Illinois Adventure #1503 Illinois' Oldest Statehouse in Vandalia
The Vandalia State House, the fourth Illinois statehouse, served as the capitol from 1836 until 1839 and is the oldest surviving capitol building in the state. The state's first capitol was at Kaskaskia (1818-1820). The second (1820-1823), third (1824-1836), and fourth (1836-1839) were at Vandalia. The fifth (1839-1876) is in Springfield and is preserved as the Old State Capitol State Historic Site. The sixth is the current capitol (1876-present) in Springfield.
Illinois Adventure #1503 Old State Cemetery In Vandalia, Illinois
On June 12, 1823, the Third General Assembly conveyed to the City of Vandalia one and a half acres of land to be used as a burial ground. One-half acre was to be reserved for members of the legislature who might die while serving at the Capitol in Vandalia, should weather prevent their transfer home for burial. Four legislators and one Federal Judge were buried there. Also buried in the Old State Cemetery are Ferdinand Ernst, who brought more than 100 colonists here from Hanover, Germany in 1820; Col. Robert Blackwell, state printer from 1818-1839; Elijah Conway Berry, editor of the Illinois Intelligencer,1817 - 1820, State Auditor 1819-1831; Col. William C. Greenup, 1785-1853, superintendent in charge of construction of the National Road in Illinois; and Col. Lucien Greathouse, who served in the Civil War under General Sherman. There are also three Confederate Soldiers and a blockade runner buried in the old cemetery. Today, the Old State Cemetery hosts one of the most popular community events. Each fall, the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and the Friends of the Old State Capitol hosts Theatrical Epitaphs, a cemetery walk featuring local residents portraying some of the early residents of Vandalia, lllinois who are buried in the Old State Cemetery.
Bicentennial of Illinois: Vandalia
Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza produced a series of videos to commemorate the Bicentennial of Illinois. These videos will take a deeper look into cities that played a role in shaping our rich history.
The second video of the series is about Vandalia, the state’s second capital.
“My job as Comptroller takes me all over Illinois, as I meet with businesses and non-profits who suffered through late payments from the state during the two-year budget impasse and are still being brought up to speed, Comptroller Mendoza said. “Along the way, I am lucky to get the chance to learn about our state’s history and I’m excited to share some of that history with state residents through videos we taped – at no cost to the state – to celebrate Illinois’ Bicentennial.”
Central Illinois Life of Lincoln: Part 2
Central Illinois was once the stomping ground of President Lincoln. Relive his remarkable legacy as you explore everything from his parents home at the Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site to the Vandalia Statehouse where Lincoln assumed his first statewide office. visitLandofLincoln.com
Kaskaskia Bell
The Kaskaskia Bell State Memorial is a brick building that houses a bell cast in 1741 by King Louis XV (1710-1774) of France as a gift to the Catholic Church of the Illinois Country. Originally located at the Immaculate Conception Parish at Kaskaskia, the bell was rung by villagers to celebrate their July 4, 1778 liberation from the British by American Colonel George Rogers Clark (1752-1818). It became known as the Liberty Bell of the West. The Memorial also contains murals depicting scenes from Kaskaskia history.
An annual Independence Day program celebrates the July 4, 1778 capture of Kaskaskia by Virginia troops commanded by George Rogers Clark during the Revolutionary War. Contact the Fort Kaskaskia site for details.
Bicentennial of Illinois: Kaskaskia
Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza produced a series of videos to commemorate the Bicentennial of Illinois. These videos will take a deeper look into cities that played a role in shaping our rich history.
The video kicking off the series is about Kaskaskia, the state’s first capital.
“My job as Comptroller takes me all over Illinois, as I meet with businesses and non-profits who suffered through late payments from the state during the two-year budget impasse and are still being brought up to speed, Comptroller Mendoza said. “Along the way, I am lucky to get the chance to learn about our state’s history and I’m excited to share some of that history with state residents through videos we taped – at no cost to the state – to celebrate Illinois’ Bicentennial.”
Kaskaskia: First Capital of Illinois
The 2010 census shows Kaskaskia is now only the second-least populated Illinois town.
Illinois Adventure #1406 Old State Capitol
The Old State Capitol is a reconstruction of Illinois' fifth statehouse, the first to be located in Springfield. The building served as the seat of state government and a center of Illinois political life from 1839 to 1876. During the dramatic years leading to the Civil War, the building had an important role in the political struggle between Stephen A. Douglas (1813-1861) and Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865). Lincoln visited the building frequently as both a lawyer and a politician, serving in the building during his last term in the Illinois House of Representatives and delivering the famous 1858 House Divided speech in Representatives Hall, and using the governor's rooms as a headquarters during the 1860 presidential campaign. The building was the scene of the assassinated President's final laying-in-state on May 3-4, 1865.
Illinois Adventure #1802 The National Road Interpreter Center
Located in Vandalia, Illinois, the Historic National Road Interpretive Center tells the story of our nation's first national road that linked the newly formed states to the East Coast. Commissioned by Thomas Jefferson in 1806, the road connected the newly formed state capitals, and was designed to facilitate trade and immigration. At the Interpretive Center learn about the road's construction, the people involved and artifacts from the era.
Kaskaskia, Illinois
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Kaskaskia is a historically important village in Randolph County, Illinois, United States.In the 2010 census the population was 14, making it the second-smallest incorporated community in the State of Illinois in terms of population, behind Valley City .As a major French colonial town of the Illinois Country, in the 18th century its peak population was about 7,000, when it was a regional center.During the American Revolutionary War, the town, which by then had become an administrative center for the British Province of Quebec, was taken by the Virginia militia during the Illinois campaign.
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Kaskaskia, Illinois
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Driving around the central area that is Kaskaskia, Illinois. Kaskaskia is the former capital of Illinois and is now an island in the Mississippi River.
Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site
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Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site is a 200-acre park near Chester, Illinois, on a blufftop overlooking the Mississippi River.It commemorates the vanished frontier town of Old Kaskaskia and the support it gave to George Rogers Clark in the American Revolution.
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Illinois Adventure #1703 Lincoln's Tomb
Dedicated in 1874, Lincoln Tomb is the final resting place of Abraham Lincoln, his wife Mary, and three of their four sons, Edward, William, and Thomas. Also on the site is the public receiving vault, constructed ca. 1860, the scene of funeral services for Abraham Lincoln on May 4, 1865. In 1960 the Tomb was designated a National Historic Landmark and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
The 117-foot Tomb, designed by sculptor Larkin Mead, is constructed of brick sheathed with Quincy granite. The base is 72-foot square with large semi-circular projections on the north and south sides. Double sets of north and south stairs lead to a terrace, above which rises the obelisk. At the corners of the shaft, large pedestals serve as bases for four bronze sculptures, each with a group of figures representing one of the four Civil War services—infantry, artillery, cavalry, and navy. A taller base on the obelisk's south side holds a heroic bronze statue of Lincoln. At the Tomb entrance is a bronze reproduction of Gutzon Borglum's marble head of Lincoln, located in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
The Old State Capitol of Springfield, Illinois
This is a virtual tour of Springfield, Illinois' Old State Capitol located on 5th and Washington. Narrated by noted Lincoln historian Wayne C. Temple. Photographed and produced by Michael J. Vera Eastmond of the Illinois State Historical Society.
#3 Cahokia Mounds State Park, Illinois
Day 28-3 6-5-17 We (meaning Bruce) goes to the top of the mound.
Illinois Adventure #1901 Saline Creek Pioneer Village and Museum
The Saline Creek Pioneer Village & Museum is a place to see and touch memories. Located on the south side of Harrisburg, there is a sign on Hwy 13. The grounds were an original 175 acres when purchased in 1863 by the county for $1,402.50 to be used as a place for those who could not care for themselves. Over the years the Saline County Pauper Farm was sold with only 3 1/2 acres remaining today. It is now leased to the Saline County Historical Society and is on the National Register of Historical Places.
The Pioneer Village represents a pioneer settlement of the era 1800 to 1840. It contains a Blockhouse, a saddle bag cabin, a barn with a threshing floor (one of the few remaining in the United States), a post office, a school, a Quaker Church, a jail, and a regular cabin. The Ford-Wilson (pirates) cabin from Elizabethtown will be redone and open later this year. Using authentic cabins, of the era, the village was re-created by John Allen the noted author of the book Legends and Lore of Southern Illinois.
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Illinois Adventure #1604 Vermilion County War Museum
The Vermilion County War Museum is located in Danville, IL in the original public library building. Constructed in 1903, the Illinois War Museum displays memorabilia and artifacts from the Revolutionary War to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Avenue of Flags | Vandalia, IL | Crawford - Hale American Legion Post 95
On Memorial Day 1968, Crawford - Hale American Legion Post 95 in Vandalia, IL, started a display of the United States Flag called the Avenue of Flags. The flag display has become a local tradition on just about every Memorial Day and Veterans Day... since its 1968 debut.
Vandalia, IL is a historic community where Abraham Lincoln started his career in Illinois State government.
This is the story about how one former American Legion Post-Commander's dream... became a local Vandalia tradition
In 1968, the flag display was started with only 125 United States Flags, today, over 2000 flags are displayed throughout the City of Vandalia, IL on Memorial Day and Veterans Day... weather permitting.
This Video is Dedicated to all Past and Present Donors, Area Volunteers,
Crawford - Hale American Legion Post 95 Members and Post Auxiliary Members who have made the Avenue of Flags possible.
Illinois Adventure #1504 Villa Kathrine Castle
Just south of Warsaw on the Mississippi there stands a Moorish castle. Inside, ornate wooden lattice work twists shadows up the walls of a narrow stairway. Railings, doors, windows, ceilings, all are beautifully carved. It is as if you stepped into a rich merchant's home in northern Africa but there is no furniture. George Metz, rich playboy and world traveler of the late 1800s, built the castle for his sweetheart, who died before its completion. Rumor also has it that Metz buried his pet dog Bingo with a big cache of gold somewhere on the property. Numerous attempts to exhume Bingo have proved fruitless.