An old map

The Jasper County Historical Society is now open the first and third Saturdays of each month from 10:00a.m. until 1:00p.m. There are a lot of interesting little tidbits in their exhibits. For example, did you know that July 4, 2010 will be the centennial of the dedication of the General Milroy statue in Milroy Park? I wonder if anyone is planning some kind of celebration. (The town of Remington is planning some kind of celebration for their Sesqui-Centennial on July 16-17. But that will not conflict with a July 4th party.)

I like maps and they had a 1908 city or Rensselaer map on the wall.

Many of the street names were not the same back in 1908. The little section below shows the area around what is now Vine and McKinley. McKinley, though, was named Main. What is now North Cullen was Forest and what is now Weston was Dayton. Notice also that the depot was shown as being north of the Clark Station and Superior Service.

The neighborhood east of what is now Brookside Park has had some street renaming. Warner Street is West Harrison on the map, West Washington is now Abagail, and West South Street is now Bunkum Road.  And there is no mention of Brookside Park on the map.

In the downtown area, there is a Cornelia Street where Kellner is now, and it looks like what is McKinley was then Division. On this old map, when a street shifted from the old alignment along the river to the north-south or east-west alignment of the newer parts of town, as Cullen does, the street had two names, one before the bend and one after. At some time in the past the city must have decided to drop one of those names. Also, the lots around the court house were never built in the way they are laid out.

The area south of the river was much smaller on the old map. Milroy was McCoy Ave, Park was River, Home was South Street. And there was an Odell Street instead of a Grace Street. (Grace Street was only that part of the present Grace Street that is east-west.)

The old map has Plum, Cedar and Pine Streets, The names of the streets changed when they shifted to the east-west orientation. Now we continue the names Angelica, Washington, and Harrison.

 The Historical Society Museum is open the first and third Saturdays of the month. Stop in and see what they have.