In August 1910, the Sandwich Argus published a recollection prompted by the community’s home coming celebrations. Written by H. W. Fay, editor of the DeKalb Review, the article looked back on the earliest years of Sandwich and the people who helped shape the young town.
Fay’s reflections reach back to the period when Sandwich was little more than a prairie crossroads. Travel through the area followed stage routes that connected nearby settlements such as Freeland Corners and Shabbona Grove. Long before the arrival of the railroad, these routes carried settlers, merchants, and visitors through what would soon become the village of Sandwich.
The article also recalled several of the early businesses that served the growing community. Among them were J. C. Taylor’s furniture establishment, the clothing stores of James Warner and Mike Nathan, and the grocery trade conducted by A. P. Crasper and H. N. McKindley. Paul Wallace operated a butcher shop in town, while Julius Hummel was known for agricultural implements and machinery that served the surrounding farming community.
Fay also remembered many of the men who played important roles in the town’s early development. Among those mentioned were Augustus Adams, founder of the Sandwich Manufacturing Company; John Culver; William Patten; W. W. Sedgwick; and R. M. Brigham. Editors J. B. Castle and M. B. Castle of the Sandwich Argus were also recalled as important voices in the town’s early civic life.
Written more than half a century after Sandwich first began to develop, Fay’s article preserves valuable memories of the people, businesses, and travel routes that shaped the community’s earliest years. Together, these recollections provide a glimpse of Sandwich as it was remembered by someone closely connected to its founding generation.
Sources
“Prompted by Home-Coming.” The Sandwich Argus (Sandwich, Illinois), August 12, 1910.
Article written by H. W. Fay, editor of the DeKalb Review.