Tribute paid to Sandwich founder
By DEBBIE BEHRENDS – Shaw Newspapers
SANDWICH — Close to a hundred people gathered in an unlikely place on Sunday - Oak Ridge Cemetery - to pay tribute to Almon Gage, the man regarded as the founder of Sandwich. Tribute to Almon Gage was the first event in the city's sesquicentennial celebration.
Along with the participation of local scouts and veterans, three Gage descendents attended. They were great-great-granddaughters Mary Ellen Walker Krzystofiak and Shirley Walker Guehler, along with Guehler's daughter, Sherrill Guehler Randau. Guehler lives in nearby Somonauk.
Local actors Tom and Debbie Merkel portrayed the Gages.
"Sandwich is still pretty much the way we envisioned it all those years ago - a calm, peaceful community," Merkel said.
"It's hard to imagine 150 years have passed. When we first came here, we did a lot of firsts, seconds and thirds." Merkel noted that June 1 is Gage's 205th birthday.
Born in Vermont in 1804, Gage came to Illinois at the relatively advanced age of 40, in 1844. He purchased 200 acres, built a house and barn, and started farming. When the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad surveyed for a railroad through his property in 1851, he offered the railroad five acres if it would agree to put a station there within five years.
Gage laid off the town into lots and gave free lots to any citizens who agreed to build on them. The town was platted in December 1854 and recorded in Sycamore on Jan. 1, 1855.
Although some in the community wanted to call the town Almon, Gage preferred Newark Station. Since Newark already existed, this caused some confusion. The name was changed to Sandwich after Rep. John Wentworth was given the honor of naming the town after using his influence in Washington to get the train station built. He named it after his hometown of Sandwich, N.H.
"There's a fair in Sandwich, N.H. as well, but not nearly as wonderful as ours, just down the road," Merkel said, pointing toward the fairgrounds just east of the cemetery on Suydam Road.
He also spoke of Gage's children, Jesse, Almarin and Eliza. Jesse fought in the Civil War and "was felled by a rebel bullet in 1864."
The Sequicentennial Steering Committee hoped the tribute gave visitors a glimpse into the Gages' lives. The committee is comprised of Joan Hardekopf, Jennifer Roberts, Becky Clemons, Boots Hoffman, Tom Thomas and Mike Hill.
Although they don't serve on the committee, the Merkels agreed to portray the Gages simply because they were asked. The pair also is starring in next weekend's production of "Phantom of the Sandwich Opera House" at the historic Opera House of Sandwich.
A cemetery walk program is a lot of work and research, Hoffman said, “but we felt we had to recognize the founder of the community.”
The sesquicentennial celebration is set for Sept. 25-27. Events are still in the planning stages.
