The North’s partnership with Liberian farmers provided coffee to troops
Ten months into the Civil War, the Union was short on a crucial supply, the absence of which threatened to sap the fighting strength of the Northern army: coffee. This critical source of energy and …
Technology is quickly becoming the face of society’s future, and with no way to stop it, people have happily embraced it. Except for the select groups who shun “New World …
The Guinness Book of World Records released in August of 1955 changing record keeping forever
Everyone wants to make history and have their achievements recognized, no matter how ridiculous those achievements may seem.
There is no higher form of recognition in pop culture today for human …
Paris native shares his family’s history with the game of baseball
Growing up in Paris, Ronnie Lutz, a small town man, lived a fulfilling life scattered with stories and adventures from around the world.
Baseball played a major role in his life. He played for …
With the fair, sometimes called a carnival, coming to Paris there will be many different events, entertainment and town traditions Paris and farther can enjoy. A fair is an Americanized form of …
Born Nov. 30, 1894, in Dudley, Ill., Basil Robert Bennett would go on to fight in World War I, compete in hammer throwing at the 1920 Olympics in Belgium, coach high school football and become a …
METCALF – Like many small hamlets throughout the rural Illinois prairie, Metcalf has seen businesses close and populations dwindle over time, but the village still stands today …
Born on a farm on Aug. 9, 1912, Paris resident Thomas “Lefty” Sunkel has always been remembered for his big heart and dedication to the Edgar County baseball world.
Sunkel made his …
Minor league team Paris Lakers’ history is still remembered
Even with only a 2,500 maximum capacity, Laker Stadium used to be filled with fans ready to watch a game of baseball. To be more specific, a Paris Lakers game.
The Paris Lakers were a Class D …
Sitting in the choppy waters of the English Channel the day before D-Day, 20-year-old Private James R. Lambeth wondered what would happen on the beaches of Normandy.
“We had no idea what …
Debutants left home to serve the healthcare needs in rural locations
A 1938 newspaper headline from Baltimore declared “Debutante to Be Courier in Wilds of Kentucky Hills.” The article detailed the Frontier Nursing Service (FNS), a service dispatching …
Paul Scott a World War II hero in Tunisian Battle
The estate sale for Betty Scott is like many, it’s full of mid-century furniture, artwork, and a garage full of useful gadgets and unique finds, but it’s the family’s military …
A mother’s influence ended half a century of campaigning
By the summer of 1920, 35 states had ratified the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which stated that “[t]he right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or …
March 11, 2020, a day in recent history many will never forget. The World Health Organization declares a new disease, Covid-19 a pandemic.
The first severe pandemic since 1918, Covid shook the …
Polio survivor lived a life full of success and purpose despite odds
Paul Alexander became ill as a boy, his illness was not a common cold, a case of RSV or even as simple as a bout of chicken pox. Alexander was stricken with polio.
In 1952, the Dallas native …
During the month of March we celebrate women and their achievements in history, but why in March?
Originally, there was only International Women’s Day, in commemoration of the meeting of …
One of my favorite roles as a writer in a small town is meeting the many people who have called Edgar County home for much longer than myself. I wholeheartedly enjoy sitting down and hearing the …
Through the centuries leap year creates quirky traditions
Thursday, Feb. 29, is Leap Year, a day that comes every four years and is an oddity on the calendar. Its traditions are equally unusual.
Ostensibly, an extra day is stuck at the end of February …
Business executive and philanthropist left a legacy
He was “deliberate” and “no-nonsense,” a chain-smoking steam engine who once told his receptionist, “I guess I’m not the vacation type.” Yet, to all who knew …
More than 170 years after her death, Dolley Madison is recognized as one of the most popular, and influential, Presidential wives of all time. She is not just known for serving cupcakes and ice cream …
The world was growing and changing quickly in 1913
When Jacob Lewis discovered an Oct. 28, 1913 edition of Edgar County’s The Daily News in his Chrisman home, in the attic eaves under the roofline, he and his kids were excited at the find.
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February is nationally recognized and celebrated as Black History Month. It is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. …
In the early 1950s, it seemed the young boys of Paris were getting out of hand and something had to be done. Illinois State Patrolman Henry Cooley knew something had to change.
He put a plan in …
A holocaust survivor began to change the world 78 years ago
Eva Mozes Kor was 10 years old when she spotted Soviet Scouts progressing toward the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland where she had been held since May 1944.
The group of scouts …
A beloves park feature found its way back home to Paris
This is a story about “Chief” a carousel pony who got to come home to his old stomping ground in Paris.
Allen Herschell was a well-known builder of carousels. He …
During the civil rights struggles of the 1960s, many of the largest – and bloodiest – demonstrations were in the South. A series of violent clashes in Illinois in 1966, however, surprised …
Most of those honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame earned their star on their acting or singing ability. In the case of central Illinois native Ken Carpenter, his recognition came on his speaking …
George and Martha Washington revolutionized marriage
On Jan. 6, 1759, George Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis at The White House. No, it was not the white house we have become so familiar with in our modern times. The white house the …
The 1903 Iroquois Theater fire is a tragic story of cut corners and desperate escapes
On a chilly winter day in 1903, Chicago’s brand-new Iroquois Theater was filled with adults and children enjoying their holiday break. The crowd gathered to see Mr. Bluebeard, a musical comedy …
During much of Abraham Lincoln’s lifetime, the New Year’s holiday was a bigger deal than Christmas. His celebrations of Jan. 1 evolved with his rise to fame.
As a young backwoodsman, …
