Lacy S. McDonald manages the Genealogy & Local History Library branch of The Hayner Public Library District in Alton. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Carleton College as well as a master’s degree in Library and Information Science and a Graduate Certificate in Rare Books and Special Collections Librarianship from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
On Feb. 18, 1925, Raymond Silkwood received an invitation to visit the home of his (supposed) friend William Clark to get a haircut. Silkwood’s hair was getting a little too long and ragged, so he accepted. Silkwood, a junk wagon driver, lived in a shanty boat on the Hartford riverbank, an...
On Feb. 20, 1925, 9-year-old Gaspar Marone ran away from home. The Alton Evening Telegraph newspaper announced the next day that “Alton has a new champion runaway boy.” At 4:45 p.m., the Chicago & Alton Railroad’s fast Chicago-St. Louis train left the Alton station with an unexpecte...
On January 24, 1925, the moon eclipsed the sun. In Alton, the eastern skies were partly cloudy, but the sun broke through the clouds just after 8 a.m., right when the eclipse here was at its peak. With a totality of 86% in Alton, a crescent was still visible, and some residents expressed their...
ALTON - Wilbur Theodore Norton, three-term postmaster of Alton, Alton Board of Education member, historical researcher and author, and previous owner and editor of the Alton Evening Telegraph, died on January 8, 1925. Wil bur T. Norton was born in Alton on September 10, 1844, to Reverend Augustus...
On January 7, 1925, Henry M. (Harry) Schweppe and Angie Rand Schweppe celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. An Alton Evening Telegraph article described Mr. and Mrs. Schweppe as “two of the most useful people in Alton…neither has allowed to escape a chance to do something for...
Elmer Noland, a Jerseyville balloonist, was arrested on New Year’s Day 1925 by Sheriff Frank D. Sowell for violating the Prohibition Act. Noland’s arrest was due to information reported by an alleged customer who claimed that Noland sold him intoxicants. Noland denied the claims but...
ALTON - In the late months of 1924 and early months of 1925, the Joy Club threw dances every Wednesday night and Saturday night at The London. The London, formerly College Inn, sat at the corner of Main Street and College Avenue in Upper Alton. There were also special nights of dancing to celebrate...
ALTON - On December 22, 1924, a Walnut Grove Dairy ad in the Alton Evening Telegraph informed readers that individual servings of Santa-Claus ice cream and Turkey ice cream were available for sale at their 809 Broadway store. This wasn’t just a one-time offering, either. There are ads for...
ALTON - On December 14, 1924, the Franklin W. Olin Jr. memorial organ was dedicated at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Alton. The Estey Organ Company installed the organ, which had fourteen stops and was electrically operated. Rev. Frederick D. Butler officiated a blessing of the organ...
On December 6, 1924, Lincoln School student Emery Bricker won the Alton Township spelling contest. He spelled 100 words correctly out of 100. Two Horace Mann students rounded out the top three: Thelma Chapman came in second (96 words), and Adolph Clayton came in third (93 words). Bricker and Chapman...
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