Janesville History @ Hedberg Public Library

Elvis Carbon Copy

Library staff had a poignant interaction with the former fiancee of Clark Duller (aka Clark Dullere), a Janesville teenager from the late 1950s who bore a striking resemblance to "The King," Elvis Presley. Dianne and her cousin came in to the library to see if there was a way they could look at past newspaper articles about Clark. The Oooos and Ahhhs that emanated from our microfilm room got the attention of a reference librarian, who realized a search could also be conducted on the database Access Newspaper Archive, available through the state website Badgerlink.net. Once his name was entered, we discovered an article published on April 13, 1957, about his strong resemblance to Presley that Dianne and her cousin had found on the film.

They were at the reference desk when we discovered another article, dated Good Friday, April 4, 1958, with the headline "Janesville Motorcycle Rider Killed". Dianne said she was secretly engaged to Clark Duller, who at the time of the crash was seventeen and Dianne was sixteen.

We also found a longer article that included his obituary in the Janesville Daily Gazette dated April 5, 1958. Clark was on his way to see her when his motorcycle went off County Trunk M near Evansville. With tears in her eyes, Dianne thanked us and said "You never forget your first love."

Anyone who would like to share information, recollections, or memories about this story, please contact the staff at the Hedberg Public Library at 608-758-6581.
posted 10/14/2011 by DM

Rock Aqua Jays Celebrate 50 Years!

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Rock Aqua Jays amateur ski team. Join in the celebration as they played host and placed first at the National Ski Show August 12-14, 2011, at Traxler Park, along the Rock River. You can also read The Janesville Gazette's special section to "Celebrate 50 Years!"

click article to enlarge
--first 'Aquacade' held Sunday, August 10, 1958

The history of the Rock Aqua Jays mentions the annual "Aquacades" held on the Rock River, and sponsored by The Janesville Gazette and WCLO. The "Aquacades" would become the Rock Aqua Jays, and the rest, as they say, 'is history'. Our Access NewspaperArchive database of historical newspaper articles includes these two stories. The first aquacade occured on Sunday, August 10, 1958.

click article to enlarge

The library has an extensive file of newspaper clippings and pamphlets about the Rock Aqua Jays, and some are featured in the display case outside of The Janesville Room of the library during August 2011.

Contact the Reference Desk for more information.
608-758-6581
Referencedesk@hedbergpubliclibrary.org

posted 8/18/2011 by sb

Fireman Finnane in Fatal Fire in 1959

click photo to enlarge

The Janesville Fire Department has had two firefighters die while fighting fires in the last 82 years. The last time was over fifty years ago.

On November 11, 1959, William Finnane died after a wall collapsed on several firefighters in a fire at the Schlueter Company, 112 E. Centerway. On March 2, 1925, Ed Lichtfus fell from a roof while fighting a blaze at 410 S. Locust St.

This photograph of firefighters placing a wreath on the grave at William Finnane's funeral is from "Century of Stories: a 100-year Reflection of Janesville and Surrounding Communities", p. 129. See also entry for 11-11-1959 on page 131.

According to our Local History Database, the June 21, 2007 issue of The Janesville Gazette has the story on page 7A. Visit our Local History web page or Ask a Librarian for assistance.

Janesville's Past, our online collection of photographs, includes older photographs of other disasters in Janesville's history.

posted by sb 7/12/2011

Civil War Veterans of Rock County, Wisconsin

April 12, 2011 marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the U.S. Civil War. The Janesville Gazette's Anna Marie Lux tells the story of a Rock County Civil War soldier, Henry Allyn of Shopiere. Just twenty years old, he was one of more than 2,800 Rock County men who served between 1861 and 1865. He left Janesville by train in the spring of 1861. He wounded his foot and turned 21 in the First Battle of Bull Run. In August 1962 he survived the Second Battle of Bull Run, or Second Manassas, where more than 25,000 died. See The Janesville Gazette of April 12, 2011, page 1A.

Henry kept a journal, and in early September 1962 he mailed it to his family. On September 17, 1862, he was shot in the hip while fighting at Antietam. Before his death, he wrote a letter home dated September 28, 1862. He died of his wounds October 3, 1862.

Some of Allyn's journal is copied in this pamphlet at the library.

The Rock County Historical Society has more of this journal.

Another book, There Stands "Old Rock": Rock County, Wisconsin and the War to Preserve the Union, by Thomas W. Walterman, tells the story of Civil War soldiers of Rock County.

In proportion to its population, Rock County sent a larger number of men to the Union Army than any other county in Wisconsin.

Hedberg Public Library has other books and photos relating to the Civil War.

Contact the Reference Desk at 608-758-6581 or referencedesk@hedbergpubliclibrary.org for more information.

posted 5/11/2011 by sb

Janesville's Beauty Contest Winner in 1921

"The Big Winners in the $20,200 Beauty Contest"

--The Chicago Tribune, June 5, 1921, B6.

A patron asked for help finding information about Marie Scarcliff, of Janesville, who won a beauty contest in 1921. The contest was sponsored by The Chicago Tribune. Marie went on to compete in the Mid-western states contest, but lost out to Miss Indiana, who won the $10,000.00 grand prize - worth about $120,000.00 today.

Librarians searched the online NewspaperArchive, available on our Research Databases web page, and found several articles from The Janesville Gazette in 1921. This database is invaluable when seeking older articles from the Janesville newspapers. While the library has microfilm of every issue since the 1800's, there is no published index. Unless you have a date or at least month and year, it can be daunting.

NewspaperArchive provides an index. However, not every article from every issue is included online.

An article from Monday, June 6, 1921, explained that a 'new and beautiful picture of Miss Scarcliff was published in the Tribune....Sunday, along with photos of the other five prize-winners. Miss Scarcliff was awarded the ...prize for Wisconsin several weeks ago'.

Another HPL librarian found the citation to the article online, and we requested a copy through InterLibrary Loan, a free service to Arrowhead Library System patrons. We received the Chicago Tribune microfilm from 1921, and with our digital reader, scanned and uploaded the photos here:

"Miss Marie Scarcliff, 164 South Franklin street, Janesville, Wis. Home Girl, 21 - Awarded the $1,000 prize for Wisconsin."

(equal to $12,000.00 today)

(click photo to enlarge)

Miss Hackett, of Indiana, is in the top left photo (profile) below. Marie is in the group photo across the top of the page below, (first girl on the left), with her portrait below that.

Here's the second page of the article:

(click photo to enlarge)

And, a later Gazette article dated July 2, 1921, revealed that "Marie Scarcliff Has Thrilling Hour With Auto Bandits". While traveling with friends in Kansas City, MO, she had a "thrilling experience with hold-ups.....who stopped the car, a Marmon sudan, and stripped it of tires, search-light, glass wings and other equipment."

We learned Marie survived this and lived a long life. Our patron's uncle was the photographer who took Marie's picture. We found his name in our online city directory for 1921: "James McCartney, photographer", located on Milwaukee Street.

This morning our patron came in and explained that she met Marie in Hartford, Wisconsin, in the late 1970's and visited about her experiences. The patron brought in a large, framed portrait she found in her mother's home - of Marie, taken by Mr. McCartney. Our graphic artist took a photo of the framed print - isn't it lovely!

You can see 'McCartney' in the lower right corner.

Another example of how the more we learn, the more we add to Janesville and Rock County's history - @ your library!

Keep your library's Reference librarians in mind for help with your local history questions!

--posted 12/17/2010 by sb

"Camp Janesville" - World War II POW's Lived Here

A 'Sound Off' entry in today's Janesville Gazette (November 10, 2010 p. 6A) asks about German POWs in Janesville during World War II. According to the Local History Database on Hedberg Public Library's web site, 'Camp Janesville' opened at the corner of Western Avenue (Rockport Road) and Crosby when 250 German prisoners were brought here to help with the canning industry. Assisting them were "high school students, Jamaicians, Barbadians, Mexicans, soldiers from Truax field and full time war workers who work short shifts in order to help with the harvest."

Betty Cowley's book, Stalag Wisconsin: Inside WWII Prisoner-of-War Camps, includes a chapter about Camp Janesville, with recollections of people who lived in the area at the time.

Included are memories of Mary Lee, wife of Captain Hugh Lee, Camp Commander in the summer of 1944. They lived in a mobile home beside the camp.

Cowley's book includes over 30 Wisconsin POW camps, from Antigo to Wisconsin Rapids. Rock County public libraries have copies available to loan. Her book includes an extensive list of primary source material about Camp Janesville. Librarians at Hedberg's Reference Desk can assist you.

We found this article, describing the closing of the camp, using our research database NewspaperArchive. This is free online through our Research Databases page with your Hedberg Public Library card.

"Camp Janesville Closes Monday"

--The Janesville Daily Gazette
October 26, 1945

(click several times to enlarge)

This article explains that POW's were paid 55 cents per hour for their labor. Prisoners were allowed to keep 80 cents per day for their spending money.

Note the headline to the right of the Camp Janesville article ,about the safe return of four solders from the 192nd Tank Company:

Contact the Reference Desk for more information: 608-758-6581 or referencedesk@hedbergpubliclibrary.org

--posted by sb

Janesville's City Hall Buildings: 1902 & 1968

In the fall of 1901, city officials laid the cornerstone of a three-story, 66 x 94 foot building, located at the southeast corner of North Jackson and Wall Streets. The E.A. Rush Company, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, designed the building. Initial cost was to be $44,000, but the final cost was $64,000. New furniture and fixtures pushed the total cost to almost $80,000. An old stone barn on the site was retained for city-owned horses.