In December, Robert & Suzanne Peterson were named Batavia’s 2011
Citizens of the Year by the Batavia Chamber of Commerce. Both are life
long Batavians who have contributed many countless hours in various
community services and activities, with a shared vision toward the
continuing growth of Batavia.
Bob has served 15 years on the Batavia Board of Education and was its
presedent for nine years. His vision was to expand the educational
curriculum and school facilities to create the highly respected, Batavia
school district, which has grown and enhanced our community and made
for a better life.
Sue was appointed to the Batavia’s Plan Commission, seven years ago, by
Mayor Jeffery Schielke and currently serves as the Commission’s
chairperson. This commission has developed the Batavia Comprehensive
Plan, which is used for the future growth of Batavia.
Both are active members of the Batavia United Methodist Church and
generously offer their time and talents toward helping the church to
continue to be a growing and innovative organization.
Bob and Sue are active members of the Batavia Historical Society and Bob
is the current president. His visionary leadership has helped the
Society to establish the expansion program for the Depot Museum. In the
words of Roger Breisch, Executive Director of the Batavia Chamber of
Commerce, "The magic of naming Citizens of the Year is the discovery of
the fertile ground in which this magnificent community has blossomed"
and "Batavia would be far more desolate had Bob and Sue not nurtured its
growth with such love and devotion."
The Batavia Citizen of the Year is selected by a committee of previous
recipients of the award and from nominations from the community. The
award is given for the extraordinary contributions to the community over
the course of the recipient's lifetime.
The Batavia Chamber of Commerce will honor Bob and Suzanne Peterson at
its annual awards dinner, held on January 28, 2012 at the Lincoln Inn
Banquets.
The Board of Directors of the Batavia Historical Society offers our
apologies for not providing our quarterly newsletter in a timely manner.
During 2011, we experienced some “volunteer oversights” and we are in
the process of correcting this. Starting with this January 2012
newsletter, we plan to provide issues on a regular quarterly basis.
The April newsletter will concentrate on windmill history in
anticipation of the International Windmiller’s Trade Fair hosted in
Batavia in June. The August and November newsletters are looking for
volunteer editors who can provide family stories and/or Batavia
memories. These stories can be in a short story form and we will edit to
fit into the available space.
We are currently seeking an Editor for the Historian, who will manage
and coordinate all of the various areas required to produce each
edition. Please consider volunteering for this important position so we
can continue to offer quality newsletters to our members. You may
contact Chris Winter at the museum with any questions or for more
information, 630-406-5274. We thank Gary and Sammi King for the fine job
serving in this position for the past four years.
Batavia third graders and their teachers held a tree dedication in the
honor of Marilyn Robinson, noted Batavia historian, on Tuesday, November
29 at the Batavia Depot Museum. The students and teachers raised funds
for the memorial. According to the plaque, the tree is being dedicated
to Marilyn Robinson who inspired countless third
graders to love Batavia through her book “Little Town in a Big Woods”.
Marilyn Robinson was the Batavia Depot Museum’s historian for more than
20 years. She spent countless hours in the Gustafson Research Center at
the Museum. Shortly after Robinson’s death, the Batavia Historical
Society donated a room in the Research Center in her honor. Marilyn
enjoyed helping people with research inquiries, giving tours to third
graders and helping with special events at the Depot Museum. “She
dedicated her life to educating children and people about the history of
Batavia”, said Carla Hill, Depot Museum Director, “She was always
there.”
The Batavia Historical Society welcomes new members since the last newsletter.
Ralph & Debbie Fisher, Batavia, IL
Pat Quast, Batavia, IL
John Freedlund, Batavia, IL
Mark & Ellen Peterson, Sarona, WI
Juliana Gabriel, Geneva, IL
Doris Ray, No. Aurora, IL
Linda M. Gebhardt, Batavia, IL
Peg Read, Batavia, IL
Don & Jan Kobyleski, Batavia, IL
Dennis & Margaret Schuett, Batavia, IL
Eleanor Leitner, Huntley, IL
Susan Stark, Batavia, IL
Carolyn Olson Lund, Grantsburg, WI
Hope Terrazas, Batavia, IL
Blythe Hazelton McDuffee, St. Charles, IL
Selma Wilkerson, St. Charles, IL
Phillip M. Ory, Lakewood, CA
Kathi Olson Wilson, Batavia, IL
We regret to report the deaths of the following members in 2011 and
extend our sympathy to their families. We wish to express our
appreciation for the following Memorials and donations to the society.
Dee Karas
Darlene & Dick Larson
Bob French
Lois & Dick Benson
Jeanette Anderson
Beverly Hegre
Elizabeth Stone
Mickey Feldott
Charmayne Kreuz
Kay Neely
Rhonda Messina
Bob and Suzanne Peterson
Lillian Brown
John & Mary Lou White
Gerald & Karen Miller
Roger Williams
Phyllis Soderquist
Marilyn Robinson
Bequest from Robinson Estate
You can now access past issues of The Batavia Historian Newsletter from
the comfort of your home or office! In collaboration with the Batavia
Public Library, the Historical Society now has 50 years of newsletters
dated 1960-2010 available to researchers through the Library’s new
website www.bataviahistory.org. A huge thank you goes to Board Member,
Gary King, for many hours of scanning and indexing these documents and
to the Library staff for their efforts.
It’s that time of year again. Membership renewal time. If your
newsletter mailing label has “2009” or “2010” in the upper right-hand
corner, your membership needs to be renewed. If you want to keep
receiving the Batavia Historian, please detach or copy the renewal form
on the back of the newsletter and send your membership in to the address
indicated. Memberships not renewed by April 2012 will be dropped from
the list. Thank you
By Chris Winter
The museum recently received a donation of more than 50 glass negatives
from a Batavia photographer, Brian De Wolf. The negatives came to him
from a local photography shop that was going out of business. After
scanning and printing the photos that appear on this page we were amazed
at the clarity of the images that had been stored in many a basement
and attic for over 100 years. We wondered who took these photos that
give us great insight to what life was like in the 1890's. The only clue
in this collection was a name penciled in the margin of a photo of a
thin man with a long white beard: O.E. Cooley. Being a very curious
person, I enlisted the help of a few of the museum's volunteer
researchers and will share what we have uncovered so far.
Oliver E. Cooley was born in 1835 in Massachusetts and his family came
to live on a farm in Batavia in 1838. He married Clarissa Fowler in
1858 and she died in 1862. His second marriage was to Mary Clark and
they had three children, Oscar E. (1868), Ellen E. (1873) and Sara L.
(1877). He worked as a clerk at George Fowler's General Store on the
east side of Batavia from 1850-1873 and then established an insurance
agency. According to an 1896 Directory, Mr. Cooley served as Justice of
the Peace in addition to being an insurance agent and his home was near
the SW comer of Spring and College Streets. The photos in this
collection were taken during the 1890's from what we can determine from
the flood in February 1893 and the addition to the West Side Public
School in 1898.
We would love to hear from any of our members who might be familiar with
the Cooley family or can provide more information to identify these
photos. Please contact me at the museum 630-406-5274 or email: chrisw@bataviaparks.org.
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O. E. Cooley Family c1895, Family meal in the kitchen
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"Dewey" Passenger Boat on Fox River; possibly near Laurelwood Park
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Flood photo looking north on Delia from C.B. & Q. tracks
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View of the east bank of the Fox River taken from the top of the
Newton Wagon Company. Note: Batavia Creamery smoke stack at River and
State Streets
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Two unidentified girls in an Express wagon
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Piano with a framed certificate for Sara L. Cooley from Gottschalk Music School
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Home at NE comer of Delia and State Streets during a flood in Feb. 1893
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Addition built on the West Side School in 1898
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By Chris Winter
For those of you who might not be familiar with Facebook, it’s a social
networking web site on the internet. As of January 2012, Facebook has
more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the
site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users
as friends, and exchange messages. In the past, if your friend moved out
of state you would keep in touch with a handwritten letter or
occasional phone call. Now you can log into Facebook and see if they’ve
posted any news, send messages and share photos.
Additionally, Facebook users may join common-interest user groups. One
of these groups is titled “IF U GREW UP IN BATAVIA ILLINOIS” and
currently has over 1,200 members of all ages. It’s a place to connect
with old classmates, share photos and share memories of growing up in
Batavia, IL. I’ve posted a few photos from our museum collections from
the 1960’s & 1970’s and the following memories were posted. Some of
the members still live in town, but many are posted from out of state
and out of the country. The world seems a little bit smaller and much
more connected on Facebook.
Chris W: The Depot was moved in 1973. Anyone there to see it?
Heidi B: What a cool picture! I went to Louise White and we sat outside and watched it go by.
Kim R: I remember that now didn’t realize it was that big.
Robbie B: Kevin, didn’t they take us from school to watch it? Or was I dreaming that? LOL
Debbie N: They did let us all out of school to watch it...it was a HUGE event in town!
Kathy C: I was working at the Colonial and we all staff and customers stood in the plaza parking lot to watch!
Kertrina J: Thanks for posting this. I LOVE seeing photos of what
the town used to look like. Obviously being born in 1972 I would not
remember this
Mike R: Wasn’t there a house near the old Louise White that was also moved?
Katie H: Wow- I had no idea that they moved the Depot. very cool!
Dawn S: Yes there was next to the Baptist Church, it was moved to Franklin St.
David D: I remember watching this during school!
Kevin D: I was in middle school. I don’t remember being let out, but I remember watching it from the third floor of the old Junior High
Forrest W: I remember the depot across from Walt’s, i used to buy my mom cigs with a note, i was like 7 or 8
Vikki H: I didn’t know the Depot’s current location was not it’s original location... good thing they didn’t have to go up the hill
Daniel S: It was across from Walts food store
Earl M: There are a lot more photos now in the museum. From the
50’s that my family donated. Many bring back great memories of the town.
Joyce Q: thanks for the pic! keep’em coming!
Michael R: Across from walts... When I was a kid 8/9 used to take
bottles back, get pop/candy an sit on it to rest and enjoy our goodies.
An hope for a train to come by...
Nancy M: My mom told me once that she had her first kiss at the old depot.....
Monica M: I was only two when this occured, so I never knew that the Depot was move either. Very cool picture!!
Erin G: OMG! I love the retro signage!
Don K: Remembered a summer in the late 60’s or early 70’s when
the bank temp showed triple digits for several weeks. Sun burn everyday
at the quarry!
Chris W: December cold weather is here. Any memories of skating on the pond?
Al R: Warming up next to the 55 gallon drums with a fire in them, skating after dark by street lights.
Jo V: don’t forget the hot cocoa, too!! BATAVIA, I STILL LOVE YOU!!!!
Lulu H: I found a $20 bill frozen in the ice and my mom made me
turn it in to the park district office in case someone came in to say
they lost it. That was like a million dollars in kid money. Shocking,
but no one came in to claim it. The park district gave it back to me
after 2 weeks. Whooeee!!!
Jo V: that sure was the day, you did the right thing..cuz. And it
was a lot of money to a kid then!! Great story..... and your honesty
paid off !!
Bill A: My skating memories were playing hockey at the Quarry
Shari J: wow...the memories
Barb Y: We would rush home from school, get our skates, go
through the back yard (on Batavia Ave) and skate almost to Geneva if the
ice was thick or down to the pond to be meet friends.
Carol B: Had so much fun skating with Jody W when we were kids . We are still neighbors to this day .
Douglas M: I worked at the warm up house for one winter, I was
probably 16 years old. I made the hot chocolate and actually opened
& closed the place at night. What a responsibility!
Mike R: In the early 70s, we used to ice skate at the east end of
Lathem street (near the Thousana’s). I think it was a floodplain that
would freeze over.
Rick S: played hockey at the quarrey for many years. folks did
not give me the dime to call for a ride. used to call, let the phone
ring 2 or 3 times, 5 minutes later, mother would be there to pick me up.
Stephen H: Yup and froze my baggetts off.
Rhonda R: every night great pic thx
Dan S: Dare we skate to Duck Island?
Ralph G: Skating on the pond was great. Each year the fire
department would check the ice for thickness and give the ok to skate.
There were 55 gallon barrels filled with wood that would burn to keep
you warm, thanks to the Batavia Body Company. There was no warming house
when you finished skating you would go to Rachielles Drug Store and get
a great hot chocolate with whipped cream on top.
Loane T: We skated up the river, and once I went all the way to
Fabyans... passing Duck Island and Cat Island. There were bonfires on
the island to warm our toes.
Marianne C: Have you all been skating at the Quarry in recent
years (before the current renovation) - or is that now just a fond
memory of the past?
Leslee K: Marianne, no more skating at the Quarry. They drain it in the winter.
Marianne C: Leslee, at least we have our fond memories of skating there.
Dottie B: I love this photo, I miss them days, I love ice skating, not that I probably could now, but I loved going there every winter
Rhonda R: me to Dottie. skated every night after school was a
blast. when my kids were younger took them ice skating, my ankles just
couldn’t do it been so long but I luved it bk in the day.
Shirley T: Yea Rhonda..As a teen I would skate till dark and my ankles hurt so bad it was hard to walk home! But great fun!
Barbara D: Went to the pond every night after school and all
weekend long. Loved to dance skate with Mr. Les Bex. He was down there a
lot. We also played crack the whip! One year of Christmas I got a
skating skirt, wool tights and skating sweater. I was hot stuff ! I
would be a world famous figure skater. Ron and I would skate at the
quarry when we were first married, even had a picture of us skating down
there as our Christmas card one year.
Alice F: Mercy....this picture brings back skating memories
Lin J: Always had trouble skating on smooth ice of indoor rinks
after all the great years of the river ice. The extra padding helped
too. I also remember the fire truck out on the ice testing it and then
spraying water on the ice. The road down to the skating area from Wilson
seemed so steep when little.
Chris W: Here’s one for those remembering the Ben Franklin store.
Toni E: I spent a lot of time in that Five and Dime! hahaha Worked there for a couple of years in early 70’s.
Kevin B: Wow, that looks really old. No “Coast to Coast” sign
next door to Ben Franklin and there used to be a photo booth in the
corner of the parking lot. I used to drop film there for processing.
Amy S: i remember walking from the depot where we were ice skating, to ben franklin in my ice skates to get candy ...
Dan P: There was a photo booth, but I think it was later than this pic
Kim R: you are right believe it was fotomat my mistake
Kevin B: I can’t remember if anything was next to Ben Franklins prior to Coast to Coast.
Linnea A: Ben Franklin was my first job! Think my starting salery was $1.10--and we got paid in cash!!
Joyce Q: what a neat job! i would be working there too if i
weren’t 2200 miles away. guess what! i thought you were posting a pic of
the original ben franklin store on east wilson street. love the fact
you have access to all that good stuff ! thanks!
Jim L: There was a Kodak Fotomat in that corner in the late 70’s
if I remember correctly. Who remembers Wright’s 5 & 10 on East
Wilson St
Eric A: Lavoy’s liquors around the corner.
Jane B: Ben Franklin was my first job, I was only a freshman in
High School, Roger Carlson was my boss. Then I moved on to Jewel next
door, the pay was better!
Beth R: Aaahhh...the Jewel, Ben Franklin, and (not shown)
Swanson’s Hardware, and the post office. Back when the town had all it
needed in one sweet spot.
Beth R: Jane I remember working horrendously long Saturdays with
you...and at the end of the day...your REGISTER was perfect to the
penny...how oh how did you do it?!!!
Now, I used to be FAST and they’d empty my drawer more than the other
cashiers, but there was no way I was ACCURATE...always off by a few
dollars LOL
Jane B: So Beth, let’s go get our old job back. My back would be
killing me by the end of the day on Saturday, we usually ended up
bagging our orders too. Remember working with Jewel Ann, she was a riot.
Don K: I worked next door at the Coast to Coast!
Angie D: Was Colonial there then? I can’t remember what it was before Colonial?
Kim O: Hard to remember what it was like before these stores -
Brett’s dad worked at Coast to Coast. Surprised Walt’s survived after
Jewel came to town.
Mark K: Certainly no Locust trees or potted plants by the sidewalks back then!
Jane F: Colonial was where Daddios Diner is now, think Colonial was the first occupant of that section of the strip.
Jim L: Colonial was an original occupant of the shopping center. It was Lori’s Diner after Colonial decided to leave Batavia.
Forrest W: My mom worked at Ben Franklin and Colonial my sister
Cindy and i would go in on the weekends and fill the salt, peppers and
sugars!
Dottie B: WOW, boy do I have memories of that place, all the
stores, my mom would food shop @ Jewel, and on sundays sometimes if we
were lucky we would go to the corner store there when it was a
restuarant,(can’t remember the name), and get ice cream
Joyce Q: before ben franklin was there, it was on east wilson
just down from the bank. i can still picture the red double swinging
doors!
Debbie K: I moved away in 1988, what does it look like now????
Lulu H: I remember hearing DON’T PLAY WITH THE TOYS!!!! Even
better? I think that’s where my mom bought me my very first training
bra. Haha!!!!
Amy K: When working at Morrie Larson’s, Morrie would often give
us cash to get a chocolate soda for him and whatever we wanted. He was
the best!
Doug J: Beth, Don’t forget the laundrymat, Lavoy’s Liqour store
and Remsnyder’s drug store!! Talk about having everything you needed in
one place!!!
Gordon L: and having my dad watch your laundry at nite so u can run errands hehehe
Mark K: It seemed like Ben Franklin was the only place our school
supplies came from for many years. Am I getting long term memory loss? I
don’t remember much of the old Jewel store.
Joyce Q: before jewel was kroger’s; one veteran’s day i was there
at 11:00 AM and everyone stopped what they were doing and held their
hand over their heart in honor of those who served. too bad nothing like
that happens today. Blake W: Worked at Remsnyder’s Drug store - 1st
real job. about 1973. My girlfriend back then worked at Ben Franklin’s -
we were at both ends of the shopping center. Does anyone remember the
hardware store that was close to the shopping center?
Lulu H: The Swanson’s owned a hardware store in Steamboat Springs
too. My mom came to visit me and of course had to go in and see them.
Next thing I know, she tells me I have a part time job working for them.
She said, well they need help and neighbors help neighbors. Can’t argue
with that
Janie H: I remember getting my allowance on Saturday and heading
down to Ben Franklin to spend it. Would spend most of the day down town
Jo V: I worked my Senior year- 69- 70 at the Jewel as a cashier,
and at that time the Colonial was next door.....Batavia safe enough to
walk home at night from there to Blaine Street after 9pm closing.
Kathy B: Ben Franklin was a Great store- especially during
“Boo-Boo Days”- you could buy all kinds of little treasures plus
candy... what more could a kid want?
Leslee K: I think Ben Franklin was owned by the Liska family. I
went to school with a JoBeth Liska. She was older than me but I had a
P.E. class with her or maybe band. And Roger Carlson was store manager.
Jo V: I thought Roger Nepstead was the manager...
Jim L: Roger Carlson preceded Dick Nepstead as store manager my grandmother worked at Ben Franklin for both of them.
Rita H: I loved picking out my swatch of oil cloth to be used to cover my desk for art class each year from Ben Franklin.
Jim L: Dick Nepstead’s parents lived at the Southeast corner of
Walnut and South Harrison Street. My Grandma was Florence Mason she
worked a total of 50 years on Wilson St. She started at Wright’s Dime
Store on East Wilson after that she worked at Phipps Department Store
and finally at Ben Franklin. I worked next door at the Jewel from
1971-1977.
Jo V: I remember your grandma!!! I worked at the Jewel 1969-
1970, graduated in 70, and worked the summer there until I went off to
nursing school. Pat C and Dale T worked there as stockers when I was
there. they had a friendliest checker contest when I worked at Jewel,
and I won as checker. Got to go see Judy Collins at Ravinia Park in
Chicago. Excellent time, can’t remember who was friendliest stocker.
Martha J worked there as Asst. Manager, and Marge (?) was one of the
managers. Earned 2.65 because it was union. Made 1.10 at Community
Hospital as a nurse’s aide. Small world.
Blake W: I forgot all about “Boo Boo” days. I worked at Remsnyder’s Drug Store and it was fun getting ready for that sale!
Connie D: When my Dad (Archie Bentz) was Mayor in the late 70’s he changed it from Boo Boo Days to Windmill Days
Kathy B: I think I am one of the few that still refer to it as
“Boo-Boo” days! Those were the days of sidewalk sales and the idea was
each Store Owner put their stock on the sidewalk and sold it at Great
Prices- hence “Boo-Boo’s” in pricing... it was a very hectic time in my
Dad’s shoe store!
Christopher G: Sorry Kathy, I still call it Boo- Boo days as well!
Dan P: It will always be Boo-Boo days
Rhonda S: thx Chris that is great. We’re here to share memories and anything else.
Jo V: I’m with the Boo-boo days crowd...it was exciting, and
Kathy you are right....it was too unload excess surplus that hadn’t sold
yet....get toys at Jack’s toy box.
Jo V: Who remembers Christmas shopping on Batavia Ave, and Wilson
St. with Christmas music played as you went from store to store, or to
visit Santa across from the library? Wonderful memories of walking in
the snow, the street decorations lit up, and the store windows all
dressed for the season...we were blessed to experience Batavia as the
quaint town it was! And it’s spirit lives on!!
