This is Throwback Thursday #51. In these, we look back into the past at ESCONI specifically and Earth Science in general. If you have any contributions, (science, pictures, stories, etc ...), please sent them to [email protected]. Thanks!
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Ran across this story in the January 1955 edition of the ESCONI Newsletter, it's about a field trip to Morris on October 30th, 1954. The participants were three influential names in the early days of ESCONI, Bill Allaway, Orval Fether, and Harry Witmer. They had quite the day... As you can read, they started the day at the Centre quarry near Morris, IL, where they found brachiopods and trilobites. Then, went to the Harry L. Hough log cabin to examine historical artifacts a hundred or so years old. They finished up at the coal mining spoils north of Coal City, and one of them found a fish! The writer, Harry Witmer, was the Vice Chairman of ESCONI at the time and would later become President of ESCONI in 1960. As you might know, Bill Allaway was the first Chairman and one of the founders of ESCONI in 1949. The fisherman, Orval Fether held a few different posts including Treasurer and Circulation Manager, during the 1950's. By the way, Orval is known as O. M. Fether in pretty much all the newsletters and old photos. I finally found his first name on the caption of a photo of him and others with George Langford Sr in 1958.
Saturday, October 30, Messrs. Alloway, Fether and Witmer, members of ESCONI, made a trip to the Centre quarry near Morris, Illinois, where marcasite, brachipods, trilobites etc. were found. Mr. E. S. Gore from Morris net us there, and then made arrangements for us to visit the Harry L. Hough home and museum in Mazon.
On arriving in front of the Hough home, the first thing striking the eye is the old Mill stones in the parkway. We were cordially invited into the home by Mr. Hough. The entryway is filled with stones, fossils, Indian artifacts and relics of Pioneer days. Being introduced to lovely Mrs. Hough we were taken upstairs and shown several wonderful cases of Indian arrowheads which were found almost entirely in Grundy and La Salle counties. The upstairs bedrooms are furnished with old pioneer furniture, After returning to the first floor and chatting with Mrs. Hough for a short time we were escorted to the log cabin in the back yard. The cabin is an original log cabin known as the "Button Cabin", also one of the underground stations for the movement of runaway slaves on the Bloomington trail. It was moved from its original site on Mazon Creek. The fireplace is fitted as in the pioneer days, and of course, had a fire going. The walls are lined with muskets, swords, uniforms and in one corner sets a case of stones which would make any Rock-hound drool. The furniture is regular pioneer chairs, tables, and rockers. Hanging on the side is a leather belt decorated with carnelian agate. The attic contains spinning wheels, pioneer furniture etc.
After spending much time examining things in the log cabin, we were taken across to a shed which contains much pioneer farm equipment, such wooden plows, harness, etc. Close outside the cabin is an outdoor fireplace which has some large and wonderful rock specimens in it, crystals, large geodes, etc.
The next in order is the yard itself, where many interesting rock specimens are on display, including old mill stones, hitching stones etc. This concluded our couple of very interesting hours at the Hough home.
Mr. and Mrs. Hough are both descendants of old pioneer families. Mr. Hough is now retired and formerly was an organizer for the Farm Bureau in Illinois and Wisconsin, Much of his time is now spent in caring for his wife who is stricken with arthritis and is bed fast. The Hough's are among the few who survived the Iroquois Theatre fire in Chicago.
The Hough's also have a log cabin located on the Grundy county fair grounds at Mazon which is open during the fair; although no fee is charged for the viewing of all these wonderful things, donations are accepted and turned over to the Grundy Co. Historical Society. The society now has a very good exhibit which can be seen in the basement of the court house at Morris, Illinois.
To top the day, we stopped at the spoils north of Coal City for a short time, and a very nice fish fossil was found by Mr. Feather.
H. Witmer
More on Cragg Cabin now at Goose Lake State Park.
The old Cragg Cabin was built in 1835 by John Cragg and stood on its original location for one hundred years giving it historical landmark status in Grundy County. Mr. Harry L. Hough, a Mazon resident, had played near this cabin as a boy. Mr. Hough became interested in local history as an adult and obtained permission to remove the parts that could be used to rebuild the cabin from the owner, Mrs. Jennie Cragg. Using local tradesman, he built an almost exact replica of the old Cragg Cabin as it had been in pioneer days using period furnishings and antiques. He and his wife, Zula, lived in the cabin and opened it up to many visitors as a museum for 30 years until 1966 when Mr. Hough died. The cabin was deeded to the Mazon High School and moved to school property. The school district did not have a procedure in place to maintain the cabin and it was disassembled and moved in 1975 to Goose Lake State Park. The Park Director, Mr. Joseph Nyhoff, planned to reassemble the cabin as a pioneer home.
Photos of the Field Trip participants.
Bill Allaway and Harry Witmer
Orval Fether
George Langford & ESCONI Associates 1st Book, Orval Fether, Geo.Malcott, Howard Knight (standing); Harry Witmer, Langford, Stella Barrick June 13,1958
