In Frankfort lore, Constable William Knippel is best known for trying to foil an 1899 bank robbery.
Frankfort’s only police officer at the time now will be known as the host, courtesy of a professional “voice,” of a 41-minute audio tour of the village of “1890s charm.”
The trip through Frankfort’s downtown historic district begins with Knippel (1872-1959) reminiscing about how the village got its start-from the arrival of the first settler in the 1820s and the railroad in 1855, to the incorporation of the village in 1879. Then Knippel begins his rounds.
At Nebraska and Hickory Streets, he recalls Johnson Folkers and his livery stable. Knippel then leads tourists down Hickory Street, called “Millionaires Row” because several wealthy farmers built homes on it about 100 years ago.
He strolls by the blacksmith shop on Ash Street, St. Peter Church at Ash Street and Sauk Trail and the Bank of Frankfort on Nebraska Street.
Knippel also tells about the Grainery, a Frankfort landmark that had a diverse life as a grain market, lumber shed, feed store, grain elevator and shopping mall.
After traversing a few side streets north of the Grainery, Knippel returns to Kansas Street to tell of the block’s inhabitants: a general store, post office, barbershop, hotel and office of the Chicago Heights Telephone Co. in 1900. He also visits the bank where he confronted five masked men and was taken hostage. According to Judy Herder of the historical society, the bad guys dumped him along the railroad tracks and made their getaway with $1,800.
To rent the tape ($3, $1 for senior citizens), call the Frankfort Chamber of Commerce at 815-469-3356.
