Roberts News

--Paxton Record.  1 February 1883.

7 April 1881

 --Paxton Record.  7 April 1881.  Page 1.

26 August 1880

--Paxton Record.  26 August 1880.

News from 1877

 

--Paxton Record.  24 May 1877.

4 May 1874

It having been a long time since your readers have heard from your correspondent at Roberts, I send you a few items.
Our town seems to exhibit its usual progress, both as to business and growth.  No material change this spring among the business men, except O. D. Sackett's genial countenance is now seen behind the counter at the old stand of Flora & Newman, he being a member of the firm.  Wm. J. Newman, Esq, formerly of Buckley, is now "mine host: at the City Hotel.  Pettit & Ashman have opened a furniture store.  W. C. Thompson & Co. have just opened in their new store, to which the Post Office is removed.  Thompson and Lyman have sold their lumber yard to a man at Buckley; they still continue in the hardware, store and tinware trade.
Our school has opened for the summer term under the instruction of Miss Ella Bliss, of Thawville.
Our  grain merchants are contracting corn in round lots at ??, and if the present cold weather continues it may go still higher.  Farmers are getting rather impatient at the long delay of spring.  Several proposed improvements and buildings in town are also waiting for favorable weather.  Our Good Templars Lodge is still gaining in number and influence.  The following persons were elected as officers of the lodge for the ensuing year:  Worthy Chief, W. C. Thompson: Worthy Vice Templar, Mrs. H. M. Lyman; Worthy Rec Sec., W. B. Flora; Worthy Treas., Mr. M. E. Thompson; W. F. Sec., T. M. Hubbard; W. Marshal, G. B. Gordon; W. I. Guard, Mrs. M. Hubbard; W. Sentinel, M. Cassingham, Past Worthy Chief, G. P. Lyman.
Hoping to see your editorial phiz, here some day, I am most respectfully yours, etc.,
M.

--Paxton Record.  4 May 1874.

LETTER FROM ROBERTS

 Roberts, Ill., Jan. 21st. 1873.

. . . Our town still shows signs of healthy and permanent progress, and although we cannot boast of mushroom growth yet, our place is advancing both in building and business. A large amount of corn, flax, and pork find a market here. The Star elevator handles the largest amount of grain, although other parties are buying and shipping daily. The second grain elevator here will be put up, as soon as the weather will permit it to be erected, by Montelius & Co., who have a branch store here. W. C. Thompson & Co., are soon to put up a new store, with a hall above to be occupied as a drug store, their present quarters being too limited. The Post Office will also be removed to said store, when it is completed. We have nearly every branch of trade represented by the six stores now doing business here, with competition enough to keep "middle men" within proper bounds.
Two blacksmith shops, both overrun with business, are in full blast. One wagon shop and one harness shop are doing a good business
Several dwelling houses are to be built the coming season.
The Congregationalists and German Methodist Societies both ??.
A lodge of Good Templars has recently been organized here, with twenty-eight charter members, showing that king alchohol has no inducements to erect any temples here.
Our hotel is now in running order, and I understand a livery is soon to be opened by the proprietor of the hotel.
Mr. Jos. Hurst, our collector, can be found at the store of Thompson & Lyman ready to receive the taxes for 1872.
The people murmur bitterly against the tax levied to pay interest on railroad bonds, for the reason that the generosity of the people, in voting bonds to aid in building railroads, is repaid in unreasonable discriminations and exorbitant freights and fares. The people in Lyman, as well as elsewhere, are becoming thoroughly awakened to their interests and to the impositions put upon them by railroad monopolies.
A Farmers' Grange has been organized in this town with very favorable prospects. It is composed of intelligent farmers who know their rights and are determined to maintain them. The resolutions adopted by the Farmer's Convention, at Bloomington, meet with a hearty approval.
M. C. Eisenman, a worthy German citizen of our town, died suddenly last week, leaving a family in very indigent circumstances. Supervisor Sackett is looking after the interests of the family.
Waldo, our new station agent, is gaining boats of friends by his gentlemanly treatment of all who have business with him.
In conclusion let me say in the spirit of your Rankin correspondent, we have a beautiful rolling country around us, an elevated site for our town and room for all good citizens seeking for homes in a healthy locality, while ? is our watchword and our motto, "We aspire to rise higher."

Yours, etc.,
Angus.

--Paxton Record. 21 January 1873.

19 September 1872

 

--Paxton Record.  19 September 1872.

J. B. Meserve and family have at last become residents of Roberts.
Lyman Peck has commenced putting up a dwelling in town.
Another blacksmith and wagon shop in town.  Tinklepaugh and Tapp are the proprietors. 
L. J. Pfatt and F. E. Pettit have concluded that this place has been hotelless long enough, have secured a site, got material together, and men at work, and will push the building as fast as possible.
Another dwelling house in town, Van Antwerp from Buckley is the builder.

21 December 1871

LYMAN ITEMS
Weather fine for this season of the year.
Roads dry, smooth and somewhat dusty.
News miserably scarce. Nobody married, though rumor says that certain parties contemplate entering the married state shortly. Nobody dead. Not even a dog fight....
Our young folks had a party at F. A. Roberts new house. On Monday last. They had a very fine and enjoyable time. We were there and speak from experience.
David Howe, one of our oldest settlers, and the father of our present County Surveyor, has been suffering for some time with an asthmatic complaint and is now very unwell.
We have as yet heard nothing from anybody about putting up a hotel at this place; a splendid location for one. A lot opposite the depot building is offered, free of cost, for this purpose. Our improvement in town, for this week, is a blacksmith shop, which we have sadly needed for some time, but now the vacancy is filled with a first class workman.
The inhabitants of the south west part of our township have been treated to some miniature prairie fires -- not much in size or extent -- mere pocket editions of those we used to have four or five years ago. No damage done.
A team of horses ran away in town last week, and the way they did "git up and git" was a caution. Consequences, a goodly supply of kindling wood, and minus a wagon.
The United Presbyterian denomination are holding their quarterly meeting in the school house, just out of town.
Our township still retains a smack of its original wildness yet. A wolf was seen on section 19, in this town on Sunday last.
Since scribbling my first item the weather has changed suddenly and is now cold, and the dust I bragged about, is covered up with snow.

--Paxton Record. 21 December 1871.

7 December 1871

LYMAN ITEMSWe notice with pleasure that F. A. Roberts is determined to make the R. R. station, in this town, decidedly a nice little village, in which persons may make their permanent home.
For some time past he has been planting trees for shade along the principal streets, and although the freeze, just past, has stopped operations for this fall, he assures us that he expects to plant two thousand more the coming spring. He has also been boring for water at the crossing of Main and Green streets, having found an abundance at a moderate depth, is now making preparations to put down a town well.
The Newman Bro.'s have been shipping a large quantity of broom corn to Philadelphia markets.
Our switch is filled with cars loaded with iron for the L. B. & M. road, making it quite inconvenient for persons doing business here. Melvin is also in the same fix.
Johnson & Meserve bought 103 loads of corn on Saturday of last week, and considerable of it being shelled, it weighed out 3,100 bushels. Can Melvin beat it?
Our drug store has come at last. We notice quite an amount of freight for W. C. Thompson & Co., the firm who proposes to carry on that business here. They are energetic, go ahead, and all that sort of thing," and mean business right up to the handle. We hope they will have good success
Most of our schools have commenced their winter terms, with a good attendance. We notice that Lyman Township furnishes most of the teachers, and good ones they are.
A large number of good substantial buildings have been erected in this town during the year '71, which is now rapidly drawing to a close, and as every good building increases not only the wealth of the man who erects it, but also adds dollars and cents to the acres of his neighbors, we should take pride in every home improvement -- let folks know what we are doing and ask them to say what they have performed. Last year our worthy editor called for statistics on this subject from the different towns of this county, and only one town responded, that of Brenton, and only two men were public spirited enough to collect these statistics and forward them. They were Messrs. Conrow & Finney of the above mentioned town. Now we think if this call were made again this year it would be better responded to. Would it not be worth while to try it and see, Mr. Editor?
Roberts' Station wants a hotel bad, a Sherman House or Tremont Jr., or even another Bennett House would be very acceptable, as it is hard to find a boarding house at times. Who will be the lucky man? Don't all speak at once.

--Paxton Record. 7 December 1871.

Hotel For Sale

--The Pantagraph.  8 March 1892.

Roberts Hotel Lobby

--"Memories of Roberts" 1995 Calendar. Roberts Woman's Club.

The Roberts Hotel Built in 1871

--"Memories of Roberts" 1995 Calendar. Roberts Woman's Club.

Magnolia House

Fred Pettit built the original hotel when Roberts was started in 1871. It was the only hotel or Magnolia House, as it was called, ever to be built in Roberts.
The land first belonged to Mr. Francis Alonzo Roberts. Then it was passed on to different families.
Some of the families that owned the hotel were P. J. Foster, Charles O. Hayes, Francis M. Hancock, O. M. Decourey, William H. Wilson and Oliver C. Dilks....
The hotel was once a very popular stopping place. Salesmen who came in on the railroad spent the night there and then used the Roberts livery stable services the following day to drive to Melvin and other nearby towns.
A dentist, Dr. E. D. Wilkenson, from Gibson City, had an office in one of the upstairs rooms. He would come to Roberts once a week. For several years, the Roberts telephone switchboard was operated in one of the rooms.
The hotel had 22 rooms, two dining rooms, and one bath. They used gas to light the rooms.
Sometimes when trains would go through, the sparks from the train would land on the roof of the hotel and start a fire.
Oliver C. Dilks was born in Thorton, Leicertershire, England. he came to the United States in January, 1893 and became a citizen in 1894. Mr. Dilks came, with his wife Catherine, to Roberts in 1912 from Ludingon, Michigan.
Mr. and Mrs. Dilks purchased the hotel building in 1918. They had five children: Katherine Dilks Johnson, Oliver C. Dilks, Arthur L. Dilks, (dec.) Sidney H. Dilks, Evelyn Dilks (dec.)
In 1918, Mr. Dilks was called to serve his country. On the morning of Nov. 11, 1918, he with other men, arrived at the Paxton depot to take the train to Chicago for their physical. Before they took the train, word was received that the Armistice had been signed. So, all were sent back to their homes.
In June, 1942, Mr. Dilks, Sr., was a member of the Selective Service of Ford County at Paxton.
Sidney H. Dilks, one of their children, was the youngest States Attorney to be elected in the state of Illinois. He also, as a young man, helped with the building of Route 115 in 1913 and 1917. One day he was run over by a load of bricks, but being a young man, he lived.
Jack and Katherine (Dilks) Johnson took over the hotel in 1941, but did not operate a hotel after the death of her parents. Mr. and Mrs. John (Jack) Johnson have one son, Arthur.

--Robert Area Centennial 1872-1972. 100 Years of Plowing, Planting, Progressing.  1972.

The Magnolia House

 

--Paxton Record. 3 October 1912.

 

The Roberts Hotel has had at least two other names I have read about, the Magnolia House and the Glencoe Hotel.  More research.

Roberts Hotel

Jean Fox posted this article to the Roberts Illinois History Group Page on August 18, 2016.  Her notes state:  An article about the Hotel . . . (1960).

In the article is a mention of the Roberts Livery Stable, which I believe was located directly behind the Hotel.

1884 Map

A Wedding at the Glencoe Hotel

--Paxton Record. 8 December 1881.

I love the listing of the presents: 
Towel and glass tea set from Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Alford.
Glass water pitcher and sauce dishes from W. H. Wakelin
Parlor lamps from Dr. and Mrs. Cassingham.
Silver table caster from N. F. and Miss Josie Davis.
Silver pickle dish and fork from Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Meserve.
Glass fruit dish from Mr. and Mrs. S. R. Alford.
Glass cake stand from Mrs. A. Cheney.
Bed spread and bread plate from Mr. and Mrs. C. O. Hayes.
Tidy ?, toilet set and vases from Miss Nellie Hayes.
Glass fruit dish and salt dishes from Miss Hattie Hayes.
Silver butter knife from Rev. and Mrs. S. P. Alford.
Clocks from Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Rice and Mr. and Mrs. G. P. Lyman.

ROBERTS HOTEL / MAGNOLIA HOUSE

Roberts Hotel