Illinois Heritage

This issue of Illinois Heritage offers a snapshot of the “Best of Illinois History” ceremony, where we gave out more than 35 awards, including three Lifetime Achievements awards, the Olive Foster Teacher of the Year award, and the new Russell L. Lewis Jr. Young Museum Professional award. We also take a look at Ulysses S. Grant, the soldier from Galena who led the Union Army to victory in the Civil War and became the nation’s 18th President. In this two-part retrospective, we see Grant through the eyes of the soldiers who served under him along the way.

The April May edition of Illinois Heritage showcases features by our favorite writers—”Forgotten Voices of Illinois History” (John Hallwas), “Women Artists in Illinois, (Kristan H. McKinsey), “The Lincoln Collection” (James Cornelius), “Historical Headlines” (Mark Sorensen)—but also some new contributors who cast their spotlights on places and people and events in Illinois that deserve our attention. Thanks to Juliene McCormick, Mike Matejka, and Dean Karau for sharing their resources and talents.

The Illinois Heritage is just one of the benefits of being a member of the Illinois State Historical Society. Members also receive the quarterly Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, a 20% discount on most Society publications, invitations to Society events, tours at a discounted rate, and are eligible to participate in Society elections and serve on the Society Board, Advisory Board, and Committees. 

Become a member today and help preserve and promote Illinois history. 

In this issue of Illinois Heritage, our contributors—Kristan McKinsey, John Hallwas, Beth Young, Martin Joyce, Greg Koos, James Cornelius, Cindy Reinhardt, Mark Sorensen, and others—offer a banquet of delights across the Prairie State, a sampling of art and literature, travel and letters, and history in the making.

The Illinois Heritage is just one of the benefits of being member of the Illinois State Historical Society. Members also receive the quarterly Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, a 20% discount on most Society publications, invitations to Society events, tours at a discounted rate, and are eligible to participate in Society elections and serve on the Society Board, Advisory Board, and Committees. 

Become a member today and help preserve and promote Illinois history. 

To our readers:

In this issue of Illinois Heritage we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Illinois State Archives, the venerable institution that houses the state’s most important government records. We also announce the winners of the 2021 “Best of Illinois History” awards.

Contributor Clark “Bucky” Halker, labor historian and former director of Illinois Humanities, explores Illinois’ rich history of songwriting and labor activism for the earliest days of coal mining through the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), focusing on the strong religious roots of the movement. In his “Forgotten Voices of Illinois History” essay, John Hallwas reintroduces us to John Hay, the poet, biographer, diplomat, and statesman who had the ear of presidents from Lincoln to Roosevelt. Candace Summers writes about the relatively unknown Bloomington artist Emily Howard, and Todd Carr of Elizabethtown takes us on a spring waterfall hike in the Shawnee National Forest.

Thanks to all of you for renewing your membership in the Illinois State Historical Society. You sustain the great work that began in 1899, to “foster awareness, understanding, research, preservation, and recognition of history in Illinois.” With your continued support, Illinois history will always have a great future.

This issue of Illinois Heritage is delighted to share Prairie State history by some of our favorite contributors—John Hallwas, James Cornelius, Kristan McKinsey, Mark Sorensen, Beth Young and Bill Kemp—as well as a few new ones, including Dean Karau, whose original piece on Richard Carroll is a fascinating portrait of an African American man’s journey up from slavery to post-Civil War Illinois.

We also meet Christina M. Shutt, the new executive director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM), explore several central Illinois cemeteries, and contemplate the possibilities of the nation’s 250th birthday, which John Dichtl, CEO and President of the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH), shares with us in his “Guestwork” piece. Also included in this issue is the Illinois Humanities (IH) Executive Summary, “On Wisdom and Vision: humanities organizations in Illinois during COVID-19,” which reflects on this past pandemic year and how more than 177 Illinois humanities-focused organizations weathered the storm.

Enjoy Illinois. Read Illinois history. Share your Heritage. Better yet, buy a membership for a friend. Some gifts never stop giving.