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1924 – 100 Years Ago
Several automobile loads of Ku Klux Klan members of this city are expected to motor to Sabin’s field, near Sycamore tonight for one of the biggest gatherings of the summer. The Klansmen of Sycamore have prepared a very extensive program for the evening session. An invitation has been extended to every law-abiding citizen to attend the session. The program will include fireworks, special initiation services, and a ceremonial that is said to be very interesting.
Although the contractors on the Five Points State Road are meeting many obstacles in their path from Five Points to Sycamore, they are making very good progress since the operation started. Hundreds of loads of sand are being hauled daily from the cars in Sycamore to the crew who are working a short distance from the corners. The big trucks are kept busy continually on the job and so far the road is beginning to take on the appearance of the Lincoln Highway.
Miss Peggy Churchill, well known Chicago actress is now confined in the DeKalb County jail where she will await trail before Federal Judge Adam C. Cliffe on charges of violating the Harrison acts.
It will not be a long time before the new Independent Oil Company station at Fourth and Lincoln Highway will be ready for use, judging from the present steps that are being taken. The greater part of the work on the building has been completed and the machinery is being installed. At the present time the pumps that will be used are being put in place. The station will be one of the nicest in the city and has a very good location, having entrances on Lincoln Highway and on Fourth street. The completion of the driveway has made the corner less dangerous for traffic, as the curbing has been lowered, giving the autoists more room.
Final action on the DeKalb-Sycamore and Interurban Traction lines in this city was taken last evening at a special meeting of the city council. The council passed an ordinance authorizing the right to accept the proposition presented by the attorneys for the company, which stated that if the city would remove the rails and trolley line in this city and for a distance of 2,000 feet outside of the city limits, the city could have the junk resulting from this work. The city will have to repair the streets used by the street car company at the time the line was operated.
1949– 75 Years Ago
Within a couple of hours Friday afternoon, the DeKalb fire department answered two calls with neither blaze proving too serious. At 1:05 o’clock the department made a run to Ninth Street near the railroad tracks where a pile of wooden poles belonging to the Central Illinois Light Company was burning. Short work was made of the fire with only minor damage resulting. The second run was made shortly after 3 o’clock to the Earl Bond home at 1831 East Lincoln Highway where siding on the house was scorched by a bonfire.
Hundreds of people lined the streets of Kingston yesterday to witness the first parade ever to appear at the Old Settler’s picnic in all its 73 years. At 1:30 o’clock the long line of participants marched down the road, across the bridge to the park, where they found hundreds more waiting.
Extensive building maintenance work is being done on the front of the school building at Waterman during the summer. In order to prevent water leaks into the building, the front walls are being repaired and new window units are being installed. The center section is undergoing repairs at this time and the two ends will be repaired in 1950 according to present plans.
With only the major portion of the north side of the city covered, Thursday night, the fogging operations in the insect control program will be continued tonight with the south side of the city to be sprayed as well as the portions not visited last night on the north side. During today a residual spray will be used on the alleys in the business district as well as at the city dump, around the swimming pool at Hopkins Park, along the Kishwaukee and other spots which are likely breeding places.
This morning a white center line was painted on the Lincoln Highway from Fourth Street west to the Kishwaukee River bridge, the work being done by the State Highway Department. The marking machine of the highway department was used with the blacktopped section of the highway being covered. City workers made the preliminary marking for the machine to follow. The machine makes short work of the job with the marking operation taking but a few minutes.
1974 – 50 Years Ago
Increased traffic generated by the opening of the East-West Tollway extension was greeted last week by public officials with open arms. This week two residential streets burdened with traffic “in excess of practical capacity” have forced city staff members to take a second look. First and Taylor streets, which have taken the brunt of tollway traffic emptying into DeKalb, constitute key problem areas.
The pachyderm members of the Carson & Barnes circus provided continual entertainment for observers when the circus visited DeKalb Tuesday.
Evel Knievel tuned up for his forthcoming mile jump across Idaho’s Snake River canyon by soaring over 13 trucks on a motorcycle Tuesday at the Canadian National Exhibition.
President Ford today nominated former New York Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller to be vice president.
Hot lunches will be served at all DeKalb District 428 schools starting Aug. 29, the first full day of school. All elementary schools will be provided with catered hot lunches, a change from last year when four schools offered only the Type A sack lunch service. Students will pay 50 cents for Type A hot lunches at all schools. An extra carton of milk will cost students 5 cents and staff members 10 cents.
1999 - 25 Years Ago
The dead will come alive in Sycamore this Sunday. The Sycamore Cemetery Heritage Walk will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday at Elmwood Cemetery on South Cross Street. It will introduce visitors to five of the city’s deceased historic citizens. The tour highlights an 1890′s Sycamore judge, three Civil War veterans and the cemetery’s only Revolutionary War veteran. The sixth annual walk is being organized by a group of Sycamore residents.
Clinton Rosette Middle School students are asked to refrain from bringing school materials other than the basic (i.e. a notebook, pen and pencil) for the first three days of school. Students will be issued new lockers on Monday, Aug 30, and will be able to bring all necessary classroom materials at that time. Students may which to bring materials in a backpack to be carried throughout the day for the first three days of school.
Israel of God’s church, 248 North Ave., will host its 100th Annual Conference from Tuesday through Sunday, Aug. 24-29. The public is invited to attend any services throughout the week. There will be fellowship and refreshments each night following the evening service and the concert. There is no collection taken or donation required during the concert.
Compiled by Sue Breese