Research Using Neat Stuff Collection And The Online Sycamore True Republican

The above undated photo was donated to the Joiner History Room.  On the back was one word, “Sycamore”.  Because it was a picture with a prominent smoke stack that she hadn’t seen before, Sue Breese, County Historian, passed it around so the volunteers could help her identify it further.  None of us knew about the old smoke stack .  We love a mystery at the Joiner Room and so we set to work trying to identify what we could and trying to date the photo before adding it to our archives.  Sue looked for “smoke stack” and Sheri looked for “green houses” in our Neat Stuff index.   (Green houses can  be seen in the original picture between the two buildings along Elm St.)

The idea of Neat Stuff can be credited to past historian Phyllis Kelley.  When the Joiner Room was in its infancy, Phyllis and other volunteers read 150 years of the Sycamore True Republican newspaper.  There were articles of interest that were collected that couldn’t be categorized into a subject folder or binder.  Phyllis decided to simply call it Neat Stuff and current volunteers continue to add to this collection. 

Since the downtown area held all the tall buildings, we first identified three shown in the background as being on State street.  The green houses in the foreground were described in a newspaper article dated 30 Aug 1893 that reported Mrs. Partridge’s green houses on Elm street were very successful. That meant that the smoke stack was between these two streets.   

Sue found an article dated 17 Aug 1889 describing the incorporation of the Sycamore Electric Light Company.  Prior to this company, kerosene lamps provided illumination for stores, streets and homes.  Capital stock of $10,000 was raised by nine stockholders.  The article described updated methods of providing electricity at a most economical cost using steam.  The plant was to be located “near the business portion of the city” and supply sixty arc lights and three hundred incandescent lights.  Businessmen registered to receive one of the arc lights with a capacity of 2,000 candle power.  The article ended predicting that the “electric light will in time supersede all others in the business houses as well as upon the streets.” 

We now knew that the stack was probably part of the electric plant.  Not satisfied to leave it there, we continued looking and found a short article describing a sixty-foot high, iron smoke stack being built for the company.  Another article described a two-story brick coal house that can be seen to the right of the stack in the picture. Still another described the steam being generated as a source of heat in the downtown businesses and courthouse which would be supplied by metal pipes encased in wood.  In 2001, during street construction in front of the courthouse one of these pipes was dug up and is now in the archives of the Sycamore Historical Society. 

By using the online, searchable Sycamore True Republican newspapers the history unfolded.  The Sycamore Electric Light Company was sold several times to enterprising businessmen.  In 1902, the owner, Elry Hall, sold the company to another venture that was about to build an interurban rail between the cities of Sycamore and DeKalb.  The name became the DeKalb-Sycamore Electric Company with “its object to build and operate electric light; power and railways and to produce heat in the counties of DeKalb, Winnebago, Boone, McHenry and Kane.”  It offered shares of stock to raise approximately $200,000 to expand services.  The city of Sycamore passed an ordinance making the new company the official provider for the city.  In 1922, the Illinois Power Company bought the private supplier and the Sycamore city council briefly considered establishing its own steam and power plant when a dispute over costs arose.  In 1930, the Illinois Power Company became a subsidiary of the Commonwealth Power Corporation which evolved into the present Commonwealth Edison. 

By the time our research was complete, there was enough information on the Sycamore Electric Light Company to warrant its own subject folder.  This is an example of what we do at the Joiner Room and we love doing it.

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Adoptee Law Passed By Illinois Legislature
Excerpts From the Chicago Tribune 10 June 2011

 

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Images of Sycamore

The Chicago and North Western train station on the northeast corner of Sacramento Street and DeKalb Avenue was erected in 1880, while still under the ownership of the local Sycamore, Cortland, and Chicago line.  The bricks for the building were made at the kilns north of Sycamore on Brickville Road.  The station's unusual weather vane, a six-foot locomotive, can be seen in the view above.  The end of passenger service was announced by Chicago and North Western in 1930.  In recent years, the old depot has been used as a storage place for Auto Meter products.

Recent Development:  In early January 2011, the Sycamore City Council voted to accept the building as a gift from Auto Meter.  Using public and private donations, the first stages of remodeling are occurring. 

Picture and historical information used with permission of Phyllis Kelley and the Joiner Room Staff.

See More Like This In
 Images of America-Sycamore
 Available from Borders, Barnes and Noble, Amazon and at Local Stores
 
 


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Copying/Scanning/Mailing Pricing

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Joiner Room Honored To
 Be Part Of The DeKalb County
 Community Foundation
 

The Joiner History Room Endowment Fund was established in 2008 to honor Ralph Joiner and the first appointed DeKalb County historian, Phyllis Kelley.  If you wish to donate to our Endowment Fund, click on the DCCF logo or send a check directly to The Joiner Room at the address above.

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New Military Records Available

Because of a donation of scrapbooks kept by Ada Halloran, we have added to our archives information from area newspapers about DeKalb county men and women who served in the Vietnam War.  These clippings have been indexed and contain over 13 pages of individual names. 

Also, the Joiner Room is in process of organizing and indexing their information on World Wars I and II.  This project is almost complete.

To see if your ancestor is in either database, please email the Joiner History Room using the above link.    

 Information of Interest …

Sycamore True Republican Newspaper Is Online and Searchable
 

The Joiner History Room, the DeKalb County archive, announces the completion of a year long project to digitize the Sycamore True Republican.  The Joiner History Room along with the University of Illinois and Shaw Media, parent company of the DeKalb Chronicle, has worked to digitize the Sycamore True Republican from 1868 through 1968. Funded by a grant from the Douglas C. Roberts Family, the newspaper is fully searchable for those years and available online, free for everyone.  The Sycamore True Republican was one of DeKalb County’s longest published newspapers, recording our early history.   It is the hope of all involved that this digitization will help preserve the rich history that was reported in the newspaper and make it accessible for everyone who wishes to use it for genealogy or historical research purposes.  The newspapers can be accessed from the website at the University of Illinois through their Illinois Digital Newspaper Collection (IDNC)  at www.library.illinois.edu/dnc/idnc.


Did Your Ancestor Have an Unusual Death?

Obituaries found in old newspapers often gave great detail of how someone died.  Poisonings, suicides, murders, etc.  were reported openly, some with great detail.  We have come across so many that we thought it important to identify and index these obits.  If your "family legend" includes someone who might have had an unusual death, email the Joiner Room using the link above.  We will check our index to see if we have their obituary.

Names Added to Obituary Collection in December

Thanks to the hard work of our volunteers, another 3,900 obituaries have been index. 

This database combines obituary collections donated by the Challand, Stott, Wagner and Witter families.  The individuals came from all areas of the county. 

NEW!
 Picture Puzzles
 Help us identify the people in the pictures.
 One has been solved!

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 The August 2011 Issue of the
 Joiner Room Journal is Online
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 Can You Help?

 The Joiner History Room is seeking to add to its archives pre 1960 telephone books and city directories for the cities of Dekalb and Sycamore.  We are also interested in historical documents pertaining to DeKalb County.  You don't have to send the original historical document, copies will be just as good.  If you have such an item to donate, please email the Joiner History Room.  In the subject line enter "Item to Donate."  Thank you. 


 

Past Website Articles
 
 Changling Movie Has DeKalb County Connection

 Letitia Westgate and the 1902 Smallpox Season

Early Weather Reporting

The Lincoln Statue

First Jury of Sycamore Women

Sycamore Wagon Works

Obituary of Phyllis I. Horton Kelly
 

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They Should

Every well regulated family in the city should keep a pig.  Every well regulated family is supposed to have lot room so the pig would not be offensive to their neighbor.  Every family throws out slop enough to keep a common fair minded pig and when it begins to get hoggish a little, meal soaked in water will cater nicely to his taste.  One can as well raise $25 worth of pork every six months as not and to many of the poorer families this would be a big help, and none of us acknowledge we are any too well off financially.  So we repeat, buy a pig.

Source:  Sycamore Daily Recorder, August 19, 1882