The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Registrar for Daniel McMillan Chapter, N.S.D.A.R.1919
Stronghurst Graphic, August 28, 1919
NEW INDUSTRY FOR COUNTY: Plans are well under way for the development and utilization of one of the county's great natural resources, the ledge of rock running along the bluff just east of Gladstone of which there is practically inexhaustible supply of the finest kind of building stone. For the past 40 years the quarries have been furnishing the stone for construction of bridges and public and private buildings throughout a wide section of the country.
Recent tests made by experts have shown that below the face of the ledge there is a solid bed of rock containing four million tons of the finest building stone, which can be quarried in blocks six feet in thickness and sawed into blocks of any desired size for general construction work. A fact of greater significance, however, has developed and that is that the ledge itself contains three and one half million tons of stone containing limestone fertilizer that will test almost 99 per cent. It has been demonstrated that when crushed to proper dimensions, this rock will make the best material available for the building of hard roads.
This knowledge had led to the incorporation by a number of Monmouth gentlemen of a company to be known as the Monmouth Stone Co, capitalized at $1,600,000 to engage in the business of producing and selling crushed stone and limestone fertilizer and also moulding sand, core sand, gravel and ice. The plans provide for the erection of a main crushing plant 80 x 100 ft. and ninety feet high, built of concrete and steel and equipped with six large Gate's Gyratory crushers and grinders requiring 400 horse power and equipped with electric power.
The cost of the plant will be about $250,000. It will be erected under the management of J.M.Johnson, chief engineer of the Allis-Chalmers Mfg. Co. and the plant will be in full operation by March 1, 1920. (This is a long article giving further particulars and if you are interested, go to the Henderson County Public Library and read this issue on microfilm.)
TOWN NOTES: Rev. A. Jaggers and family and Al.L.Russler and family took their departure for Albion, Mich. Rev. Jaggers plans to farm on the land he recently purchased on the outskirts of Albion. Mr. Russler has secured employment with an auto manufacturing concern there. A multiple hitch demonstration will be held at the Kent Campbell farm mile south of LaHarpe. Poland-China hog breeders of this vicinity, including Maurice Lee, Earl Brokaw, Fred Gray, Dale Stine and A.L.Negley have completed arrangements for holding their first annual auction sale of pure bred swine in Stronghurst sale pavilion on the evening of Oct.6th. Contrary to rumors The Ford Motor Co. will not be selling the Fordson tractors; each business in entirely separate and distinct.
1894 GRAPHIC: Samuel Woods of Quincy, prohibition candidate for Congress, addressed an audience in the Stronghurst Opera House. John and Ella Connor of this vicinity were reunited in marriage at Burlington, Ia. on Aug.25th after being divorced and separated for a number of years. A company of six blind musicians consisting of J.A.Wagner, Mr. and Mrs. Hoffman, J.G.Gardner and the two Apt brothers gave a concert in the opera house. An infant child of Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Stine had died of brain fever. Chas. Ahlers and family had just returned from Germany where they had gone to claim some property which Mr. Ahlers had fallen heir to. The 56th birthday anniversary of John Chase was celebrated at his home on Aug. 28th.
PLAY CARNIVAL: The summer playground work which has been conducted during the past two months by Miss Frazer will be brought to a close on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 30th by a play carnival and demonstration at the playgrounds in the village park. All children of the community are asked to take part and parents and friends are cordially invited to be present. The use of the apparatus will be free to all of the children and there will be contests, consisting of races, games, etc.and prizes will be awarded to the winners. The ladies of the Community Club will also hold a food sale at the park of dressed chicken, cakes, pies, candies and other good things to eat.
THEY CRASHED: Last Tuesday morning a Ford car belonging to J.W.Stine and in which he and Joe Wilcox were driving to Monmouth was struck by a large Dodge car driven by Wm. Kane of Media Township and turned completely over catching both the occupants beneath the wreck. Neither was seriously injured although Wilcox received some severe bruises about the back.
The accident occurred at the corner one mile north of Stronghurst. The Stine car was going north and the Kane car was headed west, neither driver seeing the other car until it was too late to avoid a collision although Stine turned his car sharply to the left in an effort to avoid being struck. The top of the Stine car was completely smashed and it was otherwise considerably damaged. The Kane car sustained but slight damage. The car driven by Stine was one which he recently purchased of A.L.Beaver and which the latter was driving a few weeks ago when he had an arm broken by the car skidding and overturning on a hill less than half a mile from the spot where the accident occurred.
The number of auto accidents which occur at road corners and intersections seem to be on the increase and indicate the necessity of legislation of some kind making it obligatory upon property owners to keep hedges and trees along the public highways at road corners trimmed in such a way as to make it possible for drivers to see vehicles approaching the corner from intersecting roads.
100 MILE AUTO RACE IN BURLINGTON: A big free-for-all auto race on Labor Day at the Tri-State Fair Grounds is set for Sept.1st. It is an open competition staged by the Tri-State Racing Assoc. of Keokuk for $1,000 and all entry money. Entries have been received from Chicago, E. St.Louis, Springfield, Galesburg, Macomb, Cedar Rapids, Keokuk and Sterling. The track is in excellent condition and water is available on the grounds to eliminate the dust. In addition 100 barrels of salt to harden the course and make it the best possible will be applied.
GLADSTONE GLEANINGS: Miss Martha Stonebeck has returned from visiting friends in Chicago. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hulet went to Springfield to visit Mrs. Hulet's parents. Mr. and Mrs. John Tweed and son from Keithsburg visited with their daughter, Mrs. Earl Kesinger. Mr. and Mrs. J.L.Ellison and daughter, Hazel went to Mendota, Ill. to attend the funeral of their nephew and cousin, Jay Freed. Miss Ruba Johnson, who has been employed in the local bank the past two years, left for Kewanee where she will enter training in a hospital as a nurse. Miss Theo Milligan is to be the new bank clerk. Mrs. Nora Marshall of St. Louis visited her mother, Mrs. Nancy Graham. (Local news provides family connections to today's researcher.)
OLENA OBSERVATIONS: A letter received from Miss Anna Watson of Galesburg, who was in the hospital for four weeks with broken ribs, says that she has so far recovered as to be about her usual duties, but is suffering quite a little with her back. Virgil Davis and family spent a recent day at Keokuk viewing the great dam and places of interest. Mr. Will Hicks is under a doctor's care and Mrs. John Lant is recovering from a severe attack of bronchial trouble. The trustees of the Olena Cemetery are holding a meeting at the cemetery Tuesday morning. Mrs. James McDermett of Oakland, Iowa, is visiting at the James Brewer home. A large percent of area people attended the Tri-State Fair in Burlington last week. Harvey Lant and William Marhall were in Omaha recently where Lant purchased 320 lambs for feeding purposes. On their way home they were entertained at the Thomas Marshall home in Red Oak, Iowa. Some of the village folk are picking apples at Weir's. The village folk are giving an entertainment in the old stone building. A lunch consisting of sandwiches, coffee, pickles and pie will be served. Proceeds will be used for the street crossings. (To advertise " a lunch" just meant that food would be served, not a time of day.) James Strickland of Burlington is making frequent visits through the village to Stronghurst furnishing that town with Sinclair oil. A young son has been made welcome at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Shook who are living on the Walter Carothers place.
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: A son was born to Mr. and Mrs. John Butler at their home southeast of Stronghurst. Mrs. A.E.Moore and children arrived home from a visit of several weeks in Winnipeg, Can. I have for rent in my barn in the village to pupils driving in to school from the country, stall room for four horses-N. B.Curry. The management of the Henderson County Farm Bureau is arranging for a county picnic to be held at Biggsville, Oct. 4th.
The Johnson Garage is installing a new "burning in" machine for burning in the bearings of Ford car and Fordson Tractor blocks. While the machine is an expensive one, it will greatly increase the efficiency of the repair department of the garage. Mr. and Mrs.C.E. Fort have received word of the safe arrival in New York from overseas of their son, John B. Fort . Mr. and Mrs. H.B.Fort are expected to leave for Mer Rogue, La to look after real estate interests there. C.V.Williams of the Reed neighborhood will offer his 72 acre farm and his livestock and farming utensils, hay, grain, etc. at public auction Sept.3rd. The young ladies of the M.E.Sabbath School Class of which Miss Blanche Russler is a member and the young men of the class to which Francis and Russell Jaggers belong, gave these young people a farewell party at Crapo Park in anticipation of their departure for their new homes at Albion, Mich. Grady Fort, who has been touring the Western states this summer and meeting up with a number of experiences with forest fires and will visit home folk before returning to Nebraska City, Neb.where he has been engaged as teacher for another year.
Ground was broken the first of this week for the new parsonage which the Lutheran Church people will build on the lots just south of their church in Stronghurst. The contract which will be a strictly modern two story frame residence with basement, was awarded to J.W.Hicks and the plumbing contract was secured by Ralph Butler. The contract price, including the architect's fees in $8,485. R.M.Cassell, the Poland-China hog breeder of LaHarpe, paid $1200 for a fall boar at Williams Bros. mid-summer sale at Villisca, Ia. Pres. Taylor of LaHarpe will take charge of the Standard Oil Co.'s station here on Sept. 1st and move his family here as soon as he can find a suitable residence.
G.A.Armstrong and wife of Dodd City, Ark.are visiting at the home of the gentleman's sister, Mrs. Hettie McLain. Mr. Armstrong was a former resident of the Biggsville country. The golden wedding anniversary of Hon.and Mrs. W.H.Myers was celebrated at their home in Terre Haute on Aug.22th with 75 guests attending a social chat and luncheon.