Lost Macon County

I apologize in advance for the poor quality of this scanned image. This photo and the following short article appeared in the Decatur Review on 25 Apr 1909, after Charles M. Borchers won the election for mayor of Decatur.

Charles M. Borchers is the first east side mayor ever elected in Decatur who lived on the east side. Indeed, the anxiety of the east side to have an east side mayor was not noticeable in the late election returns. Be that as it may, Mr. Borchers was elected from the east side largely by the west side and he resides on the east side.

All other mayors within the memory of the present generation - Chambers, Kanan, Moffit, Taylor, Stadler, Shilling, Lehman and McDonald - were west side men taking Water street as the dividing line. McDonald narrowly escaped being an east side mayor having moved to the west side of the city barely in time to be elected mayor. Taylor and Shilling lived on the east side of Main street, but not strictly speaking on the east side of the city. Mayor M. Kanan's business was on the east side, he then being connected with the Decatur Furniture company, but he lived at the Deming hotel and will have to be classified as a west side man.

Mr. Borchers is not only an east side man but he is an extremely east sider. He resides at 1105 North Calhoun street which is east of the Illinois Central tracks.

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