May 2005

Contractors were busy putting the finishing touches on the new Montgomery Police Station. The station was under construction on the north side of U.S. Route 30, about one-quarter mile west of Orchard Road. Police Chief Dennis Schmidt told the village board that work was “progressing very well” on the $6.2 million facility.

May 2000

By a wide margin, respondents to an unscientific Village of Oswego survey indicated they would use a Metra Park-n-Ride commuter facility if one were located off Orchard Road on the village’s west side. Out of 41 total survey respondents, 28 (61 percent) answered “yes” when asked if they would use a Park-n-Ride facility while 13 (32) percent indicated they would not.

The Montgomery Village Board gave its final approval for plans for the construction of the village’s first residential subdivision, west of Orchard Road, Lakewood Creek. With 761 total residences, Lakewood Creek was also the largest single residential development yet approved by the village.

The Oswego Village Board adopted a new comprehensive land use plan. The plan anticipated the village’s population would increase from just over 12,000 to 25,000 by the year 2010.

Contractors for the Oswego School District were proceeding with the construction of an addition to Oswego High School and two new elementary schools, Homestead in Aurora and Fox Chase in Oswego. The OHS addition included 26 classrooms.

May 1995

Construction started in Yorkville on a new county courthouse building. The 42,000 square foot facility was planned to replace the county’s existing courthouse, which was built in 1864. County officials said they expected the building would be large enough to meet the county’s needs for the next 20 years.

The Montgomery Village Board voted to replace or upgrade all water meters in the village and the unincorporated Boulder Hill Subdivision. The board acted after determining the village’s water system was losing substantial amounts of water due to malfunctioning meters.

A new era in Oswego municipal government began when Budd Bieber was sworn-in as village president. Moments after being sworn-in, Bieber asked village staff members if there was anything the village could do to prevent the widening of Route 34 through the village’s downtown business district. Jeff Humm, village public works superintendent, told Bieber and the village board it was too late to attempt to prevent the state from moving ahead with the project.

May 1990

In a 4-2 vote the Oswego Village Board approved the installation of traffic signals on Douglas Road at the main entrance drive to the new Townes Crossing shopping center. The vote was split because two board members favored the installation of the signals at the intersection of Fernwood and Douglas roads.

Kendall County State’s Attorney Dallas Ingemunson charged that Oswego School District officials had failed to live up to an earlier pledge to report all criminal violations that occurred at Oswego High School. However, school district officials maintained they were doing a good job in reporting suspected criminal behavior among students.

May 1985

Oswego School District Board members announced they had hired Dr. Terry Tamblyn as the district’s new superintendent, succeeding the retiring John Bednarcik. Tamblyn had served previously as superintendent of the Malta Public School District near DeKalb.

Jim Detzler was sworn-in as Oswego Village President. Detzler identified correcting persistent flooding problems in the village’s Brookside Manor Subdivision as one of the first priorities of his administration.

May 1980

Kendall County Sheriff’s police were investigating an armed robbery at a gas station on Ill. Route 31 between Oswego and Montgomery, and the burglary of a nursery school in Boulder Hill.

Organizers of the annual Oswego Days community celebration announced that the June event would again feature an amateur canoe race from Montgomery Park to the U.S. Route 34 bridge in Oswego.

May 1975

Boulder Hill developer Don L. Dise discussed the origins of the unincorporated subdivision and answered homeowners’ questions during the monthly meeting of the Boulder Hill Civic Association. Dise also detailed how the subdivision came to receive water service from the Village of Montgomery. Dise commended the association for its work on behalf of subdivision residents.

The spring musical at Oswego High School was the ever-popular “Hello Dolly.” Sharing the role of Dolly Levi were Mary Olson and Margaret Porter.

A sign of spring occurred on May 5 in downtown Oswego when Foxy’s Burger Bar on Jefferson Street re-opened for the spring and summer seasons.

The Montgomery Village Board reviewed proposals for flood control measures in the village’s Parkview Estates Subdivision, constructed in the Waubonsie Creek floodplain in the 1960s.

May 1970

The Montgomery Village Board was considering a controversial plan for a large trailer park proposed off Douglas Road, north of U.S. Route 30. The project site was located within the boundaries of the Oswego School District. Area residents had their chance to voice their opinions on the project during a public hearing at Nicholson Elementary School in Montgomery.

May 1965

Grocery stores on Main Street in downtown Oswego were actively competing for local customers with weekly sales, according to advertisements in the Ledger. At Bohn’s Food Store, at 60 Main Street, baby beef liver was on sale for 39 cents a pound. Just down the street at Denney’s sliced bacon was going for just 43 cents a pound. Meanwhile, on sale at Carr’s Department store, also on Main Street, were Red Ball Jets canvas sports shoes.

The Ledger reported that a number of flowering trees and shrubs had been planted in the Oswegoland Park District’s SuzanJohn Park in Boulder Hill.

May 1960

Wally Smith, representing the Oswego Dragway, asked the Oswego Village Board to pay half of the dragway’s expenses for having a police officer direct traffic through the village on race days. Traffic back-ups on Route 34 through the village were common when the dragway, located two miles west of the village on Route 34, was open. The board referred the request to a committee for further study.

The Aurora YMCA was the site of Oswego High School’s post prom party May 14. The Ledger noted that post proms were a “fairly recent innovation on the part of parents and communities in an effort to keep the youngsters off the highways on prom nights.”

The Soviet Union may have had Sputnik, but Oswego had the “Satellite Restaurant” on Route 34 at Route 71. The owner was “Scotty” Glen.

The U.S. Civil Service Commission was accepting applications from individuals interested in taking an examination for the position of Oswego Postmaster. The annual salary for the position was $5,385. The Ledger reported that applications would not be accepted from any one age 70 or older.

Commencement exercises for 54 Oswego High School seniors were held at the school May 31. Class salutatorian was Susan Cherry. Valedictorian was Alice Ebinger. Also speaking was activities award winner Dennis Hastert and sportsmanship and athletics award winner Tom Jarman.

Graduation exercises for 106 eighth grade students were May 27 in the Oswego High School gym.

May 1955

Youngsters with BB guns were a problem in Oswego, according to a report in the Oswego Ledger. Milton “Les” Penn, chairman of the village board’s law and order committee, announced that any youngsters found shooting a BB gun inside village limits “will be dealt with according to statute.”

The Montgomery Village Board went on record in opposition to a proposal by the U.S. Post Office to consolidate the post offices in the village and North Aurora with the Aurora post office. The board agreed to send letters expressing their concern to U.S. Rep. Chauncey Reed, and Senators Everett Dirksen and Paul Douglas.

May 1950

The Ledger reported that on “Friday, May 12, the juniors of the Oswego High School entertained the seniors, faculty and the board members at a dinner dance in the school gym. The theme of the evening was ‘Ye Olde South.’ A delicious ham dinner was prepared by the junior mothers, with the sophomore boys dressed as colored waiters, serving the meal in typical southern style. Dinner music was furnished by Roger Voughtman's orchestra.”

May 1945

The German surrender to the Allied forces was celebrated across the country. The Kendall County Record’s Oswego Township correspondent started his report May 9: “How can a mere reporter for township news write a column this Monday, May 7, when the radio is buzzing with world news of unconditional surrender.”

Preston “P.O.” Douglas was appointed chairman of the Montgomery Village Board’s streets and alleys committee during the board’s monthly meeting May 7.

May 1940

The new highway which connects routes 34, 126, and 47 is ready for paving and work was begun the first of the week at the intersection of Route 34 just east of Oswego and connects with 126 and 47 a short distance south of Yorkville.

May 1930

“The Alexander Lumber Company of Aurora has bought out the Oswego Lumber Company,” the Record reported.

May 1920

“The Clark livery barn has again changed hands and is now managed by Harry Clark, who will conduct a sales place as well as doing all kinds of trucking,” the Record reported from Oswego on May 10, 1920. The livery barn was located at the site of today’s Oswego Cyclery at Main and Jackson Street in downtown Oswego.

“The Congregational church burned to the ground and fire badly damaged the Charles Richards home next to it,” the Record reported in the same issue. The Oswego Congregational Church had been dedicated in May 1895 after the original church also burned to the ground. The church was located at Main and Tyler streets in Oswego.

May 1915

The May 5 Record contained this announcement, “The Oswego Grammar Association of the Oswego public school will give a basket social at the schoolhouse Saturday evening, May 8.”

“The Oswego grammar school has a well-organized baseball team this year and are now awaiting the arrival of opponents,” the Record reported.

The Record also reported, “The dust nuisance of our town is settled as the streets are now being oiled…A fine tennis court is being prepared on the [Red Brick] school grounds for the use of the young people during the summer.”

May 1900

“The rebuilding of the Shickler block has progressed very rapidly,” the Record reported from Oswego on May 9, 1900. “It is being made much more imposing than it was formerly; the corner bay window is ahead of anything that Oswego has had yet.” The Shickler block is the group of stores at Main and Washington housing the Marmalade Tree and Art’s Barbershop. The building had been badly damaged by a fire in March 1900.

May 1895

Cycling was as popular more than a century ago as it is today. “The bicycle rage has struck Oswego hard. A two-seated bicycle was in town last Monday,” the Record reported, adding, “All interested in getting up a bicycle club and a road race for May 30 are to meet at Barrett’s store Thursday evening at 8:00.”

May 1890

Problems with Demon Rum were in the Record’s Oswego news column on May 7, 1890. “Oh, how dry Oswego has been since the first of May. The new council members voted not to extend any saloon or billiard hall licenses,” the paper’s Oswego correspondent wrote, adding, “Don’t’ grumble about it being cold. A dry March, wet April, and cool May promises much fruit, corn, grain, and hay.”

May 1885

“The lecture Friday evening on the ‘Negro Problems’ by a colored reverend was most interesting. The same gentleman also preached at the Methodist Church on Sunday morning,” the Record reported from Oswego on May 27, 1885. The site of the lecture is today’s Little White School Museum.

May 1880

The Record's Oswego correspondent reported that residents of Millington had scheduled an afternoon picnic in a grove near the village that contained several Indian burial mounds. The group was planning to dig up the contents of the mound. The correspondent suggested it was wrong to desecrate the graves, even though the ancient Indians in question had not been Christian. "The cemeteries of the present day may in time become subject to investigation--they are so already to a small extent--the silver plate of coffins and jewelry on corpses may prove more desirable relics than the arrow heads and other trinkets of the Aborigines. The setting of precedents should be discouraged."

May 1870

On May 12, 1870, the Record’s Oswego correspondent reported that “It has been suggested that a grave yard meeting be called at an early day for the purpose of devising ways and means of keeping the hogs from making the graveyard their running ground. The gates are torn down from the hinges and have been laying around for a long time. It is nobody’s job to re-hang them so they just lay on the ground and rot.”

A week later, the Oswego news was that “Sidewalks on the east side of Main St. from Jefferson on to the drug store and from Wash. St. to the premises of W.L. Fowler are to be constructed—being at least four feet wide, of durable boards, and with not less than three sleepers.”