‘Those Were The Days’ event stirs residents’ memories of earlier times in Brownstown

A week ago Sunday, on July 19, the Brownstown Library sponsored "Those Were The Days" history day at Brownstown City Hall.

The event gathered in one place some of Brownstown’s older residents, who had been asked to pass on their knowledge and memories about early Brownstown to the younger generations.

The idea for this gathering came about from a conversation between Fred Bingaman and his wife, Connie. They felt the celebration of Brownstown High School’s all-class reunion was a perfect time to get people who wanted to know about the history of Brownstown together with those who had lived it and could answer their questions.

B.J. Deal, Brownstown’s mayor, welcomed the larger-than-expected group, and introduced Fred. He began with statistics of early Brownstown, whose location on U.S. Route 40 (the National Road) ensured its prominence.

At one time, Brownstown had eight gas stations, three motels (Sunset Court, Blue Bonnet Court and Tudor Motel), Pevely Dairy, a cheese factory, a jewelry store on Main Street, millinery, two doctors (S.B. Turney and Dr. Henry Stringer), along with the merchants who supplied everything from shoes and boots to tractor parts.

Fred asked how many remembered the merchant’s "free show," and almost every hand in the room went up. A quick burst of conversation followed with the stirring of long-forgotten childhood memories.

Fred said it was his job to hop on his bicycle and visit each merchant weekly to collect the fee to put on the show. That generally amounted to about $35.

Don Smail added that the reason Fred Bingaman had the job was that he, Don, had the job and forgot to collect from the merchants one week. He added that Gene Watson picked up the tab for the show that week.

Margaret Stine Durbin said that before Smail and Bingaman, the show was set up by a couple, and the woman would visit the various businesses to collect the fee.

Gene Watson was asked to talk a little about his grocery business. Gene started his career working for a Piggly-Wiggly in Champaign. He then returned to Brownstown and worked at Huddleston’s Market. Twenty years later, Gene built a building and went into the grocery business for himself.

Gene told that about 1903 his grandfather Carson had a store where Griffith’s store was located, and his mother was born there in the family’s second-floor lodging. Margaret Durbin added that prior to Griffith’s running the store, Stine & Keisling had the store. All subsequent store proprietors leased the building from Stine.

About 1940, the Huddlestons took over the store, and when Mr. Huddleston was drafted, the family left Brownstown for work in the shipyards. His daughter was present for the history session, and said that in about 1954 the family returned to Brownstown and again opened a store.

Henry Bingaman & Son occupied the store next, followed by Bingaman and Filer. All of these merchants leased the building from C.E. Stine. Henry Bingaman bought out Filer, and today the Bingaman family is in the fourth generation of selling radios, with Deer Park Distributors harkening back to older times with the Crosley brand.

Beulah Brown, who with her husband, David, operated Brown Implement, told of the support they received from Brownstown residents when they came to Brownstown in 1947. At that time, she said, all farmers thought they needed a combine and tractor. A tractor cost about $5,000 in those days. The demand was so great at the time that David had to take a tractor to Vandalia to hide it until he could get it to the person who ordered it.

Delbert Miller remembered when Brown Implement raffled off tractors, and Beulah spoke up, saying, "That was the only time I cried. I told David we cannot afford to give away a tractor, and he said it would increase our business – which it did." It was remembered that a Mr. Sidwell won the first raffle, and the tractor is still in Sefton Township.

Another speaker was Junior Jordan, whose father, Floyd, was the first-aid man for Texaco Oil. Three boys, Bennie and Tommy Taylor and Ted Reece, approached Floyd about starting a Boy Scout troop in Brownstown.

Because Junior was too young to be a Boy Scout, the boys practiced their first-aid bandaging on him. He remembered during the Cold War, the Scouts were put into action as airplane spotters, using the steeple of a local church as their vantage point.

Many attended programs in "Pilcher Hall," now the home to the Golden Years Club. Floyd Bingaman said that his father used the second-floor hall as furniture storage, and Ed Durbin added that the Modern Woodsmen met there as well. Ed has the original charter of this fraternal organization.

Charles Hugo was the blacksmith, and a stockyard with pens stood downtown near the railroad. The "Bob" would stop and load the stock for the St. Louis market. It was remembered that Billy Post was the watchman at the rail crossing. The kids enjoyed skating on the pumping station ice pond, and eating ice cream at Curt Ray’s store.

Hancock Produce was known for its $2 bills, and women could choose their feed sacks for the latest sewing project. Sturdy Stine had a cafe where City Hall stands today, and McCoy’s Café advertised day and night service. The Amel Obergs were in town then, and had a restaurant and hall on U.S. Route 40. Margaret Durbin said the kids played basketball in the upper floor of this building.

Jane Fulton Hester of Collinsville, daughter of Bill and Hazel Greider Fulton, who owned the Marathon gas station, traveled from Collinsville to join in the history session. In addition to Marathon, Texaco and Gulf gasoline were also offered at Brownstown gas pumps.

Lois Youther Burrus told of coming to Brownstown with her parents during the oil boom. The families from Oklahoma and Texas were not very welcome, and the Youther family waited six months to find a place to live.

Many of these families rented garages from locals, and in many instances a Brownstown family would rent out the living room of their house to a family. An old issue of Carter Oil’s publication, “The Link,” was on display, along with many old photographs, postcards and family books.

Connie Torbeck, a Brownstown native now living in Rogersford, Pa., was in town for the all-class reunion weekend and to attend this history session. She is currently researching Brownstown’s homes and those who built them for a book on her hometown.

Ginnie Wilbur told of the National Road kiosk that will be placed at the eastern approach to the village. The history of Brownstown will be shared with visitors through this kiosk, just as history was brought alive and shared during the "Those Were The Days" program.