HR0386 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0386 LRB102 18844 LAW 27557 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate the Village of Montrose on the occasion of its sesquicentennial anniversary; and

WHEREAS, Montrose is located within the St. Francis Township of Effingham County and Spring Point Township of Cumberland County, with a population of 201 as of the 2010 U.S. Census; with the help of Calvin Mitchell, the Effingham County surveyor, the town was platted by J.B. Johnson and became official on July 19, 1870; and

WHEREAS, Montrose was originally named Spitler, or Spitler Corner, for early settler Wesley Spitler; it was founded due to its location along the National Road and the building of the St. Louis, Vandalia, and Terre Haute Railroad, later known as the Pennsylvania Railroad, which ran through Montrose and was completed in 1868; and

WHEREAS, Montrose's name is of medieval Scottish origin, a derivation of the French word "Mont" meaning "mountain" and "rose" meaning the flower or the color, possibly honoring the Scottish nobleman, poet, and general James Graham, the first Marques and fifth Earl of Montrose, who earned the title "The Great Montrose" for his military victories in the English Civil War for King Charles I; and

WHEREAS, Montrose's early settlers were mainly German Roman Catholics from Westphalia and Oldenburg and Lutherans from Saxony, and they arrived by way of the National Road and included pioneer Abraham Marble, who arrived about 1845 and kept a relay house for stagecoaches; other early settlers included William Wallace in 1849, James Rolfe in 1850, and Thomas Gibbon in 1851; and

WHEREAS, While Montrose was platted by J.B. Johnson, William Goebel was believed to be the town's first true resident; Goebel, who operated the grain elevator for 14 years, still has descendants in the Montrose area; and

WHEREAS, The Village of Montrose held its first town meeting at Dr. H.G. Van Sandt's storeroom on May 7, 1892; then-elected officials were Village President Henry Will, Village Trustee Dr. T. Wisner, Village Trustee Matt Faber, Village Trustee Boon Miller, Village Trustee Dr. H.G. VanSandt, and Village Clerk R.N. Plummer; and

WHEREAS, The first meeting of St. Francis Township was held in the home of Andrew Schneider and presided by Town Clerk F.C. Thoele on April 5, 1870; elections were held, and the victors included John W. Thoele as supervisor, Frederich C. Thoele as town clerk, Bernard Wernsing as assessor, Ferdinand Hattrup as collector, Newton Gibbons as justice of the peace, D. Crews as constable, D. Overbeck as commissioner of highways, John W. Thoele as school trustee, D. Spitler as overseer of highways for District 1, A. Schneider as overseer of highways for District 2, and B. Pruemer as overseer of highways for District 3; and

WHEREAS, Montrose's first building was a storehouse stocked with various types of merchandise built by Browning and Schooley; by 1890, there were six general stores, two saloons, an implement store, a blacksmith, a flour mill, and a hotel; the village's first tavern was opened by Lou Sehi and James Hall sometime in the late 19th century when other businesses included a funeral home and coffin shop, a hardware store, a barbershop, and implement stores; the village was also home to the Crews State Bank, which was built in 1902 and operated until 1949; and

WHEREAS, Around the time Montrose was founded, Dr. H.G. Van Sandt opened a store that later expanded into what would now be known as a pharmacy; Dr. Van Sandt also was the town's first agent at the railroad depot and the second postmaster; and

WHEREAS, Montrose's first schoolhouse was a frame building built by Newton Gibbon one-half mile west of Montrose in 1856, and the building was moved to town a year later; Miss Eva Gilmore served as the first teacher; and

WHEREAS, Montrose was incorporated in 1892; according to the 2010 census, the village has a total area of 0.69 square miles; and

WHEREAS, Montrose has had a rich tradition of churches that were established to serve the families of Montrose, including the Montrose United Methodist Church in 1868, St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in 1879, and the Harmon United Methodist Church in 1888; other churches in the area that were established for Montrose residents include the Mullen Baptist Church in 1956, Sacred Heart Church - Lillyville in 1875, St. Isidore the Farmer Parish St. Joseph Church in 1874, St. Paul Lutheran Church - Rural Wheeler in 1868, and the Woodbury United Methodist Church in 1905; and

WHEREAS, Montrose local lore includes the recollection that Abraham Lincoln, while riding the circuit as a lawyer along the Cumberland Road, stayed at the stage stop west of Montrose prior to the village's incorporation; and

WHEREAS, Montrose has had a number of notable residents, including Carl Winston Browning, who served as a gunner's mate on the U.S.S. Phelps in the U.S. Navy during the Battle of Midway and Guadalcanal, Doctor Albert E. Goebel, who delivered over 2,000 babies during his career, and Philip Wiwi, who served in the Illinois General Assembly in the 37th and 38th sessions, where he sponsored bills concerning the education of children and the building of roads and bridges; and

WHEREAS, Montrose was also the home of Senator Lawrence Yates Sherman, who had an illustrious career in public service; locally, he served as a Macomb City Attorney and a McDonough County Judge; he served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1897 to 1905, where he became Speaker of the House in 1899 and served until 1903; he was Illinois Lieutenant Governor from 1905 to 1909; he served as a U.S. Senator for Illinois from 1913 to 1921, making him the first directly elected senator by the citizens of Illinois per the 17th Amendment to the Constitution in the 1914 election; he is buried with his second wife, Mary Estelle (Spitler) Sherman, at Faunce Cemetery in Montrose; and

WHEREAS, The Montrose Sesquicentennial celebration was planned and organized by the Montrose 150th Committee and the Montrose 150th History and Book Committee; and

WHEREAS, The Village of Montrose was not able to celebrate its sesquicentennial due to COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings in 2020; it will now celebrate its 150-year milestone from August 6 to August 8, 2021; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Village of Montrose on the occasion of its 150th anniversary; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Village of Montrose as an expression of our esteem and respect.