Each of the United States’ 50 states runs its own official state library. I have only visited Illinois’ and Indiana’s state libraries so far. Both are located in their states’ capitals, which are Springfield and Indianapolis, respectively. You would assume that all state libraries are similar, but Illinois’ and Indiana’s state libraries each have separate…
Tag: Illinois
Zion, Illinois: A City Founded by a Cult
About an hour north of Chicago and 10 minutes south of the state of Wisconsin lies a city called Zion. If you were to drive through it, nothing particularly interesting would stand out to you. In fact, the two times that I have been there, it appeared somewhat deserted. However, it had an interesting beginning….
Ronald Reagan’s Birthplace and Boyhood Home
Although Illinois is known as the “Land of Lincoln,” Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky, not Illinois. The motto “Land of Lincoln” came from the fact that Lincoln lived in Illinois for a significant portion of his life, and also became its senator. Barack Obama also served as senator of Illinois. However, Ronald Reagan was…
DeKalb, Illinois and Barbed Wire
Most people may not know it, but Illinois has made an important contribution to barbed wire history. Although different people had been working on barbed wire during the mid-nineteenth century, it was not until 1874 that developments really skyrocketed in DeKalb, Illinois. According to my tour guide at the Joseph F. Glidden Homestead in DeKalb,…
5 Historically Noteworthy Homes in the Chicago Area
Even though museums, libraries, archives, etc. are currently closed throughout the majority of the world because of the Coronavirus, there are other ways to still visit historic places. Here are 5 historically noteworthy homes that are never open to the public anyway, but that you can drive and see from the outside if you are…
Bet Arkeh 