Upcoming Capital Projects for the BCHS Campus

Funding opportunities for the Bureau County Historical Society

Sash Stalter Matson Building

Paint the trim and outside

Replace the two north entrance doors

Renovate the first floor for public use

Plaster repair and painting the west stairwell

Plaster repair and paint the third floor

Install elevator and new bathrooms

Clark Norris Museum

Tuckpoint the exterior

Paint exterior trim

Repair second floor exterior railing (east side)

Install central air conditioning

Gutter repair

Replace the driveway and south sidewalk

Replace door to research room

Research room lighting

Repair or replace the disabled door

Repair interior walls in research room leaching/paint peeling

Paint the first floor

General needs

Museum quality exhibit boxes

Network level computers

Exterior landscaping

These are some of the capital projects that will need to be addressed over the next three to five years. The BCHS Board Building and Grounds Committee will be reviewing these and creating a comprehensive list for the future. If you are interested in funding any of these projects, give us a call at 815.875.2184.

Please make check payable to: Bureau County Historical Society, or pay online using our “Membership” tab on our website, www.bureauhistory.org/Membership. For donations, visit www.bureauhistory.org/donate.

It is from these sources the following list was compiled: Pvt. Michael Batdorf, Neponset, Co. H, died Aug. 3, 1864, fever; Sgt. David Bear, Dover, Co. B, died Aug. 23, 1864, scorbutus; Corp. William Coddington, Dover, Co. I, died May 18, 1864, dysentery; Pvt. Thomas Craig, Princeton, Co. K, died Sept. 30, 1864, scorbutus; Pvt. Delos W. Darling, Princeton, Co. B, died June 10, 1864, scorbutus; Corp. Howard D. Gibbons, Clarion Twp., Co. K, died May 27, 1864, diarrhea; Pvt. Thomas B. Mason, Ohio, Co. B, died May 3, 1864, dysentery; Pvt. Michael McMahon, Arispie Twp., Co. E, died Aug. 4, 1864, diarrhea; Corp. John Nelson, Walnut, Co. K, died Sept. 22, 1864, scorbutus.

Scorbutus is a Civil War-era medical term for scurvy, a lack of Vitamin C. Victims experienced weakness in their limbs; their hamstrings contracted, drawing up the legs so the sufferer could not walk, while their legs and feet swelled. Sores appeared all over their body, their mouth and gums became tender. If they had any wounds received in battle, they did not heal well. In short, it was a miserable death. Interestingly, the nine men were captured on the same day— November 25, 1863 at the Battle of Mission Ridge, Tennessee. What happened on that day?

From the History of the NinetyThird, in the accounting of the battle, the 45,000 Confederate forces on the crest of Mission Ridge and Lookout Mountain greeted the 60,000 federal soldiers who sought to claim it.

The brigade of the Ninety-Third Illinois on the left, the Tenth and Fifth of Iowa in the center, and the Twenty-Sixth of Missouri on the right, were ordered to cross an open field and move approximately halfway up the Ridge to a white house and rail fence, where they were to stop and engage the Confederate forces from that position. Unfortunately, that is not what happened:

“The line advanced… and then began the ascent of the Ridge. Under a deadly fire, the line of the white house and rail fence was reached—and passed—and on and up, and still on, and still up, without halting, that bleeding brigade still climbed and rose and fought its way to the very crest of the Ridge, nay, to the very jaws of certain death, to the very summit of those embattled heights bloodred with flames of fire from hostile guns and swept by shot and shell and fairly trembling beneath the surges of the conflict. And there, within twenty paces of the enemy’s lines, with only the very crest of the mountain between, baptized in blood, and falling and dying here and there and everywhere, for two hours and a half, the battle is maintained. It was a most desperate struggle, if not a useless one. Why the brigade went up to that position, exceeding its orders, was never very clearly told.” (Dunbar/Trimble, 67).

In fact, General Ulysses S. Grant, from his position on nearby Orchard Knob, observed the brigade pass the line of the white house and move up the Ridge. He reportedly exclaimed “Who ordered that? Who ordered that? They cannot go up there!” (Dunbar/Trimble, 67) and then later, watching the fight through his viewing glass said, “When those fellows get started, all hell can’t stop them.” (The Fight for Chattanooga, Jerry Korn, 145.) They fought in an area known as Tunnel Hill where Colonel Holden Putnam of Freeport, commander of the Ninety-Third, was shot in the head on horseback while reaching for the flag to rally his men onward. This battle-scarred flag is in the collection of the Museum. It was brought home December 24, 1863 by Lt. Col N.C. Buswell of Neponset who led the regiment after Putnam’s death.

The Battle of Mission Ridge was eventually won by the Union, but the Ninety-Third paid a steep toll:

20 killed, 8 mortally wounded, 20 missing who died in prison or were never heard from again, 41 wounded, not mortally, and 8 missing who returned. The total loss was 97 while 293 went into the battle. (Dunbar/Trimble, 78).

Beginning in 1861 to mid-1863, both the Union and Confederacy participated in a parole exchange system for neither had the means for housing large numbers of captured troops. A paroled prisoner promised not to fight again until his name was “exchanged” for a similar man on the other side. The exchange system collapsed in mid1863 when the Confederacy refused to treat Black prisoners the same as white prisoners, claiming they were likely ex-slaves who ought to be returned to their slave masters, rather than the Union Army. As a result, from 1863 to late 1864, the number of prisoners held on each side rose dramatically.

It is at this point, a few months after the exchange system collapsed, that the fates of the captured men of the Ninety-Third were held in the balance.

Andersonville Prison first accepted prisoners February 24, 1864. The men from the Ninety-Third were captured three months before, which means they were held elsewhere before being transferred to Andersonville, but where?

The list of dead at Andersonville tells one story, but there were men, very few, who survived that infamous place, one being George White of Princeton. White enlisted Aug. 15, 1862 with the 93rd, Co. K, and was captured at Mission Ridge. In the Museum’s collection are White’s prisoner of war medals and his two journals, wherein lies the clue.

One of White’s final journal entries, written in Princeton January 18, 1898, states: “was taken prisoner…

The Promoters

Led by A.C. Carlson, Sam Evans and H.W. Hanson, a Princeton group set out to bring an air show to town as the top attraction for Princeton’s big Fourth of July festivities. They signed a contract with Walter Brookins, an aviator who managed the Wright Exhibition Team, for two days of flying exhibitions on Monday, July 3, and Tuesday, July 4, 1911.

It was considered quite a feather in Princeton’s cap to secure such a deal with the Wright flying team. Now came the crucial efforts to promote the historic event among the public.

And promote the dickens out of it they did.

For two consecutive weeks prior to July 3 and 4, large ads in the Bureau County Republican touted the unprecedented appearance of a Wright flying machine. These weekly newspapers were distributed to more than 5,000 households.

For adults, admission for the flights and races at the fairgrounds was pegged at 50 cents, with children between 8 and 12 only 25 cents. Kids under 8 were let in for free. “All rigs and automobiles” had to pay 50 cents. Grandstand seats were free, but they were first come, first served.

Big Event Arrives

So how did the aerial exhibition turn out? Quite well, based on July 6 coverage in the Republican.

“Turpin Flies Over Princeton,” the first headline read.

“Daring aviator makes four successful aeroplane flights Monday and Tuesday in Wright machine; Thousands witness exhibition at fair grounds,” additional headlines stated.

The Republican devoted more than half its then-massive broadsheet front page, including four photographs by “Dunham,” to coverage of the festivities.

What The Public Saw

The Republican took pains to describe each of Turpin’s flights. What the public saw was a brand new Wright brothers biplane built especially for exhibition purposes. It was 32 feet long, weighed 680 pounds, had a 35-horsepower, four-cylinder, water-cooled engine, and was used for the first time in Princeton.

In it, Turpin, clad in a jacket, pants and a front-brimmed hat worn backwards, made four total flights over two days, ranging in length from eight to 16 minutes. With both hands gripping separate flight control sticks, the young pilot demonstrated his mastery of the aircraft.

“The smooth, graceful movements of the machine as it glided through the air, responsive to the slightest movement of the aviator, excited intense admiration in the thousands of spectators, and when the daring Turpin sprang from the tiny perch beside the engine after landing safety at the end of each journey, he was greeted with a volley of cheers,” a BCR story stated.

“At a distance, when the noise of the engine and propellers became lost in space, the flying machine resembled a giant bird in passage, like an eagle with set wings.”

Organizers Thrilled

Local organizers were absolutely thrilled with the results of the 1911 exhibition. “The aviation meet was the most successful attraction ever offered in Princeton,” according to a story in the Republican on July 6.

An estimated 12,000 people paid to see the flights. Another 2,000 stationed themselves outside the fairgrounds to watch.

Total expenses had been $4,250, and the big event earned a small profit of $74.69.

Could the successes of 1911 be duplicated in 1912? Promoters billing themselves as the Bureau County Commercial Club gave it their best shot.

An Aviation Meet was slated as part of Princeton’s 80th Anniversary on July 1-4. Two airplanes, not just one, were slated to appear. Four flights each day were planned, as well as a big baseball tournament, a parade, and music by three bands. However, Turpin’s flawless flights of 1911 would not be repeated in 1912. One pilot overshot the fairgrounds and came down in a hayfield half a mile away. Later the same pilot crashed into a tree at the fairgrounds. The other pilot crashed into a fence at the fairgrounds and wrecked his machine. Both pilots survived.

While a Bureau County Republican story stated the large crowds were still “thoroughly satisfied” by the aerial performances, the bloom might have been off the rose as far as early local air exhibitions were concerned.

WHAT OF MR. COOK?

And what of H.C. Cook, the awestruck 90-year-old air show spectator from 1911?

Cook, who raised and exhibited prize-winning chickens at local poultry shows, had never thought he would live to see an airplane fly. But he did, and he lived three more years after being astonished by J.C. Turpin’s aerial exploits in the skies above Princeton.

After falling and fracturing his hip on July 31, 1914, Cook died in his Princeton home on Aug. 18. He was 93.

Ironically, Cook’s death came at the same time as World War I was breaking out in Europe. This cataclysmic conflict ushered out the entertaining civilian air shows of the recent past and ushered in the deadly use of airplanes in modern warfare.

Author’s note: Sources for this article are Bureau County Republican archives, Bureau County Tribune archives, Lansing State Journal archives, “Clifford Turpin, King of the Air,” an article by Paul Glenshaw, Smithsonian Magazine, February 2016, and Wikipedia.

Note to readers: Jim Dunn, a retired editor of the Bureau County Republican, is president of the Bureau County Historical Society Board.

and was taken to Belle Island prison Richmond Va and starved through the winter of 1863 and 1864. Was taken to Andersonville Prison early in the spring of 1864 and was parolled [sic] Nov. 20, 1864.”

Belle Isle was a 54-acre island located in the James River in Richmond. It was meant to be a temporary solution for housing prisoners so no actual structures were built. Although its intended capacity was 3,000, there were only 300 prisoner tents for shelter, with ten men to a tent. At its peak, 10,000 men were held there.

Likely White and his comrades in the Ninety-Third were all kept together, and were all first sent to Belle Isle prison. According to prison records provided by the National Park Service, during the cold winter of 1863 up to fourteen people froze to death each night. Almost 1,000 died at Belle Isle during its 18 months of operation. It is here that Conrad Bode of Buda of the 93rd, Co. C, died February 1, 1864, of unknown causes, although dysentery, typhoid, pneumonia, and smallpox took most men. Bode is buried there in an unmarked grave.

In early February 1864, Belle Isle closed and all its prisoners, including the nine men from the Ninety-Third, were relocated to Andersonville. According to the National Park Service, “The men who left Belle Isle were dirty, poorly clothed, and almost all of them weighed less than 100 pounds.”

All nine would be dead by the end of September 1864. And still the list of prisoners of war from Bureau County is not complete. Pvt. James Daley, Neponset, Co. H, captured at Mission Ridge, died Dec. 17, 1863, at an unknown prison somewhere in Atlanta from wounds received in battle.

Pvt. James Gibson, Clarion Twp., Co. K; Pvt. Charles P. Johnson, Princeton, Co. K; and Pvt. Michael McCarthy, Arispie Twp., Co. E, were all captured Oct. 5, 1864 at Allatoona, Ga., and all were thought to have died in prison, location unknown.

Pvt. Nathan Lathrop, Manlius, Co. C, was lucky. Although captured by Confederate forces, he survived, though the prison where he was held is unknown. He mustered out June 23, 1865 and his last known address was New Bedford.

Lewis J. Listener, Berlin Twp., Co. B, captured at Mission Ridge, survived in prison nearly five months before dying April 10, 1864, somewhere in Richmond.

The firm stance against prisoner exchanges was softened between the Confederacy and the Union in late 1864. As a result, two men from Princeton were released from Confederate custody during this time only to face the same fate.

Pvt. Edgar Phillips of the 93rd, Co. K, was captured at Mission Ridge, and outlived his comrades at Andersonville, but only by a few months. He died Dec. 26, 1864, shortly after he was exchanged.

Pvt. David R. Reynolds of the 93rd, Co. I, was captured Sept. 3, 1864 near Allatoona, Ga., while on a foraging expedition under orders for that purpose. He was released on exchange March 15, 1865, only to immediately die at Annapolis, Md., where he’s buried.

After cross-checking the list of 3,117 names from the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Princeton to the list of dead at Andersonville, four more names were found, though as yet it is unknown where and when they were captured.

Recruit William Boles, Neponset, 89th IL Inf., Co. E, died Sept. 27, 1864, scorbutus; Pvt. Osley A. Booream, Princeton, 64th IL Inf., Co. B, died July 7, 1864, diarrhea. In a particularly poignant detail, Cal D. Edwards, Berlin Twp., 51st IL Inf., Co. K, and Charles A. Farnham, Mineral, 51st IL Inf., Co. D, died on the same exact day—August 7, 1864—of the same cause, dysentery.

This here ends the list of prisoners of war from Bureau Count—23 men —that we know of. There were no known records of prisoner names kept at Belle Isle, or at the 32 major Confederate prisons located throughout the South. It is to be noted however, the Confederacy was not alone in its harrowing prison camps—there were at least 13 Union prison camps, the worst of which was Camp Douglas in Chicago. 26,000 Confederate prisoners were held there and 4,000 died, mostly of starvation, execution, or exposure.

All told, around 56,000 soldiers died in prisons during the war, accounting for 10 percent of all Civil War fatalities.

John McElroy, prisoner of war for 15 months, wrote in his book Andersonville the following words, which today carry the force of all those who died in prison on both sides of the line: “The country has heard much of the heroism and sacrifices of those loyal youths who fell on the field of battle; but it has heard little of the still greater number who died in prison pen. It knows full well how grandly her sons met death… and but little of the sublime firmness with which they endured unto the death, all that the ingenious cruelty of their foes could inflict upon them while in captivity.”

Say hello to Brynn!

Brynn Hieronymus was welcomed as an intern this summer at the Bureau County Historical Society. She is the daughter of Kevin and Kami Hieronymus of Princeton. She will be a junior this fall at Cedarville University in Cedarville, OH as a history and education major. Upon completion of her degree she will be certified to teach 7th12th grades. While at the museum, Hieronymus will be helping to input and catalog artifacts in an online database, transcribing original letters, and refreshing exhibits.

Did you know there are tunnels under main street in Princeton IL?

We’ve been there! Here is the entrance under the Knox Hotel that led to the current Sophisticuts building.