Barry, Illinois....Heitage Embracing Progress

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HISTORY OF BARRY, ILLINOIS

In 1836, the original village of Worcester was platted by a St. Louis firm. Six weeks later, the first residents, David Greene and his family, moved into town. Most of the streets laid out were named after Naval officers of the War of 1812. As a plan to take care of certain needs of the town, four special blocks were laid out. These blocks were named Church, College, Market, and Merchant Squares. The plan also included seven parks located around the edge of the plat. Of those seven parks, only one, Lafayette Park remains today. The very first activity held in Lafayette Park was a Fourth of July celebration where a 90 foot Liberty Pole was erected.

In 1839, the people of Worcester petitioned the state to establish a Post Office. They found that there was already a Worcester, Illinois, and they would have to pick a new name for the town. A prominent citizen, Mrs. Mary Brown, was given the honor of naming the new town. She picked Barre after her hometown of Barre, Vermont. When the state clerk received the petition, he recorded it as Barry. Since there was a state senator or representative from the area by that name, the name was allowed to remain.

With the building of the railroad in 1869, Barry experienced a "golden" era of growth and development. However, in March of 1894, half of the businesses and a few residences were destroyed by fire. The fire started in the Hollembeak Opera House, and in less than two hours, thirty-five buildings burned to the ground. The damage was estimated at $150,000, which was a considerable amount of money in those days. Traditionally noted for taking things in stride, Barry citizens promptly rebuilt the entire business district in a few months. In June of 1913, businesses on the west side of Bainbridge Street, south from the alley to Main Street, were again destroyed by fire. This damage was estimated at $50,000. Because of the fires, most of the business district is 19th century architecture. During the past few years, many of the downtown buildings have been restored to their turn of the century elegance.

The City Fathers and citizens of Barry have set high standards to keep Barry a beautiful city, and progressively growing community. Through the years, newer and bigger schools have been built, a public library established, new businesses opened, sewer and water lines improved and expanded, churches constructed, a public swimming pool built by donations from area citizens, and numerous other improvements to continue the growth of Barry. With the 1991 opening of West Central Illinois' first and only interstate highway, the Central Illinois Expressway, I-72 along Barry's north edge, economic growth and changes are once again flourishing.

Come watch us grow.


Former Residents of Interest


   Floyd Dell

Floyd Dell was born in Barry, Illinois in 1887. As a literary critic, Dell had a national reputation for promoting modern American literature in the 1910s. Dell was a best-selling author of novels and books of stories and essays. He was a life-long poet and the author of a hit Broadway play. His influence is alive in the work of many major American writers from the first half of the 20th century. After dropping out of high school in Davenport, Iowa, Dell found work as a reporter on local newspapers and with the socialist magazine 'Tri-City Worker.' While in Davenport he also began publishing poetry in national magazines. In 1908 Dell moved on to Chicago where he became editor of the Friday Literary Review and a leader of the Chicago Renaissance. In his position at FLR, Dell promoted the work of Theodore Dreiser, Sherwood Anderson, Carl Sandburg and other Chicago writers. Relocating to New York in 1913, Dell became managing editor of Max Eastman's radical magazine 'The Masses,' and a leader of the pre-war bohemian community in Greenwich Village. Dell joined fellow Davenporters Susan Glaspell and George Cram Cook as a member of the Provincetown Players and his play King Arthur's Socks was the first performed by that historic theater group. Following the war, Dell turned to fiction and his first novel, the bildungsroman Moon-Calf, became a best seller. This was followed by several other novels with limited success. Dell continued to publish both fiction and non-fiction until the end of his long life. He joined the WPA and U. S. Information Service in 1935 from which he retired following World War II. He died in Maryland near Washington DC in 1969. (Source: Wikipedia)

George Nicol

In his major league debut, this man pitched a no-hit game and followed it with a one-hitter in his next start. He went on to compile a lifetime major league batting average of .362. Such exploits suggest a first-ballot Hall of Famer. In fact, George Nicol spent much of his career in the minor leagues and, when placed in context, it becomes clear that these accomplishments were largely the result of being in the right place at the right time. Yet he still had an intriguing career.  George Nicol was born in Barry, Illinois, on October 17, 1870, to Mathew Nicol, a blacksmith who had emigrated from Scotland in 1852, and his American-born wife Eliza. George made a name for himself as a left-handed pitcher for a semipro club in nearby Mount Sterling and before his twentieth birthday had earned a chance to pitch in the major leagues. (Source: The Baseball Biography Project)

If you are aware of any interesting residents or events, please mail srennecker@barryil.org.

 

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                                                                                              Copyright © 2004 City of Barry, Illinois
                                                                                                          Last modified: 04/15/08