Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Friends of the Edwards County Historical Society, History Museum, Albion, IL.
A message from Dave Rudloff...
"I am looking for information on a relative who lived in Albion from 1800 to about 1850. His name was Leonard Claiborne Bond."
Also, we are trying to figure out where the L. C. Bond House once stood in Albion.
Dead Man Speaks:
When you go to a funeral, you don’t expect the voice of the deceased to be heard. However, that’s exactly what happened on February 14, 1909 when a large crowd gathered in the Bone Gap Methodist Episcopal Church. The funeral was for well known preacher Daniel Leach. Here is the story.
Daniel Leach was born August 10, 1821 in Smithville Flats, New York. His father David Fowler Leach was a preacher. At age 16 came west in 1837 with Ebenezer Gould at age 16 in a two horse open carriage that took 5 weeks to accomplish. He came with the purpose to marry Miss Mary Knowlton, but she had tuberculosis. Maria Lois Root was a nurse to her. Mary Knowlton died January 20, 1940. Daniel had met Miss Root and after a courtship of 1 1/2 hours proposed marriage.
They were planning to be married on Miss Root’s 18th birthday April 26, 1840. However, efforts to obtain a marriage license at the Courthouse in Albion failed. County Clerk Walter Mayo demanded that parental consent be obtained. It took 5 weeks to get that consent from his parents living in New York. When it finally arrived, it came with a $5.00 bill. County Clerk Mayo refused to accept the money believing it to be counterfeit. Young Leach went to a good friend, Joel Churchill in Albion who accepted it giving Leach silver for the bill which included 4 silver quarters. Leach used the quarters to pay Rev. Joseph Butler to perform the wedding on May 19, 1840, the most money the preacher ever received for performing a wedding. Daniel and Maria settled east of Bone Gap in their house where they lived for the remainder of their lives and raised a large family of 12 children.
Daniel often shared the story of his arrival in Bone Gap on December 24, 1837. He was acquainted with Ansel and Philander Gould who had lived in the same town in New York and had come to Bone Gap in 1835. Ansel had built a log cabin and was married. They invited Daniel to have Christmas Dinner with them. They ate on top of a chest Ansel brought to Bone Gap when he came here. The dinner consisted of pork, corn bread eaten without milk or butter, and strong coffee with no cream or sugar. Daniel would tell those who listened to his first Christmas in Bone Gap story by explaining that the country was full of deer and wild turkey. Hogs and sheep had to be shut up each night to protect them from wolves.
The Civil War broke out in April of 1861. Daniel left behind his wife and children to enlist in the Civil War November 1, 1861 as a private in Company H, 126th Illinois Infantry. Promoted to Drummer he was in 50 battles and served as chaplain during this time as well. He was discharged August 2, 1864 and went home to his wife and large family east of Bone Gap. Daniel loved to tell of his many experiences during the War.
Daniel Leach was a well-known preacher. His first sermon was preached at Old Scottsville in Wayne County’s Leech Township in April of 1846. He conducted the funeral for the first person buried in Bone Gap Cemetery. Over the years, Leach preached in Clay City, Albion, Louisville, Phillipstown, New Burnside, Mt. Carmel, Metropolis, and Jonesboro. However, Daniel maintained his membership throughout the years at Bone Gap Methodist Episcopal Church. It was said he had a remarkable voice, able to make himself heard for 3 city blocks. His services and particularly his prayers, were noted for their length, including a prayer at a soldiers' reunion that was an hour in length. Bone Gap resident George Rude said, "On a Sunday evening in the summer the Rude family could sit on their front porch and hear Daniel preaching in the Methodist church, 3/4 of a mile away."
Daniel had preached the Gospel in numerous churches over the years. Traveling from his home east of Bone Gap to the various churches, people looked forward to seeing him coming in his horse and buggy. His services and particularly his prayers were noted for their length. He delivered a prayer at a soldiers' reunion that was an hour in length. Sometimes Mrs. Leach would stand up and say " Danl! You've preached long enough! I got a roast in the oven for dinner, and its gonna burn! Now wrap it up and let's go home!" And Dan would!
Unlike some preachers of today who choose to retire, Daniel intended to keep on preaching the Gospel. The last year or two of his life, old Dan had to preach while sitting down. One might think that a preacher known to preach long sermons would not draw many people to the churches where he came. Not so with Daniel. Newspaper accounts of his services continued to report large turnouts wherever he went.
So what’s this about a dead man speaking at his funeral? Before his death, Daniel recorded his customary benediction on a gramophone. He made it known that this recording was to be played at the conclusion of his funeral. Daniel died February 12, 1909. True to his wishes, that recording was heard by the huge crowd that gathered the next day for his funeral in the Bone Gap Methodist Episcopal Church. They are Jude 24-25 “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” It proved to be a frightening experience for some attending that funeral. A 10 year old granddaughter hearing her grandpas voice booming out from behind his coffin was a bit too much for her. Also sometime during the funeral a tremendous thunderstorm blew up, adding to the rather macabre effect of the dead man offering his own benediction.
Daniel’s body lies in the Bone Gap Cemetery next to his wife Lois and some of his children. Daniel’s customary benediction was also played at the funeral for his wife Lois on June 11, 1912.
CALLING ALL EDWARDS COUNTY HISTORIANS:
Hello Averi, Bill Currie, again. I am sending you two scans of the same picture. One is of the original and the other a slightly bigger version.
The photograph of BROWNS School was taken circa 1902-1903. My two main goals are:
1. Find and obtain a scan of a "cleaner" version of the same photograph as if you look closely, you can see where a boy and a girl have their faces rubbed out from one of my grandmother's siblings.
2. And to hopefully identify all of the children on the photograph as well as the teacher's name, as I can only identify my grandmother and three of her four siblings that are in the picture. It's possible that the boy on the left end of the front row-(with his face scratched out) may be her one sibling that she could not identify.
My grandmother's name was Carrie (Mercer) Barnhart. Her siblings were Mary, Clark, Chloe & Gail Mercer. Gail is the one she could not identify for sure. The two children's faces will show up just clear in another copy. My grandmother's siblings took a pencil eraser and purposely marked out their faces.
Photos from ILLINOISouth Tourism's post
Please join us and become a member of the Edwards County Historical Society today. Share and invite your family and friends to join as well.
Your new or renewed membership to the historical society and your support are very important to the preservation of our historical museums, homes, tourist sites and precious artifacts. Each one means so much to so many whose roots run deep in this county. It is not only an honor, but our duty to preserve every possession entrusted to the society by those who have gone before us. The Friends of the Edwards County Historical Society recognize this importance and extend this invitation to join us as we know you do too!
Please print the attached form and send with your dues and/or donation. THANK YOU from the Friends of the Edwards County Historical Society!
Terry Harper
Charles and Arabella (W**d) Stewart with four of their children: Hampton W**d Stewart, Anna (Stewart) Harris, Lulu (Stewart) Peak, and Sadie (Stewart) Clark. Another son, Millage P. Stewart, died in infancy. The family is in front of their home at 44 West Elm Street in Albion, Illinois, which was built in 1865. Charles and Arabella were married September 27, 1865 and moved into their newly-built home. The house celebrates its 150th birthday in September 2015.
(2019)The Washington Painter House "A Christmas to Remember" Tour! Such a magical time to decorate this amazing house with friends and host the tour for all of you; our Friends of the Edwards County Historical Society.
Washington Painter House 150th Birthday. This article was published after the 2019 Washington Painter House Christmas Tour. After a year's worth of downtime in 2020, there is now an even greater need for funding for structural repair to the front porch and balustrade and replacement of the 35 year old heating system.
Reminder: The Edwards County Historical Society does not receive monies from the City of Albion. The Historical Society is a non-profit organization and relies soley on membership dues and donations for all operations. Thank you for your support.
Look for an invitation to support the Edwards County Historical Society coming soon.
With the responsibility to protect the past, the Society’s mission is to gather, preserve and protect Edwards County’s historic museums, artifacts and memorabilia; share the stories of its people and place with audiences of all ages; and foster an understanding and appreciation for historic preservation.
Membership runs for one calendar year beginning the month you join. Your membership is a declaration that you care for the past, present and future of Albion and Edwards County. Your financial partnership is greatly appreciated.
POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19.
TICKETS ARE STILL ON SALE! PLEASE CALL 618-445-7833 FOR TICKET SALES INFORMATION. WE WILL NO LONGER SELL TICKETS THROUGH CITIZENS NATIONAL BANK OF ALBION.
Bring your mother, daughter and friends! Let's have a wonderful day celebrating an Edwards County time-honored tradition.
Thank You...for your help raising funds for our Painter House restoration project.
Friends! We can't thank you enough! Our page has gone from (47) followers on Wednesday to (242) and (901) reach this morning! 🎉🎉🎉 It's Step 1 of our Friends of the Edwards County Historical Society Membership Drive!
🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿
Can we get to (250) today or more!?! Please INVITE your Facebook friends to follow our page and join The Edwards County Historical Society!
~ Grab a coffee and come join us for our next Friends of the Edwards County Historical Society meeting at 4:30PM this Wednesday, February 26th at The Painter House in Albion.
~ There's a lot of information to discuss and very important implementation plans, phases and volunteers to put into place.
~ Gentlemen, please plan to join us. As Spring approaches, we need your input on what we can accomplish and repair with the building materials we already have.
We'll see you there. Thanks in advance for your help in these very important fundraising and restoration efforts.
Beautiful pictures of a beautiful community rich in its heritage.
Major fundraising efforts are underway to benefit the Edwards County Historical Society. Much needed building repairs. The roof and floor of the Historical Society site are a priority. The porch, upper balustrade and boiler at the Painter House must be replaced or repaired. We'll need funding and volunteer work and are confident the folks in our community will lend their support. We could use your help! It's going to be worth it to save Albion's historic sites for future generations.
Our next meeting is Wednesday, February 26th at 4:30PM at the Painter House. Please invite a friend and plan to attend our fundraising efforts for the Edwards County Historical Society.
We welcome the newest members: Sherry Tewel-Harder, Thoma Smith, Jessica Gwaltney, Terry Harper, Suzanne Roosevelt, Francie Kieffer, Averi Goodman, Tara Buerster and Kathy Lane and invite you to join us!
A big "THANK YOU" to everyone who attended the first of our monthly fundraising meetings. It was nice to have such a relaxed yet fun idea exchange over dinner.
Plans will start now on a Mother/Daughter "Mother's Day Tea" in May and a "Christmas Tour of Homes" in December. We'll also look into scheduling a Healthy Lifestyle event featuring cooking demonstrations and a fun, motivational speaker.
We'll hope to grow our newly formed Friends of the Edwards County Historical Society. Newest members are Sherry Tewel-Harder, Thoma Smith, Jessica Gwaltney, Terry Harper, Suzanne Roosevelt, Francie Kieffer, Averi Goodman, Tara Buerster and Kathy Lane.
Our next meeting will be Wednesday, February 26th at 4:30 p.m. at the Washington Painter House.
Welcome to the Friends of the Edwards County Historical Society page! This will be our online meeting place for all of the upcoming fundraising meetings and events to benefit the Historical Society.
You see, the community of Albion is seeing the need to raise funds to restore historical society sites and homes. It's a very important mission...and we need your help. We're blessed with willing hearts and hands to keep our history in tact for generations upon generations to enjoy.
Photos from A Christmas to Remember Tour Washington Painter House's post
Photos from A Christmas to Remember Tour Washington Painter House's post
Photos from A Christmas to Remember Tour Washington Painter House's post
Very soon the Painter House will be filled with the wonderful sounds of Christmas carols and instrumentals! THANK YOU to the Edwards County High School Band and Vocals Team and Director Sara Swardstrom for bringing your gifts of music to the Painter House from 2:00PM to 8:00PM!
What an honor it has been to decorate the beautiful Washington Painter House for the Christmas Tour! Thank you to these ladies and many more! Pictured are Sharon York, Carisa Rosborough, Kelly Fryman, Kim Thompson, Averi Goodman, Thoma Smith, Hayley Buerster, Tara Buerster. Also, Nickie Osborne, Tori Thompson, Olivia Potter and Ian Gill, our heavy lifter!
THANK YOU Terry Harper and the Edwards County Historical Society for decorating the outside so beautifully and the opportunity to help share this historical home!
Photos from A Christmas to Remember Tour Washington Painter House's post
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Albion, IL
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Welcome to the Friends of the Edwards County Historical Society page! This will be our online meeting place for all of the upcoming fundraising meetings and events to benefit the Historical Society.
You see, the community of Albion is seeing the need to raise funds to restore historical society sites and homes. It's a very important mission...and we need your help. We're blessed with willing hearts and hands to keep our history in tact for generations upon generations to enjoy.
