September 29, 2023 • 58 mins
The Mokena News Bulletin was THE paper of record, reporting from August of 1919 until its last issue in 1969. William and Margaret Semmler started their modest paper in the former Front Street saloon that her family owned. Both were very active in the community where they raised their family and made their living. Bill served as Village Clerk, Village Trustee and Frankfort Township Clerk, to name a few.
Through Matt's endless hours reading through the Mokena News Bulletin, he grew a great appreciation for their work. He wrote an in depth account of their life in Mokena and their impact on the Village. Matt did a great job of highlighting how great these two people were. Matt released this in four parts on his blog, (which you can find HERE) and we will be releasing this in two parts.
Enjoy this series about the longest reporting newspaper in the history of Mokena, as well as two of Mokena's most influential citizens of all time!
Be sure to check out our website @ www.MokenasFrontPorch.com
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Find Matt's Blog here: Matt's Old Mokena
Photo & Artwork Credit: Jennifer Medema & Leslie V. Moore Jr.
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https://www.southsidepod.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Israel (00:01):
Welcome to Mokena Front Porch, a Mokina History Podcast
with Matt Galik and me, IsraelSmith.
All right, Matt, this episodeis one that we've kind of talked
about for a while and talksabout two people that have had a
tremendous impact on ourvillage Absolutely they have,
yeah, the Semler family, oh sureyeah, and their paper was the
(00:23):
Mokena News Bulletin.
Matt (00:24):
That's correct, yeah.
Israel (00:27):
Where do we start with?
You know what's the, what's theoverview of these guys?
Why is this something thateverybody in Mokena should know
about?
Matt (00:35):
Yeah, yeah.
Well, that's such a goodquestion.
Where do you start with such anepic tale as this?
The News Bulletin, aside fromreporting the news in Mokena
from 1919 to 1969, has served asan irreplaceable historic
(00:56):
record for us, kind of like aRosetta Stone, if you will.
If you look back at, if you goand you look through the papers
there's just without them wewouldn't know anything about
anything that was happening inthat time frame, because it
reported on just abouteverything that was going on in
(01:19):
town, as well as news from theneighboring towns as well.
But aside from just leavingbehind their life's work, for us
, the Semler family, to be ableto examine and take in and chart
the history of Mokena in thoseyears, from the days right after
World War One, through theprohibition years, the hard days
(01:45):
of the Great Depression, theequally hard days of World War
Two and then the postwarprosperity and growth that came
with it.
Everything's there, you can seeit all.
And not only should we rememberand honor them for their hard
work and doing that for us allthose years, but in their own
lifetimes, when they were Mr andMrs Semler we're still here
(02:09):
they did a lot for the communityOnly, first and foremost of all
the things they did was gettingWolf Road concreted into a hard
road.
Something that people don'treally think about today is the
(02:31):
fact that there was a time whenmost of this country just had
bad roads, and Mokena was aprime example of that no paved
roads, no asphalt.
Certain places had had themoney for hard roads, but Mokena
(02:51):
was never really one of those,and Mr Semler's work in drawing
together the right people,politicians, other Mokena
businessmen, stuff like this tofinally get it done with, or
especially through the politicalmess that it became, as will be
(03:14):
seen, is this nothing short ofamazing, because it connected
Mokena Wolf Road to the outsideworld, brought commerce into
town.
Was it was just a miracle whenit was finally done?
Israel (03:29):
And there's the quote.
It changed it from a money pathto a modern passage.
Matt (03:35):
Yeah.
Israel (03:36):
And you think for this small town you know that was
built on the railroad.
Now you have a major hard roadcoming through.
Yeah, yeah, that had to have ahuge effect downtown.
Matt (03:48):
Absolutely yeah, and it really did.
It changed everything fromMokena.
Israel (03:51):
And what's the timeframe that the Mokena news bulletin
was being printed?
Matt (03:57):
Yeah, First issue came out in August of 1919.
Mrs Semler sold the paper in.
I spent around 1958 orthereabouts.
We'll have the exact date hereas we go through.
She sold the paper and retiredto a publisher in LeMont who
(04:19):
kept up the paper all the way upuntil 1969 when the last issue
appeared.
Israel (04:26):
So for 50 years this was the paper of record for this
town?
Matt (04:31):
Oh sure, yeah, definitely.
Israel (04:33):
Well, this is a.
You know you put so much detailinto this.
You know this was released onthe blog as four parts, but
where did you originally publishthis?
Matt (04:46):
I originally published this.
What we're about to hear in theform of a booklet that the Will
County Historical Societypublished, marking the 100th
anniversary of the founding ofthe paper in the summer of 2019.
Israel (05:01):
Yeah, and Melissa Fedora was nice enough to provide me
with a copy of this, so I thinkwe can put these pictures and
the images here, share these aswell.
Yeah because there's, as always, some really great pictures and
stuff included.
You said you weren't reallysure if this is available for
(05:21):
people to purchase or findsomewhere.
Matt (05:23):
Yeah, that's a good question.
So when this the originalpublication first came out, as
you said, melissa was kindenough to grab a bunch of copies
and she had them at the chamberoffice on Front Street for
anyone that wanted one.
I don't know if she ever soldout or not, so it's possible
that she still may have a few,but if she doesn't, the Will
(05:46):
County History Museum indowntown Lockport should have
some, because for anybody that'sinterested in the history of
the county at large totallyrecommend joining the History
Museum, because once a quarterthey put out a really cool
publication that has as itssubject some topic in Will
(06:06):
County history and they have forsale the back issues of their
the quarterly publication.
They're available at the museum, so I'd imagine they would have
some Very good, okay, yeah.
Israel (06:19):
Well, as I said, this is another really interesting
story.
There's not a whole lot offamilies that you can point to
that have kind of turned thetide and had such a significant
impact on our village as thesemilars.
So it's true.
Matt (06:34):
Yeah.
Israel (06:35):
So you know of anybody else that's put together a
history at all of the semilars.
Matt (06:43):
You know, the closest thing I could think of was a
write up that Ada Semler, thedaughter of William and Margaret
Semler, put together herself.
At the time she was AdaWestland, because that was her
married name.
She wrote a little history,maybe just a couple pages or so.
(07:04):
Way back must have been, maybein the 1970s or so, that I, if I
remember correctly, waspublished in a publication
called when the Trails Cross,which was, or I should say is it
still exists, was a publicationput out by the South Suburban
Genealogical and HistoricalSociety.
(07:25):
So she, she wrote a piece basedon her own memories and things
she knew about her parents andthings like that.
But as far as, yeah, as I know,no one ever really wrote the
definitive history.
Israel (07:41):
Well, it's great that that you did and thank you Glad
that we're able to share it here.
Matt (07:47):
So thank you.
Israel (07:48):
Enjoy this multi-part story.
Matt (07:52):
There's perhaps no greater virtue in our land than that of
free speech, guaranteed in theConstitution.
It is the cornerstone ofdemocracy.
No one item upholds andembodies this ideal more than
the American newspaper.
In the hands of its reader, itis the country's truest speaker,
from the metropolis to thehumblest village.
(08:15):
Every community has an organthat not only represents its
citizens but also allows them aplatform to speak and be heard.
The newspaper is also anirreplaceable historic document,
one that, when properly caredfor loyally, remains decades
after its birth to giveresearchers hard facts where
(08:36):
previously only false memoriesand muddled stories existed.
Every publication is areflection of its creator and no
man has been better suited tohelm a newspaper than William
Semmler of Moquina, illinois,described during his lifetime as
an individualist with realAmerican determination and also
(08:58):
as one of Moquina's most up onhis toes citizens.
His life's masterpiece was thenews bulletin, his hometown's
paper from 1919 to 1969.
Semmler was a popular man abouttown, who created oodles of
friends and was remembered by acontemporary as hustling,
(09:19):
smiling, agreeable bill withyour hand shaking, which was
always real.
From this authenticity sprungthe greatness and immortality
that he shared with hissteadfast partner and wife
Margaret, along with their twodaughters, adeline and Ada.
The Semmler's Moquina was onesignificantly different than
(09:40):
today's, where now we have abustling suburb of Chicago.
They knew a much smaller, ruralcommunity, one that boasted
less than a thousand residents,a place where everyone knew each
other and colsoot from passingRock Island locomotives coated
uptown buildings.
As we mark the centennial ofthe News Bolton's founding, we
(10:02):
honor the Semmlers and how theirlives.
Work in Moquina profoundlyaffected the village they called
home, where they rose fromhumble beginnings to become one
of Chicago Land's most respectedmedia companies.
William Semmler's roots reachedback to the earliest days of
the village, where destiny foundhim.
To really understand Bill, onehas to look at those who gave
(10:26):
him life, john and CatherineSemmler.
His mother was born KaterinaHeim, who first saw the light of
day in Moquina on August 20,1855.
The Chicago, rock Island andPacific Railroad had been
completed through the localeonly three years before, and
what began as a tiny hamletclustered around a train depot
(10:49):
was starting to show signs ofgrowing into a lively village.
Her parents were hardy folks ofHessian stock, having left
their homeland and set downstakes in what would later
become Frankfurt Township at theend of the 1840s, after first
trying his hand at ruggedprairie farming.
Katerina's father, martin Heim,soon became physically
(11:13):
incapable of the grueling toiland, with the arrival of the
Rock Island, set up a smartlittle store near the tracks
that catered to the men who laidthe rails and the other
predominantly German-Americancitizens of the sparsely
populated area.
Counting some success in thisendeavor, heim converted his
(11:34):
business into a beer saloon thatbecame a mainstay in Moquina, a
place where people of all walksof life robbed elbows.
Starting on what would come tobe called Front Street.
The tap room had modest livingquarters attached to it where
the Heims raised four children.
The third to be born, katerina,or Catherine as she came to be
(11:57):
called, came of age in a Moquinathat was bustling with activity
and growing seemingly by theday.
Her family were charter membersof the German United
Evangelical St John'sCongregation in the village,
having been with the flock sinceits inception in 1862.
And Catherine was confirmedthere on Palm Sunday 1869.
(12:19):
It was with this samecongregation that, on November 8
, 1885, at the age of 30,catherine married Johann Semmler
, a Prussian shoemaker, 10 yearsher senior.
Nothing has survived theravages of time that indicates
how they came together.
Originally a native of Ganesanin Prussia, semmler found
(12:42):
himself on America's shore in1867.
After having done a stint inthe Prussian military, he was in
Chicago by 1871, plying hisshoemaking trade on DeCultham
Street that year.
He survived the destruction ofthe Great Fire, having been
saved only by a lucky change inthe wind's direction at the last
(13:03):
second.
After John and CatherineSemmler were married, they moved
a few miles down the road toNew Lennox, where their only
child was born on January 9,1887.
He was baptized at St John's inMoquina on June 4 as Wilhelm
Edoard Emil Semmler, but as alad he was known simply as
(13:26):
Willie.
The Semmlers moved to Frankfurtin 1897, but were back in New
Lennox by 1900.
The elder Semmler set to work athis craft in the tiny community
where the family kept housealong what would later be known
as the Lincoln Highway.
Living immediately south of theChicago, rock Island and
Pacific Railroad tracks, youngWillie became captivated by the
(13:49):
puffing locomotives and coachesthat passed back and forth
behind his home.
Like many American boysthroughout the ages, he came to
live and breathe all thingstrain.
His interest transcended thatof most, however, when, as an
ambitious lad of 14, he set outto build his own locomotive no
small task.
Willie set to it with ardor anddedication, displaying a vim
(14:13):
that would be a trademark forall of his days, attached to the
back of the Semmler house,facing the railroad tracks.
The engine's base was made withspare logs that were around his
father's shoe shop, while itsboiler was fashioned out of a
metal container used fordisplaying coffee, while a flour
and sugar barrel completed thesetup.
A smokestack was made out of anold stove pipe, a headlight out
(14:36):
of a salmon can.
Sewing machine, parts for thethrottle and a working bell and
semaphore were attached to theengine as well.
Every conceivable component ofan authentic locomotive was
fabricated by the young Semmlerout of whatever material he
could get his hands on.
He also put together awaterproof cab with the help of
some cast aside tobacco signs,complete with a homemade
(15:01):
engineer seat.
It proved a popular place forneighborhood boys to seek refuge
from the elements.
After all of Willie Semmler'swork was done, his locomotive
measured 12 feet long, four feetwide and eight feet high, and
bore yellow cardboard letters C,r, I and P and the numbers 932.
(15:21):
After a real engine that ran theline, the Lads engine came to
be something of an attractionfor passersby.
On the Rock Island line.
Trainmen would sometimes throwauthentic railroad knickknacks
for the youngster to incorporateinto his engine If a passing
accommodation was making a stoplong enough.
In New Lenox, it wasn't rarefor railroad men to come to get
(15:42):
a closer look at Semmler's handywork, who declared it to be a
dead ringer.
For the real thing, willie waseven once graced by a visit from
the road master himself, aswell as travelers who stopped by
to photograph the locomotive.
Willie Semmler, one of thebiggest train enthusiasts in
Will County, was set for acareer in the world of railroads
(16:04):
until disaster struck.
On the fateful night beforeThanksgiving 1901, a calamitous
fire destroyed John Semmler'sshoe shop, along with the home
of his family.
While they escaped the infernoby the skin of their teeth,
young Willie's locomotive, thescene of countless passionate
hours of his labor, alsosuccumbed to the flames.
(16:25):
The following year, while WillieSemmler was 15, the Semmlers
moved home in hearth, back toMoquina, to the house on Front
Street that once held the oldsaloon of Catherine's father
Martinheim.
The building was awash withlocal flavor, holding its
original doors and windows, aswell as timbers that still
showed the scars of the actsthat felled them decades before
(16:49):
the old bar made of black walnutcould even still be found in
the place.
It was here that John Semmleropened up his shoe repair shop
and began conducting business inMoquina.
Aside from being a railroadbuff, young Willie was possessed
of an intellectual drive thatgave him a thirst for the
printed word, which led him tovisit the farm of Willard Owen,
(17:11):
just southwest of Moquina,oftentimes making the trek by
foot with his father.
Mr Owen was known to keep alarge personal library from
which he freely allowed Willieto borrow.
Young Semmler only went toschool until he was about 10
years old, but displayed anaptitude for spelling, grammar,
history and geography, alongwith an early knack for writing.
(17:33):
All would serve him well in thefuture, as social networks are
the wheels that drive life.
A friend of Willie's opened adoor for him that would
determine his destiny.
Bill, as he came to be called onhis adolescence, was the friend
of Ida Kinnery, a Moquinaresident about 13 years his
senior.
The daughter of the village'srailroad crossing flagman,
(17:55):
kinnery was the localcorrespondent to the Juliet
Weekly News and in 1907, foundherself engaged to be married.
Looking to resign her positionwith the newspaper, she invited
Bill to take over the spot forher.
Thus it was that Bill Semmlerof Moquina, a tender lad in his
20s, became a reporter.
(18:15):
The exact date of this turningpoint in his life, his formal
introduction to the journalisticworld, has become somewhat
muddled over the years, withcontradictory points abounding.
It likely occurred around 1907,as this is the earliest known
reference in the pages of theweekly journal the pages of the
weekly news to his being named areporter.
(18:36):
As the newspaper carried a vastarray of items from across Will
County, bill Semmler served thepublication as the local
contributor for MoquinaFrankfurt and the surrounding
area.
It was with the news that Billcut his teeth with the press,
recording neighborhood births,marriages and deaths for the
paper, but also cheerful news ofparties, occasional snippets of
(18:58):
petty crime and even details ofproperty transactions.
In a reflection of his heritageand the greater ethnic makeup
of the area, bill had anunderstanding of the German
language, which also enabled himto pick up newsy morsels from
Moquina's more elderly residents, some of whom lacked English
abilities.
Aside from reporting communitynews, bill also occasionally
(19:22):
used his columns to showcaseself-composed poetry.
This work was mostly seasonal,having to do with holidays such
as Thanksgiving, christmas andValentine's Day, but he also
wrote Rewards, which appeared inthe news on August 15, 1907,
which contained stanzas such asGlory After the Gloom, blessing
(19:44):
After the Blight, joy After DeepSorrow After Darkness the Light
.
Another piece, the Threshold,which appeared the day after
Christmas that year, partiallyread the joyous bells o'er Moor
and Fell in mellow echoes.
Their story tell, and this istheir joyous refrain a bright
(20:05):
and happy New Year's here again.
Every man has the woman in hislife who propels him forward,
and Bill Semmler found his inMargaret Ustreich.
While the historic record hasleft us with many rich details
on Bill's early life, we areleft with comparatively few on
Margaret's.
She was two years younger thanhim, having been born on May 18,
(20:28):
1889.
In a geographic parallel,margaret Ustreich was a native
of Joliet, the seat of WillCounty, located 11 miles west of
Moorkeena.
While a school chum of herslater described the young lady
as A very sweet girl with awonderful disposition, margaret
had an exceptionally toughchildhood, at one point spending
(20:50):
a year in bed with a heartcondition.
She moved to New Lenox in 1906,where her sister, clida, was
manager of the local telephoneoffice, taking a job there as
her assistant.
No details have survived thecourse of time as to how, but in
some way, margaret Ustreich andBill Semmler got to know each
other as teens and she lateroften accompanied him as he
(21:12):
traveled the Moorkeena area insearch of news in a horse-drawn
buggy that had been provided himby the news.
The young couple tied the knoton October 21, 1914, at Zion
Evangelical Church in Joliet,from whence they set down their
stakes in a cozy, newly builthome on Neathammer Avenue in
Moorkeena.
(21:33):
Margaret Semmler was verycivically minded in her new
hometown, leading the localcampfire girls as early as 1915,
a spirited group of youngladies akin to the Girl Scouts.
The Joliet Weekly News, bill'semployer, consolidated with the
Joliet Herald in 1915, which puthim on the staff of the new
(21:54):
Joliet Herald News at itsinception.
Ever looking to expand, billSemmler set up a small print
shop in his Moorkeena home inearly 1916 after having gotten a
jumpstart in $8 of capital thathad been borrowed from W H
Beckstein, the owner of thevillage's grain elevator.
After the passing of JohnSemmler in April of that year,
(22:17):
bill picked up his equipment,which consisted of a small
hand-operated press and a fewdifferent fonts of type, and
moved the shop into the oldproperty on Front Street where
his maternal grandfather hadserved sudsy beer and his father
worked on shoes.
He took on a partner of theventure, namely a Moorkeena gent
named Wachter, who, when thepopulation of the village in
(22:41):
this era is surveyed, was likelyone Andrew Wachter, an engraver
who was a near neighbor to theSemmlers.
Before long, this partnershipdissolved and the historic
record hasn't left us the reasonwhy Bill's erstwhile printing
business, which turned outbusiness letterheads, auction
posters as well as forward theflavorful bulletin of
(23:03):
Moorkeena's German UnitedEvangelical St John's Church,
was eventful for him, as hissimultaneous experience as a
reporter and the new know-how asa printer gave him a solid
foundation of valuable knowledgefor the future.
Bill Semmler's budding careerwas almost interrupted when
America entered World War I in1917, during which time he was
(23:27):
summoned to the Will CountyCourthouse by the draft board to
undergo a physical examination.
What transpired isn't known,although the fact that he listed
his invalid widowed mother as adependent on his draft card and
declared himself not physicallystrong may have played a role
in his never having been calledup.
Bill Semmler wore many hats inthe Moorkeena of his day, for
(23:51):
not only was he a printer andgatherer of local news, he also
took a seat as village clerk inApril 1912 under Mayor Ona
McGovney, having received awhopping 65 votes from his
townsmen to his opponents 1.
In this capacity, which Billfilled until 1922, he took down
(24:12):
the minutes of the village boardand issued local hunting
licenses, among other tasks.
Bill's drive to serve thecommunity was tireless as much.
Later he became a MoorkeenaVillage trustee from 1937 to
1943, serving also as clerk ofFrankfurt Township for 8 years.
Another venture soon startedfor Bill and Margaret that of
(24:34):
parenthood, when their marriagewas graced by the arrival of
their first child, adelineSemmler, on August 18, 1917.
He was followed by her sister,ada Semmler, three years later,
on February 7, 1920.
Israel (24:51):
So this is kind of, right now, the early life of
Bill Semmler, before we get intowhere he's actually now going
to start the paper and do thatbut you see he really is
committed to the community andit's great to see already he's
(25:12):
clerk, he's run solidly, wins anelection there 65 to 1.
What do you think it was aboutMoorkeena for him that just
really made him be so forMoorkeena and want to make it a
better place.
Yeah, that's a really goodquestion.
Matt (25:32):
I think, at least at this point in his life, I think it
would probably would have beenformed by the fact that, simply,
his roots were in Moorkeena.
Of course, as we've seen, his,his father was a German
immigrant who had only been inthe country maybe 20 or so years
(25:54):
thereabouts before Bill wasborn, and had really never lived
in Moorkeena before theyeventually moved back here.
But his mom his mother was bornand grew up here and his
grandfather who unfortunately henever knew, but his grandfather
was the saloon owner on FrontStreet who was in business here
(26:15):
for many, many years was one ofthe very, very first businessmen
in Moorkeena.
He was, he was here right whenthe railroad was being built
through.
I think it was just thisfoundation of the community
being in his roots that probablyplayed a pretty significant
role in that.
I also think that, since he wasworking as the Moorkeena
(26:39):
correspondent to the first ofJuliet News and then the Juliet
Herald News for quite some time,at this point I think his,
since his work was in thecommunity and it consisted of
going around and talking topeople, talking to the business
owners, talking to his neighbors, people in town that he knew,
(27:02):
which was probably just abouteverybody Also people coming to
him with things they wanted himto put in the paper.
His just his day in and day outwas just Moorkeena was this
town.
So I think a combination ofthose things is what probably
gave him this, this drive toserve Moorkeena, which is what
(27:25):
he did for literally the rest ofhis whole life.
Israel (27:29):
Wow.
Matt (27:29):
Yeah.
Israel (27:30):
Yeah, and it's interesting too and you
mentioned how eventually hebecomes a village trustee but
he's clerk here and I thought itwas interesting how you know
you're in a case here where he'sthe media but he's also the you
know the part of the villagegovernment and that.
And I'm sure, we see that lateron in the story where that's
(27:53):
kind of brought up and used himagainst.
Used against him a little bit,but yeah, I'm sure that had to
create a little more conflictthan at times too.
Matt (28:01):
And it did, which we will see.
Yeah, as the as we carry onhere.
But yeah, just the nature ofsmall town life at that point
Lots of people wearing more thanone hat.
Israel (28:12):
Definitely In town, right?
Yeah, all right, and I'll keepgoing with the story.
Matt (28:19):
When the Joliet Weekly News and the Joliet Herald
became one in 1915, mokenaresidents noticed immediately
that the subscription for thenew paper was a heftier price
than that of the old news and byand by takers of the
publication started to drop offthe rolls.
Local folk who recognized BillSemmler's natural talent for
(28:41):
scouting out newsy morselsencouraged him to start his own
sheet and thus, in anextraordinary moment, sprouted
in Bill's mind the first seed ofthe idea to start his own
newspaper that would serve theMokena area.
In neighboring Tinley Park,businessmen who had enjoyed his
(29:02):
coverage of their neck of thewoods during his time with the
news floated the idea ofstarting a stock company to help
Semmler get a paper started.
No small amount of money wasraised in this endeavor and Bill
even looked over real estatethere to house an office.
But America's entry into WorldWar I threw a wrench into these
(29:23):
plans and they came to not.
At this point he reshifted hisattention to Mokena, his
hometown.
While the Mokena of this era wasa small rural place mustering
up around 500 residents, it alsoboasted a rich journalistic
history.
The village's first news personwas a plucky 18-year-old named
(29:46):
Julia Atkins, whose hand-writtenbroadsheet, the Mokena Star,
appeared in 1852, as thecommunity was barely more than a
handful of buildings along thenewly built Rock Island line.
The Mokena Advertiser wasanother early publication,
helmed by Charles Jones, anotheryoung editor from 1874 to 1877.
(30:09):
At the same time towncorrespondents, using romantic
monikers such as Bluebeard,cupid and Euripides, sent in
news to the Juliet papers.
Well, in the 1880s the Mokenacommercial advertiser was
printed in Lockport.
The Juliet Weekly News andlater its amalgamated form, the
(30:32):
Juliet Herald News, could becounted on for Mokena reportage,
especially under Ida Kinneriesand later Bill Semler's tenure
as contributors.
But local columns werepainfully short during the World
War I years, often being edgedout by news from the county seat
.
In this era, residents ofEastern Will County found
(30:53):
themselves withoutrepresentation in the press.
When the war ended in 1918, thequestion of a new Semler-led
local paper started up anew inMokena.
A few town business people,such as auto dealer Elmer Cooper
, harness maker Albert Helmuth,insurance man Ona McGovney, as
(31:15):
well as the Frankfurt GrainCompany and JC Funk of Tinley
Park, put their money wheretheir mouths were and promised
their support in the form ofadvertisements.
The idea to forge ahead with anew publication was set into
motion as Bill and MargaretSemler brainstormed what to call
the paper.
Mokena businesses were lined upon Front Street, with the
(31:36):
Semler Print Shop being a nearneighbor to all.
Among them were two blacksmiths, a feed shop, a livery stable
and three general stores.
A grain elevator stood near thebusy Rock Island depot, and
Bowman Derry maintained a milkbottling plant on Marty Street,
the community's main north-souththoroughfare.
(31:57):
A two-story schoolhouse stoodon the east side of town, while
four churches provided for thespiritual and social life of the
village.
Things started off modestly inthe new concern, or, as the
Semlers would later morecandidly put it, on a shoestring
, as their first issue was aboutto see the light of day in
(32:19):
August 1919, its letters wereset by hand at the Front Street
office, after which the typeforms were gently wrapped in
paper and then bundled into asuitcase.
Bill and Clinton Krause, a15-year-old neighbor, hauled the
luggage onto a Rock Islandaccommodation bound for Blue
Island some 13 miles distant.
(32:40):
Once there, the two Mokenianstook their cargo up a steep hill
to an old press on WesternAvenue, ownership of which Bill
had recently come into.
To their fortune, the presswould eventually make its way to
the printing office in Mokena,alleviating the drudgery of
having to make repeated trips toBlue Island.
Once all the newspapers hadcome off the rollers, they were
(33:03):
brought back to Mokena via areturn train and addressed at
the Semler House.
On August 21, 1919, the firstissue of the newspaper was born
to the world, bearing the heavytitle of the News Bulletin.
In a reflection of the epoch inwhich it was born, the News
(33:24):
Bulletin triumphantly heraldedthe return of Mokena boy Alfred
Hatch from Germany where he hadbeen stationed with the Army of
Occupation.
In other happenings of thepost-World War I era, the
newspaper eagerly reported thatthe village's campfire girls had
raised enough money to supporta French orphan.
(33:44):
A week later, when the secondissue landed in the hands of its
subscribers, its front pageheld the flavorful story of Fred
Steinhagen Sr, an irate Mokenafarmer who had been arrested for
firing a revolver at localbaseball players whose fetching
of errant balls on his propertyhe interpreted as trespassing.
(34:05):
News from the neighboringcommunities of Frankfurt, marley
, madsen, new Lennox and TinleyPark was also included, along
with farming and household tips,as well as some jokes thrown in
for good measure.
Composed of eight pages, withfive columns to a page, it could
all be had for $1.75a year.
(34:28):
Those first editions of the NewsBulletin had about 200
subscribers.
However, by the end of 1919,the Semmlers had upped their
numbers, counting a whopping 900people in Mokena and the
surrounding territory.
The dramatic uptick was due toa subscription drive
brainstormed up by Bill andMargaret, the grand prize in
(34:50):
which was a $900, 1920 OverlandTouring Car, the same ultimately
being won by Mamie Colber ofMokena In a model that was kept
up for a goodly portion of thepublication's existence.
News was gathered by callinglocal families and outright
asking for it.
It was also asked for in thepages of the paper itself,
(35:13):
reminding readers early on tosend in your news items.
We want them all.
Perhaps you entertained company, know of a party, of a visitor
from a distance, an accident, asocial affair All these things
make good news items.
Just bring or send them in.
By doing so you will help tomake this paper a real spicy
(35:33):
sheet.
By August 1921, the price of ayearly News Bolton subscription
had gone down slightly and wouldcost a reader $1.25.
Towing the new price andknowing full well that issues
were being passed around Mokenafrom person to person, the
Semmlers wrote that A paper islike a woman every man should
(35:57):
have his own and not run afterhis neighbors.
The early period of the NewsBolton's existence was a tough
one for them, full of trial andtribulation.
In their words.
It was a time when the waveswere high and the sea rough.
Their enterprise faced openanimosity from select Mokena
(36:17):
business people and, for reasonsknown only to them, and lost
the time.
A handful steadfastly refusedto advertise in the
publication's pages, who, with asurly mean, made it known that
Mokena did not need its ownpaper and openly urged Bill to
quit.
The Semmlers also had to takeon no small amount of debt to
(36:39):
get the News Bolton off its feet, this being something that they
were still wrangling with fiveyears after the first issue came
off the press, when Bill wrotethat Everyone he is indebted to
will be paid in full, withinterest to boot.
At this point in the paper'syoung life, it missed its only
issue.
Due to a strike involving theWestern Newspaper Union in
(37:01):
Chicago, a supply of newsprintfailed to make it to Mokena on
time.
The arbitration dragged on fora few weeks, but after having
had his fill after the firstweek, bill went to the city
himself and scrounged up asupply of paper which he carried
back to the village wedgedunder his seat on a Rock Island
train.
After this episode, and havinglearned their lesson, the News
(37:25):
Bolton office began to regularlycarry large supplies of it.
Bill and Margaret Semmler werethe brains behind the News
Bolton, but they had plenty ofhelp from technology.
An invaluable machine called theLinoGraph made its debut in
Mokena on the last day of 1919.
And while it wasn't actually upand running at the office until
(37:46):
January 6th, it revolutionizedthe Semmler's ability to print
the news in town.
Where the work of composing thenewspaper's type was once done
by hand, the LinoGraph now didit mechanically and showing off
the contraption in the pages ofthe News Bolton, the Semmler's
noted.
We do not believe in boasting,but the fact is that this
(38:09):
machine is a boost for the NewsBolton as it gives us fine
equipment such as a seldom foundin a small town.
For all the good it did, theearly days of the LinoGraph
ownership were a source of aseemingly never-ending stream of
vexation.
One headache that crapped upwere complications with the
machine that resulted in theJanuary 6th 1920 edition coming
(38:33):
out late.
In an apologetic blurb, billwrote that he felt much
aggrieved that the delay hadtaken place, but then proudly
stated that we have now tamedthe wild animal.
The new publication got anotherboost up when a two magazine
Mergantaler Lionel type machinewas installed in June 1923.
(38:56):
It being a more prominentrelative to the Lionel graph.
A major technical annoyance forthe Semmlers was their old
diamond cylinder press, acontraption they loved to hate.
In 1925, bill wrote that it wasbehaving like a bulky mule and
that it could only be operatedby a wizard and hypnotist,
(39:18):
before adding that he had lostmuch patience in religion in
wrestling with this demon of apress.
Another advance occurred inMarch 1925 when a new cylinder
press, a Century II Revolutionmodel, was set up at the Front
(39:39):
Street office.
This marvel was able to produceabout 2,700 impressions in an
hour, which saved the Semmlersand their employees much time,
cutting their final productiontime in half.
Prior to the installation ofthis machine, it would take
almost five hours to print a runof the news bulletin, but with
the new press it came down to anhour and a half.
(40:02):
For a period early on, theSemmlers employed an assistant
editor, having hired E ETurrentine.
In May of the paper's firstyear, things were still wobbly
as the publication tried to findits footing in Mochina and the
surrounding area, with moredelays in publishing and a piece
on the front page of the May14th 1920 issue that lamented
(40:25):
the news bulletin has had athorny path to travel on account
of a shortage of help and alsovaguely noted some
dissatisfaction among thesubscribers.
In an instant it looked as ifeverything might literally go up
in smoke when, on August 6th1920, a freak gasoline explosion
(40:45):
erupted in the paper's Mochinaoffice.
For a few panic-filled momentsthe situation looked utterly
hopeless.
But through the quick-thinkingbravery of some neighbors and
Bill's mother, catherine, wholived in the rooms adjoining the
office, the flames were tampeddown.
In a piece on the fire thatappeared on the front page of
the following week's paper, billsoberly described himself as
(41:08):
having been enveloped in flamesand having to beat the fire out
of his clothes.
Assistant editor Turrentine wasunlucky enough to have his foot
burned and back wrenched whenthe explosion, in a close call,
wedged him between the lino-typeand the cylinder press.
All of that week's news fromFrankfurt and New Lennox was
(41:28):
lost in the blaze.
In talking about the incidentin the news bulletin, the
Semblers humbly thanked everyonewho helped rescue them and
their property.
Being headquartered in ahistoric building had its share
of problems too.
One was flooding, whichoccurred in the old cellar under
the structure.
On one occasion, in March 1922,a clog in a drain caused 14
(41:54):
inches of rainwater to stand inthe basement, requiring Chief
Hermann Schweizer of the MochinaFire Department to blast out
the obstruction with the villagefire hose.
By the mid-1920s, the newsbulletin bore the slogan Cust by
some Disgust by many, red byall.
(42:15):
While the publication had acomfortable number of
subscribers, all was not arose-pedal path for the Semblers
, as their straightforward senseof local journalism sometimes
incurred the wrath of certainreaders.
A classic example would be theblistering fallout that reared
up in the aftermath of aprohibition-era raid.
In October 1930, a tip hadreached the Will County State's
(42:41):
attorney that illicit boozecould be had at a Mochina ice
cream parlor, and when specialinvestigators came to town they
discovered almost five jugs ofmoonshine and two barrels of
beer on the premises.
Edward Marty, a village trustee, future mayor and father of one
of the shop's owners, grewviolently angry that his son's
(43:04):
name was published in connectionwith the police action and
threatened dire vengeance onBill Semmler In detailing
efforts that had been made tocover up the news.
Bill wondered on the newsbulletin's front page if Marty
favored the suppression of allnews bearing on liquor raids, or
does this suppression onlyapply to favored individuals,
(43:26):
while also stating that thosewho engage in illegal business
must expect to stand theconsequences?
Another occurrence wasparticularly ugly In the spring
of 1931, when locals' tempersboiled over an issue regarding
the installation of a centralsewer.
An unknown party attacked thenews bulletin's office under the
(43:47):
cover of darkness and paintedthe windows yellow.
In a front page piece on theincident, the Semmlers asserted
that dirty politics are beingresorted to and also that they
knew who was behind the lark.
Referring to the guilty party,it was written that the
opposition hates publicity andbecause this paper dares to
(44:08):
print the facts, they go aroundsaying that only lies are being
printed.
It was declared that the paintwould stay on the windows until
after the coming villageelection.
As the news bulletin'sreaderships grew, it could be
solidly depended on for storiesnot just from its Mochino home
but also for the neighboringvillages of Frankfurt, marley,
(44:31):
new Lenox, orland Park andTindley Park, and sometimes even
carried items from Green Garden, homer Matson and as far afield
as Oak Lawn.
Interestingly, by the end ofsummer 1921, the paper counted
at least one overseas reader inGermany, william Hoffman, a
(44:52):
farmhand who had worked forMochino brothers, charles and
Julius Hirsch, had returned tothe land of his birth and was
receiving the publication there.
In a happy letter back tofriends in the village, filled
with no small amount of pridefor his adopted community,
hoffman wrote that he is veryglad to get his home paper,
greatly enjoys reading it and inshowing it to his friends.
(45:15):
This ability to drum up newsfrom nearby communities was a
keystone to the similar success.
In conjunction with the newsbulletin, the family went on to
found several other newspapersin Eastern Will County and
Southern Cook County.
One, the Tindley Park Times,was born in 1925, when business
(45:36):
people and residents of TindleyPark began clamoring for a paper
of their own.
The community had long-standingties with Bill Semmler, having
asked him to work there as earlyas the World War I era.
The Times was so successfulthat the family opened a
printing plant in the town inthe spring of 1941.
(45:57):
Another jewel in the crown ofSemmler Press was the Orland
Park Herald, which debuted in1926.
In terms of layout and content,these publications were very
similar to the news bulletin,with the articles on the front
page being swapped foreye-grabbing happenings of each
respective community.
As the years carried on.
(46:19):
The news bulletin became aMoquina mainstay and as the
country entered the GreatDepression, the Semmler family
and their publication were ableto keep their heads above water.
Reflecting the dark economicsituation in the country, the
columns of the paper charminglynoted in October 1931 that they
were able to help relieve thedepression to a small degree by
(46:41):
remodeling and expanding theprinting plant attached to their
front street office to its newdimensions of 20 by 40 feet.
The news bulletin got a leg upon the afternoon of January 18,
1933, when it along with theOrland Park Herald and the
Tinley Park Times, were boostedover the airwaves of radio
(47:02):
station WCFL of Chicago.
Bill himself gave a communitytalk on each of the communities
served by these publications,which was in turn accompanied by
a musical presentation.
The News Bulletin office inMoquina was a veritable hive of
activity.
In addition to the newspapersthat rolled off their machines
(47:23):
under the umbrella of thesimilar press, the family also
continued to take on generalprinting work.
In August 1940, after being inbusiness for exactly 21 years, a
column noted that today theshop of the News Bulletin is a
busy place.
Three weeklies, one bimonthlyand two monthly papers are
(47:44):
printed here, while also proudlystating that they could take on
color work as well as thetraditional black and white.
At that time, the nearly100-year-old building was home
to a cylinder press, two jobbers, a casting box stitcher, large
paper cutter, electric saw, anaddressing machine and loads of
(48:07):
metal and wood type.
Israel (48:10):
So this is a very different semlers than we start
with.
Matt (48:16):
They're getting established.
Israel (48:17):
They're starting to grow and expand outside of Moquina
some I love the, you can seesome of his humor.
He talks about the newsregister being a real spicy
sheet and then when he says thehas the line a paper is like a
(48:38):
woman, every man should have hisown and not run after his
neighbors.
What a great way to market anewspaper and show his humor.
But you also see, especially ina small town like this, how
serious things can get andpeople take news stories and
that you're not writing a storyabout an unknown somebody across
(49:00):
town.
This is somebody you see everyday at the bank, at the exactly
so that becomes, and you'retalking about the Marty ice
cream parlor?
Yeah, that's right.
Matt (49:09):
And where was that?
So the the Marty ice creamparlor Willard Marty and his
partners ice cream parlor wasover in Front Street on the
let's see here.
This would be the northeastcorner of Front and Moquina
streets, in the old buildingthat's still there today, which
is now a residential apartment,which we detailed in one of our
(49:33):
recent podcasts the historythereof.
So yeah, there's a little bitof interesting prohibition
history there too.
Israel (49:39):
Yeah, yeah, that's great .
Another tie around within thepodcast, yeah definitely.
And where was the newsbulletins office?
Matt (49:48):
Oh, that's a very good question.
So the news bulletins officewas at what is today 10842 Front
Street, one of the fewaddresses I can rattle off off
the top of my head which is onthe north side of Front Street,
just a little east of whereMidland Avenue joins Front
(50:11):
Street, kind of let's see rightmore or less across the street
from, maybe kind of diagonallynortheast, across the street
from the police department.
There is a apartment buildingthere now, a not a historic
building.
That's only been there sinceprobably the 70s.
That's where.
That's where the news bulletinoffice was.
Israel (50:32):
And so what did this side of Front Street look like
at that time?
Were they the only businessdown here?
At that was where the barpreviously had been.
That's right, that's right.
Matt (50:44):
Yeah, yeah, they were in those days pretty much the only
business on this part of FrontStreet.
Traditionally once again, atleast in this era kind of post
World War One, getting into theGreat Depression, these years,
the businesses on Front Streetbasically ended right around
(51:07):
Front Street and Division Street, although which was not always
the case.
But in in this era we'retalking about here, yeah, that's
where the businesses kind oftapered off.
And, yeah, the the semlers wereunique in that they were a
business out on the center FrontStreet.
Israel (51:24):
Well, very interesting, and I thought too.
It says cursed by some,discussed by many and read by
all.
Yeah, it kind of goes back tothe saying of you know everybody
loves you.
Yeah, you know don't, don'ttrust somebody everybody loves,
or something like that, yeah,they're always he wasn't willing
to give up.
What do you believe to tell the?
(51:45):
Tell the true story.
What do you thought?
Matt (51:47):
Really the story and absolutely.
As a historian, I'm verythankful for that.
Well, Bill Semler's nameappeared in almost every issue
as editor.
The contributions of his familymembers to the news bowls and
can't be overlooked From.
Okina at large was lucky tohave in its court three women
who gave their all to the paper.
(52:07):
Margaret Semler was essentiallythe papers co editor and her
husband's equal in thepublication's composition and
management for many years,maintaining the social pages
Referencing the famous editor ofthe Washington Post.
Another reporter would yearslater sublimely call her the
(52:28):
Catherine Graham of Mokena.
In her day Starting in her teenyears, Bill and Margaret's
daughter Adeline learned tooperate the vital Lionel type
machine, while her sister AdaSemler, who felt timid around
the printing prance loudclanking presses, handled things
in the office.
On Thursday nights, getting theweek's paper ready for its
(52:51):
Friday publishing date was afamily activity.
Reflecting on the late nightsspent with tricky machinery, Ada
would later say that if allwent well we would go home
around midnight.
If not, it could take until2.30am to finish.
Her mother, Margaret, alsoriley, wondered why they needed
(53:11):
a house at all when the wholefamily spent so many nights
toiling in the office.
Israel (53:18):
So that's the first half of our story here and we're
wrapping up now with the kidsstarting to become part of the
business and starting to pick upthe role.
What do we look forward to inthe second half of our story?
Matt (53:36):
Oh, all kinds of good stuff.
Yeah, the story just getsstarted really.
The second half will tackle thewhole history, with the Wolf
Road issue that we talked aboutin the introduction.
A little bit Talk about somemore things that the Semlers got
started for us here in town,like regularly celebrating
(53:57):
Memorial Day, for example, andalso one thing that I'm
especially proud of them for iswhat all they did for Mokena
service men during World War IIand service women, as there were
ladies from town too who werepart of the Allied war effort.
Yeah, just all kinds of really,really interesting stuff coming
(54:20):
up.
Israel (54:21):
And they.
You talk about it too, but dida lot for Pioneer Cemetery.
Matt (54:27):
Yeah, absolutely.
Israel (54:29):
He's responsible for the Denny marker that we have today
.
Yeah, that is true.
Yeah, and you talk a lot aboutthe process of that and what he
went through and he reallyfought for that.
And as you said the stuff theydid for veterans, for people
fighting, that nobody reallyfound out about until much later
.
Right yeah, so they were justgood people trying to do right
(54:52):
by those serving that had served.
Matt (54:57):
Yeah, they really carried the Mokena folk who were often
in the war, essentially duringWorld War II, and I think gave
them, as we will see, gave themreally a lot of happiness and a
lot of feeling of not havingbeen forgotten.
That really carried them on, Ithink, through a lot of pretty
(55:18):
tough moments that they weregoing through.
So they did a reallyexceptionally great thing.
Israel (55:23):
Well, an amazing story and a vital story to the history
of Mokena.
Yeah, a great first half and welook forward to sharing the
next half next time.
Sure, yeah, absolutely Thanks,matt, you're very welcome.
Matt (55:38):
Thank you.
Israel (55:40):
I hope you enjoyed that first part of this story on the
Semblers.
They play such a vital role tothe history of our town and even
just to be able to carry onthis history.
You know they cover a periodfrom 1919 to 1969.
So, being such a long stretchof time, you know I started
(56:00):
thinking about how manysignificant events in history
and world history in our area'shistory happened, and you know.
Some of those includeprohibition, the Great
Depression, which went from 1929to 1939, the famous St
Valentine's Day Massacre, whichhappened in Chicago in 1929,
(56:20):
World War II, the Space Race andall of the Vietnam War from
1955 to 1975.
They were covering all of thesestories, as well as covering
the births, the deaths, thehomes that were built, the
things that were going on in thevillage, keeping and tracking
that history, so much of whichwould just be lost if it hadn't
(56:43):
been for them.
It's great that we're able toshare this story.
I know I really enjoy it.
I've enjoyed reading the bookletthat Matt had written and then
as well as going back now withthe four blog posts, so we'll
share those on Facebook on ourwebsite in the show notes also
what we'll be reading in thesecond part there.
Make sure you follow us onFacebook.
(57:05):
Our friend, tony Marr, justkeeps posting different
interesting articles aboutthings that we're sharing and
from the podcast episodes.
So all that is great to see anda good addition to what we're
hearing in the episodes, sofollow us on Facebook.
Another new thing is we nowhave a YouTube channel.
There's only a couple of videoson there and what I've started
(57:27):
to do is take old episodes andput over pictures and some video
and different things we have.
But it's a good avenue for usto maybe present some different
things, and there are some ofthose things that'll be coming
as well.
We'll have planned andhopefully more will come out of
that channel as well.
If you're enjoying the show,please share this with your
friends, your neighbors, yourfamily.
(57:48):
Our next episode will be theconclusion of this similar story
, so look for that.
Please go back, listen to ourother episodes if you haven't.
We've got some great episodesout there and some great stuff
coming down the line.
Thank you very much forlistening and we'll see you next
time on Mokena's Front Porch.
Welcome to Mokena Front Porch, a Mokina History Podcast
with Matt Galik and me, IsraelSmith.
All right, Matt, this episodeis one that we've kind of talked
about for a while and talksabout two people that have had a
tremendous impact on ourvillage Absolutely they have,
yeah, the Semler family, oh sureyeah, and their paper was the
(00:23):
Mokena News Bulletin.
Matt (00:24):
That's correct, yeah.
Israel (00:27):
Where do we start with?
You know what's the, what's theoverview of these guys?
Why is this something thateverybody in Mokena should know
about?
Matt (00:35):
Yeah, yeah.
Well, that's such a goodquestion.
Where do you start with such anepic tale as this?
The News Bulletin, aside fromreporting the news in Mokena
from 1919 to 1969, has served asan irreplaceable historic
(00:56):
record for us, kind of like aRosetta Stone, if you will.
If you look back at, if you goand you look through the papers
there's just without them wewouldn't know anything about
anything that was happening inthat time frame, because it
reported on just abouteverything that was going on in
(01:19):
town, as well as news from theneighboring towns as well.
But aside from just leavingbehind their life's work, for us
, the Semler family, to be ableto examine and take in and chart
the history of Mokena in thoseyears, from the days right after
World War One, through theprohibition years, the hard days
(01:45):
of the Great Depression, theequally hard days of World War
Two and then the postwarprosperity and growth that came
with it.
Everything's there, you can seeit all.
And not only should we rememberand honor them for their hard
work and doing that for us allthose years, but in their own
lifetimes, when they were Mr andMrs Semler we're still here
(02:09):
they did a lot for the communityOnly, first and foremost of all
the things they did was gettingWolf Road concreted into a hard
road.
Something that people don'treally think about today is the
(02:31):
fact that there was a time whenmost of this country just had
bad roads, and Mokena was aprime example of that no paved
roads, no asphalt.
Certain places had had themoney for hard roads, but Mokena
(02:51):
was never really one of those,and Mr Semler's work in drawing
together the right people,politicians, other Mokena
businessmen, stuff like this tofinally get it done with, or
especially through the politicalmess that it became, as will be
(03:14):
seen, is this nothing short ofamazing, because it connected
Mokena Wolf Road to the outsideworld, brought commerce into
town.
Was it was just a miracle whenit was finally done?
Israel (03:29):
And there's the quote.
It changed it from a money pathto a modern passage.
Matt (03:35):
Yeah.
Israel (03:36):
And you think for this small town you know that was
built on the railroad.
Now you have a major hard roadcoming through.
Yeah, yeah, that had to have ahuge effect downtown.
Matt (03:48):
Absolutely yeah, and it really did.
It changed everything fromMokena.
Israel (03:51):
And what's the timeframe that the Mokena news bulletin
was being printed?
Matt (03:57):
Yeah, First issue came out in August of 1919.
Mrs Semler sold the paper in.
I spent around 1958 orthereabouts.
We'll have the exact date hereas we go through.
She sold the paper and retiredto a publisher in LeMont who
(04:19):
kept up the paper all the way upuntil 1969 when the last issue
appeared.
Israel (04:26):
So for 50 years this was the paper of record for this
town?
Matt (04:31):
Oh sure, yeah, definitely.
Israel (04:33):
Well, this is a.
You know you put so much detailinto this.
You know this was released onthe blog as four parts, but
where did you originally publishthis?
Matt (04:46):
I originally published this.
What we're about to hear in theform of a booklet that the Will
County Historical Societypublished, marking the 100th
anniversary of the founding ofthe paper in the summer of 2019.
Israel (05:01):
Yeah, and Melissa Fedora was nice enough to provide me
with a copy of this, so I thinkwe can put these pictures and
the images here, share these aswell.
Yeah because there's, as always, some really great pictures and
stuff included.
You said you weren't reallysure if this is available for
(05:21):
people to purchase or findsomewhere.
Matt (05:23):
Yeah, that's a good question.
So when this the originalpublication first came out, as
you said, melissa was kindenough to grab a bunch of copies
and she had them at the chamberoffice on Front Street for
anyone that wanted one.
I don't know if she ever soldout or not, so it's possible
that she still may have a few,but if she doesn't, the Will
(05:46):
County History Museum indowntown Lockport should have
some, because for anybody that'sinterested in the history of
the county at large totallyrecommend joining the History
Museum, because once a quarterthey put out a really cool
publication that has as itssubject some topic in Will
(06:06):
County history and they have forsale the back issues of their
the quarterly publication.
They're available at the museum, so I'd imagine they would have
some Very good, okay, yeah.
Israel (06:19):
Well, as I said, this is another really interesting
story.
There's not a whole lot offamilies that you can point to
that have kind of turned thetide and had such a significant
impact on our village as thesemilars.
So it's true.
Matt (06:34):
Yeah.
Israel (06:35):
So you know of anybody else that's put together a
history at all of the semilars.
Matt (06:43):
You know, the closest thing I could think of was a
write up that Ada Semler, thedaughter of William and Margaret
Semler, put together herself.
At the time she was AdaWestland, because that was her
married name.
She wrote a little history,maybe just a couple pages or so.
(07:04):
Way back must have been, maybein the 1970s or so, that I, if I
remember correctly, waspublished in a publication
called when the Trails Cross,which was, or I should say is it
still exists, was a publicationput out by the South Suburban
Genealogical and HistoricalSociety.
(07:25):
So she, she wrote a piece basedon her own memories and things
she knew about her parents andthings like that.
But as far as, yeah, as I know,no one ever really wrote the
definitive history.
Israel (07:41):
Well, it's great that that you did and thank you Glad
that we're able to share it here.
Matt (07:47):
So thank you.
Israel (07:48):
Enjoy this multi-part story.
Matt (07:52):
There's perhaps no greater virtue in our land than that of
free speech, guaranteed in theConstitution.
It is the cornerstone ofdemocracy.
No one item upholds andembodies this ideal more than
the American newspaper.
In the hands of its reader, itis the country's truest speaker,
from the metropolis to thehumblest village.
(08:15):
Every community has an organthat not only represents its
citizens but also allows them aplatform to speak and be heard.
The newspaper is also anirreplaceable historic document,
one that, when properly caredfor loyally, remains decades
after its birth to giveresearchers hard facts where
(08:36):
previously only false memoriesand muddled stories existed.
Every publication is areflection of its creator and no
man has been better suited tohelm a newspaper than William
Semmler of Moquina, illinois,described during his lifetime as
an individualist with realAmerican determination and also
(08:58):
as one of Moquina's most up onhis toes citizens.
His life's masterpiece was thenews bulletin, his hometown's
paper from 1919 to 1969.
Semmler was a popular man abouttown, who created oodles of
friends and was remembered by acontemporary as hustling,
(09:19):
smiling, agreeable bill withyour hand shaking, which was
always real.
From this authenticity sprungthe greatness and immortality
that he shared with hissteadfast partner and wife
Margaret, along with their twodaughters, adeline and Ada.
The Semmler's Moquina was onesignificantly different than
(09:40):
today's, where now we have abustling suburb of Chicago.
They knew a much smaller, ruralcommunity, one that boasted
less than a thousand residents,a place where everyone knew each
other and colsoot from passingRock Island locomotives coated
uptown buildings.
As we mark the centennial ofthe News Bolton's founding, we
(10:02):
honor the Semmlers and how theirlives.
Work in Moquina profoundlyaffected the village they called
home, where they rose fromhumble beginnings to become one
of Chicago Land's most respectedmedia companies.
William Semmler's roots reachedback to the earliest days of
the village, where destiny foundhim.
To really understand Bill, onehas to look at those who gave
(10:26):
him life, john and CatherineSemmler.
His mother was born KaterinaHeim, who first saw the light of
day in Moquina on August 20,1855.
The Chicago, rock Island andPacific Railroad had been
completed through the localeonly three years before, and
what began as a tiny hamletclustered around a train depot
(10:49):
was starting to show signs ofgrowing into a lively village.
Her parents were hardy folks ofHessian stock, having left
their homeland and set downstakes in what would later
become Frankfurt Township at theend of the 1840s, after first
trying his hand at ruggedprairie farming.
Katerina's father, martin Heim,soon became physically
(11:13):
incapable of the grueling toiland, with the arrival of the
Rock Island, set up a smartlittle store near the tracks
that catered to the men who laidthe rails and the other
predominantly German-Americancitizens of the sparsely
populated area.
Counting some success in thisendeavor, heim converted his
(11:34):
business into a beer saloon thatbecame a mainstay in Moquina, a
place where people of all walksof life robbed elbows.
Starting on what would come tobe called Front Street.
The tap room had modest livingquarters attached to it where
the Heims raised four children.
The third to be born, katerina,or Catherine as she came to be
(11:57):
called, came of age in a Moquinathat was bustling with activity
and growing seemingly by theday.
Her family were charter membersof the German United
Evangelical St John'sCongregation in the village,
having been with the flock sinceits inception in 1862.
And Catherine was confirmedthere on Palm Sunday 1869.
(12:19):
It was with this samecongregation that, on November 8
, 1885, at the age of 30,catherine married Johann Semmler
, a Prussian shoemaker, 10 yearsher senior.
Nothing has survived theravages of time that indicates
how they came together.
Originally a native of Ganesanin Prussia, semmler found
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himself on America's shore in1867.
After having done a stint inthe Prussian military, he was in
Chicago by 1871, plying hisshoemaking trade on DeCultham
Street that year.
He survived the destruction ofthe Great Fire, having been
saved only by a lucky change inthe wind's direction at the last
(13:03):
second.
After John and CatherineSemmler were married, they moved
a few miles down the road toNew Lennox, where their only
child was born on January 9,1887.
He was baptized at St John's inMoquina on June 4 as Wilhelm
Edoard Emil Semmler, but as alad he was known simply as
(13:26):
Willie.
The Semmlers moved to Frankfurtin 1897, but were back in New
Lennox by 1900.
The elder Semmler set to work athis craft in the tiny community
where the family kept housealong what would later be known
as the Lincoln Highway.
Living immediately south of theChicago, rock Island and
Pacific Railroad tracks, youngWillie became captivated by the
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puffing locomotives and coachesthat passed back and forth
behind his home.
Like many American boysthroughout the ages, he came to
live and breathe all thingstrain.
His interest transcended thatof most, however, when, as an
ambitious lad of 14, he set outto build his own locomotive no
small task.
Willie set to it with ardor anddedication, displaying a vim
(14:13):
that would be a trademark forall of his days, attached to the
back of the Semmler house,facing the railroad tracks.
The engine's base was made withspare logs that were around his
father's shoe shop, while itsboiler was fashioned out of a
metal container used fordisplaying coffee, while a flour
and sugar barrel completed thesetup.
A smokestack was made out of anold stove pipe, a headlight out
(14:36):
of a salmon can.
Sewing machine, parts for thethrottle and a working bell and
semaphore were attached to theengine as well.
Every conceivable component ofan authentic locomotive was
fabricated by the young Semmlerout of whatever material he
could get his hands on.
He also put together awaterproof cab with the help of
some cast aside tobacco signs,complete with a homemade
(15:01):
engineer seat.
It proved a popular place forneighborhood boys to seek refuge
from the elements.
After all of Willie Semmler'swork was done, his locomotive
measured 12 feet long, four feetwide and eight feet high, and
bore yellow cardboard letters C,r, I and P and the numbers 932.
(15:21):
After a real engine that ran theline, the Lads engine came to
be something of an attractionfor passersby.
On the Rock Island line.
Trainmen would sometimes throwauthentic railroad knickknacks
for the youngster to incorporateinto his engine If a passing
accommodation was making a stoplong enough.
In New Lenox, it wasn't rarefor railroad men to come to get
(15:42):
a closer look at Semmler's handywork, who declared it to be a
dead ringer.
For the real thing, willie waseven once graced by a visit from
the road master himself, aswell as travelers who stopped by
to photograph the locomotive.
Willie Semmler, one of thebiggest train enthusiasts in
Will County, was set for acareer in the world of railroads
(16:04):
until disaster struck.
On the fateful night beforeThanksgiving 1901, a calamitous
fire destroyed John Semmler'sshoe shop, along with the home
of his family.
While they escaped the infernoby the skin of their teeth,
young Willie's locomotive, thescene of countless passionate
hours of his labor, alsosuccumbed to the flames.
(16:25):
The following year, while WillieSemmler was 15, the Semmlers
moved home in hearth, back toMoquina, to the house on Front
Street that once held the oldsaloon of Catherine's father
Martinheim.
The building was awash withlocal flavor, holding its
original doors and windows, aswell as timbers that still
showed the scars of the actsthat felled them decades before
(16:49):
the old bar made of black walnutcould even still be found in
the place.
It was here that John Semmleropened up his shoe repair shop
and began conducting business inMoquina.
Aside from being a railroadbuff, young Willie was possessed
of an intellectual drive thatgave him a thirst for the
printed word, which led him tovisit the farm of Willard Owen,
(17:11):
just southwest of Moquina,oftentimes making the trek by
foot with his father.
Mr Owen was known to keep alarge personal library from
which he freely allowed Willieto borrow.
Young Semmler only went toschool until he was about 10
years old, but displayed anaptitude for spelling, grammar,
history and geography, alongwith an early knack for writing.
(17:33):
All would serve him well in thefuture, as social networks are
the wheels that drive life.
A friend of Willie's opened adoor for him that would
determine his destiny.
Bill, as he came to be called onhis adolescence, was the friend
of Ida Kinnery, a Moquinaresident about 13 years his
senior.
The daughter of the village'srailroad crossing flagman,
(17:55):
kinnery was the localcorrespondent to the Juliet
Weekly News and in 1907, foundherself engaged to be married.
Looking to resign her positionwith the newspaper, she invited
Bill to take over the spot forher.
Thus it was that Bill Semmlerof Moquina, a tender lad in his
20s, became a reporter.
(18:15):
The exact date of this turningpoint in his life, his formal
introduction to the journalisticworld, has become somewhat
muddled over the years, withcontradictory points abounding.
It likely occurred around 1907,as this is the earliest known
reference in the pages of theweekly journal the pages of the
weekly news to his being named areporter.
(18:36):
As the newspaper carried a vastarray of items from across Will
County, bill Semmler served thepublication as the local
contributor for MoquinaFrankfurt and the surrounding
area.
It was with the news that Billcut his teeth with the press,
recording neighborhood births,marriages and deaths for the
paper, but also cheerful news ofparties, occasional snippets of
(18:58):
petty crime and even details ofproperty transactions.
In a reflection of his heritageand the greater ethnic makeup
of the area, bill had anunderstanding of the German
language, which also enabled himto pick up newsy morsels from
Moquina's more elderly residents, some of whom lacked English
abilities.
Aside from reporting communitynews, bill also occasionally
(19:22):
used his columns to showcaseself-composed poetry.
This work was mostly seasonal,having to do with holidays such
as Thanksgiving, christmas andValentine's Day, but he also
wrote Rewards, which appeared inthe news on August 15, 1907,
which contained stanzas such asGlory After the Gloom, blessing
(19:44):
After the Blight, joy After DeepSorrow After Darkness the Light
.
Another piece, the Threshold,which appeared the day after
Christmas that year, partiallyread the joyous bells o'er Moor
and Fell in mellow echoes.
Their story tell, and this istheir joyous refrain a bright
(20:05):
and happy New Year's here again.
Every man has the woman in hislife who propels him forward,
and Bill Semmler found his inMargaret Ustreich.
While the historic record hasleft us with many rich details
on Bill's early life, we areleft with comparatively few on
Margaret's.
She was two years younger thanhim, having been born on May 18,
(20:28):
1889.
In a geographic parallel,margaret Ustreich was a native
of Joliet, the seat of WillCounty, located 11 miles west of
Moorkeena.
While a school chum of herslater described the young lady
as A very sweet girl with awonderful disposition, margaret
had an exceptionally toughchildhood, at one point spending
(20:50):
a year in bed with a heartcondition.
She moved to New Lenox in 1906,where her sister, clida, was
manager of the local telephoneoffice, taking a job there as
her assistant.
No details have survived thecourse of time as to how, but in
some way, margaret Ustreich andBill Semmler got to know each
other as teens and she lateroften accompanied him as he
(21:12):
traveled the Moorkeena area insearch of news in a horse-drawn
buggy that had been provided himby the news.
The young couple tied the knoton October 21, 1914, at Zion
Evangelical Church in Joliet,from whence they set down their
stakes in a cozy, newly builthome on Neathammer Avenue in
Moorkeena.
(21:33):
Margaret Semmler was verycivically minded in her new
hometown, leading the localcampfire girls as early as 1915,
a spirited group of youngladies akin to the Girl Scouts.
The Joliet Weekly News, bill'semployer, consolidated with the
Joliet Herald in 1915, which puthim on the staff of the new
(21:54):
Joliet Herald News at itsinception.
Ever looking to expand, billSemmler set up a small print
shop in his Moorkeena home inearly 1916 after having gotten a
jumpstart in $8 of capital thathad been borrowed from W H
Beckstein, the owner of thevillage's grain elevator.
After the passing of JohnSemmler in April of that year,
(22:17):
bill picked up his equipment,which consisted of a small
hand-operated press and a fewdifferent fonts of type, and
moved the shop into the oldproperty on Front Street where
his maternal grandfather hadserved sudsy beer and his father
worked on shoes.
He took on a partner of theventure, namely a Moorkeena gent
named Wachter, who, when thepopulation of the village in
(22:41):
this era is surveyed, was likelyone Andrew Wachter, an engraver
who was a near neighbor to theSemmlers.
Before long, this partnershipdissolved and the historic
record hasn't left us the reasonwhy Bill's erstwhile printing
business, which turned outbusiness letterheads, auction
posters as well as forward theflavorful bulletin of
(23:03):
Moorkeena's German UnitedEvangelical St John's Church,
was eventful for him, as hissimultaneous experience as a
reporter and the new know-how asa printer gave him a solid
foundation of valuable knowledgefor the future.
Bill Semmler's budding careerwas almost interrupted when
America entered World War I in1917, during which time he was
(23:27):
summoned to the Will CountyCourthouse by the draft board to
undergo a physical examination.
What transpired isn't known,although the fact that he listed
his invalid widowed mother as adependent on his draft card and
declared himself not physicallystrong may have played a role
in his never having been calledup.
Bill Semmler wore many hats inthe Moorkeena of his day, for
(23:51):
not only was he a printer andgatherer of local news, he also
took a seat as village clerk inApril 1912 under Mayor Ona
McGovney, having received awhopping 65 votes from his
townsmen to his opponents 1.
In this capacity, which Billfilled until 1922, he took down
(24:12):
the minutes of the village boardand issued local hunting
licenses, among other tasks.
Bill's drive to serve thecommunity was tireless as much.
Later he became a MoorkeenaVillage trustee from 1937 to
1943, serving also as clerk ofFrankfurt Township for 8 years.
Another venture soon startedfor Bill and Margaret that of
(24:34):
parenthood, when their marriagewas graced by the arrival of
their first child, adelineSemmler, on August 18, 1917.
He was followed by her sister,ada Semmler, three years later,
on February 7, 1920.
Israel (24:51):
So this is kind of, right now, the early life of
Bill Semmler, before we get intowhere he's actually now going
to start the paper and do thatbut you see he really is
committed to the community andit's great to see already he's
(25:12):
clerk, he's run solidly, wins anelection there 65 to 1.
What do you think it was aboutMoorkeena for him that just
really made him be so forMoorkeena and want to make it a
better place.
Yeah, that's a really goodquestion.
Matt (25:32):
I think, at least at this point in his life, I think it
would probably would have beenformed by the fact that, simply,
his roots were in Moorkeena.
Of course, as we've seen, his,his father was a German
immigrant who had only been inthe country maybe 20 or so years
(25:54):
thereabouts before Bill wasborn, and had really never lived
in Moorkeena before theyeventually moved back here.
But his mom his mother was bornand grew up here and his
grandfather who unfortunately henever knew, but his grandfather
was the saloon owner on FrontStreet who was in business here
(26:15):
for many, many years was one ofthe very, very first businessmen
in Moorkeena.
He was, he was here right whenthe railroad was being built
through.
I think it was just thisfoundation of the community
being in his roots that probablyplayed a pretty significant
role in that.
I also think that, since he wasworking as the Moorkeena
(26:39):
correspondent to the first ofJuliet News and then the Juliet
Herald News for quite some time,at this point I think his,
since his work was in thecommunity and it consisted of
going around and talking topeople, talking to the business
owners, talking to his neighbors, people in town that he knew,
(27:02):
which was probably just abouteverybody Also people coming to
him with things they wanted himto put in the paper.
His just his day in and day outwas just Moorkeena was this
town.
So I think a combination ofthose things is what probably
gave him this, this drive toserve Moorkeena, which is what
(27:25):
he did for literally the rest ofhis whole life.
Israel (27:29):
Wow.
Matt (27:29):
Yeah.
Israel (27:30):
Yeah, and it's interesting too and you
mentioned how eventually hebecomes a village trustee but
he's clerk here and I thought itwas interesting how you know
you're in a case here where he'sthe media but he's also the you
know the part of the villagegovernment and that.
And I'm sure, we see that lateron in the story where that's
(27:53):
kind of brought up and used himagainst.
Used against him a little bit,but yeah, I'm sure that had to
create a little more conflictthan at times too.
Matt (28:01):
And it did, which we will see.
Yeah, as the as we carry onhere.
But yeah, just the nature ofsmall town life at that point
Lots of people wearing more thanone hat.
Israel (28:12):
Definitely In town, right?
Yeah, all right, and I'll keepgoing with the story.
Matt (28:19):
When the Joliet Weekly News and the Joliet Herald
became one in 1915, mokenaresidents noticed immediately
that the subscription for thenew paper was a heftier price
than that of the old news and byand by takers of the
publication started to drop offthe rolls.
Local folk who recognized BillSemmler's natural talent for
(28:41):
scouting out newsy morselsencouraged him to start his own
sheet and thus, in anextraordinary moment, sprouted
in Bill's mind the first seed ofthe idea to start his own
newspaper that would serve theMokena area.
In neighboring Tinley Park,businessmen who had enjoyed his
(29:02):
coverage of their neck of thewoods during his time with the
news floated the idea ofstarting a stock company to help
Semmler get a paper started.
No small amount of money wasraised in this endeavor and Bill
even looked over real estatethere to house an office.
But America's entry into WorldWar I threw a wrench into these
(29:23):
plans and they came to not.
At this point he reshifted hisattention to Mokena, his
hometown.
While the Mokena of this era wasa small rural place mustering
up around 500 residents, it alsoboasted a rich journalistic
history.
The village's first news personwas a plucky 18-year-old named
(29:46):
Julia Atkins, whose hand-writtenbroadsheet, the Mokena Star,
appeared in 1852, as thecommunity was barely more than a
handful of buildings along thenewly built Rock Island line.
The Mokena Advertiser wasanother early publication,
helmed by Charles Jones, anotheryoung editor from 1874 to 1877.
(30:09):
At the same time towncorrespondents, using romantic
monikers such as Bluebeard,cupid and Euripides, sent in
news to the Juliet papers.
Well, in the 1880s the Mokenacommercial advertiser was
printed in Lockport.
The Juliet Weekly News andlater its amalgamated form, the
(30:32):
Juliet Herald News, could becounted on for Mokena reportage,
especially under Ida Kinneriesand later Bill Semler's tenure
as contributors.
But local columns werepainfully short during the World
War I years, often being edgedout by news from the county seat
.
In this era, residents ofEastern Will County found
(30:53):
themselves withoutrepresentation in the press.
When the war ended in 1918, thequestion of a new Semler-led
local paper started up anew inMokena.
A few town business people,such as auto dealer Elmer Cooper
, harness maker Albert Helmuth,insurance man Ona McGovney, as
(31:15):
well as the Frankfurt GrainCompany and JC Funk of Tinley
Park, put their money wheretheir mouths were and promised
their support in the form ofadvertisements.
The idea to forge ahead with anew publication was set into
motion as Bill and MargaretSemler brainstormed what to call
the paper.
Mokena businesses were lined upon Front Street, with the
(31:36):
Semler Print Shop being a nearneighbor to all.
Among them were two blacksmiths, a feed shop, a livery stable
and three general stores.
A grain elevator stood near thebusy Rock Island depot, and
Bowman Derry maintained a milkbottling plant on Marty Street,
the community's main north-souththoroughfare.
(31:57):
A two-story schoolhouse stoodon the east side of town, while
four churches provided for thespiritual and social life of the
village.
Things started off modestly inthe new concern, or, as the
Semlers would later morecandidly put it, on a shoestring
, as their first issue was aboutto see the light of day in
(32:19):
August 1919, its letters wereset by hand at the Front Street
office, after which the typeforms were gently wrapped in
paper and then bundled into asuitcase.
Bill and Clinton Krause, a15-year-old neighbor, hauled the
luggage onto a Rock Islandaccommodation bound for Blue
Island some 13 miles distant.
(32:40):
Once there, the two Mokenianstook their cargo up a steep hill
to an old press on WesternAvenue, ownership of which Bill
had recently come into.
To their fortune, the presswould eventually make its way to
the printing office in Mokena,alleviating the drudgery of
having to make repeated trips toBlue Island.
Once all the newspapers hadcome off the rollers, they were
(33:03):
brought back to Mokena via areturn train and addressed at
the Semler House.
On August 21, 1919, the firstissue of the newspaper was born
to the world, bearing the heavytitle of the News Bulletin.
In a reflection of the epoch inwhich it was born, the News
(33:24):
Bulletin triumphantly heraldedthe return of Mokena boy Alfred
Hatch from Germany where he hadbeen stationed with the Army of
Occupation.
In other happenings of thepost-World War I era, the
newspaper eagerly reported thatthe village's campfire girls had
raised enough money to supporta French orphan.
(33:44):
A week later, when the secondissue landed in the hands of its
subscribers, its front pageheld the flavorful story of Fred
Steinhagen Sr, an irate Mokenafarmer who had been arrested for
firing a revolver at localbaseball players whose fetching
of errant balls on his propertyhe interpreted as trespassing.
(34:05):
News from the neighboringcommunities of Frankfurt, marley
, madsen, new Lennox and TinleyPark was also included, along
with farming and household tips,as well as some jokes thrown in
for good measure.
Composed of eight pages, withfive columns to a page, it could
all be had for $1.75a year.
(34:28):
Those first editions of the NewsBulletin had about 200
subscribers.
However, by the end of 1919,the Semmlers had upped their
numbers, counting a whopping 900people in Mokena and the
surrounding territory.
The dramatic uptick was due toa subscription drive
brainstormed up by Bill andMargaret, the grand prize in
(34:50):
which was a $900, 1920 OverlandTouring Car, the same ultimately
being won by Mamie Colber ofMokena In a model that was kept
up for a goodly portion of thepublication's existence.
News was gathered by callinglocal families and outright
asking for it.
It was also asked for in thepages of the paper itself,
(35:13):
reminding readers early on tosend in your news items.
We want them all.
Perhaps you entertained company, know of a party, of a visitor
from a distance, an accident, asocial affair All these things
make good news items.
Just bring or send them in.
By doing so you will help tomake this paper a real spicy
(35:33):
sheet.
By August 1921, the price of ayearly News Bolton subscription
had gone down slightly and wouldcost a reader $1.25.
Towing the new price andknowing full well that issues
were being passed around Mokenafrom person to person, the
Semmlers wrote that A paper islike a woman every man should
(35:57):
have his own and not run afterhis neighbors.
The early period of the NewsBolton's existence was a tough
one for them, full of trial andtribulation.
In their words.
It was a time when the waveswere high and the sea rough.
Their enterprise faced openanimosity from select Mokena
(36:17):
business people and, for reasonsknown only to them, and lost
the time.
A handful steadfastly refusedto advertise in the
publication's pages, who, with asurly mean, made it known that
Mokena did not need its ownpaper and openly urged Bill to
quit.
The Semmlers also had to takeon no small amount of debt to
(36:39):
get the News Bolton off its feet, this being something that they
were still wrangling with fiveyears after the first issue came
off the press, when Bill wrotethat Everyone he is indebted to
will be paid in full, withinterest to boot.
At this point in the paper'syoung life, it missed its only
issue.
Due to a strike involving theWestern Newspaper Union in
(37:01):
Chicago, a supply of newsprintfailed to make it to Mokena on
time.
The arbitration dragged on fora few weeks, but after having
had his fill after the firstweek, bill went to the city
himself and scrounged up asupply of paper which he carried
back to the village wedgedunder his seat on a Rock Island
train.
After this episode, and havinglearned their lesson, the News
(37:25):
Bolton office began to regularlycarry large supplies of it.
Bill and Margaret Semmler werethe brains behind the News
Bolton, but they had plenty ofhelp from technology.
An invaluable machine called theLinoGraph made its debut in
Mokena on the last day of 1919.
And while it wasn't actually upand running at the office until
(37:46):
January 6th, it revolutionizedthe Semmler's ability to print
the news in town.
Where the work of composing thenewspaper's type was once done
by hand, the LinoGraph now didit mechanically and showing off
the contraption in the pages ofthe News Bolton, the Semmler's
noted.
We do not believe in boasting,but the fact is that this
(38:09):
machine is a boost for the NewsBolton as it gives us fine
equipment such as a seldom foundin a small town.
For all the good it did, theearly days of the LinoGraph
ownership were a source of aseemingly never-ending stream of
vexation.
One headache that crapped upwere complications with the
machine that resulted in theJanuary 6th 1920 edition coming
(38:33):
out late.
In an apologetic blurb, billwrote that he felt much
aggrieved that the delay hadtaken place, but then proudly
stated that we have now tamedthe wild animal.
The new publication got anotherboost up when a two magazine
Mergantaler Lionel type machinewas installed in June 1923.
(38:56):
It being a more prominentrelative to the Lionel graph.
A major technical annoyance forthe Semmlers was their old
diamond cylinder press, acontraption they loved to hate.
In 1925, bill wrote that it wasbehaving like a bulky mule and
that it could only be operatedby a wizard and hypnotist,
(39:18):
before adding that he had lostmuch patience in religion in
wrestling with this demon of apress.
Another advance occurred inMarch 1925 when a new cylinder
press, a Century II Revolutionmodel, was set up at the Front
(39:39):
Street office.
This marvel was able to produceabout 2,700 impressions in an
hour, which saved the Semmlersand their employees much time,
cutting their final productiontime in half.
Prior to the installation ofthis machine, it would take
almost five hours to print a runof the news bulletin, but with
the new press it came down to anhour and a half.
(40:02):
For a period early on, theSemmlers employed an assistant
editor, having hired E ETurrentine.
In May of the paper's firstyear, things were still wobbly
as the publication tried to findits footing in Mochina and the
surrounding area, with moredelays in publishing and a piece
on the front page of the May14th 1920 issue that lamented
(40:25):
the news bulletin has had athorny path to travel on account
of a shortage of help and alsovaguely noted some
dissatisfaction among thesubscribers.
In an instant it looked as ifeverything might literally go up
in smoke when, on August 6th1920, a freak gasoline explosion
(40:45):
erupted in the paper's Mochinaoffice.
For a few panic-filled momentsthe situation looked utterly
hopeless.
But through the quick-thinkingbravery of some neighbors and
Bill's mother, catherine, wholived in the rooms adjoining the
office, the flames were tampeddown.
In a piece on the fire thatappeared on the front page of
the following week's paper, billsoberly described himself as
(41:08):
having been enveloped in flamesand having to beat the fire out
of his clothes.
Assistant editor Turrentine wasunlucky enough to have his foot
burned and back wrenched whenthe explosion, in a close call,
wedged him between the lino-typeand the cylinder press.
All of that week's news fromFrankfurt and New Lennox was
(41:28):
lost in the blaze.
In talking about the incidentin the news bulletin, the
Semblers humbly thanked everyonewho helped rescue them and
their property.
Being headquartered in ahistoric building had its share
of problems too.
One was flooding, whichoccurred in the old cellar under
the structure.
On one occasion, in March 1922,a clog in a drain caused 14
(41:54):
inches of rainwater to stand inthe basement, requiring Chief
Hermann Schweizer of the MochinaFire Department to blast out
the obstruction with the villagefire hose.
By the mid-1920s, the newsbulletin bore the slogan Cust by
some Disgust by many, red byall.
(42:15):
While the publication had acomfortable number of
subscribers, all was not arose-pedal path for the Semblers
, as their straightforward senseof local journalism sometimes
incurred the wrath of certainreaders.
A classic example would be theblistering fallout that reared
up in the aftermath of aprohibition-era raid.
In October 1930, a tip hadreached the Will County State's
(42:41):
attorney that illicit boozecould be had at a Mochina ice
cream parlor, and when specialinvestigators came to town they
discovered almost five jugs ofmoonshine and two barrels of
beer on the premises.
Edward Marty, a village trustee, future mayor and father of one
of the shop's owners, grewviolently angry that his son's
(43:04):
name was published in connectionwith the police action and
threatened dire vengeance onBill Semmler In detailing
efforts that had been made tocover up the news.
Bill wondered on the newsbulletin's front page if Marty
favored the suppression of allnews bearing on liquor raids, or
does this suppression onlyapply to favored individuals,
(43:26):
while also stating that thosewho engage in illegal business
must expect to stand theconsequences?
Another occurrence wasparticularly ugly In the spring
of 1931, when locals' tempersboiled over an issue regarding
the installation of a centralsewer.
An unknown party attacked thenews bulletin's office under the
(43:47):
cover of darkness and paintedthe windows yellow.
In a front page piece on theincident, the Semmlers asserted
that dirty politics are beingresorted to and also that they
knew who was behind the lark.
Referring to the guilty party,it was written that the
opposition hates publicity andbecause this paper dares to
(44:08):
print the facts, they go aroundsaying that only lies are being
printed.
It was declared that the paintwould stay on the windows until
after the coming villageelection.
As the news bulletin'sreaderships grew, it could be
solidly depended on for storiesnot just from its Mochino home
but also for the neighboringvillages of Frankfurt, marley,
(44:31):
new Lenox, orland Park andTindley Park, and sometimes even
carried items from Green Garden, homer Matson and as far afield
as Oak Lawn.
Interestingly, by the end ofsummer 1921, the paper counted
at least one overseas reader inGermany, william Hoffman, a
(44:52):
farmhand who had worked forMochino brothers, charles and
Julius Hirsch, had returned tothe land of his birth and was
receiving the publication there.
In a happy letter back tofriends in the village, filled
with no small amount of pridefor his adopted community,
hoffman wrote that he is veryglad to get his home paper,
greatly enjoys reading it and inshowing it to his friends.
(45:15):
This ability to drum up newsfrom nearby communities was a
keystone to the similar success.
In conjunction with the newsbulletin, the family went on to
found several other newspapersin Eastern Will County and
Southern Cook County.
One, the Tindley Park Times,was born in 1925, when business
(45:36):
people and residents of TindleyPark began clamoring for a paper
of their own.
The community had long-standingties with Bill Semmler, having
asked him to work there as earlyas the World War I era.
The Times was so successfulthat the family opened a
printing plant in the town inthe spring of 1941.
(45:57):
Another jewel in the crown ofSemmler Press was the Orland
Park Herald, which debuted in1926.
In terms of layout and content,these publications were very
similar to the news bulletin,with the articles on the front
page being swapped foreye-grabbing happenings of each
respective community.
As the years carried on.
(46:19):
The news bulletin became aMoquina mainstay and as the
country entered the GreatDepression, the Semmler family
and their publication were ableto keep their heads above water.
Reflecting the dark economicsituation in the country, the
columns of the paper charminglynoted in October 1931 that they
were able to help relieve thedepression to a small degree by
(46:41):
remodeling and expanding theprinting plant attached to their
front street office to its newdimensions of 20 by 40 feet.
The news bulletin got a leg upon the afternoon of January 18,
1933, when it along with theOrland Park Herald and the
Tinley Park Times, were boostedover the airwaves of radio
(47:02):
station WCFL of Chicago.
Bill himself gave a communitytalk on each of the communities
served by these publications,which was in turn accompanied by
a musical presentation.
The News Bulletin office inMoquina was a veritable hive of
activity.
In addition to the newspapersthat rolled off their machines
(47:23):
under the umbrella of thesimilar press, the family also
continued to take on generalprinting work.
In August 1940, after being inbusiness for exactly 21 years, a
column noted that today theshop of the News Bulletin is a
busy place.
Three weeklies, one bimonthlyand two monthly papers are
(47:44):
printed here, while also proudlystating that they could take on
color work as well as thetraditional black and white.
At that time, the nearly100-year-old building was home
to a cylinder press, two jobbers, a casting box stitcher, large
paper cutter, electric saw, anaddressing machine and loads of
(48:07):
metal and wood type.
Israel (48:10):
So this is a very different semlers than we start
with.
Matt (48:16):
They're getting established.
Israel (48:17):
They're starting to grow and expand outside of Moquina
some I love the, you can seesome of his humor.
He talks about the newsregister being a real spicy
sheet and then when he says thehas the line a paper is like a
(48:38):
woman, every man should have hisown and not run after his
neighbors.
What a great way to market anewspaper and show his humor.
But you also see, especially ina small town like this, how
serious things can get andpeople take news stories and
that you're not writing a storyabout an unknown somebody across
(49:00):
town.
This is somebody you see everyday at the bank, at the exactly
so that becomes, and you'retalking about the Marty ice
cream parlor?
Yeah, that's right.
Matt (49:09):
And where was that?
So the the Marty ice creamparlor Willard Marty and his
partners ice cream parlor wasover in Front Street on the
let's see here.
This would be the northeastcorner of Front and Moquina
streets, in the old buildingthat's still there today, which
is now a residential apartment,which we detailed in one of our
(49:33):
recent podcasts the historythereof.
So yeah, there's a little bitof interesting prohibition
history there too.
Israel (49:39):
Yeah, yeah, that's great .
Another tie around within thepodcast, yeah definitely.
And where was the newsbulletins office?
Matt (49:48):
Oh, that's a very good question.
So the news bulletins officewas at what is today 10842 Front
Street, one of the fewaddresses I can rattle off off
the top of my head which is onthe north side of Front Street,
just a little east of whereMidland Avenue joins Front
(50:11):
Street, kind of let's see rightmore or less across the street
from, maybe kind of diagonallynortheast, across the street
from the police department.
There is a apartment buildingthere now, a not a historic
building.
That's only been there sinceprobably the 70s.
That's where.
That's where the news bulletinoffice was.
Israel (50:32):
And so what did this side of Front Street look like
at that time?
Were they the only businessdown here?
At that was where the barpreviously had been.
That's right, that's right.
Matt (50:44):
Yeah, yeah, they were in those days pretty much the only
business on this part of FrontStreet.
Traditionally once again, atleast in this era kind of post
World War One, getting into theGreat Depression, these years,
the businesses on Front Streetbasically ended right around
(51:07):
Front Street and Division Street, although which was not always
the case.
But in in this era we'retalking about here, yeah, that's
where the businesses kind oftapered off.
And, yeah, the the semlers wereunique in that they were a
business out on the center FrontStreet.
Israel (51:24):
Well, very interesting, and I thought too.
It says cursed by some,discussed by many and read by
all.
Yeah, it kind of goes back tothe saying of you know everybody
loves you.
Yeah, you know don't, don'ttrust somebody everybody loves,
or something like that, yeah,they're always he wasn't willing
to give up.
What do you believe to tell the?
(51:45):
Tell the true story.
What do you thought?
Matt (51:47):
Really the story and absolutely.
As a historian, I'm verythankful for that.
Well, Bill Semler's nameappeared in almost every issue
as editor.
The contributions of his familymembers to the news bowls and
can't be overlooked From.
Okina at large was lucky tohave in its court three women
who gave their all to the paper.
(52:07):
Margaret Semler was essentiallythe papers co editor and her
husband's equal in thepublication's composition and
management for many years,maintaining the social pages
Referencing the famous editor ofthe Washington Post.
Another reporter would yearslater sublimely call her the
(52:28):
Catherine Graham of Mokena.
In her day Starting in her teenyears, Bill and Margaret's
daughter Adeline learned tooperate the vital Lionel type
machine, while her sister AdaSemler, who felt timid around
the printing prance loudclanking presses, handled things
in the office.
On Thursday nights, getting theweek's paper ready for its
(52:51):
Friday publishing date was afamily activity.
Reflecting on the late nightsspent with tricky machinery, Ada
would later say that if allwent well we would go home
around midnight.
If not, it could take until2.30am to finish.
Her mother, Margaret, alsoriley, wondered why they needed
(53:11):
a house at all when the wholefamily spent so many nights
toiling in the office.
Israel (53:18):
So that's the first half of our story here and we're
wrapping up now with the kidsstarting to become part of the
business and starting to pick upthe role.
What do we look forward to inthe second half of our story?
Matt (53:36):
Oh, all kinds of good stuff.
Yeah, the story just getsstarted really.
The second half will tackle thewhole history, with the Wolf
Road issue that we talked aboutin the introduction.
A little bit Talk about somemore things that the Semlers got
started for us here in town,like regularly celebrating
(53:57):
Memorial Day, for example, andalso one thing that I'm
especially proud of them for iswhat all they did for Mokena
service men during World War IIand service women, as there were
ladies from town too who werepart of the Allied war effort.
Yeah, just all kinds of really,really interesting stuff coming
(54:20):
up.
Israel (54:21):
And they.
You talk about it too, but dida lot for Pioneer Cemetery.
Matt (54:27):
Yeah, absolutely.
Israel (54:29):
He's responsible for the Denny marker that we have today
.
Yeah, that is true.
Yeah, and you talk a lot aboutthe process of that and what he
went through and he reallyfought for that.
And as you said the stuff theydid for veterans, for people
fighting, that nobody reallyfound out about until much later
.
Right yeah, so they were justgood people trying to do right
(54:52):
by those serving that had served.
Matt (54:57):
Yeah, they really carried the Mokena folk who were often
in the war, essentially duringWorld War II, and I think gave
them, as we will see, gave themreally a lot of happiness and a
lot of feeling of not havingbeen forgotten.
That really carried them on, Ithink, through a lot of pretty
(55:18):
tough moments that they weregoing through.
So they did a reallyexceptionally great thing.
Israel (55:23):
Well, an amazing story and a vital story to the history
of Mokena.
Yeah, a great first half and welook forward to sharing the
next half next time.
Sure, yeah, absolutely Thanks,matt, you're very welcome.
Matt (55:38):
Thank you.
Israel (55:40):
I hope you enjoyed that first part of this story on the
Semblers.
They play such a vital role tothe history of our town and even
just to be able to carry onthis history.
You know they cover a periodfrom 1919 to 1969.
So, being such a long stretchof time, you know I started
(56:00):
thinking about how manysignificant events in history
and world history in our area'shistory happened, and you know.
Some of those includeprohibition, the Great
Depression, which went from 1929to 1939, the famous St
Valentine's Day Massacre, whichhappened in Chicago in 1929,
(56:20):
World War II, the Space Race andall of the Vietnam War from
1955 to 1975.
They were covering all of thesestories, as well as covering
the births, the deaths, thehomes that were built, the
things that were going on in thevillage, keeping and tracking
that history, so much of whichwould just be lost if it hadn't
(56:43):
been for them.
It's great that we're able toshare this story.
I know I really enjoy it.
I've enjoyed reading the bookletthat Matt had written and then
as well as going back now withthe four blog posts, so we'll
share those on Facebook on ourwebsite in the show notes also
what we'll be reading in thesecond part there.
Make sure you follow us onFacebook.
(57:05):
Our friend, tony Marr, justkeeps posting different
interesting articles aboutthings that we're sharing and
from the podcast episodes.
So all that is great to see anda good addition to what we're
hearing in the episodes, sofollow us on Facebook.
Another new thing is we nowhave a YouTube channel.
There's only a couple of videoson there and what I've started
(57:27):
to do is take old episodes andput over pictures and some video
and different things we have.
But it's a good avenue for usto maybe present some different
things, and there are some ofthose things that'll be coming
as well.
We'll have planned andhopefully more will come out of
that channel as well.
If you're enjoying the show,please share this with your
friends, your neighbors, yourfamily.
(57:48):
Our next episode will be theconclusion of this similar story
, so look for that.
Please go back, listen to ourother episodes if you haven't.
We've got some great episodesout there and some great stuff
coming down the line.
Thank you very much forlistening and we'll see you next
time on Mokena's Front Porch.
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