Noble Cicero Bacon

Noble was born southwest of Christopher near what is called Bug-tussle, named after a swarm of insects overran a church picnic. His family later lived in a log cabin in Cleburn now owned by Violet Bacon, though the logs are now covered with siding.

In his early years, he worked in the family livery stable and farmed some land south of Christopher, west of the Catholic Cemetery, now owend by Bob Littlefair. He opened one of the first Ford garages in Southern Illinois in Royalton, Illinois. His brothers owned Ford garages in Christopher and Benton.

He was also a major stockholder in the Royalton Bank, eventually losing everything in the Great Depression. As co-signer of a loan to build a church in Royalton, he assumed responsibility to pay it off and made parents until the 1960s. Another missed opportunity was when developers took him and Nellie to the southeast coast of Florida and tried to interest him in investing in what later became Miami.

For many years, Noble owned 1,000 acres called Boss Island in what is now the Cache River section of the Shawnee National Forest. He purchased it with his father and W.C. Silkwood, who later sold out to Noble. Noble sold it for a small sum to a logging company before the government bought it for $10 million to add to the National Forest. Many family members would spend summers there hunting and fishing around the Cyprus swamp and staying in the cabins built of Cyprus logs. The game was large and plentiful, but the snakes were numerous and large.

Noble was active in Democratic politics, being supervisor of Tyrone and Six Mile Townships, county superintendent of highways, and serving on the county board. Richard Bacon once was paid 1 cent each to pass out handbills. When Noble saw they were for a Republican, he paid Richard $5 to go pick them back up.

When Nellie and Noble were married, they took the train to Pinckneyville for what they planned to be a private service. Their friends took their horses and wagons and beat them there in order to be a part of the ceremony.