Blacktown was a temporary group of buildings and tents constructed and located
underneath the railroad trestle north of Staunton during its building in the
summer of 1913, visible from Rt. 4. It sat next to Cahokia Creek. The duration
of its existence I currently do not know.
Black Town News was not a
newspaper. These were letters to my grandmother Edna Schmutzler, who at the time
was staying in St. Louis. These were written by Nettie Fleming, Edna's sister,
under the pseudonym of Jim Crow.
These are all I have in my possession,
if at some point in time I do come across more of them I will send them in, but
as far as I know these are all that have survived. Hope these interest someone
and they find them an interesting slice of time.
I have typed this as it
was spelled originally. -- Glenn E. Sheets
Mr. Jacob
Ramseier and Carl Schmutzler visited in Black town early Sunday morning. Mr.
Pete Ramseier and Jack Gindell and Fritz Ramseier also visited Black town
yesterday afternoon.
Mrs. Walter Stiff and Esther Smith of Staunton and
Mrs. Pete Ramseier and daughter Miss Emma and son Mr. Fritz also visited at
Blacktown yesterday evening.
Mr. Rhiney Beyreuther and Chris Fischer
stopped at the residence of Otto Schmutzler for dinner Sunday and also visited
Blacktown for a few minutes.
Mr. Will Flemming and Jim Crow also took a
little drive thru Blacktown sunday evening. Miss Ella Ruther the Black town
photographer was taking pictures in different parts of the town Sunday. We
sincerely hope she will have success.
Mr. Frank Hermanns one our esteemed
neighbors is also working at the camp hawling wire. He works from 6 to 6 and
gets $6.
There are still houses an tents going up everyday. The town is
also growing blacker as all the houses are black. The water hauler gets water
everyday for the kitchen at Otto Schmutzlers residence as the water is very
refreshing.
They also have a dinner bell, it is described as follows by
Milton Schmutzler the little dairy man. It is a piece of steel hung on a post by
a piece of wire and then they hit it with another piece of steel and that is the
dinner bell.
They have to men cooks at Blacktown, one gets $125 a month,
the other $80 a month.
Mr. and Mrs. McCullen visited in Staunton Saturday
evening and the little dairy man had to bring the milk back again. It was very
hard for him to do so.
Mr. and Mrs. Rozier, the boss worth a million, is
located across the road from Ch. Schmutzler they have a handsome daughter age 17
years. Mr. Frank Hermanns, Walter Dingerson and Carl Schmutzler wanted to see
the daughter of Mr. Rozier and were driven away with a chunk of wood.
The
steam shovel has arrived, but is not in running order yet. Stump blasting is one
of the main works of today.
The track is already laid past the residence
of Mrs. Adler. They will soon have the electric lights in running order and then
they will work night and day. The timber is all being chopped down and hauled
away. There will be an overhead crossing between the residence of Ch. Schmutzler
and Mrs. Adler.
Mr. Ch. Schmutzler has two roomers, one whose name is Mr.
Canary. They pay him $8 per month. Mr. Rozier also has his automobile in the
barn of Ch. Schmutzler for which he recieves $2 per month.
Mr. O. C.
Schmutzler visited in Blacktown from 1 to 2 monday attending to some business.
Mrs. Ida Ruther washes for some of the Black town people. I suppose she will
find herself a man before the railroad is completed.
The trussle they are
building across the Ruther bottom is about half completed, it is 64 feet high.
Miss Ruther the photographer has taken the pictures. Mr. Martin Schmutzler
visited at Blacktown Tuesday afternoon his report was that they were doing good
work.
Next issue will be out sometime later, Jim Crow
Black town had a very nice rest as work was delayed on account of the fourth.
The cook of the Black town camp visited in Staunton Saturday evening. Mr.
Will Stillie of Staunton visited in Black town last Friday. He has also taken
some pictures. We hope he will have good results.
Mr. Pete Ramseier of
the east flat visited in Blacktown Saturday afternoon. Mr. Otto Schmutzler
visited in Black town Sunday morning, he also delivered berries, but it happened
he delivered them to the wrong people but he recieved the money, but after
awhile the little dairy man Milton Schmutzler had to deliver them to the right
party they being Mrs. Rozier.
Mr. Carl Schmutzler visited Mr. Rozier of
Black town Saturday evening, if he visited Mr. Rozier or his daughter is hard to
say, but we hope to find out in the near future.
Miss Ella Ruther the
Black town photographer is now out of town visiting at her aunt Mrs Emma
Dingerson. Mr. Herbert Dingerson also visited Black town Sunday morning. Mr.
Will Struck, Jake Bub and Chas. Baker visited Black town sunday morning.
The trussle across the Ruther bottom will soon be completed. The steam shovel is
doing slow work, it has been broken down.
Most of the Black town people
spent their fourth of July at Staunton. Black town also has a talking machine
and one of the boys is a very good harp player. The road between the homes of
Mrs. Adler and Chas. Schmutzler is being changed. Mr. Milton Schmutzler the
little dairy man makes his trips to Black town as usual sometimes he is
accompanied by his little sister Stella.
Mr. Frank Hermanns made ten
dollars on last Saturday. He is a very competent work man. Mr. Frank Hermanns,
Mrs. Ida Ruther and daughter Bertha of Black town visited in Mt. Olive the
Fourth of July.
The gun club came out to the home of Otto C. Schmutzler
whose residence is about one fourth mile east of Black town to shoot and then
they also visited in Blacktown. The party is composed of Mr. Carl Kaesaman and
little son. Mr. Chris Fischer and Mr. Ed Miller all of Staunton.
The
Black town news editor, Jim Crow spent the Fourth of July in Mt. Olive although
it was a little late it was very enjoyable. The Black town News reporter visited
in Staunton Thursday bringing fire works for the fourth. His fireworks turned
out very good.
Mr. Charles Schmutzler of Black town has the Rhuematism
and can hardly walk, but he is visiting in Staunton since yesterday. It has been
very hot for the men to work at Black town as the last few days have been very
warm.
Next issue follows, I don't know when. Jim Crow
On account of the scarcity of room in the last weeks issue we will now make
known that Mr. and Mrs. Otto Schmutzler and daughter Stella and son Milton
(reporter) and Mr. and Mrs. George Schmutzler and little daughter Virginia
visited Black town last sunday evening. Mr. Frank Hermanns visited in Black town
thusday evening.
Mrs. Ida Ruther and daughters Bertha and Ella of
Blacktown visited Mr. and Mrs. Paul Schuester and family Thursday evening.
Excuse blotches as the Black town News editor is very tired from her trip to St.
Louis arriving Staunton at 11:10 last night and she has been pelling berries
today and the special feature of the day was a motorcycle coming up the hill
about 10:30 this morning.
The following visited Black town Thursday
evening; Mr. and Mrs. Otto Schmutzler and the whole family, Misses Tillie
Weisenborn and Alma Stiegemeier and Freda Beyreuther and Messrs. Will Stillie,
Albert Furtwengler, Adolph Stillie, Will Flemming and Pete Ramseier. All report
a grand expedition. Several of the party visiting Black town on Thursday
evening, were very daring explorers, the party being Miss Alma Stiegemeier,
Albert Furtwengler and Will Flemming. The trussle that is being erected is 65
feet high and the parties mentioned walked across it. This was a very daring
fete and we honor Miss Alma for her bravery.
The pile driver is now at
work, the steam shovel also is at work. Tonight (Monday) is the first night they
went to work and they are now at work hauling dirt to fill up the dirt.
Mr. Jacob Ramseier and Carl Schmutzler and Otto Schmutzler are visiting in Black
town this evening.
As Miss Freda Reyreuther was walking thru Black town
Thursday evening she did not know a pair of shoes with a hat on them from a
little black dog. Love is blind.
Mr. Otto Schmutzler is in Black town so
much that we think he will soon move his trunk and bed up there but we hope he
will stay home more in the future.
Next issue will follow. Jim Crow
On account of Jim Crow the editor having the dress maker
tomorrow and Milton Schmutzler the reporter having to kill mice under the wheat
shocks at the eighty, the paper will be edited a day earlier, it being a Sunday
instead of Monday.
Black town is still flurishing under the same
condition. On last Wednesday Misses Sophia Ramseier, Alma and Tina Fischer
visited in Black town. Miss Tina Fischer also took some pictures, we suppose of
some of their favorite men up there as flirting is their occupation.
Mr.
Pete Ramseier and Carl Schmutzler visited in Black town Tuesday evening. Karl
Schmutzler and Milton Schmutzler (reporter) visited in Blacktown Thursday
evening, they also visited with Mrs. Ida Ruther, she had ice cream, but Mr. Carl
and Milton were stung as they did not recieve any. We hope the next time they
will not ask people and then sting them. The reporter says it tasted like
nothing. We guess it did.
Otto Schmutzler sold three gallons of
buttermilk at Black town for ten cents, he is making money at that. We hope the
next time they will at least pay him enough to buy his wife a ice cream sundae
too.
Mr. Leverinz and son Herbert and Mr. Chas. Franz Sr. are visiting at
Blacktown today. They are all three well known men of Staunton and came out on
the 11:35 car. We suppose they will stand the heat as it is not so bad as it has
been.
The following visited in Blacktown Thursday evening. Mr. and Mrs.
Albert Hermanns and son Frank and intended daughter-in-law Bertha Ruther. Mr.
Schuster and son Theodore and intended daughter-in-law Ella Ruther and intended
wife Ida Ruther. Mr. and Mrs. Paul Schuster and family, Mr. and Mrs. Hoffmeister
and family and Mr. and Mrs. Pete Ramseier. After their trip to Black town they
had some ice cream at the residence of Mr. Chas. Schmutzler, they all reported a
very good time.
On last Friday night the following visited at Black town;
Mr. and Mrs. Otto C. Schmutzler and daughters Stella and Jim Crow and sons Carl
and Milton. Mr. Pete Ramseier and Frank Hermanns and Herbert Dingerson and Mrs.
Ida Ruther and daughters Bertha and Ella and Mr. and Mrs. Albert Hermanns and
Mrs. Hermanns cousin of Peru. They all arrived home about 10:30 reporting an
enjoyable trip although it was very dusty they hope to take another trip in the
near future.
On thursday evening Mr. and Mrs. George Dingerson and family
also visited Black town.
Work was delayed Sat. morning for awhile on
account of rain. Mr. Chas. Schmutzler is at Black town every day, we think he
knows where everything goes and comes from. We are thinking of getting him as
reporter, but on account of his age we will not ask him.
Mr. Will
Flemming visited in Black town Wednesday afternoon on his motorcycle he reports
good work.
Next issue will follow, Jim Crow
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