Washington County Historical Society

10/06/2026

The Washington County Historical Society had a really nice turn out for the Annual Ice Cream Social on October 4th at the WCHS Museum. For those of you who haven’t been to one of our Ice Cream Socials, the process of making the ice cream is certainly quite entertaining to watch. We thank Seth and Tom Swoboda for bringing their very unique antique Ice Cream Maker to support this event and for whipping up some of the best homemade ice cream. We also want to thank Miss Ainsley Swoboda, daughter of Seth and Nicole Swoboda, for helping her dad mix up the ingredients for the ice cream mixture and for being our official “First Taster” of the ice cream. She chose the strawberry ice cream and gave her approval… and the festivities began. We thank Don and Shelley Rybacki for the use of their chest freezer to keep the ice cream cold. Mike Chwasczinski generously donated some Prairie Farms Ice Cream for the event. Lastly, we thank our Nashville Kroger Manager making sure we had plenty of milk and cream for the event. Thanks to all who came and supported this event. It was beautiful day…perfect for ice cream and visiting with everyone. See you next year!

Photo Captions:
1. Tom and Seth Swoboda preparing to crank up the pony motor that powers the Ice Cream Maker.
2. Ainsley Swoboda and Cathy Dinkelman getting ready to serve up some delicious ice cream.
3. Full view of the antique ice cream maker. Check out the size of that bucket!

10/04/2026

Wood Family…Early Settlers of Nashville
The John Wood Family is documented in the “Washington County Combined 1879 History and 1906 Standard Atlas.” as early settlers in the Nashville Precinct. In Circa 1821, twenty-one-year-old John Wood and his wife were among the earliest settlers to arrive in the Nashville Precinct. Wood’s wife’s name is not given our history book, and she is continually referred to as Mrs. John Wood. Like most settlers of that time period, the Wood’s squatted on a piece of government land and built their home in Circa 1822 or 1823.
Initially, Wood worked as the business manager of a store owned by James Mitchell who came from Belleville. Mitchell’s store was the second business store to open in Nashville; the first store was owned by Orcenith Fisher. After a short while, Wood became partners with Mitchell in the business. He would eventually purchase Mitchell’s interest in the store and was the sole proprietor. Historical records tell us the Wood’s home was built and used as an inn, pony express stop, tavern, store and post office. Mrs. Wood is credited for running the post office in the home. It was also the meeting place of politicians and it became their headquarters in those early days. It was a stopping place of circuit-riding lawyers, preachers, and of the riders of the pony express. It has also been said, but cannot be verified, that on one or two occasions that during a time when there was no courthouse, court was held within the walls of the tavern. Their home stood for nearly 130 years near the corners of North Western and West Vernor Avenue on the north western edge of Nashville. It was razed in 1952.

Mr. and Mrs. Wood are known to have had at two children, Joseph and Susan. Susan’s marriage to Mr. Champness Ball was an eventful affair as it was the first marriage performed in the city of Nashville in February 1835. Their marriage was solemnized by Major John Wood. Upon the deaths of John, Mrs. Wood, and their daughter Susan, they were laid to rest about 100 yards from their home. Gravestones marked the burial sites throughout the years up until the late 1970s. Today, we are not sure what happened to the stones as they are no longer at that site. The gravesite for Joseph Wood, is at the Masonic Cemetery in Nashville.
It should be noted our history book informs John Wood served as a Senator for two years (1838-1840). It also informs he served as a soldier in the Black Hawk War. He enlisted into service on May 28, 1832 and served two years. First, he was mustered in as an Orderly Sergeant, then appointed as Adjutant, and then was elected as Major of the regiment from WC.
As a courtesy to the family of one our earliest settlers, the Washington County Historical Society has done preliminary genealogical research on the John Wood family and is trying to locate any living descendants. We hope to be able to provide them with the history of their family and if they are interested, we can also provide them with local points of contact for veteran’s service organizations who can assist them through the protocols of requesting a military cenotaph from the Veterans Administration. The purpose of this cenotaph is to allow the family to use it as a gathering point at a cemetery to honor their ancestor even though the remains are buried elsewhere. Anyone with information of the John Wood Family, please contact Ray Porter at 618-314-5185.

Photo Caption: The Wood Family Home as pictured in 1952. This was once Nashville's most famous landmark built in Circa 1822-1823.

09/27/2026

All three WCHS Museums will be open Sunday September 27th, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM.
Our museums are located as follows:
WCHS Main Museum 326 South Kaskaskia Street, Nashville, IL
WCHS L&N Depot East 1st Street and North Kaskaskia Street, Nashville, IL
McKelvey One Room School 2 miles west of Nashville on State Route 15.
Please support your local museums.

09/25/2026

Just a reminder, a Historic Photo Display is being held at the Venedy Village Hall this Sunday. Check it out and meet and greet the good folks out there sharing their history.

09/25/2026

Quilt Raffle
This beautiful quilt was gifted to the WCHS to be raffled by longtime member Mary Ann Borowiak. It is currently be displayed in the lobby of the Farmer's and Merchant's Bank in Nashville, and raffle tickets are being sold there. The quilt measures 82" X 90". It is beautifully embroidered and machine quilted. It would be a perfect gift for a lady or a little girl. It will be displayed at the bank up until December 3rd and the drawing will be held on that day. Tickets are being sold for $5.00 per ticket or $25.00 for 6 tickets. Don't miss your chance on this beautiful quilt...it would make a very nice Christmas gift.

09/18/2026

What better way to end a very hot summer? And check out Seth's ice cream maker.

Mark your calendars!!!!!

09/10/2026

A Christmas Tradition
As a diversion from this horrible heat wave we’ve been having for weeks, I’d like to share a little information about the Washington County Historical Society’s “Santa At The Depot” Christmas Event. The WCHS will continue the tradition of presenting Santa and Mrs. Claus for the dates and times shown on the schedule below. We created this special event back in 2014, solely for the purpose of making sure children, parents, and grandparents from Washington County and nearby towns could comfortably visit Santa in a historic building that will surely be memorable and gives a nod to the 17 train depots that once existed in Washington County. This depot is beautifully preserved and is handicap accessible.
There will be cookies, candy, and other treats for each child that attends this event. Please bring your cameras or phones for photos. And yes, Santa will be happy to greet those “big kids” who like to sneak in just to get their picture taken.
We thank the Nashville Chamber of Commerce for the many years we have worked together to build this special Christmas Tradition that the people of the county have come to know and love. We welcome Sam and Martie Jack back who will portray Santa and Mrs. Claus. We are appreciative and thank the Santa and Mrs. Claus sponsors: The Wash Co, Nashville Self-Storage, the Swoboda Family, and Farmers Mid-County Feed Company. Our Santa Schedule is shown below so please mark your calendars. We hope to see you there!
Santa Schedule
November 28th 1:00-4:00
December 4th 5:00-7:00
December 12th 1:00-3:00
December 19th 1:00-3:00
December 20th 1:00-3:00
December 22nd 5:00-7:00
December 23rd 5:00-7:00

09/09/2026

All three WCHS Museums will be open Sunday September 13th, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM.
Our museums are located as follows:
WCHS Main Museum 326 South Kaskaskia Street, Nashville, IL
WHS L&N Depot East 1st Street and North Kaskaskia Street, Nashville, IL
McKelvey One Room School 2 miles west of Nashville on State Route 15.

Please support your local museums.

09/07/2026

Heritage House Museum Fundraiser

Get your tickets now! Tickets for this very special evening celebrating the history of Okawville through the Heritage House Museum are now on sale at both Okawville banks.

This unique and memorable evening will feature a delicious meal, w**e walks, a silent auction, and “Voices of the Past” portraying Frank and Sophie Schlosser, who were inhabitants of the Heritage House Museum and Alex Bridges, who was Okawville’s resident poet back in the day.

The evening will also include honoring Mr. Warren Stieg for his work with the museum through all of the years.

Tickets are $25 each for adults and $15 for children 10 and under. Get yours now to support the preservation of our local history!

09/03/2026