A BRIEF HISTORY OF AVISTON 1671-PRESENT

• 1671   All land of the vast and unknown interior of the continent was claimed as a French possession under military rule.
• 1763  The land where Aviston stands switched hands from France to become part of the British Empire.  The land would become part of territorial Virginia.
• 1810  The first European settlements began to appear along the Sugar Creek.  Early settlements were bothered by Native Americans.
• 1812    Nathaniel Journey sets up a log fort northwest of Aviston in township section 11 during the War of 1812 to protect settlements from British or Indian ruin.
• 1814    On August 5th John Journey (Nathaniel's brother) filed for Sugar Creek township section 11.  One month later he died at Hill's Fort near Greenville, Illinois during the War of 1812.
• 1814    A local named Mrs. Bayels was killed by Native Americans while riding with her husband Jesse Bayels east of the Sugar Creek just off of what is today, Old State Road.
• 1818    Illinois becomes a state
• 1824    On December 27th Clinton County was created out of Washington, Bond, and Fayette counties.
• 1825   Mount Pleasant School district was established.  This school was later changed to District #2, Township #2.
• 1830    Samuel Hull, a Virginian, brought his money and trading skills to Illinois.  He would later help found Aviston (Hull at first).
• 1835    Hugh Johnson, a Revolutionary War soldier, was buried in Sharon Cemetery just southwest of Aviston along Rocky Ford Road.
• 1836   "Old" Aviston on Old State Road was first laid out into lots on April 29, 1836.  Old Aviston is the  current location of Old Towne North subdivision where many of our students live north of town today.  Aviston was the first town established in Sugar Creek Township.
• 1836   July 14,1836 Alexander Sheilds becomes the 1st Postmaster of the Aviston Post Office. The Aviston Post Office has run continuously from 1836-present.
• 1836    Aviston was named after gunsmith John T. Avis who was the first person to open a business in the community on the old Vincennes Road (Old State Road today).
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• 1840    Between the years of 1840 and 1845 local Protestants built a small frame church in "old" Aviston.
• 1850    "Old" Aviston appears on the 1850 Illinois map.
• 1854   In the 1850s the O and M Railroad was built south of "old" Aviston traveling through Clinton County.  The citizens of "old" Aviston re-settled in Hull near the railroad. The 1856 Map of Illinois is the first Illinois map to show this addition to Aviston and Southern Illinois.
• 1860    Hull (Aviston) was laid out into lots by the J.W. Dugger and Co. near the O & M Railroad.
• 1861    Residents in the Aviston area register and fight in the Civil War. 
• 1862    The Sacred Heart Hospital, a two-story frame structure, on lots 6 and 7, in block 22, was finished by Rev. F. Lohman at a cost of $6,524.00.
• 1864    1864 was chosen as the beginning of our village for 3 reasons
  1) The cornerstone was laid for a Catholic Church in the spring of 1864.   The original 80 by 50 ft. structure was built by Gerhard Rolfmeyer and Henry Dillmann for $11,741.25.
  2) Aviston had enough citizens to truly be a community.
  3) Business activity picked up this year.
• 1864    Aviston's First Lieutenant Robert Gooding fought for the 59th Infantry and died in the Battle of Nashville.  He is buried in Lake Branch Cemetery just northeast of Aviston Park on Old State Road.
• 1865   Aviston Civil War soldier's like Jacob Hetzel, of the 13th Illinois Cavalry, return home from war.  He received a $8.00 a month pension for serving his nation.
• 1865    On November 22, 1865 Samuel Hull died and was buried 3-5 miles north of Aviston in Gullick Cemetery.
• 1870    Clinton County's population reached 16,285.
• 1875    The Aviston we know today was once the combination of three communities, Aviston, Hull and Hecker.
• 1879    St. Francis purchased 4 bells weighing 5,000, 3,300, 1,140, and 560 lbs.  These were the largest ever cast in St. Louis at the time.
• 1880    Henry Rosen was elected the first Village President in 1880.  Early terms were only 1 year.
• 1884    October 24th, 1884, Aviston was officially registered as a village with Illinois.
• 1887    St. Francis completes an extensive expansion of the church.  The upgrade cost the parish around $42,000 with a 185 feet tall steeple and a 820 seating capacity.
• 1895    Population of Aviston was 381
• 1906    Telephone is introduced to Aviston
• 1907    The village hall is built on Spring Street.
• 1909    The first Aviston volunteer fire department was organized in May of 1909.
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• 1913    In 1913 commercial business begins to pick up.
• 1913    Fred G. Brefeld was elected mayor and continued to serve until 1945.  He served for a record 32 years as mayor.
• 1914    Henry J. Althoff of Aviston was ordained the Diocese of Belleville's 2nd Bishop. Althoff served as Bishop for 33 years. 
• 1917    Reverend Frederick Lohmann, 41 year pastor at St. Francis and visionary of the current building died on February 10th. Lohmann was buried near the cross at St. Francis Cemetery.
• 1918    Pvt. Urban Mondt of Aviston died on September 28th, 1918 fighting in World War I. It was in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, a major battle of World War I, that Urban died. This was one of the biggest operations and victories of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in that war. The offensive took place in the Verdu Sector, immediately north and northwest of the town of Verdun.  He was put to rest in the Argonne American Military Cemetery in France.  Mondt is recognized at the Aviston Post 1239 American Legion.
• 1921    In 1921 Aviston built a large school (St. Francis Parish Center today).  The school contained six first floor classes, a large auditorium upstairs, and a large basement for the cost of $54,480.
• 1921    The 3037 mile long U.S. Route 50 passes through Aviston, Illinois.  "The backbone of America" runs from San Francisco, CA to Ocean City, MD.  The history of Route 50 dates back earlier than the 1920s.  50 turns into Constitution Ave. which passes by our nation's Capitol. Learn more about our highway from Wulf Berg.
• 1923    Aviston High School District 71 was organized and it included Albers and Damiansville.
• 1929   The Aviston Milling Company burns to the ground mysteriously.
• 1930  The 1930 Aviston census listed residents within the village limits.  The census shows 380 residents.  The 1930 Sugar Creek census list residents outside the limits of Aviston and Trenton in Sugar Creek Township.
• 1937    The upstairs auditorium (St. Francis Parish Center) was transformed into classrooms and a the gymnasium was built in 1937 for $20,000.
• 1940     Census showed Aviston with 388 residents.
• 1941-1945  Citizens of Aviston and Clinton County joined in the fight of World War II. 
• 1945    Sgt. Joseph F. Lampe fought in the 289th infantry and was one of 45 people from Clinton County killed in World War II. He died January 19, 1945 and his burial was in the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Henri-Chapelle (near Liege), Belgium. At this cemetery, covering 57 acres, rests 7,989 American military dead, most of whom gave their lives during the advance into Germany known as the Battle of the Bulge. Lampe is recognized at the Aviston Legion.
• 1947  Aviston won the first of its three baseball district (high school regional tournaments) tournaments. The others came in '51 & '56.
• 1948    In 1948, St. Rose, Germantown, and Bartelso were added to the Aviston High School District.  This made Aviston the second largest school district in the state by land area.
• 1949    The Aviston water tower was erected.  The 125' tower holds 30,000 gallons of water and cost $15,700. 
• 1952    Fred Lohman was elected mayor and continued to serve until 1977.  He served as village president for 25 years.
• 1956    A tornado struck the St. Francis Church and damaged the tower.  A much shorter steeple tower replaced the old one.
• 1958    Mater Dei Catholic High School was established in 1958 when AHS enrollment was at 250 students.  Local priests and the bishop recommended students attend Mater Dei and this dramatically hurt the school district.
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• 1959    Aviston builds a sewer system for residents within the village limits
• 1964    Aviston celebrated its 100th birthday with a centennial celebration.
• 1967    Aviston purchased land east of town and begins work on a new community park. 
• 1969    President Eisenhower's funeral train travels through Aviston.
• 1970    On July 1, 1970 Aviston High School and Breese Community High School voted to consolidate into Central Community High School, District 71. 
• 1980     Census showed Aviston with 846 residents
• 1989    Aviston celebrated 125 years.   The Quasquicentennial celebration was held at the park.
• 1989    Charles Rakers was elected mayor.  He continued to serve as mayor until 2009 and currently holds the third longest tenure as village president.
• 1990     Census shows Aviston with 924 residents.
• 1996  Aviston Village Board approves the annexation of land north of new Highway 50.
• 2000     Census showed Aviston with 1,231 residents.
• 2000s    The late 1900s and early 2000s were a good time for residential growth in Aviston.   Aviston has became one of the fastest growing small communities in the state of Illinois.  From 1990 to 2000 Aviston's population grew 33.2%.
• 2001    On October 9th, 2001, Aviston Elementary moved from Spring Street to Hull Street.  The building cost an estimated $5 million.
• 2002    Aviston Elementary receives the "Bright A+ Award of Excellence."  The award is given to the top 5% of schools with the  highest academic performances within the 894 Illinois school districts.
• 2003    Aviston purchased 24 acres of land east of the village community park.  Soccer and football fields have been made out of this addition.  The village also completed its new firehouse.
• 2003    The Village of Aviston published its Web site.
• 2004    On March 16th the Aviston School District voters voted 145-67 (68% yes) for the creation of an Aviston Community Park District that includes everyone living within the district, except citizens in Madison County.
• 2005    On June 4th, 2005, Kopff Park was dedicated to Fr. Herbert Kopff who was instrumental starting the Khoury League in Clinton County.  A brick memorial sits behind home plate to recognize the occasion.  Fr. Kopff died shortly after the dedication on August 15, 2005.
• 2005   Aviston Elementary receives the Bright A+ Award of Excellence."  The award was given to the top 5% of schools with the  highest academic performances within the 894 Illinois school districts.
• 2006  Aviston passed another school referendum with 62% yes vote to add on to the elementary school. 
• 2006   Aviston Elementary receives the Bright A+ Award of Excellence."  The award was given to the top 5% of schools with the  highest academic performances within the 894 Illinois school districts.
• 2007 Aviston Elementary added on a storage facility, six classrooms on the west wing, and made other smaller improvements to the school.  The additions were made on the western side of the campus. Construction began on May 7th, 2007 and students entered the new section on Oct. 28th, 2007.
• 2008  Aviston Elementary received the 2008 Bright Star Award of Excellence.  The award was given to the top 5% of schools with the highest academic performances at a low cost per pupil within the 871 Illinois school districts. Aviston Elementary has been honored consistently over the years with this award.
   

AVISTON FACTS

• Aviston is positioned 38.60 degrees north of the equator and 89.60 degrees west of the prime meridian.

• Mayor of Aviston is Charles Rakers (1989-2009)  He currently has the third longest tenure as mayor of Aviston.  Fred Brefeld (1913-1945) and Fred Lohman (1952-1977) are the only village presidents who have served longer.

HISTORICAL BUILDINGS IN AVISTON

The (1850s?) Hull house was built before the Village of Hull was platted in 1860, but the exact year of construction is still a mystery.  This was the residence of George W. Hull and was part of the plans laid out by H.C. Neal.  George was given the land from Hull's founder, Samuel Hull.  The building was a grocery store and a post office for some time. This home was awarded a Clinton Co. Historical Society historical plaque in 1979.  It is currently owned by Kurt and Jackie Schmitz.	The 1898 original Twiss home built prior to the Twiss Victorian home pictured below.   This home was awarded a Clinton Co. Historical Society historical plaque in 2006.  Kurt and Jackie Schmitz currently own the home.	The 1908 Twiss historic Victorian  home now owned by the Moon family.
Home of Sharon and Jerry Lampe believed to have been built in 1870.	St. Francis Parish Center built in 1921.	Aviston's "old" village hall built in 1907.
St. Francis Church built in 1864.