New exhibit to open at the Mill on 66 Museum April 6th
Logan County native, composer, symphony director Grant Flectcher to be honored at open house

 

[March 11, 2024] 

The Logan County Tourism Bureau, in conjunction with Kickapoo Cognizors Chapter No. 645 of Questers International, will open a new exhibit at The Mill on Route 66 highlighting the life of Logan County native Horace Grant Fletcher.

The Mill, located at 738 S. Washington St., will begin the 2024 tourist season with an open house, from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 6. A short program will be presented at 2 p.m., and light refreshments will be available.

The Fletcher exhibit was mostly funded through monies raised by the local Questers chapter, augmented by funds awarded from a grant from the Illinois State Questers organization. Questers is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study, dedication and preservation of historical items.

”We Questers are looking forward to introducing local residents and Mill visitors to Grant Fletcher,” said Lynn Spellman, president of the local Questers chapter. “I, for one, did not know that Logan County had produced a renowned composer until Nancy Saul shared her research. Thanks go to the Tourism Bureau for displaying the ‘Coonhound Johnny’ score and allowing us display space in the Mill and to Illinois Questers for awarding us the grant.”

Fletcher was born Oct. 25, 1913, in Hartsburg, a son of Ulysses and Della Kief Fletcher. The family later moved to Springfield. During the Great Depression, he and a brother stayed for some time with a maternal aunt, Clara Kief, in Hartsburg. Their maternal uncle, C. L. “Dutch” Kief, was a two-term Logan County sheriff.

Grant Fletcher became a world acclaimed, award winning musical composer, director and teacher. Undoubtedly, during his youth, he heard many stories about legendary Logan County bootlegger Coonhound Johnny Schwenoha. In 1948, while Fletcher was musical director and conductor for the Akron Symphony in Ohio, he wrote a song for piano entitled “Coonhound Johnny.” A copy of his original hand-written score, which he sent to his uncle, is a part of the new exhibit.

Fletcher earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Composition from the University of Rochester. He ended his teaching career at Arizona State University and died in Tempe, Ariz, on May 4, 2002.

”The Logan County Tourism Bureau is very excited for the new exhibit,” said Alice Roate, the Bureau’s executive director. “Grant Fletcher is an important part of Logan County’s history, and we are glad to see a light being shone on the subject. This display will be a great addition for visitors and locals to enjoy.”

Nancy Rollings Saul of Bloomington served as researcher, grant writer and committee chairperson for the project. Additional Questers committee members who donated time and effort are Lynn Spellman, Theresa Schieffer, Teresa Isbell and Scotty Hinman, all of Lincoln.

[Nancy Saul]