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1925 – 100 Years Ago
Drivers of automobiles in the city of DeKalb who permit the youngsters to hitch their sleds to automobiles will be liable if any of the children are injured in an accident in which other machines are concerned, according to a statement at the police station today. Steps are to be taken at once to put an end to this dangerous practice of allowing the children to hitch sleds to automobiles and go sliding around town at a fat rate of speed.
Spark Plug, the new truck at the fire station, was called out just before noon today on account of some trouble in the house at the extreme end of Fourth street, used by C. W. Broughton as headquarters for his dairy. The chief and one of the men made the trip and according to reports, the stove pipe became clogged, causing the house to be filled with smoke. As far as could be learned there was no damage done, other than by smoke. By having the small truck available at the station, it was unnecessary to take all the trucks to this fire, and the little wagon will prove its worth more than once in answering such alarms.
Two trains on the Great Western, one going west at 9:39 a.m. in the morning and the other going east at 7:16 in the morning, are to be removed providing the permission of the Illinois Commerce Commission can be secured. There are five trains in the morning, four going east and one going west and four trains leaving during the afternoon and evening hours.
Train No. 12, arriving in DeKalb at 7:23 each evening on which many DeKalb people have been taken to Chicago, has been robbed three times in as many months, according to information from Chicago, and a total of over $500,000 in loot taken. Whether any DeKalb money was lost in the holdups in the last three months has not been ascertained today. The robberies have been reported in each case, and every police department along the system have been on the lookout for the robbers.
Following a period of seven days spent in consultations with five contractors, two of them local, the DeKalb Trust & Savings bank today awarded the contract for the rebuilding of the bank to A. Moorman & Company of St. Paul, exclusive bank builders for a period of 27 years. With the exception of the plumbing, heating and electrical work, which will be sublet to local contractors, the entire bank will be rebuilt by the St. Paul company. When complete the rebuilding of the bank is expected to reach a sum of about $75,000.
1950– 75 Years Ago
The building which until recently housed the First National Bank of Hinckley was sold to Joe Hough of Palatine. Work was started Thursday morning on the inside getting it ready for Thompson’s restaurant, which recently vacated the Jerry Phillips building in the east end of town. Plans are for the restaurant to be in the east part of the building, with a new entrance made there for it. Joe Hough will also move his barber shop there, which is now operated by Gordon Hamilton in the Al Bauer building. Definite plans for the rest of the building have not been completed as yet.
Old Christmas trees were burned in the yard at Central School last night with members of the Sycamore fire department on hand to supervise the job. It was an attempt to revive the old English custom of Twelfth Night, but not too many people remembered the occasion. Only a small crowd with a small number of trees showed up for the ceremony, most people apparently having forgotten about the plans.
Chevrolet, first automobile in the low-price field to offer an automatic shift on its 1950 models, announced today a cut in prices on one of its models. Cost of the all-steel station wagon was slashed $250, lowering the factory list price to $1,880. Prices on all other models remained unchanged, the General Motors Division said.
It’s possible to buy a new car today on 25-cent installments. A Chicago automobile dealer has installed coin meters in his cars and a customer now can drive a new car out of the showroom and pay for it a quarter at a time. Max R. Tauber, the only dealer to try the plan so far, today reported that both new and used car sales have jumped since he inaugurated it December 27.
Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt believes suggestions are “absurd” that she become a presidential candidate in 1952. “The time is not ripe for women to aspire to higher office,” she told newsmen before a talk yesterday at the 32nd annual Union Agriculture meeting. Mrs. Roosevelt advised women to “forget your sex, forget you are women, and vote like a good citizen.”
1975 – 50 Years Ago
It was like a beginning of a new school year today for student and staff when the doors opened officially for the first time at the Thomas H. Roberts elementary school at Ridge and Normal roads. Students at the Glidden School building loaded books and personal supplies from their desks into large sacks yesterday. Taking turns by classes, the students rode the school bus to the new building where they located new homes for their belongings.
“Small Town,” a one-minute television commercial depicting how Sycamore residents and Anaconda Co., Wire and Cable Division, have been practicing natural gas conservation, will be shown Thursday when ABC-TV presents “Adventure in America.” The program is sponsored by the American gas Association and begins at 7 p.m.
Workers are grinding up Christmas trees at the Northland Plaza Saturday. The project, sponsored by the DeKalb Junior Conservation Board, created a new alternative to simply dumping used Christmas trees. The pine chips will be spread on the Shabbona Forest Preserve for mulching purposes. The tree shredder was donated by Illinois Tree Service.
Three on a sled, like three on a match, is an unlucky combination for a downhill team at Hopkins Park slope, Sycamore Road. Sledders were out in abundance following recent snowstorms in the DeKalb area.
2000 - 25 Years Ago
The argument over how to best save the cash-strapped Malta School District continues, with some residents trying to stop the planned dissolution of the district. The district has been a steady decline of students since 1970, when it had a record 490. Last year 242 students attended Malta’s two school buildings.
As far as the DeKalb County engineer is concerned, replacement of the highway department’s garage on Barber Greene Road is the county’s number one safety issue. But as they looked at a long list of safety-related highway projects currently on hold, some county board members have reserved judgement.
The intersection of Chicago and Somonauk roads will be converted into a four way stop with a flashing red light. Located on the line between the villages of Sandwich and Somonauk, the intersection has been the site of several major accidents, some including fatalities.
The Ben Gordon Center Foundation has launched a $350,000 capital campaign for Reality House a satellite facility that provides psychological rehabilitation services to clients with serious and persistent mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and manic depression.
Compiled by Sue Breese