It
is difficult for us to
imagine not having the basic services that provide light, heat and
water for our homes. It took a special kind of
entrepreneurial spirit to bring "new-fangled" inventions like
electricity, plumbing to an entire town.
Westhoff Power and Light
In 1899 the Westhoff Grain and
Mercantile Co. began generating electric current, primarily for its own
use, using a 10 volt dynamo located in the store's
elevator. The Light and Power Co. was organized in
1913 and Frank Westhoff, the youngest of five brothers, was the first
engineer until 1923 when brother Adam Westhoff took the
position. Frank's eldest son then had the job of
plant manager from 1937 to 1952. William Steiner,
Sr. and his son were engineers when the plant was sold in 1952.
At the insistence of Rev.
Jasper, pastor of the Assumption Catholic Church, electric lines were
extended to all the parish buildings. Current was
furnished at no charge to church buildings for twenty-five years in
appreciation for Father Jasper's encouragement to expand service.
Even before the light plant was
built, the businessmen of O'Fallon felt the pressing need for
electricity. George Vetch's saloon (on the west side
of Main Street just north of West Elm), one of O'Fallon's oldest
buildings, was the first consumer. Further expansion
became necessary and a new electric plant was constructed in
1916. This building still stands on the east side of
Main, just south of the railroad tracks.
By 1951, it became apparent
that the increasing demand for electricity would require an expansion
that was prohibitively costly and it was decided to sell the
plant. The Westhoff Light and Power Company was sold
to the Missouri Edison Company on December 16,
1951. The old company engines stopped running on
January 31, 1952.
Public Works
By 1938, it became apparent
that the city's future growth depended upon the construction of a water
system. Proposed as a project under the W.P.A., the
estimated cost of the water system in 1939 amounted to more than
$150,000 of which only $40,000 was to be paid by the
city. The Federal Government paid the rest.
On August 23, 1940, ground was
broken for the project at the site of the present water tower by Mayor
Paul Westhoff. The well was drilled to a depth of
833 feet with a capacity of 60 gallons per
minute. The new water system was completed in 1941
and put into operation the same year.
In 1943, city sewers extended
along Main Street from the lumberyard, north to the city
limits. With no funds available from the federal
government, a bond issue had to be passed to provide funds to complete
the system. In 1953, the city of O'Fallon once again
had to expand its water facilities to accommodate a growing population
and a new well was built in 1954 that produced 140 gallons per
minute. Even more new subdivisions led to yet
another expansion in 1956. Again, bond issues were
used to raise funds and the city incurred a horrifying debt of $134,500
for the expanded service.
Fire Department
When simple bucket brigades
were no longer sufficient for protecting the property of O'Fallon, an
organized fire department was formed in 1906. Then
and for many years thereafter, O'Fallon's fire fighters were
volunteers; dedicated citizens who were concerned with the safety of
citizens and property alike. The first fire chief
was William Westhoff and the first fire "truck" was a hand-drawn cart
that carried a tank containing a chemical agent used to extinguish the
fire. The station was a single bay garage near the
corner of Main and East Elm Street with a large bell on the roof for
summoning the firemen.
O'Fallon's first motorized fire
truck was a 1927 Chevrolet purchased by volunteer firefighter, Henry
Ermeling, for the sum of $700. This truck served the
Department's needs until it was replaced by a 1941 GMC fire
truck. The first full-fledged firehouse was a brick
building that sat behind the row of businesses on the west side of Main
Street and was built on piers over the old Mill Pond.
In 1960, the new firehouse on
East Elm was dedicated and remains Fire House #1 to this
day. 
In front of the station is
the bell from the first single-bay garage, renamed the Memorial
Bell. In 1963, O'Fallon proudly hosted the Missouri
State Fire Fighter's Convention.
Over the years, the fire
department was supported by donations and funds raised by the sale of
fire tags. Fire tags were actually decals that
residents placed in the windows of their homes. In
1970, the people of O'Fallon voted to form the O'Fallon Fire Protection
District to provide the department with taxpayer support though it
remains a separate political entity from the City of O'Fallon.
Law Enforcement
In 1959, the O'Fallon Police
Department was officially formed with one paid police officer and one
patrol car. Prior to that, law enforcement was
provided by the St. Charles County Sheriff's Department and constables
were hired in each of the townships. The O'Fallon
Police Reserve was formed in the late 1960's. They
were volunteers trained to assist with crowd control, traffic and were
often seen on duty at school events, parades and picnics.
Postal Services
In O'Fallon's earliest days,
the postmaster's job consisted of delivering mail to the depot for
pick-up by the railroad. People delivered and picked
up their mail at the office of whoever was currently serving as
postmaster.
Rural delivery service wasn't
established until 1903. The earliest rural carriers
delivered mail in horse-drawn wagons often having to brave heavy rain
and mud or ice and snow in the winter. The wagons
were specifically designed for rural mail
delivery. They were built water tight to protect the
mail when the wagon had to be driven through a creek.
In 1959, city delivery service
began with three city routes. The first post office
was in a lean-to building next to Gentemann's store on Main
Street. In 1957, it was moved to a new building a
little further south on Main Street and in 1960, moved into even larger
facilities on East Elm. The current post office on
Church Street was built in 1991.