1925 – 100 Years Ago

John Street in DeKalb, from College Avenue to Locust Street, is open to auto traffic and most of the work from Locust Street to Lincoln Highway has been completed. This afternoon the paving gang was engaged in filling the holes on West Lincoln Highway before the street is paved. The paving of John Street and West Lincoln Highway, from the bridge to First Street, should not take very many days if the weather remains clear. John Street would have been finished Tuesday night had it not rained on Tuesday.

DeKalb County’s jail, under the supervision of Sheriff E. E. Crawford, has been the subject of much newspaper publicity and news photos since the arrival here of Terry Druggan, the beer king of Chicago, who is a mere kid, but has been given more publicity than some of the biggest men in the country.

After several hours of continuous work upon the plot of Manager J. Trebby of the gas company and workmen, the leak in the main coming from DeKalb was found, and repaired. Gas was again available for Sycamore people at six o’clock last evening. The company officials believed its main from here to DeKalb was in first class shape and the sudden leak day before yesterday caused considerable inconvenience. The manager states that he is glad that the break was found before cold weather had arrived, as it would have meant many more hours work before the necessary repairs could be made.

Carnine & Sweeney, having the contract for the laying of the cement strip east of DeKalb, today started to lay slab. For the past several days the workmen for the company have been grading the short distances of pavement and getting it ready for the laying of cement. The work should not take a great length of time, unless rainy weather will interfere, as the distance to be laid is not very long. The stretch is from the eastern city limits of the city for about half a mile. The piece being paved is the section that was used by the Aurora and DeKalb interurban line as a road bed at the time the service was in operation.

Even though a heavy front settled over his community Tuesday night, reports are still current about the spring plants that have bloomed for the second time. Mrs. Lotter of North Second street reports that her strawberry plants have bloomed for the second time while radishes and lettuce have again appeared in her garden. Several residents of this community have reported that their cherry trees are blooming for the second time this year. The first front this fall arrived late in the season, according to residents who have lived here many years.

1950– 75 Years Ago

Several of the rooms at the DeKalb city hall have taken on a much more attractive appearance with redecorating activities on the interior having been completed this week. The city court chambers, the office of the city engineer and the city council chambers, located on the second floor, have been redecorated as have the two rear rooms of the police station. All of the rooms were badly in need of paint and now that the redecorating has been completed much favorable comment is being heard. The window frames and trim on the outside are also to be painted.

When the little village of Orange, later known as DeKalb, was founded, and the settlers had time to think of other things than the bare necessities of life, the need of a schoolhouse became imperative. The first building was built of logs and roofed with “shakes.” It has no floor and no windows, simply openings made in the sides; consequently, when it became cold enough to need a fire, school was discontinued until it became warm again.

A tractor-drawn wagon broke loose Friday afternoon and collided with an automobile driven by a Berwyn man a block west of the seed corn drier in Waterman. Harry W. Cleary of rural Waterman, was traveling east with the tractor wagon rig when the wagon broke loose and rammed into a car driven by John Harrington of Berwyn traveling west. Damage to the left front of the car was reported on the county sheriff’s accident report. No damage to the tractor or wagon was reported.

On of the statues on the monument at the DeKalb County Court House in Sycamore had an extra hat for several days. The figure on the right is wearing an inverted pail. Unnoticed for some time, the pail failed to attract much attention and was finally dislodged by a heavy wind.

Falling leaves from the many elms and maples on the Courthouse lawn have started the annual headache for Yardman Frank Tedford. Almost every day he has to get out the leaf sweeper and go over the giant yard.

1975 – 50 Years Ago

DeKalb Public Hospital will loan, rather than sell, its equipment to Kishwaukee Community Hospital. In a surprise move, Milan Krpan proposed that the board loan the equipment to KCH with the stipulation the equipment be returned if needed by DPH.

The new Clinton Rosette Middle School, currently is adjacent to the old school, which opened in 1906. The new building is scheduled for completion in December. Students will move into the new building about Jan. 1, and the old building will be demolished.

JoAnn Fabrics grand opening! A one stop-shop for all your sewing needs. New store opens at 121 West Lincoln Highway in DeKalb on October 8th.

A blind Sycamore resident tells time with a braille watch. Hundreds of area preschoolers have their vision tested. Dozens of DeKalb residents have their eyes checked in a Mobile Glaucoma Screening Unit. All have benefited from the efforts of Lions Clubs. On Friday, Illinois Lions Clubs will continue their fight against blindness with their 23rd annual Candy Day for the blind.

2000 – 25 Years Ago

The county’s soaring economy could be heading for a “soft landing,” according to recent data collected by Northern Illinois University’s Center for Governmental Studies. The DeKalb County Economic Index shows sharp declines in the number of businesses expecting increases in manufacturing production, retail sales and services industry revenues in the Third quarter.

Those paying attention to the recent flap over whether to add “gender-ambiguous” people as a protected class under the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance could not help but notice the impact of CMAD on the City Council’s deliberations. CMAD, or Community Members Against Discrimination, argued that trans-sexual and people with “non-traditional gender appearances” face discrimination in housing, employment and other areas of daily life, and deserve to have legal recourse when such discrimination occurs.

Tuesday night’s presidential debate came at a conflicting time for some Americans. It was on at the same time as the Major League Baseball playoffs. With a Chicago team in the playoffs, it may have been harder to find people out in the local bars watching the debate.

Compiled by Sue Breese