Oakland Illinois Genealogy

Oct 1924-
OAKLAND’S BIG FIRE IN OCTOBER
Oct. 6th, 1887 Witnessed a Big Configuration Doing Great Damage

Thirty-seven years ago last Monday night occurred Oakland’s first big fire. This conflagration originated in the old Chapman building built of wood which stood where Bruce Buckler’s shop now is. A lot of poker players were engaged in a game of cards and engaged in a fight knocking over a lamp which ignited the building. The fire swept west until it reached the two Coffin buildings, where Wiggington & Son now are, then jumped across the street north and burned the entire east side of the square. The loss was over $100,000, only partially covered by insurance. Among the losers of the fire was The Ledger whose plant was entirely destroyed with no insurance. The next morning Oakland was a sorry looking sight. However preparations were at once made to rebuild the burned out district and today all the old wooden buildings have been replaced with substantial brick buildings. After Mr. Tibbs rebuilt his store rooms they were again burned down. It is said that a lot of gamblers were upstairs in a room, knocked over a lamp in a fight causing the fire. As to this we do not know. It was alleged that a sky rocket set the building on fire. Later on a fire destroyed the opera house which had been rebuilt and many think that this building was set on fire to get the insurance on the stock of goods it contained. As to this all is rumor but the building was burned and all the insurance money collected. The building was replaced by another brick one and is now being occupied by the Citizen’s Bank.




Oct. 1924-
Frank Valodin Comes Home From Indianapolis to Get a Drink Out of the Ambraw

Among the out of town visitors to Oakland this week was Mr. J. F. Valodin, of Indianapolis, who was accompanied by his daughter who resides at Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. and Mrs. Valodin spend three or four months out of the year in Atlanta visiting their daughter. Frank came here to visit his good old mother who is upwards of 86 years of age and is numbered among the oldest pioneers of this section.
We enjoyed a pleasant visit from Mr. Valodin while here and talked over old times- 60 years ago when we were kids and went to school together to the venerable Prof. Whitmore now deceased. Mr. Valodin is a son of the late Milton Valodin, who in 1860 built the first two story residence in Oakland down where the lumber is now located. It was not only the finest house in Oakland, but the finest residence in this part of the country. A good many forest trees had to be cut down for a building site. Mr. Valodin was for forty years connected with the Indianapolis stock yards, but had purchased a large farm and having it farmed by tenants. It was, indeed, a pleasure to meet and greet Mr. Valodin, and here’s hoping that he lives to be a hundred years old and then some.


Here are a couple of old newspaper articles- I think from the Oakland paper of the time-

Have had a family member contact me a few years ago looking for the Valodin home. At one time- it was a museum here in town. Any information would be helpful in locating the house.