Bruster Hill

Many people know that the hill that comes into Shelbyville from the east is nick-named, Bruster Hill. The hill has been misspelled by many over the course of years. The history of the hill starts with a man named John Bruster.….

John D. Bruster was born in Virginia in 1798 but traveled to Illinois as a young man. John was one of the first citizens to make his home in Shelbyville in 1827 or 1828. It was during that time that he built a house and tan-yard at the top of the hill near, what is now, the railroad track on Route 16. From that time forward, the hill was known as Bruster Hill.

Mr. Bruster was an impressive figure in Shelbyville. His large, tall frame and flowing beard was well noticed as he walked the first streets in this small town.

In the early 1800’s, the hill was much steeper. Rain, at any time in the year, made the road almost impassable and the dust in the summer, was choking. People traveled extra miles to get to Shelbyville by railroad or other roads to get around using the hill as a way into the town. When the automobile made its appearance in Shelbyville, it was still hard to drive up the hill. The cars would have to make a run at the hill, from the bottom, and would still get stuck in the muddy ruts made by wagons and other conveyances of the day. People got angry because of the inconvenience that the road created.

The township had graveled its portion of the hill in the 1890’s but the part of the road under supervision of the city was “troublesome and neglected”. The Daily Union carried a story, in 1897, that tells the story of “Uncle John” Richardson, who operated coal mines east of town:

“With an immense supply of coal at the pit, teamsters anxious and willing to haul, and your Uncle John getting roundly roasted by patrons howling for coal at every corner up town, it is easy to see that life has been a burden to the coal baron for weeks past. He says somebody is liable for the injury to his business and consequent financial loss and unless steps are taken to place the hill in passable condition and keep it so the balance of the winter, he will be compelled to institute proceedings for damages. And we violate no confidence in saying that the old gentleman, warmed by the thoughts of the roastings he has received and the lack of effort to lift the mud blockade, emphasized the statement in a way that left no room to doubt that he meant just what he said.”

A few days after the first article, the Daily Union provided another story:

“Tis well. The city has, or shortly will have, a force of men at work taking the kinks out of its portion of the world famous old Bruster Hill—not with gravel but cinders. Several hundred loads will be distributed, and it is sincerely hoped that this will make that thoroughfare passable the balance of the winter. On with the cinder boom.”

What was known as “The Court House Square” was an area where rigs were constantly getting stuck in the mud.

Finally, in July of 1898, the joint committee from the city council and the county board, requested bids for the work to pave this area. They accepted the bid of Crews, Lough and Allison, of Arcola, for the paving of the square. The square would measure 128 ft x 52 ft and would be fully curbed. The plans for the paving called for hard burned Clinton brick on the bottom and Clinton paving blocks on the top.

The cost of the paving would be $1.38 a square yard. The county agreed to pay $1600, the property owners around the square  would pay for paving 13.5 feet along their fronts, and the city was to pay the balance. The primary mode of transportation, in the 1800’s and early 1900’s, had been the horse and all the horse drawn conveyances.

In 1885, the internal combustion engine was created to work efficiently. Between 1903 and 1926, there were almost 200 manufacturers that produced automobiles, commercially. Even though these cars were wanted by almost everyone, the roads were not nearly ready to accept them as a mode of travel.

By 1916, the mode of transportation was changing. “Gasoline buggies” increased in numbers and became the most desired way to get around the county.

An example of the cars of the day included the Maxwell touring car. The Maxwell was a brand of automobile manufactured in the U.S. from about 1904 to 1925. This vehicle held five passengers and was thought to be complete with an electric starter and lights, a one-man Mohair top, demountable rims, rain-vision windshield, speedometer, linoleum covered floor boards, and running boards. The cost of this vehicle was said to be $595 in the early 1900’s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWw4veN_414

Even in 1916, the roads caused problems. A local newspaper reported this story:

"When the Shelby County Dairy Association was organized on the 14th of last March, there was a delegation of Strasburg people who came to the county seat, but to get here they had to ride on the Wabash to Sullivan and then down the C. and E.I to Shelbyville and at that they had to leave the meeting before it was over to make their train."

“In the rain of a week ago, a party came from St. Louis on their way to Terre Haute. They had been two days getting here and were so mud-spattered that it was difficult to distinguish the colored chauffeur from the family.”

“Just after the corn was laid by one Wednesday, there was a shower with rain enough to stop the plowing for two days. The farmers and their families had anticipated a trip to the city but the day was one of the dullest of the summer because the roads were too bad for safety and the hundreds of farmers who would have like to have taken their families out in the new autos had to leave them in the garages and miss the opportunity."

As recorded by John Hawk, a reader of the newspaper recalled Shelbyville’s first steps in getting it streets out of the mud. The person telling the story said that he worked on the paving of Main Street, when he was a boy. According to his recollections, the first pavement was laid on Main Street from the Court House to Long Street. The next paved area started on Main Street where the first pavement ended. The new pavement extended west from Long Street to Vine Street. Morgan street was paved at the same time. That pavement started at Main Street and branched out to North First, and south to South First Street.

The excavation work was done with pick and shovel. A crew of bricklayers laid the brick by hand.

As you know, the roads in Shelby County are vastly changed since the early 1900’s. With the inception of the “hard roads”, transportation became easier. Business was greatly influenced by these changes. No longer was railroad travel a necessity or even a major choice of transportation options. More local businesses sprouted up. Over time, sophisticated merchandise could be brought from St. Louis and Chicago and other metropolitan areas by truck and other vehicular transport.

Businesses outside of the Shelbyville city limits were changed, too. The people in the area were no longer limited to access to local business but could travel to nearby towns for things that were not available in Shelbyville. Competition was fiercer as merchandise had to be of better quality to please the customer.
Today, as we go on about our day-to-day routines, we hardly think about the roads unless we find a pot hole or some other type of deterioration. The costs of asphalt and other materials used in road repair and construction, make the building of roads a major expense for the state of Illinois and the city of Shelbyville. Many times, grants are pursued to fund the improvements that are needed so that they can be completed without distress to city finances.

Our County street departments work hard to keep our roads in repair for the safety of our residents and to maintain appeal to prospective businesses and for those that already have a business here. It would be nice for our readers to thank our commissioners and workers that make that happen.


{The majority of this information was taken from the book “A Visit….With Mr. Bob”. This book was written in 1967, by the Shelby County Historical Society. The Historical Society collected and edited the stories as written by John W. Hawk (Mr. Bob) and as printed by the Shelbyville Daily Union.}