Historical souvenir of Greenville, Illinois : being a ... - University Library

Prof. J. T. Ellis,
Former Superintendent of the Greenville
Public Schools, now Superintendent
of the Department of
Training of the Southern Illinois
Normal at Carbondale.
South Addition" was then a part
of the Wait farm.
The first business in Greenville
was in the west part of town, having
as a center the intersection of Main
and Sixth Streets. When it became
a county seat the principal business
houses and sha'ps were gradually
removed to, and near, the public
square.
In my first knowledge of the
village of Greenville it had very few
and short sidewalks. Indeed, it had
none except private walks furnished
by the owners of certain places of
business for the general public.
Around the corner owned by the
Morse Brothers, now the lately
burned district, were walks, just as
far as their buildings extended. So
of the corner south of that, known
then as the store of the Smith
Brothers. At the northwest corner
of the square, the residence of Mr.
Thomas W. Smith: east of that the
residence of E. Gaskins, the store
of A. Buie, (Mier's meat market)
at the middle of the east side of
the square the old hotel: at the
southeast corner of the square where
Mr. Charles Hoiles did business so
long, and in a few other of the most
public places there were short sidewalks
as the product of private enterprises.
But at street crossings
and generally through the town
you had only mother earth in her
natural condition under foot. It
rained and it thawed then as well
as now and our sub-soil of clay required
stilts, boots or paving to
pass over it undeflled.
I well remember a service I at-
Historical Souvenir of Greenville, Illinois.
tended in the decade of the forties,
in the old Presbyterian church, less
than a block from the public
square. I preached to an audience
of nine persons—one of whom was
a woman. When I expressed to her
my surprise that she should come
five miles from the country, when
her fellow-members living less
than a block distant, were unable
to attend, she said promptly, "Oh,
that is easily explained. We from
the country can drive right up to
the church door and miss the town
mud."
6r«cn\>tllc Bands.
THERE have been several bands
in Greenville. One was organized
October 10, 187 9, and was
chartered November 12, ISSO, with
John A. Elam as leader. Other
members were A. D. Albrecht, Ward
Reid, Will Robinson, Charles
Thraner, Wallace Barr, Will Johnson,
Will Donnell, Robert Johnson,
Jesse Watson, Walter Powell, Rome
Sprague, Jesse Smith. Frank Shaw,
Louis Derleth, Frank Boughman
and Will White. Many of these
were members of various other
bands up until the time of organization
of the Greenville Concert
Band. One of the bands that made
quite a reputation was the Head
Consul Band, named in honor of
Head Consul Northcott, of the
Modern Woodmen. Several of the
above named musicians were members
of this band.
Cbc 6rcciiv»Uc Concert Band.
135
An organization that has done
much for the city in the way of
furnishing martial music and one
that has won laurels at home and
abroad is the Greenville Concert
Band, which had its inception in the
old Schlup building, now used as a
livery barn on Third Street, on the
evening of October 23, 1896. On
this date a number of young men
met for the purpose of organizing
a band. Frank N. Blanchard was
chosen chairman and Will C. Carson,
secretary. A committee consisting
of E. W. Miller, U. S. De-
Moulin and Will C. Carson was appointed
to draft a constitution and
by-laws, and after a few words of
encouragement by Ed DeMoulin,
the meeting adjourned to meet
October 28, 1896, at which time
James Brouse of Mulberry Grove
was retained as leader and instructor,
and E. W. Miller was
elected president, Frank N. Blanchard,
vice president and Herbert
Mulford secretary and treasurer.
The original members of the band
were James Brouse, Frank Blanchard,
U. S. DeMoulin, L. P. Davis,
Will C. Carson, C. M. Mulford, E.
W. Miller, C. P. Blanchard, Vern
Norman, Will McAdow, James JIulford,
J. G. Ray, G. H. Davis,
George Oudyn, W. H. Baughman,
Samuel Wallace. W. J. Bruner, A.
E. Hill, Don Beedle, John Mulford,
F. E. Evans, H. Sieck, I. W. Kesler,
J. H. Mulford, Fred Floyd, Charles
Sieck, Ernest Trautman, Woodford
F. H. Wheeler's H.\rxess Shop.
From left to right— F. H. Wheeler, John Sanderson, J. F. Boughman,
Louis Staffen.