Whiteside

Several Suspected in Murder Mystery

The History of Joliet – Chapter 7 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo City’s first mayor nearly hanged by citizens “The excitement was intense and the public opinion divided,” Woodruff wrote. “And in the excitement and division of sentiment, many were ready to hang Van Horne without judge or jury.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News Elected in 1852, Cornellius C. VAN HORNE was Joliet’s very first mayor. But he was lucky the residents didn’t hang him a few years before that election. VAN HORNE was one of the city’s first … Read more

The Hickory Creek Mystery

The History of Joliet – Chapter 8 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo City ready to jump to conclusions over mysterious death “David Richardson was arrested and charged with the murder. He was guarded in the county jail because there was lots of talk about hanging him without a trial. The people of this city wanted justice.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News In the spring of 1858, the people of Joliet were shocked by a brutal crime. A murder had happened in such a cruel manner that residents couldn’t believe … Read more

Lincoln’s Time in Joliet Memorable

The History of Joliet – Chapter 9 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “The article that was published on Oct. 14, 1856, referred several times to LINCOLN as “that black Republican.” Some local historians believe, however, that the speech he made in Joliet may have included the classic line, ‘A house divided against itself cannot stand.’” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News On a warm fall day in 1856, a tall, gaunt man came to Joliet to make a speech at a political rally and beauty pageant in Demmond’s Woods. But … 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