•April 8, 2026•

Essex

by Janet Roney

I left you guessing last week why a Massachusetts seaman, Ebenezer Noyes, bought 2000 acres of rattlesnake-infested flat prairie land in the Whitley Township area in 1833-34. All his pioneer neighbors thought he was crazy because no one, including Noyes, knew that the black prairie land was among the most fertile soils in the world. Noyes wanted it because it was flat, high, and dry. Why? The late E. D. Hortenstine of Gays, who wrote about Noyes in the 1955 Mattoon centennial newspaper, as well as other sources, explained why.

Although Noyes was trained by his father to be a doctor, he went to sea instead. After surviving a near shipwreck, he left the sea and went west. In 1833, he stayed at Hayden’s Tavern at Whitley Point for some time and eventually married the innkeeper’s daughter. There, he was surrounded by a different kind of sea...a green sea of prairie grass as far as the eye could see. He learned how to survey that sea of grass and helped lay out some early stage/mail routes for the state.

•April 8, 2026•

Lake Land College is seeking feedback from community members and prospective students to help design class schedules. Residents of the Lake Land College district are invited to complete a three-minute survey at https://www.SurveyMonkey.com/r/ProspStu26 to share the most optimal class times and formats for their schedule. Survey results will be used to help the College offer more class choices, including online, in-person, evening and weekend options, to help students better balance school with their jobs, family and personal lives.

2016

The City of Sullivan sidewalk renovation project started Monday, April 4th. It involved removing the sidewalk and curb around the inside of the square and replacing it with new ADA-compliant walks and crosswalks. The north and east sides of the square were closed first. Then closings occurred as needed after it was installed. 

After the Sullivan singer’s cancellation of another Invitational last year, the singers knew they had to make a comeback, director Jeffrey Thomas said. More than twenty groups participated in the competition, and 4,000 spectators flocked to the SHS gym. Singer’s alumni and school board member Jeff White was the emcee for the high school competition, and middle school principal Ted Walk hosted the junior high competition.