Paul W. Jaenicke - Matteson

JOEL MATTESON. The village was named after the 10th governor of Illinois, who served between 1853 and 1857. He was born in Watertown, New York, in 1808. The son of a Yankee farmer, Matteson was a merchant, teacher, and railroad builder in South Carolina before he brought his wife and child to Illinois. In 1836, he came to Joliet and became a contractor on the Illinois and Michigan Canal and started a woolen mill. He was also a director and promoter of the Joliet and Northern Indiana Railroad, later known as the Michigan Central, which was built through the village in 1855.

JOEL MATTESON FAMILY. In 1852, Joel Matteson, a Democrat, was elected governor. During his term he was instrumental in starting the state public school system, paying off a massive state debt, and building the governors mansion in Springfield. In 1859, he was implicated in the fraudulent sale of the Illinois and Michigan Canal scrip, but no formal charges were ever brought against him. Later he agreed to repay most of the money in question plus interest. He died in January 1873 and is buried in Joliet. There is no evidence that he ever owned any land or officially visited his namesake town. This picture is presumed to have been taken at the time he was governor. From left to right are his wife Mary, Belle, Joel, Clara, and Mary Jane. There was one son in the family who was killed in Corinth, Mississippi, during the Civil War.

JAMES FREEMAN DANA ELLIOTT. Born in Franklin County, New York, in February 1824, James Elliott bought 400 acres in Matteson starting at Front Street and running all the way to 207th Street, in what is now Olympia Fields. A pig farm operated here during the Civil War. Hogs were shipped south on the Illinois Central to feed the Union armies during the Battle of Vicksburg. Elliott was a friend of Abraham Lincoln and also knew Sen. Stephen A. Douglas.

MATTESON HOUSE HOTEL. Opened in 1861 by L. D. Mills for train travelers, the Matteson House Hotel was considered to be a first-class hotel and restaurant establishment for its day. It sat at the northwest corner of the Illinois Central-Michigan Central crossing.

STEGE GRAIN ELEVATOR. Built in 1881, this elevator was reportedly moved nine years later from a location near the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern tracks to across the street from the village hall next to the Michigan Central tracks. This structure stood 180 feet tall. Moving the structure was considered to be a big event for its day.

PETERSENS GENERAL MERCHANDISE STORE . This store stood at the northwest corner of Third and Main Streets. It served as an ice-cream parlor and delicatessen shop in the 1920s. It later became Bunkys and then Freehs. To the right of this building was a saloon owned by Albert Reese. Farther down the street was Fortmillers General Store, which also served as the post office until the mid-1950s.

MATTESON POST OFFICE, CORNER OF FOURTH AND MAIN STREETS, C. 1900. Mail came on Illinois Central passenger trains twice a day and village residents were required to pick up their mail at the post office. Not until the mid-1950s was home delivery made available to the residents.

WINDMILL . Constructed in the early 1870s, this windmill stood on the southeast corner where the Michigan Central crossed the Illinois Central. This is the present location of the east Metra parking lot. Wind power was used to grind grain that was grown by local farmers.

GERMAN AMERICAN BANK AND ADAMS BARBER SHOP. Rudolph Adams established his barbershop, seen on the left, in 1896. The shop was a family business for over 50 years. The German American Bank was established in 1904 and closed its doors in 1937. The name was changed to First State Bank in 1917. This location was on Third Street near Main Street.

ADAMS BARBER SHOP, 1920s. This was the heyday of the Adams Barber Shop when services included a pool room, shaves, and baths at 35. This photograph was taken at a time when men did not shave at home but went to the barbershop instead. Rudolph Adams is shown serving one of his customers.