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This issue of Illinois Heritage looks to the history of previous pandemics and offers some thoughtful instruction on how our ancestors coped with contagion without antibiotics, the CDC, or the Internet. Thanks to Allen Croessmann and John Hallwas for their research and fascination with public health history. 

We also meet some very interesting individuals who added art and perspective to our vision of the Prairie State through our ongoing series “Voices from Illinois History” and “Illinois Women Artists.”

Our other feature articles in the May-June issue deserve your attention too. Beth Young’s article about Civil War-era nurse Louise Maertz is a tribute to our current care providers on the frontlines of the war against COVID-19; the summaries of civil rights pioneer Frederick Douglass’s lectures from his 1866 visits to Springfield are revealing of Reconstruction-era politics; and Guy Fraker’s analysis of a forgotten Lincoln legal case should illuminate lawyers and arm-chair scholars alike.

Be safe, practice self-distancing, be kind to others, and share your Heritage.

To our readers:

The nominations are in and buzz is building. If you have not already done so, mark your calendars for Friday, April 24 and the “Best of Illinois History Awards Gala,” the night the Illinois State Historical Society celebrates the people, organizations, authors, museums, and historical societies that made history in the Prairie State in 2019. If you haven’t already received your invitation in the mail, call us. We’ll have one in the mail before you can name the state fossil.

This issue of Illinois Heritage contains articles on several fascinating people, places, and events in our state’s past that will stir your imagination, bring you closer to the essence of Illinois and, perhaps, stoke your own creative fires.

Thank you for reading Illinois Heritage. Your membership and gifts keep this organization vital and relevant. We cannot serve Illinois history without you.

Happy New Year from the Illinois State Historical Society!

The January-February issue of Illinois Heritage—“The music issue”—ably assembled by ISHS director Bill Steinbacher-Kemp with the help of a sterling group of writers who know their Illinois music history, is a great start for the new year. Our “2020” vision for the ISHS is to make our programs and publications the best in the Midwest.

Thanks to all of you who have taken time to join or renew your 2020 membership in the Illinois State Historical Society. Our organization thrives because of your commitment to our mission of “fostering awareness, understanding, research, preservation, and recognition of history in Illinois.” As you know, membership is the glue that holds the Illinois State Historical Society together. Your personal commitment to this organization makes all the difference in what we accomplish from year to year. Thank you for all you do to make Illinois history unforgettable. 

Share your Heritage.

The November-December issue of Illinois Heritage highlights just a few of the things your Society has been up to in recent weeks. The Centennial Business Awards luncheon was held in Jacksonville on September 14, and we had a great time visiting with the new inductees, as well as previous year’s award winners from Morgan County. Last month we took our Fall Tour to the Shawnee National Forest, where our stellar guides revealed some of the hidden treasures of southern Illinois. And on December 3 at the University of Illinois Springfield we’ll celebrate the 201st anniver-sary of statehood with our annual Illinois History Symposium commemorating the 100th anniversary of women’s  suffrage. Please come spend the day with us!

As you know, membership is the glue that holds the Illinois State Historical Society together. Your personal commitment to this organization makes all the difference in what we accomplish from year to year. Thank you for all you do to make Illinois history unforgettable. And please take time this month to renew your ISHS membership. Our future depends on what you do today.

The September–October issue of Illinois Heritage straddles a couple of centuries, with articles on the Constitutional Convention of 1870, Humanitarian Jane Addams, and the 1949 St. Anthony’s Hospital fire in Effingham. We jump forward and into the past with our interview with Leslie Goddard, an actor who interprets historical figures from three centuries. And we step outside the boundaries of Illinois for a ride on the riverboat Twilight, just to see our state from another point of view.

Thanks to all who have helped make this issue possible, contributors, donors, advertisers, letter writers, and readers. You’re the best. Share your Heritage!