Wilmette Public Library Local History Digital Collection

Fred Stickney Northam (1904-1979) oral history

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Track 4, Transcript 8-11: Track 4, Transcript 8-11
Transcription: Track 4 FN; Oh, we had the whole east side even when I was a small boy. They were starting to build up, but the whole east side was largely still Gage's Wood, and it was a wonderful place for a boy. You could go out there, we all kicked our shoes off at the end of school and didn't put them on back until we went back to school in the fall. This was true whether you lived on the east side or the west side. There was a lot of that in this town, too. RA: What do you think of as Gage's Woods? FN: Uh, mostly the northern end of the town. It was pretty well filled up south of the town with other subdivisions. I suppose at one time he must have owned a great deal of it, but most of it was on the north end of the town. RA: I believe on the plaque, the town plaque, Gage's subdivision FN: Clear from the railroad all the way to the lake. RA: That's right. FN: On the North Avenue, say from about Elmwood Avenue. RA: North. FN: . . . over north, clear over to Mahoney's farm. RA: Is that including Mahoney's farm? FN: I don't know whether it included Mahoney's farm or not. p.9 RA: Or did it just go to the . . ? FN: But even when I was going to high school during World War I the Mahoney house was still standing and they were still farming some of that land and there were no houses along the lake like they are now - the big homes. Bluffs and vacant lots everywhere and it was something. How primitive we were. RA: Well, it was a small town, was it not? FN: Well, about -- when I was a youngster they said anywhere from five to seven thousand, I think, and that's not a very big town. RA: Not by today's comparison which is 32,000 plus, I believe. FN: Yeah, well, my grandfather was an instigator of a good many things. He circulated petitions for the establishment of New Trier High School and he . . . uh . . . when he was President of the Village they installed the first sewer and water system and paved the first streets during his administration . . . and that was in the 90's about '95 or '96, somewhere along in there. RA: Do you know how long he was President of the Village? FM: Well, I have it in some of these records here somewhere that we can take a look at it . . . this makes a noise doesn't it . . . but, uh, I used to love to walk in Gage's Woods. RA: Tell me about the woods; what was it like? FM: Oh there were so many flowers and things and then . p.10 RA: What kind of flowers? FN: . . . the loam under your feet that is centuries old you know. You couldn't hurt your feet if you tried. You'd step on a stick or something, yes. Nature was just shedding down stuff all the time. There was this molding which was wonderfully soft. Well, we had butter- cups, spring beauties, the red trillium which I used to call bloody butchers - we had blue, purple and yellow violets; dogtooth violets, sympaticas; oh, there were many others. They were just beautiful. RA: Dutchman's Britches? FN: And I had one place that I knew how to find the fringed gentian which is RA: Oh, really? FN: Which is a . . . this was west of the town though, above Ridge Avenue, in a kind of a swamp. They like a swampy sort of a place and it was swampy out that way. RA: Mr. Schaeffer told of a skating pond that was over there that the Gross Point boys . FN: Well, this particular section -- not to get away from Gage's Woods -- but this particular section was on Elmwood Avenue west and out on the same road that old Sanko [Sanger] Brown's Sanitarium [Kenilworth Sanitarium] was on, which, as I say, is four blocks west of Ridge Avenue, and going towards Kenilworth, or what would be Kenilworth, the west end of Kenilworth and uh . . . you know about Sanko [Sanger] Brown's. p.11 RA: I never heard of Sanko [Sanger] Brown -- tell me about him. FN: Well Sanko [Sanger] Brown was a . . . I guess you'd call it a nut house (laugh) RA: A private sanitarium for mental patients. FN: It was a private sanitarium. I imagine it was for people that needed mental health and I guess they had to be pretty wealthy because it was quite a swanky old place. RA: Was it custodial care only? FN: This I have no idea. Being a small boy I was a little bit afraid to go pretty close to it. (laugh)
Creators: Northam, Fred Stickney, 1904-1979, Interviewee; Adler, Rhea Saul, 1906-1990
, Interviewer
Media Type: Audio; Image; Text
Item Type: Audiocassettes
Description: Interview with Fred Northam by Rhea Adler in Wilmette, Illinois, in the fall of 1977.

ABSTRACT:
Birth in Wilmette — Llewellin Park - Early childhood experiences

“L” tracks run into Wilmette overnight on CMSTP right of way - Digging Sanitary Canal

Wilmette business district Central/Wilmette Avenue and West Railroad Avenue (Green
Bay Road)

Account of Drury and Northam families — Grandparents — Parents locale in village

Socialized with Chicago families

Gage’s Woods — Marshes “Small town” feeling

Circulation of petitions for New Trier High School by Grandfather Drury - President of
Wilmette

Life at the 900 block of Linden Avenue - Father CPA for International Harvester at 606

South Michigan

Grant Park a “garbage dump” - landfill

T. Slater Gillette - Photographer; Drs. Byron and Rufus Stolp

Moved to Glencoe brief - Return to Wilmette to 1614 Elmwood - Back of Grandma Bell’s
farm house, later remodeled (ca. 1936 by Matots) on 1600 block of Greenwood Avenue

Death of Mr. Northam, Sr. - Left wife and five children

Mrs. Northam — Wilmette’s first welfare employee

Description of surrounding area to Kenilworth

Episodes of childhood

Move to 423 10th Street after death of father

Reichmann, Gibson, Leary, Wilson neighbors
Wilson Bakery - Delivery wagon

Description of first movie at Ridge/Lake; Mueck grocery store — Licorice balls (“penny
candy”)

Started school at (“Logan School”) now called McKenzie

Glassblower lived and worked near Park Ave./Wilmette Ave.

People of area — “Nigger” Smith’s store

Home gardens — Vegetable — Household activities early twentieth century

Description of Grandpa (Horace) Drury’s house

Wilrnette elementary schools; New Trier High School

Teachers he remembered at New Trier High School

Reading — First movies seen - Presbyterians

Old Carnegie Library — Anna Law — Importance in lives of children of that era

Portius Gage Stanley Steamer Breaker Beach Club -
Gage Piers — Henry Gage - Stanley Gage

Andreas - History of Chicago 3 Vol.

Andreas – History of Cook County 1 Vol.

Discussion of source material
Place of Publication: Wilmette, Illinois
Date of Original: 1977
Subject(s): Public schools
Oral histories
Wilmette (Ill.) -- Residents
Personal Name(s): Northam, Fred Stickney
Local identifier: R977.31 NO
Language of Item: English
Copyright Statement: Protected by copyright: Uses other than research or private study require the permission of the rightsholder(s). Responsibility for obtaining permissions and for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Copyright Date: 1977
Copyright Holder: Wilmette Public Library
Copyright Holder Contact Information: 1242 Wilmette Av.
Wilmette, IL 60091
U.S.A.
Recommended Citation: Northam, Fred, and Rhea Saul Adler. Fred Northam. Wilmette, Ill: Wilmette Public Library District, 1977.
Contact: Wilmette Public Library
Email:refdesk@wilmettelibrary.info
Website:
https://www.wilmettelibrary.info/

Agency street/mail address:
1242 Wilmette Avenue
Wilmette, IL
60091-2558
U.S.A. Phone: 847-256-6930