Photo furnished
Members of the Sullivan Rotary Club presented Sullivan Middle School charter Interact Club members with certificates recently at the school with students, the club and teachers and administrators attending.

•February 7, 2018•

By Paul Harris
for the  News Progress

Sullivan Middle School and Sullivan Rotary have partnered to form the first Interact Club in the school district.

“Last fall the Rotary Club asked the district if there would be any interest in either the middle school or high school to start an Interact Club,” SMS Principal Nathan Ogle said.  Interact is a student branch of Rotary Club International. Read More

•January 31, 2018•

Moultrie County has been issued a tentative property assessment equalization factor of 1.0000, according to Constance Beard, Director of the Illinois Department of Revenue.

The property assessment equalization factor, often called the “multiplier”, is the method used to achieve uniform property assessments among counties, as required by law. This equalization is particularly important because some of the state’s 6,600 local taxing districts overlap into two or more counties (e.g. school districts, junior college districts, fire protection districts). If there were no equalization among counties, substantial inequities among taxpayers with comparable properties would result. Read More

Photo furnished
In the June 13, 1952 Moultrie County News Woodrow Spaugh is shown demonstrating one of the individual loud speakers installed at the Sullivan Drive-in theater.

•January 31, 2018•

By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

The Sullivan Drive in opened northeast of town on June 6, 1952 by Lee Norton, who had owned the Grand Theater on the square since 1944.

With successful drive in theaters operating in Shelbyville and Mattoon Norton saw a chance to join the trend in Moultrie County.

The opening Friday night feature was “At War with the Army” with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, and the Saturday late show was “Murder, My Sweet”.  Prices were 50 cents for adults and children under 12 free. Special favors were given to the kiddies on opening night, and there were always two cartoons on every program. Read More

•January 31, 2018•

By Eden Martin
NP Guest Columnist

Editor’s Note: Former Sullivan resident and author Eden Martin has compiled a history of theaters in Sullivan. This second installment starts with the opening of the Globe Theater.

On October 23, 1909, the Decatur Daily Review reported as follows: Sullivan is to have a new up-to-date moving picture show which will be absolutely fireproof and have a raised floor with opera chairs which is something better than has ever seen here before. S.T. Herman of Monticello is the manager, and it will be known as the Globe theater and will be ready for business Saturday night in the old post office building on the south side of the square.

The new Globe apparently got off to a great start. On November 8 the Decatur newspaper reported that it “had the largest crowd at the performance Saturday night that they have had since starting their moving picture show here. At the three performances there were people standing out in the street waiting to get on the inside. S.T. Herman, the manager and owner, has put in the nicest moving picture show which has ever been in the city and deserves a good crowd. He has a raised floor and opera chairs to add to the comfort of those visiting his theater.” Read More

•January 31, 2018•

An early grist mill has been donated to the new Illinois Amish Heritage Center located one mile west of Chesterville.

Grist mills in the form of three-story buildings with large water-driven wheels were a central part of most 19th century communities. Often a mill was the first development in a new land, and a community sprung up around it. Farmers brought their grain, usually corn or wheat, to the local mill to have it ground into cornmeal or wheat flour. The miller kept a portion of the meal or wheat as his payment.

With the advent of steam-powered tractors in the late 19th century and gasoline powered tractors by the 1920s, portable, belt-powered grist mills were developed, and farmers then had the ability to grind their corn or wheat without leaving the farm. These portable grist mills provided even better-quality cornmeal and wheat than the water-powered mills of the past.  Read More