The first man in Bartlett to be drafted during World War II, Earl entered the Army in June 1941, worked on the Alcan Highway, and later served in the European Theater of Operations from 1943 to 1946. After the war Earl and his wife, Lois, owned and operated Humbracht’s Confectionary which was founded in May 1948 in Bartlett. He was a member of Immanuel United Church of Christ in Bartlett and was also named a Bartlett Living Legend by the village.
There is also a street, Humbracht Circle, named after him, along with a football field at the same park. My dad has told me many stories about the soda shop, since I hadn’t been born in time to see it. He said his father, Earl Humbracht, was considered a firefighter in Bartlett. My grandpa had a red phone in the store that was a direct line to the fire station. Since this was before 9-1-1 existed, witnesses to a fire could come to the confectionary and Earl would relay the information to the fire department through his red phone.
