Erie, Illinois Historical Society

01/05/2026

Congratulations Todd on your 45th year as an Erie business!! 🥳

Who can claim they've had their hair cut by all of our barbers over the decades?

12/24/2025

Did you know?

"In 1958, NORAD accidentally created the tradition of tracking Santa Claus. A Sears department store printed a Christmas ad telling kids to call Santa—but the phone number had a typo and rang directly to the U.S. military’s top command center. Instead of hanging up, the officer on duty told the child Santa was on his way. That one kind response turned into an annual tradition where NORAD now uses satellites, radar, and fighter jets to “track” Santa’s journey around the world every Christmas Eve."

11/11/2025

In 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in World War I, then known as “the Great War.”

Commemorated in many countries as Armistice Day the following year, November 11th became a federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became known as Veterans Day.

Armistice Day
The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, marking the official end of World War I. Nonetheless, the armistice date of November 11, 1918, remained in the public imagination as the date that marked the end of the conflict.

One year later, in November 1919, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. The day’s observation included parades and public gatherings, as well as a brief pause in business and school activities at 11 a.m.

On November 11, 1921, an unidentified American soldier killed in the war was buried at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. On the same day the previous year, unidentified soldiers were laid to rest at Westminster Abbey in London and at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

Source: https://www.history.com/articles/history-of-veterans-day

09/14/2025

"Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it."

06/13/2025

90 years of business in the Erie community.
Check out those prices!

Our store turned 90 years old this year! Here is a look at the first ad in March of 1935. A risky undertaking during the Great Depression. The store was opened under the Royal Blue brand and was originally located on the corner of the triangle where The Corner Cafe now stands. Mark's grandfather, Malham Shaheen, was the owner and with his large family they carved out a living. Enjoy checking out those prices from 90 years ago!

06/08/2025

We wrap up this year's 7th grade student's Ancestor Projects with a quote shared in conclusion by their teachers.

“The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor.

But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give.

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have a potential to turn a life around.

It’s overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt.”

― Leo Buscaglia

06/08/2025

Our final Ancestor Project comes from Ava Wolever who writes about her grandfather Keith, a.k.a. "Duck" Wolever, who was one of Erie's barbers for thirty-two years. Read on and learn more about Keith's life and how he got the nickname, Duck.

Thank you for sharing, Ava!

Keith Douglas Wolever

Do you know about the battle of Normandy? In his early life he liked playing basketball and went to school in Erie. In his adult life he fought in the harsh battle of Normandy. In his last life he retired from his barber business after thirty two years and left a legacy. Keith Douglas Wolever was heroic because of his humorous childhood, time away in the military, and legacy he left behind.
Keith Douglas Wolever was born on 2/24/1922. He was born in Erie, Illinois. First of all, father was Franz Wiliam Wolever and he was born in Geneseo 1886-1952. Secondly, his mom was Sarah J. Wolever and she was born in Tennessee 1893-1985. He had four siblings Robert D. Wolever (1918-2001) Norman E. Wolever (1916-1991) Betty C. Carpenter (1925-2000) and Shirley L. Ropp (1933-2011). All his siblings were born in Erie, Illinois.
Keith went to school in Erie his whole life. He played for the Erie basketball team as number seven. Keith was in the class of 1940 and joined the Army right after school. After serving in the Army, he went to the Moler Barber College in Chicago. Then, he got his nickname duck for being a good swimmer. Also, he grew up in a house on Main Street in Erie.
Also, he used to walk with his brothers Robert and Norman and go swimming in the Rock River. Once, Keith swam a little farther out so his brothers could not see him. He hid and his brothers thought that he had drowned. Next, they got their mom and she came to the river while Keith was walking up and she cried running to him. Lastly, she spanked him.
In his adult life he married Beatrice J. Wolever. He married at the age of twenty years old. Keith also only ever married Beatrice. Also, he had two sons and one daughter whose names are Cindy, Craig, and Curt Wolever who all were raised in Erie as well.
Keith Wolever only ever had three jobs which were a veteran, barber, and a custodian. He was a custodian for both Erie high school and Sterling high school. However, he served in the military for a total of three years in the Army. Some of his hobbies were cutting hair and playing golf.
Keith was also in the battle of Normandy in World War Two. During the battle, he went to save two of his fellow comrades but got shot in his arm twice. But, he did save two peoples lives. Also, he served in the European theater of operation.
Keith was a barber for thirty-two years in Erie, Illinois. In present-day Erie, his barber shop would be on the left side of Harvest bakery. Also, when Keith began his hair cutting business haircuts were only seventy-five cents then when he retired they were four dollars! His barber shop was open seven days a week and he took no days off. Lastly, the most haircuts he did in a day was a total of fifty.
In his later life, he never ended up moving and stayed in Erie, Illinois. Next, a massive achievement he had was he lived in the battle of Normandy. He had a couple of friends who were Hugh Don Stancil, Lawerence Greth, and Gerald Gulusha. One hardship he had was almost losing his arm in battle. Sometimes, he spent his free time golfing or cutting hair. Also he was a member of the Erie country club. In the country club, he got a hole in one on hole number five. But, when he was in the military he earned many awards. Also, he was a member of the Erie Baptist Church.
One award he earned is the Purple Heart award. He got this award for being wounded in battle. Another award is the bronze heart which he earned by saving two fellow soldiers. Then, he got the European Campaign medal for being in the Campaign. Another award he received was the American Campaign medal for being in the American Campaign. Then, another award he got was good conduct for listening and being good. Next he earned the World War Two victory medal for winning World War Two. Lastly, the last award he earned is the combat Infantry badge for learning how to use a gun. Also, he belonged to the American Legion. Finally, he died on 12/26/1998 in Rock Island, Illinois.
In conclusion, Keith Douglas Wolever was brave because of his adventurous and fun childhood, time away in the military as well as being a barber, and he will be missed and loved by many. His time in the military was something special to him. In his adult life he enjoyed working as a barber. Now, he is resting peacefully in heaven. Lastly, I now know more about my great grandpa Keith.

06/07/2025

Brayden Gehrking writes about grandfather, Jerry Wells whose love of music has followed him throughout his life.

Great job, Brayden!

Photo credit: Boots and Bibs

Jerrold Lynn Wells

Have you ever been in the Navy or been on a Vietnam ship? My grandpa has been on and in both. At an early age, Jerry taught himself to play music and enjoyed playing many different instruments. During my grandpa's time in the Navy, he experienced unique adventures. My grandpa retired at the age of sixty one and now spends time outdoors. Jerrold Lynn Wells is a remarkable Navy seaman because he is a very musical man, he is a tough worker, and he is an outdoor lover.
My grandpa, Jerry Lynn Wells, was born December 3rd, 1953 in Dubuque, Iowa. His parents are my grandpa Earl Roy and my grandma Darlene Wells. His siblings are Krista, Amy, Jeff, and Shelly. My grandpa lived on a farm and helped his grandpa work with horses and bail hay. He never got paid for work when he was young, but he was always okay with that. Jerry would also go camping, hiking, fishing and played baseball with his friends when he was younger. However, despite doing work and playing outside he would also go to church. A really strong memory he had was getting baptized in the church.
Jerry Wells loved playing music, he loved it so much that he even taught himself to play a lot of instruments. He taught himself to play the guitar, banjo, fiddle, harmonica, and drums. Besides playing music, Jerry was a pitcher for baseball and he would play baseball and also pitch in his yard with his friends.
My grandpa is a big family lover, he would play board games with his family and they would just hang out. They didn’t have video games back then, so they played board games. After he got older, he drove a motorcycle. One of his favorite stories when he was younger was driving in reverse the whole way home, one of his parts in his car didn’t work, so while he was driving it didn't work and he had to drive in reverse the whole way home.
Jerry married a few times, and right now he is currently with Carmin, he married when he was young, and he had three marriages. His great children are Jolene, Jozie, Josh, Jerica, and Jodie wells. My grandpa worked at service steel for thirty-eight years andhe also taught himself to work with steel he would cut steel and put it together.
Jerry Wells had been in the navy and he went to a lot of places and got to do a lot of interesting stuff. He went to the Bermuda Triangle while he was in the navy for a trip, he also got to shoot really heavy machinery, machine guns. He also moved around a lot while he was in the Navy. Jerry painted the boat while he was on the water and painted other stuff, so forth he also sailed around the East coast and also got to drink with Germans in Cuba. Jerry also won a knot contest in the Navy.
Jerry had a very interesting adult life, he got to play music at concerts and he played at a concert with Dirks Bently. He also got to meet the Kentucky headhunters. Other than going to concerts he taught himself to work with wood, along with still learning how to play music.
My grandpa is an elder now and some of his greatest achievements are late, my Grandpa's music now is awesome he still does it to this day. My grandpa has a lot of friends, for example Curt Knapp, Frank bull, and Garry quick. A really hard hardship he had was the death of his dad. My grandpa always spent his free time outdoors after he retired. He now hikes and fishes with his buddies. He retired when he was sixty-one years old but he is not too old to play music, he loves all of his kids equally, and I love him too. I still go to see him play music at legends sometimes. Now that he is retired he loves hanging out with his grandkids and family games. My grandpa's favorite value is music, and he also loves to cook. My Grandpa always said, “always go forward, never go back, always do the right thing.”
In conclusion, my grandpa retired at the age of sixty one and now spends time outdoors. Jerrold Lynn Wells is an outstanding man because of his early love of music, he is an honest person, and he loves his time of freedom. He enjoyed working as a child and had a lot of responsibilities. Spent most of his adult life serving the country and saving peoples lives. Today, he enjoys spending time with his grandchildren. My grandpa’s legacy still holds up today, he is a hero in my eyes.

06/07/2025

Braylon VanDeWostine writes about maternal grandfather, Mark Hamilton who lived a work-filled childhood and at nine years old began helping in his father’s construction business.

Great job, Braylon. Thank you for sharing!

Mark Hamilton

Do you know what it is like to have a job at nine years old? During his childhood, Mark spent full days working with his dad. In his adult life, he worked for and spent time with his family. During retirement, Mark spends his time playing Call of Duty, watching sports, and playing golf. Mark Steven Hamilton is loving because of his hardworking childhood, his devotion to his family, and his relaxing and enjoyable retirement.
Mark Steven Hamilton was born on March 7th, 1953 in Clinton, Iowa. He is my maternal grandfather. Mark’s parents are John Hamilton and Catherine Hamilton. They also had another child named David Hamilton. Growing up Mark lived and went to school in Fulton, Illinois. He lived in a house his dad had built. Mark lived a work-filled childhood; he was nine years old when he got his first job helping in his father’s construction business. The school he was attending didn’t have sports until he was in fourth grade. Growing up in the household he lived in, he had three dogs, their names were Feefee, Tweety, and Buddy. Both his mom and his dad went to school in Erie which is how they knew each other.
While growing up, Mark was in Cub Scouts as well as Boy Scouts, as a way to spend time when he wasn’t at school or working. One time as a child, Mark needed a new bike, so he got a job selling Christmas cards to pay for the bike. While he was in early middle school, Mark won a soap box derby, which he said was his favorite childhood memory.
At the age of twenty one, Mark married Sandra Wiersema whom he is still married to today. Mark had many jobs in his adult life: a paper route, selling Christmas cards, working at Eagle Foods in Clinton, coaching football, and working in construction. He has never served in the military but was in the next group to be sent into the Vietnam War. The reason he wasn’t drafted is because they put him on a waiting list because of him being in college at the time. Mark had three children: Amy Hartig, Jill Hamstra, and Joni VanDeWostine. In his free time he plays golf, plays video games, and works around the house.
Mark’s favorite video game is Call of Duty; he plays this game almost every day when he has spare time. He started playing video games in his early twenties. He only had the game Pong, so that is what he played all of the time. Another way Mark spends his free time is golfing. He started playing golf when he was in eighth grade and still does to this day. After his first daughter Amy was born, Mark started to build model planes. His goal is to get one of the model planes running again at some point during retirement.
While Mark was in college, he played baseball and basketball for the school he went to. After college, he went to work in his father’s construction business. One time, he came home from work with a broken nose from cutting wood. On the weekends off, Mark would play fast pitch softball and basketball in a recreational league in Thompson, Illinois. When Mark’s youngest daughter was between the ages of two and three, his family bought their first camper and they camped all of the time together. They camped so much that if you talked to his daughters they would say that they basically lived at the campground. As a family, they went on many vacations together. On one occasion, they drove a motorhome out west which they toured and visited family. On a different occasion, they went to Chetex, Wisconsin with a big group of friends and family.
In Mark’s later life, he spends his time with family, working around the house, playing golf, and playing video games. Mark faced some challenges during his life. For example, when the construction economy went down, they didn’t build very many houses which made them lose money. Another hardship is when his dad died; he was out of a job because his dad owned the construction company he worked for. My grandfather has many friends. Some of his lifelong friends that he still talks to are Steve Voss, Ron Baker, Duncan Reed, and his sports teammates.
In 1976 Mark built the house that they live in today. Since then they have added onto their house by adding another living room. Mark was once a leader at the church they went to as a family. He was very well thought of at the church, so they put him in charge of putting a new roof on the building. During his later life he built a lot of houses in Erie, Springhill, and Fenton.
Some fun facts about my grandfather that even I didn’t know was that he won an arm wrestling tournament, he won a golf tournament, he played guitar in a garage band, and he owned a sports car. One time, Mark and his wife traveled all of the way to Mexico to attend one of their family member’s wedding. This shows the pure dedication that Mark has to his family. While we are on the topic of family, his first grandchild was born in 2008.
Mark retired from construction in 2018 During his retirement he became a Whiteside County board member and today has been a board member for sixteen years. Some advice Mark would give to younger generations is work with your hands and learn the trades.
In conclusion, Mark Steven Hamilton is a compassionate and kind-hearted grandfather because of his hard work helping his dad during his childhood and his determination to provide for his family. Today he enjoys spending time with his family. His childhood was very adventurous, but he also had the responsibility of work. He enjoyed the time he had away from work by camping with his family. Mark soaks up every bit of time he has with his family, and I enjoy the time when I see him. He is a phenomenal person, and I want to spend more time with him.

06/05/2025

Carter Calvert's grandpa spends his free time writing books. Read on to learn more about the life of Thomas Lee Calvert.

Thomas Lee Calvert

Did you know my grandpa rarely drinks anything besides Mountain Dew? First of all, as a child my grandfather had many responsibilities and was a big outdoors guy. When my grandpa became an adult, he started a car repair shop and a family. Now as a retired man with two kids he spends his free time writing books. Lastly, Thomas Lee Calvert is a remarkable man because as a child he was active, and had many responsibilities. As an adult my grandpa worked hard supporting grandma, raising kids, and currently he loves writing books while being retired.
Thomas Lee Calvert is my paternal grandfather. He was born on July 19, 1957 in Moline, IL. His parents were Hampton and Viola Calvert. My grandpa had two brothers Dave and Wade Calvert. My grandpa’s favorite memory as a child was going to his cabin in Jim Falls, Wisconsin. My grandpa did a lot of other things as a child. For example, My grandpa played baseball as a shortstop. He also went to Riverdale public school from elementary through high school.
My grandpa lived his early life in Port Byron, IL. Furthermore, He lived in the same house until he was five. Then, he moved into a house his father built on Cherry Street in Port Byron. My grandpa also had a few chores such as mowing the lawn, taking care of the garbage, and shoveling the driveway. He would get his first job at thirteen in a gas station, which he kept until he was seventeen.
My grandpa told me the story about when he met my grandma. It was on Halloween night, when he was out with friends to go and toilet paper houses. They are still together today. Soon after, he graduated high school in 1975.
After high school my grandpa went off to the navy. While he was there he worked as a P3 flight engineer. In addition, He served in the navy from 1975 to 1989. Although in the navy he managed to get time to go to Shibol and Black Hawk college.
My grandfather married my grandma Lori Marie Calvert (Bull) in 1978 during his time in the navy. In addition, My grandpa was twenty and my grandma was eighteen. My grandpa has only been married once, and has two kids Justin and Jesse Calvert. My grandpa had a few jobs after high school. He’s worked as an electrical engineer, a mechanic, and at Lawrence Livermore national lab. My grandfather also owned an automotive high performance and repair shop down in Port Byron. My grandpa loves tacos and Mountain Dew. In fact, my grandpa loves Mountain Dew so much he hardly drinks anything else. When it comes to vacations, now that they're both retired they’ve been going on many vacations. For example my grandpa and grandma went to the Grand Canyon a week ago. They also come to visit us in Erie once a year every year since they live far away. My grandfather is an R.C.D.D certified engineer. In fact he’s aced the test known to be very hard. He’s actually one in 7,500 globally to have a R.C.D.D certificate as an engineer.
My grandpa has told me many lessons I value. My grandpa told me tons, but I only have room for a few. First, he told me to be patient, and don’t drink alcohol. He’s also told me to cherish the human body, and protect it like it’s glass. Following that he’s always told me to be compassionate, and to always try your best. Out of all that, the thing he emphasized most is always to listen to my gut.
Due to My grandpa being in the navy he’s lived in a lot of places. Just to list a few he’s lived in Lexington park, Harland, Livermore, California, and Tennessee. My grandpa has told me his two best achievements were being a father, and a grandfather. My grandpa has lots of lifelong friends, but told me three. The three being Gerry King, Mike Griffin, and Dan Lawrence. Fun fact Mike Griffin is the guy that set up a date for my grandpa and grandma. My grandfather also told me that he hasn’t really faced any hardships over his life. Furthermore, He spends his free time writing books. In addition, he’s written books on the battle of bunker hill, and our family history. My grandfather retired in 2024 at the ripe old age of sixty-seven. In addition, My grandfather has something he’s told me to live my life by. He told me to learn everything you can, and I’ll try to do that the rest of my life. Me and my grandpa both bond over a shared love of the movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” I have many stories to tell about my grandfather. I remember us playing hide and seek behind a stop sign. I remember we were at Ruby Falls, a cave in Tennessee, and I told the guide that he served in the civil war. Then, I also remember when we went to Look out Mountain down in Tennessee. My personal favorite memory I have with my grandfather is when we were playing soccer at my old house, and he ripped his pants down the middle going for the ball.
My grandpa also has stories from before I was born that he told me. First, he told me that he went to Adak island due to his time in the navy, and was able to feed the bald eagles. He’s also told me about how he used to take my dad, and his brother down to car swap meets. The last but probably most important story he told me was that he actually proposed to my grandma in their car, I know a great spot right.
In conclusion, Thomas Lee Calvert is a remarkable man because as a child he had an active childhood and responsibilities, as an adult my grandpa was dedicated to his family and work, and currently my grandfather is an author and enjoys retirement. His childhood was filled with many memories. In later years he spent time as an engineer. My grandpa now enjoys his retirement spending time with his loving wife. I’m so thankful for my grandfather for giving his time to me so I could learn about him.