History of Woodworth, Illinois Published in Illinois Rural Electric News March 1974 Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives Copyright 1999 Elaine Frigone The sign on the wall at the Busy Bee reads: "You are in Woodworth, Illinois. This town is so small we don't even have a town drunk -- we take our turns." Woodworth, which has a population of something over 100 according to the local citizens, is a small German settlement nestled between Watseka and Cissna Park just off Route 49. The town is served by Eastern Illinois Power Cooperative [EIPC], Paxton. Somehow, the hectic, second-grabbing pace of the '70s has passed Woodworth by. Its existence to some is hard to understand. But once you've spent a few hours visiting with the people, you may become envious of their lifestyle. Life in Woodworth centers around St. Paul's Lutheran Church. It has ever since the town's inception. The church could be the reason for the existence today. Before 1870, the area around Woodworth was swampland. Descendants of the German immigrants coming from Chicago bought the land at low prices. According to the early church records, however, these settlers paid a high price in sweat and labor to make the land tillable. Woodworth is located on what was the Northwest corner of the August Luecke farm. The church was built in 1872. Two year later, Fred Kruger moved his blacksmith shop there. In 1875, Fred Meyer opened a general store and soon after, Fred Hartman, a wagon maker, arrived. Several years later William Becker opened a harness shop and the town acquired a post office. Little remains of early Woodworth except for the traditions and heritage. As late as 1960, the church was still performing the Sunday worship service in German. Many residents still remember when EIPC turned the lights on for the first time. Elmer Brutlag, a former EIPC director, recalls he was one of the first to sign a membership application in his community. "I sure was glad when EIPC began furnishing electricity to this town. The utility wanted so much money it was out of the question." Brutlag is the former owner of the Busy Bee. Several years ago, he became famous for his fish sandwiches. People from miles around would drive to Woodworth on Friday night for the weekly fish fry. According to the present owner of the Busy Bee, Mrs. Tilda Jaskula, Brutlag fried over 500 pounds of fish in one evening. Mrs. Jaskula says the tradition continues with customers overflowing into the street and the nearby park on Friday night in the spring and summer months. Before EIPC, the town had its own light plant. When Brutlag bought a garage, the town's plant couldn't serve him so he installed his own system. "Mondays and Tuesdays were washing and ironing days," he said, "and this meant a great drain on the storage batteries. We had to ration electricity during those days." Brutlag still has every one of the light bills since EIPC began furnishing the power for Woodworth. He has one dated December 26, 1938, for $5.45, which covered his garage, tavern and home. "The cooperative was a boom to small towns and businesses like mine," he said. "I used to buy a thousand pounds of ice at a time. I would sell the ice in small chunks and also use it the cool the bottles and kegs. When we got central-station electricity, it really made it more profitable to operate the business, and without the inconvenience of ice." There are only two other businesses in town -- Woodworth Electric and Bohlmann's General Store. Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Ecker operate the Woodworth Electric Shop in a former railroad passenger car. They carry an exceptionally large stock of electrical appliances and hardware in their converted passenger coach and also have a small soda fountain. "I bought this old car in 1938 for $450. and had it moved from Danville." Ecker explained. The car was 77 feet long by 10 feet wide and is made of solid oak. At the back, Ecker has added a room to display his larger appliances. He has been a General Electric dealer for over 35 years. The soda fountain is behind a marble bar that Ecker bought in Crescent City. Believe it or not, ice cream at the shop is still a nickel a scoop and two scoops for a dime. "Most of my customers are local farmers," Ecker said. "I'd never work in the city. I grew up here and couldn't imagine living anywhere else. Our son, Ken, still lives here and is an electrical contractor. We're glad he stayed." Across the street is Bohlmann's General Store. Walter Bohlmann bought the store from Ecker's father 34 years ago. Bohlmann is the perfect example of a general store owner. With his thick horn-rimmed glasses, blue apron and never-ending smile, Bohlmann talks as much as he sells to his customers. When the elder Ecker had the store, it included almost anything you would need. Upstairs were caskets --- the store also served as the local funeral home. "Now, all I have is canned goods, processed meats and a few staples," Bohlmann said. "I used to sell meat, but it got too hard to get regular deliveries. The back room, which used to be the hardware store, is used for my egg business. I also raise about 5,000 layers." Out front is a solitary gas pump. Bohlmann said he hasn't had any trouble getting gas as yet. But, he added, "We don't use much gas in Woodworth." Over in the corner of the store is an antique safe with an equally aged cash register on top. In the back is a pot belly stove. He also has a set of antique produce scales which he has been offered a substantial sum for, but declined to part with. Bohlmann said he plans to retire someday and sell his store, hopefully, to some younger person. "This place is a little over 100 years old. There are sure a lot of old memories in these walls. For several generations children have been coming here after school for candy. I did, and so did my children." St. Paul's Christian Day School, the local parochial elementary school, is almost as much a dominant force in the community as the church. Organized at the same time the church was, the school has an enrollment of 106 students from Woodworth and the surrounding communities. "We've maintained an enrollment of about 100 students for the past 20 years," Edgar Roth, principal, sixth through eight grade teacher and athletic coach, said. "We strive for individualism in the framework of a Christian school. All of our activities are directed through the church and the school board." Even though the school is small, it supports a band, basketball and softball team. The trophy case in the hall is proof of how good they are -- it needs to be enlarged. Generation after generation of Woodworth residents have been educated here. Roth has been in his present position since 1958 and enjoys living in the tiny community. "The only disadvantage of living in a small town is the lack of cultural activities," Roth said, "but the lack of urban congestion make it worthwhile. Oh sure, you might have to drive a few miles for your groceries or new clothes, but besides that, we have everything right here." Roth said there was some discussion of a new housing development in the community, but most residents haven't said much about it. They like Woodworth just the way it is. ------------------------------------------------------------------ USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organiza- tions or persons. 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