Pickings from Pike’s Past: 100 YEARS AGO: PIKE COUNTY HAS FIRST “CORN PICKING MACHINE”

By Editor | October 24, 2024 |

150 Years Ago

Oct. 29, 1874

The weather continues most delightful, being warm and very pleasant. Monday noon, right here in Pittsfield, there was a glorious rain.

The registration in Pittsfield shows about 600 votes. Quite a falling off.

Griggsville is to vote at its next municipal election whether it will remain a town or become a city and have a mayor and aldermen and such.

We want a correspondent in Griggsville. Our present one spends more time in Pittsfield than he does in Griggsville and doesn’t get home in time to furnish us the news. We think he had better marry and be done with it.

Items have been so scarce in Milton lately that I could not ask for space in your valuable paper. However, we have been relieved at last by a first-class case of burglary. A new safe in the store belonging to T. N. Hall has been blown open and its contents taken. Also, three horses were stolen from the Watts stable.

125 Years Ago

Oct. 31, 1899

An extra strong police force will patrol Pittsfield tonight and it will go hard with the mischievous boys who are in the habit of raising sheol on Halloween, if they are caught at their old pranks this year. Parents will do well to get their boys home at an early hour.

Our canning factory has sold a carload of canned beans to be shipped to Portland, Oregon.

Henry Donlan, the most wonderful boy singer in America, will appear with the Ladies orchestra at the K. P. Hall Nov. 11, for the opening of the winter lecture course.

Nov. 3, 1899

Nebo is rebuilding. Six new brick store rooms are currently in the course of construction on Union Street in that village.

Hicks, the weatherman, booked his weather disturbance for today, but it came in yesterday morning early, and we had our first snow, which was quite a heavy fall. It snowed all day and into the night.

Farmers in the New Hartford and Summer Hill area are gathering their corn and the yield is a fair one. Our road commissioner has started to gravel the roads through New Hartford.

100 Years Ago

Oct. 29, 1924

Supervisor Fred Sitton and E. T. Barton of Pleasant Hill have purchased a new corn picking machine, the first in the county. The outfit takes one row at a time, and picks, husks, and runs the corn into a wagon as rapidly as it can be pulled across the field. Sitton and Barton will pull the machine with a tractor. It gathers five to 10 acres of corn a day.

Close observers estimate that the corn crop on the Harry Nichols farm in Pleasant Vale Township will make 90 bushels to the acre. Twenty years ago the land was considered worthless, but it has since been tiled and improved.

The Palmyra, Mo. team defeated Pittsfield High School 14-12. Palmyra protested Pittsfield playing William Lewis, colored tackle, upon the grounds that by the high school conference rules, Illinois teams are not to use negro players against Missouri teams. Pittsfield acceded to this protest and played the game without Lewis.

Pike County has 19 teachers on the state pension list at this time. The law provides that teachers who have taught for 25 years can receive a pension of $400 per year.

The annual meeting of the Pike County Farm Bureau was held in Pittsfield on Oct. 30. Dinner was served at noon at the Congregational and Methodist Churches to more than 500 farmers and their wives. The meal was free of charge.

75 Years Ago

Oct. 25, 1949

The Saukees stayed in the Illinois Valley Conference race by defeating Pleasant Hill 19-6 in the homecoming game. The victory was won before a dwindling crowd of chilled but pleased fans. Steady rain before the game, a late start and a cold wind cut down the attendance considerably.

A son, Eldon Wayne, was born Oct. 20 at Illini Hospital to Mr. and Mrs. Elza Hansell of Pittsfield.

Oct. 26, 1949

The first prize in the PHS homecoming parade was won by Mr. Fisher’s FFA boys, commemorating the first Thanksgiving with a corn shock, pumpkins, autumn leaves, a turkey, pilgrims and an Indian.

Pearl schools had a big crowd and a good time at their Halloween carnival in the high school gym Friday night. The king and queen were Laurabelle Allen and Jerry Akers. Their little crown bearers were Jimmy Ottwell and Brandon Miller.

Oct. 27, 1949

November 10, the West Pike School district will vote on the proposition to bond the district to build a new elementary school at Hull and a new Junior-senior high school at Kinderhook. The total of the bond issue will be $425,000.

50 Years Ago

Oct. 30, 1974

Five Pike County residents have been elected to the new 7-member Adams-Pike community board of trustees. They are James L. Reed, of Hull, who led the entire list of 28 candidates in total votes, C. W. Losch of Pleasant Hill, L. L. Stone of Pittsfield, James M. Upchurch of Pittsfield and Hugh Hurt of Barry.

The other two elected members are Ron Moore of Camp Point, the only Adams County candidate elected, and Roderick L. Cookson of Hancock County. A sixth Pike County candidate, Al Seiler, finished eighth, out of the running.

Bob Lemons has purchased the Clendenny Garage and its John Deere dealership in Pleasant Hill from L. A. Clendenny, Sr., effective this week. Lemons owns the Milton Implement Co. in Milton and plans to operate both facilities under the new name of Pike County Implement Company. Clendenny has operated the garage for the past 47 years.

Lemons said Frank Kremer, parts manager of the Milton store, will assume that duty at the Pleasant Hill Store. Lawrence Clendenny, Jr. will continue to manage the shop and Shirley Clendenny will continue as bookkeeper and parts salesperson. Mechanics Harvey Watts and Gary Hart will also continue at the Pleasant Hill garage.

If the Saukees were suffering from a letdown after a loss to CB, the condition was corrected on the opening kickoff Friday night. Senior halfback Doug Kattelman took the Carrollton kickoff and followed the wedge to the 40, where he broke into the clear and went all the way. Craig Stauffer booted the conversion to give the home team a 7-0 lead with only 12 seconds elapsed on the clock. Pittsfield went on to defeat the Hawks 22-6.

Four parties are on the ballot this year: Democratic Party, Republican Party, Socialist Workers Party and Communist Party.

25 Years Ago

Oct. 27, 1999

PikeNet is looking to be online soon to provide internet service locally. Scott Miller and Steven Nash are the owners of the company and Joey Calvey is the network administrator.

Tom Troutner has resigned his seat on the John Wood Community College board, citing the long drive and late hours required for meetings. Troutner, 82, was elected in 1989 and re-elected in 1995. He previously served on the board from 1983 and was chairman in 1986/87.

Rebecca Acuff of Pittsfield and John Ellsworth of Chicago have announced the engagement of their daughter, Nicole Irene Acuff to Carl Edward Rajski, son of Ronald Rajski Sr. and Margaret Rajski of Niles. The couple will be married at 1 p.m. Dec. 18 in Our Lady of Ransom Catholic Church in Niles.

Frank McCartney, assistant state’s attorney for Christian County, Ill., has announced his candidacy for Pike County State’s Attorney. He will run on the Democratic ticket in the March 2000 primary election.

10 Years Ago

Oct. 29, 2014

Local outdoor enthusiasts should be excited by yesterday’s announcement at Heartland Lodge near Nebo. Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director Marc Miller, along with State Senator Sam McCann and Andy Borrowman, Pike County Board Chairman, were on-site to announce a $1.7 million grant for Heartland to expand its off-highway-vehicle offerings. Gary Harpole, owner of Heartland Lodge, said he applied for the grant several months ago.

Compiled by Michael Boren

Posted in Society