New Pittsburgh Courier from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 24

Chicagoans aye inordinately proud of Robbins, the all colored about 30 minutes driving from the heart of the' Southside. The town has shown steady growth throughout the last 20 years, many Windy City residents going to the small suburban city. No. 1. Thomas Kellar, founder, and first mayor of Robbins, his wife, Mrs.

Leona Kellar and their daughter, 'Jewel Swinginton, holding the family pet. and Mrs. Kellar have lived in one home for the past 27 years. bobbins. Ill Savs: 1:1 i I.

i 1" 1 1 CHICAGO, Oct. 13 There is a countless number of places in Chicagoland which are extraordinarily interesting: to visit and one of those places is Robbins, an all Negro town located in the flatlands between two great Illinois highways, 17 miles southeast of Chicago. Here Americans who happen to be colored conduct their own elections, collect their own taxes, operate their schools, fire and police departments, handle, their own mail through delegated authority, just about like any other municipality All this is done on a small scale. However, it Isn't unusual because things are done in hundreds of uch villages throughout America where there isn't a black face to be aen Just as they are done in Jtobfcins. The village comprises an ara.

one. and one half miles square '4 street south, and from Sacramento boulevard on the east to Lawn dale avenue on the west. The 1930 U. S. census showed a population of 753, but in the absence of a recent census a reasonable calculation will more than likely bring a figure close to 2,000 inhabitants.

Deember 14, 1917 was indeed a from: 133th. street yiorth to JLiSrd xaomentous for the, than. 300 people who lived in the community for at that time it was incorporated 'as a village and Thomas J. still a resident of the place, became its first mayor as well as its acknowledged founder. Thus the Blue Island Settlement, now Robbins, according to state historians, acquired the unique distinction of being the only municipality of its kind in the so called far north, being entirely governed by colored officials.

THE OFFICIAL FAMILY The plan for the official family as drawn up two decades ago ob If tains to this 'day. There Is a mayor, trustees, city clerk, treasurer, collector, health officer, va ant now, police magistrate, six volunteer policemen, one highway motorcycle officer, 15 volunteer firemen, 1 water superintendent, 1 bulding inspector, and 1 street and alley J. Richardson heads this list' as mayor and with capable assistance of his secretary, Lesmon Smith, and the cooperation of others in the official family he is giving the village electorate as good, and progressive an administration as possible. Uncle. Sam's, head, man in this town Js Postmaster Leroy P.

Thomas, who has been at his post for the past 15 years. PROGRESS BEING MADE Judging from' the many handicaps the people of this village have been compelled to overebme credit must be given them for their com munity program which they carry out in action despite the precarious economic and health conditions which they are forced to' combat. In the business field there is the funeral home, branch, of the Charles Crook Funeral home of Chicago, 4 grocery two lunch stands and two night clubs which run. intermittently. Other public buildings are an eight room school, a nursery school, town hall.

a portable fire department, police department and ten churches. Homes number between five and six hundred. Robbins' Chamber of Commerce consists of S. Nichols, 1 T. J.

Kellar. the found er of the village, secretary; W. T. Hensley, treasurer, and on the board of directors are I P. Thom Prfward Brown.

C. E. Sol Nash. J. T.

Touille. Samuel Mo ran and W. F. Rechord, Sr. Editn and Nanny Foster are! the teachers at the' emergency i Nursery school and Mrs.

Ada M. Cooke is principal of the Lincoln Memorial School; corrections: to be made' According' to old timers in the village things were progressing nicely' until the crash in '29. The bulk of the workers in the district follow building tAdes and were consequently thrown out of worki Now about 90 per cent of the people are on the relief rolls. This caused a certain amount of restlessness 'morbidity, but notwithstanding this serious draw back there is still a concerted will to carry on, on the part of the inhibitants. for the sake of their homes and the town whicb they rule themselves.

Another serious problem to solve win the health nroblem. Poor ly constructed homes for the most part and lack of modern plumbing constitute a constant menace. This water' cuddIv offers the greatest possibility for spread of disease. Recently the mo3t' pressing problem seriously considered, is a drainage system now being sought through the Public Works Administration. FOUNDER SPEAKS The village of Robbins Is now 1 1 Saturday, October IWENTY FpUTl II Vi Tin, ,7 1 i i i i inn? ifii The house was 55 years old when they purchased it, but it was remodeled and made modern in every respect.

Mr. Kellar is a native Kentuckian and has lived in Chicago and environs since 1880. No. 2. The faculty of Lincoln Memorial School.

William E. Jackson, the present principal, is studying for his master's degree at the University of. Chicago. Mrs. Ada M.

Cooke, the first principal of the school, is not in the. picture because of illness. The other teachers are Mable Matthews, Ber InleiyiSBiiigMiiiiiil TramspiirMiiini nice Brock, B. Childs Clarke, Haaei Williams, Mrs. M.

S. Watson, Lillian Knox Wallace, Mrs." Portia. Searcy and Lula Johnson. No. 3.

William Hunter, the efficient chief of police. His high speed squad car is comparable to those used by the Chicago police; No. 4. The Lincoln Memorial School building. This year the school, has an enrollment of 396.

No. 5. The home of Postmaster Leroy Thomas, located in one of the most picturesque spots to be found anywhere in Chicagoland. in the midst of a census taking for the purpose of definitely establishing, without a guess, the exact number of people who live in the place. Mr.

Kellar, its founder. Is in active charge of the census taking although the Chamber of Com merce is the organization behind When interviewed by a Pittsburgh' Courier representative relative; to. his past and present political strength in the town Mr. KeUar said in part: "I would be mayor now. If I could, but the people fit to change.

Our people are pec pie who like changes regardless of the consequences. They tired of one thing no matter how good it is. They want something new. something different. Mayor Richardson is also a dep uty sheriff of Cook county.

His philosophy was expressed in terse words "we need less charity and more responsibility." O. W. Moore is village clerk, Frank Qriffith Is police magistrate and the board of trustees are Robert Washington, Marcellus Jones, Edward Brown, R. L. Allen, David Fox and Frank Beard.

PEOPLE KNOW NEEDS The leaders in the' community know that all of the 'families there must receive the good water supply from Blue Island district at a cost of a dollar a month. Correc tive measures in general hygpene have been put into action for lach and every family, the lght against typhoid a5 other nkter 10 sr sftt vV.v';l A. fill diseases is definitely on. 1 This is a determined group of Americans. Their, success as governors of their own community, is inevitable, and the necessary improvement along the lines, of health, educational facilities and economic security will not fsQ be cause, unlike most people In' small communities, they realize their own present limitations and: are doing everything possible to improve Thousands of men and women wonder why backache bothers them why they have to visit the bathroom often at night why flow is scanty and sometimes smarts and burns.

I Any one of these symptoms means that your kidneys and bladder attention now before these minor symptoms develop Into serious trouble. To flush out waste poisons and acid, from kidneys, sooths youx lr ROBBINS, ILL, CHICAGOLAND'S ONLY ALL COLORED TOWN, CARRIES ON THROUGH DEPRESSION DESPITE DWINDLING OPPORTUNITIES c'j 1 .7: 1 9 onoi.i a I rat A 111 5 hi Si! (ijpiT i No. 16, Miss Marjorie Holmes, student in Blue High School, purchasing from Leroy ij Thomas, the town postmaster. No. 7.

The only undg taking establishment in town. It1 is a branch of ttj Charles Crook undertaking firm id Chicago, proper. 8. Children of the Lincoln Memorial School at No. 9.

Major John S. Richardson gets his mail from. private box in the postoffice as Postmaster I nomas iw on. Photos by Foster. Up Nig upi netting OUt TO Ti Its." snm JOINT r'tri a in tr, Try UNCLE JOHNS WtlA JnonuU Inrfirst rt a' fJ dm.

nd thi 1 only $1 5 bark if first tit'. return imillfrl mMk rriiirn Nl UHCtc johm Dtpt. 727. Mrs. FLUSH laDflEYS OF POJSOIIS AUD STOP GETTIUG UP HIGIIT LIVE A HEALTHIER) HAPPIER, LONGER LIFE I v.althT riUted bladder ana t.

i 21 AoLD MaAL. lem Capsules and This harmless. medicine always tbe better in oremely effective diuretie ney sUmulant of acid from the body wh the aggravation J31" sciatica and neuritis. oUj jtf 1 11XJJL1 a ru gen vine Haarlem in Hiana things ara imitaid' 1. 1 fi.