The following was compiled by Steve Wagoner, Extension Educator, for the Damiansville comprehensive plan, with the help of local youth:
Youth Recommendations
It became evident early in the survey planning process that youth and school issues are important to Damiansville residents. Preliminary discussions held with members of the Comprehensive Planning Committee and others around school facilities, curricula, programs, use of technology, class size, consolidation, and out-of-school opportunities surfaced varied opinions about the current status and future directions of Damiansville youths, their families, their schools, and the community.
When looking at results of the door-to-door and online surveys administered, there was a lack of knowledge and understanding of the current school system in particular. 60% of respondents, for example, did not know about the attitudes of Damiansville children toward the school superintendent. 55% of respondents did not know about communication with the school board, communication with the school superintendent, and the attitudes of Damiansville children toward teachers. 53.3% did not know about the attitudes of Damiansville children toward school, and 51.7% did not know about communication with teachers.
The gap in school system knowledge and understanding may have been due to the lower percentage (36%) of respondents having at least one child under 18 years of age living at home or because younger households (those headed by a person under 35 years of age) were underrepresented in the demographics of the respondents. Respondents were overwhelmingly adults (and quite a few older adults over 70 years of age), and responses would have certainly indicated more knowledge and understanding of youth and school issues if youths had actually responded to the survey questions.
Survey responses concerning youth and school issues were also undoubtedly influenced by how long survey respondents have lived in Damiansville. The average number of years of Damiansville residence among respondents was 29 years.
Although survey responses clearly indicated a gap in knowledge of youth and school issues, information did surface that helps to shape important recommendations in this area. The public meeting held in November of 2008 also provides additional support for these recommendations:
Recommendation #1:
Involve youths and adults in determining and modifying what type of internet service is needed and available to Damiansville residents.
18.6% of survey respondents were unhappy with the number of internet providers and the quality of internet service available to them. Although this percentage alone is not alarming, it probably would have been much higher if survey respondents would have been younger in general. Even among survey respondents with an average age of 55, the level of dissatisfaction in this area was fourth highest of the Village infrastructure and services assessed. If a community is to properly address this issue, youths and younger adults need to be seen as experts in this area. They are the demographics with the highest degree of use and understanding of current and emerging technologies, and their input on what services are needed and likely to be best utilized by them is vital.
Suggested practices:
1. Recruit youths and adults from community residents and the schools who have interest in and knowledge about internet providers and service functions.
2. Research internet providers available in the Damiansville geographic area.
3. Determine what modifications are needed in existing internet service to improve capabilities, functions, and level of access.
4. Work with chosen internet providers to increase usefulness of their technology in Damiansville households and schools.
5. Publicize to Damiansville households improved internet services available.
RECOMMENDATION #2:
Involve youths in developing, instituting, and sustaining an effective community policing program.
25.3% of survey respondents were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with law enforcement as part of their Village infrastructure. It was their second greatest concern from the infrastructure components assessed. Response time and adequacy of patrols in particular were listed as areas needing improvement. Effective community policing programs involve citizens as volunteers to develop a working and mutually supportive relationship with law enforcement personnel. Damiansville Village residents can help police monitor situations and gain insight into problems and potential solutions. By citizens and law enforcement officers getting to know each other in this program, public perception, timeliness, and effectiveness of police patrols improve. By involving youths as partners in the community policing program, both young people and police officers improve their understanding of and respect for each other. Law enforcement personnel learn to see public safety as an opportunity for youth development in a community, and youths better see their responsibility in keeping their community safe for themselves, their friends, their families, and their community as a whole.
Suggested practices:
1. Work with area police officers to reach agreement on forming a police-community team.
2. Work with Damiansville schools to recruit high school students willing to volunteer their service in designing, implementing, and sustaining an effective community policing program.
3. Work with the Damiansville Village Board to identify and recruit adult volunteers for the community policing program.
4. Train the newly formed police-community team on developing an effective youth-adult partnership.
5. Develop criteria for success of the community policing program.
6. Outline police and community member roles in carrying out and sustaining the community policing program.
7. Identify monitoring responsibilities and timelines for the community policing program.
8. Carry out the community policing program.
9. Periodically evaluate the community policing program based on criteria for success.
RECOMMENDATION #3:
Develop a strategy for youths, parents, and school personnel to work together to determine a future plan for Damiansville schools and the formal education of its students.
Although survey respondents clearly did not see a problem with the current class size in Damiansville schools, and most respondents did not see a problem with school curricula quality and education, 36.5-43.3% of respondents did not know how to respond to those specific assessment categories. One survey respondent even wrote, “Without a doubt, the most urgent issue is our local school system.” When community residents attending the November 2008 public meeting were given an opportunity to attend one of three break-out discussions, about 50 of 70 attendees chose to participate in the discussion on schools. Specific concerns were voiced around handicapped accessibility of school facilities, the location of restroom facilities in the existing school buildings, and the availability of practical and cost-efficient options for improving current school facilities. Class size was discussed as positive for some, not constructive for others, and even limiting sometimes in terms of gender ratios and chances for student-to-student group work and learning how to deal with differences in others. Financial impacts of changes in school facilities, resources such as updated technology and computers, and curricular approaches were cited as having sensitive implications for the entire Damiansville community given the older population living there. Involving youths, parents, and school personnel together to bring in all relevant perspectives on these issues is the best chance to identify solutions and develop a timely yet futuristic plan for the formal education of Damiansville’s students.
Suggested practices:
1. Recruit school personnel, parents, and youths from grades 5-12 to evaluate current effectiveness of formal educational practices used in Damiansville schools.
2. Perform a W-O-T-S analysis to identify weaknesses, opportunities for improvement, existing threats to making improvements, and strengths of current formal educational practices used in Damiansville schools.
3. Develop and carry out grade-appropriate strategies to manage or eliminate existing threats to making improvements in current formal educational practices.
4. Identify and implement strategies to improve weaknesses of current formal educational practices.
5. Develop criteria for success of improved formal educational practices.
6. Select existing strengths to be replicated in other educational settings, classrooms, and grades; provide to appropriate school personnel, parents, and students training on chosen strengths.
7. Based on identified criteria for success, pursue opportunities for improving formal educational practices used in Damiansville schools.
8. Periodically evaluate formal educational practices used in Damiansville schools based on new criteria for success established and make any necessary changes.
RECOMMENDATION #4:
Involve youths, parents, and community representatives in school discussions and decisions relative to school consolidation.
Anecdotal comments made by members of the Damiansville Comprehensive Planning Committee, school personnel, and public meeting participants clearly demonstrated the opposing viewpoints of community members around the issue of school consolidation. Survey respondents seemed happy with the current quality of Damiansville schools. It has been important historically too as 73.6% of survey respondents indicated the quality of schools was an important or very important reason for them to originally locate in Damiansville. Some respondents even cited it as the thing they liked MOST about Damiansville. Public meeting participants agreed Damiansville teachers are very caring, high quality teachers have recently been attracted to the Village, and townspeople are willing to help and pull together very well for the schools. Some support surfaced via the survey for school consolidation or sharing of programs with other school districts, but the public meeting discussion clearly demonstrated more exploration is needed in this area. Other similar sized communities that have recently consolidated in the State of Illinois should be studied in terms of positives and negatives of the change. Youths should be included in this process because the change in their educational structures directly impacts their learning; they unfortunately are traditionally left out of consolidation and sharing conversations and decisions. Population shifts in the geographic area should be studied over the next two to five years and specific trends observed in the Village of Damiansville as they relate to the number of school-age youths. Any studies the school system does in the area of school consolidation and sharing with other school districts should be communicated publicly to keep community residents informed and to build a sense of ownership for future decisions. Youths, parents, and community representatives also need to help interpret results of studies conducted as the findings relate and compare to the culture of Damiansville as a community.
Suggested practices:
1. Identify and recruit student and parent representatives to work with existing school consolidation work groups, committees, etc.
2. Existing school consolidation work groups, committees, etc. update new student and parent representatives on research conducted and status of current efforts relative to school consolidation.
3. The school-student-parent team identifies and conducts additional research and studies to determine future consolidation steps beneficial for Damiansville schools.
4. Based on research and study findings, the school-student-parent team develops a three- to five-year consolidation plan of action.
5. Carry out the consolidation plan of action.
6. Periodically compare the plan of action to population shifts in the Damiansville geographic area.
7. Modify the plan based on Damiansville Village sentiment and demographic shifts and trends.
RECOMMENDATION #5:
Involve youths to explore types and appeal of potential new out-of-school activities.
Quantitative data from compiled surveys indicated 53.9% of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with recreation programs for youths administered through Damiansville parks. Virtually no respondents indicated dissatisfaction in this area, but 36.5% of respondents were indifferent about the same programs. 43% of respondents were infrequent users of the parks, and 38.2% were infrequent users of out-of-school sponsored activities. 35.5% of respondents NEVER used out-of-school sponsored activities. A correlation can be made between these levels of indifference and infrequency with the number of older respondents to the survey. Some written anecdotal comments did surface from survey respondents in support of improving summer programs for kids, and 36% or respondents even said they were willing to pay for a summer youth recreation program. Three respondents even specifically mentioned in their written survey responses the need for more playground equipment. Various types of recreational programs were mentioned in survey responses, but if resources are to be devoted to new out-of-school and summer activities for youths, they need to be considered the “experts” on what interests them and on what they are willing to support if offered. Communities often think new out-of-school activities and programs for youths are needed and will “keep them out of trouble,” they plan and implement some new youth activities and programs, and then they become frustrated when young people don’t support them. It often is because young people as the recipients of those new activities and programs have been left out of the planning, decision, and implementation processes that resulted in them.
Suggested practices:
1. Recruit youths, parents, and community representatives to serve on an out-of-school activities taskforce.
2. Consult survey suggestions of potential and desired out-of-school activities.
3. Survey Damiansville youths and parents on types of out-of-school activities desired and workable logistics for potential new out-of-school activities.
4. Select one new out-of-school activity to plan and carry out in Damiansville.
5. The taskforce involves key stakeholders to plan and carry out the selected out-of-school activity.
6. Based on the success of the new out-of-school activity held, the taskforce decides whether to plan and carry out additional out-of-school activities.
RECOMMENDATION #6:
Involve youths in developing, writing, producing, distributing, and evaluating a community-wide quarterly newsletter.
A lack of communication at multiple levels was quantitatively and qualitatively reflected in the survey findings. Respondents indicated a need for improved communication with schools when they responded that they did not know about various aspects of the school system. Those findings are mentioned in the introduction to this segment of the plan. Respondents expressed frustration in their written survey comments when they indicated they were “never advised of what is available — have to be related to know any news!” and the Village “needs a newsletter/newspaper of current events.” Public meeting participants expressed similar feelings in the school break-out discussion. By involving youths in the creation, management, and sustainment of this quarterly community-wide (not just dealing with school issues) newsletter, they will increase their understanding and appreciation of Damiansville as a community, develop important skills in news writing and business implementation, and make sure the newsletter is appealing to and understandable by their segment of the population.
Suggested practices:
1. Village Board members recruit high school students interested in working on a community-wide quarterly newsletter.
2. Village Board members decide which adults are to work with recruited high school students on a committee to jointly develop, distribute, manage, and sustain the newsletter.
3. Provide training to the newsletter committee on news writing, newsletter production, and fostering community relations through media.
4. Identify criteria for success of a community-wide quarterly newsletter.
5. Create, produce, manage, and sustain a community-wide quarterly newsletter for one year.
6. Evaluate and redirect the community-wide quarterly newsletter for year two based on criteria evaluation.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
History of Damiansville
The following passage was compiled by Steve Wagoner, Extension Educator, for the Damiansville comprehensive plan:
History of Damiansville
Early History
The chain of events that formed the State of Illinois and its counties reveals the timeline for Damiansville as an early settlement.
Before 1784, the forests and prairies of Illinois were a small part of the Northwest Territory claimed by Virginia as their western land. The territory included land between the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. The State of Virginia ceded in 1784 this territory to the United States, but its size made ordinary governmental operations difficult. Congress formed in 1800 the smaller Territory of Indiana that included Illinois. The Territory of Illinois was formed in 1809 with Kaskaskia as the seat of government.
A wagon road was laid in 1808 through a section of the Territory of Illinois which later became Clinton County. The road crossed the Kaskaskia River at the present city of Carlyle and enabled civilized white men to move among settlements. Settlements were made about 1810 in the timbered portions of what is now Sugar Creek Township. Frontier forts and block houses were established as “squatters” settled in the extreme southwest part of Clinton County as early as 1810 to 1812. The first regular land entry was made in 1817 by Elisha Rittinghouse.
A bill admitting Illinois into the Union was passes by Congress in April of 1818, and Clinton County was organized from parts of Washington, Bond, and Fayette counties on December 27, 1824. The first census taken in 1825 listed the county population as 1,106. The assessed value of taxable property excluding lands was $60,930 which was $55 per capita or $330 per family. Recorded names indicated all people were of English or Irish decent, born as citizens of America, and came from states like Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Kentucky.
Customs of early settlers included plenty of wild meat for cooking, and they usually brought enough food with them to last until a crop could be raised. Indian corn was grown and made into wholesome bread. A crane was hung in the fireplace, and a dutch-oven was used for baking. Fish came from streams, and roasting ears, pumpkins, beans, squashes, and potatoes were raised in “truck patches.” Coffee and tea were precious and used sparingly. Maple syrup was commonly used, and honey and butter were only five cents a pound. Eggs were three cents a dozen.
From 1820 to 1830, a cow and calf cost five to seven dollars, oxen were worth $30-40 per yoke, horses from $25-40, pork from one and a half to two dollars per net cut weight, fat three-year-old steers from seven to eight dollars and fifty cents per head, corn from 12 ½-15 cents a bushel, and wheat from 37 1/2 -50 cents a bushel.
Lookingglass Township
Clinton County was subdivided into four election districts from 1826-1828, and 15 political townships known today were apportioned in 1874. Damiansville traces its roots back to Lookingglass Township formed at that time. The township is in the far southwest part of the county and contains 48 sections mostly of fine farming land. It is bordered on the north by Sugar Creek Township, east by Germantown Township, west by St. Clair County, and south by Washington County.
Some of the first settlers in Lookingglass Township included Solomon Silkwood, John D. Patton, Daniel White, and Peter and Israel F. Outhouse. Elisha Rittinghouse entered the first land in the township on June 9, 1817, and George Ward filed claim for 160 acres in Section 27 near Sugar Creek.
Beginnings
John Duncan, a native of Kentucky, moved to Sugar Creek Township in 1818 and later moved to a spot about a mile north of the present site of Damiansville. He improved a farm there.
John S. Howe purchased in 1839 from the United States Government 80 acres of land in Clinton County. Some of his 80 acres were to become the part of Damiansville that lies to the north of the paved road.
The first German family to settle in Lookingglass Township was that of B. H. Heimann from Hanover, Germany. He located on the east side of Sugar Creek, Section 24, in 1837 and raised with a hoe his first crop of four acres of corn from the raw prairie.
B. H. Heimann had six sons, but John B. was the only son who remained in Damiansville. He improved his father’s farm, and had four sons and two daughters. One son Frank remained on the home place while his brothers Joseph and Herman improved farms of their own nearby.
Edward Teke and his family settled in Damiansville in 1838 with no descendents now living in Damiansville. Herman Kalmer also arrived that spring and was probably the first German to settle on the west side of Sugar Creek. He married Mary Santel and raised seven children.
John Herman Santel bought in 1846 from the United States Claims Department at Edwardsville a tract of land near Damiansville and had arrived from Holland ten years earlier. He had four children and built a house on his land which is probably the oldest building in Damiansville. One of his sons John Jr. farmed his land and has descendents still living in Damiansville.
Other Damiansville families tracing back to German immigrants include H. Henry Santel, Herman Rensing, Ben Middendorff, John Broeckling and his daughter Mary Breiner, and Herman Billhartz. Farms were passed from generation to generation. Money was scarce, and their means of survival were like other Illinois settlers. Iron-rimmed wagons were rare, but almost every farmer had a home-made wagon made entirely of wood. Even repeated greasing could not stop the screeching of these crude wagons, and the sound could be heard for miles.
The Germans (especially from Hanover and Westphalia) continued to rapidly settle in the Damiansville area in 1842 and 1843 and were joined by immigrants from Holland.
Throughout these early years, early residents of Lookingglass Township thought about educating their children. A small log school house was built around 1830 and probably was sustained by private sources because of the chaotic school law of the time. German settlers built another log school house in Section 24 as early as 1844, and Joseph Ostendorf was the teacher. Another landmark built in the middle of the territory was Kalmer’s School and served the boys and girls of the area farmers from the 1800’s until 1950.
Religious Ties
The history of the Village of Damiansville is directly tied to the history of the parish of St. Damian’s. The Catholic Church was the first building erected, and the village was built around it. The first pastor, Rev. Augustine Berger, said the first Mass on February 10, 1861, in a solid brick 46 by 70 foot structure of Roman style without a steeple. With the establishment of the new parish, the village got its present name. It had previously been known as Dempter and named after its sister town in Holland of the same name.
A one-room frame school house was also built in 1861, and a cemetery on the northwest corner of the church property was established the same year. The new church was dedicated in 1863 by Bishop Junker of Alton, and a small brick rectory was built and the cemetery moved to the southwest corner of the church property that same year.
The first pastor of St. Damian’s was Father Berger, and his successor was Father Chmelicek. Under his four years of leadership, the church was freed of debt, the Catholic school district was opened, and the life-size figures for the Christmas crib were acquired. A steeple and an addition were built to St. Damian’s Church in 1877 under the direction of Father Francis Lohmann. The congregation consisted of 120 families in 1881, but the formation of two new parishes at Albers and New Baden reduced its size to 80 by the Golden Jubilee Year of 1911.
A fire completely destroyed St. Damian’s grade school on February 22, 1940, but school classes were still held in the parlor of the convent and in the church sacristy. A new school was built and opened by that September, and 19 years later, enrollment increased necessitating the addition of another classroom to the school.
There is a detailed historical public record of church leadership over the years reinforcing the significance of religion to Damiansville.
Agricultural Influences
Damiansville was settled as an agricultural community, and at first only enough grain was grown to provide for the needs of the pioneer families. Eventually, though, more land was cleared, markets came closer, and more and better crops were grown. Wheat, corn, and oats became the principal crops of the area, and soybeans were added as a cash crop. Farm stock ate timothy and prairie grass until alfalfa was grown successfully with the help of limestone.
Agricultural statistics compiled by Lookingglass Township assessors in 1880 included 5,636 acres of corn yielding 182,190 bushels; 12,125 acres of winter wheat yielding 249,942 bushels; 1,401 acres of oats yielding 32,023 bushels; 36 acres of vineyard yielding 3,450 quarts of wine; 63 fat sheep sold grossing 3,780 pounds; 398 cows with 23,740 pounds of butter sold; no cheese, cream, or milk sold (although urban sprawl eventually shortened transportation distances to increase the demand for dairy products); nine hogs or pigs dying of cholera; and nine horses dying.
Horses, mules, and a few oxen did most of the field work until Gerhard and Anna Toennies had the first Moline-Universal tractor in 1917. Wheat reapers, the swing-stacker, the binder that used twine, the steam engine threshing rig, and finally the combines of today harvested the field crops. Neighbors helped neighbors, men harvested the crops together, and women congregated to cook meals of beef or chicken soup followed by chicken, roast beef, pie, and coffee cake.
Businesses
Damiansville has had numerous business places since 1861. The church was the first building built followed by two stores built and opened by Henry Haidders and B. Stephens that same year. A post office was established in 1862, and within 20 years, three stores, three saloons, two blacksmith shops, and one wagon-maker existed. Henry Book, Gustave Lehrter, and Martin Jansen were the three storekeepers in 1881, but many other business records were incomplete. Other types of stores that were needed in Damiansville’s early years included a shoe shop, a creamery (which did not last long and was no longer in existence in 1910), a saw mill, a grist mill, a planning mill, a brick quarry (which did not last long after 1900, a general store, a barber shop, and possibly an undertaking business.
A flavorful description of Herman Toennies’ business was, “He does custom grinding only in the grist mill and in the saw mill department does both custom and commercial sawing. Hardwood lumber is sawed almost exclusively. The capacity of the mill will average between 2,500 and 3,000 feet daily when in operation. It is equipped with a 60-inch circular saw and is operated by steam. The planning mill is also operated by steam. In connection with the above business, Mr. Toennies also handles pipes, fittings, guttering and spouting, dressed lumber, etc., and he has a large business along these lines.”
A common practice in the 1800’s was for stores to send “peddle wagons” (usually covered) stocked with dry goods from farm to farm trading goods for butter and eggs. A three-day trip was then made to St. Louis and back to peddle the collected farm-grown produce.
Entertainment and Recreation
The earliest entertainments were husking bees, barn raisings, and card games. House parties were a popular form of recreation as neighbors and friends gathered together and refreshed themselves with homemade wine or cider. Public dances were not held, but dancing on platforms in the open air occurred at weddings. Individuals with accordions provided the music, but a popular band of the time was called the Lookingglass Outlaws or the Sugar Creek Outlaws. The church also occasionally provided to young people silent movies shown on a Sunday night in the school basement. An organization called the St. Damian’s Dramatic Club presented annual plays during the 1920’s.
A common party followed the presentation of a “turm schirm” where a group of young people would toss an old Christmas tree on the ‘victim’s’ porch, let out a yell, and then run and hide. After being found, the crowd would have a party at the house of the family that got the “turm schirm.”
Sports such as softball, basketball, and volleyball eventually became popular types of recreation.
Later Influences
Interstate 64
The greatest cause of change for Damiansville has been Interstate 64 (I-64) running south of the Village. The interstate connects St. Louis, Missouri, with Norfolk, Virginia. Land acquisition on the Clinton County portion started in 1967, bridge construction began in 1969, paving began in 1970, and the official opening occurred on December 28, 1973.
I-64 improved the quality of life for Damiansville residents and provided easier access to jobs, entertainment, and shopping in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area. Easy access to the interstate influenced where Monterey Coal Mine No. 2 (north of Damiansville), Home Nursery, and Sugar Creek Subdivision were located.
Incorporation
The community realized the need to incorporate as a village when growth occurred in conjunction with the opening of I-64 and the construction of Monterey Coal Mine No. 2. A 1969 state statute, though, required a minimum population of 400 residents for incorporation. Area representatives were made aware of the problem, and a 1975 state statute was enacted lowering the minimum population to 200 residents needed for incorporation by an Illinois town. Nearly 300 residents lived within the Village of Damiansville by then so on June 18, 1977, Damiansville voters approved an incorporation referendum by a vote of 80 to 28. Leander Horstmann was elected Village President on August 20, 1977, along with Johanna Fuehne as Village Clerk, and Francis Billhartz, Frank Heimann, Henry Jansen, Clifford Kolb, Louis Korte, and Albin Toennies as Village Trustees. Since that time, the Village Board has initiated several projects including replacing or adding sidewalks, annexing several properties to the village, and completing a sewer system.
Damiansville Chamber of Commerce
The Damiansville Chamber of Commerce was organized in 1959 to solve community problems; to provide facilities for the protection, convenience, and comfort of Damiansville citizens; to promote the general welfare of Damiansville; and to make Damiansville a better place to live. The Chamber was instrumental in providing Damiansville with street lights and new streets, and played important roles in becoming incorporated and forming a water district. Although the town board now assumes some of the responsibilities once held by the Chamber, the organization still thrives today.
Damiansville Public Water District
New homes being built on the east edge of Damiansville in the early 1960’s along with St. Damian’s School were supplied with water from a deep well owned by Albert J. Toennies. The State of Illinois and the Environmental Protection Agency began issuing in 1968 regulations and standards for those supplying water to the public. Albert’s son, Alfred, agreed to chair a committee to consider a project for supplying water to the entire community. After several meetings and with legal advice, a hearing was held to determine the location and boundaries of a proposed water district, and voters on February 15, 1969, approved the public water district by a vote of 106 to 10. The Circuit Judge of Clinton County then let it be known as the Damiansville Public Water District on February 17 of the same year. The Damiansville Chamber of Commerce had paid previous expenses to set up the district, and the Farmers Home Administration entered into a loan agreement with the District on November 27, 1972, authorizing $93,000 to complete the project. The system was turned on for the entire community in May of 1974, and the District was granted on December 5, 1975, a Community Development Block Grant of $72,000 to install an elevated water tower and fire hydrants.
Sources: 1961 “Centennial Souvenir Booklet” compiled by Sylvia Henken. 1986 “Quasquicentennial Souvenir Booklet” compiled by Ariene Helmann Korte, Anita Helmann Rakers, and James Steinmann.
History of Damiansville
Early History
The chain of events that formed the State of Illinois and its counties reveals the timeline for Damiansville as an early settlement.
Before 1784, the forests and prairies of Illinois were a small part of the Northwest Territory claimed by Virginia as their western land. The territory included land between the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. The State of Virginia ceded in 1784 this territory to the United States, but its size made ordinary governmental operations difficult. Congress formed in 1800 the smaller Territory of Indiana that included Illinois. The Territory of Illinois was formed in 1809 with Kaskaskia as the seat of government.
A wagon road was laid in 1808 through a section of the Territory of Illinois which later became Clinton County. The road crossed the Kaskaskia River at the present city of Carlyle and enabled civilized white men to move among settlements. Settlements were made about 1810 in the timbered portions of what is now Sugar Creek Township. Frontier forts and block houses were established as “squatters” settled in the extreme southwest part of Clinton County as early as 1810 to 1812. The first regular land entry was made in 1817 by Elisha Rittinghouse.
A bill admitting Illinois into the Union was passes by Congress in April of 1818, and Clinton County was organized from parts of Washington, Bond, and Fayette counties on December 27, 1824. The first census taken in 1825 listed the county population as 1,106. The assessed value of taxable property excluding lands was $60,930 which was $55 per capita or $330 per family. Recorded names indicated all people were of English or Irish decent, born as citizens of America, and came from states like Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Kentucky.
Customs of early settlers included plenty of wild meat for cooking, and they usually brought enough food with them to last until a crop could be raised. Indian corn was grown and made into wholesome bread. A crane was hung in the fireplace, and a dutch-oven was used for baking. Fish came from streams, and roasting ears, pumpkins, beans, squashes, and potatoes were raised in “truck patches.” Coffee and tea were precious and used sparingly. Maple syrup was commonly used, and honey and butter were only five cents a pound. Eggs were three cents a dozen.
From 1820 to 1830, a cow and calf cost five to seven dollars, oxen were worth $30-40 per yoke, horses from $25-40, pork from one and a half to two dollars per net cut weight, fat three-year-old steers from seven to eight dollars and fifty cents per head, corn from 12 ½-15 cents a bushel, and wheat from 37 1/2 -50 cents a bushel.
Lookingglass Township
Clinton County was subdivided into four election districts from 1826-1828, and 15 political townships known today were apportioned in 1874. Damiansville traces its roots back to Lookingglass Township formed at that time. The township is in the far southwest part of the county and contains 48 sections mostly of fine farming land. It is bordered on the north by Sugar Creek Township, east by Germantown Township, west by St. Clair County, and south by Washington County.
Some of the first settlers in Lookingglass Township included Solomon Silkwood, John D. Patton, Daniel White, and Peter and Israel F. Outhouse. Elisha Rittinghouse entered the first land in the township on June 9, 1817, and George Ward filed claim for 160 acres in Section 27 near Sugar Creek.
Beginnings
John Duncan, a native of Kentucky, moved to Sugar Creek Township in 1818 and later moved to a spot about a mile north of the present site of Damiansville. He improved a farm there.
John S. Howe purchased in 1839 from the United States Government 80 acres of land in Clinton County. Some of his 80 acres were to become the part of Damiansville that lies to the north of the paved road.
The first German family to settle in Lookingglass Township was that of B. H. Heimann from Hanover, Germany. He located on the east side of Sugar Creek, Section 24, in 1837 and raised with a hoe his first crop of four acres of corn from the raw prairie.
B. H. Heimann had six sons, but John B. was the only son who remained in Damiansville. He improved his father’s farm, and had four sons and two daughters. One son Frank remained on the home place while his brothers Joseph and Herman improved farms of their own nearby.
Edward Teke and his family settled in Damiansville in 1838 with no descendents now living in Damiansville. Herman Kalmer also arrived that spring and was probably the first German to settle on the west side of Sugar Creek. He married Mary Santel and raised seven children.
John Herman Santel bought in 1846 from the United States Claims Department at Edwardsville a tract of land near Damiansville and had arrived from Holland ten years earlier. He had four children and built a house on his land which is probably the oldest building in Damiansville. One of his sons John Jr. farmed his land and has descendents still living in Damiansville.
Other Damiansville families tracing back to German immigrants include H. Henry Santel, Herman Rensing, Ben Middendorff, John Broeckling and his daughter Mary Breiner, and Herman Billhartz. Farms were passed from generation to generation. Money was scarce, and their means of survival were like other Illinois settlers. Iron-rimmed wagons were rare, but almost every farmer had a home-made wagon made entirely of wood. Even repeated greasing could not stop the screeching of these crude wagons, and the sound could be heard for miles.
The Germans (especially from Hanover and Westphalia) continued to rapidly settle in the Damiansville area in 1842 and 1843 and were joined by immigrants from Holland.
Throughout these early years, early residents of Lookingglass Township thought about educating their children. A small log school house was built around 1830 and probably was sustained by private sources because of the chaotic school law of the time. German settlers built another log school house in Section 24 as early as 1844, and Joseph Ostendorf was the teacher. Another landmark built in the middle of the territory was Kalmer’s School and served the boys and girls of the area farmers from the 1800’s until 1950.
Religious Ties
The history of the Village of Damiansville is directly tied to the history of the parish of St. Damian’s. The Catholic Church was the first building erected, and the village was built around it. The first pastor, Rev. Augustine Berger, said the first Mass on February 10, 1861, in a solid brick 46 by 70 foot structure of Roman style without a steeple. With the establishment of the new parish, the village got its present name. It had previously been known as Dempter and named after its sister town in Holland of the same name.
A one-room frame school house was also built in 1861, and a cemetery on the northwest corner of the church property was established the same year. The new church was dedicated in 1863 by Bishop Junker of Alton, and a small brick rectory was built and the cemetery moved to the southwest corner of the church property that same year.
The first pastor of St. Damian’s was Father Berger, and his successor was Father Chmelicek. Under his four years of leadership, the church was freed of debt, the Catholic school district was opened, and the life-size figures for the Christmas crib were acquired. A steeple and an addition were built to St. Damian’s Church in 1877 under the direction of Father Francis Lohmann. The congregation consisted of 120 families in 1881, but the formation of two new parishes at Albers and New Baden reduced its size to 80 by the Golden Jubilee Year of 1911.
A fire completely destroyed St. Damian’s grade school on February 22, 1940, but school classes were still held in the parlor of the convent and in the church sacristy. A new school was built and opened by that September, and 19 years later, enrollment increased necessitating the addition of another classroom to the school.
There is a detailed historical public record of church leadership over the years reinforcing the significance of religion to Damiansville.
Agricultural Influences
Damiansville was settled as an agricultural community, and at first only enough grain was grown to provide for the needs of the pioneer families. Eventually, though, more land was cleared, markets came closer, and more and better crops were grown. Wheat, corn, and oats became the principal crops of the area, and soybeans were added as a cash crop. Farm stock ate timothy and prairie grass until alfalfa was grown successfully with the help of limestone.
Agricultural statistics compiled by Lookingglass Township assessors in 1880 included 5,636 acres of corn yielding 182,190 bushels; 12,125 acres of winter wheat yielding 249,942 bushels; 1,401 acres of oats yielding 32,023 bushels; 36 acres of vineyard yielding 3,450 quarts of wine; 63 fat sheep sold grossing 3,780 pounds; 398 cows with 23,740 pounds of butter sold; no cheese, cream, or milk sold (although urban sprawl eventually shortened transportation distances to increase the demand for dairy products); nine hogs or pigs dying of cholera; and nine horses dying.
Horses, mules, and a few oxen did most of the field work until Gerhard and Anna Toennies had the first Moline-Universal tractor in 1917. Wheat reapers, the swing-stacker, the binder that used twine, the steam engine threshing rig, and finally the combines of today harvested the field crops. Neighbors helped neighbors, men harvested the crops together, and women congregated to cook meals of beef or chicken soup followed by chicken, roast beef, pie, and coffee cake.
Businesses
Damiansville has had numerous business places since 1861. The church was the first building built followed by two stores built and opened by Henry Haidders and B. Stephens that same year. A post office was established in 1862, and within 20 years, three stores, three saloons, two blacksmith shops, and one wagon-maker existed. Henry Book, Gustave Lehrter, and Martin Jansen were the three storekeepers in 1881, but many other business records were incomplete. Other types of stores that were needed in Damiansville’s early years included a shoe shop, a creamery (which did not last long and was no longer in existence in 1910), a saw mill, a grist mill, a planning mill, a brick quarry (which did not last long after 1900, a general store, a barber shop, and possibly an undertaking business.
A flavorful description of Herman Toennies’ business was, “He does custom grinding only in the grist mill and in the saw mill department does both custom and commercial sawing. Hardwood lumber is sawed almost exclusively. The capacity of the mill will average between 2,500 and 3,000 feet daily when in operation. It is equipped with a 60-inch circular saw and is operated by steam. The planning mill is also operated by steam. In connection with the above business, Mr. Toennies also handles pipes, fittings, guttering and spouting, dressed lumber, etc., and he has a large business along these lines.”
A common practice in the 1800’s was for stores to send “peddle wagons” (usually covered) stocked with dry goods from farm to farm trading goods for butter and eggs. A three-day trip was then made to St. Louis and back to peddle the collected farm-grown produce.
Entertainment and Recreation
The earliest entertainments were husking bees, barn raisings, and card games. House parties were a popular form of recreation as neighbors and friends gathered together and refreshed themselves with homemade wine or cider. Public dances were not held, but dancing on platforms in the open air occurred at weddings. Individuals with accordions provided the music, but a popular band of the time was called the Lookingglass Outlaws or the Sugar Creek Outlaws. The church also occasionally provided to young people silent movies shown on a Sunday night in the school basement. An organization called the St. Damian’s Dramatic Club presented annual plays during the 1920’s.
A common party followed the presentation of a “turm schirm” where a group of young people would toss an old Christmas tree on the ‘victim’s’ porch, let out a yell, and then run and hide. After being found, the crowd would have a party at the house of the family that got the “turm schirm.”
Sports such as softball, basketball, and volleyball eventually became popular types of recreation.
Later Influences
Interstate 64
The greatest cause of change for Damiansville has been Interstate 64 (I-64) running south of the Village. The interstate connects St. Louis, Missouri, with Norfolk, Virginia. Land acquisition on the Clinton County portion started in 1967, bridge construction began in 1969, paving began in 1970, and the official opening occurred on December 28, 1973.
I-64 improved the quality of life for Damiansville residents and provided easier access to jobs, entertainment, and shopping in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area. Easy access to the interstate influenced where Monterey Coal Mine No. 2 (north of Damiansville), Home Nursery, and Sugar Creek Subdivision were located.
Incorporation
The community realized the need to incorporate as a village when growth occurred in conjunction with the opening of I-64 and the construction of Monterey Coal Mine No. 2. A 1969 state statute, though, required a minimum population of 400 residents for incorporation. Area representatives were made aware of the problem, and a 1975 state statute was enacted lowering the minimum population to 200 residents needed for incorporation by an Illinois town. Nearly 300 residents lived within the Village of Damiansville by then so on June 18, 1977, Damiansville voters approved an incorporation referendum by a vote of 80 to 28. Leander Horstmann was elected Village President on August 20, 1977, along with Johanna Fuehne as Village Clerk, and Francis Billhartz, Frank Heimann, Henry Jansen, Clifford Kolb, Louis Korte, and Albin Toennies as Village Trustees. Since that time, the Village Board has initiated several projects including replacing or adding sidewalks, annexing several properties to the village, and completing a sewer system.
Damiansville Chamber of Commerce
The Damiansville Chamber of Commerce was organized in 1959 to solve community problems; to provide facilities for the protection, convenience, and comfort of Damiansville citizens; to promote the general welfare of Damiansville; and to make Damiansville a better place to live. The Chamber was instrumental in providing Damiansville with street lights and new streets, and played important roles in becoming incorporated and forming a water district. Although the town board now assumes some of the responsibilities once held by the Chamber, the organization still thrives today.
Damiansville Public Water District
New homes being built on the east edge of Damiansville in the early 1960’s along with St. Damian’s School were supplied with water from a deep well owned by Albert J. Toennies. The State of Illinois and the Environmental Protection Agency began issuing in 1968 regulations and standards for those supplying water to the public. Albert’s son, Alfred, agreed to chair a committee to consider a project for supplying water to the entire community. After several meetings and with legal advice, a hearing was held to determine the location and boundaries of a proposed water district, and voters on February 15, 1969, approved the public water district by a vote of 106 to 10. The Circuit Judge of Clinton County then let it be known as the Damiansville Public Water District on February 17 of the same year. The Damiansville Chamber of Commerce had paid previous expenses to set up the district, and the Farmers Home Administration entered into a loan agreement with the District on November 27, 1972, authorizing $93,000 to complete the project. The system was turned on for the entire community in May of 1974, and the District was granted on December 5, 1975, a Community Development Block Grant of $72,000 to install an elevated water tower and fire hydrants.
Sources: 1961 “Centennial Souvenir Booklet” compiled by Sylvia Henken. 1986 “Quasquicentennial Souvenir Booklet” compiled by Ariene Helmann Korte, Anita Helmann Rakers, and James Steinmann.
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