St Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Steeleville, Illinois, on State Routes 150 and 4, Church Records.

2014 Photographs

The beginning of St. Mark's congregation dates back to 1872. The congregation conducted services in a Methodist Church. Mr. J. Malone donated a tract of land to the small congregation for church purposes. On May 15, 1875, the congregation built a church 40x26x16 feet. The building was erected for $1,527.68 ($41,780.66 today). It was dedicated on December 26, 1875.

In 1879 the congregation bought an acre of land for burial purposes. Later six building lots and 3½ acres of land were purchased for $550. One of the buildings on the lots was rebuilt for the parsonage, and the other for school purposes.

Since the number of pupils rapidly increased, the building used for school purposes proved too small and, therefore, the congregation decided to build a new school 22x36 feet. This building was erected for $596 and was dedicated on November 3, 1885. The number of students increased, and it was decided to bring on a teacher. W. Koch, a Teachers College of Addison, Illinois graduate, was hired in August 1895.

On November 8, 1896, the congregation decided to build a new church and a new parsonage, the church to be built first. The church was built for $3,079.50 and was dedicated on September 12, 1897. In the spring of 1898, the parsonage was built for $1,106.89.

December 26, 1900, the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the first church building, was celebrated. On October 13, the congregation decided to buy a new organ from George Kilgen and Son for $1,200.00. The organ was dedicated to the Lord's service on September 30, 1903. In February of 1904, the congregation decided to build a new house for the teacher for $1,100.00 ($37,600 today).

Since the school room proved too small for the increased number of pupils, it was decided in a meeting held February 4, 1900, to build an additional school room 32x38 feet to the west side of the old building, and the old classroom to be used as a confirmation instruction room. This addition was dedicated on September 24, 1900. In a meeting on July 6, 1919, it was resolved to hire a new teacher installed in his office on August 24, 1919. Thus the school was reopened, which had been closed due to conditions brought about by the war.

In April of 1921, the congregation decided to build an addition to the west end of the church building. This addition was 38x70 feet, thus together with the old building forming a structure in the shape of a cross. The cornerstone of this new addition was laid on May 21, 1921, and the finished building was dedicated in November 1921. This addition gives a seating capacity of 800.

For some years, the need for a new school became more apparent because the school's attendance had grown so much that the crowded condition in the schoolroom became a menace to the children's health. Early in 1928, a building committee was elected to get estimates of the cost of a modern school building.

When the tentative plan and the estimated cost were presented to the congregation, the congregation decided to proceed with the building program. Architect J.W. Kennedy of East St. Louis, Illinois, made the building's plans. Mr. F. Neuhaus of Red Bud, Illinois, received the building contract. The ground for the school was donated by Mr. Albert Qilster, to which a tract of land was bought to round out an entire city block. The cornerstone of the new school was laid on July 1, 1928. The building was dedicated on December 2, 1928. The size of the school building is 84x54 feet. The building had a full basement, three large classrooms, one smaller for the confirmation class, one Ladies' Aid room, one large auditorium, one library room, a kitchen, lavatories, and other necessary rooms. The student enrollment was 115 pupils.

Excerpts from: "The Church Book of Evangelical Lutheran St. Mark's Congregation in Steeleville, Randolph County, IL, 1875-1915."  A 130-page typewriter-published, searchable PDF file of the church's records. pub:1915.  Enjoy.

Edited by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D. 

U.S. Mail Railway Post Offices in Illinois.

Soon after railroads appeared in the 1830s, they started moving the U.S. mail. During the Civil War, railroads built rolling post offices to sort mail along the route besides moving mail. Special railroad cars called Railway Post Offices (RPO) employed postal workers to sort and handle mail in transit. They would pick up and drop off mail at station stops. They would pick up mail on the fly at places they didn't stop, "grabbing" mailbags from a special bracket without stopping the train. 

Mail Bag Catch & Drop from a Steam Locomotive Train.

Some electric interurban routes also had RPOs, which served the same functions as RPOs on steam (and later diesel) railroads. People could deposit mail on these cars via slots on their sides, and clerks would postmark that mail on board.

Illinois Central's United States Mail Railway Post Office № 51.

At their peak in the 1800s, RPO cars were used on over 9,000 train routes. But in the 20th Century, RPO use started to decline. After WWII, the Post Office began using large regional centers with machines taking over the sorting. In 1948 the RPO network had shrunk to 794 lines. As the Post Office canceled their "mail by rail" contracts, passenger trains that relied on mail revenue lost that revenue, contributing to the eventual creation of Amtrak in 1971. 

United States Mail Railway Post Office - HO Scale Car. (1:87 scale = 3.5 mm to 1 foot)

On June 30, 1977, the last RPO ended operations after 113 years.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

The Ravenswood Outpost, across from Rosehill Cemetery on Ravenswood Avenue, Chicago.

Long before the Chicago & Northwestern tracks were laid in the middle of Ravenwood Avenue and before Edgewater existed as a neighborhood in the Lincoln Square Community, and even before Pop Morse's Roadhouse in 1909 and was renamed Green Mill Gardens in 1910, the roadhouse now known as the Fireside Restaurant & Lounge has stood across from historic Rosehill Cemetery for more than a century. 

Interestingly, this was the second station built at Rosehill. The tracks that are elevated today were not always that way, and an earlier street-level station stopped at the cemetery before the track elevation took place.

The original tavern once served traveling farmers and mourners alike, even offering accommodations. Fireside is located on the east side of Ravenswood Avenue just south of Rosehill Cemetery's entrance on Rosehill Drive. 

According to the Edgewater Historical Society, the Fireside has continuously operated as a tavern since 1904 and was built by the original owner, Peter Eberhardt. 

What is now a single structure was originally built as twin buildings with a breezeway in between. The original wooden siding has been stuccoed over in the English Tudor style, and the space between has been transformed into the pub's entrance. 

ADDITIONAL READING:

Was Rosehill Cemetery Initially named Roe’s Hill?

Cemetery History of Early Chicago.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Sparta Community Airport ─ Hunter Field (KSAR), Sparta, Illinois.

Hunter Field has two runways; An asphalt runway 18/36, a turf runway 9/27 and one Heli-pad. 

 

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Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is one tenth of the magnetic azimuth of the runway's heading in degrees. A runway numbered 9 points east (90°), runway 18 is south (180°), runway 27 points west (270°) and runway 36 points to the north (360°)

The Hunter brothers were the first in Sparta to own an airplane. In June 1924, three young coal miners, John, Albert and Walter Hunter, went to St. Louis to purchase a Curtiss Biplane from the Robertson Aircraft Corporation. They and their other brother Kenneth "Beans," had big plans to use the airplane commercially, and they used the fairgrounds for their landing field. 

By September 1924, they had assembled "Hunter's Flying Circus of Sparta." They owned and operated three airplanes and staged thrilling stunts to benefit the fairground crowd. Their repertoire had wing walking, parachute leaps, changing from one plane to another in mid-air, looping the loops, tailspins and all other sensational stunts. They also carried passengers for $3 ($50 today) each for a seven to ten-minute ride over the city and fairgrounds.

Big-Ben Refueling.

The four Hunter brothers, flying over Chicago on July 4, 1930, completed an air-to-air refueled endurance record of 553 hours, 41 minutes and 30 seconds. THAT'S 23 DAYS ALOFT!

Kenneth and John were the endurance plane pilots, and Walter and Albert refueled from the "Big Ben" airplane.

The History of Sparta, Illinois, incorporated in 1837 as "Columbus."

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

The Illinois Central Railroad No.121 Green Diamond Streamliner Passenger Train. 1936-1968

The Illinois Central Railroad moved into streamlining with the articulated "Green Diamond" rail engine and cars in 1936. 

The Illinois Central's Chicago-St. Louis, Missouri, Green Diamond streamliner was built in 1936 by Pullman-Standard, with electrical-mechanical components by Electro-Motive. It was the last articulated trainset to be built with the integrated power unit; the locomotive carried number 121. In 1947 the IC's Paducah shops overhauled the train, then operated as the "Miss Lou" between Jackson, Mississippi and New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1950 it was retired and scrapped. 

Illinois Central proudly billed as "the first standard-size diesel-powered streamliner." 

The Illinois Central Railroad proudly billed the Green Diamond diesel engine built in 1936 by Pullman-Standard and powered by Electro-Motive Corporation.

The Engineer Cab.

Advertising for the Illinois Central began in 1936 on the system between the Midwest and Southeast that covers 7,000 miles in the process and visits such towns as Detroit, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and Milwaukee.

The quick popularity of the early-years design of streamliners turned out to be the reason the design ended up a financial disaster. The early design did not allow the train to be lengthened or shortened, and late streamliners featured a matched but separable locomotive.

Car № 125 - 8 Seat Dining Area.

The apex for streamlined passenger trains in America was in 1956.

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The purpose of trucks on train cars is to provide support at high-speed, guidance, and passenger comfort. Freight car trucks are separate units that can be removed for maintenance, repair, or replacement. Trucks are a common cause of train derailments.

Each Car Has A Specific Purpose.

Cars do not change positions or trains in the early years.

Car № 121:

The Power Car was a (Winton Engine Works) Winton-201A, 1,200 hp, sixteen-cylinder Diesel Engine. The railroad engineer's control room was, of course, at the front of this car. The auxiliary generator and heating boiler controls were here. Below the floor, the first truck was powered. The second truck, articulated with the second car, was not powered. A 725-gallon fuel tank was mounted between the trucks. 

Car № 122:

Baggage, Storage, and U.S. Mail Car. The Mail Compartment occupied near one-half of the coach. Registered Nurse/Passenger Assistant onboard each trip.

Car № 123:

56 Reclining Seats in Coach. The Conductor's Office, and Restrooms.

Car № 124:

60 Reclining Seats in Coach. 

Car № 125:

The Dining & Lounge Observation Car, aka The Parlor Car. There are 8 seats available in the dining room, 20 more in the lounge, plus standing room. The Kitchen was in the forward portion of this car with table service at the rear of the lounge. It was said to have been a spectacular view out of the back window.  

An old magazine article mentioned the spacious restrooms; for a train car, of course."The toilet is big enough for me at six foot three to comfortably change into a suit. I learned quickly that a five-hour train ride in a suit does not build self-confidence."  — Unknown

Green Diamond Information

The train is fully Air-Conditioned and Heated. There is radio communication. Within the train, private and public communication use the same system. Full-width rubber diaphragms joined the cars. All cars were articulated, sharing a truck with the neighboring car, giving extra stability and a smoother ride. 

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.