OUR PRIDE Saturday, September 16, 2017 www.jg-tc.com
KEVIN KILHOFFER, JOURNAL GAZETTE & TIMES-COURIER
A life-size statue marks this site in Charleston commemorating the second of the famous debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas.
Lincoln’s story includes chapters in Coles County
CHARLESTON (JG-TC) — Though Abraham Lincoln never lived in Coles County, the county does have several connections to his Illinois history. Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site features the 19th-century home of Thomas and Sarah Bush Lincoln, father and stepmother of the16th president. Thomas Lincoln settled there after moving his family from an other Illinois location — which followed moves from Kentucky and Indiana — and that marked Abraham Lincoln’s decision to go off on his own. The 86-acre historic site includes an accurate reproduction of the Lincolns’ two-room cabin that was reconstructed on the original cabin site in 1935-36 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, one of the recovery programs during the Great Depression.
Site manager Matthew Mittelstaedt talks about some of the displays at Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site near Lerna on March 16, 2016.
The CCC camp, Camp Shiloh, was located within the park’s boundaries and its enrollees were WWI veterans. Today the 10 acres in the northwest corner of the park where Camp Shiloh was located is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The cabin reconstruction was based on photographs and affidavits, since the original was lost following its move to the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1892. Both rooms are furnished with items and artifacts of the 1840s, though none are known to have belonged to the Lincolns. A second historic farmstead, that of Stephen and Nancy Sargent, was moved to the site to help broaden visitors’ understanding both of life in the 19th century and Lincoln’s Please see LINCOLN, Page A2
Lake Land College a key part of Coles County past and future Lake Land to celebrate its 50th anniversary at Laker Homecoming ATTOON (JG-TC) — Lake Land M College is calling all alumni home to celebrate it 50th anniversary during Laker Homecoming from Sept. 29-Oct. 1. All alumni, including graduates and those who have taken a class or two, are invited to return to campus and share memories of their alma mater with family and friends throughout the weekend’s activities. Lake Land retirees M and other community members are also 1 invited to attend homecoming.
Lake Land reported in a press release that several homecoming events are planned, including the One Laker Nation Reunion Tent during the afternoon of Saturday, Sept. 30, and a concert by Nashville recording artists The Henningsens. “As we celebrate Lake Land College’s 50 years of student success we invite all of our alumni to reconnect with friends and faculty and visit campus during homecoming weekend. There are various events that will appeal to everyone
during homecoming and those alumni who have been away for a while will be amazed at how their alma mater has grown into a beautiful campus,” said Dave Cox, director of alumni relations and annual giving. The Henningsens concert is the highlight of the weekend. Brian Henningsen, a Lake Land alumnus from the class of 1981, will returning for the trio’s final performance, as they will be pursuing new career opportunities. Brian, his son Aaron and his daughter, Clara, make up the group. The Henningsens are from Atwood, where they still have their family farm. Some of The Henningsens’ hit singles Please see LAKE LAND, Page A2
KEVIN KILHOFFER, JOURNAL GAZETTE & TIMES-COURIER
Many students from Lake Land College near Mattoon transfer to Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.
A2 | Saturday, September 16, 2017
Journal Gazette & Times-Courier
Lake Land College timeline
Lake Land From A1
include “American Beautiful” and “Why I Farm.” In addition to singles and albums, The Henningsens are songwriters. They have written the Platinum-certified single “You Lie” for The Band Perry, as well as the No. 1 hit “All Your Life.” Laker Homecoming is scheduled to get an early start with a Student Life Pep Rally at 11 a.m. Sept. 27 in the Field House. The college will debut the Laker Loyalty fight song during the pep rally. Other activities there will include Laker Loyalty selfie video submissions. The homecoming activities will continue on Sept. 29 with special programs for various alumni groups. These programs includes a dental hygiene alumni continuing education seminar at Heartland Dental Care in Effingham, a nursing continuing education seminar at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center in Mattoon, and a Business Division alumni appreciation reception at 4-8 p.m. in Lake Land’s West Building. In addition, a Laker athletics reunion will be held at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 29 in the One Laker Nation Tent next to the Field House. A Laker volleyball game will be held at 6 p.m. that night in the Field House. Activities on Sept. 30 will kick off with an Alumni Recognition Banquet and a Distinguished Alumni Society and Athletic Hall of Fame Brunch at 10 a.m. in the West Building. An agriculture alumni reunion event will be held at 2:30-4:30 p.m. in the West Building. Campus tours will be held at 3:30, 4 and 4:30 p.m.
Sept. 24, 1966: The district referendum was passed establishing Community College District No. 517. Nov. 22, 1966: The college’s first Board of Trustees members were elected. Jan. 9, 1967: Virgil H. Judge became the college’s first president. Feb. 2, 1967: Lake Land College became the official name of the college. Sept. 6, 1967: Classes began in a variety of short-term buildings, with 629 students enrolled for classes. Oct. 10, 1967: The permanent location for the college was announced. Nov. 12, 1967: A formal dedication was held at the permanent location for the college. Aug. 18, 1968: The college’s first commencement was held at Mattoon’s First Baptist Church for 79 graduates. Participants can register for events, buy concert tickets and plan their homecoming weekend at lakelandcollege.edu/alumni. Tickets can also be bought by calling 217-234-5363 or stopping by the Lake Land College Bookstore or any First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust location. KEN TREVARTHAN, JOURNAL GAZETTE & TIMES-COURIER For more information about any of the Industrial maintenance instructor Kris Kersey describes the project to be done at the start of the Introduction to Machining class homecoming events, contact Cox at 217session May 8, 2014, at Lake Land College in Mattoon. 234-5376 or dcox5612@lakelandcollege. edu. For athletic events information, The One Laker Nation Alumni Re- adjacent to the Field House. The HenLaker Homecoming is scheduled to contact the Lake Land College Athletic union Tent will offer entertainment, ningsens concert will follow at 7 p.m. in conclude with a Laker softball alumni Office at 217-234-5333 or breed43185@ lakelandcollege.edu. food and beverages at 4-7 p.m. Sept. 30, the Field House. game and barbecue at noon Oct. 1.
Lincoln From A1
legal practice in the community. Today the Thomas Lincoln Farm comes to life through historic interpreters. The house and surrounding farm are still being used as they were then and interpreters portray the family members and neighbors who lived in the area. Some of the re-enactments have included portrayals of Abraham Lincoln’s visits while he was in Coles County as part of his work as a lawyer. The Coles County Courthouse in Charleston has several records with Lincoln’s name that he produced during his legal work in the county. There are also several special events that take place at the site each year. One of the better-attended is the Harvest Fall in October, which features various craft demonstrations and entertainment. The traditional kickoff event, KEVIN KILHOFFER, JOURNAL GAZETTE & TIMES-COURIER Sheep to Clothing, takes place in May and shows 19th Century methods of turning Tessa Wilson-Brown, left, and Ellie Stankiewicz, right, read the Declaration of wool into fabric. Independence at Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site near Lerna as part of the site’s There are also a Christmas season event Fourth of July observance in 2014.
Some of the re-enactments have included portrayals of Abraham Lincoln’s visits while he was in Coles County as part of his work as a lawyer. The Coles County Courthouse in Charleston has several records with Lincoln’s name that he produced during his legal work in the county.
isn’t open but signs mark its significance as where Sarah told Abraham she feared she would never see him again. The graves of Thomas and Sarah Lincoln, with accompanying identifying markers, are in the Thomas Lincoln Cemetery located northwest of Lincoln Log Cabin. Also, the Coles County Fairgrounds in Charleston is the location of the Lincoln-Douglas Debate Museum. It’s the only museum in Illinois that retraces the senatorial debates of 1858 between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, one of which took place at the fairgrounds. Douglas won the election but some historians credit Lincoln’s performance in the debates with helping him to victory in the presidential election two years later. The museum addresses the significance of the debates, information on Lincoln’s and Douglas’ positions on the expansion of slavery to new states and other issues that were part of the campaign.
in December and a bluegrass festival in August and the special events schedule usually changes from year to year. Located just north of the site is the Moore Home State Historic Site, where Lincoln bid farewell to his family in 1861 before leaving to assume the presidency. Sarah Bush Lincoln was living at that location by then, following the death of Sources: Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Thomas Lincoln. The home at the site Site, Lincoln-Douglas Debate Museum
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Wednesday, September 27, 2017 Laker Loyalty fight song unveiled at Student Life Pep Rally & Laker Loyalty Selfie Video Submissions open Friday, September 29, 2017 Dental Hygiene Alumni Continuing Education Seminar at Heartland Dental Care, Effingham Nursing Continuing Education Seminar at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center, Mattoon Business Division Alumni Appreciation Reception Laker Athletics Reunion prior to the Laker Volleyball Game at 6 p.m., Field House Saturday, September 30, 2017 Alumni Recognition Banquet, Distinguished Alumni Society and Athletic Hall of Fame Brunch Campus Tours – 3:30 p.m., 4 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. One Laker Nation Alumni Reunion Tent with entertainment, food and beverages, 4- 7 p.m. The Henningsens Final Concert, 7 p.m., Field House Sunday, October 1, 2017 Laker Softball Alumni Game at noon REGISTER FOR THESE EVENTS AT LAKELANDCOLLEGE.EDU/ALUMNI
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Saturday, September 16, 2017 | A3
Journal Gazette & Times-Courier
Old Main changed a city, started a university CHARLESTON (JG-TC) — Old Main at Eastern Illinois University, what was once the Eastern Illinois Normal School, has been a defining feature in the city for more than 100 years now. At the very start of construction in 1899, Old Main served as culture shift in Charleston and would later become the 320-acre university campus it is today. However, had historical events played out differently, it could have just as easily been a part of Mattoon’s history instead. In the late 1800s, there was a national push in the U.S. to “normalize” education in schools, said Terry Barnhart, an EIU history professor who has studied the university. The school system needed set standards. “Before, there were no standards,” he said. “This was sometimes referred to as a rural school problem.” The national trend sought to remedy this by constructing numerous teaching schools across the country, often in more rural areas, to create teachers for these school districts. And when it was decided that the eastern Illinois area needed one, the debate was whether it should be in Charleston or Mattoon. Barnhart said the contest for the school was a heated one between the two cities. “That competition was real,” he said. “Some of it was just friendly banter, but there was some accusations of fraud; that somehow the legislature had been bought.” This animosity was ever present in the daily and weekly papers in each city, according to the book, “The Architecture of Eastern’s Old Main.” The Charleston Scimitar said in one of its issues that if Charleston did not get the school, “it would be the worst possible business catastrophe that could happen in Charleston,” according to the book. “There were a lot of accusations flying around at the time,” Barnhart said. And, the Mattoon was in the lead. Mattoon’s political connections and robust railroad system made it a front-runner, Barnhart noted. But in the end, Charleston offered a better package and was awarded the school, to which the Mattoon Weekly Gazette headlined: “Charleston gets it. The New Reform School Located at Catfishville.” In 1895, the teachers college was established, at least on paper in Charleston, and soon after, the “castle,” which was a popular design choice for schools at this time, was born. Almost immediately, the city started to change. “From the minute that building started to get built, this community started to change,” Barnhart said. He noted that when looking back, the city noticeably reorients itself toward the university from the courthouse and the railroad. “There were new housing developments moving toward the campus,” Barnhart said. “The focus increasingly becomes the campus.” This is evident by the historical corridors of Sixth and Seventh streets that are home to houses constructed around that time. Old Main grew to become a welcome to the city and iconic symbol of what Charleston is. Years following its construction, Old Main would be the one and only building on campus. It housed everything from classrooms to administrative offices to the assembly where students did their early morning prayers. The Eastern Normal School was headed up by Livingston C.
KEVIN KILHOFFER PHOTOS, JOURNAL GAZETTE & TIMES-COURIER
Pictured is Old Main on the campus of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.
Current Eastern Illinois University President David Glassman poses for a photo in his office at Old Main on EIU’s campus in Charleston in January 2017. Students and their families enter the Grand Ballroom in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union on the campus of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston for the Admitted Student Day on March 4, 2017.
Students walk across the campus of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston in September 2016. Lord, a figure who has retained a historical legacy in the city. Items of his can still be found across campus. A desk is located in the EIU Booth Library Archives. Lord’s home even was recently designated as a historical landmark of the city. Lord’s role as a president of the university would later be
followed by 12 other presidents including presently David Glassman. Not long after its inception, the campus would soon grow
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Eastern is a campus of 7,400plus students spanning multiple majors outside teaching. It became a university, notably, getting named as Eastern Illinois University, in 1957. Now, there are 51 undergraduate degree programs, 32 graduate degree programs, 10 post-baccalaureate certificate programs. However, the teaching history was instilled in the campus. Still, education is the one the most popular schools on campus. Barnhart said EIU has remained a place that affects the identities of both Charleston residents and students. “EIU has been an institution that has defined a sense of belonging and sense of place in East Central Illinois,” Barnhart said.
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to add buildings like Blair Hall in 1913 and Pemberton Hall in 1909 with the same revived gothic-style architecture as Old Main. Both would later be recognized, not for housing students or academics, but a fire and a ghost. The historic Blair Hall infamously went up in flames in 2004. A fire engulfed the third floor of the building and destroyed much of the building’s roof. As previously reported in the JG-TC, the blaze did $11 million in damages. Pemberton, the first female residence hall in the state of Illinois, has been known for the notable campus legend surrounding the building and the “ghost” that formed from it. The legend follows a resident in Pemberton in the early 1900s.
Michael Kleen, who has written on the legend, said that one stormy night, a girl sought to kill some time by going to the fourth floor of the building. In this legend, a janitor brutally beat her. When he left, the young unnamed women, within an inch of her life, was able to get to the door of Mary Hawkins, a dorm matron in Pemberton. However, she was only able to scratch at the door. The noises terrified Hawkins, and she did not answer the door until the next morning when the woman was dead, Kleen said. Ever since, people have claimed hearing scratching sounds and seeing the rearranging of furniture, and blame it ultimately on the ghost of the unnamed woman. The legend cemented itself into the residence hall’s history at this point. Over time, Eastern blossomed beyond these buildings. Now,
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Journal Gazette & Times-Courier
KEVIN KILHOFFER PHOTOS, JOURNAL GAZETTE & TIMES-COURIER
The remodeled main lobby at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center is shown In March 2015.
Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center marking 40 years MATTOON (JG-TC) — Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center turned 40 years old this year but the idea of building a hospital to serve the entire region started in 1968. At that time, there were two hospitals operating in Coles County and both were facing operational difficulties. In 1968, the board of the Mattoon hospital hired a consulting firm to perform a feasibility study. The results of the study were presented to the hospital boards in January 1969. The firm recommended that a new, regional hospital be built between Mattoon and Charleston. In response, an area medical planning council was formed. By April, the council had selected 19 land sites along Illinois Route 16 as possible locations for the new hospital. In 1970, the project received state certification and a board was assigned to oversee the new hospital’s development. One of the first actions was to request $8 million in government grants to be used for constructing the new hospital. A fund drive with a $2.5 million goal for the new facility kicked off in June 1970. Also, the Illinois Department of Public Health granted a license for the new hospital in October. The following year, an architectural firm was hired to plan the new facility, and the board decided the new hospital would be named Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center. A 75-acre tract of land located near Coles County Memorial Airport and north of Illinois Route 16 was selected as the location for the hospital because of its central location. In the fall of 1972, road construction for the hospital began. Facility construction contracts were awarded the next year and the work started in August. As construction reached the final stages in March 1976, state law changes and local approval
underway. In 2016, hospital officials announced plans to expand cardiology services with a new facility that will be built on the south side of the hospital. Construction is now taking place on new clinics in Neoga, which will replace an older facility, and in Shelbyville. Another current project is the renovation of the Women & Children’s Center where labor and delivery, pediatrics and gynecology services are located. In addition, a current campaign is raising funds for additional expansion and renovation. The plans for that phase of construction include expansion and reconfiguration of the emergency room, expansion and modernization of surgical suites. That work will add private rooms to the adult care unit, relocate and expand the laboratory and the speech and audiology departments. Some other highlights of the decades since the hospital opened include:
1980s
Public Relations Specialist Kayla Gilbert, right, speaks with a tour group during an open house at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center in March 2015.
SBLHC added a $2.2 million cancer center in 1989 and remodeled its Mental Health Unit. Outpatient care became a focus.
1990s
Several patient care clinics in other communities were opened. An expansion of the main hospital included the addition of an education center and medial office pavilion.
2000s
The outpatient surgery center and a cardiac catheterization lab opened.
2010s A seating area is shown in the new Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center regional cancer center in October 2016.
Lab Services at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center is shown in March 2015.
A $48 million renovation included construction of second medical office pavilion and a new cancer center.
took place, allowing the merger vices. 1977, which was Mother’s Day. have taken place over the years Source: Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Numerous expansion projects with some others planned or Center of the two older hospitals’ serSBLHC opened on May 10,
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Saturday, September 16, 2017 | A5
Journal Gazette & Times-Courier
Mattoon has pro baseball past MIKE MONAHAN
mike.monahan@lee.net
MATTOON — At the site of General Steels and Metals at Logan and Dewitt avenues for 11 years was the Mattoon Baseball Park and the home of professional baseball. Professional baseball in Mattoon existed in 1899 when they were part of the Indiana-Illinois League and then again from 1906-08 as part of the Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League and the Eastern Illinois League, but the Mattoon Ball Park and the last time there was professional baseball there existed from 194757. Mattoon was affiliated with the Chicago White Sox (1947), Cleveland Indians (1948), Cinncinnati Reds (1952), Philadelphia Phillies (1953-56) and Kansas City Athletics (1957). The Mattoon White Sox opened on May 24, 1947, with a 6-1 loss to Belleville in front of 500 fans. The Mattoon Athletics closed the ball park on Aug. 25, 1957. The team moved to Keokuk, Iowa, to become the Keokuk Cardinals and then to Wisconsin Rapids, Wisc., and Kenosha, Wisc., before moving to Fort Wayne, Ind., where the team has been since 1993 and has been the Fort Wayne TinCaps since 2009 and is a Class A team of the San Diego Padres. On Dec. 15, 1946, Howard V. Millard announced the formation of the Illinois State League with six cities awarded franchises and to start play in 1947. The six were Belleville, Centralia, Mattoon, Mount Vernon, Murphysboro and Paris. The Mattoon Athletic Association formed in 1947 by William Zurheider, Clyde Kirk and Charles E. Heath brought minor league baseball to Mattoon. The fundraising began for a $60,000 baseball park in March of 1947. The park, which measured 325 feet down the left field and right field lines and was 360 in center field, was demolished soon after the 1957 season to make way for a junk yard. The $60,000 was never raised and thus put the new team in debt before the first game. The team lost money in each of its 11 years.
Capacity was 2,500. “I feel in love with Mattoon fans,” Norm Spear of Charleston said in an article that appeared in the Sept. 7, 2005, special Mattoon Sesquicentennial issue. “They were warm and took care of you. I love Mattoon especially because it gave me my wife (Margie).” Spear, who played for the Mattoon Indians in 1950 as a catcher and also played third base, said the Mattoon Ball Park was one of the better ball parks in the league. Spear, who said at least five players married Mattoon
women, came from the Chicago Cubs organization as part of the lease situation. Many players were owned by different teams. “I played every position except first base,” said Spear. The players were paid as little as $150 per month. “We rented rooms from people,” said Spear. “I had one on Broadway next to Bidwell’s Candy. “We stayed in hotels and motels around the league when we were on the road. Ball players now make in meal money more than we made in a month. I have
a lot of fond memories. There was a lot of hype and a lot of emotion. We had to have a lot of promotions to try and bring people in. A lot of the competition started when television came along and people would watch major league baseball.” Spear played on the same team as future Major League player Jim Coker (catcher from parts of or all of 1958-67 for the Phillies, San Francisco Giants and Cincinnati Reds). “I was known as a hustler,” said Spear. “I gave it 110 per-
cent. Playing in the majors was always in your mind. You could tell someone was interested in you because not only would the scouts watch you they would then talk to you personally and see if you can handle that kind of life. Some made it and some didn’t. You had to have fun with the rigorous schedule we played. The team stayed together most of the year. We played over .500 ball and that was a good accomplishment.” In 1983 former bat boy/trainer Ralph Carter organized a reunion of players who played for Mattoon. Carter was a bat boy/ trainer from 1948-51. “Most of the reason why we started a reunion was for Chuck Hawley (player/manager 194850),” said Carter. “He was like a dad to all of us (including Bob Houseman and Wally Dunkovich).” Spear said he have been (as of 2005) reunions and that they originally started going to different homes. The reunion moved to Mattoon in 1950. Carter continued to work as a groundskeeper for the Mattoon Ball Park. “I didn’t do it for the money, I did it for the love of the game,” said Carter. In 1950 the annual banquet, which was held at Jackson’s Restaurant, brought in Stan Musial and Harry Caray. In 1952 minor league baseball in Mattoon nearly died. Three days before the deadline $8,280 was needed. The Mattoon association would get additional income from scorecard advertising and outfield fence advertising which saved the team. Andy Lindstrom, a player for the 1953 Philadelphia Phillies, wrote a story for the July 29, 1988, issue of the Journal Gazette. Lindstrom’s father, Freddie, played in 1924-36 (New York Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs and Brooklyn Dodgers) and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976. Andy Lindstrom recalled getting $1.50 for meal money per day and that his uniform was a hand-me-down from Philadelphia’s ace pitcher Robin Roberts (pitched from 1948-66 for
the Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros and was also inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976). The 1948 Illinois State League All-Star Game as well as the 1950 Mississippi-Ohio Valley League All-Star Game were played in Mattoon. Six former Mattoon players were among the notables to make it to the Major Leagues: Lew Krausse, Sr. (managed Mattoon in 1957 after playing for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1931 and 1932), Art Mahaffey (1960-66 with Philadelphia and St. Louis), Dallas Green (1960-67 with Philadelphia, Washington Senators and New York Mets), Jim Golden (1960-63 with the Los Angeles Dodges and Houston Colt 45’s), Coker, and Don Landrum (195766 with Philadelphia, St. Louis, Cubs and Giants). Among the opponents who played in Mattoon were Jim Frey and National Baseball Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver. Neither made it to the “show,” but both made it as managers. Frey played for Paducah, Ky., in 1950 and was 14th in Class D in batting with a .325 average. Weaver payed for West Frankfort in 1948 and played in the all-star game in Mattoon as well. Weaver remembered Mattoon in the 2005 National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony saying, “I remember Mattoon. I liked the ball park.” Mattoon was a founding franchise in the Midwest League and it is the oldest franchise in the MWL, evolving into the TinCaps. Two no-hitters were thrown by Mattoon the first one was Aug. 24, 1954, when Tom Cronin defeated the Hannibal Cardinals 2-0. The last one was July 16, 1956, when Mike Wallace pitched it in a 6-0 win over the Clinton Pirates. The Mattoon field was supposedly one of the best in the Class D Mississippi-Ohio Valley League along with Brooks Stadium (built in 1948 and is still in use today in Paducah, Ky.). The Mattoon Baseball Park drew 61,000 fans in the 1953 season, but in 1957 in the final season only 22,000 fans came out to see professional baseball in Mattoon.
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