Elsah History

40 Pages·1993·17.3 MB·English

ELSAH HISTORY
No.64
and65
PublishedbyHistoricElsah Foundation, P.O. Box 117, Elsah, IL62028
Elsah as a community experienced some trying times during the summer of 1993. As the Great
Flood of'93 invaded the privacy ofthe homes ofits villagers and forced many to move out, it
lateralsoforcedtheVillagetofacetheresultingeffects. In away, theVillageasanentitysuddenly
had to 'grow up' and accept responsibilities beyond its previously protected, almost 19th century
existence. In the process it lostsome ofits appealing innocence. In the rebuildingnow under way, its
concern has to be the preservation ofas many ofthe gracious patterns ofrelationships that denned
Elsahlife, andthatweresoevidentin thelargerandsmallerelementsofElsaharchitectureaspossible.
Elsah also lost a good friend. Dr. Charles Hosmer, one whose concern with the preservation of
Americas pastinspired us all to seeand appreciate thebeautyofthevillagewe live in. Historic Elsah
Foimdation is grateful and was very fortunate that Chuck, as he is known to all ofus, a nationally
known authorityon thehistoryofpreservation in the United States, so willinglyand lovinglyserved
as its president for the past twentyyears. Wemiss him dearly, but intend to proceed, inspired byhis
enthusiasm,with thesupportofpreservationin thiscommunity.
For every historic event there are as many interpretations as there are people who witnessed or
experienced it. There may be some consensus on indisputable facts, but even those facts will be
described in many different ways. Each individual will color various aspects ofan event differently.
When asked to share an experience that stood out during the flood with the Historic Elsah
Foundation Newsletter, the villagers responded with awonderful collection ofstories that formed a
beautiful quilt. The pattern ofthe quilt is unique. The shapes and colors are kaleidoscopic. The
pieces are stitched together with strands ofinformation gleaned from a taped interview with our
mayor,JanePfeifer, and herhusband David and theirdaugnterandson-in-law, Edith andArno List,
ana from conversations with Eleanor Barnal, Cy Buntuig, Betty Clark (our postmaster), Rick
Dearborn, RandyKinder, andJerryTaetz.
Everyquilthas aborder tosetoffthepattern and to unifyit. Theborderofthis quilt is madeofa
great sense ofgratitude, evident in every shared experience, for so much loving concern expressed
duringthepastdifficulttimesbyboth neighborandstranger.
HistoricElsahFoundation thankseveryonewho contributedto thisissueforthetimegiven andthesharedfeelingsand
information, andfortheloanoftheirphotographs. WeespeciallythankMayorjanePfeiferforthegenerositywith which
she supplied us with vital information and background logs andschedules. We also thankJeralyn Hosmerfor
proofreadingthetextsandDorothyPendletonfortypingthereport.
When askedabouttheirfloodexperiencesin earlyFebruary, severalpeople mentionedthat,yes, now they were ready to
talkaboutit;hadIinquiredearlieritwouldhavebeentoodifficulttodo.
Undoubtedly thereare omissions ofimportantevents in this report, andpossiblysome mistakes -for these wesincerely
apologize. So muchhappened, andso many wereactively involvedthatitwasimpossibleto mention allby name. The
oneswho werementionedonlygivean indicationofthetremendousdiversityofthosewhohelped.
ThepreseriiationofFarley'sMusicHall,sponsoredbyHistoricElsahFoundation, isynadepossiblebyagenerous "purchase"
donationfromananonymousdonor, andgrantsfromtheIllinoisHistoricPreservationAgencyandtheNationalTrust. Thework
isunderthesupervisionoftheSt. Louisarchitect.JackLuer. Photo:RandyKinder
Historic Elsah Foundation
Officersfor1994
President IngeborgMack ElsahHistoryispublishedbyHISTORICElsahFOUNDATION,
VicePresident MarieCresswell IngeborgH. Mack, Editor.Subscriptioniswithmembership.
Secretary-Treasurer MarieOleson Regularmembershipis$7.50;Sustainingmembershipis
BoardMembers EleanorBarnal $15.00;Supportingmembershipis$25.00;Patrons
PaulaBradley membershipis$50.00; Lifemembershipis$500.00.Please
SueCollester sendto:
JuneCronin P.O.Box117
GaryGentry Elsah,Illinois62028
ElizabethMclntire
DanielZimmerman
^
"All I Need Is 500 Bags..."
Sandbags that is. in the village who did not do something. All these
That was the battle people were so capable, an—d they could have done
cry, and that is how anything that I have done but, we just organized
it all started here in thisway, because beingthe mayor..."
Elsah, the day after Command Center
the Fourth ofJuly
celebration. That It was at this point that Jim Prather, Director of
also was the day the Facilities at Principia College, suggested to Jane -
RiverRoad closed. "and that's how we got organized, actually," Jane
It had been a very remembers - "You need a Command Post." Jane
wet spring, with a immediately made the necessaryarrangements fora
flooding Mississippi Command Center in the lower room ofthe Civic
coursing past the Center. It was furnished with a desk and a
village, cresting on telephone, and a first-aid-quiet-place behind some
April 26 in Grafton, voting booths in the back of the room. Nancy
ten feet above flood Staker, a trained nurse, was available, but
stage. UnfortU- MayorJanePfeifer fortunately was only needed once. The Jersey
nately, as the County Health Department at one point offered
weather pattern was shots there. But, behind the desk duringthe daysat
stalled and the jet stream just stopped above the Marie Cresswell. "She was so wonderful. She filled
Midwest, there was more rain in May, and one all the slots. We had (work) slots, you know. She'd
rainstorm after another during the months ofJune call people and get it all straightened out. Genie
and July. Th—ese last two months were the wettest Keller did some ofthat work too, and the Rices,
since 1895 the first time an average was taken. David and Leslie, and Donald Mainwaring at
The enormous amount of precipitation did not night." (JanePfeifer)
allow the river to recede, but forced all the rivers of The Command Center was open 24 hours a day,
the Mississippi Basin to spill over their banks, and seven days a week. Jane had set up a Hot Line,
create a flood of, as some have said, almost Biblical which in fact was the telephone number of the
proportions. Pfeifer's guestroom. When called it would answer.
Early July, with the river rising, Principia College ContinuedonPage6
decided to protect both Riverview and the Gate
Lodge with walls ofsandbags. The Gate Lod^
defense though was abandoned not Ion
afterward as it appeared that the walls "leaked
like a sieve." All attention then was focused on
Riverview, and shortly on other homes around
thevillageas well.
As the river kept on rising, a true emergency
developed. Mayor Jane Pfeifer started
organizing whatever needed to be organized
in and for the village. As Robin Burns
remarks: "Jane worked tirelessly to coor-
dinate everything, scheduling work,
obtaining sand and sandbags, and seeing that
thevillagewas providedwith clean water, boats,
and volunteer night watchers." Though David 1/ v^^ll cjil/ her b<rtar^
Pfeifer sees another side of it and says the
question is, "What did Jane not do? She did
not eat, she did not sleep, and she did not see
her family!" But, Jane herself claims that, K,4 l,si "^ ^^ =""
"There was a lot ofcooperation, a lot ofhelp
from everyone. I don't think there was anyone
The Firsts in Elsah
ThroughthemanyyearsinthehistoryofEtsah,Iamsuretherehavebeenthingsthatneverhappenedbefore.But,thisisAugust, 1993
andwithinthelasttwomonthswehaveseenchangesinthislovelylittletownthatwillalterthewholecomplexofoursystem. Wehave
watchedwithconcernanddisbelieftheFloodof'93. WehaveseentheFIRSTSOFELSAHinthesetroubledtimesandIwillrecordtothe
bestofmyabilitythesemanyFIRSTS.
Tobeginwith,thelevelofwaterinthevillagewasbeyondbelieftooutsiders.Ofcourse,itcameupslowlybuteachdaywerecorded
anotherhigh. TheroadattheentrancewasthefirsttobecoveredandthewatermovedoverthegroundandstreetmovingupMillStreet
totheCornerNestBedandBreakfastandcoveredtheentireyardbelowtheRiven/lewHouseandbelowl^rs. Trovillion'shome.Itmoved
upMillStreettoHolt'sbrickhomeandbeyondtoWomack'sandUnterbrink's.AtthispointitenteredourKeller'sWalnutPark(lot)and
aroundBell'shome(formerMandorca).ItmovedonuppasttheGreenTreeBedandBreakfasttoOuderkirk'sbarnhome,pastTom
Sorbie's(hisfirsthome)totheintersectiongoinguptothecollege. Then,nextdoor,isthestonehouseofWanamaker'swhichhadwater
uptothewindowsills.AcrossthestreetistheGreerhouse(nowtheDeckhouse)wherethewaterwasalmostuptotheroof. Thenext
house,Evans'home(formerlyBobConnell's)ontheNWcornerofMillandMaplewassurroundedandhadmorethantwofeetofwaterin
thefirstfloorNext,thewatercametotheFarleyHallandtheKeller-Taetzhome,theRandyKinderhome,theElsahPostOfficeandall
aroundtheschoolhouse(nowtheElsahCivicCenter)anduptoMaryTober'shome.OnLaSalleStreetittookintheChristianScience
ChurchparkinglotandthechurchandwentbeyondtotheElsahMethodistChurch.
Theroadsbecamecoveredwiththewatertodepthswhereanoarcouldnotreachtobottom.Atfirsttheonlywaytoreachoursouthend
oftownwastodrivefromtheMethodistChurchpasttheChristianScienceChurchtotheMapleLeafCottagesonMapleStreet.Finallythe
watergotsodeeptheyputarockroadaboutafoothighinthemiddleofthestreet. Thisworkedfineuntilthewatercovereditandit
becametoodeepforcarandman. Waistdeep!Thedepthofthewatercouldrangefromaninchto,Iamsure, 15feetdeepsomeplaces
inthevillage.
Themostimpressiveexercisewasthesandbagging.Itwasunbelievablehowmanypeoplecametodothelife-savingactoffillingsandbags.
Atonetime,Iestimatedwayover100peopleworkingaroundthevillagetoprotectthehomes. Truckswouldappearwithsandanddumpin
variousplacesliketheroadorschoolhouseyard.Sometimestruckswouldloadthebagsandtakethemtothehometobesaved. The
sandbaggerswouldstackthebagsaroundthehouseawayfromthefoundation,maybefourorfivefeethigh. Theywereveryhelpfulatthe
moment,butintimetheybecameweakandfellin,floodingthehome.Attheend,therewerethreeplacesthatgavewayallinthesame
night.Holt's,GreenTreeBedandBreakfast,andRandyKinder's. Thisoccurredbecausethepowerwentoffat9:00pmandsothemany
manypumpsthatwerebeingusedstopped. Twenty-eighthomesandbuildingswerenowunderwaterEventhe
ContinuedonPage5
"TheJeepcameinhandy!"GenieandEdKellershowingsomefriendswhattovidfo.(Photo:anneWilliams);
FrontCover:Lookingatthe VillageofElsahfromtheriver,August1st, 1993(Photo:nimGodfrey,id
Continuedfrompage4
ChristianScienceChurchhadmorethan2inchesofwaterAboutthistimetheNationalGuardissuedfloodpassesforeachElsahfamilyso
wecouldcomeandgothroughElsah.AnotherFIRST.
Inourtime,thiswasthefirstexperienceofhavingtofeedsomanyvolunteers. ThiswasdoneattheCivicCenter(theoldschool). The
RedCrossandSalvationArmysentfood,andpeoplefromeverywherecontributedfoodandmoneyforthispurpose.Aclinicwassetupin
thelowerroom,alongwiththetelephonecenterThenumberofpeoplewhomannedthissen/icewillprobablyneverbeknown.Eventually
bottledwaterwasdistributedfromthisbuilding.Also,forthefirsttime,shotsweregivenfortetanustopreventinfection.Ohyes,Iforgotto
mentionthatthedrinkingwaterwasdistributedinplasticjugsandincans(likesodaandbeer). TheAnheuserBuschBreweryprovidedthe
waterincans.
ItwouldbeimpossibletolistallthewonderfulthingsthattheElsahpeople,PrincipiaCollege,andpeoplewhogaveoftheirtimeand
talentsdidtoprotectourvillage.Itwasneighborhelpingneighbor TheNationalGuardguardedourstreetsalongwithvolunteerpatrol
peopleforthefirsttimeinthehistoryofElsah.OnJuly27, 1993,theElsahPostOfficewasmovedtoBettyClark'shomeontheCemetery
Road,intohergarage,asthewaterwasnowontheflooroftheElsahbuilding.
Amongallthehardshipsthatweenduredarealsofunthingssuchas,themallardducksthatlivedforaweekortwoinKeller'sWalnut
Park. Theyenjoyedtheshadeofthetreesandthepeacefullakethathadbeencreatedonthislot. Theamountofboatsthatappearedwas
amazing. TheKellerboatthatjoinedthefleethadbeeninourbarnforover35yearsandwhenweputitinthewateritsailedgracefully
away.Itisawoodenhullandtookonamazinglylittlewaterandwasusedbyusandotherstoviewthevarioushomesandtotravelfrom
heretothere.InRandyKinder'sfloodedyardwasabeautifulredrosebushgivingcolortoanotherwiseblightedview. Onecouldonlyget
totheCivicCenter(oldschoolhouse)byboatsoonecouldheartheclickofoarsalmostanytimeofthedayornight.Itwasreallystrange
tobeabletorowfromtheriverupMillStreettobeyondthePostOfficetotheschoolbuilding. We,hereonthesouthpartofLaSalleStreet,
wereonanisland!WecouldcountMrs. Trovillion,NedandPaulaBradleyGenieandEdKeller,Charlie,Carmen,andBradyFyfe,Nancy
McDowandWayneRowling,andJerryandPattyTaetzforourpopulation. WeusedthePrincipiafirelanefromthepicnicgroundthrough
thewoodsandfieldstothetopoftheChautauquaRoad. Thejeepcameinhandy!WeleftonecaratLouFederle's. Thisisabeautiful
slowdriveandwehaveseensomelovelydeeraswetraveledalong.
Wewalkedthestreetintheearlymorning,atnoonandintheeveningandfoundpleasureinthequietpartoftown.Icouldmentionmany
moreincidentsthatoccurred,butImustleavealittletoyourimagination.Notmanyvillagesinourareacancountthismany"FIRSTS"in
theirhistory!Welearnedagreatdealduringtheseweeksandwefeelgreatlyblessedtohaveeachother
Genieand EdKeller
22LaSalleStreet
Ed'sgrandfathercametoElsaharound 1870. Edserved on theVillageBoard,andas mayorofElsah from 1941-1970.
GeniecamefromAlton.
TheCivicCenterwiththeBoat
Landing
PHOTO:BrLLBross.
ContinuedfromPage3 Army in this area, was extremely helpful. She would
o"rThiinsfoisrmtahteioEnlsfahroHmottheLiAnre,m"yaCnodrgpisveofthEengriinveerersst,agoe,r adeslkivwehraedt iwnasthenieredtreudcka.nWdhothleenbtoaxkeescoafrebatnhaatnaist awnasd
local news. TheCommandCenterwasalso thebase for cookies would be sent. "The Salvation Army was our
the Boat Coordinator. As the water kept on rising, Salvation!" Randy Kinder claims. They also brought
everyone wanted a boat, but there were only so many disinfectant to wash hands before eating, as the
boats available. Several people had donated the use of sandbaggersworked in highlypolluted river-water.
their boats: Bob Smith loaned the village some, so did
the Countyand Principia, and Cy Bunting offered the
use ofhis canoe. One boat was kept at the front hill,
and later one was kept at Valley Street, while Chadie
Fyfe had the use ofone at all times. Toward the end,
for about a week, the Boat Landing was right there ControlDesk: Floodof1993
beyond the sandbag walls around the Center, with
boats locked to trees or posts with chains and Ihadtheprivilegetoworffatthisdeskfortwoweekslocatedin
padlocks. TheBoatCoordinatorgaveout boatstwicea thetowerroomoftheoldstoneElsahSchool.Mydutieswere:
day-once in the morningand onceat night. To make A.Answeringphoneswhichrangconstantly;answering
things easier, the boats and the keys to the locks were questions,someveryimportantandothersjustpeoplewanting
colorcoordinated. totalk,etc.
Last but not least, the Command Center housed the B.Makingthetimesheetsforpeopletoworkatthisdeskwhich
kitchen. "It was the feeding center, where the local wasopen24hoursaday sevendaysaweek. Tryingtoget
ladies put food together," (Randy Kinder), helped by peoplefornightdutycheckingpumpsandsandbags,called
their local husbands. Eleanor Barnal, Cora and Lee "Roamers,"walkingthestreetsorgoinginaboat.
Stickler, June and Bob Cronin and others saw to it C.Keeperoftheboatkeys,floatlights,gloves,boatsandradios.
that everyone who sandbagged or helped in any other Youhadtosigntheminandout.
way was fed. The Command Center would call early D.Havingpeoplesigntheworksheets(thosewhodid
in the day to report how many might be coming that sandbaggingandwhohadotherworkduties).
day. Food was brought in and donated by many. E.Elsahresidentscametothedeskformessages. The
PinrisnmcaiplilapCaoclklaeggees,fuicren.isAheldotsaonfdwiciechweass, ncoeoekdieeds,icnhitphse mteelsespahgoenessfionrptheeopflleoowdhaorewaewreerteryniontgwtoorckoinntga.cAtltsoh,emt.oleave
hot weather. Hardy's from Jerseyville, and Lee's
Chicken in St. Louis would call and bring over IwashappytovisitwithseveralElsahpeoplewhomovedaway
cahnidcktehne,GarlleepnreTparreeed,Innr,eawdyhetno etahte.yThhaednttohecloLsaen,dsienngt abRiynvdtehrceaaftmireaenhtoaoluhles-lteipmaefinllwdastvaeanrcdabhniatgghls.otA.alnlTdhpeecoyapmwlaeelptkoaerdsketeeodttihhniesuMdpiepsseskirsEslipspaih
over perishables that were left. Eleanor Barnal knowingtheimportancetokeepthestreetclear.
remembers that, "I would call the Lane girls, Carolyn
and Judy, and they supplied us. They brought ThelowerpartofthevillagebytherivertotheCivicCenterwas
wiStrnadaniplvpeieyddu.aanlTdhcJeaonnasntnhoeef,reswowhdeoar,ebartnohudeghBcteosobakriweesasdfaranonmddJcpoiayeksweostohdael,yl mcrsuooytamdgeofr.fbe.yaITtlthohneeoiekotcenwedl,oyocwuwhhtauotyrhcietshoewegsileenwtvdaedosnowwyboueninalerttsoudwpoanlydw,wiaatrnhsiddgibrtnyaogvmtienrylutcwshkhueirobpcrrahbicoshkaeetlo.sfpaeTawdhe
had baked. And Jeri Hosmer came with homemade dumptruck.Shewasdeliveringapackagetosomeoneinlower
pies. Some people, like the Moody family, Dwight, Elsahandthistruckwastheonlywaytogetthere'
Margaret and their son David and his wife Cathy, Thefirstaidstationwasalsoatthiscontrolroom.Asectionwas
would bring fresh produce from their garden. Edith fixedwiththecanvasvotingboothstomakeitmoreprivate.
PfeiferListbroughttomatoes,andso itwent." Band-aidswereaveryimportantitem. Thisroomwasair-
conditionedsopeoplewouldcometogetcooledoffbeforegoing
SalvationArmyand Red Cross backtofillingsandbags.
The Red Crossand the SalvationArmywere two other IenjoyedeveryminuteIworkedatthisdesk.
sources ofall kinds ofsupplies: cleaning kits, mops,
personal hygiene kits, food, and rubbergloves for food MarieCresswell
distribution, and later bottled water.Jane Grundmann 70 Mill Street
from Chautauqua, the representativeoftheSalvation BothgrandmothersofMariewereborn in FJsah,and
sowasMarie.
Sandbagging again, always building the walls higher and higher.
Randy Kinder and Jerry Taetz, with Principia at
Not knowing much about sandbagging, Jane relied on Riverview and the Pitchfords at the Green Tree Inn,
CyBunting,AssociateDirectorofFacilities atPrincipia were among the first, to do really serious sandbagging.
College, for advice, "for he was the leader for the "And literally all ofthem, everyone ofthem said, 'All
aab1cdu9tvi7iil3vsdi,etadystoaattnhhtedehsektaanGmueaegtwhettaiLmeboevid,etgrJeayi,bomonauePntrdhasothahwenedrhtbaoaddgidgdsoiesneiognt.,m"teahnWesdhufirlhvloeeeolydpiCenoydgf jyNpueoEsoutpElhaDeavlheiIatStvtloee50dsbao0ii,tdtBJytaAhnGiwesSa,l.tli'osmstIoaeyd.ok"ynee'set.pWkoneuotawrtehhegoowwiantmgeartn.oypAutLtiLmuepsI
in order to know how high the predicted water would
come and how high the sandbag walls would have to The state ofIllinois had a commitment to helping in
be. thisDisaster.Allagencieswereto cooperatewith
Sand and bags were delivered at different sites, close to ContinuedonPage9
where they were needed. Again, sandbagging, filling
and placing bags to build a wall to protect the
buildings, was a 24 houradayjob, all week long. Soon
everybody
villagers,
Principia ^nd bag i«-vec
students, ^nd. b4^ - 5 — "^ -full
faculty, staff
aSnudmmeevern y- wall I* U' high. fc<«5«
Spvleouslssuinotnmeeaernrsys, Son^d hiahs<.*w^af^er^-^ ^ faralle.
who were B»0* shMtld. overlap hUc a hrichnnlf.
perfect
— Build like a.fyramU.
strangers
was sand-
bagging in
almost un-
bearablyhotand muggyweather. Thecry, "All I need is
500 bags" rang everywhere. But 500 bags did not go
veryfar.
Randy Kinder and his neighborJerryTaetz decided to
build one long levee across Mill Street, north of the
bridge at Farley's. This way one levee could protect all
structures north ofit. Only, nature did not cooperate.
That night, after heavy rains, a flash flood came down
Mill Street toward the river and created a mini flood
right behind this dike. It forced Randy and Jerry to
abandon this idea and build individual sandbag walls
around their properties along Mill Street. And thus,
with thewaxingwateredging ftirtherand ftirthernorth
intothevillage, Mill StreetCanalcameinto being.
Everything was going so fast. They thought that Top: Thefillingofsandbags.Photo:NedBradley
Riverview could be saved ifthewaterwould go as high Bottom:Passingbyhand. Lefttoright: CharlieFyfe,
as '73. But then itwas announced that the riverwould BenSchmidt, RandyKinder, photo:annewiluams
notgo 33 feet, but 34, and so there was awhole group
ofnew houses that would be touched by that. That's
when they started sandbagging Holt and the two
houses next to it, Doerr, Kinder,Taetz, the PostOffice,
and later the School. They built walls, and came back
Marge andthe Flood
Thefeelingoftfie 1993floodwas,forme,oneofunreality.My
littleliousestoodinthisspot,drysince19W.Nothingwould
reachher.Aswesandbaggedotherhouses,Iwasn'tworried.
WhenwemovedtoMillStreetandmadeplanstosandbagmy
house,Istillwasn'tworried. ThateveningIdidtakeupmy
flowersaroundtheporchandmovethemtothebackyardand
togranitedishpans,knowingthebagswouldcoverthem.After
thewatercoveredmyflowersfrontandback,Iwatchedmy
treetrunk,filledwithredgeraniumsandwhitepetunias
holdingitsown.Iwasoutofmyhouse,butIstillhadflowers.
Finallyeventhoseweredrowned.IthenlookedatSara
Rockabrand'sflowersforsolace.Afterthewaterreceded,I
workedeveningsuntilIcouldnolongerstandthedirtand
browncoloreverywhere.Iwouldfixanicedteaandwander
offlookingforgreengrassandtreeswithleaves. TheNorth's
backyardwaslovely,andtheadirondacklawnchair
comfortable.Afterafewweeks,Inoticedtwoclematisplants
inmybackyardleafingout.Aredclimbingroseevenbloomed
onelittleroseformebeforecoldweather Theyweresaying,
"We'restillhere."Firstthingonthespringagendaisnew
grassandnewflowers.
MarjorieDoerr
25Mill Street
MarjoriecametoElsah in 1985.
ToptoBottom: Transportingby Truck photo:randytJNDER;
Byboat-inthewater Photo:Randykinder;RandyKinder
crossingMillStreetCanal photo:anneWilliams; building
thesandbagwalls. ThetwovaliantMillStreetCanal
KnightsareRandyandJerry,strengtheningtheir
fortifications. Photo:AnneWilliams.
ContinuedfromPage7
ESDA (Emergency Services and Disaster Agency). To It is strange sometimes how pieces oflife's puzzle fit.
obtainsand,gravel, oranyotherassistanceJane feltthis The fact that the mayor of Elsah felt vindicated in
agency could supply, she would call Larry Mead, the accommodating the preservation of private homes in
local coordinator for ESDA. "And he did a good job," Elsah - because the Village as a whole is a Designated
volunteered David Pfeifer. Also, IDOT (Illinois Historic District - is the result ofthe persevering work
Department ofTransportation) assisted with many of the late Dr. Charles B. Hosmer, Jr. His idealism
loads ofgravel forLaSalle StreetandAlmato keepthat manifested itself in untiring watchfulness to preserve
the unique character of this village. It was he who,
through patient research, was able to support the
nomination of Elsah to be placed on the National
Register of Historic Places in 1973. Thus, in this
calamitous summer of 1993, while the river waters
floodedourhomes, heleft: us the benefit ofa privileged
treatment, and later, after the water receded, the
opportunity to be considered for State and Federal
HistoricGrants to help rebuilding.
^m "^^H^^^^^^|n^H
l-i^^JjjK-
r:!i
flSlw* v,jR^^^^^y
'mk ^^^^1
Intricatepumpsystems, withinthebackgroundCyBuntings m^a^ *'8iBf7ii
1
'fireboat'andthebridgeacrossMillStreetCanal. ^
Photo:RandvKinder "y "-^iB
area passable. Jane continues, "Elsah asked for
sandbags, sandand gravel. Sometimes Larry oranother
representative said no or they just did not come
through. In those cases, when I felt the need was
sufficientI used otherresourc—es. In thecase ofbags, we f%;;
went to Granite City once Principia went with a »
truck. And we picked up some in Jerseyville, the last Thesplashingofpumps
ones they had, whichwere really feed-bags, fiftypound Photo:NedBradlev
feed-bags. We had been asking forsand from the State,
but the State at first did not give it to us. We had all Pumps
these volunteers, and we had bags that could be filled, While sandbagging kept floodwaters from entering the
so we ordered from (Al) Gorman. They were very houses, the ground was so waterlogged that water
helpful, they came with load after load. Finally, after seeped into the basements. To keep the water table in
Nutwood broke, we suddenly could get State sand and the basementsatasafelevel, pimips were installed. The
State materials. Sand and gravel I ordered on the aim was to keep the water level at about 2 1/2 feet
Vtfiohrlelmtashgeeelsveebisel.xlpTaehnnsedesVsiomlmluaecgtehimolefastEerlisnuadnhidvweiardsuoaulrrseiFomrbEduMerrsAeeddPu9sba0lni%dc atbhnerldoouwbgohtuhgtehhetflvofiolorluaargeb.oovrPer.fiinvMceiapenilayechtparudicmtpowsnoewsg.earsTeolhineneeeVdpieuldlmapaglsel
Assistance Grant. However, at the time 1 did not know bought twelve electric pumps (sump pumps), and the
wewould receiveanyreimbursement. villagers themselves bought pumps or rented them;
"Sandbaggingprivate residences is agrayarea in public some were donated. Cy Bunting rigged up a floating
policy. It is not an approved activity. However, I used pump station by installing a fire pump and a gas
the fact thatthis is an historiccommunitywhich needs sledge-pump in a boat. He put a black hose in the
to be preserved as my justification. Since the Village pumpsand let ithangoverthe sides in thewater, anda
was making the request, I was not questioned on this canvas fire hose lay folded in the boat. Fora long time
matter."
ContinuedonPage12
"
37?^ Tingling Water andthe SubmergedPump
OfthemanynightsIspentsandbaggingdowninElsah, I
rememberthisoneparticularlywell.
-VT-L^-^
Theriverlevelhadrisensohighthatonlytruckscoulddrive
throughthewaterontheelevatedroadinfrontofthe
ChristianScienceChurch. Weusedmytrucktohaul
sandbagsfromtheCivicCenterovertotheUnterbrink,
WomackandHolthouses. MartyDeWindthadtaken
chargeofagroupofvolunteerstobeefupthesandbag
wallsaroundthesehouses. Theriverwasstillrising,and
unlesswebuiltthewallshigher, theywouldcertainly
collapsewithinashortperiodoftime. TheseepageinKarl
Unterbrink'shousewasalreadysomuchthatCyBunting
decidedweshouldputaportablefirepumpontheporchof
hishousetopumpouthisbasement. Onceeverythingwas
setup, weonlyneededtocheckthefuelperiodically Ihad
assumedthisresponsibility.
WhenIreturnedtocheckonthepumpsometimelaterthat
nightaftertakingabreak, Iheardthatthewallaround
Unterbrink's andWomack'shadjustcollapsed. EverybodyhadnowmovedovertotheHoltHousesandbagwall,sinceitwas
theonlyonestillstanding. WhenIaskedwhetheranyonehadtakencareofthefirepumpontheporch,nooneknew. So, I
wentovertocheckitout. Ifitwasstillsubmerged, itwascrucialtogetitoutasquicklyaspossible. Iclimbedoverthe
sandbagwallandthefenceontotheporchofthehouse. Thepumpwasstillthere,submergedunderthreefeetofwater The
intakehoseranthroughthefrontdooranddownthestairsintothebasement. Tobeabletopulloutthepump, Ihadtogo
insideandretrievethehose. Onceinside, Inoticedastrangetinglingonmylegs. Itwasn'ttoostrong,butstillirritating. The
firstthoughtthatcametomindwasinsects butcouldtheybeundenvater? Orfishperhaps? Suddenlyitdawnedonmethat
theelectricitymuststillhavebeenoninthehouse. Imusthavebeenclosetoawallsocket. TheclosertothewallIgot, the
strongerthetingling. Iquicklypulledupthehosefromthebasementandleftthehouse.
Onceoutside,avolunteerhelpedmelifttheportablepumpontothedry
road. Nowtherealworkstarted. Itwasabout 10p.m.,andthewaterhad
tobedrainedoutofthepump. Theairfilter,carburetor,andexhaustcame
off. Thecrankcasehadtobedrainedoftheoil-wateremulsion. Together TheValiantVolunteersofNine-three
withDavidCornell, Idismantledtheparts,cleaned, andcarefullydried Youcametoourrescue.
them. Allofthiswasdoneunderastreetlightandwiththehelpofaflash Eachchild, woman, man
light. Bythen, theroadaroundthepumpwasslipperyfromallthedrained Withcaring, warmhearts
oil. Inadditiontohavingtowatchourstep, wefoundourselvesfendingoff Andwithsturdy,stronghands.
thecontinuousattacksofmosquitoes. Insectrepellentdidnotseemtobe Fromfarandfromnear,you
doingthejob. Afteranhourortwo, wegottheenginetogetheragainand Came, newfriendsandold:
uwwpearsfeosrtritlelhaesdoynimtgeohts.mtoairItsfetiltu.trleFikoiernIstnhoeemecedaerrbdeuaarseortneo,srtitaAwntodutlhedissnp'eptcoiiranultnl.wyeaPodssehscioibwdleeyrdtthoergeive AAAAscbljeaauvnbiedycekbttalooguhhnteocoalhfpditlolserve
Thenextdayhowever, Iwashappytoseethepumpinoperationagain, Atiredpumptocoax
afterDaleKleinfromPhysicalPlanthadfixedtheproblem,andgotitto Avigiltokeep
workagain. FromthenonwekeptthepumpintheBiologyDepartment's Atouristtocaution
johnboat. Thispreventedthepumpfrombeingsubmergedinwateragain, Alevelto "guess
anditwasfareasiertotransport. Bythen,mostoflowerElsahwas Amopandashovel
floodedanywayandrunningthroughthe Villagewithamotorboatwasnot Tocleanupthemess
sounusualanymore. AndElsahsurvived
Sothatotherscansee
ArnoList Thatyourhopeandyournerve
PrincipiaCollege BeattheFloodofNine-Three.
ArnocametoPrincipiaCollegein 1990asan InternationalStudent. MaryNorth
AfterArnoand EdithPfeiferweremarried in 1991, theylived for July22, 1993
seven months in Elsah.
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