Kansas - Bringing the community together to spread Christmas joy while sharing the holiday bustle with the public at an authentic small-town winter holiday is the main goal of the second Christmas in …
Moke Collins Owens was a well-rounded musician who wore many hats, including church pianist, solo accompanist, Mayo band director and friend to all.
Owens was born April 18, 1922, in Paris, to …
Rosalynn Carter, born Eleanor Rosalynn Smith, the beloved wife of President Jimmy Carter, died on Sunday, Nov. 19, in Plains, Ga. The Carter Center in Atlanta announced the death of the former first …
Dog N Suds was a popular choice for fast food in the 1960s and 1970s, and remains a recognized root beer brand today. A co-founder of the chain formerly was a high school music teacher in the area.
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Seldom have two minutes meant so much.
Nov.19 marks the 160th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, a two-minute oration that is considered among the greatest speeches in American history.
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When Walter Bruce Williams enlisted in the United States Army, he did not know his career would lead him to become one of the first African Americans commissioned as an officer in the United States …
Most consider football to be the most popular spectator sport in the United States, but in the 1930s, cornhusking provided some stiff competition.
Cornhusking events drew legions of fans in …
Noted American author Stephen Vincent Benet published one of his many famous works of fiction, “The Devil and Daniel Webster” in 1937. A century before, the better half of that …
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the highest award for military valor in action, and three Edgar County soldiers have had the honor bestowed on them since the Army’s 1862 MOH inception.
The …
Walking into the cabin owned by Jim and Julie Tucker on the West Lake is like walking into a childhood fairytale.
“When we bought it (in 2006), we had no idea,” said Jim Tucker. …
Mexicans celebrate the dead through a holiday known as Día de los Muertos, but it’s not a Halloween celebration.
Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, dates to the …
Fake news is a claim made by certain politicians seeking to discredit the unfavorable, true stories reported about them. Years before that term was coined, a seemingly innocent fictional radio …
The 1972 Watergate break-in sparked a two-year string of events, but few were as dramatic as the Saturday Night Massacre.
Friday, Oct. 20, was the 50th anniversary of the event dubbed a …
Local man at Fort Wagner with 55th Massachuesetts Infantry
The movie “Glory” is Hollywood’s tale of the 54 th Massachusetts Colored Infantry from its inception to its failed attempt at taking Fort Wagner. No Edgar County were members of the …
A pair of Illinois brothers are credited with building the first gas-powered automobile in American history.
Frank and Charles Duryea grew up near the Stark County town of Wyoming and drove …
Surviving horrific circumstances leads to forgiveness
Troy Fear captivated the audience at the Marshall Public Library Thursday, Oct. 6, as he presented the powerful story of Eva Mozes Kor.
The story began in the spring of 1944, when Germany …
Edgar County was called home by nationally known artist
Many people have called Edgar County home in its 200-year existence, but only one has a piece of art on permanent display at The Smithsonian Institute.
William Delaney Trimble Travis was born …
Local family finds roots in a Mexican community
After being married for a year, Pedro and Juana Briseño decided to uproot their lives in Mexico and move to the United States in search of the American Dream.
The couple, along with …
Each year since 1988, Americans celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.
The observation honoring Hispanic Culture began with National Hispanic Heritage Week. On …
The Barr-Johnson Cemetery in Grandview Township appeared to be of another time Sept. 16 when men dressed as continental soldiers were on the grounds.
Hugh Barr, a Revolutionary War soldier is …
Its name was a Cherokee translation from river of death. For Illinois Civil War soldiers, it was an accurate moniker.
This week marks the 160th anniversary of the battle of Chickamauga, which …
Sicilian-born Giovanni Sperandeo overcame adversity at 19 to enthrall thousands as a lyric tenor, becoming nationally recognized as the second Enrico Caruso.
Sperandeo was born March 16, 1890, …
Few things reflect high school sports like the mascot. The high schools of Edgar County, and the surrounding areas, have some of the most common, and uncommon, nicknames of all.
While Paris and …
Being inducted into a hall of fame is a prestigious honor for anyone to receive. Such honors are often bestowed posthumously; as is the case with former Paris resident Thomas Hoffman Coady.
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The once majestic Washington Tea Room came crashing down by the careful Bell and Bell Demolition crew Thursday, Sept. 7.
The house stood at 134 E. Washington Street and was built by …
Some American presidents come from strong bloodlines, with grandparents who fought in wars, made money in business and held office. In turn, some presidential grandchildren carved their own place in …
Cars can do more than drive; they can tell a story
Paris Resident Matt Young spends countless hours wiping down and cleaning what many would say is just a car.
The blue 1966 Chevy Corvair parked in the family’s drive is much more than just …
Illinois history has been defined by shifting political alliances, and even Abraham Lincoln was not immune.
One example is Lincoln’s relationship with Charles Constable of Marshall, a …
The story of an old house is sometimes in its bones
Many families purchase and renovate homes with no issues, but some discover things that would have been lost to time if the house had never been touched.
The Grand Prairie we live in has had …
It was the most famous gunfight in the history of the West, though legend has obscured the facts. One thing, however, is clear; there was a definite Illinois connection.
On Oct. 26, 1881, the …
