Memories in East St. Louis, IL

Check out this news on East St. Louis dated 10-25-07 and titled "20-year-old partnership with East St. Louis reaps many benefits for residents, students"
http://www.news.uiuc.edu/news/07/07f_pm_eslarp.html
For a summary of modern history of the city describing how it got the way it is and what has been tried to turn things around, check out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_St._Louis#Modern
Video is shaky because I was driving and filming at the same time. Not a good idea. Video is blurry because of compression needed to make it fit on YouTube.
This brief drive through East. St. Louis, IL on October 3, 2007 brings back memories of childhood growing up on 470 N. 21st Street, where our home no longer stands. To help bring back some memories, I inserted some pictures of when we were kids. I didn't have any of Mark, but he was certainly there too. Then past St. Elizabeth's where we went to church and grade school. Then past St. Theresa Academy, where Anna Marie and Mib's went to high school and then on to Assumption High School, where Pete, Paul and Mark went. Then, over to St. Albert's (actually it was St. Martin's church, my mistake) where Mom worked in later years and lived with Aunt Ronnie. Great Memories! Thanks, Mom and Dad, for all you gave us kids. You were the best. I hope no one takes offense with the song by Elvis I picked. It didn't seem like the ghetto when we lived there and it may not seem like it to those who live there now, but as I drove through this time, that is the song that came to mind.
Video and editing by Paul J. Bauer

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Tags:

• childhood
• memories
• East.
• St.
• Louis
• family
• love

[orvgg]

Fantastic video, by the way. Thanks for your time and for posting it Paul.

[pauljosephherman]

@orvgg Thanks. Somehow we never forget our home towns and tend to reminisce about the time in our lives we grew up there. East St. Louis will always have a special place in my heart.

[orvgg]

Is St. Elizabeth's still open? Are there even any Catholics left in E. St. L?

[pauljosephherman]

@orvgg Belleville Diocesan website says there are 8 parishes in East. St. Louis.

At one time I think there were 12. I could not find which parishes are still going.

[PhilPerryTheSinger]

Hello...this is Phil Perry, from East St. Louis. This video was very moving for me...and extremely touching. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with the song you chose for this video. I am trying to find out if Father Goldammer is still living, and if you have any information on him. He was a strong figure in my childhood while I attended St. Elizabeth grade school, and I would love to know where he is, how he is, or if he is deceased. Please visit my channel and listen to some of my music. :-)

[pauljosephherman]

@PhilPerryTheSinger

I remember Fr. Goldammer. I was a kid though, so I can't remember a lot of what he taught. However, he came across as a dedicated person. I live in suburbs of Chicago now and have no idea of what happened to Fr. Goldammer. It would be amazing if he is still alive. Best regards, Paul

[kennedymargaret]

This is weird! I went online to find out what happened to the beautiful artwork inside St. Elizabeth's Church at 25th and Ridge - and I came across your video. It was like I was walking to school again. I lived at 418 No. 22nd Street. When I saw Dollar's Market, I knew I was going back in time. My friend and I used to stop there every morning and she would buy "a nickel's worth of baloney" for her sandwich. This was in 1950 - almost 50 years ago and I still have that memory.

[00Daizy00]

I'd surely love to review more footage of ESL in the days of its greatness. I saw a glimpse of it on a youtube posting on Katherine Dunham and was a bit stunned.

Only two of those buildings still exist and one I remember is Illini Federal Bank at corner of Missouri and Collinsville Avenue and the old Sears building on corner of 10th and State Street(a block away from where Katherine Dunham lived)which is now the Board of Education for School District 189.

[TLJAWSIMIB]

@warzonologist THAT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN AT ALL, SO, MOVE ON!.

[thefbc4201]

that what happens when you let hud section 8 and welfare in the people dont care what there town looks like I say cut them off

[MsRayquan]

i really wonder why they showed pics of white people and not all the long time black people who live there and was born and raised there its black town so why not show the black people that did alot of things threw the years 2 help e.st louis love my home town please show pics of the blacks from back in the day give the blacks some credit 2

[darealpurep618]

I AM A GOD FEARING MAN I LOVE MY FAM & WHAT I DO.CHECK OUT MY NEW VIDEO DACITY AND YOU DECIDE.THANX P618.

[warzonologist]

i hope east st.louis gets better and they renovate it so its like stl city

[Shenandoah58]

@goldensassenach It is not even crime. The root cause was the way the city boundaries were drawn up and it was easy for large businesses to build outside of the city and avoid the taxes. Re: Alorton, Ill, and National City, Ill. There was nothing that could be done. The city government was starved to death and then everything else fell apart. People look at me like I have a third eye when I tell them East St. Louis was a GREAT PLACE TO GROW UP!

[Shenandoah58]

@pauljosephherman I am sorry to report to you that Father Goldammer died in Florida from Cancer of the pancreas. He left the priesthood sometime in the early 70s and married an airline stewardess and moved south and operated a marina. I agree with your opinion of him. He got crossways with the bishop. Father did not want them to close St. Elizabeth and he lost. Truth being told, he should have been the next bishop of Belleville. He was well respected by the faithful and the clergy.

[fozngrace]

@pauljosephherman Assumption High School home of the PI oNE EARS! At glorious Heideman Field, I am a bunny, but SHit yoou guys got all the hot chicks!

[cobraman96]

Black people keep waiting for a handout from the democrats that you keep voting in.pull urself up by ur own bootstraps.Or keep whining about it and see where it gets you!

[goldensassenach]

Racism was not the cause of the decline.It was crime.It got so bad thieves entered homes in broad daylight and carried your items down the street.You could not ride a bus or go to the at night,you'd be robbed.So the remaining white ppl sold their homes at HUGE losses and left.Next they robbed the businesses until they closed/moved out.Yes the criminals were black but if they were Irish the crime flight would still have occured.