Freeport Township (part 9 of 10)

He has always taken a great interest in the Freeport Club, of which he has been president for years. His son, Mr. Roy K. Farwell, is secretary of the Freeport Telephone Exchange Company, and chairman of the Board of Education, and is prominent among the younger business men of Freeport.

William Koenig came to Freeport in 1856. He was an apprentice at the cabinet trade with Darius Kuehner. He then worked five years for J. B. Snyder and entering business for himself, formed a partnership with David Hunt. In 1880 Mr. Koenig bought Mr. Hunt's interest and has since conducted the business alone. In 1895 he built the large four-story building now occupied by his furniture store at the corner of Stephenson and Mechanic streets. He has operated one of the most complete furniture stores in northern Illinois. He was a large stockholder in, and secretary of, the Robinson Manufacturing Company. He is now assisted in the business by his son, Robert, a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin.

Mr. Loyal L. Munn, Sr., came to Freeport from New York State in 1846, at the age of seventeen. He taught school one year and in 1850 went into the insurance business. In 1853 he organized the Stephenson Insurance Company and was secretary till 1865. He was in the dry goods business from 1866 to 1869, and in the Gas Company from 1871 to 1889. In 1862 he built the Munn Building. In 1893 he bought a large interest in the Arcade Manufacturing Company and was president of that concern. Mr. Munn died in 1908. He was a man of remarkable resources and energy. He was a thirty-third degree Mason.

Hon. August Bergman was one of Stephenson County's leading business men of the second generation. He came here in 1852. He was born in the village of Meinberg, Germany, in 1835. His first work in Freeport was in a brickyard, where he labored eight years. In 1864 he entered the livery business and began the agricultural implement business in 1867. The firm of Bergman & Dorman expanded rapidly till it was one of the largest in northern Illinois. The partnership being dissolved he conducted the implement business till his death early in 1910.

Mr. Bergman had held the following offices : Street commissioner, alderman, mayor three terms, president of the Board of Education, director of the German Insurance Company, etc. He was one of the most popular of Freeport's successful business men.

No one stands higher among the older business men and citizens of Freeport than Mr. William Wagner, the venerable editor and publisher of the Anzeiger. He came to Freeport with his father in 1852. From 1853 he was identified with his father in the publishing business. On the death of his father, Mr. W. H. Wagner took up the managing of the business for which he had excellent training. The business prospered under his able management and in 1886 he built the Anzeiger Building, a large three-story brick structure at the corner of Chicago and Galena Streets, which houses one of the most complete and upto-date printing plants in the state. Several of Mr. Wagner's sons have been associated with him in the business. Mr. Otto Wagner withdrew from the firm in 1905, and began a bindery and office supply business on Galena Street. Mr. A. F. Wagner withdrew in 1910. Messrs. Oscar and Frederick Wagner are now connected with the business. Mr. W. H. Wagner is a man of wide influence in Freeport, and is now president of the Board of Education.

The dry goods establishment of William Walton Nephews is one of the pioneer stores of the city, and is justly renowned throught this section of the state. So excellent a line of goods does it carry that it is patronized extensively by purchasers from neighboring cities, and the Rockfordites, whose city is nearly twice the size of Freeport, say that no Rockford store carries the same quality of dry goods.

The store was established by William Walton in 1858. Mr. Walton was a native of England, having been born in County Dunn, and raised in Birmingham. In England he took up the dry goods business and was a clerk for many years. In 1855 he came to the United States. He was located for a brief season in New York, then in Chicago, where he was connected with the dry goods house of J. B. Shay, and finally in Amboy, Illinois, where he embarked in business for himself. After a short stay in Amboy he became satisfied that the town was not large' enough to support the store he was anxious to establish, and accordingly he pulled up stakes and came to Freeport. Since his removal to this city, the business has steadily prospered. Mr. Walton soon gained the confidence of the public and built up a reputation for honesty and fair dealing which has survived unblemished up to the present time.

Mr. Walton also invested heavily in real estate in and about the city of Freeport, and, as his cares began to grow numerous and arduous, he looked about him for help. This he found in the persons of his three nephews, William, Joseph and Edwin Hall, who came over from England at his request and took charge of his business. At his death in 1898 they assumed control under the firm name of William Walton Nephews. William Hall took charge of the clothing and men's furnishing department, while Edwin Hall became manager of the dry goods department. Thus the business is still conducted.

At first the store at 104 Stephenson Street was the one occupied. Later the next store building west was rented and occupied for the clothing store, and finally the next store building east was secured and added to the dry goods department. The upper floors of the buildings are also occupied at present by the carpet and curtain departments, and the establishment as a whole is one of the most progressive and up-to-date of the city.

The dry goods establishment of F. A. Read, which occupies the first and second floors of the Weishar Block, is one of the substantial and well established business firms of the city. It was established in the spring of 1877 by C. H. Seeley, who opened a small store on upper Stephenson Street, and thus formed the nucleus about which the present business has grown up. In the fall of the same year F. A. Read became associated with Mr. Seeley and the firm name became Seeley & Read. The place of business was transferred and the new firm opened in the store now occupied by Huss & Kinley in the Wilcoxin Block. It was not long before these quarters became far too crowded, and a new building was erected for the store by C. H. Rosenstiel, on the opposite side of Stephenson Street from their present location. These quarters were also far too small, and presently it became imperative that a change be made if the extensive trade which the founders had built up was to be retained. Henry Weishar, seizing the opportunity as a good business venture, built the Weishar Block especially for Seeley & Read, and fitted up the first and second floors of the building with the necessary appurtenances for the stores. A large increase in business followed and the firm began to handle a more extensive class of goods. A millinery department was added, and opened to the public, with an exceptionally fine line of goods. In time a carpet department was also added.

In 1893 the concern met with a great disaster. The place was visited by a ravaging fire which consumed the entire interior of the Weishar Block and left only the walls standing. The whole stock was lost, and hardly a vestige of the once elegantly modelled store was discernible. The three men most concerned in the loss were not discouraged, however, and the building was immediately reconstructed. Another fire has occurred since that time, but with no such serious results. In February, 1899, Mr. Seeley withdrew from the firm to engage in the mining business, and the firm has since been F. A. Read alone. The store carries a line of dry goods, millinery and carpets which is unexcelled by any in the northern part of the state. Recently the store front was remodelled and new entrances built. It is one of the handsomest stores in the city at pres-

At the sign of the only plated tower in existence in the world, the crockery establishment of C. H. Little & Co. has continued to do a flourishing business for over half a century. It is one of the oldest business firms of the city, and1 has always held an unequalled reputation throughout the city and surrounding country.

In 1859, Mr. Little established the business which bears his name, at 71 Stephenson street, across the street from its present location. Here it remained for eight years, and then, in 1867, Mr. Little moved across the street to 74 Stephenson street, which place the firm still occupies. At that time, he took in with as partners Mr. F. J. Kunz, and Mr. C. H. Becker. A new building was built for the accommodation of the firm, which, with certain alterations and addition has been in the possession of C. H. Little & Co. ever since its erection. Some time ago the business had so thoroughly outgrown its original quarters that additional floor space became an imperative necessity. A store in the next building was secured and made a part of the original store. This arrangement has continued in effect for a number of years.

The original building of the C. H. Little & Co. is one of the finest in the city, and the plated tower which scales its front is one of the most unique advertisements in the world. All three floors of the buildings are occupied by the store, together with the basement, which is used as store room. The line of goods carried by C. H. Little & Co. is not surpassed in nothern Illinois. In addition to the crockery department, a line of beautiful and choice cut glass is carried. The toy department is par excellence. As a whole, the firm enjoys exclusive patronage to a degree unknown by most of the business houses of the city, and retains its ancient reputation as the leading crockery establishment of Freeport.

The Burrell grocery business was established by L. F. Burrell in 1854. Henry. Daniel and John Burrell came to Freeport from Pennsylvania in 1850. Mr. John Burrell was associated with Mr. Emmert in the drug business until - ? - . They are all men distinguished for a high order of business ability and integrity and are numbered among Freeport's most substantial citizens.

In his seventy-ninth year Joseph Emmert is yet one of the active business men of Freeport. He has been in the drug business since arriving in Freeport in 1855. fifty-five years. The business was established by John S. Emmert in 1846. Mr. Emmert has occupied the same premises for the fifty-five years. He is one of the pioneer druggists of northern Illinois, and the oldest merchant in Freeport. Mr. Emmert takes great pride in the fact that he has trained a number of boys in business and they have been remarkably successful.

The B. P. Hill Grain Company began business in 1882. The company does a big business in grain, coal, salt, coke and wood. Besides the elevator in Freeport with a capacity of 40,000 bushels, the company has elevators at Evarts, Lena, McConnell, Baileyville, Steward, Red Oak, Woosung and Haldane. Mr. B. P. Hill is president and treasurer of the company.

The H. A. Hillner Company does an extensive business in coal, wood, feed and grain. Besides a big new elevator in Freeport, Mr. Hillner has elevators at Ridott, German Valley, Dakota, Davis, Waddams and Florence. The company was organized in 1903, but Mr. Hillner had been in the business as an employe of H. J. Porter since 1884.

The Standard Oil Co. maintains a large local plant. Besides supplying the Freeport trade the company makes large shipments by; means of two wagons and the railroads to points in northwestern Illinois. The company's local manager, Mr. A. H. Stephenson, has been with the company for 18 years and is one of the most competent and reliable business men of the county.

The business of Kuehner Brothers was established at the present location on the site of the Howe Hotel by Darius Kuehner in 1857. He was a successful business man and built the business block in 1869. The business is carried on by his sons, Fred and Robert, who are among the county's most progressive business men. The store was remodelled and extended in 1906, and is one of the finest and most elaborate furniture stores in Illinois.

Mr. Frederick Dorman came to Freeport in 1874 and for thirty-five years was identified with many of Freeport's large business interests. He was president of the Shoe Manufacturing Co. ; president of the Howe Gas Machine Co. ; vice president of Guyer & Calkins; a director in Woodmansees Mfg. Co., one of the principal stockholders of Dorman & Co., dealers in agricultural implements, and president of the State Bank.

Ezrom Mayer, the secretary of the Union Building and Loan Association, has been a resident of Freeport since 1847. He entered Oscar Taylor's Bank in 1855; held a position in the bank of De Forest & Co. several years and was the first cashier of First National Bank. For many years he was in the bank of Hettinger, Collman Brothers & Co. Besides his active management of the Union Loan Company's business he has many other financial holdings. At the age of 73 he is an active business man with a wonderfully cheerful disposition.

One of the prominent attorney's of the early days was A. T. Green who came to Freeport in 1839, walking from Rockford. He was a native of New York. He was a postmaster from 1843 to 1849. Besides being a prominent attorney he was one of the men who stood with L. W. Guiteau in the agitation for free public schools. His son, Charles T. Green, was also a lawyer and served in the Civil war. His grandson, Charles H. Green, is now one of the county's successful attorneys.

Mr. J. M. Galloway has been in business in Freeport since 1858. With Mr. W. H. Snooks he conducted a bottling works for years in the old "Mansion House," the hotel built by Benjamin Goddard in 1837. It stood diagonally across the present Y. M. C. A. tennis courts on Walnut street. They now conduct the business on Galena street.

C. O. Collmann came from Hanover, Germany, in 1850. He farmed in. Ridott township till 1866 when he entered the mercantile business in Freeport. In 1876 he was one of the organizers of the bank of Hettinger, Collmann Brothers & Co., now the German Bank. He was a high official in the German Insurance Company. At the age of 78 he is still president of the German Bank.

Hon. E. P. Barton was one of the talented members -of the Stephenson County bar after 1855. He was a graduate of Hamilton College, New York, and was admitted to the bar in Brooklyn in 1852, where he practiced law till 1855. He was associated with the following firms ; Turner, Burchard & Barton ; Burchard & Barton ; Burchard, Barton & Barnum and Barton & Barnum, leading law firms of the county. He was elected County Judge of Stephensonl County, a position he filled with distinction.

Henry Baier, of Baier & Ohlandorf, is one of the oldest citizens and business men of Freeport. He came to this county from Bavaria in 1843. His business ability has made him one of Freeport's wealthy men, and at the age of 74 he is still a leader in some of the city's largest enterprises.

Mr. Orlando B. Bidwell was born in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, July 28, 1829. He came to Freeport in 1856, and was one of Stephenson County's most prominent citizens till his death January 14, 1909. In 1861 he formed a partnership with Mr. L. Z. Farwell in the wholesale notion business. He was a stockholder and director in the Freeport Gas Light & Coke Co. and a heavy stockholder and treasurer of the Freeport Water Company. In religious, educational and philanthropic work Mr. Bidwell was a leader. He was a stanch supporter of the First Presbyterian church, a Trustee of Beloit College and gave time and money to Y. M. C. A. Mr. Bidwell was President of the First National Bank from 1870 to 1909.

For fifty-five years A. W. Ford has conducted a jewelry store in Freeport, on Stephenson street. He is one of the oldest, best known and reliable merchants of the city. He was one of the founders of the Y. M. C. A., and has been a leader in church affairs.

Hon. John H. Adams was one of the early settlers whosd character made a deep and lasting impress upon the history of this county. Born in Pennsylvania in 1822 and educated in an academy at Trappe, Pennsylvania, he learned the milling business as an apprentice and came to Stephenson County in 1844. He located in the north end of Cedarville and bought the mill. In 1844 he planted Norway pine seeds on the hill across the creek and those pine trees may be seen there today as a monument to the memory of one of the county's greatest men. He was foremost in the campaign to secure the first railroad into the county and was always a champion of the church and of free public schools. With his money and by public addresses he encouraged enlistments for the war in 1861. In 1864 he was one of the organizers of the Second National Bank of Freeport of which he was president. Aside from being a business man of more than ordinary ability and political leader, he was a man of wide reading, in sympathetic touch with the great world struggles of his time, a gentleman of profound sincerity and of marked culture. Such a man was the father of America's greatest woman, Jane Adams of Hull House, Chicago.

Judge Mathew Marvin for almost forty years has been a prominent figure in Freeport. Before coming here he lived in Warren and Galena. He was appointed postmaster at Warren and later was elected Judge in Jo Daviess County. He has twice served as city attorney here and has been Justice of the Peace since 1895. His son, Mathew Marvin, is one of the prominent real estate and insurance men of Freeport.

General Smith D. Atkins was state's attorney for this district at the breaking out of the Civil war in 1861. He was born June 9, 1835, in New York, and came to Stephenson County with his father's family in 1848. He lived on the farm for two years, and then came to Freeport and entered the office of the Prairie Democrat. He was educated in the Mount Morris College where he was foreman on the Mount Morris Gazette while a college student. In 1853 he was associated with the Savannah Register. He studied law in the office of Hiram Bright in Freeport and was admitted to the bar and began practice in 1850, after further study of law in Chicago. In 1860 he stumped northern Illinois urging the election of Lincoln. At Lincoln's first call for troops, Mr. Atkins was the first man to enlist in this county and organized the first company and went to the front as captain of Company A, Eleventh Illinois. For gallant service at Fort Donelson he was promoted to the rank of major in the Eleventh Illinois. At the battle of Pittsburg Landing he won special mention for bravery and conspicuous service, as Acting Assistant Adjutant General on General Hulburt's staff. In the summer of 1862 he recruited the Ninety-Second Illinois and went to the front as its Colonel. He commanded the First Brigade, Granger's Corps, till July ist, 1863, when the Ninety-Second was attached to Wilder's Brigade. The Ninety-Second was now a calvary regiment and with it General Atkins served in the campaign against Chattanooga; entered Chattanooga September pth, 1863, driving out Bragg's Cavalry at 10:00 a. m. and at 3:00 p. m. was on the battlefield of Chickamauga. He served with Wilder's Brigade till April 4, 1864, when his regiment was attached to Kilpatrick's Cavalry. In Kilpatrick's division he commanded the Second Brigade, marched with Sherman to Savannah, Georgia, where on January 12, 1865, he was promoted Brevet Brigadier General, and commanded that Brigade of Cavalry through the Carolinas to the close of the war. He was under fire in more than 100 minor battles and skirmishes, was twice wounded, and had one horse shot under him. He was appointed Major General of Volunteers, March 13, 1865, for gallant and meritorious service.

Major E. A. Duncan, formely of Sherman's Staff, says of General Smith D. Atkins: "The battle of Macon, or what is called Walnut Creek, was a cavalry engagement, fought by one of Kirkpatrick's Brigades under the command of Colonel S. D. Atkins, of the 92d Illinois Mounted Infantry. This gallant officer with his little brigade fought the whole of Crew's division, and not only fought them, but whipped them - capturing nine pieces of artillery. The rout of the enemy was complete. For gallantry and soldierly bearing on this occasion, General Sherman recommended Colonel Atkins to the Secretary of the War for promotion. The promotion was made and no setting, however rich, ever became the jewel it contained more worthily than did his broad shoulders become the stars that gemmed them."

In 1865 General Atkins was appointed postmaster and has served in that capacity to the present day with the exception of the eight years of democratic rule by Grover Cleveland. During most of that time he has been editor and chief proprietor of the Freeport Journal. In county, state and national politics he has been a leader for fifty years. His editorials are more widely quoted than any other in Illinois. He is author of the iHstory of the Ninety-Second Illi- nois Regiment. He was a member of the Chickamauga National Commission. He has always been a man of decided opinions, of unquestioned integrity and fidelity in fifty years of public service. He is the most widely known citizen of Stephenson County, and has enjoyed the personal acquaintance of most of the great men of the United States from Lincoln to Roosevelt - the only resident of Stephenson County whose name is in "Who's who in America." Beginning as a farmer's boy he has been successful as lawyer, soldier, editor, author, in politics and in business. At the age of 75 he is still in active life, a grand old man whose happiest moments are in his home with his grandchildren upon his knees.

Mayor W. T. Rawleigh is one of the best known city officials in Illinois. He is giving Freeport one of the very best business administrations it has ever enjoyed. Mr. Rawleigh is a business man of unusual ability. Twenty years ago he began here without capital and today conducts probably the largest business in the county, with large four and six story buildings covering over half a block with over three acres of floor space. He employs over two hundred people in his plant and has over one thousand two hundred retail wagons carrying the trade over established routes in almost all the states of the Union. Besides being president and treasurer of this large business, Mr. Rawleigh is a director in the German Bank, mayor of Freeport, proprietor and editor of the Freeport Standard. He has been honored by being elected president of the Citizens' Commercial Association and commander of the Sons of Veterans. Because of his successful and aggressive leadership, he is in demand as an official and speaker at meetings of the mayors of Illinois, and is now a candidate for the position of representative in the Illinois State Legislature. No man is readier than he to aid with time, influence and money in building up the city of Freeport. He is a demon for that work and by being methodical, he is able to deal successfully with all his vast interests successfully.

Wholesale Houses

Guyer & Calkins. One of the most important commercial firms of Freeport is the wholesale grocery establishment of Guyer & Calkins. Since the establishment of the company in 1901, the business has been steadily and appreciably increasing, until at the present time the company has both a reputation and a profitable trade, extending over a wide territory.

Before the founding of the Guyer & Calkins Company, the wholesale grocery business was for a short time carried on by Clement & Calkins. The firm was dissolved in 1901, and the present company formed, Mr. Clement going into the real estate and land business.

The large warehouses of the company are located at 23, 25 and 27 Liberty street, near Galena. They are supplemented by three other buildings and warehouses, which are utilized for carrying on the business. The tracks of the Illinois Central and Chicago & Northwestern Railroads lead directly to the factory, thus facilitating the loading and unloading of goods.

Many of the goods handled, especially the brands of canned goods, are put up under the direct supervision of the house, and thereby attain a degree of ex- cellence unapproached by most varieties of tinned goods on the market. Nine traveling salesmen are employed constantly by the company, who cover a large territory in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. The officers of the company are: President, H. L. Guyer; vice-president, Fred Dorman; secretary and treasurer, W. L. Calkins.

Bowler & Jones. The Bowler & Jones firm is of recent origin, but the companies which preceded it, date back many years. The business now carried on by Bowler & Jones was established in 1852, by the late J. B. Taylor, who conducted it until 1888. He then sold out to Brigham, Bowler & Co., who remained proprietors for eleven years. In 1899, this company was succeeded by the present firm, Bowler & Jones, consisting of Colonel H. S. Bowler and L. W. Jones, who have since conducted the business.

The firm, which deals with the wholesale saddlery and leather goods business, maintains offices and a warehouse in a three story brick building at 41 and 43 Stephenson street. Floor space equivalent to 120x360 feet is used, and the company manufactures custom-made harness, strap work and collars. They are also jobbers of saddlery hardware, shoe findings and leather. Bowler & Jones carry a very large stock, and are the largest saddlery house west of Chicago. Two traveling salesmen are employed, who cover Iowa, Wisconsin and part of Illinois.

Freeport Real Estate Business

The first house in Freeport was built by William Baker in 1835 on the Pecatonica River. The first undertaking in the town was a real estate business. In 1835 a real estate company known as Baker, Kirkpatrick, Galbraith & Company was organized and laid claim to a large part of the territory now occupied by the city. Early in 1836 a town was laid out by the company in the north part of the southeast portion of section 31. The Indian half-breeds had been granted the right to select land in any part of the unoccupied territory they might choose. One of these, Mary Myott, selected a claim on section 31 as soon as it was known that the company had laid out the town. Baker, Kirkpatrick, Galbraith & Company then moved the town stakes farther west. This early real estate company was enterprising and besides putting up several buildings and selling lots in 1836, secured in 1837 the location of the county seat by donating the courthouse lot and giving a bonus of $6,500. About this time a map was gotten up boosting Freeport. The map was in colors and showed a prosperous village along a beautiful river, the Pecatonica, on which there was shown a large steamboat. Unlike many of the "paper" towns laid out at this time, Freeport made good, settlers came in large numbers and various forms of business began in a substantial way. Although the hopes of the promoters of making a "port" of importance here were never realized, yet in other ways the town prospered.

This development of the town and city was largely due to the quality of the settlers. The progressive nature of the men of the older eastern states, was supplemented by the industry, economy and thrift of the German element. Many of the first settlers were men of small means, but were wise enough" to place their savings in real estate. These holdings became additions to Freeport, and

One of the first, if not the first, was the O. H. Wright holdings in the 3rd ward. This was extended and has since been known as the William O. Wright additions. John A. Clark laid out the Winneshiek addition. Judge Purinton was owner of a valuable addition in the third ward that still bears his name. Probably the largest holder of real estate was Dexter A. Knowlton, Sr. in that part of Freeport now known as Knowlton's first, second and third additions. Seven degrees to the south lay Pattison's addition, and Colonel T. J. Turner owned the addition on what is now Addison street, Martin P. Sweet's addition was west of Turners and was valuable property. North of Turner's was Ordway's addition. Burchard's addition is on Lincoln avenue. The early real estate men did for their day what the present real estate men are doing for theirs - they laid out their property in town lots, made improvements and aided materially in building up the town.

Among the later additions that have been laid out, improved and partly built up are the following: The Arcade addition about the Arcade Manufacturing plant; Taylor's Park and Lichtenberger's addition in East Freeport; the Shoe Factory addition, Zartman's, Burchard's, Wise and the Organ Factory addition in West Freeport; Saxby Heights addition and - ? - .

The city has grown along the lines laid out by these real estate leaders. The various additions have afforded a means of expansion for a growing city and in connection with the excellent building and loan associations, has made Freeport a city of homes.

Today, no phase of the city's activity is better prepared for that advancement all look forward to in the next ten years than the real estate holdings. There is ample room for expansion south, west and east, with an abundance of splendid additions, with good drainage facilities and a beautiful outlook. The rapid development of Freeport industries is sure to bring an increasing population and the demand for lots will find an ample supply. The only thing lacking, which now seems assured, is the extension of the street railway system. With normal financial and industrial conditions and the extension of the street railway, Freeport should reach the 30,000 mark in 1920. The Citizens Commercial Association is well organized and ably officered and is already making great strides in this direction. The Building and Loan Associations are playing an important part in this progressive movement.

The Union Building And Loan Association

The name of this old and established organization was recently changed to the Union Loan and Savings Association. It was incorporated in June, 1883, and has been doing a satisfactory business for 27 years. The first officials were: President, L. Z. Farwell; Vice President, J. W. Henney; Treasurer, C. O. Coilman ; Secretary, Urias M. Mayer.

The authorized capital of the association is five million dollars. The company loans on first mortgage real estate only. The object of the association is to create and foster habits of economy, to provide homes for each of its members

The present officials are : President, J. N. Galloway ; Vice President, F. E. Schaeffer; Treasurer, S. H. Webster; Secretary, Esrom Mayer. The company has one of the finest offices in the city in the Frueh building, Stephenson street, and is doing a large business.

The Freeport Building And Loan Association

One of the most substantial organizations in Freeport is the Freeport Building and Loan Association. This association has just issued its sixty-seventh quarterly statement showing that during the last quarter 748 shares of installment stock were sold. The company is in its seventeenth year and is doing an excellent business to the entire satisfaction of its many patrons.

The association was organized November i, 1892, with the following officials : President, A. Bergman; Vice President, L. M. De Vore; Treasurer, D. C. Stover; Secretary, Louis Dickes. Mr. Dickes served as secretary for thirteen years.

The present officials are : President, Louis Dickes ; Vice President, Jacob Klein; Treasurer, H. H. Antrim; Attorney, W. N. Cronkrite; Secretary, C. F. Hildreth. Mr. Hildreth has been secretary for five years. He is a business man of extraordinary ability and energy, and under his management the company is doing a rapidly increasing business.

Though only two years old the German building and Loan Association of Freeport is enjoying a healthy growth, and promises to be one of the successful associations doing business in Freeport. The object is the accumulation of funds to be loaned among its members. Its capital stock shall be one million dollars, divided into shares of $100 each.

The association was organized and incorporated August 4, 1908, and began business in August that year. The officials then elected still hold office as follows : President, M. Hettinger ; Vice President, T. K. Best ; Secretary, T. A. Secher ; Treasurer, L. R. Jungkunz ; Toorney, Douglas Pattison.

The German Insurance Company

The old German Insurance Company of Freeport has passed into the history and with its passing went one of the great business enterprises organized and developed in the county of Stephenson. It alone gave Freeport a national reputation. It paid large dividends to capitalists who held its stock and furnished an abundance of work for the publishing houses, increased our postoffice business and afforded employment to a large number of citizens.

Freeport has been a well known insurance town for sixty years. The Stephenson County Insurance Co. was organized in 1853, the Farmers' in 1857. Columbia of 1861 lasted two years. The Continental closed up after reinsuring in Chicago. The State and several others were chartered but did not open for business. The United States ran from 1865 to 1869. The Winneshiek chartered in 1861, issued no less than 50,000 policies. Among its stockholders were: U. S. Grant, Benjamin F. Butler, Simon Cameran, John A. Logan and others. The law of 1869 put it out of business. The Protection Life had an auspicious beginning but after two years came to ruin.

The German was organized February 16, 1865, under title as the Freeport Insurance Company, by A. H. Stone, W. J. McKinna, A. M. Lawver and George P. Kingsley. The franchise was purchased by D. Kuehner, L. Ashendorf, Richard Meyer and William Wassenberg in 1866. July, 1866, Mathias Hettinger was elected president; December, 1867, Fred Gund, Sr., was elected secretary, in which capacity he served for years. The company prospered and in 1897 built the large building at the corner of Exchange and Galena avenue, now the Old Colony Building. By 1900 the German was doing a nation wide business and was universally conceded to be one of the soundest companies doing business in America. Connected with the German for years were such men as C. O. Collman, William Trembor, Henry Baier, D. S. Schulte. For the last few years of its existence Mr. Fred Gund was secretary. He was recognized as one of the most competent insurance men in the country, and the German was riding a high wave of prosperity when in a day it was shaken to its foundations and forced into the hands of a receiver by the San Francisco earthquake and fire. The "Insurance Trust" that had been fighting the German aided in its speedy ruin. In spite of all efforts to save the company, it closed out the Royal and went out of business in 1907.

Banks Of Freeport First National Bank

The First National Bank of Freeport was organized on February 24, 1864, with a capital stock of $50,000. At that time the following officers were elected : President, George F. DeForest; cashier, Esrom Mayer; directors, W. P. Maiburn, L. L. Munn, O. B. Bidwell, C. J. Fry, Esrom Mayer, G. F. DeForest and L. F. Burrell. A little more than a year later, on the loth of March, 1865, the capital stock was increased to $100,000, with a surplus of $25,000. The same officers remained in charge of the institution until 1870. At that time, O. B. Bidwell became president. He remained in charge until the time of his death, which occurred January, 1909, and has since been succeeded by his son, Addison Bidwell.

Upon Mr. Bidwell's election to the presidency, Geo. F. DeForest, the first president, became cashier, and retained that position until his death in 1883. He was succeeded by Aaron H. Barshinger, who died in 1891, and was succeeded by Addison Bidwell. Mr. Bidwell filled the position until he became president last year, and was succeeded by J. Manly Clark, with John T. Hinderks as assistant cashier.

In 1883, the first charter of the bank, which had been taken out for twenty years, expired, and the house was re-chartered for a like period, under the name of the Freeport National Bank, and with the following officers : O. B. Bidwell, president ; O. B. Sanf ord, vice president ; A. H. Barshinger, cashier ; John Burrell, O. B. Bidwell, C. H. Little, W. O. Wright and O. B. Sanf ord, directors. The capital and surplus then amounted to $166,000, and the affairs of the bank were in a most prosperous condition. Four years after the taking out of the second charter, by consent of the comptroller of currency, the bank was permitted to take its first name, and again became the First National Bank, of Freeport.

The First National Bank is one of the leading, as it is the oldest banking house of the city. The firm is capitalized at $150,000. The surplus and profits amount to $120,000, with an additional stockholders' liability of $150,000, making a total responsibility of $420,000. The officers are: President, Addison Bidwell ; vice president, W. O. Wright ; cashier, J. Manly Clark ; assistant cashier, John T. Hinderks; directors, C. H. Little, W. O. Wright, Boyd P. Hill, Joseph Emmert, John Burrell, Addison Bidwell.

Second National Bank

The Second National Bank of Freeport opened its doors for business less than three months after the First National Bank had set out on its career. The former commenced business in May, 1864, and its rival institution had then been in existence since February of the same year. Like the First National Bank, it was capitalized at $50,000, and in less than a year it was raised, first to $75,000, then, within a year, to $100,000. In 1883, the original charter expired, and the bank was immediately re-chartered. On the expiration of that charter in 1903, another charter was taken out.

John H. Addams, of Cedarville, was the first president of the Second National Bank. He was one of the founders of the establishment, and retained his office as head of the concern as 'long as he lived. His death occurred on August 17, 1881, and A. H. Wise was immediately chosen to succeed him. Mr. Wise's health was poor, and he found the duties of his position too arduous for him. After a brief season in office, he resigned, and his place was filled by M. Lawver. After a short term of service, he too resigned, and Dr. F. W. Hance was called upon to become president. Dr. Hance tried the experiment for a short time, but he very soon found that his duties as president of a bank interefered seriously with his professional labors. As a result, the office fell vacant again. Jacob Krohn was thereupon persuaded to assume the office, and he satisfactorily filled it until his death, which occurred in 1902. At that time, M. V. B. Elson was the logical candidate for successor, and thus the position fell to him.

Alexander Stone was the first cashier of the Second National Bank. In a single year he retired, and was succeeded by L. W. Guiteau. Mr. Guiteau retained the position for a number of years, and upon his death in 1880, J. Brown Taylor took the office. He was followed by Horace Webster. Upon his death, D. F. Graham, of the German Bank, became a stockholder in the Second National, and assumed the duties of cashier. He still occupies the position.

A short time ago the affairs of the Second National were re-organized. Coincident with this, an improvement and rehabilitation of the banking offices took place. The interior was remodelled and re-decorated and the old bank on the corner of Stephenson and Van Buren streets was made to look like a new institution. New furniture was installed, new offices and private rooms partitioned off, and the whole given an appearance of shiny newness.

German Bank

The German Bank was originally a private banking institution under the name of Hettinger, Collman Brothers and Company, and was founded by five of Freeport's prominent German citizens: M. Hettinger; Sr., C. O. Collman, A. Collman, D. B. Schulte and Fred Gund. In May, 1876, the project was first started, and on the twentieth of that month formally organized with a nominal capital of $20,000. The business was conducted in a conservative, but successful mariner, and before long the institution was prospering wonderfully.

Within a few years, the bank was christened the "German Bank," but the firm remained Hettinger, Collman Brothers & Company. On the first day of January, 1894, the German Bank was incorporated as a state bank under the laws of the state of Illinois, with a capital of $150,000 and the following officers : President, C. O. Collman ; vice president, M. Hettinger, Jr. ; cashier, D. F. Graham; assistant cashier, Louis R. Jungkunz; directors, C. O. Collman, D. B. Schulte, J. W. Henney, John Fosha, John Sullivan, M. Hettinger, Jr., and J. S. Collman. On the first of January, 1895, M. Hettinger, Jr., retired from the business, and C. E. Meyer became director. A few years ago, D. F. Graham, who had long acted as cashier, resigned to accept a like position with the Second National Bank. His place was thereupon filled by Louis R. Jungkunz, who had for some time acted as assistant cashier.

The German is one of the most prosperous banking houses of Freeport. The offices are located on the corner of Chicago and Stephenson streets, where they have been for many years. A short time ago they were refurnished and remodelled and now present an attractive and modern appearance. The capital of the German Bank is $150,000, with undivided profits amounting to over $100,000.

State Bank

The State Bank is Freeport's youngest banking house, and although of comparatively recent organization, has attained a degree of prosperity and substantial growth, not at all commensurate with the short period of its existence. The bank was, however, organized under most auspicious circumstances, and by a circle of the ablest financiers that Freeport can name among its citizens. It has always enjoyed a reputation for security, and careful management, and was for a long time presided over by the late D. C. Stover, who was at the head of three of the largest manufacturing concerns of the city.

In August, 1891, the State Bank, was first chartered under the banking laws of the state of Illinois, with the following officers: D. C. Stover, president;. R. G. Shumway and Henry Baier, vice presidents; H. H. Antrim, cashier; Henry Dorman, assistant cashier; D. C. Stover, Dr. W. S. Caldwell, Wm. H. Wagner, L. M. Devore, Henry Baier, Fred Dorman, Jacab Schaetzel, R. G. Shumway and Louis Fosha, directors.

When the State Bank was organized, the establishment was capitalized at $125,000. The present capital is the same with a surplus of $133,000. The bank does business on the corner of Stephenson and Van Buren streets where they have been ever since the founding of the firm. The State Bank is managed by an efficient and cautious board of directors, and enjoys a well earned reputation in the community.

Knowlton'S Bank

Knowlton's Bank, the present firm name of which is Charles D. Knowlton, Banker, is an outgrowth of two other banking institutions which have also borne the popular name of "Knowlton's Bank." The first of these was established in 1869 by D. A. Knowlton, Sr., who had amassed a large fortune, and, in company with his sons, Dexter, Charles and Homer, established the banking business now conducted in this city, and in the neighboring village of Pecatonica, under the name of D. A. Knowlton and Sons.

Upon his death, the Freeport business was taken in hand by Dexter A. and Charles D. Knowlton, who conducted the affairs of the bank under the firm rne of Knowlton Brothers, until the death of the former, which occurred in 1903. The firm then became Charles D. Knowlton, Banker, which it has since remained.

The bank has always been known as one of the soundest and most prosperous of the city. All of the gentlemen connected with it have been known as cautious and clear-headed financiers, who have preferred to do a small, safe, and honorable business, than a very large one. They have given their attention principally to first class investment securities and give particular attention to first mortgage loans upon real estate. They have themselves ben largely interested in real estate within the city of Freeport. Homer W. Knowlton, a brother ^ - ^"there is even an example of failure among the list. The life history of some i r of C. D. Knowlton, has long been the cashier of the Pecatonica Bank. Ezra

Non-Existent Banks

There have been a surprisingly large number of banks which have lived for a short time and then, suddenly and sometimes unexpectedly, passed away. Some of them have been merged in others, some have been discontinued, and of these banks has been very interesting, but it is not our purpose to discuss them at any great length. Most of them nourished for a short time, and then went out of existence, leaving no impress or trace of their work in Freeport financial circles.

The first bank of Freeport was established twelve years before the National Bank was inaugurated. In the summer of 1851, when Freeport was scarcely the size of Lena at the present day, Taylor and Bronson opened their bank, which they called an "exchange office," on Stephenson street, near Chicago street, in the store now occupied by H. A. Huenkemeier's grocery. One year later, in 1852, James Mitchell, Freeport's pioneer banker, opened a bank on the site now occupied by Jungkunz' drug store. Four years later, Everett, Clark & Co. began to conduct a similar business on the western portion of the site now occupied by the Hotel Brewster. For a brief space, these three institutions represented the banking interests of the growing city. Then, in 1856, De Forest, Hyde & Co.'s banking office opened where the Second National Bank is housed today.

Taylor, Bronson & Co. had undergone certain changes in the meantime. Mr. Bronson removed to Rockford, and A. W. Rice continued the partnership with Mr. Taylor under the firm name of the Freeport Bank. In October, 1857, both the Freeport Bank and Everett, Clark & Co. succumbed to the wave of financial depression, known as the panic of 1857, which swept over the whole country with disastrous results.

After the banking circles of Freeport had somewhat recovered from the ill-fated crash of '57, James Mitchell became associated with Alexander Neely, of Belvidere, Illinois, and later with Holden Putnam, R. Richardson, of Boston, and A. Page, of Rutland, Vermont. For many years they did a prosperous business under the firm name of James Mitchell and Company. Their institution was known as the Stephenson County Bank, and was located on the corner of Stephenson and Chicago streets. When, at the beginning of the Civil War, a call was issued for volunteers, Holden Putnam entered the service and was killed at the battle of Mission Ridge. From that time, Mr. Mitchell remained sole owner of the firm until January i, 1874, when J. W. Neff became a partner. The death of Mr. Mitchell occurred in August of the same year, and his son, W. H. Mitchell took charge of the family interests in the bank, and became a partner with J. W. Neff. The business was continued under the firm name of James Mitchell & Co. until 1884, when, by mutual agreement, the partnership was dissolved, and the business discontinued.

De Forest, Hyde & Company remained in business under that firm name only a few weeks. At the end of that time, Mr. Hyde left the business, but Mr. De Forest and the other members of the firm continued until 1864, when their interests merged into the First National Bank.

The Farmers' and Merchants' Bank was organized in May, 1892, by Esrom Mayer, who had been former cashier of the German Bank. At first the offices were located on Chicago street, but were subsequently removed to the corner of Stephenson and Chicago streets in the rooms now occupied by the clothing store of William O. Wright. The bank was capitalized at $100,000, and the first officers elected were: Ersom Mayer, president; J. H. Snyder, vice president; J. H. Brockmeier, cashier. After a very brief existence, lasting only a few years, the Farmers' and Merchants' Bank was discontinued.

This completes the list of Freeport's banks. Those which are now doing business are placed on" the firmest sort of financial basis. The men in charge are possessed of both wealth and experience, and the banking facilities of the city are not surpassed by any other city of the same size in the state.

Attorney J. A. Crane, the Nestor of the Stephenson county bar, holds the unique position of being in active practice to-day and of having been an attorney in the time of Turner, Sweet and Burchard. He has lived to see an entire change in the men about the court. In a reminiscent mood he spoke of the change of men and methods in a life-time of over fifty years at the bar. According to the venerable attorney, there has been a big change in method. In the early days there were only five or six reports ; now the number runs into hundreds. Long lists of citations were impossible. Naturally, the issue depended then, in the absence of citations, on the appeal of the attorney before judge and jury. This made the early attorneys great students of men. In the absence of tons of law books, the lawyers studied human nature. In selecting juries and in addressing them, this knowledge of human nature was brought into play. These conditions afforded opportunity to men of great natural ability. It was a time when individuality and intuition played a strong part. Instead of spending days and weeks accumulating a mass of statistics, citations and authorities, the lawyers spent much less time and spent it in meditation, in outlining an appeal to the jury. As Mr. Crane says, "Then we knew the law and knew men ; now, we are bookworms."

Mr. Crane was bom in Southern Illinois. He was fortunate in having a remarkable teacher, a man who had come into the state as a civil engineer at the time when Illinois was building paper railroads all over the state. When the "bottom fell out," the civil engineer, having no railroads to build and a family to support, began teaching school, and young Crane was one of his students.

Mr. Crane was reared on a farm. On occasional trips to the city, he had observed the courts in session and the life of the lawyer appealed to him with a force that caused him to abandon farming. He graduated from Harvard Law School and took a post graduate course. His rise to prominence at the bar in Northwestern Illinois was rapid. He became the most successful criminal lawyer of his time. His clients considered themselves fortunate in securing his services.

To-day Mr. Crane has his office in the Wilcoxen block and is actively engaged in his practice. He is at his office early in the morning, while many professional men are yet in bed. He combines, more than any other man, the personality of the early attorney with the wide reading of the later day lawyer.

Judge James H. Stearns, one of the oldest attorneys of Stephenson county, was born in New Hampshire in 1841. In 1862, he was graduated from Harvard College and located in Freeport in 1871. In 1876 he entered the law office of Judge J. M. Bailey and was admitted to the bar in 1878, and began practice as a member of the firm of Neff & Stearns. In 1880, he was city attorney. From 1889 to 1894, he was corporation counsel. In 1894, he was elected county judge. As a corporation lawyer and legal adviser, he has no superior. Associated with him at present is Hon. Oscar R. Zipf, with offices in the Old Colony building, formerly the German Insurance building.

Judge Henry C. Hyde was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1836, spent his boyhood on a farm in Winnebago County, Illinois, and was graduated from Beloit College in 1856. In 1859 he was admitted to the bar and began practice in Freeport. In 1860 he was elected city attorney, and in 1883 county judge. During his practice, Judge Hyde was ranked as an attorney of unusual judgment and legal learning. One son, James Hyde, is a lawyer in Chicago, and another, Henry M. Hyde, is editor of the Technical World and <an author of note.

Michael Stoskopf was born in Freeport in 1846. He attended the public schools, studied law with Bailey and Neff and was admitted to the bar in 1873. He has been justice of the peace and was Master in Chancery for twelve years. He built up an extensive practice and was well known over Northern Illinois. He was elected to the state legislature in 1889 and in 1895. During the session of 1889, he was largely responsible for the passage of the bill authorizing a tax for library purposes. He opposed all measures inimical to the public welfare and won a reputation for unflinching integrity and fidelity to a public trust. He is a Mason, 33d degree of the A. A. S. R., a distinction accorded to only a few in each state. He is highly respected as a citizen and as an attorney.

W. N. Cronkrite was born in 1863. He was graduated from Knox College with honors in 1881. For three years he read law in the office of Hon. J. S. Cochran, and was admitted to the bar in 1884. From 1884 to 1886, he was bill clerk in the House of Representatives, being appointed by Hon. E. S. Haines.

In 1886, he was appointed deputy county clerk, which position he held for eight years. In 1894, he began the practice of his profession. In 1895, he was corporation counsel. He has acquired a wonderful mastery of precedents and authorities in common law and as an advocate, his ability before court and jury is highly respected by opponents. His career of sterling integrity and his mastery of law have won him a vast patronage and the confidence of the public.

Judge Oscar E. Heard was born in Harlem township in 1856. He was graduated from the Freeport High School in 1874, completed his education in Northwestern University and was admitted to the bar in 1878, after studying in the law office of Hon. James S. Cochran. In 1884, he was elected state's attorney and held that position for sixteen years. Although a young man, he was remarkably successful as state's attorney, fighting many great battles and contending successfully against the best legal talent of Northen Illinois.

In 1903, he was elected judge of the Circuit Court, and in this position has won a reputation for fair dealing and a thorough understanding of the law. He

The circuit includes Stephenson, Jo Daviess, Carroll, Lee and Ogle counties. With Judge Heard are associated Judge James B. Baum, of the Appellate Court, and Judge Richard S. Farrand, of the Circuit Court.

The settlement of the estate of the German Insurance Company, by Judge Heard, was the biggest judicial work ever undertaken in the county. The expedition with which Judge Heard handled this case broke all records for closing up large estates and won from the receiver, Mr. Niblack, vice-president of the Chicago Title and Trust Company, the highest commendation. - Judge Heard has served on the Board of Education, the Library Board and is a 33d degree Mason.

Hon. Douglas Pattison was born in Freeport in 1870. In 1889 he was graduated from the Freeport High School and after spending a year or so in Mr. Stoskopf's law office, entered the University of Michigan, completing both Liberal Arts and Law Courses. He began the practice of law immediately. In 1892, he stumped the county and was appointed deputy circuit clerk. He soon won great popularity in the Democratic party and was nominated and elected to the legislature in 1904. In the legislature he soon won a strong following in the minority party and was honored by being selected minority leader. In 1908, he was a candidate for the nomination for governor on the Democratic ticket.

The present state's attorney is Hon. Louis Hood Burrell, whose education was received in the Freeport High School, Beloit Preparatory School, and with the class of '"93" at Yale. He studied law in the office of Oscar E. Heard, then state's attorney, and was admitted to the bar November 4, 1897. Mr. Burrell served nine months in the Spanish-American war. In 1900, he was elected state's attorney and soon became a popular and trusted official and was re-elected in 1904 and 1908 by large majorities. Mr. Burrell is an orator of unusual ability, is much sought as a public speaker and has won remarkable success as a lawyer, being strong before a jury because of his direct and straightforward method of handling cases. While making an exceptional record as state's attorney, probably his greatest success and that which meant much to the county, was his investigation and prosecution of the bridge graft cases.

Mr. Burrell is a member of the State Bar Association, member of the Masonic and I. O. O. F. orders and is commander-in-chief of Freeport Consistory.

County Judge A. J. Clarity, who is finishing his second term, is a lawyer and jurist of marked ability. He has the confidence of all parties and all classes of people. One of his greatest services to the people and one in which probably he takes the greatest pride, is the Juvenile Court work. In dealing with delinquent children, Judge Clarity has always shown a rare combination of sympathy and judgment. In this work he has co-operated with the Juvenile Court League and with the schools. Besides court cases, the judge deals with many delinquents individually. Many of these report to him once a week and he has secured good positions for a number of boys. So successful has been this work, that Judge Clarity .has been called the "Ben Lindsay" of Freeport.

The Cemetery

The history of the local branch of the Young Men's Christian Association is in reality the history of three distinct organizations. No less than three serious attempts, inaugurated and fostered by different individuals, were made to found a Y. M. C. A. before success was finally attained. As early as 1868 an association was organized, but it lasted only four unsatisfactory years. Again in 1876 another movement was begun, and a society formed which lasted for five years. In 1882 the Y. M. C. A. was again reorganized and the present strong and efficient association dates from that time.

The first association was the outcome of a convention of Stephenson County Sunday schools which met in Freeport in 1868 to discuss plans for the foundation of an organization for the young men of the city. The famous evangelist, D. L. Moody, was present at this memorable meeting, and the action taken by the convention was in the main adopted at his suggestion. He proposed' that a young man's society be formed with the avowed object of "extending a home, entertainment, education, and Christian fellowship to every young man in the city, regardless of race, color, or pecuniary circumstances." The work was at once taken up with great enthusiasm, and it seemed that the organization would prosper.

At first a suite of rooms over the room then occupied by Maynard's Dry Goods Store was secured, and the work was immediately begun, for the most part along religious lines. The first president of the local society was R. B. Currier, and for a time no local secretary was employed. In the winter of 1869 a secretary was secured, in the person of a city missionary, who pointed his labors altogether in the direction of religious betterment.

Perhaps due to the lack of a general secretary, perhaps because of the lack of a definite aim or system, the first Y. M. C. A. never flourished. The original organizers were enthusiastic and energetic enough, but they were inexperienced and could neither effect the thoroughness nor completeness of organization that later endeavors succeeded in accomplishing. The association was not very well supported by the townspeople, and the ardor of the founders began to cool. After leading a precarious and shaky existence for four years, the machinery collapsed and the Young Men's Christian Association of Freeport became a matter of history.

No sooner had the association ceased to exist than a crying need for it began to be felt. In less than two years after the first failure, in 1876, to be exact, a second association was formed and the name of the Y. M. C. A. again resuscitated. The organizers on this occasion were largely the influential German citizens of Freeport, and C. R. Bickenbach was by them elected president. New club rooms were rented on the southeast corner of Stephenson and Van Buren streets over the rooms now occupied by the State Bank. Here again the asso- ciation pursued a somewhat uncertain career, although in the main more successful than the first society. But it also was doomed to failure. In January, 1881, occurred a disastrous fire which totally destroyed the contents of the Y. M. C. A. rooms, including their furniture and valuable documents. Under the circumstances it was thought impossible to continue and so the second Y. M. C. A. passed out of existence after only five years of history.

In the next year, 1882, the citizens began to reflect on what had occurred, and a third attempt was decided upon. On the 2Qth of May of that year a small but enthusiastic circle of workers met in the parlors of the First Presbyterian church and effected a reorganization. So thoroughly was their work accomplished, and so satisfactorily did the events which followed tend to build up the Y. M. C. A. that it has since that time continued to live without ever a thought of abandonment.

About fifty men were instrumental in the organization of the present society, each of whom signed the approved constitution and paid the membership fee of $1.00. They elected as officers: President, Professor C. C. Snyder; vice-president, I. F. Kleckner ; second vice-president, C. R. Bickenbach ; corresponding secretary, E. B. Winger ; recording secretary, W. A. Merifield ; treasurer, A. H. Barshinger; directors at large, Jacob Williams, E. B. Winger, and F. A. Jayne.

The new officers showed that they had the situation in their grasp and knew what was needed when they made it one of their first acts to engage a local general secretary. The first man to fill this position was F. G. Perkins, who stayed a little less than a year and resigned in 1883 to be succeeded by W. W. Smith.

During the seven years of Mr. Smith's residence the association was wonderfully increased in numbers and activity. It was Mr. Smith who first effected a broadening of the society's work and introduced the department of physical education. The original purpose had been supposedly fourfold : "To extend a home, entertainment, education and Christian fellowship" to the young men of the city. But the first three aims had been entirely neglected. Mr. Smith now proposed to revive them, and to this end he succeeded in raising enough money to remodel the rooms and add a gymnasium. Mr. Smith was a man of pleasing personality and great enthusiasm, and made a very large number of friends during his stay in Freeport. In November, 1889, he left to go to another association, and was followed by three temporary secretaries : C. R. Bradley, J. A. Schaad and W. L. Cahoon. A permanent local secretary was then secured in the person of J. P. Bailey, who came to the local society in June, 1891.

During Mr. Smith's stay the new Y. M. C. A. building was built - a great credit not only to the association itself and the men connected with it, but to the city at large and especially the membership of the churches who contributed so liberally toward the erection. After the reorganization in 1882 the Y. M. C. A. had occupied rooms over Emmert and Burrell's (now Emmert's) drug store, where it remained until the completion of its own building. Several individuals had at various times suggested the purchase or erection of a Y. M. C. A. building, but none had been seriously considered. The first moment of serious consideration came in April, 1885, when E. E. Brown, at that time assistant state secretary, presented the local officers with a ten dollar bill which he said was to be the foundation of the building fund. Even then it took two years for a final determination to be made, although the ladies' auxiliary worked faithfully in the meantime and succeeded in raising nearly $1,000. At that time the city council voted to furnish the stone for the basement and first story of the building in case it should furnish quarters for the city library. The German Insurance Company also presented the sum of $1,000. The lot on the corner of Walnut and Stephenson streets, which had been occupied many years before by the First Presbyterian Church before it moved to its present site, was purchased from Isaac Zartman, and on October 19, 1888, the cornerstone was laid. During the following year the building was completed at a cost of $26,000 and opened on October 6, 1889, by a meeting conducted by the evangelist E. W. Bliss, preparatory to a series of revival services conducted by D. L. Moody, who had at that time returned to the city. The cost of .the building had been much more than the builders had contemplated and for several years after the completion it was burdened by a heavy debt. Then, through the services of the Ministers' Association, principally due to the efforts of the Rev. Edgar P. Hill, a sufficient sum was secured to cover the entire indebtedness.

A month after the completion of the structure, Secretary Smith left the city, and no permanent secretary filled his place until the coming of J. P. Bailey in 1891. Mr. Bailey was succeeded by J. P. Burdge, who stayed until 1896, then resigned and was followed by H. L. Sawyer. When Mr. Sawyer accepted a call elsewhere, the Rev. J. H. Keagle, formerly pastor of Trinity Church, and now located at Cedarville, accepted the position of secretary. He was an able and energetic worker and under his direction a great deal of good was accomplished.

In 1900 Mr. Keagle was succeeded by J. E. Heilman, under whose direction the association remained until 1904. In that year J. L. Rogers came to take charge. He remained only a short time. During his .stay the building was somewhat remodelled, and a swimming pool was added. He was succeeded by R. C. Smedley, who departed last year to be followed for a short term by Will Anderson and then by A. L. Mayer, who is at present acting as general secretary. A. R. Buffin has for some years officiated as boys' secretary, and C. E. Smith is at present physical director of the institution.

A number of changes have been made in the building since it was built. The structure is three stories in height, the basement and first story being built of native white limestone, and the upper stories of red brick with white stone trimmings. The basement originally contained dressing rooms and a gymnasium together with the public library rooms, the first floor, the auditorium, general offices and reading and association rooms. Since the moving of the public library, a swimming pool has been installed in the basement and the gymnasium moved to the first floor in the space formerly occupied by the auditorium.

The association is in a flourishing condition at the present time and has a large membership. The building is one of the ornaments of Freeport, and is now entirely free from debt. The whole property is valued at about $40,000.

The annual reports of the Young Men's Christian Association give some idea of the extensive part played by this organization in the life of Freeport.

The Physical Department

Work for different groups: Young men, 59; business men, 23; high school boys, 52; basket ball teams, 17; volley ball teams, 4. The Hiker's Club took seven hikes.

Boys' Summer Camp

Mr. A. R. Buffin conducted fifty-six boys in a ten day camp on Rock River, near Beloit. These camps have been remarkably successful and have been maintained by Mr. Buffin several years without accident or anything to mar the pleasure and benefit of the outing.

The physical department of the Y. M. C. A. has been remarkably fortunate in recent years in having at its head such men as Leroy Rogers and Frank Rogers and the present very efficient director, Mr. Chas. E. Smith.

Educational Department

The reading room contains forty-five magazines for men and five for boys and the Chicago, St. Louis and the Freeport newspapers. At intervals the Y. M. C. A. has attempted night school work but has never met with very gratifying success. The reading rooms are well occupied and the library of the boys' department is put to good use.

Religious Work

Mr. Chester Hoefer is chairman of the religious work committee. During the year 1909-10, thirty men were enrolled in Bible study classes, and eightyseven boys, making a total of one hundred and seventeen. Fifteen of the boys are high school students. The total number of religious meetings for the year was one hundred and four. The average attendance of the boys' meeting was sixty-five; the men twenty-five. Ten meetings for men and one for boys were held outside of the building.

Y. M. C. A. Property

The association owns the building, the value of which is $40,000. The lot is valued at $10,000; the general furniture, $500; dormitory equipment, $300; gymnasium equipment, $400. The association pays tax on rooms rented for business and carries $16,000 insurance.

Boys' Department

The boys' department of the Y. M. C. A. probably makes the best showing of any of the departments, the membership being one hundred and eightyseven, with an average attendance at the Sunday afternoon meetings of sixtyfive. This department is under the management of Mr. A. R. Buffin, to whom is due the credit for building up the department.

His life among the boys in Freeport, in and out of the association, is an example of the highest type; the unselfish and noble-minded spirit. It goes without saying, that he exerts more influence of a permanent character for good among the boys and young men than any other influences combined.

The new secretary has just begun his work, but he has made a good impression and the future of the Y. M. C. A. looks brighter than at any time in its history. It has back of it the encouragement of the best business men of the city.

Of the small handful of earnest workers who banded together to form the Ladies' Auxiliary of the Y. M. C. A. in 1882, not one is today alive. The work which they did has lasted, however, and the organization is now in a prosperous and healthy condition. All the early records of the auxiliary have been either lost or destroyed, and to find anything concerning the conditions under which it was formed, or the early activities has been not only a difficult but a fruitless task.

The aim of the Ladies' Auxiliary has always been to cooperate with the officers of the Young Men's Christian Association, and aid, in whatever ways have been possible, in making their work easier, better directed, or more productive. They have, for instance, taken up themselves the labor of caring for the dormitories in the Y. M. C. A. building, and have shouldered the care of the various banquets which are given by the association.

At various times when the association has been hard pressed for funds, the Ladies' Auxiliary has been very active in raising money. At the dedication of the Y. M. C. A. building, which was presided over by the famous Evangelist

Moody, a very dramatic scene is said to have occurred. One of the members of the Y. M. C. A. who had been very active in the work, announced to the audience the fact that the treasury was bare, and the building was still oppressed with a heavy debt. He called for voluntary subscriptions, but there was only a feeble and half-hearted response. Again and again he called, but there was apparently no enthusiasm. Finally, disheartened by the lack of willingness and generosity, he burst into tears, to the immediate and general consternation of the audience. In an instant one of the members of the Ladies' Auxiliary was on her feet. "We will help you," she cried, "the ladies will help you!" Her enthusiasm was infectious, and the rest of the society immediately caught something of her energy and earnestness. Then and there they subscribed a large sum of money, which they duly paid. At various times since they have aided the Y. M. C. A. by subscribing sums of money.

When "Billy" Sunday held his famous revival meetings in Freeport in 1906, he was instrumental in starting an agitation to pay off the entire indebtedness of the association. About eleven thousand dollars was raised, of which the Ladies' Auxiliary promised to pay one thousand. This voluntary subscription has now been entirely paid, a fact which gives some idea of the energy and enthusiasm of that body, in spite of the fewness of its numbers.

From a mere handful, the membership of the Ladies' Auxiliary has swelled to thirty-five active members in good standing. The officers for the present year are: President, Mrs. Dexter A. Knowlton; vice president, Mrs. Z. T. F. Runner; secretary, Miss Harriet Carnefix ; treasurer, Miss Mary Swanzey.

Freeport Public Library

The early history of the Freeport public library is of extreme interest. The institution now known as the Freeport public library had its origin in the "Young Men's Library Association," the origin of which was due to a religious revival held in the city of Freeport during the winter of 1874-75. The original members of the association were the members of a Sunday school class in the First Presbyterian church, the teacher of which was Miss Winnie L. Taylor. The names of the members were:

As these young men complained that they had no place to spend their evenings, Miss Taylor conceived the idea of starting a reading room where they should have an opportunity of meeting evenings, and passing the time pleasantly and profitably. Each of the members of the class subscribed $10, and several lectures and benefit entertainments were held for the benefit of the new library. Rev. Robert Collyer delivered his lecture on "Clear Grit." Hon. W. B. Fairfield, and Rev. E. E. Hall gave readings for the benefit of the venture, and $73 in voluntary contributions from public spirited citizens of Freeport was secured.

The first contribution of which there is any record was that of Mrs. John R. Walsh, of Chicago, who gave $50. Mrs. Walsh was a friend of the Taylors of Freeport, and while visiting at their home, Miss Winnie Taylor, the originator of the library project, succeeding in interesting her in the enterprise. The first contribution of a Freeport citizen was that of Pells Manny, who gave, entirely unsolicited, the sum of $500. In all a total of about $700 was realized, which was invested in substantially bound copies of the standard authors.

Rooms were secured for the Young Men's Library Association in Fry's block, which were fitted up in the nature of club rooms, and for a while patron^ ized only by the young men who had started the library. Presently the general public became so interested that it was deemed advisable to open the library one afternoon each week to the public at large. Saturday afternoons were ever after reserved for outsiders, and the library was presided over by Miss Winnie Taylor, as librarian. The association occupied different rooms. Besides the one above mentioned, which was in Fry's block, rooms were fitted up in McNamara's building, on Stephenson street, and for one year, the association was given the use of quarters in the residence of Oscar Taylor, rent free.

Such was the history of the Young Men's Library Association. Not until fourteen years after its organization was the first Freeport public library formally instituted. In 1889, the first library board was appointed by Mayor Charles Nieman, and on March 30 of that year they held their first meting in the council room of the city hall. The first board consisted of Miss Winnie Taylor, P. H. Murphy, E. P. Barton, Henry Lichtenberger, Will R. Malburn, S. D. Atkins, Miss Mary E. Holder, B. T. Buckley, and D. C. Stover. S. D. Atkins was elected president, and Miss Mary E. Holder was made secretary. Shortly after the organization, Will R. Malburn resigned, and his position was filled by G. W. Warner.

On January 27, 1890, the present by-laws of the association were drawn up, providing for the appointment of a librarian. Up to that time there had been no regular librarian. The library had been conducted under the old regulations of the Young Men's Library Association, it had been open on Saturday afternoons only, and Miss Winnie Taylor had officiated as unpaid librarian.

When the Y. M. C. A. building was built, the city offered to furnish the building stone for the first story and basement of the structure, providing the association would furnish quarters for housing the Freeport public library. This the Y. M. C. A. agreed to do, and as soon as they were finished the public library moved in, opened on May 2, 1890, and continued to occupy the rooms for about ten years. The rooms were located on the first floor, with an entrance on the Walnut street side of the building, which has since been done away with. These quarters were never large enough for the library, from the very beginning, and they steadily became more unsatisfactory. The library grew very rapidly. Miss Harriet Lane, who had been first appointed sole librarian, soon found the duties of her position too arduous to assume alone, and the services of an assistant librarian was required. Miss Minna Kunz filled the position for a short time, and later Miss Eva Milner was engaged as substitute librarian.

All the while that the library occupied the Y. M. C. A. rooms, the Y. M. C. A. itself was growing, and found the quarters which it occupied too cramped. By mutual consent, the association and library decided to separate as soon as a way could be conveniently found. When the new city hall was built, it seemed that the time had come. The city agreed to fit up the second floor for library purposes, and did so, but the result was so highly unsatisfactory that the library board decided to give up the use of the room without delay. The place was not only small, but it was entirely unsuited for library purposes. It has always been regretted by the Freeport people that such a step was ever contemplated, for the city hall is at present marred by a cycle of literary names, which are inscribed in the red sandstone under the eaves. The idea is presumably to give evidence of the fact that a library is housed in the city hall building, but as the library never took possession of those quarters the inscriptions are manifestly inappropriate and out of place.

About 1900 the building of a new building for the exclusive occupancy of the Freport public library was contemplated, and it was decided to build one. But nothing was done for some months, until the crowded condition of the quarters in the Y. M. C. A. building made it imperative that relief should be found at once. It was about the time that Andrew Carnegie instituted the practice of donating money for the building of libraries, and the great philanthropist was solicited for a contribution for the Freeport public library. He magnanimously presented the library board with the sum of $30,000, which, however, was insufficient for the building. When completed, the present library building cost in the neighborhood of $40,000. The additional $10,000 was donated in part by Dr. W. S. Caldwell, who left a legacy of $2,500 to the library, and in part by subscriptions at large among the philanthropic citizens of Freeport. The board of education leased a suite of rooms on the second story of the building for a period of ten years, at a rental of $12 per month. This helped to pay something toward the library expenses also.

The new library building was opened September 4, 1902. It is unquestionably the handsomest of the public buildings of Freeport. The building is built of red colonial brick with stone trimmings. Vines which were planted when the building was built, eight years ago, have completely overrun the sides and rear of the structure, giving the whole an attractive and picturesque appearance.

The first floor and basement of the building are given over to the Freport public library, and contain the reading rooms, storerooms and stack rooms of the circulating and reference departments. The second floor is occupied in part by the board of education rooms. The east room is given up to the Historical Museum of Stephenson County.

Plans are being made to move the children's room to the second story of the library, install the reading room in the apartment now occupied by the children's room, and turn the present reading room into a reference room. When the contemplated improvements are accomplished, the library will be more conveniently arranged. The equipment, as concerns shelving, etc., is modern in every particular. The shelves of the main stack room are metallic, and were made by the Fenton Metallic Company, of Jamestown, New York. The Freeport public library is also a government depository, and receives all public documents and congressional records from Washington.

The late Robert R. Hitt, congressman from this district, always took a deep interest in the welfare of the Freeport public library, and it is largely due to his efforts that the collection of public documents is so complete as it is today. His successor, Frank O. Lowden, has also been of great assistance in filling out the collection of government pamphlets and congressional records. These various documents are stored in the basement of the library and occupy about half of that department.

The library is in charge of six able and experienced librarians. Miss Harton, Lane, who is head librarian, has been connected with the institution ever since its organization as the Freeport public library. She is assisted by Miss Eva Milner, reference librarian; Miss Ruth Hughes, children's librarian; and Miss Marguerite Davenport, Mrs. Harvey Hartman, and Miss Emma Burton, substitute librarians.

The library today contains about twenty-eight thousand volumes in its various departments, not including the government document division. The records of the past year show that over sixty-six thousand volumes were drawn from the library. Sixty or more periodicals are taken by the Freeport library, and can be consulted in the reading room. Files are kept of all the Freeport daily papers. The library has at various times received large legacies of libraries from Freeport citizens. Among the largest collections have been the libraries of Horatio C. Burchard and E. P. Barton.

The library board consists of nine members, appointed by the mayor of the city. The board at present in charge consists of O. P. Wright, president; Fred Wagner, secretary; L. L. Munn, treasurer; L. Z. Farwell, Miss Winnie Taylor, Addison Bidwell, Joseph Barron, Harry Hineline, and Robert D. Kuehner, members.

The Freeport public library has had a rapid growth since its establishment in 1890. The annual report of the librarian for June, 1891, shows that the library then contained four thousand, six hundred and seventy-three volumes. A systematic method of increasing the number of volumes followed and the annual report of 1910 shows that the library now contains twenty-eight thousand, one hundred and twelve volumes.

Miss Lane, the efficient librarian, keeps thoroughly posted on new books and the library will be found at all times to be abreast of the times. The needs of organizations, such as churches, schools, the Shakespeare Society, Culture Club, Woman's Club, D. A. R., etc., are given considerable attention and books and magazines are added to supply the wants of these and other organizations.

A comparison of the reports of 1891 and 1910 affords some interesting contrasts: In 1891, thirty thousand, three hundred and fifty-one volumes were loaned; in 1910, sixty- four thousand, two hundred and sixty-nine.

The Hospitals Of Freeport

The hospitals of Freport are three in number: St Francis, the Globe Hospital, and the White Sanitorium. All are elegant in their appointments, and for comfort and general completeness of equipment are hardly surpassed by any similar institutions in a town of the size of Freeport. The oldest of the three, St. Francis Hospital, is maintained by the Catholic sisters of St. Francis, and supported by the congregation of St. Joseph's German Catholic church.

St. Francis Hospital is located on that beautiful natural eminence known as Walnut Hill in the southern portion of the city, on Walnut, near Empire street. The site is most beautiful, being high and dry, and commanding a superb view of the city and its suburbs. Of late years the neighborhood has been built up, but when the institution was founded it was practically bare of houses. A contemporary account describes the hospital as a "large, four story brick edifice, occupying a beautiful site just on the southern boundary of the city, and surrounded on the west and south by broad fields and green meadows, bounded by groves of pine and rugged oaks." The "broad fields and green meadows" have given place to pleasant stretches of green lawn and shaded park, and there has been a mushroom growth of beautiful and substantial residences. The "groves of pine and oak" remain, however, and in the midst of one of them St. Francis Hospital stands, the pioneer structure of Walnut Hill, and still one of those numerous public buildings in which the people of Freeport take wellgrounded pride.

The building was erected in 1889, at a cost of $20.000, and was dedicated on the I2th of February, 1890. Two days after the dedication the first patient was admitted, and the hospital has since continued to receive the patronage of the sick and afflicted of all classes, nationalities, and religious sects. The hospital is a charitable institution, and although conducted by a Catholic organiza- tion and cared for by Catholic Franciscan nuns, its inmates are not chosen with regard to race, color, religion, sect, or nationality. During the first year of its career the hospital cared for sixty-eight patients. The second year one hundred and forty-six were cared for, showing that the institution had increased in reputation and popularity. Since that time the increase has been consistent with the growth of the city.

All the leading physicians of Freeport have availed themselves of the privileges of St. Francis Hospital. The institution has no regularly appointed staff of physicians, and each patient is at liberty to choose his or her attendant. In addition to the work carried on in the hospital itself, the sisters of St. Francis nurse patients in private families, and carry on much charitable and remunerative work outside as an extended department of the institution. The expenses of the hospital are met in part by the contributions of patients, who pay as much as they are able, and in part by the charitable and benevolent societies of St. Joseph's church. A large sum was recently left to St. Francis Hospital by J. B. Taylor, one of Freeport's oldest citizens, whose death occurred within the past year. Mr. Taylor was not a Catholic himself, but was a generous and philanthropic man by nature, and had always taken an active interest in the affairs of St. Francis Hospital and St. Vincent's Orphan Asylum.

The hospital building is a model of convenience and utility. It is spacious, and well ventilated, finished in oak throughout and supplied with every convenience known to architect and sanitary engineer. It is of brick, four stories high, with stone basement and a handsome tower. It is heated with steam, and lighted with gas and electricity. In 1903 a large addition was built on the south end of the hospital, the needs of the institution having outgrown the old building. The new addition is of pressed brick, four stories in height, and contains, besides some of the most modern and elegantly furnished apartments of the hospital, a large chapel in which mass is read by the priests of St. Joseph's parish. All the rooms of both buildings are supplied with hot and cold water. In the basement are located the kitchen, dining room and laundry, and also a room for paupers. The first floor contains the parlors, reception room, operating room, physicians' offices, sisters' apartments, bath rooms, etc. The other floors are devoted to wards. The total value of the property, together with the new addition, is about $35,000.

The White Sanitarium on the corner of North Galena avenue and Clark avenue, is a model institution of its kind. It differs from the other hospitals of Freeport in having a regular corps of physicians and surgeons of its own* These are Dr. J. T. White, Dr. R. M. White, Dr. R. H. Shaw, and Dr. W. C. Leeper. Dr. Littlejohn, of Chicago, and Dr. C. C. Kost, of Dixon, were also at one time connected with the White institution

The first White Sanitarium was established in 1898-9 by Dr. J. T. White, who came here from Missouri. He was a graduate of the Missouri Medical College, and a post-graduate of Johns Hopkins University, and has had considerable experience in his chosen field. He first established his office and located his rooms at his own residence on Douglas avenue, near Cherry street. His practice grew and he presently saw fit to establish a sanitarium at the same place. In 1901 he was joined by his brother, Dr. Rooert M. White, who became a partner in the business. Dr. R. M. White was a graduate of the Still College of Osteopathy of Des Moines, and of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Chicago.

The Drs. White remained at the Douglas Avenue Sanitarium for only one year, at the end of which time the Younger property on the corner of Clark and North Galena avenues was purchased. An extensive addition was made before the sanitarium moved to its new home, and the grounds and attached buildings were considerably improved.

For two years Dr. David Little John, of Chicago, was on the staff of physicians of the White Sanitarium. Soon after his departure his place was filled by Dr. C. C. Kost, of Dixon. Dr. Kost stayed in Freeport about a year. He has been since succeeded by Dr. R. H. Shaw and Dr. W. C. Leeper. Dr. Shaw is a graduate of Iowa State University, and of the College of Physicians and Surgeon of Chicago. Dr. Leeper graduated from Vanderbilt University, at Nashville, Tennessee, and finished his medical training at the Illinois Medical School, and at Columbia University, New York. Under the management of these skilled and competent physicians the career of the institution has been one of marked success.

The latest addition to the group of buildings forming the White Sanitarium was the commodious west wing known as the Hospital Annex, which was erected in 1907, at a cost of $21,000. Another edifice to the west of this is now contemplated, and when the whole is finished the sanitorium property will comprise the greater part of the land bounded by North Galena avenue, Walnut street and Clark avenue. The land west of the sanitorium is already in the hands of the sanitorium directors and plans for building have been made.

The White Sanitorium also conducts a nurses' training school known as the Christian Training School, which was established by Miss Winifred Taylor and Dr. J. T. White in 1905. Miss Taylor has always taken a deep interest in the affairs of the training school, and is now its president. Fifteen nurses of the training school are in the service of the sanitorium all the year round.

The management of this corporation is unique and unlike that of any other hospital doing business in this section of the state in that its physicians are entirely in its employ, receiving only a salary for their services with an idea that no patient's financial condition will influence their diagnosis or treatment. In this way it is all the same to the physicians whether the patient pays much or nothing as he is wholly dependent upon the corporation and the patient receives an entirely independent opinion.

The institution is up to date in every respect, in equipment, methods, and all the appurtenances thereto. The buildings are at present one of the boasts of the city, and when the new addition is completed, the White Sanitorium will be a permanent monument to the indefatigable zeal and energy of its founder. The institution has facilities for caring for forty-five patients. The property assets of the corporation have grown until they almost reach the $100.000 valuation.

Globe Hospital. The newest of the Freeport hospitals is Globe Hospital. The hospital is an incorporated association, under the act of February 22, 1900, the incorporators being the first directors. The hospital was opened July i,