Person:William Schwarzwaelder (4)

William O. Schwarzwaelder, the father of modern Chichester was responsible for vast hamlet improvements from slightly before the turn of this century until the early 1920's. Wonderful Tiskilwa Park... replete with lake, bridges, waterfall, boathouse, and other impressive structures, certainly represented one powerful aspect of the man, his aesthetic and artistic nature. A garden at the entrance to this park (at the head of Park Road) spelled "Tiskilwa" through the use of various variegated coleus plants. Schwarzwaelder's numerous homes, rented to employees of his woodworking factory, were meticulously maintained. Picket fences and flowers abounded everywhere. He encouraged the residents of these structures to maintain gardens by offering rent rebates and yearly money prizes [1]. In 1938 the firm failed (great depression) and the entire town of Chichester was put on the auction block. Out-of-town bidders stood aside and let the workers who had lived in the company houses buy them for a few hundred dollars.

1. ↑ Obituary, New York Times, New York, 14 Feb 1924,.