Fisher by the numbers

A numerical look at Fisher:

61843 – Town's ZIP code.

2 – The number of newspapers in Fisher today: the Fisher Outlook and The Fisher Reporter.

3 – Number of Rebekah Lodges existing in Fisher during its history. The first was founded in 1892 and closed at an unknown time. The second operated from 1916 until the 1920s, and the third, Owl Creek Rebekah Lodge #91, was founded in 1929 and still exists today. It's an auxiliary organization to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

4 – The amount of rain, in inches, that fell on the first Fisher Fair in 1942.

6 – The number of years a second newspaper operated in the early 1900s. The Fisher News operated from 1913 to 1919, when it was incorporated into The Fisher Reporter, which has been printed since 1889.

10 – The cost, in cents, of half of a hot beef sandwich at Shorty's Cafe in Fisher in 1933.

12 – Number of men who played in the Fisher Cornet Band in 1882.

$45 – Monthly salary of Elle McClelland of Foosland, the first teacher at Fisher's first school in 1877.

125 – Years Fisher's Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a fraternal organization, has existed.

154 – The number of residents by which village officials believed the U.S. Census Bureau undercounted in the 1990 census. The Census Bureau counted 1,471; the village hired residents to count it again and came up with 1,625. The Census Bureau's Web site shows they compromised on 1,526.

$255.47 – The cost of moving the United Methodist Church in Newcomb to Fisher in 1876. The building was built in 1874 and featured two front doors, one for men and one for women.

$525 – The cost of a Ford sport coupe at Ford Motor Co. in town in 1930.

600 – Fisher's population in 1911, according to "Story of Fisher" by Mary Lammle.

1,699 – Fisher's population in 2006, according to the census.

1905 – The year the Wardlow Brothers installed a direct current system for electricty. The village bought it the next year, and it would run from dusk until midnight.

1907 – The year the first automobiles came to town: J.C. Wheeler's red touring car and C.M. Ricketts' Ford Runabout.

1935 – The year Fisher's first water system was constructed. It was the first Works Progress Administration project in Champaign County.

2,000 – The number of babies, at least, delivered by Dr. L.O. Sale, whose house still stands (left).

2,500 – The number of Henderson power lawn mowers produced each month in Fisher in 1955. Henderson Manufacturing Co. relocated from Decatur to Fisher and started making the mowers there in January 1955. The company creators bought manufacturing rights to the mower from its inventor, Scott Henderson.