THEBES STREET SCENE
Contributed by Betty Waddell Walsh
This is "down under the hill." It is believed that the house on the right with the wrap around porch is the Marchildon's house.
The people in the picture are not known, but notice the old car and the railroad track in the foreground.
I received this same picture from Guy Gammon and Tess Ford. Mr. Gammon stated that this was the Marchildon house inside the fenced yard at the very bottom of the hill. At the left side there was a blacksmith shop, across the street a large two story house or maybe three stories, where my family lived. When I was little, maybe 5 or 6, we had a large yard with picket fence. We had living together with mom and dad, there was mom's folks, my uncle Cletus and another of Uncle Cletus' brothers. Having meals in the dining room, one morning someone asked where Grandma was. They went and got her. She wouldn't eat and was crying. When the bus honked out front to pick up Uncle Cletus for work at the dynamite and black powder factory, which was situated in two hollows just below Thebes, close to the river, he got up from the table and went to the kitchen for his lunch. When Cletus came back through, grandma got up and then dropped to the floor and grabbed his legs, begging him to stay home. She had this bad dream. When he left she went into hysterics and the doctor was called. A little later while I'm out in the yard playing, the place blew up and never reopened.
Guy said he thought it was in the spring, maybe May 6, 7, or 8 that the powder plant blew up. He said it was beautiful woods in those two hollows. Some tie outfit bought the lumber rights and made eight foot ties, stripping the land.
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©2007-09 Illinois Genealogy Trails
Contributed by Betty Waddell Walsh
This is "down under the hill." It is believed that the house on the right with the wrap around porch is the Marchildon's house.
The people in the picture are not known, but notice the old car and the railroad track in the foreground.
I received this same picture from Guy Gammon and Tess Ford. Mr. Gammon stated that this was the Marchildon house inside the fenced yard at the very bottom of the hill. At the left side there was a blacksmith shop, across the street a large two story house or maybe three stories, where my family lived. When I was little, maybe 5 or 6, we had a large yard with picket fence. We had living together with mom and dad, there was mom's folks, my uncle Cletus and another of Uncle Cletus' brothers. Having meals in the dining room, one morning someone asked where Grandma was. They went and got her. She wouldn't eat and was crying. When the bus honked out front to pick up Uncle Cletus for work at the dynamite and black powder factory, which was situated in two hollows just below Thebes, close to the river, he got up from the table and went to the kitchen for his lunch. When Cletus came back through, grandma got up and then dropped to the floor and grabbed his legs, begging him to stay home. She had this bad dream. When he left she went into hysterics and the doctor was called. A little later while I'm out in the yard playing, the place blew up and never reopened.
Guy said he thought it was in the spring, maybe May 6, 7, or 8 that the powder plant blew up. He said it was beautiful woods in those two hollows. Some tie outfit bought the lumber rights and made eight foot ties, stripping the land.
Return to Picture Index
Return to Alexander County Index
©2007-09 Illinois Genealogy Trails