COAL CITY – A pioneer of aviation and manufacturing from Coal City will be honored at Coal City Public Library.
The life of William E. Somerville, who created wire cable machines and designed aircraft in the early 1900s – among other accomplishments – is the focus of a presentation at 7 p.m. March 22 by Jim Chambers. The event was coordinated by the Grundy County Historical Society.
Somerville was born in 1869 in Scotland and came to the United States at age 23. He became an engineer for General Electric in Coal City, and from there his work blossomed.
“The biggest thing people should know about him is he kept a lot of people working,” said Chambers, whose wife is the granddaughter of Somerville.
In the middle of his six years as mayor of Coal City, Somerville founded in 1910 the Illinois Aero Construction Company and began manufacturing airplanes and airplane parts. He then ventured into manufacturing of steel cables.
Neither Somerville, nor his businesses, were restricted to Coal City as manufacturing expanded to Chicago, Chambers said. In the 1920s, Somerville opened a Ford franchise and The Coliseum dance hall. It had an 8,000-square-foot dance floor, was popular until the 1940s but eventually was destroyed by a fire. To top it off, Somerville was active musically. He played the clarinet, formed a Marine Corps band in Coal City and performed with esteemed composer John Philip Sousa.
“[Somerville] lived in Coal City, but he was really a worldwide kind of guy,” Chambers said. “I don’t understand how he got it all done. He was into so many things.”
Chambers, also a pilot, said he became increasingly interested in Somerville’s life the more he learned about it. Having family ties is an added bonus.
Chambers will go into detail about Somerville’s life and its impact on the Coal City area in the library’s meeting room. The event is free and reservations are not necessary.
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IF YOU GO
WHAT: Somerville Planes by Jim Chambers
WHEN: 7 to 8:30 p.m. March 22
WHERE: Coal City Public Library meeting room, 85 N. Garfield St, Coal City