Illinois Heritage

Presenter: Dr. Donald Graham, Infectious Disease Specialist, SIU School of Medicine and Springfield Clinic

Moderator: William Furry, Executive Director, Illinois State Historical Society

An historical marker recognizing Atwood native Kenneth L. "Tug" Wilson, an Olympian, athletics director, second Commissioner of the Big Ten, and president of the U.S. Olympic Committee will be dedicated at 11 a.m. Saturday, August 22, 2020, at Rajah Park located in the 200 block of Magnolia Street in Atwood.

An historical marker noting the location of the Robert Prager lynching in 1918 will be dedicated at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 4 at the entrance to St. John Cemetery, St. Louis Road at National Terrace, Collinsville.

Preservationists Jane and Jesse Boehler will speak on preservation of historic Clayville, Illinois, a mid-1800s settlement that provided nourishment, spirits and overnight accommodations for people and horses travelling the American frontier.

Kim Orth, Executive Director, Nauvoo Tourism Office, will discuss “the other Nauvoo” and its complex history as the “Beautiful Place” settled by Mormons, inhabited by Icarians (French-based Utopian socialist movement) and growth as a regional grape cultivation and wine-making center.

David Finnigan, author and SIU architectural graduate student, will speak on his book Inside Allerton and his research of Allerton Park, the elegant Monticello estate filled with rich history, surprising stories, formal gardens and woodland trails.

Dr. Paula Pugh Romanaux, professional musician, recording artist, educator and writer, will discuss her research Andrew Carnegie’s Organ Benefactions to Illinois and the World and his larger influence on the world of music.