History of Hartford, Illinois
Madison County ILGenWeb Coordinator - Beverly Bauser
The area that would become Hartford was rich farmland in the American Bottoms in Wood River Township, with little population other than Zephaniah B. Job, Seth T. Sawyer, and William Shore. Zephaniah B. Job, one of the few land owners of the area, cleared land in 1850, and constructed a warehouse and dock along the Mississippi. In 1861, the Madison Coal Company used the landing to ship their coal by boat. When railroads were constructed, the area became known as Edwardsville Crossing, where the tracks led further south or east to Edwardsville. By 1873, a road had been constructed which led from East Alton south through Chouteau Township. When the city of Wood River was incorporated in 1908, Edwardsville Crossing (Hartford) earned the nickname, “South Wood River.”
The Hartford Castle - Lakeview
In 1897, Benjamin
Biszant, a Frenchman, built a large “castle-like” estate in
Chouteau Township, near the future Hartford. The estate was a
gift for his English bride. It contained 14 rooms, with floor to
ceiling mirrors and elegant chandeliers. Much on the materials
in the home came from France. The floors and hand-carved columns
which supported the ceiling were made of imported cypress wood.
Benjamin Biszant's hobby included making figures out of
concrete, and on the grounds were several concrete dog figures,
cannons, and a bridge which led to the island in the middle of a
small lake.
Workers with teams of horses dug a moat,
which encircled a small island. Dirt from the moat provided the
hill on which the home was built.
Biszant and his wife enjoyed throwing lavish parties, and area
residents often heard music drifting down from the castle on
summer evenings. Guests at Lakeview used the estate’s lakes for
boating, fishing and swimming. The Biszants received so many
guests who arrived by rail that railroad maps of the 1890s
listed "Station of Lakeview." Biszant even had a decorative
station built by the railroad tracks to accommodate Lakeview’s
many visitors.
In the early years of the twentieth
century Biszant’s wife died. According to the Edwardsville
Intelligencer, Biszant fell into the clutches of spiritualists,
and lost a good part of his fortune. They led Biszant to believe
he could get into communication with the spirit of his wife, and
soon after, his old home became known as "Spook House." Sometime
after attending to her burial in England, he sold Lakeview and
moved to California. The Hartford Castle then began its slow,
inevitable decline.
The home passed on to the ownership
of J. J. Biszant. By 1913 the home became plagued with
vandalism. One fellow named Mark Podner broke into the home, and
after his arrest, claimed he became lost in the maze of mirrors
and could not get out of the house. He told of hidden
passageways, a musty dungeon, terrifying moans, high pitched
shrieks and cries of pain from various parts of the building.
Podner attempted to hang himself while in jail.
J. J.
Biszant reportedly sold it to Lake View Military Academy, but in
1919 it was Biszant again who sold the home to two St. Louis
doctors who planned a sanitarium there. It was also going to be
sold to James Marquis of Alton to be used as a roadhouse, but
Marquis' death broke up the plans. A newspaper article stated
"Lakeview changed ownership frequently and became, among other
things, a boys’ military school, a home for unwed mothers and
even a speakeasy during the Prohibition era. The castle was sold
in 1923 to a Wood River couple who occupied it until 1964.
During the ensuing years, Lakeview was alternatively rented out
or left vacant.
In March of 1973 the Hartford landmark
was destroyed by fire. Owners Dr. and Mrs. S. S. Nemec (who had
moved out), said vandals had previously reduced the home to a
shell. Curiosity seekers still try to glimpse a few remnants of
the old castle, or a ghost who is said to wander aimlessly.
However, current property owners have a “no trespassing” sign,
to discourage any visitors so no one gets hurt.
The
International Shoe Company
In 1916, the International Shoe
Company opened two large tanneries (they owned a total of eight
tanning factories) in the future Hartford. The $8,000,000 plant
would be the largest industry in the area, employing over 1,200
men and women. The tanneries supplied leather to 48 shoe
factories, the vast majority of which were located in rural
Missouri and Illinois. Popular brands included Star, Diamond,
Vitality, and Dolly Dodd brands, as well as the famous Red Goose
Shoes. Approximately 27,500 cattle hide from the National Stock
Yards were processed each week into shoe leather – a 110-step
process that lasted 37 days. The tannery closed in 1964.
Hartford Incorporated
Hartford was incorporated as a village
in 1920. Local residents had a prolonged debate over the name to
bestow upon the community – some insisting on “Tannery City”
after the International Shoe Company. However, the name Hartford
was chosen, and Kirby Turpin was named the first mayor.
A Star is Born
On May 30, 1927, twins were born in Hartford
to Paul Arnold and Gladys Huldah Walker. The boy was named
Norman Eugene “Clint” Walker, and the girl was named Lucy
Walker. After leaving school to work at a factory and then a
riverboat, Clint joined the U.S. Merchant Marines during the
last months of World War II. He then worked at odd jobs in
Texas, California, and Nevada. His good looks and imposing
physique (he stood at 6 feet, 6 inches tall) helped him land an
audition where he won the lead role in the TV series,
“Cheyenne.” He was cast as Cheyenne Bodie, a roaming cowboy hero
in the post-American Civil War era. Clint frequently returned to
the Hartford and Alton area to visit his sister. He would work
out at the Alton Y.M.C.A., attracting huge crowds. Clint Walker
died May 21, 2018 in California, nine days before his 91st
birthday.