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1924 – 100 YEARS AGO
Saturday night has been set for the official electrification of the 125 Christmas trees that will be installed on the main artery of the business district. The trees are now being shipped from the farm of Pete Peterson, former DeKalb mail carrier. Mr. Peterson, who is visiting in this city, expects that the trees will be here today, and that they will be ready to erect early Saturday. Nearly every merchant in this city has ordered a tree, which will be placed in front of his place of business, the trunk to fit into the socket used when the flags are on display.
Parcel post thieves are making themselves a nuisance in DeKalb and it is understood that if the federal government takes a hand in the affair, and apprehends the guilty party, sufficient punishment will be handed out to convince the parties that it is a serious business to steal anything that Uncle Sam delivers.
Workmen of the city department have been busy today going over the storm drains, and removing all debris, making ready for the water that will result from snow and rain. The catch basins have been thoroughly cleaned in all parts of the city, and there should be no trouble with the drainage system for several months at least.
Firemen were called to the pump house on Pearl Street last night, someone believing the place was on fire, while it was but the chimney burning out. The firemen found out quickly that the alarm was more on the order of safety first, and returned to the station at once.
The meeting of the Union Cemetery association which has charge of the Oakwood and Evergreen cemeteries, held at the First National Bank Monday evening, was well attended and much interest shown. Those who are making the effort to bring about adequate means for taking care of the cemeteries feel much encouraged. It was stated that the association has been accumulating, in a small way, a “Perpetual Care Fund” to pay for the upkeep of those lots on which payments are made, and to further help in the general care of the cemeteries.
Traffic on State Street in the vicinity of the Chicago and Northwestern tracks will have to use the north side of the street while the tracks are undergoing repairs. The work of improving the crossing was started yesterday and should be completed late today or tomorrow.
1949 – 75 YEARS AGO
The 1950 license plates for the state of Illinois are making their first appearance in this locale today, with several reporting that they had received their vehicle numbers. This year the plates are made of an aluminum alloy and have a solid white background with dark green numbers. Although the plates look beautiful, they will probably gather in a sufficient amount of dirt quickly that will make the reading of the number an extremely difficult job for officers of the law.
Announcement has been made that George Ward has purchased the DeKalb Hotel, which is located on the northeast corner of the Lincoln Highway and Second Street. Ward took over the management of the hotel business in the early part of the week. The hotel business was purchased by Ward from Mark Joseph and James Mulroyan.
Chief of Police John Remsey today stated that no trace of the safe robbers or safe had been found. Early Wednesday evening a safe containing $2,500 was carried away from the Wayne Music Company at 552 E. Lincoln Highway. It was a complete loss for the owner, Wayne Mayborn, as there was no insurance coverage. In addition to the cash in the safe, there were checks amounting to about $100 and other valuable papers. The company is a distributor of jukeboxes in the area and the cash was collection revenue. The safe, while a small one, was very sturdy and the burglars are expected to find some difficulty in opening it.
The Sandwich Sportsmen’s Club held its regular meeting Thursday evening at the V.F.W. Hall. Harry Dannewitz told of measuring the land the club is buying from John Parris. It will include six and three-eighth acres. Mr. Dannewitz stated that the title would soon be completed. The trap shoot committee announced a trap shoot for Sunday, Dec. 11, to be held at the east end of Center Street.
A mechanical failure in the master box at the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company was the cause at 12:45 p.m. this afternoon for the DeKalb fire department to make a run to the plant. Four trucks were taken to the industrial plant on the northeastern edge of the city. Despite the heavy wet snow, and slippery pavements, the four trucks made the trip to the factory and back without mishap. Chief Stanley Tastad stating that “it’s better to have an alarm like that than a hot one.”
1974 – 50 YEARS AGO
Medical staffing of DeKalb Public Hospital’s emergency room by physicians on a 24-hour basis won’t begin until mid-January of 1975. A committee of hospital physicians is to prepare a report within 45 days on steps to implement 24-hour physician coverage. The hospital emergency room now operates on a doctor “on-call” basis.
DeKalb’s new middle school, to replace the aging Clinton Rosette Middle School, begins to take shape as construction crews have poured footings and begun installing forms for exterior walls. Construction is on grounds immediately south of the Clinton Rosette school.
Two requests for zoning changes to allow duplex houses along North First Street were defeated by the DeKalb Planning Commission Tuesday night. The denials only are recommendations to the city council. Landowner Joseph Katz had requested two parcels between Ridge and West Royal Drives be switched from single-family to two-family zoning.
The DeKalb Public Hospital board approved increases in room rates last night bringing the room charge to $54 per day.
Taxpayers of Illinois do not have to be reminded that it costs money to educate its youngsters. It costs taxpayers an average of $1,550 to educate each of the DeKalb School District’s 4,600 students during the 1973-74 term.
1999 – 25 YEARS AGO
Despite unusually warm December temperatures, Christmas shoppers are taking the time to enjoy the holiday spirit in the 25th annual Genoa-Kingston Christmas Craft Walk.
If you’ve ever felt guilty about those neglected cans of soup or jars of spices tucked away in your kitchen, it’s time to come out of the closet or pantry. The results of a new study indicate you have lots of company. As many as 12% of all grocery items wind up unused, according to University of Illinois business professor Brian Wansick, who researched what he called the “mystery of the cabinet castaway.”
Sandwich police are investigating a bank robbery that occurred Thursday afternoon. At 3:50 p.m., a lone suspect entered the Union Bank of Sandwich. He was allegedly armed with a baseball bat and demanded money from a teller. According to police reports, he took an undetermined amount of money from the teller. He then left the bank on foot without incident and headed south behind the Indian Springs Shopping Mall. The suspect is described as a white male in his mid-20s. He is approximately 6 feet tall with a thin to medium build.
– Compiled by Sue Breese