The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1913-10-31


h-IC5lC apple trees which have
but frai footing at the
embankments edge the last reminders of
once thriving and populous place will
have been swept away.
Almost seventy years ago the hamlet W
or St John founded by a man named NJ
Hethnger and few OF his followers "
The site chosen was commanding one
on the bluff overlooking the lake and
oAe-half mile east OF the point where tba North
western depot at the Village OF HiRbwood nou
STANDS. The great clay bank with the stretch O,
sahd beach which shelves away TO the water's edga
a' ts ioot looks as If 1t were strong enough and
Tar enough removed from the breakers 10 no an fo
against the angrlest northeaster that ever blou
Ihe men who built their houses upon the nIoIn
surmounting the embankment thought their foun.
. ua'onS were as sure as though founded on the
TRADITIONAL rock. They did take the prac,utiop
however, to limit their building oneratione on ,I
cast Dy line drawn fifty yards from the edge of
the biun That line has long since been hurled In
ta.Sa Sa"u uhder the waves, and with it are the
houses and the shops Of the early settlers
In the year 1916 the Village OF ST Jobn VINO tt
@I"a @ ol Waukegan, which then called Little
rorC both were prosperous and both were GROW
ne' HIsh"ood tradition hath 1t that people pass.
ing through tho two places from Cbicopo docioroa
that St John showed the ear marks NJ oroooaa a,
that IL was destined to be a big city Other noone
oeSiue the Chicagoans thought So too and they
hocked to the place and built substantial houses
ana SHOPS The two apple trees which aIono re-
main OF all that pertained IN tbo VILLAGE 90 O.
John grew In tho yard OF Sebastian Richards
whose house was farther removed from the
iaNe 'nah any other In the village. The apple
trees were back Of the residence Not long aqo
'ne loundatlon OF bricks, which was all that
was left of Richards dwelling slid down the
Diun into the lake during the height OF a win
Ter storm The roots OF one OF the apple trees
are even now extending into the air through the
size or the embankment One good strong pusb
would send II hurtling TO the beach 100 feet
below
Among the of the builders OF St John
In addition to those of Hettinger and Sebastian
Richards, the only that the Oldest High
wood Inhabitants can remember. are Frank
Mitch Peter Baker and George Shepard Mitch
was shoemaker and It is said that he is still
Following the trade in town in the far north. -
AS FAR as - known he is the only survivor of
.ne who founded the Village of St John.
In the year 1S47 there several stores N
blacksmith shop. n tavern and posofice in the
Village OF St John, which then held n popula-
tion OF about 200 people In that day there was
n stage coach line between Chicago and Mil
waukee The tavern at St John was a relay
station for the stage Henry Mowers. who
members the village in its latter days. says
that the tavern was noted for its table, and its
liquor, and that people frequently took the stage
journey from Chicago for the sole purpose OF
getting a good dinner and q good glass
IL n man who intended becoming a resi-
dent of St John that afterward founded the
Village or Half Day. He had looked the
lakeside village and then had declared that he
would establish that would last longer and
had more people in It, The automobIlists who
every Sunday pass through Half Day on their
runs TO Waukegan and return may look the
half-dozen houses there assembled and know
that the who turned his back on St John
has kept his word.
When the Chicago and Milwaukee railroad was
built the surveyed line ran one-half mile west
of the Village of St John. An adequate idea
OF the Importance OF place of which now bare
ly n vestige remains may be had when II IS
known that the railroad authorities built spur
line running TO the south edge OF the town.
Some Of the practical residents OF the place had
discovered that excellent quality Of brick
could be made from the clay which was found
in pit short distance south OF the blacksmith
shop, As matter OF fact the presence Of this
brickyard OF the chief reasons that the
branch line OF the railroad was built When
Uncle Sam accepted from the Commercial Club
OF Chicago the land TO the north OF the city as
n military reservation the soldiers drew hun.
dreds of carloads of both good brick aud broken
brick from the site Of the old brickvard and
used the material for temporary road.makinr
and for the filling in OF swamp spots The fore.
thought OF the st. John people I'm leaving he.
hind them specimens OF their handiwork saved
the United States government great many
dollars.
1t is possible to trace today with no difficulty
at all the embankment upon which the branch
line OF the railroad ran TO the brickyard and 10
the now lost Village OF St John In size and
outline IL looks like military redoubt and Il
would perfectly answer the purpose OF one Tho
embankment was leveled at its western end
when stores were erected in the Village OF High.
wood II starts from a point almost direct
ly back OF the little Methodist church and rms
eastward. broken only by roads which have been
dug through &C.
II less than ten years after the founding
Of ST John that tho people awakened 70 posi-.
BILE danger TO their homes by the encroachment
Of the waves Of the lake. 1t is true that they