Jackson County IL Archives News.....MEMORIES OF CHAS L. RITTER October 16, 1923
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Karima Allison quest@insightbb.com and Mary Riseling riseling@insightbb.com July 10, 2006, 2:36 pm

Murphysboro Daily Independent October 16, 1923

Realtor Minds The Time, When He, Two and A Half Years Old, Came Overland With
Family From Carbondale; His First Tin-Type Shows A Frown and Why? -- Why, A Girl!

    Any attempt to go back fifty years and write some of the memories of a child
of five must, necessarily, be mixed with information acquired later.  However,
there are some facts or happenings that a child retains clearly all through his
life.  I have always retained the happenings of the trip overland made from
Carbondale to Murphysboro when our family moved to Murphysboro when I was only
two and one-half years of age.  The Mount Carbon Hill and the fencing on the
school and church side remained long enough afterwards for me to verify that
recollection.

    Fifty years ago my family lived on the south side of the square just where
the entrance to the Light and Water Company office is today.  With this place of
observation I had the opportunity of getting my eyes full of all the sights,
etc., that might occur during the day and evening hours.  The center of
Murphysboro's population and life at that time might be placed at the
intersection of what now is termed 9th and Mulberry streets.  Mt. Carbon had a
population equal to Murphysboro, and South 9th Street (McGuire's Hill) had one
of Murphysboro's largest business places. 

    The direct recollections naturally are childish and deal with things of
interest to a child of five.  The picture reproduced here was a tin type taken
by Amos MCGAHEY in a second story studio on the east side of the square.  The
displeased look was caused by the fact that Murphysboro supported two studios at
that time and my girlfriend, Ida BECK, had her picture taken at the same time at
the other place.  I was taken by my father, always, to coast on the curved hill
across from MCGUIRE's store and sometimes to the very steep hill beginning in
the rear of the old CRAWFORD home (now the northeast corner of 13th and Rover)
and running down to the almost bottomless pit back on the present ARMIN home on
South 11th Street.  One place of great interest to Murphysboro people and where
we went almost every Sunday afternoon was the Big Muddy River southwest of town
(that point in the river was then known as the Fishertrap) to see the
construction and progress of the Cairo and St. Louis (Narrow Gauge) railroad
bridge.  I remember going to the circus with the family showing between 12th and
13th streets about where the Simon bottling plant now stands.  That evening we
met Dr. M. G. PARSONS and his new bride and were all made acquainted with her. 
It may seem strange, but I still remember in a general way how she looked and
how she was dressed.

    A pond existed where they city hall now stands used by the boys for wading
purposes in the summer time and for skating in the winter.  The Flats, then
almost half of Murphysboro, furnished much amusement and interest for the larger
boys.  Something was always happening in and around the ROACH House at the foot
of Eighth Street.  Some of the right real bare fist prize fights were pulled off
there and I personally viewed a number of them later on.

    Other amusements consisted of racing on the west end of Walnut street and
seeing the minstrel and magician shows at the old Concert Hall.

    Leaving the boy of five and becoming the retrospective the following
information in a general way will show the changes to downtown Murphysboro:  The
original plat contained twenty acres laid out in a square 985 feet on each side.
 This was divided into twenty-five blocks, the court occupying the center.  Of
all the buildings occupying the area fifty years ago the following still remain:
 The old Concert Building, 9th and Mulberry; the old BANDY Building  at same
corner; the A. H. ROBERTS home, 10th and Mulberry; the old FOX Building at the
same corner; the corner half of the GILL Building, 10th and Walnut; the HANSON
building middle of east side of 11th street between Walnut and Locust streets;
the BURR residence on Mulberry street and what is left of the SCHNEIDER
building, now called the KUEHLE building on Walnut street.  Of course the main
part of the court house is still the old building.  West of 15th street there
were just five houses and west of the Mobile and Ohio (Narrow Gauge then) was
the LOGAN farm with the home fronting east on Walnut Street.


Additional Comments:
The above is an article from the Murphysboro Daily Independent, October 16,
1923, celebrating their Golden Anniversary of Publication.

Transcribed by Mary Riseling from her grandfather C. E. RISELING's collection of
old newspapers.

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/jackson/newspapers/memories35nnw.txt

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