A time when city of Elgin had five movie theaters
By Mike Alft For The Courier-News June 15, 2012 2:24PM
Updated: July 18, 2012 6:06AM
What was happening in Elgin during the month of June 100, 75. 50, 25 and 10 years ago?
June 1912
Dr. A. L. Mann, city physician, opened a bacteriology laboratory at city hall.
The Larkin Home for Children was opened. Erected at a cost of $23,000, the building provided accommodations for 50 residents. Children ages 4-16 who lost one or both parents and who could not be cared for in their homes were eligible for admission.
Moviegoers had a choice of five theaters: the Globe, Lyric, Orpheum, Temple and Grand.
Voters considered three proposals at the polls. By big majorities, they approved allowing theaters and other amusements to operate on Sundays; gave permission for the city to purchase voting machines; and defeated a long-term gas franchise.
June 1937
Ground was broken for the James R. Scanlan Public Bath House to be erected in Wing Park.
Hawthorne Hill, Elgin’s new Girl Scout camp, was formally opened.
June 1962
A 9-ton, 100-foot high microwave tower was erected on the roof of the Illinois Bell Telephone building.
Ground was broken for a three-story apartment complex on Highland Avenue.
Elgin Community College graduated 69 students, the largest class in the history of the school.
An Elgin Industrial Development Commission was formed by the city council to encourage businesses to the community.
June 1987
A new Center for Women’s Health opened at Sherman Hospital.
A jeering and belligerent crowd at a public hearing registered complaints about a proposed trash dump on West Bartlett Road.
June 2002
The $5.2 million Walton Islands improvement project was dedicated. It included 1,000 new shrubs, 120 shade trees, two outlooks and 337 personalized pavers
Sherman Hospital board members were weighing the option of a move to the west side.
Police arrested 60 suspected street-level and middle-level drug dealers with ties to the city’s street gangs. It was the largest drug sweep in the city’s history.
Elgin was named an All-America City.
The U46 Board of Education named Connie Welsh to be the new superintendent of schools. She was to be paid $200,000 in addition to a monthly car stipend, health insurance and retirement benefits.
