Mokena's Front Porch Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Matt and Israel talk about the recent storm that came through town and did significant damage down Front Street as well as the collapse of a beloved historic barn, built by the Erickson family in the early 1900's. We also discuss the building that sits on the south east corner of First and Mokena Street. Today the home of Audiologic and the newest addition to Front Street, Hu...

Send us Fan Mail The Brauns were a family of blacksmiths in Mokena, going all the way back to the 1880's, all the way into the 1950's! Al Braun was said to be one of the last working blacksmiths in the State.  Al always welcomed neighborhood kids, who would enjoy all of the action going on in his shop.  Al Braun also served as a Village Trustee for 33 years and was very active in the com...

Send us Fan Mail Founded in 1839, the Marshall Cemetery is home to many of Mokena's founders, with names like Marshall, McGovney, and Jones. It is also the resting place of numerous war heros from the Civil War, and more. Matt gives us a walking tour as we cover only a few of the families buried here. The setting is a quiet country road, a little busier than it was in the 1800's, but it...

Send us Fan Mail On a beautiful April evening, Matt and I (Israel) took a walk down Mokena's Front Street, talking history. This is the audio only version so you have to imagine standing at the South East corner of Wolf Road and Front Street and walk along with us! Matt is a wealth of information when it comes to Mokena and this was a lot of fun! We plan to do more of these throughout the sum...

Send us Fan Mail Mayor Joe Werner cared deeply about Mokena and its people. He served as both Village Trustee and Mayor and made many lasting contributions to Mokena. He sadly passed away on Christmas Eve of 2023 after fighting brain cancer. I am honored that we get to share some of Mayor Joe’s story and all he did to make our Village a better place. If you would like to share your thoughts or sto...

Send us Fan Mail Since the early days of Mokena, 11116 has been a place where the community gathers to drink, socialize, shop and eat. For more than a decade now this property has sat vacant. The property is now undergoing a renovation and will be host a new restaurant, The Dock on Front Street!  I asked Mayor Frank Fleischer about the restaurant and got his thoughts on what this can do for Front...

Send us Fan Mail Israel got to sit down with Suzanne Helwich, the Executive Director of the Curtain Call Theatre, as well as Ken Czechanski, who is a theatre board member as well as one of the stars of their upcoming March 2024 production, The Runner Stumbles .  The setting for our conversation was at the foot of the stage as they were preparing for the production. It was two hours before the firs...

Send us Fan Mail Mokena's first modern subdivision has a name that goes back to the early days of our Village.  The Mineral Springs neighborhood sits just south of the train station and at one point was the source of healing waters that were being pumped from below ground. This healing well was so popular that it eventually ran a pipeline closer to the tracks to be able to fill tanker cars di...

Send us Fan Mail Mokena’s first post office opened February 10, 1853 and served our newly formed train depot of a town. With the railroad splitting through town, it made Mokena a prime mail location, with mail coming via the passing trains, to and from Chicago.  The post office was a vital organ in the life of the new town and many took up the role of Postmaster, until 28 year old Margaret M. Maue...

Send us Fan Mail Our Village was founded around the Rock Island Pacific Railroad coming through the middle of what is now downtown Mokena. In 1852 those tracks came through the north end of the McGovney (Yunker) farm.  By the mid 1870's, Mokena had 8 saloons, more per capita than any other town in Will County.  One of the significant motivators to incorporate was for control of how many liquo...

Send us Fan Mail Schools are the lifeblood of a community and they carry the tremendous responsibility to educate the youth of our town. A desirable school district increases home values and make a community more desirable.  Though it was not the first Mokena school house, the grand 2 story schoolhouse that sat at today's Front Street and Schoolhouse Road, was at the leading edge of features...

Send us Fan Mail Step inside the hallowed walls of The Mokena State Bank, as we chronicle over a century of its rich and vibrant history.  This story takes you on a journey that captures the spirit of this iconic institution that has endured safe cracking, robberies, and economic tremors, yet stood firm as the heart of the local community. This bank was one of Mokena's most beautiful and orna...

Send us Fan Mail Frank and Cyndi Grobmeier endured the unthinkable after the death of their daughter just after her 18th birthday.  I had the opportunity to spend time with them in the Mokena office of their charity, The Maddog Strong Foundation. They have a mission to not only have people sign their donor card but to also have the conversation with loved ones as well. They so graciously shared, a...

Send us Fan Mail Matt and I (Israel) attended an event at The Mokena Library by Abraham Lincoln impersonator and educator, Kevin Wood. He shared the story of Sarah Hale, who spent 35 years writing letters to Presidents and promoting the idea of a unified day of Thanksgiving across all states.  Hearing Mr. Wood speak was like being in the presence of the 16th President. Matt and I talk interesting...

Send us Fan Mail Get ready for a nostalgic trip back to the Halloween days of yore as we, recall our favorite Halloween memories from Mokena. But Halloween is not just about the candy and costumes. It's also a time for ghost stories and eerie encounters. We've got a spine-chilling tale about an outhouse, with consequences that will make you scream! Then, Matt shares the story of a local...

Send us Fan Mail Buildings like this can get lost in the daily passing by, but this one-room schoolhouse from the 1930s has weathered the passage of time and still entertains and educates children of all ages. This episode promises takes you on a journey through the history and preservation of the Schmuel School in New Lenox. It was Henry Schmuhl's generosity in donating part of his farm for...

Send us Fan Mail October 12, 2022 we published the first episode of Mokena's Front Porch. Now we look back at our first year of sharing Mokena's history. Today there are over 4 million podcasts available but we are the ONLY Mokena podcast! The majority of new podcasts post 10 episodes or less but we are proud to have published 28 episodes, talking to numerous local friends, addressed the...

Send us Fan Mail Here is part 2 and the completion of the Semmler story. Be sure to listen to episode 1 as well. The Semmlers played a vital role in our Village and their impact lives on today. Be sure to check out Matt's Blog posts that we based these episodes on. They can be found HERE ! We hope you enjoy this episode! Be sure to share it with a friend!  Support the show Be sure to check ou...

Send us Fan Mail The Mokena News Bulletin was THE paper of record, reporting from August of 1919 until its last issue in 1969. William and Margaret Semmler started their modest paper in the former Front Street saloon that her family owned. Both were very active in the community where they raised their family and made their living. Bill served as Village Clerk, Village Trustee and Frankfort Townshi...

Send us Fan Mail What if you could journey back in time to an era where block parties and street dances were the life of the town, and the Front Street Ford Agency was the hot spot for socializing? That's exactly what Dave and Charlene Bergman bring us in this captivating episode, as they transport us back to the charm and nostalgia of the old Mokena. With Dave's roots in the town runnin...

Send us Fan Mail 11042 Front Street is a building that has stood, since the years following the Civil War, as a silent witness to the history of our Mokena. This building was home to the first Mokena Pharmacy and was built by a German who was described by locals as, “fat and jolly and possessed of a merry whistle”. Through its later years it was home to the Mokena Post Office, was almost lost to a...

Send us Fan Mail October 8th, 1909, John Hatch opened his general store, in the building that we know today as Zap Taco, to find that he had be robbed! Matt shares this story of two young men who robbed Hatch's store and their apparent cockiness that caught up with them in the end!  Matt and I also talk for a bit and catch up on what we have been doing this summer and talk a little about his...

Send us Fan Mail Mokena owes its existence not only to agriculture but also to the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. Overlooked in the collective memory is a humble wooden shack at the Mokena Street crossing, where a generation of flagmen worked tirelessly to ensure safety before the advent of electric gates. These flagmen, employees of the Rock Island, would wave green flags and later...

Send us Fan Mail Opening their doors for the first time on Thursday, September 21, 1916, the Cooper & Hostert Ford Agency became a town meeting place where locals not only purchased their vehicles, but also gathered to chat, laugh and gossip about what was going on in town. They were a staple of Mokena's downtown until 1974, when the business was sold and shortly thereafter the business c...

Send us Fan Mail This episode discusses Mamie Bechstein Miller, who was a teacher and principal for Mokena's 159 School District in the old schoolhouse that sat at Front Street and Schoolhouse Road and who's family has been in Mokena since before the railroad came through.  We discuss why Mamie was so important to the community and hear why Matt was so excited to hear that the recording...