History

Cobbler Tried Thrice in Murder of Benjamin Pickles

The History of Joliet – Chapter 11 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “The bullet hit Pickles in the head, between the left eye and ear. His sons watched him die.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News With the beginning of the Civil War, crime came to Joliet. Like that night in the blacksmith shop on Eastern Avenue. These were some wild times in Joliet. Although there was a strong patriotic spirit in the city, the war had created problems with all the people passing through Joliet. William STEVENS, a local … Read more

Joliet: Our Town, Our History

The History of Joliet – Introduction By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo Did you know? City’s vibrant story leaps off page “Our city’s founders were just plain people with the same kind of worries and concerns we often have today. But in living their lives here, they solved their problems, raised their families and built a great city.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News Did you know? The good citizens of Joliet in 1858 almost lynched an innocent man. They thought he had corrupted and then brutally murdered a 16-year-old girl. … Read more

Rich, Undisturbed Land First Home to Native Americans

The History of Joliet – Chapter 1 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo Native American tribes hunted and fished here for hundreds of years “The most numerous tribe were the Illinois, from which this state eventually would take its name. In their native tongue, Illinois meant ‘superior men.’” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News In the beginning, there was the land and its people. The Native Americans. They were the Pottawottamies, the Foxes, the Sacs, the Mascoutens and the Illinois. They lived here for hundreds of years hunting and fishing in … Read more

An Unlikely Start

The History of Joliet – Chapter 2 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo Sisters’ kidnapping the beginning of Joliet “Although they never lived here, Sylvia and Rachel Hall could be thought of as the mothers of Joliet. Or rather, the mothers of Juliet.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News Although they never lived here, Sylvia and Rachel HALL could be thought of as the mothers of Joliet. Or rather, the mothers of Juliet. Juliet was this city’s first name. Sylvia and Rachel HALL were part of a family of settlers living … Read more

The Old Markert Brewery of Wilmington, Illinois

Markert Family of Wilmington The following information was compiled and submitted by Sandy Vasko (Surnames found in this article: Bez, Burdo, Conlee, Cushing, Donahoe, Frizelle, Heifenfijer, Jbhneton, Lafontaine, Lins, Lynott, Markert, O’Heron, Osburn, Pepenbrink, Scheibner, Schweigart, Short, Steffan, Whelar) In the last few weeks I have talked about the river improvements and the prosperity that came to Wilmington because of it. Today we will look at a few of the businesses of that were around during the 1870 – 1871 era. The first one that comes to mind is the Wilmington Brewery. With over a dozen saloons and oyster bars … Read more