Wednesday, August 27, 2003 10:46 AM CDT
Couple's last name prompts visit to all Mattoons in U.S.
BY DAWN SCHABBING, Staff Writer
MATTOON -- Intrigued by Lake Mattoon and what seemed like endless rows of corn and soybeans, a California couple found a bright spot in their journey across the states -- their namesake.
A distant cousin to the man the City of Mattoon was named after, Harold and Pat Mattoon of La Palma, Calif. chose to visit as many cities named "Mattoon" as they could locate this summer.
Studying a Mattoon family genealogy book, the retired couple pinpointed Mattoon, Ill.; Mattoon, Miss.; Mattoon, Ky.; and Mattoon, Wis.
"This area is a very nice, small atmosphere and friendly people," said Harold Mattoon. "We had to ask what the soybeans were. We recognized the corn, though. We don't see many soybeans."
And Lake Mattoon was an impressive, calming sight to the couple.
"We couldn't believe how big the lake was, and nobody was on it," said Pat Mattoon. "In California, we wouldn't be able to see the water because there would be so many people and boats on it."
Donned with a "Mattoon" cap, Harold Mattoon, 65, searched through stacks of sweatshirts with his family name on it at D to Z Sports, 1611 Broadway Ave.
"We wanted to try to visit and see everything that we know about Mattoon. We've gone to Mattoon, Mississippi, but we couldn't find it," said Pat Mattoon, 65. "We followed directions we had to it, but it led us to the middle of nowhere."
The Mattoons were nearing the end of what would be a four-week tour of the mid-western and southern states before returning home this weekend. They spent the night in Mattoon before shopping and visiting the city Tuesday morning.
Harold and Pat Mattoon did some research on the family name, but were already familiar with Mattoon, Ill., because of their distant relationship to William "Bill" Mattoon, the man the city was named after.
There are a few stories in the local Mattoon's history about how the city was named after William "Bill" Mattoon in 1855.
One story told in "Mattoon: A Pictorial History" was that William "Bill" Mattoon won the name in a spring contest between two crews laying railroad track to the town.
As engineer in chiefs of two work crews, Roswell B. Mason and Bill Mattoon completed a length of track and Mattoon challenged Mason that the first to reach the crossing would earn the honor to name the crossing.
Mason won the contest, but in gratitude for the incentive to get his men to work faster, Mason named the station "Mattoon."
The Mattoons said Mattoon, Wis., is a town of about 4,000 people and Mattoon, Ky., even smaller.
"Mattoon, Ky., had a store, a cafe and a souvenir shop -- all in one building. That was about it," said Pat Mattoon.
But, the highlight there were the "Toon Burgers," said Harold Mattoon.
This is the second visit to Mattoon, Ill., and the Mattoons plan to keep studying their history.
The parents of three sons and the grandparents of eight, with six being boys, Harold Mattoon said the family name isn't going away anytime soon.
"We will have the name for awhile."
Contact Dawn Schabbing at dschabbing@jg-tc.com or 238-6869.
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