Elsah History

6 Pages·1994·1.5 MB·English

ELSAH HISTORY
No.67
1994
PublishedbyHistoricElsah Foundation, P.O. Box 117, Elsah, IL62028
C
Jlfa reward of ejuenso^
a thing well done;
have done
is to it.
Withgratitude to
fAN€pF€ljF€R
forha effortsduring
'
thefloodof1995
rue vui
\i
ThecalligraphyartworkpresentedtoJanePfeiferbyMaryNorth.
A Tribute To Jane Pfeifer, Our Mayor
Intheolderdays,whenElsahwasalittleout-of-the-way Pfeifer'scaliberatthehelm. AsaformerGrantManager
community,itslifeandgovernmentweresimple. The for Federal Programs for the Illinois Department of
Villagesetitsownstandards,anditsrequirementswere CommerceandCommunityAffairs,Janeknewwhereto
minimal. Therewasverylittleoutsideinterference. startandhowtoproceed. Shewasable,togetherwith
themembersoftheVillageBoard,toguidesuccessfully
Today,newlyenactedFederalandStatelawsreachevery theVillageandVillagersthroughthesedifficulttimes.
community,whetherlargeorsmall,importantornot,
withdemands. Tocomplywiththesemandatescompli-
catesthegoverningofthatcommunity,requiringanever MaryNorth,aVillageofElsahTrustee,plannedawell-
moreknowledgeableanddedicatedMayorandVillage deservedcommunity tributeto MayorJane Pfeiferon
Boardtomanageit. thefirstanniversaryofthecrestofthe'93flood. Then,
togiveeveryoneinthevillageandbeyondanideaofwhat
DuringtheGreatFloodof'93anditsaftermath,when itentailstogovernevenasmallcommunitylikeElsahin
organizationandfastactiononreliefrequestsweremost thesefastchangingtimes,weaskedtheMayortowrite
important,ElsahwasfortunatetohaveaMayorofJane aboutit.
iiNo More Oars In '94"
by MaryNorth,Village ofElsahTrustee
ThiswasthesloganfortheVillageofElsahPotlucklunch
onJuly31,1994,toremembertheanniversaryofthecrest
ofthe'93 floodonAugust1, 1993. Welovepotlucksin
Elsah. Folksbringacovereddishforeightorasalador
dessert,andtheirowntablesettingsandlawnchairs,while
the Village provides lemonade, ice and entertainment.
Visiting with our neighbors is the best entertainment,
along with friendship, fellowship and fun.
Afterlunchwasover,theVillageBoardhonored
MayorJanePfeifer. IwouldliketosharetheremarksI
madeonthatoccasion:
During the flood, there were three important
jobs. OnejobwasSurvival. Survivaloflifeand
ofbelongings. Survivalwithenoughbandaidsand
without major accidents. Survival to rebuild. TheVillagePotluckLunch,onJuly31st,honoringJane
Physicalandemotionalsurvival. Pfeifer,theMayor.
ThesecondjobwasService ThepeopleofElsah
.
areevergrateful tothecountless,caringvolun-
teers,andespecially to Principia College forits
generosityoftimeandresources. Ratherlikethe
Sorcerer'sApprentice,everyhelpinghandseemed
tomultiply,tofillmoresandbagsandraisemore
levees.
Spirit was the third job. In every way people
receivedmorethantheygave. Onewouldnever
wish foraflood,butwehavenoticedthatthere
isnowalotmorewavingtoeachother,alotmore
familiarity with neighbors. We share a new
history.
Throughout the whole siege of the river, one
personexcelledinthesethreejobs,andwerecog-
nize her today. We would have declared this
"JanePfeiferDay,"butshewouldhavevetoedit
ataVillageBoardmeeting. Wedoofferherour
profound gratitude andrespect for leadingour
effortslastsummer,forthreadingthewaythrough
themazeofbureaucracy,andforsustainingusin
ourtimesofimpatienceanddisbelief. Wepresent
toJanethiscalligraphyartworkwithaquotation,
selectedbyhermotheranddaughter,fromRalph
Waldo Emerson, which ably expresses Jane's JanePfeiferwiththeframedtributeshereceived.
humilityanddevotion: "Therewardofathing Photos:MargeryCarls.
welldone,istohavedoneit."
Village Happenings
'InMayweexperiencedaneclipseofthesun.
'AndinMay,onthe29th,NaomiEigner,whoseparents
ownavacationhomeonMillStreet,andJohnBybee
fromSt. LouisweremarriedintheMapleLeafInn
gardens. Aftertheceremonyanalfrescodinnerwas
served followed by dancing in the gaily-decorated
VillageHall.
•AveryhappyVillagePotluckTributetoMayorJane
Pfeifer,fiddlerandall,tookplaceonJuly31st. (See
articlebyMaryNorthon Page2.)
'OnDecember1stthemembersoftheMethodistChurch £^%*>-***,
heldacommunity"HangingoftheGreens,"awor-
shipservicewithspecialmusicdedicatingthememo-
rialpiano. Featuredweresolosforflute,piano,organ
andvoice,duetsforpianoandorgan,andatriofor
flutes. Theflutistswere: CharmaineBarnal(solo),
AmandaBarnetandKarenWilson. N. GayAnder-
son,thewifeofthePastor,wasthepianist,andJ.Dale
Lockard played the organ. Both heand Reverend
RoyAndersonsangsolos. Afterwardseveryonewas
invitedto"atimeoffellowshipandrefreshmentsat
theschoolbuilding." Theeventmarkedthebegin-
ningoftheChristmasSeason. NaomiEignerandJohnBybee'swedding.
•HistoricElsahFoundationhelditsannualholidayPot-
luckDinnerandHolidaySingonDecember 18that
the Civic Center. The Foundation provided roast
turkey,dressing,gravy,rolls,butter,appleciderand
coffee. Theguestsbroughtacovereddishorasalad
ordessert. LynnConnerplayedthekeyboardpiano
again,andtheassembledvillagerssanghappilyalong.
(6No More Oars In '94"
by MaryNorth,VillageofElsahTrustee
ThiswasthesloganfortheVillageofElsahPotlucklunch
onJuly31,1994,toremembertheanniversaryofthecrest
ofthe'93 floodonAugust1, 1993. Welovepotlucksin
Elsah. Folksbringacovereddishforeightorasalador
dessert,andtheirowntablesettingsandlawnchairs,while
the Village provides lemonade, ice and entertainment.
Visiting with our neighbors is the best entertainment,
along with friendship, fellowship and fun.
Afterlunchwasover,theVillageBoardhonored
MayorJanePfeifer. IwouldliketosharetheremarksI
madeonthatoccasion:
During the flood, there were three important
jobs. OnejobwasSurvival. Survivaloflifeand
ofbelongings. Survivalwithenoughbandaidsand
without major accidents. Survival to rebuild. TheVillagePotluckLunch,onJuly31st,honoringJane
Physicalandemotionalsurvival. Pfeifer,theMayor.
ThesecondjobwasService. ThepeopleofElsah
areevergrateful tothecountless,caringvolun-
teers, and especiallyto PrincipiaCollege forits
generosityoftimeandresources. Ratherlikethe
Sorcerer'sApprentice,everyhelpinghandseemed
tomultiply,tofillmoresandbagsandraisemore
levees.
Spirit was the third job. In every way people
receivedmorethantheygave. Onewouldnever
wish foraflood,butwehavenoticedthatthere
isnowalotmorewavingtoeachother,alotmore
familiarity with neighbors. We share a new
history.
Throughout the whole siege of the river, one
personexcelledinthesethreejobs,andwerecog-
nize her today. We would have declared this
"JanePfeiferDay,"butshewouldhavevetoedit
ataVillageBoardmeeting. Wedoofferherour
profound gratitude and respect for leadingour
effortslastsummer,forthreadingthewaythrough
themazeofbureaucracy,andforsustainingusin
ourtimesofimpatienceanddisbelief.Wepresent
toJanethiscalligraphyartworkwithaquotation,
selectedbyhermotheranddaughter,fromRalph
Waldo Emerson, which ably expresses Jane's JanePfeiferwiththeframedtributeshereceived.
humilityanddevotion: "Therewardofathing Photos:MargeryCarlson
welldone,istohavedoneit."
From the
Mayor's Desk
submittedanapplicationtotheElsahZoningBoardfor
ByJanePfeifer,PresidentoftheVillageofElsah approval.ThestandardsforboththeADAandthePost
Officeitselflimitedthepossibleoptions,andtheBoard
approvedtheproposalsubstantiallyaspresented.
Forthoseindividualsflooded greenspace,asrequired.
in'93,theyear1994willprob- Outsideoftherebuilding AfewVillageactivitieshavenotbeen federallyman-
ablyberememberedasare- after the flood, another dated! InFountainSquarePark,weinstalledtwoDietz
buildingyear. Post-floodac- federally mandated act, Pioneerlampsonwesterncedarpolescustom-madeby
tivitydominatedtheyearfor theAmericanswithDis- JerryFranklinofPrairiedeRocher. Theselights,avail-
theVillageBoardofTrustees abilitiesAct(calledADA), ablethroughHistoricElsahFoundation,aremadebythe
aswell. hasproducedothersig- samemanufacturerandusethesamemodelnameasthe
nificantbuildingchanges. 19th-centurylights. Oneoftheoriginallightsstillin
Beginninglastfallandthrough Thisactrequiresthatfa- ElsahisinourMuseum. Forsafetyreasons,wespread
thespring,theNationalTrust cilitiesopentothepublic peagravelundertheparkswingsandbars. Andwehad
grantmadeourPlanningand be accessible. The Vil- thesignsatFountainSquareParkandtheCivicCenter
DesignConsultantJackLuer's lagehadtoconductaself- repainted.Thesignlaborandmaterialsweredonatedby
twiceweeklyvisitsseemal- studytoreviewbuildings ScottKuehnel.
mostnormal.TheBoardand FountainSquareParkwiththeaccessiblepathand and programs to make
residents remain extremely drinkingfountainandtheDietzPioneerLamp. them accessible to indi- Thereareplentyofprojectsfor1995besidesournormal
gratefultoJackforhisuntiring vidualswithhandicapsof maintenance. We needtorepairthe flood-damaged
effortsonbehalfoftheVil- allkinds.Self-studytech- flooratthe Civic Center, install lights in the public
lageandhistoricpreservation. nicalassistancewaspro- parkinglot,installanadditionallightattheentranceto
videdbyIMPACT,anot- thevillage,andbegintheblock-by-blockstreetrepair
FEMA(FederalEmergencyManagementAgency)repre- for-profitorganizationwhichadvocatesforindividuals work.Also,wewillbeplanningaspecialplantingoftrees
sentativescloselymonitoredVillagecompliancewithour withdisabilities.Alltherecommendedchangeshavebeen andshrubs,withfundsdonatedbytheChristianScience
mandatoryordinanceregulatingdevelopmentinflood- orwillbemadeusinglocalfunding,becausewhenCon- ChurchesinSt.Louisforbeautificationaftertheflood.
plainareas. Complianceisessentialtomaintainflood gresspassedtheADAnomoneywasappropriatedforlocal Becauseofthefloodwehavelostovereighteentrees(big
insuranceinElsah. Withoutfloodinsuranceindividuals compliance, andsmall)onpublicproperty.
cannotobtainbankmortgages,andtheVillagewouldbe
ineligible for federal grants. Obviously, cooperation AspartofourregularMotorFuelTax-fundedsidewalk Wealsowillbereplacingsomelargesilvermaplesthat
betweenlocalgovernmentandthepropertyownerisvery repairprogram,wehavehadaccessibilitycutsinstalledin areattheendoftheirlife.Wewereremindedhoweasily
important. Flood-affected individualsreceivedletters thesidewalks.Andwithmoneyfromourmovielocation wecanbefooledbythesetrees. InearlyNovembera
askingforinformationandremindingthemoftherequire- fee,FountainSquareParknowhasanaccessiblefountain healthylookingtreeat33LaSalleStreetsuddenlyfell,
menttoelevateinteriorandexteriorsystemsabovethe andpavilionpadandpath. AttheCivicCenterthereare bringingdownpowerlines.Noonewashurt,andquick
basefloodelevationdeterminedbyourfloodmaps. rampsatthefrontentrance,inthehallfromtherestroom actionmadeitseemlikenothinghadhappened. Bythe
tothemainfloor,andattheemergencyexit;andthereis eveningCIPShadrestoredpower. RichardOuderkirk ThePostOfficeafter.
anewlightandsoundemergencysystem,alongwithafew andArnoListhelpedtodirecttrafficandkeeppeople
TheVillageBoardsponsoredseveralpublicmeetingsto minoritemsintherestroom.Inaddition,theVillageHall safelyawayfromthesite. KaryandBobSmithremoved
discussfloodmitigation,intheeventofanotherbigflood, hasanewwalk,makingitaccessible. Handicapparking thebigtreefromtheroad. Eventhetreerootsarenot
Optionsstillbeingexploredincludealevee,elevating signshavebeenerected,andafewremaintobereinstalled. visible. Afewdayslateranotherwindstormdestroyed
buildings,anddevelopingwetlandholdingareas. Addi- threemoretrees, oneagain causingapoweroutage,
tionally,the federalbuyoutprogramhasobtainedthe BesidestheVillageprojects,thePostOfficeistheother whileanotherdamagedthebridgeonAlmaStreet.
propertyat27MillStreet. The20th-centurysplit-level mostvisibleaccessibilityproject. Buildingsownedand
housewillbedemolishedintheearlypartof1995. The leasedbytheU.S.PostOfficewentthroughthesameself- TheVillageneverrunsoutofprojects. Hopefullyyour
land will belong to the Village, but it will be open studyprocess. ThearchitecthiredbythePostalServices favoriteprojectisnextonourlist.
We Welcome
Business News
to the Village...
—
AsofDecember 1st,"Jeremiah's Elsah"hasbeenin
theMottCommercialBuildingtenyears,servingthe
greatercommunity. ValerieFitzsimmons—at44AMillStreet
(upstairsoverRandyKinder'sgarage)
EdithandArnoListopenedanewArtGallery-the —
AilsaCraig-inthecharminglittlebuildingnearthe CricketJohnson at86MillStreet
riveron LaSalleStreet,featuringElsahareaartists.
Call(618)374-1805forhoursorappointment. Jeanniean—dHarryKiskerand
theirtwinsons intheMurphyHouse,
Therehasbeenachangeofownershipattherestau- (thestonehouseat33LaSalle,
rant. HelenCraftonisnowthesoleownerofthe attheheadofSelmaStreet)
original"ElsahLandingRestaurant." AndDorothy —
BillKreutzer intheredbrick
Lindgren,togetherwithDickShaikewitz,ownsand GraysonHouse
managestheoneinFrontenacwithanextendedmenu at2PalmStreet
andthenewnameof"SomethingElsah."
—
DorothyPendleton intheNirdlingHouse
at2AlmaStreet
nearthepostoffice
Historic Elsah Foundation
Officersfor 1994
ElsahHistoryispublishedbyHistoric
President IngeborgMack ElsahFoundation,IngeborgH. Mack,
VicePresident Marie Cresswell Editor. Subscriptioniswithmembership.
Secretary-Treasurer MarieOleson Regularmembershipis$7.50;Sustaining
membershipis$15.00;Supportingmem-
EleanorBarnal bershipis$25.00;Patronsmembershipis
PaulaBradley $50.00;Lifemembershipis$500.00.
SueCollester Pleasesendto:
JuneCronin
GaryGentry P.O.Box 117
ElizabethMclntire Elsah,Illinois62028
DanielZimmerman