html> St Charles & St Charles Township
St. Charles, Illinois History, Genealogy & Today

St. Charles Township  

 

St. Charles

"Pride of the Fox"  

once known as

Charlestown, Illinois

 

Wayne - Silver Glen P.O. - Fayville

 

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The Fox is the symbol of St. Charles, you can see that on the official City of St. Charles site.  This represents what a scene at Baker Hotel may have looked like shortly after it opened, and it's charm is something you can enjoy today.  This beautiful historic hotel is on the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Postcard Images of St Charles through the years. (Digital Past)

Illinois Digital Archives - Search


MAPS

St. Charles Township Map (Kane County Forest Preserve Link)

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St. Charles township and the village of St. Charles were, in the early days, the most important part of the county, and for years St.Charles was the center of general activities of the northern part of the district.  There were predictions it would surpass Chicago.

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Indian Trails

In an early day this township was the seat of many Indian settlements and the trails of the redmen were numerous.  One of the most noted was known as "Waubonsie's Trail", which followed the river on the west bank and took in all the prominent springs in that vicinity.  As late as 1845 this trail was plainly visible across the land afterward owned by C.D. WING, J.D. BROWN and C.H. HAINES.  Another trail led west from Chicago to Rock River across Fox River near where the St. Charles dam (of 1908) and followed the ravine west and over the prairie.  The third came from the northeast and a fourth diverged from the Chicago trail near Wayne Station and crossed the river a the bend now known as Five Islands, about a half mile below the Illinois Central railroad bridge.

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Historical Time Line

1833

1834

1835

 

1836

     1849

 

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Links to Area Resources and Other Information

 

Advertising of Old

Ads at St.CharlesHistory.Org Invalid Link - This WAS a great site with vintage advertizing from St Charles - please let me know if you find where it moved.

Architecture

       Jucket House, 110 Third St., St. Charles, Kane County, IL.

        Lewis, Dr. Jas. K., House, 19 S. Fifth St., St. Charles, Kane County, IL.

        Municipal Building

       Arcada Theater Munhall Elementary School Teacher: Sharon Reed

 

Biographies - Information

       Reflections of St Charles - Index
       Celebrating History 1990 - Index

       St. Charles History Archives - Biographies Great resource - but unfortunately it seems to have disappeared.  At one time it was on the School District 303 at what is now St Charles East High School, later it was on the St Charles Heritage - Museum site.  I believe it was originally transcribed by High School students (before the North High School was built).  Portraits of some residents were also on line.   If you find it, let me know.

       Colonel Edward Baker, St. Charles benefactor. (under construction)

       William Bennett

       Norris Family Records - Regional History Center Archives at Northern IL Univ.

       Dellora Angell Norris, St. Charles benefactor

       Robert E. Roland, Ph.D  Human Radiation Studies.  

       J. McWilliams Stone - Operadio (DuKane)

       Sam Sublet - Illinois Youth Center

       Trude, William

       Brian Wilson - Beach Boys

       Wolcott - War of 1812 -  "In the same unit was surgeon's mate Walter Wolcott, whose elder brother Roger was one of the many Connecticut natives who had settled in Canada after the Revolution; he commanded a company of Canadian militia during the war and many years later moved to St. Charles in Illinois, where he died in 1863 at the age of 90.

   
    The Biography Center 


Churches

        St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church - website      
       St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church - history

       St. Patrick's Church - St. Charles - Historical Information

       St. Charles Episcopal Church

 

Company Histories

       Operadio (DuKane)

Colonial Ice Cream

The Colonial chain began nearly 100 years ago when 12-year-old orphan, Sam Anderson, of St. Charles bought a milk route. He expanded that into a dairy and ice cream plant with a fleet of delivery trucks, then added retail stores. What was then the Anderson Ice Cream Co. ratcheted down to doing only wholesale milk and ice cream making from the 1940s until 1958, when it began opening Colonial restaurants. The first was what is now Colonial Ice Cream and Juice Cafe on Third Street in downtown St. Charles. The ice cream manufacturing facility was then located behind the retail store.  I remember many a tour through the plant as a school child - AND - FREE ICE CREAM in a "Sundae Cup" with a wooden spoon.  My grandparents lived not far from  there and would often walk along old Route 31 (22), which as since been closed and rerouted, on our way to buy a pint of vanilla ice cream.

 

Moline Malleable Iron Works - Photo of Many Employees 1930s (under construction)

 

Other Histories

       Tau Kappa Epsilon at Hotel Baker 1935

 

History Links

St Charles Heritage Center - Museum
St Charles Heritage Center - History
St Charles Heritage Center - Photos

St. Charles History (link to St. Charles History Centre)

St. Charles History Archives - District 303 & Illinois State Library

Native American History (link to St. Charles History Centre)

 St Charles Community - History

Historic Places

St Charles & Local Historic Buildings 

Photos

Portraits from St.CharlesHistory.Org - (Well, this has moved and is missing too - it was a great resources.)
 

St. Charles Views

Moline Malleable Iron Works - employees 1930s

Belgian Town Buzz Saw

 

Points of Interest

 

Newspapers

The following are available at the St. Charles Public Library

continues with the name changed to Kane County Chronicle on March 7,

1990 to the present.

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Remember When?

This is the place for you to share your memories of "Old" St.Charles.  

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Questions & Answers

 

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Resources - Kane County & St. Charles

 

Resources & Links  - St. Charles

Historic Preservation Commission of St. Charles -  Kim Malay at 630-377-4443

St. Charles Public Library - Link

St. Charles Chamber of Commerce

St. Charles Cooperative Home Page - Link

City of St. Charles - Link

1833-1870 Early Settlement of St. Charles

1870-1920: A Growing Community

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St. Charles Profile, Legends - Link

St. Charles Boys Home (Illinois Youth Center - St.Charles) History - Link

Illinois Youth Center at Valley View - Link

Current Data - Link

 

Belgium Genealogy Links

St. Charles was settled by many Belgian families.  The area were Dean Ferson lived at 12th Street & Dean became known as "Belgian Town" sometime after his death in 1892, as so many Belgiam immigrants settled in that area near Moline Malleable.  Later the area that includes the 100 block of South 12th and 13th Streets was populated by many families of Belgian descent.

 

Belgium Rootsweb  

Genealogy in Belgium

Belgium Immigration

Rural Belgium 1800s

Belgium GenConnect

Belgium History

Flanders & Belgium Area Ancient History

Belgian Laces - e-mail:  bbrindle@netusa1.net

       The Belgian Researchers

       495 East 5th Street

       Peru IN 46970

Maps

Many Belgian Infor Links

Infobel (Telephone Listings)

Name Frequency in Area

Groot Begijnhof Leuven

KSZ-BCSS

Belgian Privacy Commission

Belgium Map 1850 (very large file 600 kb)

Belgian Surname Map

Belgian Surnames

 

Virtual Tour of Antwerp

Belgian Newspaper Links

 

Belgian newspapers (in Dutch) http://www.digikids.be/nl/media/kranten/europa/k-belg.htm

Newspaper  http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/janssen_BE/genealogy/BEL-archives/arch_spe.html

 

AMSAB:

http://www.kuleuven.ac.be/kadoc/kdcremv.htm

http://www.trotskyism.org/research/amsa.htm

 

ANTWERP section of AMSAB:

http://kapa.kolgen.be/archief/ar_0001.htm

 

Other:

http://www.iisg.nl/~ialhi/iconf.html

 

Danish

 

Law & Order

Richard's Riot - Story of grave robbing and a medical school.

 

Schools

       Wredling Jr. High (today/new)

       Lincoln Elementery School

       Mount Saint Mary's (under construction - no info yet)

       Pioneer Sholes School (historic)

       St. Dominic's College (now Arthur Anderson Training Center)

       St. Patrick's Catholic Elementary School (holds class reunions)

       St.Charles Junior High (Haines Jr. High) Graduation Class 1936 - student list

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Home Pages

My Belgian Family

van de WOESTIJNE [Anglicized to Vanderstyne]& Related Families Genealogy

 

Many items are under construction.

St.Charles Jr. Hi

Class of 1936

History of St. Patrick's

Catholic Church

Colonel

Edward J. Baker

Remember

When?

Wayne Interest Points of

St. Charles

Mt. St. Mary's Places Named for?
Richard's Riot Gates Legacy    

You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that

you once got from a roller coaster.


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