Program info & archives
Story Subject Category: Historical Landmarks
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Before the industrial revolution, the blacksmith was a vital part of most successful towns in America. Modern machines and mass production may have made the village smithy a thing of the past. But the blacksmithing tradition lives on. Jared Collins visited a gathering of blacksmiths and woodwrights at the John Deere Historic Site in Grand Detour, IL and saw how the trades of shaping metal and wood using hand tools is still very much alive.
Segment duration: 5:35
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Producer: Jared Collins and Steve Drake
Editor: Jared Collins and Steve Drake
This segment is filed in these categories: Agriculture/Agribusiness • Ethnicity/Culture • Historical Landmarks • Grand Detour
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Starved Rock State Park is located just south of Utica, Ill. Its 18 canyons were formed by melting waters from glaciers. The erosion created spectacular rock formations in the surrounding sandstone bluffs. Producer Brian Paris and videographer Virginia Steffen visited the park to see for themselves what makes Starved Rock so special.
Segment duration: 8:00
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Producer: Steve Drake and Brian Paris
Editor: Steve Drake and Tristan Riddell
This segment is filed in these categories: Environment • Historical Landmarks • Illinois Culture/History • Native Americana • Parks/Outdoor Recreation • Travel • Utica
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We meet photographer David Wiegers, of Gurnee, Ill., who is traveling across American documenting the many sculptures, monuments and other public artworks dedicated to Abraham Lincoln, including those located on the University of Illinois campus.Over the past few years, Wiegers has photographed over 200 statues and monuments dedicated to our 16th president. Series Producer Steve Drake caught up with Wiegers when he visited the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus to photograph one of those Lincoln artworks, the relief sculptures that adorn the walls on the university’s own Lincoln Hall.
Segment duration: 06:02
Producer: Steve Drake
Editor: Jared Collins and Steve Drake
This segment is filed in these categories: Architecture • Arts/Culture • Historical Landmarks • History • Illinois Culture/History • Photography • Travel • Champaign • Lincoln • University of Illinois • Urbana
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Nestled along the bluffs of the Mississippi River, Collinsville, Ill., is home to the world’s largest catsup bottle. The bottle, formerly a water tower for a local catsup bottling plant, had become a bit of an eyesore by the late 1990s. The company that owned it was reluctant to do upkeep and maintenance. By 1993, the plant and the bottle were up for sale. After a community outcry, the town saved the famous bottle.
Segment duration: 05:03
Story links:
Producer: Virginia Steffen
This segment is filed in these categories: Historical Landmarks • Illinois Culture/History • Collinsville • Villa Grove
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Segment duration: 06:12
Producer: Eleanore Stasheff
This segment is filed in these categories: Historical Landmarks • Parks/Outdoor Recreation
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Allerton Park is truly an oasis on the prairie. When you walk through the shaded canopy on a hot summer day, it is incredible to think that Robert Allerton built the entire park out of nothing. The place was the vision of one man and we are lucky that he chose to let us all enjoy it. Eleanore Stasheff’s story does a wonderful job of explaining the history of the park and lets people in on the behind the scenes stories of its creation. My favorite is that the Sun Singer Statue was to originally sit on the patio. But when it arrived from the sculptor, it was quite a bit larger than expected. If placed on the patio, guests would gaze out the parlor windows to be greeted by the Sun Singer’s private parts! I hope this story looking back at the history of the park helps people appreciate this wonderful gift to central Illinois and that all will help to keep the park around for future generation.
Segment duration: 05:41
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Producer: Alison Davis Wood
This segment is filed in these categories: Arts/Culture • Historical Landmarks • Horticulture • Illinois Culture/History • Parks/Outdoor Recreation • University of Illinois • Champaign County • University of Illinois
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The Cahokia Mounds story grabbed my interest immediately because I had never heard that there was once a prosperous Native American city in the Americas. Growing up, the TV shows and movies I had seen always portrayed Native Americans as loose collections of people who were constantly on the move. I had never considered that the ancient residents of America had built long-standing, sedentary communities with complex social structures, sprawling community squares, and ceremonial earthen mounds.
Once we arrived in Cahokia for the video shoot, I was shocked to see that the highway ran right through the middle of this historic site. I was also saddened to learn that many of the mounds in the area have been leveled because of farming, construction, or landscaping efforts over the decades. I’m glad that the site is now recognized for its cultural importance and hope that continued research at the site helps increase the general public’s understanding and appreciation for this unique bit of America’s past. The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site has a great Web site (http://www.cahokiamounds.com) detailing the history of this ancient city in the middle of Illinois.
Segment duration: 02:56
Story links:
Producer: Alison Davis Wood
This segment is filed in these categories: Ethnicity/Culture • Historical Landmarks • History • Landscape • Illinois Culture/History • Libraries/Museums/Cultural Centers • Native Americana • Parks/Outdoor Recreation
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In the summer of 2006 I got a call from Will Stone. He was asking when we could come down to do a story on his museum in Taylorville. I was a bit confused since I had just returned from maternity leave and could not remember talking to him. But over the conversation I learned that he was a former miner that was dedicated to preserving the history of mining in Illinois. He told me he used to work in the Peabody number 10 mine. My father had friends that worked in that mine and he even had the chance to go visit them underground. My Dad had said it was an incredible experience since the place was so huge, It was an underground city. Then that same week I was in the car with my family and my husband turned on a CD. The first same was “Dark as a Dungeon” by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The powerful words reminded me of Will and I knew I had to do the story on the Christian County Coal Mining Museum. When Julius, Virginia and I showed up to tape the story, Will had invited some of his friends to the museum. The stories they shared with us about working in the mines were incredible. Will was a very gracious host. I brought with me some mining artifacts that belonged to my husband’s grandfather who had worked in the mines in southern Illinois. Will explained what they were small lanterns that used to hang on the miners hats. He even gave me an extra “soft hat” that he had at the museum so that I could display them properly at home. I encourage anyone who is interested in Illinois history to visit this unique museum in Taylorville. And tell Will that I said hello.
Segment duration: 07:58
Producer: Alison Davis Wood
This segment is filed in these categories: Historical Landmarks • History • Illinois Culture/History • Parks/Outdoor Recreation • Taylorville
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What if we could hop on electric train that could take us home even if we lived in rural Champaign County? Or we could ride that train into town to do grocery shopping? ... Is this a glimpse of the future?... No, it is a look back to the days of the Illinois traction system. This electric train system connected central Illinois with the Midwest. We were lucky to have Illinois Traction Historian Dale Jenkins to tell us the history of the transportation system that was also responsible for bringing electricity to many rural communities. Ian Mitchell produced this story because he had tales of the inter-urban as he was growing up in Tolono. His grandmother is featured in the segment. ... written by Alison Davis Wood
Segment duration: 07:28
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Producer: Ian Mitchell
This segment is filed in these categories: Historical Landmarks • History • Illinois Culture/History • Railroads • Champaign County
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Many towns around central Illinois are trying or have tried to save their major downtown theater. Champaign is succeeding. The Virginia has been serving the community for 80 years. Thankfully local people thought enough of this historic landmark to keep it open. It remains a place to catch local theater, national acts and film festivals. This story produced by longtime Champaign-Urbana theater person Chris Stasheff examines the history of this beautiful building, but also reveals how much is left to be done.
Segment duration: 04:56
Story links:
Producer: Alison Davis Wood
This segment is filed in these categories: Arts/Culture • Cinema/Theaters/Film • Historical Landmarks • Illinois Culture/History • Champaign • Champaign County
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