Charolette Woodrow Fletcher

Interview Date: 5 November 2021

Charolette Woodrow was born 18 September 1934 on a farm in rural Brimfield to William Frederick and Mildred Johnson Woodrow. Because Charolette’s mother died in childbirth, Charolette was raised by her aunt and uncle John and Margaret Johnson on a farm east of town. She tells us about her life on the farm and the schools she attended including Cahill School, Brimfield Grade and High School where she graduated in 1952. Charolette offers a glimpse of what life was like growing up in Brimfield in the 1940’s: working at Cady Grocery Store, attending Saturday night movies and Old Settlers Picnics, getting engaged and married at St. Paul Lutheran Church, and later living in the historic Guyer brick house. During the interview, Charolette identifies and describes multiple Brimfield businesses. 

03:23  Life on a farm
07:20  Farm house
08:20  Cahill School, Mrs. Bragg, teacher
12:53  Brimfield Grade School
14:47  Growing up in Brimfield
16:28  Prom; boyfriend in service (1951)
17:40  Activities for fun in 1940’s in Brimfield
18:15  Work in Brimfield, Cady Grocery Store
23:00  Tour of southeast Rt 150 downtown businesses
25:29  1953 Wedding, engagement
26:45  St. Paul Lutheran Church
27:10  Historic Guyer Brick House
31:00  Brimfield News Correspondent
33:00  Old Settlers Picnics
36:43  Free Show Saturday Nights
38:30  Businesses & Movie Night
39:45  Businesses identified in photos 

Living on a farm
Cahill School
Brimfield Grade School
Old Settlers Picnics
Cady Grocery Store
Mrs. Bragg
Cahill School teacher and Brimfield Grade School teacher
Bill Archibald, meat cutter
St. Paul Lutheran Church
Brimfield News correspondent
Historic Guyer brick home
Brimfield businesses in 1940’s 

Interviewed by : Kim Claybaugh Hanks

Interview Format : Zoom Video with Slide Presentation

Total Time : 52:57

The interview is archived at the Brimfield Public Library District in Brimfield, Illinois.

The Brimfield Oral History Project is a long-term effort to record the stories of Brimfield’s past in the voices of those who remember and make these original sources available for generations to come. This collaboration is a partnership between the Brimfield Public Library District, the Brimfield Historical Society, and the Peoria County Genealogical Society.

Readers of interview transcripts, if available, should bear in mind that this is a transcript of the spoken word and that the interviewer, interviewee, and editors sought to preserve the interview as recorded. Brimfield Public Library District and project volunteers are not responsible for the factual accuracy of this interview, nor for the opinions expressed within.

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