05.13.14

Durbin Recognizes 150th Anniversary Of The Village of Ramsey, Illinois

[WASHINGTON, DC] – In a statement for the Senate record, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today recognized the 150th anniversary of the Village of Ramsey, Illinois, which was incorporated on May 4, 1864. The Village of Ramsey was in Durbin’s 20th congressional district during his time as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 1997.

 

“To put the anniversary of Ramsey’s incorporation in perspective, think about what the Midwest was like in 1864.  The Civil War was coming to an end and a new America was being born,” Durbin said.

 

“One day each year, when the Lions Club hosts its annual auction, the population grows from 1,000 people to 5,000. The Village of Ramsey was in my district when I was a member of the House of Representatives.  I have been to the town many times and have enjoyed its famous chicken dinners.  I camped out at Ramsey Lake State Park with my kids many years before going off to Congress.  Today, I extend congratulations to Mayor Claude Willis, the citizens of Ramsey, and the 4,000 who spend a day in Ramsey each year as the Village celebrates its 150th anniversary.”

 

The full text of Senator Durbin’s statement for the record is below:

 

Senator Durbin

150th Anniversary of the Village of Ramsey

May 13, 2014

 

Mr. DURBIN.  One-hundred and fifty years ago – on May 4, 1864, to be exact – the Village of Ramsey, Illinois, was incorporated.  The Village was named after an early settler named William Ramsey, who built his home on what is now known as Ramsey Creek.

 

Ramsey was just getting started when Abraham Lincoln was traveling from his home in Springfield to Vandalia, which was then the State Capital where Lincoln was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives.  The Illinois Central Railroad, completed on January 1, 1855, made Ramsey a local trading and shipping point for nearby townships. 

 

To put the anniversary of Ramsey’s incorporation in perspective, think about what the Midwest was like in 1864.  The Civil War was coming to an end and a new America was being born.  It was long before planes and cars -- and trains were not yet common.   

 

By 1878, the people of Ramsey could support six dry goods and grocery stores, a drug store, a hardware store, two saloons, a boot shop, a hotel, and a harness factory.  It was the second largest town in Fayette County.   Ramsey even had its own newspaper in the 1880s, The Ramsey Democrat.  Another publication, the Ramsey News-Journal, started in 1911.  It was purchased in 1912 by Julius Mueller and remained with that family for 100 years.

 

The first women to vote in Illinois cast their vote in Ramsey.  Mrs. Athilla Stoddard was the first female in the state to vote publicly.  She was 83 years old when she voted in Ramsey on July 10, 1891.

 

Ramsey is small -- just over 1,000 people live there today – but it has its share of famous residents.  Glen Hobbie, who played for both the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals, called Ramsey home for a time.  H.L. Hunt, an oil tycoon who inspired the TV series Dallas, was from Ramsey.  And so was Tex Williams, a country music singer, song-writer and actor.

 

One day each year, when the Lions Club hosts its annual auction, the population grows from 1,000 people to 5,000.   

 

The Village of Ramsey was in my district when I was a member of the House of Representatives.  I have been to the town many times and have enjoyed its famous chicken dinners.  I camped out at Ramsey Lake State Park with my kids many years before going off to Congress.  Today, I extend congratulations to Mayor Claude Willis, the citizens of Ramsey, and the 4,000 who spend a day in Ramsey each year as the Village celebrates its 150th anniversary.