search, indescribable in print, being made for the smaller bones and joints. It is an intensely gruesome spectacle, and the horror is added to by the indifference to sight and smell or sentiment evinced by the Celestial workmen. The venerable clerk, a fine old fellow, with the face of an ascetic and a student, carefully tallies the bones which, having been rescoured in a large white tub, are finally dried and wrapped up, each duly docketed by the methodical old gentleman, who is evidently a most conscientious and probably deeply religious man. He, too, is fastidiously clean, and does not, one notes, eat as the others do in the midst of their noisome labours. The next body is that of a man who must have been of exceptional stature and weight for a Chinaman, and who has been dead but two years and a-half. There is much difficulty in getting this coffin to the surface, and the opening thereof, and the awful stench which completely dominated all disinfectants when the body was removed to the zinc one prepared by the European tinsmith beggars description, and may be left to the imagination. None of those whose duty called them to be present are likely to forget the experience, or to desire a renewal of the same. The soldering having been completed, it must be admitted no effluvia was discernable. The zinc coffin was then put in a rude case and packed in sawdust ready for shipment. There is no reason to think the zinc coffins will not prove effective and inoffensive under ordinary ciroumstances, and careful usage, but a fall or any accident in loading would, one imagines, have very disastrous effects. The work ceased at noon to-day. Mr Winstanley, Government Sanitary Inspector, is present, and looks after his work in so thorough a manner that no fears need be entertained by settlers or the general public. The pictures secured by the "Graphic" protographer are of a unique nature and the most gruesome details having been omitted, are quite without offence. They will be published on Wednesday.
The custom of the Chinese at home is to disinter bodies after seven years, and place the main bones in a large jar alongside the grave. It is in order to forward the bones to China for relatives to do this that the present exporting of remains is undertaken.
paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19020929.2.45
THE CHINESE CORPSES
The disinterment of the bodies of the Chinese from cemeteries throughout the colony during last, and the early part of the present month excited a good deal of interest. In Greymouth nearly 200 bodies were "resurrected" and stored in a shed in the cemetery, much to the disgust of the residents, who unsuccessfully protested against the bodies being allowed to remain above ground until the arrival of the Ventnor. The expenses of the removal of the dead Chinese to their native land, where alone their spirits could find perfect peace, was borne by their friends, the undertaking being so costly that, only the wealthier relatives could afford the expenditure, many hundreds of unhappy Celestials being obliged "to lie in cold corruption and to rot" in the cemeteries of the "foreign devil."
The exhumation of all the bodies was carried out by the one party of "resurrectionists," Chinese with a half-caste leader and a European plumber. The Chinamen carried out their gruesome work with the utmost indifference, knocking off to eat their meals immediately after handling the bodies without a thought of nauseation.
Some bodies had been interred about twenty years ago, others within the last year. In the case of those which had been reduced to skeletons the bones were carefully sorted, and packed in boxes ready for shipment. In other cases the flesh had reached an advanced stage of putrefaction, and in these the bones were stripped and similarly, treated to the skeletons of older bodies. When the bodies were still whole they were packed in air-tight coffins, soldered down, and labelled with the name of the departed.
In all eleven corpses were taken from their graves at Waikumete. These were not shipped on the Ventnor at Auckland, but were taken down the coast in smaller vessels to Wellington, and there transhipped to the Ventnor.
The Chinese in Auckland were excited on the receipt of the news of the foundering, but when questioned as to what, according to Confucianism, would become of the spirits of the sunken Celestials, they professed ignorance.
paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19021029.2.54.5
LOSS OF THE VENTNOR.
FOUNDERED NEAR HOKIANGA.
BOAT AND CREW MISSING.
HOKIANGA, October 29.
The steamer Ventnor, which left Wellington for Hongkong on Sunday, foundered off the Hokianga Bar last night at about a quarter to nine.
The Ventnor left Wellington, as stated, on Sunday, with 500 Chinese bodies and 6400 tons of coal. She was owned by Gow, Harrison and Co., of Glasgow, her port of register, and was captained by H. G. Ferry. Before she had been long out, at forty minutes after midnight on Sunday, a shock which shook the vessel from stem to stern made manifest to everyone aboard that the steamer had struck a rock, a subsequent investigation showing that the reef hit was to the southward of Cape Egmont.
The engines were at once reversed, and in a short time the vessel managed to get off. The wells were then sounded, and it was found that the vessel was making water in No. 1 hold.
The vessel was headed off shore to a safe distance, and then proceeded up the coast.
Meanwhile, the steam pumps were got to work, but from the first it was found that they were unequal to the task of coping with the inflow, and gradually the water gained, rising higher and higher in the hold.
On Tuesday morning it was found that the ballast tanks in the peak were full, putting the steamer down by the head, and making it evident that she had but a short time to float.
In the evening her bow was so far under water that she became unmanageable, and it was seen that she was gradually sinking, despite every effort that could be made.
At about 9 p.m. it became evident that the vessel was going down fast, and all hands were ordered to the boats.
These were launched by their respective crews, who immediately pulled away from the sides of the doomed vessel.
Hardly had they reached a safe distance when the vessel's stern rose in the air, and she sank, bow first.
The Hokianga Heads light was seen at a distance of about ten miles, and the boats pulled in the direction of the light.
At daylight this morning two boats arrived on the Omapere Beach, bearing fourteen of the crew, including the chief mate, John Cameron, the second and third engineers, D. Bailee and K. Muir, and two cooks, and a messman.
Mr Martin, harbourmaster, has taken the small steamer Energy out off Whangape to pick up two more boats which were sighted from the pilot station. One of these was picked up at 10 o'clock, but the other had not been reached at the time of wiring, 10.30 a.m.
Besides her crew of 31 persons, including five Chinese, the Ventnor had six Chinamen as passengers. Of the coffins 489 were insured in the Alliance Company for £5490. The fungus was insured for about £320 in various offices. She was under the charge of Captain H. Ferry, who has been seventeen years in the employment of the same company. The steamer was under charter to W. Scott Fell and Co., of Sydney, contractors. Messrs John Mill and Co., of Dunedin and Wellington, were the colonial agents.
Of the coffins 489 were shipped by the Chong Shin Tong Society, which is a branch of the big society in China called the Tai Chuen. The other ten coffins were shipped by Yei Chong, of Manners-street, and did not belong to any society.
The Ventnor's crew numbered thirty-one, and those on board included nine Chinese body attendants. These attendants of the dead are old and decrepit Chinamen, who are being sent home to China by the Chong Shin Tong, and given sufficient money to keep them from work for the remainder of their lives.
paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19021030.2.87
SS Ventnor with details of final voyage:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Ventnor
Plot 79: Foo Get a.k.a. Chin Get Foo (46) 6/1/1897 – Chinese Merchant – Consumption *disinterred to China