July 2003 updated 7 16..08 >< 





Orphan Trains 'til 1920s>;
">A Place We Called Home"<
>
>what recollections & or images
do you have ? <<
Commemorating
the
and every VOICE IN THE
WIND who, over the generations included orphans beyond the Civil
War and
whose countless children were provided vivid and fond memories while residents.
We'll carry thoughts of those days beyond our physical existence.
The many questions we individually would have liked to be answered
will have to accompany the inevitable passing of us as earthguests.
Though it is still possible to fill out some paperwork in order
to receive your "file with its possible photographs, observations
and commentaries from house parents, teachers or superintendents.
Those memorable and omnipresent natural and human made sounds
sound are decreasing and or increasing we were born into may remain
vaguely familiar, allthough they have been uniquely sustained
(and upgraded), while our human voice numbers also increase on
Spaceship Earth. Seguing places- all those names and dates- now
it's your turn to take care of Earth's water standard (replaced
the gold standard, where H2O in/output-sensing-per-capita is now
a rightful "taxation" with transparent representation.
<<
U-High class reunions
for graduates of Felmley Junior High School and University High
are usually held in September; however,.are these occurrences
likely to decrease?
1a
built during
1861-1865
I
date this postcard to be around 1905, well before red barn paint
I remember covered the structure and the circular fire escape
to the left of this Main Administration Building entrance. Sheridan
cottage for older girls is the building east of the admin.bldg.and
has a red roof. --To
the right edge and in front of the main building you'll notice
the white-appearing and concrete working fountain (it has three
saucer-shaped tiers). Immediately to the right are four or five red maples which I remember were pretty much
grown by the time I was in Felmley Junior High School. I'm not
sure of the species of the tree to the left of the fountain. Notice the curved but broken lines
next to the straight tree trunk on the right in this postcard.
These disconnected pieces of a curve is part of the United States
Postmarked circle.The postcard above was derived from the black
and white image below.
Main Building views: 1861, 1940s, 1950s
"People gave land (96 acres)
and money ($30,000 seed dollars from
the state legislature)
to have the home located in Normal; children came June 1, 1869." Edwin S Palmer
(From Civil War
Orphan's Home, 1867 to Illinois
Soldier' and Sailers' Children's School June 18, 1931 and to ISSCHome
in 1950s)
*We
also commemorate those children and babies who were part of the
Orphan
Train History;
more
more
to your place
Courtesy of the Kansas Historical Society
From a KEN-WAY Studio, Bloomington
Illinois- IS&SCS photographer, the annual group session under
the sun:
The two trees I remember
the most are the Catalpa
above (Amerucan
Elm top right) and a hugh Weeping
Willow- out-of-sight, below and right, and was between the
Felmley auditorium and the tool shed. And below it, to the East,
was the barn which housed the deep yellow International
Harvester bus made 2-way trips between IS&SCS and the
Normal Illinois U-High school. In the winter, many from the Boys
Row would arrive with the driver there in order to get a good
seat.

North
view of Felmley Junior High School
ADDRESS
ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO THE MANAGING OFFICER
William
E. Hogan, Managing Officer; Mr James R Cretcher, Superintendent;
L. J. East, Superintendent Normal, Illinois Mrs Faye M
Ashbrook, Assistant Managing Officer
Dr. Sol Ditkowsky, Pediatrician ,Mr William F.Lynch,
Dentist Miss Harriet Hallam, Dean of Girls
,Christian B. Harpster, Principal of Felmley
Junior High School
1940s PROGRESS
REPORT--The teachers of
.invite
the houseofficers (cottage parents,
house parents) to visit and become
well acquainted with the work of the school. Visitors are always
welcome.
1

From the seven Brush children, only Helen, Richard,
Paul, LeeRoy* (r.on piano bench) entered IS&SCS at this time
and appear here in the Ken-Way Studio, 1935. Bill and Porter left
and lived on their own and Ailiene, the youngest, was adopted.
She was at IS&SCS long enough to have graduated from Felmley
Junior High School and appears in 4a below.
* Of the seven children
whose names appeared in Simon Porter Brush's Diary, mine had several
spellings: LeRoy Gale (as in March birthdate), Gail, Leroy, and
Leroi (he was a War I veteran).
Do you have any photographs
to contribute which would cover this time period
INTAKE EXAMINATION: The Receiving Building,
located between the 1926 hospital and the Main Building's west
side, hosted all incoming children. Each was thoroughly examined
and talked with by resident chaplin, psychologist, dentist, nurse
(Ruby Alexander) and male doctor. One child above has a usual
ringworm-bandaged headwrap. In the back row, the education students
from Illinois State Normal University are student teachers and
ome of these students are seen elsewhere in these (official) Ken-way
Studio, Normal, Illinois photographs.
Typically after a weeks observance, all children were released
in the care of Cottage Parents (ladies) who were in charge of
eight different Village Cottages on
the sounthern edge of the home. These were completed between 1930-1934
and had commemorative names derived from the first war.
Children known in both images are from L: 1, Frida Bell Spotson,
3, Elmer Shippee, 4, Leroy Brush, 5, Julius Moser, 8. Paul Brush,
14 Bob Scott. Called a social gathering, the children were served
milk and oyster crackers topped with iceing and a redhot.



(Eleanor Hickstein, Leroy Brush, Julie Beebe?)
The metal IS&SCS sign behind the three proclaims
that this was the main entrance and a No Trucks
post to the right can be seen in this 1950
or 51 photograph.
Do you or someone you might know have
a photograph with this shrub in it
and do you remember the name of the plant?
Return to
top
Two views of the Gymnasium (50s left and the 80s)
where a considerable thining of red Maple trees and a variety
of shrubs has occured. Remnants of the 1926 water fountain can
still be seen with the original concrete and stone benches. The
three red maples above, because of their trunk sizes, appear to
be replants.
(Richard Wachter, ?, Frank Priest, Arthur
Goetz, Leroy Kite, Orville Hinshaw)
I believe this mid 40s photograph was taken
against the south-facing wall of the Storeroom (shoes and jackets
overalls and shirts, like these worn here). The bright red MACK
fire engine (with higly polished chrome bulldog as a hood ornament)
was stored right, at the east end of this building.
Yates Cottage, Mayme Rogers, Matron
--(below) Recognize anyone
not identified? Backrow--Left:1 Darlene Mau, 2 Bessie
Guthere, 3 Margaret O'Connell, 4 Ada Pritchert, 5 Nellie Jasper,6,
7 Ceil Cass,8,9 Secondrow--1,2,3,
4 Margaret Maddio, 5 Helen Brush, 6 Margaret Aumiller, 7. Frontrow--1,2,3,4,5,6 Mildred Aumiller
Helen Brush writes in her memoirs: "...When
visitors came to ISSCS- the office always called Yates Cottage,
and asked Mrs Rogers to send up a girl to show the guests around
the home. I was always # 1 pick - made a lot of dimes/quarters
for doing so, which was put into my Bank acct. @ the main office.
So when I left the grounds to go to movies, football games @ ISNU
I could buy myself a taffy apple. Always walked to and from Home;
quite a distance to go - but always had fun..."
above photograph from Mary
Lou Hanley Hawk
Third on Girls Row, Logan Cottage 1947- Doris Pikerton,
Ms
Kent-housemother, Lillian Hickstien, Mary Lou Hanley
In this photograph, what direction is the cottage
faceing? West. We see the south faceing
walkway, and if it were the north sidewalk we'd also be seeing
a road. Those tall windows suggest the Gymnasium building and
its extended basketball court with the new water tower behind.
What year was this tower (top r ) constructed?
8th grade Gym
class Helen Brush,
second from right; Bessie Guthere in dress---To the right
(west) is the baseball field , Jane Delano is barely visible at
the top far left and I really remember the abundance of trees
and shrubs in the Village. Bennett cottage is directly behind
this archery class.
Helen Brush's Diploma
was inset upon a cream silk background and in a dark green folder
above, Mabel
Pumprey's Fifth
grade class room windows faced the north
view ? from Felmely Junior High School.
above, in front
of Roth Cottage Photograph
from James D Seyster
Bottom row: Billy Moore, Charlie Moser,
Jim Racine, Tom O'Connell (1933-1948), Jimmy Zimmerman, Bobby
Pippin.
Middle row: Donald "Spud"
Campbell, Clayton Merrit, Jim Davenport, Gene Farmer, Earl Holcomb,
Paul Brush.
Top row: Mattie Canerdy, Paul Pregle,
Roderic "Gus" Creager, Alfred Pippen, Robert Creager,
Howard Green (known for rotten teeth).
Perky to
more 50s IS&SCS photographs
Ken-Way Photo Studios photograph
in front of entrance to Mabel Pumphrey's class room
to
announcement and program from
the Fred K Knuppel print shop
2a
2b
2c
Roy Robinson ,Bob Kadlec, Earl Holcomb, Jim Barnes
,Leroy Beechcraft, Leroy Brush
2d
?, Janet Graff, Mildred Kermeen, ?, Mary Ann Hans,
?, Julia Beebe
2d signed diploma
Passenger (Roy Robinson-left),
and (Leroy Brush) was the owner of a 1936 Pontiac four door w/floor
stick shift. Both went on long rides on the dirt roads encircling
the home and ventured around Bloomington (Steak 'N' Shake) and
around UHigh. Angered by this illegal purchase (it was $100.)
and the absence of a drivers license, Lawrence J. East asked for
the car title from Leroy while he was recuperating from an apendectomy
in the home hosptial. He then had to sell the car. Leroy was punished
by being expelled from Cantigny. A 2nd floor room in the Administration
building was Leroys place 'til he graduated from UHS in 1951.
Shirley Donahue and Roy were my best friends at the home. Upon
leaving, Roy, Ronald Kuder and Leroy had a rented room on the
outskirts of Normal before Leroy departed for Chicago. Neither
Ronald or Roy were ever heard from again until Leif Brush called
Roy in Florida (thanks to his long time friend Bill Bebee) in
early April 2000. Roy did "not attend the ISSCS reunions"
this year.
Roy's sister, Shirley
Robinson, whom I did not know, sent this email, September 10th
2007-
Hello.....my name is Shirley Robinson, the younger sister of Roy
Robinson. You have some pictures of Roy with one of your brothers
and in the graduation picture with one of your sisters and the
Goetz family members in it, is also a picture of one of my sisters.Helen
Robinson. She is in the second row third from left.
You see, there was eight of us Robinson kids brought to ISSCS
in 1943, the year our mother died. There was 13 of us but just
the 8 youngest came to the home. I am the 3rd from the youngest....and
I just learned some sad news this morning.....my brother Roy died
peacefully with his family in Florida this morning. Out of the
13 Robinson kids, I am now the only surviving one.
I just wanted to feel some closeness after I learned of Roy's
death so I just went to Google & I've been reading your web
page. I was only at the home from 1943-1949, then went to foster
homes...I ended up graduating from Normal Community High School
with the class of 1954.
Thanks for listening...just needed to talk to someone who knew
of our past. Shirley Robinson Smith
HELLO LEROY, IT WAS VERY THOUTHFUL OF YOU TO WRITE. I DID NOT
KNOW YOU VERY WELL, BUT ROY HAD SPOKEN OF YOU MANEY TIMES, ABOUT
YOUR ANTICS AT ISSCS. HE GOT A LETTER FROM YOU SEVERAL YEARS AGO.
I DON'T KNOW IF HE ANSWERED IT OR NOT. WE WERE MARRIED FOR 55
YEARS. HE WAS A WONDERFUL HUSBAND AND FATHER. WE ALL MISS HIM
VERY MUCH.I AM NEW AT THIS INTERNET STUFF. I DIDN'T SEE ANY TRIBUTE
IN 1999. I WISH I DID. HIS SISTER SHIRLEY IS THE ONLY ONE LEFT
OUT OF 13.MY FAMILY IS TAKING GOOD CARE OF ME. THEY ARE A JOY
AND WONDERFUL. THANK YOU AGAIN. JOY
Hello Joy,
And after all these years, including those with Roy, it surely
has been
a seemingly fast, memorable, busy and rewarding trip through out.
And
I'm glad you're calm and staying in touch with him.
We're the proud elders now and the grandchildren really seek us
out.
I'd love to be able to hear them address their lives and experiences.
I hope you saw my 1999 and personal Internet tribute to Roy and
its
addition by one of his sisters.
Kindest regards leif BRUSH
4
?
Known members IDd in the back row: Roy Robinson,
Clifford Coons, Jack Donahue, Jim Barnes, Dan Williams, ?, ?,
Leroy Brush ? Richard Wachter, Ollie Schultz
4a
in front of Mabel Pumphrey's
class room
I just remember my girl friend Shirley Donahue,
5th from left in first row and my sister Ailene Brush 6th.
Other names? Paul Goetz,
Jim Aigner, Frank Priest, Myrtle Goetz, Charles Clough
Remember where you
spent your time here
On through the late 1940s,
LB was a frequent writer from 400 East Lincoln to The Daily Pantagraph, Bloomington Illinois

Aerial photographs from
the
The Daily Pantagraph.
Tons of trees and bushes
can be seen. I well remember the dense covering of lilacs on the
hill immediately above the north sidewalk of the Village (detail
below left and the Village is added below in the right photo.
Gene Farmer's model of the Village was based on his memory and
image 8 below
5
6 
6a
NIGHT WATCHMAN'S KEY BOX 7
The Paul Brush, Burt O'Conner, Red Mowers and other's pigeon coop
is just N.W. of Felmley and has a slight tower. The Home's original
water tower, which many of us climed and several got into real
trouble if they were caught, is directly East of Sheridan Cottage
and it butts up near the E. entrance to the main building. The
sidewalk between these buildings leads to the Joe the Cook's main
kitchen, Ice House, Bakery and Boy's Row..
8
Cottonwood, elm
and maple trees are shown between Alice French (lower right) and
Jane Delano (top right). Beneath these dense tree clusters, an
open summer house with juts four pillars had a dirt "floor"
as did the large and open and in this image the playgrounds are
hidden beneath the canopies. I recall how really shady it was
when playing here. Jimmy Pippen should remember this as well as
others whom I don't remember.
8a
9
This concrete bench sat in a semi circle with the American Legion
plaque at the front which faced north. In the distance lay a Trailer
Park whose sprawl matched the east-to-west width on the southern
boundary of the home. A meadow was behind the bench and it butted
against City US Route 66.
9a
On the S. E. corner
of Alice French Cottage, Hennie-Pennie and her chicks are fed
by (l) Helen Brush and Gus Lavoris, Leroy Brush, ?, Jimmy Pippin,
?, ? look on for the Normal Illinois Ken-Way Studio Photographer.
Grace Tucker's slope-backed, two-door black Pontiac is out of
site on the road to the left of the children. "Alice French (1850-1934) was
an American writer ofshort stories and novels. Octave Tanet was
her pen name. She was born in Andover, Mass and educated in Massachusetts,
but she made her home in the
Middle West. She was also an organizer and during the World War
I she organized the
American War Mothers It is because of this that one of the cottages
in the
Village was named for her. Alice French cottage was dedicated
in 1931." Tom O'Connell RETURN
TO QUESTIONS
9b
Photographed in
the 80s and located just left of Alice French Cottage. The original
dark red-orange ceramic titles have been replaced by the asphalt
shingles seen above. Compare
these to the ceramic tiles on the Alice French roof pictured below.
9c
Posed picture by
Ken-way Studio Normal photographer, some of these kids look at
the birdie on or near the swing at the S.E. corner of Alice French.
Frida Belle Spotsen is the only black child and Leroy Brush is
on the far right swing. (The others?)
10
top side
1930-1934--Directly
beneath an existing flagpole (at least in 1984 when I took this
photo), this brass plaque
is located facing
opposite the concrete bench (seen in 9). This clearly shows
two American Legion emblems on both sides at the top.
(The Legion and
their families shared in many a good time on these grounds--especially
their parade of engines, tipsy cars, horse troughs full of pop
and plenty of black walnut ice cream- which was my favorite.)
Legion
Day in 1954



LEFT-Former Felmley
Junior High School Principal and later, teacher, Mae Goodwin with
Leif Brush; CENTER- Faye Vincent, Roth Cottage Parent; Lucy Pollack,
Jane Delano Cottage Parent; Paul Brush driver, Tom O'Connel front
seat pasenger, Bob Hickey back left with Dan O'Connel; RIGHT-
Mae Goodwin and Lucy Pollack having a chat on the dirt playground
area which served all four east Cottages from Jane Delano (r)
and Alice French out of sight, left. Mrs L. J. East is seen chatting
with an friend on the opposite side of the temporary picnic table.
Mrs East was the wife of Superintendent Lawrence J. East.
U-High class reunions
for graduates of Felmley Junior High School and University High
submit yours
The late John Stevens
paid for these photographs.
Can you help identify who
these former U-High students are- by the row they are in?
front-Janet Graff Fred Williams
- Richard Wachter Mary Ann Hans
back- - John Stevens leif BRUSH
(Left to Right) front - Bill
Wachter,Arthur Goetz Fred Williams, Louie Nordine, Bill Sanders
2nd leif BRUSH, Lou Ann Unzicker
Drummond, Jessica Means Brink, Alma Lou (Polly) Lathrop, Mary
Ann Hans Lukens, Dick Wachter
3rdGloria Thomas Wilcox, Jane
Olson Davis, Helen Holiday Ross, Helen Jefferson McCormick, Janet
Graff Wilson, Donna Jo Sizemore Woltzen, Bob Snearly
4th - Steve McCormick, Roger
Getty, Patty Orr Burnham, Joe Green, Owen Cluts, Dick Osborn,
Bob Davis, Kenny Burnett
IS&SCS backward glances, cont.
Main Building
Torn down in 1961
|
11 12
13
14
|
"People gave land
(96 acres) and money ($30,000 seed dollars from the state legislature)
to have the home located in Normal; children came June 1, 1869...
The youngsters are no longer housed in the one large dormitory
of the Main Building, but live in more home-like conditions in
the twenty -six cottages separated into three groups, the Village
group, the Boys' Cottages, and the Girls' Cottages. Each cottage
has its own living room, dining room, dormitory, and all the modern
conveniences... In 1935, the population was 695 and by 1940 there
were 530 children..."Edward S. Palmer
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
from Felmley Junior High Flashes
December 20, 1940:"...The chorus
consists of Lillian Moore, Mary Alice McNier, Elmer Shippee, Clarence
Jasper, Donald Wright, Frank Hickstein, Jerry Froman, Clarence
Weathers, Leroy Brush, Billy Cooper, Minnie Belle Burnett, Gene
Seyster, Freda Mullen, Margaret Sanders, Robert Scott, John Stevens,
Harley Brayfield, Roy Robinson, William Maxey, Earl Holcomb, and
Marlene Eaton. Committees for the program have included Esther
Choate and Marian Hickey for costumes and Robert Shantz and Paul
Mathiasen for Lighting. Invitations were sent out by Perry Cooper,
Theodore Berger, Clara Mandrell, Orville Hinshaw, Clarence Garlock,
Ruth Shepard, Gladys Jennings, Howard Green, and Lilly Belle Sparks..."
June 23 1957
IS&SCH residents 1957-1958
Dorene DiFede, 2nd
from left, believes the 1st girls name was Wanda?
Qs
& As
24 As I.S.N.U. was in charge of the schools, in what year
did the first 8th grade class attend UHigh (called Normal High
in 1908)?
I.S.N.U.'s
Old Main Building in 1954 without its dome faces the quadrangle
to the south. U-High's hallway was connected onthrough to the
right of the building.

Leif
Brush on newer bench in front of the ISNU Main Building (w/o its
dome) at the N.end of the quadrangle and his brother Paul
who graduated from UHIGH earlier
(1980s
& 1935 photographs)
25 When and where was the wading pool and fountain, what
year was it built, and what species of trees were planted nearby?
26 What
were some of the Main Building interior features like, and what
were some of its key architectural features ?
27 In which
years were pictures 11 and
12 taken,
and what are some significant differences between these two photographs?
28 Who
was Alice French, and to what section of the home was this of
significance?
29 What cottage was directly West of Jane Delano (and who was she) and connected by sidewalk (both entrances
faced north)
30 What
constructions were happening in picture 17, and
where is scene this located?
31 How many
girls and boys cottages were there?
32 What
direction did the Gymnasium face?
33 Who was
Edward S. Palmer?
34 In picture
6,where was the incinerator and what
man made structure was it closest to?
35 What trees species were nearby?
36 Where
was picture 18 taken,
and where was this building relative to the power plant?
37 What
was the Chicago Daily News Radio Fund?
38 How was food delivered
to cottages, and by whom in the 1940s?
39 Who are
the employees seen in 15 and 16?
40 What
was the stone theme carved into the limestone arch above the entrance
to the Felmley Junior High School and, where was the bell situated,
relative to the overall structure? What were some of the prominent
tree species on either side as you approached this entrance? What
nearest building did Felmley's main entrance face?
41 When
did Lawrence J. East come to the home, and what make and model
car was he given for his official use?
42 Who taught
arts and crafts?
Where in the
are now
got
answers, pictures, questions and URL or EMAIL listings?
get your IS&SCS documents-
via a wrtitten letter- to: Midwest
Adoption Center 3158 Des Plains River Road DES PLANES ILLINOIS
60018.
"ISSCS
was in existence for 102 years before it closed it doors forever
in 1979.",
J Anthony Spataro
renewed
uses for otherwise familiar IS$SCS buildings
LeRoy Brush
at ISSCS 1935-1951; leif BRUSH thereafter;
now Biography
43
43a 44
leif BRUSH, 1954, Fort Leonard
Wood Missouri and before induction;



1956, Ft Eustis West Virginia,
he finally made SP3
(l shoulder Eagle) following his memorable round trip North on
the Atlantic ocean to Baffin Island and returning to Hampton Roads
dock, Virginia.


1958,
WJNC-Jacksonville North Carolina- poseing Helmut Demhauf
"NBC
CHIMES GIVEN AUDIENCE TRIAL "Reprinted
from Radio World
(October 1, 1932)
The contrivance, invented by Captain Richard
H. Ranger designer of the pipeless organ and the bell-less carillon,
has been installed in the main control room of the RCA-NBC Building
in New York. If the
trial period proves its operation practical and its precise notes
pleasing to the public, it will be
adopted as permanent equipment at the New York Studios and also
installed in the main control rooms of NBC Studios in all other
cities. to network chime variations.
Some answers below (do
you have any versions of these answers, or anything to add, click
this
if you do ):
I
hope you'll add your images, rememberances, comments and/or captions
to the photos on this page anytime. Info:Leif Brush
I
S & S C S reunions?
1a Image furnished by Richard Wachter. An interesting
coloration from this early 1900s lithographed postcard; I recall
both the firescape and the main building as being deep barn red.
1 Drawing from the Felmley Flashes
2 Detail of the Class of 1947
2a
2b
2c Detail of Ken-Way photograph of May 25, 1951 Prom
2b Detail Class of Felmley Junior High Class of1947
3
Detail of the Class of
1947
4 Detail of 1947 University High school football team
.
Do you recall these
trees and bushes?
5 6 6a During his appointed
rounds the night watchman on duty had to use the key stored in
this box and was located at the edge of the sidewalk wihich joined
Pershing and Cantigney cottages in the Boys Row. QUESTION: Was
it always there or was it installed- to keep the watchman honest-
during the 1950s7 Aerial views of the grounds prior to
1940. Notice the original water tower. 8 Jane Delano
is top right (remember the black and white photograph
in the hall entryway which showed a missing finger on her hand?),
Alice French lower right, Roth lower left, and Cottowood trees
in 1999 still line the non-existent playground on the right, and
the East side of the Village.
Who has
the right order: 4 x 4, with Roth and Alice French as the southern
pair; ? and Jane Delano as the directly above northern pair?
8a Detail of the built Village 1931, 1932, the full scale
model of the environs by Gene Farmer.
9 There as seen in 1954, the southern most manmade structure
in the Village. As you look at this image, Alice French is to
the left and Roth Cottage to the right. Artist Ruth Staub who
also was the cottage parent in Alice French sketched her children
whom she would arrange on this structure.
9a Grace Tucker's Hennie-Pennie was a big hit for all
the children that moved out into the home from Alice French Cottage.
10 Near the sidewalk which was on a straight line between
Alice French and Roth Cottages, and directly beneath a flag pole,
this bronze bas relief plaque faced the stone bench some fifteen
feet further south.
Return to questions
11 Year
taken? Administration Building:
Shows the canopy which Lawrence J. East had installed in the mid
1940s.
12 Year taken? Who knows what year the fire escape got removed?
13 Where is the painted cast iron eagle today? go
to J Anthony Spataro's pages
14 Year taken? A diagonal concrete walk led N.E. from the Bus Stop
to this Main Building view. The Hospital and receiving buildings
were to the north of this angled walkway.
15 Joe the Cook, who else.
16 Coach Foy tells us where to drop our
mousey-grey and scratchy swim suits after our foot bath and group
showering. I'm in the front row, third from the left. Seems like
belts were OK.
17 This photograph shows the swimming pool building joined
to the Gymnasium. Great regular and non-regular swim times here.
But what was this construction
all about?
Return to questions
18 I did have farm and laundry chores. While working in
this laundry, I explored steam pipes which were beneath this building
and the steam system meandered under the major walks throughout
the home. These dark tunnels were ear-witness to quite a few events
which are distinctly remembered. Did you visit these underground places?
19 Pigeon coop is the dome in the top left, Northwest
of Felmley Junior High School.
I have no clue about some
of the structures in this photo; however, Paul Brush and others
did refer to the Pigeon Coop on several occasions. I do remember
that the old water tower overlooked the girls dorm, kitchen, bakery
A courtyard also lead to the cold storage lockers in an old power
plant building, known as the institution store rooms, where we
got our shoes and denim blue shirts. The long shop building where
woodworking, printing, electricity and soldering were taught was
across the treet from the tennis courts. The incinerator was in
a walnut grove north of and ran parallel with the tennis courts.I
cannot remember the building directly East of the water tower.
20 I have no idea what events were going on in these fields
northwest of Cantigny, do you? Richard Wachter: "It probably took place in the
later stages of IS&SCS."
21 Bright's Farm Market on Business Route 66 and what North-South street?
22 This arched entrance to Alice French Cottage had smooth
and rough-hewn bricks (not all white) and a orange-red, curved
ceramic tile roof. The summer house can be seen to the left beyond
the kids, and Roth Cottage is barely visible in the distance on
the far left.
Return to questions
23 The Living Room in Alice French Cottage with the three
bears slightly visible over the fireplace. Large, dark red and
black linoleum covered this floor.
24 In 1908, and in 1926 there were 30 students attending
Normal High. In 1933, it was called University High.
25 Centered directly south of the main building and west
of the gymnasium (built in 1916), it lay between two large red
maple trees. Also walnut, elm and catalpa. This wading pool was
dedicated July 24, 1925. "... The pool was built at a cost
of $500.00, and included an aquarium, ornamental drinking fountain,
and four cement benches. (Do you think this was also the time
in which the village bench was constructed, also of reinforced
concrete?)
26 The monumental cast iron steps, were supported by piers
of limestone. It had a "tubular style fire escape."
(it had an interior shiny steel slide just like a slides on the
playgrounds.) Main
building. Metal ceilings with pressed in designs. Tom O'Connell
27 You tell us.
Return to questions
Jane
Delano was a World War I Registered Nurse. A photograph of her
in a black cape (which also showed a missing finger on her right
hand) use to hang just inside the main door way. RETURN TO PREVIOUS QUESTION
29 Do you know?
30 Do you know?
31 Girls Row: Lincoln Cottage is seen on the right in
this Richard Wachter-furnished Photograph at the top (in progress),
Wood, Fifer, Oglesby, Yates, Logan, Grant, Illinois Number of Girl cottages 9 with Sheridan.
Boys Row: Hubbard, Roosevelt,
Wilson, Pershing, Chateau Thiery (spelling?), Lawton, Bell, Cantigny
Number of boy cottages
8; 9 when Horner Hall was a boy's cottage.
32 west
33 Assistant farmer and manager of the Boys' Hall in the
Administration Building, E. S. Palmer was born in Empire township,
McClean County on May 27, 1875. Married Emma Naffziger of Danvers,
Illinois on December 28, 1898 and they were the parents of six
children. Mr Palmer retired from IS&SCS on January 1, 1947
with a record of over 36 years of interrupted service, most of
which was spent in working with his boys in the home. References
to him can be found in the Bloomington Public Library.
34 It was located west of the vocational shop (the guy who taught woodwork, arts and
crafts was Fred Knuppel.
Roland Grey taught metal crafts, electrical, Max Honn was
the printing instructor, and supervised the printing of the Felmley
Flashes.) building and, together with the incinerator and adjacent
tennis court, they both were parallel to Felmley Junior High on
the north. Tom O'Connell
Return to questions
35 walnut, elm, catalpa, red maple
"The American Legion
an Auxiliary, United Spanish War Veterans, and the Sons of Veterans
planted nearly 900 shrubs -lilacs in the Village- and a number
of trees." (Still
all but gone in 1999 )
36 The laundry was directly west from the coal fired power
plant.
37 "...In 1925, the Chicago Daily News Radio Fund
gave the home a master radio. The Department of Illinois American
Legion bought and had telephone lines and speakers placed in all
the cottages, boys' hall, chapel, isolation quarters, and the
hospital building."
38 Prepared in the main kitchen, I was the designated
kid from Jane Delano who was assigned to take a round trip with
a wagon to get the prepared food in a three-stack aluminum container.
Carrying food to cottages.
Children were given the detail of carrying the sectional containers,
at least during the war. We always carried milk to the cottage
in a small milk can. Tom O'Connell
Return to questions
39 Joe the Cook, and Coach Foy are pictured in this 1936
swimming pool building.
40 Painted plaster plant and flower bas relief
41 September, 1948. A black, 4 door 1949 Buick Roadmaster
with a Dynaflow drive
42 I don't know.
43 Schwinn bikes could be checked out at 6PM from the
Recreation Room helper who hung out beneath the cast iron steps
of the Main building. (Orange Trumpet vines draped both sides
of the steps.) In the distance to the left is the arched, limestone
Gymnasium entrance. Below me, the road leads directly West to
the Bloomington-Normal Bus Lines stop at 400 E. Lincoln Street.
What was the intersecting st. called?. (The modest wooden shelter
was at the edge of Bright's Farm Market property.) Leroy Brush was at the home from 1935,
my brother Richard Brush drove me to Chicago in 1951, and thereafter
I was known as Leif Brush.
44 I was very
interested in sound, electronics and the networking concepts
of the National Broadcasting Company's hookup of radio station
via AT&Ts wires in the US..
It was in 2007 that I first
heard of Paul
Otlet. 
Return to questions
topside
topside
return
return
to your place
after 1910 S. H. Knox postcard
from IS&SCS Archives
Order your copy of A Place We Called Home
edited and compiled by Ruth
Cobb, contact:
Jill Munro Vernon
(309) 829-1800
e-mail: vern.ja@verizon.net
Please put "ISSCS History Book" in the subject line.
mail order cost is $23 (includes shipping cost)
Very nice Ruth and I'm very satisfied that with
the inclusion of your a
place called home, the IS&SCS annals will sustain a national
archives.
(I also heard from a contributor who wrote that she was from the
ISSCHome.)
Does this preclude an epilogue? I hope it remains an inviting
and open
ended opportunity-since it's possible for generational input from
grand
or great grandchildern reader-contrubutors. Sincerely, leif BRUSH
"...Yes, they are still actively seeking
archival material and reminiscences from Home Kids, former employees,
and from family members. You are correct about the need for the
inclusion of memories of the children and grandchildren of those
whose lives were touched by the Home. It's all part of the ongoing
story!"- Ruth Cobb
IS&SCS
was/is a special and specific Place: (submit your Internet page(s)
here)
return to your place
The Receiving Buiilding is barely visibile directly
West (left).
return to your place