Memories Of Chester's Camptown & Fairgrounds

I spent a little more time today with Dean Lochhead, who may just be my "new best friend"!
That man is a never ending bundle of historical information, combined with great humorous stories,
all about Chester and its people. Let me say up front how very much I appreciate the time he's been
willing to spend with me, helping me to better understand the town I call "home".  He talks. I scratch notes. I ask crazy questions. He laughs at me and he talks some more. More notes. On and on.

Today Dean and I discussed a subject about which I have been curious for a long time. Maybe you have also. Most of you know where Chester's Camptown is, right? For those of you who may not know, Camptown is NOW considered to be the area - approximately from Grace Church on Route 150 east, on east to the edge of town. But have you ever wondered how or why that area became known as Camptown?

According to Dean, in the 1920s and early 1930s, it was not unusual for bands of gypsies to travel the country, moving from area to area. These groups would camp near to towns. They would park their wagons, build their bonfires and rest a few days before moving on. Townspeople in general were very wary of gypsies, as gypsies had a reputation for kidnapping children and for thieving. Now, I in no way wish to cast aspersions on any group of people. I'm just telling you how it apparently was in that time. Chester was no exception to that pervasive attitude. According to Dean, Chester's constabulary at that period in time would not allow the bands of gypsies who would approach Chester to camp inside the city limits. They were told they had to set up their camps in the area east of town - which henceforth came to be known as Camptown. Dean said Camptown at that time was considered to begin approximately where WalMart and McDonald's are now located, continuing on eastward. After informing them of where they were allowed to camp, the gypsies were only allowed to come in to Chester after word went out to the citizenry that gypsies were in the area and that children should be watched or taken indoors for safety purposes. Then the gypsies could only come to town a few at a time to do whatever shopping or bartering they needed to do. Dean said that minimizing the numbers made it easier for merchants to keep an eye out for stealing, but he believes that it still took place. Dean speculated that overwhelmingly the gypsies were of eastern and southern European descent and my research bears out that probability. Now, is it just me - or does this information not blow your mind?

Another area in Chester that has always fascinated me is what I think of as the Fairgrounds Addition. And you may ask, WHERE IS THAT? I remember my dad referring to the area around Lincoln and Washington Blvds. as the Fairgrounds Addition. We've all seen the very attractive stone gate archway
that sits on State Street, just between Lincoln and Washington. Well, that archway is there for a
reason. Behind it and far to the right and to the left of it was Chester's fairground area. Dean grinned when he told me that the horse racing track still exists. I looked at him questioningly. "The race
track," he said, "was where Lincoln, Garfield and Washington Blvds. now are!" Amazing!

According to Dean, there were additional entrances to the fairgrounds behind Carter's Market (now Korando Heating/Cooling); on what is now Lee Street near the Schmerbach home; two more gates nearer where the high school track now is; one on the County Farm Road; two more by what is now Lincoln Blvd.; two more where East State St. now is; and one by where the Bill Sherrell house was later built (now the home of Ila Mae Kloth).

The fairgrounds included a top notch baseball field where the Chester National Baseball Team defended its honor throughout the year. Among those who played for this team were such as notables as Erwin Schueren, who went on to play in the minor leagues; and Roger Wolff who ultimately played several years in the major leagues. Both were pitchers. If a fella wanted a cold beer during a baseball game, he couldn't buy it on fairgrounds property. But he could cross over to the original New Moon where an outside wooden beer stand was roughly constructed. "Cold beer here!!!!!"

Dean told me that a carnival was always brought to Chester for the days of the annual fair. He also remembers that one of the carnival attractions each year was a verrrrry big live bear that local young men would be invited to wrestle in a ring. Dean's Grandma Lochhead ran a boarding house in her home in the 1400 block of State Street. During fair time, she would always tell her boarders that she was glad her sons had more sense than to try to fight a bear! Many years later, Grandma Lochhead's son, Lenny Lochhead, confessed to his mama that he had, in fact, fought the bear. She was horrified!

Dean recalled that as the years went by, those who owned the properties that the fairground was on began to want to sell their properties for development. Early families to build in that area included Mr. and Mrs. Willis Carter, Sr., Mr and Mrs. Jim Crawford, Harry Draves, Powleys, Knapps, Eggemeyers and Smiths. Dean's parents wanted to build a home on East State Street. Mr. Lochhead hired day laborers who dismantled a house in Grasshopper, Illinois (near Pinckneyville), moved it to Chester and reconstructed it on East State.

It is certainly my hope that as I share these bits of historical information, you - my readers - are able to see in your minds the pictures I'm attempting to "paint". I fear I am limited by my own imagination. I am, however, fascinated by it all and I hope you are finding it interesting too. I welcome your comments and/or suggestions.

 I'm not even thinking of the porch today. The heat and humidity have driven me inside. But, as always, I have hopes for tomorrow. And how appropriate, I suppose. Here on these pages we see a bit of what yesterday was like in our fair city. And now, we all have high hopes for tomorrow. May your
tomorrow be fair and pleasant.