A Short History of Spring Grove, Illinois-- Part 2: Growth of the Village 1840 to 1900

The presence of Nippersink Creek, which zig-zags its way through the community made it a perfect place for a mill, so important to early settlers.  By 1841, Spring Grove had two mills:  a grist mill owned by Joseph Bliven and a sawmill owned by Lewis Hatch.  The area became known as Blivin's Mill.

Lewis Hatch became a big landowner and farmer as well and is the father of Fred Hatch (inventor of the silo).

In 1847, the Blivin's Mills Post Office was established and the first store was built.

In 1883,the name became Spring Grove because of the large spring and the beautiful grove of trees around it.   This would be where the Spring Grove Fish Hatchery is located.

In the next years, Spring Grove became both an agricultural and business center.

Improvements came along as well, including telephone service in 1897 when Walter Carey ran a phone line from his store in Wilmot (Wisconsin, just over the state line) to his farm in English Prairie.

By the early 1900s, concrete sidewalks replaced wooden walkways in the downtown area (which is not very big even to today).

--CooterBlivinHatch

"For Sammy in France" 1917

From the August 23, 2017, MidWeek (DeKalb Couty, Illinois)  "Looking Back."

1917, 100 Years Ago.

"General Pershing has sent the request that we send our papers and magazines to the boys in France.  It is only necessary to roll two or three together, tie securely, write on the margin, "For Sammy in France," and put on a one cent postage stamp.

Just think how we miss our morning paper if for any reason it does not reach us each morning by breakfast time.  The boys will be very greatly pleased even though the news be a week or two old."

The War Effort.  --DaCoot

Looking Back 102 Years, 1914: The War in Europe and Mexican Revolution

From the October 8, 2014, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois) "Looking Back."

Solicitors will gather up money to send Red Cross nurses to Europe to take care of wounded soldiers.  There is no question but the wounded should be cared for, but why should the United States spend money caring for them while the countries to which they belong are spending money to create wounded soldiers."

They have a point there.

**  "The supervising architect of the post office building now being constructed in Sycamore found in the course of excavation on the site a Greek coin dated 1826. "

**  "There will be no reception of Mexican wounded by American army officers at Naco, Arizona, opposite Naco Sonora, where Villista and Carracista forces are about to engage in another battle."

Wonder What Its Story Was.  --DaCoot

What's in a Name, How Some Goldsboro Sections Got Their Names-- Part 2

Goldsboro, North Carolina

REVILO PARK

At one point Goldsboro was booming because of its street railway system.  The Oliver Construction Company built a line to a new real estate division on the norther edge of town.

To honor the man who headed the project, the project developers named it "Revilo" which was Oliver's name backwards and added the word Park.  It is still referred to as Revilo Park.  It was supported by many of the leading men of the city and many lots were sold, though it never developed into as big of a project as thought.

GREENLEAF

Greenleaf was to have been Sandy Plains but it was found that there already was another Sandy Plains in the state and that if they wanted a post office they would have to find another name.

That was fifty years ago, before rural mail service became as good as it is today.

Congressman Green had been active in getting them a post office and they decided to name their section in his honor.  The post office was abolished in the early 1900s, but the community kept its name.

How About Cooterville?  --Cooter

Happy Birthday, Mr. ZIP-- Part 3

MOST ETHNICALLY DIVERSE (neighborhood/metro area)

75038  Irving/ Dallas, Tx.
11428  Queens Village/ New York, NY
94139  Threasure Island/ San Francisco, Ca.
77407  Lakemont/ Houston, Tx.
95786  Wahiawa/ Honolulu, Hi.


PRICIEST (median home list price, Summer 2012)

10065  East Side/ NYC-- $6,534,430
07620  Alpine, NJ--  $5,745,038
94027  Atherton, Ca.--  $4,897,864
11962  Sagaponack, NY--  $4,180,385
94010  Hillsborough, Ca.--  $4,127,250

You can see a 1960s Zip code promo film at www.youtu.be/QlChoMEQ4Cs.

I can't help but remember that great "Zip Code" song by the Five Americans.

"Zip, Zip, Zip Code."  --Cooter 63950-2145

Happy Birthday, Mr. ZIP-- Part 2

Four more digits were added to the original five in 1983, but most of us, including me, don't remember it.  Perhaps we should take a look at one of the thousands of return addresses we get from the charities to find out what it is.

If your whole, 9-digit ZIP Code is 12345-6789, here is a decode of what the numbers stand for:

The 123 stand for the General region/City.
The 45 stands for Delivery Area: Post Office or Neighborhood.
The 67 stands for Sector Or Several Blocks.
The 89 stands for Segment or One Side of the Street.


OLDEST ZIPS  (median age)

17606  Lancaster, Pa. 87
61112  Rockford, Il. 87
40049  Nerinx, Ky.  87
14302  Niagara Falls, NY 86
11042  New Hyde Park, NY  86  (Maybe change it to Old Hyde Park?)


YOUNGEST ZIPS (median age)

56593  Wolf lake, Mn.  11
84784  Hildale, Ut.  13
86021  Colorado City, Az. 13
60539  Mooseheart, Il.  16  (Set up by the Moose Club to raise members' children.)
59841  Pinesdale, Mt. 16

One More ZIP to Go.  --DaCoot

Happy Birthday. Mr. Zip-- Part 1

From the June 2013 AARP Bulletin "Happy Birthday, Mr. Zip."

Anyone remember what the ZIP in ZIP Code stands for?  Answer in the next paragraph.

"Fifty years ago the Post Office had a nightmare on its hands-- an overwhelming increase in business mail (about 95% of what we get in our mail these days).  In 1963, the agency rolled out the Zoning Improvement Plan, a five digit code meant to help sort mail for delivery to specific locations.  Mr. Zip, a friendly postal worker, helped deliver the message: Remember your Zip."

ZIPPITY DATA

TOTAL US ZIP CODES: 41,810
MILITARY ZIP CODES: 538 (included in total above)
AVERAGE POPULATION PER ZIP CODE: 7,348
MOST ZIP CODES:  California with 2,602 (three more than Texas)
FEWEST ZIP CODES:  Rhode Island, 90 (89 more than American Somoa)


MOST POPULOUS (population estimate)

79936  El Paso, Tx 116,860
90011  Los Angeles, Ca 107,942
90629  Chicago, Il 105,740
90650  Norwalk, Ca 104, 313
77449  Katy, Tx 102,989

Zip Me to the Head of the Line.  --Cooter

The Post Office Cut Back in 1950, Too-- Part 2

Bcak in 1950, only62% of U.S. households had telephones and amil was the most reliable way to stay in touch.  And, even back then, the mail was fairly fast (for you snail-mailistas.  A first-class letter posetd in the morning from New York, Washington, DC or Los Angeles usually arrived in Chicago the next morning.  After the 1950 cuts, it took another day.

Cooter

The Post Office Cut Back in 1950, Too-- Part 1

From the February 8, 2013, Chicago Tribune Instant Flashback "With delivery cuts in 1950, Americans felt he loss" by Stephan Benzkofer.

If Congress approves, say goodbye to Saturday mail delivery starting in August.  Oh well, talk to grandma via e-mail or call her or text.

But, back in 1950, when we were paying just 3 cents a letter for regular or 6 cents for air mail.  The post office would correct a mistake or incomplete address, postal collection boxes were emptied every day and mail was delivered to your house TWICE a day.

But, back then, the post office had a $500 million annual deficit and in April 1950, announced the end of twice-a-day delivery.  Business twice-a-day continued until 1970.

Did Stamp Price Go Up?  --DaCoot

A Short History of the US Post Office

The Dec. 19th Time Magazine had an article about the problems facing the post office.

They also had a table of dates in its history:

1775 The Continental Congress appoints Benjamin Franklin the first Postmaster General.

1825 A new dead-letter office deals with undeliverable mail.

1847 An act of Congress leads to the issue of the first US postage stamp. It features George Washington.

1860 The Post office relies on the Pony Express to get mail to and from California.

1906 Baltimore becomes the first city to use an automobile to collect mail.

1925 Charles Lindbergh is hired to fly mail from St. Louis to Chicago-- just two years before his famous transatlantic flight.

1963 Zip Codes are introduced.

1986 The first in a series of massacres by Postal Service employees that would inspire the expression "going postal."

2007 The Post Office launches the "forever" stamp.

Signed, Sealed and Delivered, I'm Yours. --DaCoot

How's This for a Blast Out of the Past?

It took a while to get to its destination, but that, it finally did, 93 years too late!!!

True story out of Kansas. A Christmas postcard featuring a colorful Santa Claus was mailed on December 23, 1914, from Ethel Martin's cousins in Alma, Nebraska. It finally made it to Oberlin, Kansas, this past week.

What it did between 1914 and 2007 is any body's guess. If only postcards could talk. It evidently was in Illinois at some point, because it was placed in an envelope and modern postage rates paid to get it to its destination.

And who says you can't count on the post office to do their job?

This Is Some Interesting Story. --Cooter