Illinois Bicentennial Programs in Princeville

Two hundred years ago on December 3, 1818, Illinois became the 21^st state in the Union. The Illinois Bicentennial, now well under way, is a yearlong celebration of the people, places, things and events that have been born, built and grown in the state. In celebration, the Lillie M. Evans Library will be hosting two 1-hour programs in October 2018.  These programs will remind us of events that have shaped our past and impacted our rich and diverse history.

On Tuesday, October 16^th at 6:30pm, Sylvia Shults will present the program, Ghosts of the Illinois River. Be sure to join us as Sylvia gives an in-depth look at the Peoria State Hospital. Known as one of the most haunted places in Illinois, the haunted asylum is featured in many of her books.  Sylvia is a popular presenter in Central Illinois and is the author of several books, including Fractured Spirits: Hauntings at the Peoria State Hospital and 44 Years in Darkness.  

On Tuesday, October 30^th at 6:30pm, Tom Emery will present a program on the History of Illinois. Tom was a presenter during our popular Lincoln and the Constitution series in 2014. He is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville who has earned eleven awards from the Illinois State Historical Society.  His newest book, The History of Illinois, is a compilation of some of his newspaper columns and is intended to complement the state’s 200th anniversary. 

Want to learn still more about Illinois’ history?  The Illinois State Museum and the Illinois Association of Museums have developed a virtual exhibition titled The Story of Illinois: The Illinois Bicentennial Through Museum Objects. This exhibition consists of objects from the Illinois State Museum’s 13.5-million-object Illinois Legacy Collection along with objects from other Illinois museums.  The website is available online at http://story.illinoisstatemuseum.org/

Information about these programs and other LME Library events can be found on our website at http://lmelibrary.org. We hope you will explore, discover, and learn more about Illinois' unique history during this bicentennial year!

Princeville History Programs at the LME Library

As part of our 90th anniversary celebration, the LME Library will be hosting a series of programs on Wednesdays in May at the Library. Our first program was May 3rd on the Highlights of Princeville History. Thank you Julie Delbridge of the Princeville Heritage Museum for presenting this program! During the week of May 10th, we have a slideshow presentation featuring Princeville Businesses through the years. The slideshow is available for viewing in the library or on our website, http://lmelibrary.org. It will also be shown at Community Coffee at the Princeville Heritage Museum on May 10th from 8-10am.

Our third program will be on May 17th at 2pm at the library on Caterpillar’s History in Central Illinois. We’ve had a change of speakers, and now Zack Brown from Caterpillar Inc. will discuss Caterpillar’s history and workforce recruitment through the years. Our May 24th program is on Canning Factory History in Princeville at 2pm at the library. Since 1922, the canning factory has been an important economic player in the history of Princeville. Mary Ann Mercer from Seneca Foods will present a program on the history of the canning factory and the migrant workers program. Our final program is on One Room Schoolhouses and will take place on Wednesday, May 31st at 2pm in the library. This closing program will focus on the history of education and the one-room schools houses in the Princeville area and will be presented by the Princeville Heritage Museum.

We’re not done yet--watch for other 90th anniversary activities in 2017! In September, we will be hosting Princeville Reads, community-wide reading and discussion program focusing on the book, One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson. This book is especially relevant since the LME Library was founded in 1927. Copies of the book will be available for checkout at the LME Library and all readers are encouraged to attend a discussion session. We also plan to have an open house late in 2017 to celebrate the Lillie M. Evans Library and the completion of the library addition. More details will be posted on our website at http://lmelibrary.org.

Illinois Veterans History Project

The Illinois State Library is encouraging Illinois war veterans of any conflict to join Secretary of State Jesse White’s Illinois Veterans History Project. The project is designed to create a permanent record of the names and remembrances of war veterans and civilians who served. More than a decade ago, the federal government passed a law authorizing the Library of Congress to collect and preserve the war histories of American veterans and civilians. Secretary White remains strongly committed to furthering the effort to ensure that the contributions of Illinois veterans will not be forgotten.

For more information, please visit the Veterans History Project information on Illinois State Library website at: www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/ilvetproject.html