Whiteside

Hit-and-run Marked City’s First Auto Death

The History of Joliet – Chapter 37 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “The red car crashed into the seven people who were crossing the street. But the driver just kept going.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News “It may seem unfortunate to this man that he is the first to be convicted of such a crime in Will County. …  Automobile drivers must realize they do not have exclusive right or control over the highway …” — Judge Frederick HILL, Will County Circuit Court, Feb. 26, 1925. And 32-year-old Victor … Read more

Maximum Security is No Match

The History of Joliet – Chapter 34 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “Through the years, there were many escapes from Stateville. But not all of them were well planned.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News In the summer of 1919, the toughest inmates in the old Joliet prison were moved to the big circular cellhouse at Stateville. The new prison was still under construction. But its builders said that round cellhouse was absolutely escape proof. Then surrounded by only a wooden stockade, Stateville had been on the state’s drawing boards … Read more

Grand Army Upheld Ideals After Civil War

The History of Joliet – Chapter 36 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “There never was a time when the Grand Army was grander than it is today.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News In the fall of 1923, a group of old soldiers gathered here in Joliet to remember those days that forever had bound them together. All had white hair. The youngest among them were “three score and ten plus,” The Herald News reported. They were the last of this state’s Civil War Union Army veterans gathered at what … Read more

Beer King Watched Fortunes Fizzle

The History of Joliet – Chapter 35 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “The good ol’ days are now only memories.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News On Saturday, Jan. 17, 1920, a newspaper headline in the Joliet Evening Herald-News summed it all up: “U.S. Dry Today.” The 18th Amendment, which was approved in 1917, went into effect along with its accompanying Volstead Act. The act provided penalties for violations of making and selling liquor. The Prohibition era had started. “The final celebration of the passing of the wet era did … Read more

Temperance vs. Whiskey Row in Joliet

The History of Joliet – Chapter 27 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “Joliet has seldom if ever known such an anti-saloon movement.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News In the final months of the 19th century, the residents of Joliet were screaming that they were angry. Their anger centered around the saloons along Whiskey Row. And at the same time, the city was visited by a president. The saloons in Joliet were out of control. Drinking and brawls, muggings and robberies were disrupting too many lives in Joliet. Minors were … Read more

World War I Regiment Earns Praise

The History of Joliet – Chapter 32 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “The screaming convicts had set fire to five buildings and were attempting to ram a railroad freight car through the front gate.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News A patriotic fever swept across Joliet on April 6, 1917, when the United States declared war on Germany and joined World War I. The local recruiting office was swamped with volunteers. By the end of the month, more than 400 local men had enlisted. The following month, a national draft … Read more

Joliet Boasted in 1887: Business was Booming!

The History of Joliet – Chapter 25 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “Business was booming in Joliet. People were working. And growth was happening rapidly.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News In the summer of 1887, 35 years after the city was incorporated, The Joliet News bragged about the city in a special Business Men’s Edition of the newspaper. Business was booming in Joliet. People were working. And growth was happening rapidly. “The city has no debt,” the newspaper said. “The licenses pay all the expenses of the city government, … Read more

‘Bennitt’s Boys’ Helped Carve A Piece of History

The History of Joliet – Chapter 26 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “BENNITT’s regiment lost about two dozen men. More soldiers died from exposure and illness than combat.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News Like others who came to Joliet as young men, Fred BENNITT arrived in Joliet as a young man full of dreams for the future. He was just 21 years old when he got here from New York in 1875, arriving with a lawyer’s education and two special interests. He dreamed of playing a role in the … Read more

Steel Baron Welcomed Roosevelt, but W.J. Bryan was Another Story

The History of Joliet – Chapter 28 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “Each man lifts his head higher when the nation does its duty.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News On a chilly Monday morning in October 1900, a large crowd started gathering in front of the courthouse in Joliet by 7:30 a.m. A train arrived less than an hour later and hundreds of people greeted it. They all knew the famous face of Theodore ROOSEVELT, better known as just Teddy. Teddy was a national hero. Two years earlier, he … Read more

Horseless Carriages Come and Go, With Model T Just Down the Road

The History of Joliet – Chapter 29 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “Horse shoes just couldn’t compete in the new century with those dreamers and their horseless carriages.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News In 1900, business was booming for the Phoenix Horse Shoe Company in Joliet. But the beginning of the end was already in sight for horses. Horses were being replaced by horsepower in the horseless carriage. While Henry FORD and Ransom Eli OLDS were dreaming about an automobile industry in Detroit, George ELRICK, Wilbur DAYTON and others … Read more