100 years ago: New park makes debut with city’s sixth homecoming
100 years ago, July 22, 1926
O’Fallon’s 1926, or fifth annual home-coming and fall festival will be at the new park in Lincoln Heights according to an announcement just made by President Thomas T. Gordon.
Work is progressing rapidly on the immense pavilion which is under course of construction. By the end of last week the structural steel for the dome-like structure had been placed and work is now going ahead with the roof, to be followed with the side walls. This is expected to be finished within the next ten days.
At the last meeting of the Association held Friday night reports from committees on arrangements were heard. Various chairmen reported that plans for the Home-Coming to be held Saturday, August 28th, are being completed and indications are that it will be a monster affair, inasmuch as it is to be on the park site which comprises 20 acres.
The Association decided to meet every two weeks beginning last Friday night on furthering plans for a successful celebration on August 28th. Every citizen is invited to attend these meetings and assist the Association in the work.
The new park would become known as Community Park. The pavilion, more recently called the Katy Cavins Community Center, was torn down in 2025, and replaced with a new building.
75 years ago, July 19, 1951
Tax collections for O’Fallon Township started yesterday, and Howard E. Davison, township collector, reported brisk response to his notices that taxes were due.
Davison is collecting taxes, as usual, in Rays’ Radio and Appliance Store, 102 East State St. Davison reported that he has found numerous errors in his books. Some persons who paid their taxes in Belleville were not given credit to his books, the collector reported. In a few other instances personal taxes were assessed twice against the same person.
Davison said the errors were made in the Belleville office and he is making every effort to correct them. He reported he went to Belleville twice to straighten the records so he can give proper credit to taxpayers. Taxes are payable here until Aug. 18.
The first two payers who came to Davison’s home are John Schanuel who was first and Jake Middleton, second.
50 years ago, July 22, 1976
The O’Fallon Township High School Board of Education and O’Fallon High Education Association have agreed to a new one-year contract which calls for a six per cent increase in the basic salary schedule. The agreement was reached at last Thursday’s Board of Education meeting.
The two sides reached a stalemate last month when disagreement arose over the distribution of the increase through the salary schedule.
The new increase will raise the starting salary for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree from $9,200 to $9,550. A teacher at the master’s degree level will receive an increase in salary from $10,304 to $10,696.
In addition to the 6 per cent increase, an additional one per cent increase was approved for extra-duty assignments. All fringe benefits remained the same for the 1976-77 year.