Beginning in 1897, the family of John L. Longbrake lived at 833 East Brooks Street. Their lot conjoined with the rear of the August Sandburg family lot on Berrien Street.

 

John L. and Martha E. Longbrake lived in Leroy, Illinois, before coming to Galesburg. He was an engineer for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. After his retirement, they moved to Fort Myers, Florida. John died in 1922 and Martha in 1924. They are buried in Linwood Cemetery in Galesburg.

 

A few years earlier, when the Longbrake home was located at 613 East Brooks, Carl Sandburg had worked for one of the sons, Dr. Guy A. Longbrake. He kept two horses and a buggy for use when visiting patients in their homes. Every morning, Carl's job was to clean out the stalls and put in a fresh bedding of straw. He also curried the horses and washed the buggy. Young Sandburg speculated that sometimes the doctor drove fast and furiously as if he was rushing to an emergency house call. Dr. Longbrake paid Carl $1.50 (equal to $43.08 in today's money) for his services. It was good money for seven or eight hours a week.

 

A younger brother, George Longbrake, enlisted in Company C, 6^th Regiment, Illinois Militia (National Guard) at the time of the Spanish-American War in 1898. George had been attending Lombard University. On the way home from Puerto Rico, he asked Carl if he would be interested in attending the college. After the company had been welcomed back to Galesburg with several banquets and many speeches of patriotic praise, Longbrake contacted Sandburg and said the college would allow him to attend for one year with free tuition.

 

George completed his enlistment by spending another seven months in the Caribbean with the occupying American army. He then completed his education at Lombard. He served as chaplain of the Third Wisconsin Infantry for two years and was commissioned as a chaplain in the regular army on January 18, 1917. He was sent to Fort Bliss, Texas, transferred to Camp Henry J. Jones in Douglas, Arizona, and to Schofield Barracks in Honolulu, Hawaii.

 

In later years he served at several military bases in the state of Washington. He died November 22, 1951, and was buried in the Fort Lawton Cemetery in Seattle. The military post was established overlooking Puget Sound in 1900. During World War II it was the second largest embarkation point for soldiers and supplies for the Pacific theater of war. It was officially closed in 2011 and the 534 acre property was given to the City of Seattle. It is now an historic park.

 

In his second autobiography, Ever the Winds of Chance, Sandburg wrote “in nearly every life come sudden little events not expected that change its course.” The opportunity to attend college was the chance of a lifetime and he decided to seize the opportunity. He elected to study Latin, English, inorganic chemistry, elocution, drama and public speaking that first year at Lombard. George Longbrake was the source of a change in Sandburg's life which opened the world of ideas, writing and performing to a poor Swede boy from Galesburg in Illinois.