Velda Moore has in her possession, prints of the following photos taken in Randolph County. A listing of these prints can be found here.

In addition she has photographs of people and places in Randolph County. A listing of these prints can be found here.

   Chester baseball team. Batboy is Van Costliow.

   Photo of St. Johns Lutheran School, Chester, IL. Van Costliow is 4th from left in the front row and Dorothy Wittenbrink Boxdorfer is 4th from the right in the second row.

   Van Costliow's Grandparents, Aunts, & Uncle. Top Row:  Grandpa Eilerman, Aunt Emma Jany & Grandma Eilermann holding Dora Eilerman. Bottom Row;  Aunt Ida, Aunt Lydia and Uncle Henry Eilerman.

  Cliff House

  Cole Milling Co

  Cole Milling Co, Chester, IL

  State Street. Chester, IL

  Chester High School

  Chester's Big Steps

   Fort Gage Depot clipped from the Chester Herald Tribune.

  This is the old part of the courthouse at Chester, which was drawn by Roscoe Misselhorn. (This picture can be purchased at the Sparta Depot.) This portion of the courthouse has since been moved to make way for the new courthouse. It now houses the Randolph County Historical Society.

   A bright light, a loud explosion, great excitement and swimming horses were the leading features of the burning of the "Bluff City" at the bank immediately below the Eagle Packet Company's Chester warehouse on November 18, 1897. It furnished enough excitement to last the residents of Chester for some time, and verified the superstition among river men that when one boat of a company's line is wrecked, two more boats soon thereafter will meet the same fate. The "Belle of Memphis" and the "Mary Morton" were the other two Anchor Line boats recently wrecked.

About seven-thirty on that Thursday morning 63 years ago, the "Bluff City" docked at her stage at the old Block Warehouse but was met by Agent Holmes with instructions to move to the other warehouse. No sooner had the line been tied than the alarm of fire was given and soon the whole boat was in flames. The 40 passengers succeeded in making their escape by climbing over one of the two barges which the boat had in tow, and climbing by means of a ladder to the bank.

The bank was lined with people watching the burning boat and they persisted in crowding as closely as possible to the fire although they had been told there were sixty kegs of powder in the hold which would explode as soon as the fire reached it. In time the explosion came and with it a mad scramble to move quickly to some other spot.

After the explosion the boat sank quickly and where two hours before there sailed one of the most magnificent floating palaces on the river there remained only the cross pieces of the jackstaff sticking out of the water, like a marble cross at the head of a grave. Every portion of the debris light enough to float came to the surface like a black pall above the sunken vessel, lingered awhile and then silently floated on down the river. There was a little of everything in this debris and enough of everything to supply a small family in clothing and provisions for ten years or more. Whiskey especially was abundant and floated away into oblivion on the merciless waves of the river.

The explosion caused a veritable shower of manna to fall upon the river bank. Great pieces of bread fell in a shower and with it whole hams and sides of bacon cooked in the flames, together with a delicate smattering of sardines and salmon in cans.

The "Bluff City" was one of the finest boats on the river, being furnished as elaborately in all departments as the finest hotels. Every nook and corner about her was lighted with electricity, even the signals on the smokestacks being of electricity.

The saddest sight incident to the burning of the boat was the horses on the doomed vessel. There were 26 head, a number of them being valuable race horses bound for the New Orleans track. Six of the horses swam across the river and three which were endeavoring to get back on the boat were rescued by men in skiffs. Seventeen perished in the flames.

The burning of the "Bluff City" also had its comic aspects, it seems. Sam Colbert, in his efforts to move quickly about the time of the explosion, became hopelessly entangled with a lady in a most embarrassing manner. Sam blushingly apologized.

Charlie Brandes was in William Schuchert's store when the explosion came, but afterward the only remnant found of Charlie was his pipe. He was next seen on the hill.

The damage to window lights and broken dishes was extensive. Mrs. Thompson who recently purchased the Pollock house, Mrs. Davis, Miss Pomorsky, Mrs. Tackenberg, Wiliam Schuchert and Frank Gollon were the principal losers by the explosion, every window in front of Mrs. Tackenberg's Store being broken.

The shock of the explosion and the crash of falling glass caused Miss Lizzie Pomorsky to faint, and it was some time before Dr. Steele could revive her. She was confined to her bed for several days as a result.

The editor of the Clarion was one of the last to reach the scene of the conflagration, which accounts for the wind jammed story of one of the most exciting events in Chester's history to ever appear in the paper.

These two class photos are of Chester Grade School were probably taken during the 1930's. If you know any of the people pictured here, please contact me here.

Click on thumbnails below for a larger image.  Photo caption is in red

    2nd, Jackie Hapke is in this picture

The teacher standing on the left is Miss Proctor. Jackie Hapke is in the second row, third from the left.

   7th, Kenney Hapke is in this picture

Kenney Hapke is in the last row, on the far right.

   Evansville, IL, Feb 17, 1896

Teacher Barbara Siepler

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