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The Conference on Illinois History is accepting proposals that deal with the history, culture, politics, geography, anthropology, sociology, or archaeology of Illinois. We also welcome proposals that use Illinois history as a lens to understand a regional, national, or international issue. The Conference is scheduled for October 5 & 6, 2023 at the  Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois.

In the spring of 2023, the Illinois State Historical Society will launch a statewide project to encourage local historical societies to promote the writing of short memoirs—roughly one to three typed pages—by older residents which reflect their Illinois experience in the post-World War II era (the later 1940s, the 1950s, and the 1960s). A selection of those will then be published, either in a collection devoted to memoirs of that area within the state (which would be locally funded and sold) or in a series for a local newspaper or a society newsletter.

The Summer/Fall 2022 issue of the Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society is now available. The Journal, the scholarly publication of the ISHS, is published quarterly and is a benefit of membership in the Illinois State Historical Society. Each issue includes articles, essays, book reviews, and documents about history, literature, art technology, law, and other subjects related to Illinois and the Midwest. Visit our Membership page for membership options and information. Click on the “Read More” button to read this issue's Editor's Comments and see a list of articles and reviews included in this issue.

Editor’s note: The Illinois State Historical Society is the proud recipient of a three-year, matching grant from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation® (Syracuse, New York) to place 25 new historical markers around the state that focus on marginalized or neglected narratives in Illinois history. Deryn Pomeroy, Trustee and Director of Strategic Initiatives of the foundation, agreed to answer these questions we posed to her.

There is so much history in the November-December issue of Illinois Heritage, and our list of contributors continues to grow. Bucky Halker’s portrait of Woody Guthrie in Illinois is a fascinating look at a 20th century icon not generally associated with the Prairie State, and Dave Joens’ “Breaking up is Hard to Do,” a  discussion of Illinois’s contentious sectionalism, explores the many aborted paths to secession in our 204-year history. Chris Suerdieck’s “The First Burger King” tells us about a mom-and-pop hamburger joint in Mattoon that made headlines simply by sticking to a winning recipe, and we say goodbye to Dr. G. Cullom Davis, a friend and colleague who changed the way we do history.