Voices from the Past Cemetery Walk at All Saints Parish in St. Peters

If you are interested in local history or like an evening where you can walk among the tombstones and listen to actors portraying long-ago deceased characters, you are in for a treat!

Once again, All Saints Parish in St. Peters will feature an evening of "Voices from the Past Cemetery Walk at All Saints." (If you click on the link you can see the cemetery in the background.)

This is the third time in six years the parish has offered the popular event.

And this is the third time I have written a script about a character buried in the cemetery.

The members of the parish Heritage Committee selected and researched the characters, then the Parish Administrator turned over their research to me to write the scripts. Writing a script stretched my skills, but it was a valuable learning experience.

My first script was about George Gatty, Revolutionary War hero and founder of St. Peters. He was an Italian immigrant who made his way to America, distinguished himself during the Revolutionary War, and was rewarded with a land grant that brought him out to the western frontier--all the way to Missouri!

Two years ago, I wrote the script for Aloys Schneider, sixth husband of Emma Heppermann, the notorious Potato Soup Black Widow.

Emma had the bad habit of poisoning her husbands and anyone else who got in her way. Unfortunately, Aloys got between Emma and a life insurance policy, and Aloys lost. His family and neighbors got suspicious after his death. They had no proof Emma did him in, but after Emma's next victim, Mr. Heppermann and his daughter (who survived), the Law stepped in. Emma was eventually tried and convicted of double murder.

The photo on the left shows the actor who portrayed the late Mr. Schneider referring to his script.

From reports, the actor's portrayal of Mr.Schneider was one of the most popular, and most talked about, characters of the walk.

This year, I wrote the script for Eva Kirchner, a German immigrant and farmer's wife. Eva was a resilient and determined woman who lived a hardscrabble life. She survived during the Great Depression by taking in boarders, and during Prohibition, she survived by ignoring the law. I gave her the name, "Bootlegger Granny."

This year the cemetery walk will be Saturday Oct 7 and Sunday Oct 8.Tickets for adults are $10, and children 12 and under $5. A reception will be held in the Parish Center after the walk, where visitors can enjoy light refreshments.

Unfortunately, because of the uneven ground of the cemetery, strollers and wheelchairs aren't permitted. And, because I'm still using a walker to get around, I won't be able to attend this year.

My sister Kathleen will be going and she has promised to report back to me on how it went.

Interview with Don and Dianna Graveman, co-authors of LEGENDARY LOCALS OF ST. CHARLES (Part II)

Today we continue with Part II of my interview with Don and Dianna Graveman, co-authors of Legendary Locals of St. Charles, what is sure to be a classic book about the historic Missouri River town of St. Charles, Missouri. 

LEGENDARY LOCALS OF ST. CHARLES
Published by Arcadia Publishing

I highly recommend Legendary Locals of St. Charles for anyone interested in American history, Missouri history, and famous American explorers and larger-than-life figures, such as Daniel Boone, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, Elijah P. Lovejoy, Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne, and many other legendary figures. One of my favorite chapters was Chapter Six: Military and Law Enforcement. The photos and the stories are inspiring.

The following questions and answers 7-12 complete my interview with the Gravemans. Their answers are in blue.

7. With so many legendary locals from St. Charles, you no doubt weren’t able to include them all. Did you have a criteria for which to include?

This was the biggest challenge. In the beginning, we had a “working list,” compiled from people who automatically came to mind or whose names others had suggested to us. The Legendary Locals imprint requires a featured local to have a photo along with the accompanying information. So we weren’t technically supposed to include people for whom we couldn’t obtain a clear photo. We got around this in some cases by including a photo of somebody’s former residence or a historical marker. An example is Jeremiah Millington, who served as the first postmaster when St. Charles was the state capital, practiced medicine, and managed his castor-oil business—all at the same time from his house on South Main Street. We also decided to include the names of some of the people for whom we couldn’t obtain photos in the introduction to each chapter. That way, we could still honor them.

As we explained in our book’s introduction, we focused on people who have lived, worked, or made their biggest contributions in the city of St. Charles, because it would have been impossible to include notables from the entire county in a book this size.

8. Did any of the information you found come as a surprise?

One surprise was the story behind the shrine to the Virgin Mary on I-70, as you mentioned at the beginning of Wednesday's blog post. Another involves the first surgery performed in the history of St. Joseph Hospital, at 305 Chauncey Street, by Dr. Benjamin Geret. A native of Bavaria, Dr. Geret used instruments he boiled on a stove and a table padded with blankets to perform the emergency gall bladder removal. Still another involves playwright Rupert Hughes, who is believed to have written his first play here. Hughes would later become uncle to the famous tycoon Howard Hughes.

9. There are so many amazing photos included in the book, it must be hard to select a favorite, but I have to ask: Do each of you have a favorite?

Dianna: I like the photo of Sophie Hupe, who became a midwife at 51. Previously, she had worked as a clerk, run a millinery shop, and partnered in the hotel business. For a woman born in 1848, that’s pretty amazing.

Don: My favorites are the pictures of Patt Holt and the Patt Holt Singers. Patt was my eighth-grade music teacher and had a big influence on me when I was young. My wife and I met in the singing group. Patt turned 80 this year, and a lot of young people benefited from her mentorship over the years.

We also wanted to include some notable locals who haven’t lived long enough to be true legends but who we think have made notable contributions to the community. We wanted there to be some surprises. So there is a good mix. We would like to acknowledge Grace Nichols, the first female mayor of St. Charles, who wrote the foreword for the book.

Sadly, three of the subjects (that we know of) passed away after our book was finished but before it was released: Mel Wetter (November 23, 2015),  Robert Fleming (February 2, 2016), and (Laura) Elizabeth Rauch (February 20, 2016). All three were legendary in our community for their many contributions to the city of St. Charles.

10. Please tell us about author talks or book signings you have scheduled over the next months.

As of this writing, we have a book launch scheduled at Main Street Books on Saturday, March 26, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. We will sign books the following Saturday, April 2, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at Barnes & Noble in St. Peters, and on Sunday, April 3, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Lewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center. A signing with the St. Charles County Historical Society is in the works.

11. Where can readers purchase a copy of Legendary Locals of St. Charles?

The book can be purchased at most bookstores and retailers in and around St. Charles, but we’d like to ask readers to support indie booksellers like Main Street Books, if possible. The book is also available at Arcadia Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, St. Charles County Historical Society, and the Lewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center.

12. Last question: What project are you working on, and what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Dianna completed two books last year—this one and another (on a work-for-hire contract) for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Researching and writing two books in a year while working full-time seemed like a lot, so we’re just catching up on our regular jobs right now.

 

We also both like to read and hike, and we’ve become political junkies―watching all of the debates and news from both parties. And with one grown child in St. Louis and two living on opposite sides of the country (Wyoming and Florida), we take advantage of any opportunity we can to see all of them.

Thanks again, Donna, for featuring us today! We really appreciate it.

 

Thank you, Don and Dianna, for sharing your wonderful story with us about your fascinating book. 

Interview with Don and Dianna Graveman, co-authors of LEGENDARY LOCALS OF ST. CHARLES (Part 1)

Hi Dianna and Don,

Thanks so much for letting me interview you and for having a copy of Legendary Locals of St. Charles sent to me by Arcadia Publishing. With Legendary Locals of St. Charles, I think you two have hit another home run!

The vintage images in your book portray the story of St. Charles from its very beginning all the way to modern times. The photos capture images and tell the stories of early settlers, such as Louis Blanchette, St. Philippine Duchesne, and Lewis and Clark, as well as living legends, such as Grace Nichols, the first female mayor of the City of St. Charles; Mark Buehrle, Major League Baseball pitcher; Bobbi Smith, New York Times best-selling author; Art Holliday, award-winning journalist and newscaster, and many others.

Along with the visually stunning images, your book includes historical -- and some surprising -- information in the captions. As an example, your book answered a question I’ve had for a long time: Who was responsible for erecting the lovely shrine on Highway 70 near Mid Rivers Mall? (Answer: Ralph Borgmeyer, page 67)

Because Don and Dianna were so generous with their time and shared so much fascinating information in their answers, I’ve divided their interview into two parts.  

The six questions in Part I (below) include a glimpse into how Dianna and Don approached, researched, and organized this amazing project, along with some background on Don and Dianna, which I believe reveals their passion and dedication not only to this book, but also to the City of St. Charles.

1. In Legendary Locals of St. Charles you’ve created another historical gem. What prompted you to tackle the project of compiling and writing Legendary Locals of St. Charles?

Thanks, Donna, for featuring us on your blog.

Arcadia Publishing emailed us in late 2014 and asked if we’d consider taking on the project for the company’s new Legendary Locals imprint. In 2009 we did a book for Arcadia titled St. Charles: Les Petites Côtes, and it did pretty well,  so we guess that’s why they contacted us. We wish we could say it was that easy, but even though Arcadia had contacted us to do the project and not the other way around, they still required us to develop a thorough book proposal and obtain sample photographs before they issued a contract.

2. Will each of you share a little of your backgrounds and how they meshed to write your latest book?

Don: I have lived in St. Charles all my life except when I was away at college, and my family has lived here for five generations.

Dianna: I spent a good deal of time around the Main Street area as a child, even though my family lived in St. Louis. My grandmother lived here, and my uncle was a police officer here. Most of my dad’s family lived here.

Based on recollections from our early years, we are certain we crossed paths in St. Charles many times as children. We were often in the same place at approximately the same time. Members of our families knew each other. Ironically, when we finally met face-to-face as adults, it wasn’t in St. Charles—it was in New Athens, Illinois! As for the book, Don has always been interested in regional history, and Dianna has an editorial background, so blending our experiences and interests together to compile a book about the town in which we’ve spent most of our lives made sense.

3.  Legendary Locals of St. Charles includes wonderful photos over an extended period of time period from a variety of sources. How did you gain access to the historic photos, archives, and other sources?

Don: I sat on the board of directors at St. Charles County Historical Society for five years, so we already had contacts and friends there. That made it easier to obtain permission to use some photographs and get answers to questions that came up as we did research. (A percentage of our profits from this book benefit the historical society.)

Dianna: My flexible work hours enabled me to spend afternoons at the historical society or at the Kathryn Linnemann branch of the library doing research. I was also was able to interview some subjects in person, like Donna Hafer of the Mother-in-Law House, Ernie Dempsey at Pio’s Restaurant, and Cordelia Stumberg, civic leader and pianist, who played her beloved piano for me one afternoon at her home—a real treat.

By lucky accident, we received some interesting photos and information from Scott Grimwood at the SSM Health Archives. We’d contacted him for permission to use a photo of Sister Mary Elizabeth Becker, one of the founders of SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital–St. Charles. He not only arranged for us to receive permission for the photo from Franciscan Sisters of Mary, he sent early photos of the hospital and of a few early St. Charles doctors, along with some great historical tidbits from the archives.

4. Your meticulous research shines through in the informative captions, which go beyond a description of the photos to include historical tidbits. How did you balance photos and captions in the layout of your book?

That is kind of tricky because of our publisher’s format and guidelines for the imprint. Word counts for captions differ depending on whether you have one or two pictures on a page, whether the pictures are horizontal or vertical, etc. Sometimes we cut the captions short when we actually had more information to include, based on Arcadia’s guidelines. After we saw the proofs, we realized that in some cases we would have had room to lengthen our captions. So that was a little bit of a disappointment, but it’s really a learning process.

5.  Can you share a bit about how you decided on and organized the chapters, which range from Chapter 1: Settlers, Famous Visitors, and Early Residents -- to Chapter 6: Military and Law Enforcement (which I thoroughly enjoyed).

We based our chapter titles on the pattern we observed in other Legendary Locals books from around the country. Where we diverged a bit was with the chapters on Educational Leaders and Military and Law Enforcement. We really wanted to recognize some dedicated teachers we’ve known, and we both felt compelled to honor all of the law enforcement officers who died while serving in St. Charles, one of whom was Dianna’s uncle, Al Musterman.

One challenge with the organization within the chapters was that we wanted to arrange photographs chronologically. Since each chapter had to end on an even page with no blank pages, and since we had two pictures for some subjects and one for others, it didn’t work out that way.

6. This is your fifth book you’ve co-written. How long did it take from concept to completion, and how did you divide the workload?

Our contract provided about eight months for completion. We didn’t really think of it in terms of dividing a workload, so that’s a hard question to answer. Since we are married, we’re together most of the time, and we just worked on it when we could. At times, one of us was working on it more than the other.

Check back on Friday for Part II of my interview, in which Don and Dianna share some surprises, a few favorites, and their plans for events and signings, where readers can meet them in person.

At the Top of My Most-Wanted Reading List: "Legendary Locals of St. Charles" by Don and Dianna Graveman

I love reading about regional history. So it comes as no surprise that the latest book from my good friend Dianna Graveman and her wonderful husband Don is at the top of my most-wanted reading list.

Don and Dianna's "Legendary Locals of St. Charles" has recently been released from Arcadia Publishing and the History Press.

In my opinion, the Gravemans themselves are local writing legends, having published four previous books about local history.

Don is a former St. Charles County Historical Society board member, and Dianna's writing is solid gold. She is an award-winning author, an editor, and an amazing public speaker. Both are passionate and knowledgeable about the topic, so I know the book will be great.

I was also thrilled to learn that "Legendary Locals of St. Charles" is included as one of five recommended reads for February in Alive magazine, which features "the latest in St. Louis arts, culture, and community happenings."

Check back later this month for my interview with the Gravemans and a review of "Legendary Locals of St. Charles."

Save the Date: Another "Souper" Book Signing at Main Street Books in St. Charles

On Saturday, December 14, 2013, seven local writers will participate in the fifth Annual “Chicken Soup for the Soul, Canned Soup for the Body” Book Signing.

The "sole" location for this year's "souper" signing will be back to where it all began at Main Street Books, 307 South Main Street in St. Charles, hosted once again by Vicki Erwin, from 11 a.m. till 5 p.m.

Customers who bring in canned goods, which will be donated to area food pantries, will receive 20% off their entire purchase that day.

The following is the schedule of the featured Chicken Soup contributors: 

 

11 a.m. till 1 p.m. -  Cathi LaMarche and Nina Miller

1 p.m. till 3 p.m. - Linda O’Connell, Theresa Sanders, and T’Mara Goodsell

3 p.m. till 5 p.m.  -   Beth M. Wood and Sioux Roslawski

For directions to Main Street Books, call Vicki Erwin, 636-949-0105.

Thunderstorms and Tornadoes Strike St. Charles County Last Night

A wicked storm system pounded St. Charles County last night. Around 8 p.m. the wind picked up speed, thunder rumbled, lightning streaked through the dark sky, and tornado sirens started shrieking.

I popped out on the back deck and snapped a few photos before the rain and hail started.

By the time the storm blew over, my neighborhood had received mostly wind damage. This morning while I drove to the store I saw a tree split in half a few blocks away, but about five miles northeast, in St. Charles City, a tornado touched down.

My sister-in-law's brother's roof was blown off and power was knocked out for most of that area. Fortunately, no one in their family was hurt.

A local high school had their graduation ceremony cancelled due to damage to the Family Arena in St. Charles--which is the same location where my granddaughter's graduation ceremony was held last week.  What a difference a week makes!

Last night my granddaughter was at the movies, and the theater was evacuated until the storm passed. Also last night, the Cardinals baseball game was postponed until today.


Thunderstorms and tornadoes are a way of life in the spring in "tornado alley," which includes Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, and much of the mid-section of the United States.

When I was 18, our home in St. Ann was damaged by wind when a tornado touched down just blocks away from our street.  Our damage was minor, just some windows blown out in my bedroom. But that was a frightening experience for me, and it instilled in me a respect for storm warnings and made me realize that no matter how powerful we think we are, ultimately we are not in control.

My heart goes out to anyone affected by this latest round of thunderstorms and tornadoes, especially in Missouri and Oklahoma, which was hit once again with deadly storms.

Writing Naked and An Open Mic Night from High Hill Press

Yesterday I queried an editor at WOW! Women on Writing. Some time ago I wrote an essay after I read a critique group member's comments on the top of the first page of something I wrote. The title of the essay I queried the WOW editor about is "Take Your Clothes Off and Other Critique Group Advice." In my essay I share ten pieces of critique group advice (some sweet, some strange) that I've received over the years.

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday afternoon when I received an almost immediate response accepting the essay and asking for a bio photo. Anyway, my essay is scheduled to appear on the WOW! Blog's Friday Speak Out on March 9. I'll post a reminder closer to the date.

If you are from the metro St. Louis area and want to hear some wonderful writers read from their works, stop by the Sage Book Store tomorrow evening, Friday, February 3. High Hill Press is sponsoring the event, in cooperation with Sage Books, an independent bookstore located in the Frenchtown District of St. Charles at 1128 North 2nd Street; St. Charles, MO 63301. The fun begins begins at 7:00 p.m.and ends around 9:00, or whenever they kick us out.

Hope to see you there!

Thoughts on Creativity: Chocolate Covered Bacon, Anyone?

Yesterday was unseasonably warm for mid-January. With the temperature hoovering around 70 degrees, it was a perfect day to be out and about. Because it also was a holiday, a group of eight of us met for lunch at Lewis and Clark in St. Charles, MO, to celebrate my niece's birthday. Maybe it was the warm weather, but I decided to try something different. I ordered the spicy gumbo soup and house salad. It was the first time I had their gumbo, and it was a spicy surprise. I would order it again.

After lunch, four of us decided to take a walk down Main Street and visit some shops. First on our agenda was Main Street Book Store. Vicky, the owner, welcomed us warmly, and we chatted a bit. The store looks great. I intended to ask if Vicky had any copies of the St. Louis Writers' Guild anthology, but as usual I got side-tracked talking and looking around and forgot to ask. After my sister bought a crossword book for her husband, we were on our way.

The warm weather brought out shoppers. The street was busy, which is a good thing for the merchants, but not so good if you're trying to jay-walk across the street.

After a few more stops I bought some candles, and my sister-in-law found a cute pair of earrings. Next was Riverside Sweets for their peanut brittle, which my brother-in-law claims is the best he's ever eaten, and my husband also likes to munch on. Their chocolate-covered pretzels are yummy.  The store was crowded, with long lines to order ice cream and pay for candy. Some folks, entered, saw the long lines, then left.

After paying, I waited outside for the others in our group. I watched a husband, wife, grandma, and young girl about seven walk in then quickly exit. The girl complained, "But Daddy, I want an ice cream." Her father told her, "Life's a b****. We need to find a bathroom."  Why would a dad talk to his daughter that way, no matter how badly he needed to find a bathroom?

As we wandered to our cars I spotted a sign at another store. The white, letter-size sign was hand-printed in black and read: "CHOCOLATE COVERED BACON."  I did a second take on that one and wished I'd brought my camera.

My first thought was that eating meat covered with chocolate just doesn't seem right. As much as I like chocolate (and bacon is okay), I don't think meat dipped in chocolate would be tasty.  But what do I know? I've eaten ham cooked with brown sugar and pineapple on top. Maybe the chocolate covered bacon is a sweet and salty combination like a chocolate-covered pretzel.

As I got in the van and drove home I decided that judging without trying limits my experiences and narrows my thinking. While I doubt that I'll ever try the chocolate-covered bacon, my lesson yesterday was to enjoy the surprises in life--like 70 degree weather in January and spicy gumbo soup--and be open to new ideas and experiences. Isn't that what creativity is all about?

What about you? Have you tried something you didn't think you'd like but were pleasantly surprised?