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Care about Illinois history enough to make a solid (bronze) commitment to the Illinois State Historical Society? Donors of $2500 or more will receive "The Conversation," a limited (25 total made) edition casting of a new statuette by renowned Lincoln sculptor John McClarey.

Last year the Illinois State Historical Society commissioned a limited special bronze casting of John McClarey’s statuette “The Conversation.” which features seated representations of President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist Frederick Douglass in their first conversation in the White House, which took place on August 10, 1863. A very limited number of signed, numbered statuettes are available to individuals who contribute $2,500 or more to the ISHS's endowment fund. Each statuette comes with a certificate of authenticity and the gratitude of the Society’s Board of Directors.

To order “The Conversation,” call 217-525-2781 today.

Summer in Illinois. Cicadas, hummingbirds, mosquitos, daylilies, day trips, watermelon, sweetcorn, and the Illinois State Fair. Whatever makes your Prairie State summer special, I hope the season is full of wonders and surprises.

This issue is packed with articles guaranteed to expand your Illinois horizon. I am forever delighted with what our contributors deliver in variety and diversity, and how generous they are with their research. My hope is that you share your Illinois Heritage with family and friends, and with anyone interested in our state’s marvelous history. Our contributors deserve the broadest possible audience we can deliver. It’s small compensation for such tremendous effort.

If you are looking for an opportunity to support and sustain our publications, this is a good time to make a contribution to the Illinois Heritage Fund, or to the Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society. Please send your donations to:

Illinois Heritage Fund
Illinois State Historical Society
P.O. Box 1800
Springfield, IL 62705-1800

As always, thanks for sharing your history and heritage. The Illinois prairie blossoms in the summer, and more so when we tell our stories.

William Furry
Executive Director

The Illinois State Historical Society has, for 121 winters, celebrated each new year with the promise of greater perspective, greater diversity, and the very best scholarship about our Prairie State’s past. We could not dream of a future without you, our members, making this journey with us. If you have not renewed your membership, please do so today. We need you.

This issue celebrates many fascinating aspects of our history, and our writers, board, and staff would love to know what you think of our efforts. Please send your email comments to executivedirector@historyillinois.org, and, with your permission, we will publish them in Illinois Heritage.

Thank you for your support, your perseverance during the late pandemic, and for your fortitude in these challenging times. Spring is coming, bringing the promise of unimaginable joy. Share your joy. Share your Heritage.

The presence of humans in the Illinois Country goes back at least 12,000 years, and some archaeologists would push that envelope even further into the past. We find footprints of prehistoric peoples all over the landscape of the Prairie State, and we have ample evidence of their physical presence in cultural artifacts found in museums and historical society collections from Galena to Golconda, Chicago to Cairo. In this issue of Illinois Heritage, our goal is to shine a spotlight on the people who called Illinois home before Europeans arrived on America’s shores.

We also profile southern Illinois historian John Allen and visit the sites of three new historical markers around the state.

Be safe, share your Heritage, and, if you are able, make a donation to the Society in support of our annual appeal. As always, thanks for your membership in the ISHS. With your help, we do great deeds.