Chanute Airmen Feed the Birds
Chanute Air Force Base (1917-1993) located in Rantoul, Illinois was nationally known for its training of pilots, mechanics, aerial photographers, firefighters, and missile technicians, but locally the personnel were active members of the Rantoul and wider Champaign County community. One incident I uncovered recently highlights this relationship beautifully.
Collection Highlight: Oral Histories
Transcripts of The Urbana Free Library Local History Roundtable discussions
While spending time with your family over the holidays, chances are you heard stories about the “good old days” from your grandparents, aunts or uncles, or parents. Perhaps you can’t get enough of these reminiscences. If that’s the case, check out the Champaign County Historical Archives collection of over 250 oral histories.
The Illustrious Sale Siblings
Champaign-Urbana is no stranger to the entertainment industry: it is the boyhood home of Roger Ebert; the birthplace of music group REO Speedwagon and super-villain computer HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey; and was recently the filming site of a Danny Glover movie. However, in the first half of the twentieth century, Champaign-Urbana’s biggest stars were Charles (known professionally as “Chic”) and Virginia Sale, who grew up on Main Street in Urbana.
Eisner Food Stores
In 1870, 18-year-old Albert Eisner immigrated to the United States from his home in Hungary. Upon his arrival in New York City, he was robbed of his last $20, and so he began work, first at a tailor’s shop and eventually at a dry goods store. During the next 45 years of his life, he would make his way west, settling finally in Champaign, Illinois, where he would launch the multi-generational business that would become one of the largest food sellers in central Illinois.
Ice Scraper Workout
Well folks, it is offically ice scraper weather. Stay warm and safe this weekend. Need some cold weather preparedness tips? Here is a great list of local resources put together by the librarians in Adult Services.
Photograph by Charles Webster of Rantoul, IL, 1959, Archives
- Sherrie, Archives Librarian
'Grandma' Jane Patton and her Legacy
In the far northeast corner of Champaign County lies a 19 acre tract of preserved forest land that has remained largely unchanged since the county’s formation in 1833. Patton Woods, or as it is formally known Grandma Jane Patton’s Timber Nature Preserve, is named after ‘Grandma’ Jane Patton (1824-1921) an early settler to east central Illinois.
Happy Thanksgiving from Local History and Genealogy!
In honor of Thanksgiving, here are some historical facts about to share at your dinner table. We hope you have a wonderful holiday, and we'll see you back at the Archives on Friday.
This mayoral proclamation appeared in the Champaign Gazette and Union on November 18, 1868:Champaign Gazette and Union, 18 November 1868, p. 1
Time for a Feast
Curious about how Champaign County celebrated food in years past? As we dive into a season of friends, family, and food, take a look at some culinary exhibits from the Local History and Genealogy department.
Peterson's Cafe, ca 1913; Champaign County Historical Society Photographs, Photograph 246a;
Champaign County Historical Archives, Urbana, IL.
Ice Skating on Crystal Lake, Urbana
Waiting for Crystal Lake in Urbana to freeze over used to be a much anticipated winter activity in the Urbana-Champaign area, dating back to the late nineteenth century. The article below appeared in the December 12, 1898 edition of the Champaign Daily News:
Celebrating the right to vote
In honor of Halloween and the upcoming presidential election, the Archives staff dressed our departmental pumpkin as Susan B. Anthony.
19th Century Seance in Urbana
In the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, spiritualism, the belief that the dead could communicate with the living, especially through a medium, gained popularity and renown. It was a movement that garnered ardent enthusiasm from its followers, including author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and psychologist William James, among others; and was lambasted by its detractors, such as novelist Mark Twain and magician Harry Houdini.
New Exhibit: "Window to the Past: The Everett C. Block Collection"
The Everett C. Block Collection, donated to the Champaign County Historical Archives in 2014, contains 254 glass plate negatives that document the families, houses, and farms of southeast Champaign County circa 1900-1905. Everett Block was not the original photographer of these glass plate negatives; however, he was the person who had the foresight to save, research, and share these pieces of history with others.
Archives Visitors
The Champaign County Historical Archives loves its young visitors! A few weeks ago, Miss Tiffany brought Leal School fourth graders to the Archives to show them what kind of treasures we have.
Oral History with Anh Ha Ho
Last Saturday, September 24, 2016, the Champaign-Urbana Immigration Forum held its 3rd Annual Immigrant Welcome Awards at The Urbana Free Library. There former Library board member Anh Ha Ho was honored with the 2016 Leadership Award.