Village of Secor

This list and another like it from the following  school year recently came to light.  This  might be of interest to those kids who are still around or to their families or friends.  Perhaps the other list will be offered later.

                                  First Grade

  STUDENT                                       PARENT

Armstrong, Tracy                     Kenneth Armstrong

Breach, Julie                               Donald Breach

Cooley, Rodger                          James Cooley

Egger, Darelynn                         Darrell R. Egger

Egger, Walter                              Darrel R. Egger

Fairchild, Carol                          James E. Fairchild

Garrels, Valerie                          Ray Garrels

Hartman, David                          Wilbur Hartman

Hockman, Carol Jean               Guy Hockman

Ledford, Peggy                           Mitchell Ledford

Long, Anthony                           Russaw Long

Martin, Larry                              Lester Martin

Myers, David                               Charles Meyer

Rice, Joyce                                   Rufus Rice

Schumacher, Tina                     Kenneth Schumacher

Simpson, Allen                           John Simpson

Turner, Laurie                            Albert Turner

Wagner, Laura                            David Wagner

Miller, Sarah                                Lyle Miller

                             Second Grade

Armstrong, Ronald                   Kenneth Armstrong

Casey, Paul                                   Thomas Casey

Graig, Colin                                   Stanley Craig

Harris, Roger                               Leroy Jording

Hayes, William                            William Hayes

Martin, Teresa                             Lester Martin

Meyers, Charles                          Charles Meyer

Moser, Gregory                           Lyle Moser

Rarick, Ricky                                Frank Rarick

Rice, Charles                                 Rufus Rice

Sandstrom, Shirley                    Dorothy Simpson

Schumacher, Theodosia          Kenneth Schumacher

Smith, Dale                                    Willis Smith

Steidinger, Nina                          Harold Steidinger

Turner, Gail                                  Arthur Turner

Turner, Ricky                               Albert Turner

Van Scyoc, Charles                    John Van Scyoc

Wagner, Celia                               David Wagner

Wolfe, Kevin                                 Howard Wolfe  

                              Third Grade

Armstrong, Leslie                      Kenneth Armstrong

Branson, Donald                         Mrs. Evelyn Kiesewetter

Cooley, Ronald                            James Cooley

Duffy, Matthew                            Martin Duffty    

Egger, LInda                                 Darrell Egger

Fairchild, James                         James Fairchild

Froman, Eileen                            Mrs. Ruth Froman

Graber, Myron                            Clarence Graber

Knoll, Mary                                  Fred Knoll

Martin, Alan                                 Lester Martin

Miller, Patty                                 Lyle Miller

Moser, Shirley                             Lyle Moser

Simpson, Dennis                         John Simpson

Smith, Dean                                  Willis Smith

Thomas, William                        William Thomas

                              Fourth Grade

Armstrong, Steven                  Kenneth Armstrong

Breach, Loren                           Donald Breach

Craig, Ray Ann                          Stanley Craig

Harris, Stephen                        Leroy Jording

Hartman, Denise                      Wilbur Hartman

Greenwood, Melanie              Kenneth Greenwood

Jarman, Joy                               Jean Jarman

Knoll, Bonnie                             Fred Knoll

Long, Darrell                             Russaw Long

Martin, Roberta                       William Greathouse

McGhee, Mike                           Erby McGhee

Pierceall, James                       Dwight Pierceall

Schumacher, Kenneth           Kenneth Schumacher

Thomas, Willia                          William Th0mas

Wilkey, Randy                           James Wilkey

                               Fifth Grade

Craig, Donald                            Stanley Craig

Crump, Cynthia                        Gerald Crump

Edwards, Thomas                    Fred Edwards

Garrels, Charles                        Ray Garrels

Graybill, Candy                         Millie Scheibler

Hungsinger, Susan                   Harold Hunsinger

Jakob, Crystal                           George Jakob

Johnson, Mark                          Joseph Johnson

Jording, Leroy                          Leroy Jording

Ledford, Jowanda                   Mitchell Ledford

Martin, Donna                          Lester Martin

Sandstrom, Victoria              Mrs. Dorothy Simpson

Servis, Leroy                            Fred Servis

For those in Secor who have never know of any businesses other than the Co-op elevator or the Secor Saloon, the item included with this post should be interesting.  Right click on each image to enlarge.

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Two of the last buildings still standing in what once was Secor’s bustling ”uptown” finally met their sad end over the past several days. 

According to the Secor Centennial Book, the Gassner Building, on Bestor Street, was the oldest of the two buildings.  It was a single-story brick structure, dating back to the early 1880′s when it was the site of Henry Gassner and William Dehority’s Saloon.  What it was in later years is no longer known.  But in 1944, it was owned by George Hunsinger, who decided to start a business  there: Hunsinger Sales and Services.  George originally sold farm implements and equipment as well as hardware.  In 1946, he added a concrete block building at the corners of Second and Gilman Streets and concentrated on selling only hardware and associated services.   He added a small frame structure, originally planned as an auto body shop, on the south end of his building in 1948, and that enterprise eventually evolved into a full-service auto repair shop. 

George decided to retire 30 years later and finally closed the business in October of 1974.  The buildings passed in and out of the hands  of several subsequent owners, but a lack of upkeep finally left both buildings unusable, unsafe and beyond repair.  The Village of Secor accepted title of the property in 2010 and recently contracted with Beitz Trucking and Demolition, of Colfax, Illinois, to raze the buildings and clean up the sites.  Although a few little things have yet to be done, the project is mostly complete.  The Secor Post Office, which for years huddled in the shadow of Hunsinger Hardware looks pretty lonely now, sitting there all by itself. 

click on photo to enlarge

click on photo to enlarge

      This timetable is from December 6, 1931, and was provided to this website  by a gentleman named John Stell, who was the chief dispatcher for the TP & W Railroad at the time of the brief “merger” with the Santa Fe R.R.   John eventually left the TP & W, went to work for the Burlington Northern, Santa Fe Railroad, and subsequently retired from there.   

     These documents list arrival and departure times of numbered trains from the towns along the railroad from Effner, the farthest point in the Eastern Division, to the center point, Peoria, and then on to the farthest point west on The Western Division, which was the the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy crossing in Keokuk, Iowa, and back again.   It also includes times for it’s two Western Branches.  It is interesting to note how many smaller communities are no longer in existence, or are just remembered by their name, such as Enright, and how many former railroads have disappeared.

     John has also provided a timetable from 1916, which will be posted at a future date.  Many thanks to John and to his friend Judy, who enlarged the original pages to a size more easily read.   Click on each image to enlarge

The accompanying photo was taken in 1904 from a high location on a grain elevator originally erected in 1869 by a Colonel  Sidwell and a James Carrol, and was one of several  that existed in various locations in Secor throughout the years.  The structure was situated along the siding on the south side of the TP&W railroad tracks, parallel to Bestor Street.  It had a number of owners over the years and finally burned to the ground in 1910.

This photo was taken facing northeast.  The two story building located on the corner on the right side of the photo is the Secor Hotel which was consumed by fire, either in 1903 or 1904, and was in the process of being rebuilt when the photo was taken.  If you look carefully, you can see the workmen on the second floor.  It is interesting to see how few houses were located on the north and east side of the village at that time.   Most of the houses in this photo are still in existence today.  

This photograph of the village is one of many which can be found in the Secor Sesquicentennial Book.

Marge and Joe's (click to enlarge photos)

Many months ago, a visitor to this website asked if I knew for sure what ever happened to Marge and Joe’s Tavern, and when it happened.   Although I knew a little something about it, it wasn’t much, but I told him that I would ask around and if I found out anything I would post it on the website. After a little “asking around” and with a fair amount of good luck, at least some of the answers have been found.

For those of you who aren’t old enough to remember this landmark, or for whatever reason never set foot in the place, a little background is in order.

Established in1935, Marge and Joe’s was what what today would be called a family bar and restaurant. It was located on the “S” curve on U.S. Route 24 1 mile west of Secor.  The owners were Marge and Joe Beoletto.  They, along with their little girls, Jean and Sandy, operated the establishment and also lived in an apartment inside the building.

Joe, Sandy and Marge Beoletto at the bar

It was a friendly place to stop and have a good meal or a beer or two.  In the beginning, as the lead photo shows, it was also a place to get gas for your car.  And for a weary traveler on a dark night or a third shift worker dragging himself home after a hot, long, mean 8 hours of back-breaking labor at Caterpillar or LeTourneau-Westinghouse or Keystone, the lights of Marge and Joe’s, visible for miles in every direction were a welcoming beacon of rest and camaraderie and the promise of good things to be enjoyed.

One of the local dance combos

In the earlier days, on Saturday nights a  local dance band might perform and then the small dance floor would be crowded with happy couples, the bar would be doing a brisk business and Mom, Dad and the kids, couples on a date and the occasional traveler would be in the dining room enjoying some of Marge’s famous deep fried chicken or a fried catfish and a cold bottle of beer or for the kids a hamburger and fries and maybe a bottle of Orange Crush or a Squirt.  It was a familiar, comfortable and friendly place to be.

While I was looking for information which could answer the question about “whatever happened” a newspaper clipping was provided to me by Ann Armstrong, which pretty much answered that question.  The contents of that article are a follows:

Roanoke Review, February 21, 1961

Fire early Saturday morning completely destroyed the Curve Inn, formerly Marge and Joe’s, a combined tavern and restaurant six miles east of Eureka on Route 24.

This blaze, the third in the Eureka area in less than two weeks, was discovered by unidentified passing motorists about 6:30 a.m.  They reportedly tried the doors and when they were unable to arouse anyone went to the Art Menssen farm home a half mile east of the tavern to turn in the alarm.

Mennsen notified the Secor fire department and then he and Henry DeGroot went to the tavern.  They knew that Robert Brubaker, operator of the tavern slept in the building.  Unable to wake him at first, they broke down the door.  He escaped uninjured.

The Secor fire department arrived at the scene about 7:00 o’clock and the Eureka firemen a few minutes later.  However, the fire in the 100 foot long frame building had gained such headway from the effect of a strong south wind that efforts to save the structure were hopeless.

The fire started toward the east end of the building and is believed to have been caused by faulty wiring.  When firemen arrived, the storeroom and dining room were already a mass of flames that were spreading rapidly to other parts of the building.

Brubaker said that the tavern had been closed at midnight and an employee, Lulu Mennsen, left a few minutes later.  He said that he went to bed about 1:00 o’clock.

Damage to the building and contents has been estimated at approximately $40,000, partially covered by insurance.

About a year ago, Joe Beoletto, who at the time owned the tavern, and his mother, Mrs. Margherita Beoletto, died from carbon monoxide poisoning in an apartment they occupied at the west end of the building.

Joe Beoletto, Richard Colburn, and Jim Selekis

That’s all the article had to say.  There was a photograph of the fire accompanying the article, but unfortunately, the clipping was a copy of a photcopy, and the quality of the photo was so poor as to render it unusable.

Fortunately for this story,  Marge and Joe’s daughter, Sandy, had made a number of family photos available to Lois Diener Vogel, a former Secor resident and a Secor historian.   Lois assembled the photos into a poster which was displayed during the 2007 Secor Sesquicentennial celebration.  Lois’ sister, Ann Diener Armstrong has graciously allowed the photos to be copied and included in this post.  Only a few of these photos will be included with this post, but several of the rest will be added to the History page of this website as a permanent feature.

If anyone reading this post has anything to add to this information or knows anyone who does, whether it be additional photos, newspaper clippings, first-hand accounts, corrections or comments, about this website or any of the posts, whether favorable or otherwise, please contact the site administrator at the email address provided.  For that matter, anyone who has historical information or photos about Secor that they would like to see posted, or a topic that someone would like to know more about, please write and mention that too, and perhaps some questions can be answered.

Many thanks to Ann Armstrong and her sister, Lois Vogel, for graciously providing this wealth of information.

rlm

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As each new segment of the Secor School Club minutes are presented, the old ones will be saved on the History page, and will become a permanent part of it.  Please note that the posts will be shown in a reverse chronological order.

There are still a number of 2007 Secor Sesquicentennial Books and Cookbooks available for sale.  The Sesquicentennial books are 185 page spiral bound books which include a reprint of the entire original 1957 Centennial Book plus additional Secor history and photos from the 2007 event, many in color.  Each Sesquicentennial Book is now only $15.00 plus $4.00 shipping.  The Cookbooks include recipes from past and present Secor residents and are $5.00 plus $2.00 shipping.  You may also  pick up the books locally without a shipping charge.  To purchase either book or for more information call 309-744-2342 or email meginrl@mchsi.com.