A Twist in History

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Haish, barbed wire story featured on podcast

This SUPER interesting podcast, Fascinating Nouns, has a new episode about the history of barbed wire featuring an interview with local historian Steve Bigolin.

Click here: http://fascinatingnouns.com/steve-bigolin/ and play "The Barbed Wire Barons" episode to listen. At the 38:30 mark, the host gives a shout out to A Twist in History. So cool, and worth the listen!

Fascinating Nouns, thank you for putting a spotlight on the barbed wire story!

- Jessi (Haish) LaRue

Friday, April 6, 2018

PHOTOS: Fire Destroys Haish Shop

Haish Spreader Factory Fire | Photo courtesy of Joiner History Room, DeKalb County Archives

We are continuing to share Jacob Haish-related images from the Floyd Ritzman Collection. The Joiner History Room has generously allowed me to share these images on this website.

These photos capture a fire that completely destroyed Jacob Haish's manure spreader factory in 1914. The May 20, 1914, edition of the Sycamore True Republican called the fire the "heaviest fire loss in the history of DeKalb."

According to the article: "All of the contents of the big shops, which included some 200 completed manure spreaders, and a great amount of other products and raw materials, were completely destroyed." To read the complete article, click here.

Haish Spreader Factory Fire | Photo courtesy of Joiner History Room, DeKalb County Archives

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From the Joiner History Room website: "Over 700 photos from the Floyd Ritzman Collection which are part of the Northern Illinois University Digital Library are now available on Flickr at https://flic.kr/s/aHskqwXroS. This collection of photos, taken in and around DeKalb County, was formerly part of the Taming the Wild Prairie website. Thanks to Matthew Short at NIU for making these historical photos available."

According to the Joiner History Room's website, "Floyd R. Ritzman (1885-1975) was a teacher and administrator in the DeKalb public school system. His passion was photography." Special thanks to the Joiner History Room for allowing me to share these images.

Monday, April 2, 2018

POSTCARD: Smokestack struck by lightning

I discovered this postcard on Ebay, and its image has quite the story to tell. The postcard, which shows the Haish building which stands at Ninth and Locust Streets in DeKalb, reads:

"Haish's New Electric Power and Gas Engine Plant, DeKalb, Ill. Smokestack struck by lightning Saturday, July 28th, 1906."

The front side of the Haish postcard. | Photo by Jessi LaRue

The back side of the Haish postcard. | Photo by Jessi LaRue

Documentation courtesy of the Joiner History Room offers a little more insight on this image:

"The building picture on the reversed side is of The Jacob Haish Company, Power & Gas Engine Plant, located at Ninth & Locust Streets. The Power Plant was discontinued prior to 1915, the Gas Engine Plant was discontinued in about the year of 1916. The property was sold to Hurley Machine Company and was purchased in 1924 by the Nehring Electrical Works from the Hurley Machine Company. The three [story] building was remodeled into a two [story] steel structure and an addition of two stories and one [story] was built adjoining this building at the west end in 1936, all as it now stands in 1956. A one [story] structure was built east of this building in 1930 and another structure in 1941, as it now stands in 1956. The present Office Building at Ninth & Locust Streets, was built and finished in early 1938, all the above building and remodeling was done by the Nehring Electrical Works."

Friday, March 16, 2018

PHOTOS: Barb City Bank

We are continuing to share Jacob Haish-related images from the Floyd Ritzman Collection. The Joiner History Room has generously allowed me to share these images on this website.

The below photos capture the Barb City Bank, one of Jacob Haish's major accomplishments in his lifetime. Newspaper articles from the time reported that in Haish's later years, he could be found seated in the lobby of the bank, talking to any person who came through its doors.

The bank was located on the southwest corner of Third Street and Lincoln Highway in DeKalb, according to historian Steve Bigolin.

Barb City Bank in 1898 | Photo courtesy of Joiner History Room, DeKalb County Archives

An article in the Dec. 9, 1885, edition of the Sycamore True Republican describes plans for the bank:

"Mr. Haish desires it understood that the most gentlemanly treatment and courtesy will be accorded all. An exchange, loan and discount business will be done on the most liberal terms."

According to the Joiner History Room's website, "Floyd R. Ritzman (1885-1975) was a teacher and administrator in the DeKalb public school system. His passion was photography." Special thanks to the Joiner History Room for allowing me to share these images.

Friday, March 2, 2018

PHOTOS: Haish Memorial Library

We are continuing to share Jacob Haish-related images from the Floyd Ritzman Collection. The Joiner History Room has generously allowed me to share these images on this website.

The below photos capture the Haish Memorial Library, which is now known as the DeKalb Public Library. Jacob Haish left $150,000 in his will to create a public library for the city. Haish died in 1926, and the library was erected in 1930. These photos capture the library, 309 Oak St., DeKalb, in its earliest years.

DeKalb Haish Library in 1937 | Photo courtesy of Joiner History Room, DeKalb County Archives

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