HISTORY OF THE “BUTTERNUT SCHOOL” as OILFIELD STORE
September 25, 2007
The building was built in 1866 as a one room school house known as Butternut. The initial location was not far from its present site. For those familiar with the area the school was built a few yards off route 49 east of the intersection at Oilfield between Dean Martin and Ron Hawkins homes. Now days since the labeling for the 911 emergency systems it is known as E 1700th Rd. As time went on there was a new school built on Dean Martins property site in the 1920”s and they named it the Oilfield school. This school was eventually abandon when the Oilfield school consolidated with the Westfield Township school (date to be added) and later torn down.
After the new Oilfield school was built and in session Butternut was taken apart board by board and each piece numbered and hand carried to its second location on route 49 a few yards south of the Oilfield intersection. The year was 1924. There the men reassembled the building to be used as a general store for C. A. Newlin and his wife Minerva, (they had among other children, a son named Lee). The movers/carpenters that completed this task were: Sherm Ingram, George Maxey, Jess Maxey and Will Baker as recorded in 1952 with a pin and ink drawing by C. A. & Minerva’s own son, Lee. Lee Newlin was an outstanding artist who drew several pictures depicting the store and school in Oilfield as well as many other subjects. He dated most of them and offered other information on his drawings. He has definitely been the area historian and his pictures benefit us today. Locomotives that he drew were very detailed. Many of us wish his talent could have been properly recognized when he was living.
Subsequent operators of the Oilfield (general) Store: Arthur Comer 1933-45, Bill & Maxine Redman, Clarence E. Warner and Martin VanBuren (Paddy) Connelly - Paddy’s sister Serena helped in the store.
Note: The Bill & Maxine Redman family owned the store and leased it to C. E. Warner and later Paddy Connelly.
In the beginning the general store offered some clothing such as bib overalls, boots, shoes and gloves, foods – canned and fresh. Luncheon meats and large wheels of cheese could be sliced to order. Eggs were “candled” to sort good eggs from the bad and never refrigerated. Salt fish were kept in a barrel full of salt water, never refrigerated and reliable witnesses swear they never had an odor! Cookies came in bulk packages and counted out per customers order as were potatoes, onions and such. Flour, sugar and animal feed came in large cloth sacks. When empty, families used the feed sacks to sew together an item of clothing. Soon the cloth sacks came with various prints on them much more suited for a little girl’s dress. There were hardware items and household items including dishes for sale. Gasoline was sold.
Like many places of trade long ago the store was a place to visit neighbors and friends. The visits would last long after the purchases. There was a checker board used quite often by patrons. One operator was known to host a rousing card game of Red Dog on occasion.
In the early 1960’s the state of Illinois began a major undertaking to improve route 49 widening it and raising it where necessary. The new dimensions of the highway indicated the Oilfield store would set too close to the high way requiring it to be torn down or moved. The owner of the store, Maxine Redman (Bill was deceased at this time) offered the store to Elbert Ennis if he would move the store and absorb the expense to do so. Elbert agreed. And so the “Butternut” school was to be moved once again, this time via semi and flat bed trailer. But again, only a few yards down route 49 south of the second location, same side of the road. Around October, 1963 Elbert and Mary Ennis opened the store for business there.
Many remember Mary’s special lunch meat sandwiches. Thick slices of chopped ham, pickle loaf, bologna or brownswager and a variety of cheeses topped as the customer specified with mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, horse radish, onion or lettuce. Elbert and Mary had 7 children: Ruth Ann, Theron, Sharon, Dwight, Morris, Zoe and Martha. Sharon, Zoe and Martha helped their parents in the store at different times. Many grandchildren remember days spent at grandma and grandpa's store. While growing up, the Ennis boys helped their father farm the few acres of land they had behind the store and with his mechanic and electrical business in the garage he owned near by. Elbert had installed the magic of electricity for several area families in dark rural homes.
In November 1974 some of their children purchased the family land – the Ennis/Stephen Farms consisting of Dwight & Leeila Ennis, Theron & Sharon Ennis, Sharon (Ennis) & Warren Stephen.
Elbert passed away in 1982 and Mary kept the store running for a few more years on her own, closing some winters to visit her sister Cecil or daughter Ruth Ann in Florida. Eventually the Oilfield store closed its long history as a general store in December of 1986.
The building was used for storage until Ruth Ann and her husband Gene Beasley purchased it in 2001/02. After much cleaning and renovating during the summer months, the store opened once again on July 16th, 2007 serving sandwiches – but the hot varieties such as hamburgers, pork fritters and chicken patties.
There had been no business conducted there for 21 years. It is interesting that it closed in the winter dormant months of nature, December and opened when nature is flourishing, July.
In July 2009 I continued the operation year round as the new owner/proprietor of Oilfield along with my husband Jerry, daughter Crystal, mother-in-law Maxine and area neighbors fantastic help. We hope to welcome you here for another 20 years promoting it as a friendly, unique place to share a meal and learn some area history.
All around it is nature. Above ground, corn and soy bean fields produce their bounty, below ground, the rich fossils of long ago are harvested.
People are selling and purchasing there. People are visiting long after the purchase. At Oilfield.
Martha (Ennis) Menser
I want to thank the friends and relatives who supplied me with information to complete this history. Special thanks to Lee Newlin. If anyone can give me more dates to fill in for the years past operators ran the store I would appreciate it.