Williamson County Illinois Historical Society

Preserving Williamson County History – A 501(C)3 Organization

Author: Sam

  • New Officers for 2015 Elected

    At an October 9th, 2014, meeting of the Williamson County Historical Society held at the museum, the following officer and directors were slated to become effective on January 1, 2015:

    • President- Sam Lattuca
    • 1st Vice President- Clarence Demattei
    • 2nd Vice President- Helen Lind
    • Secretary- Sandy Pender
    • Treasurer-Dolores Thetford
    • Director 2015- Clyde Bailey
    • Director 2016- Harry Boyd
    • Director 2017- Bob Jackson
    • In addition, no changes were made to the positions of :
    • Curator- Mary Jean DeMattei
    • Librarian- Sandy Pender
    • Quarterly Editor- Helen Lind

    Discussion was also held on new grant applications by the organization related to a potential upcoming event and also the installation of multimedia displays for use at the museum to enrich the historical experience of the museum and aid older or infirmed guests who can’t navigate the many steep staircases.

    Discussion was also held on how often the museum should be open through the winter months due to the costs of heating.

  • Cub Scout Pack 42 Tours Museum

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    Local Cub Scout Pack 42 accompanied by parents and pack leader Steve Jordan got an after hours tour of the county museum on September 23rd, 2014. Thirteen scouts were given a tour of the museum by long time Williamson County Historical Society President Bob Jackson.

    The pack was made aware of jail conditions in older times, military actions that affected the county over time, pioneer furniture and tools and explanations of artifacts of the counties past.

    Another scout troop is scheduled to tour the museum in October.

  • Baysinger Architects Host Event on October 2, 2014

    Baysinger Architects, located at 401 North Market Street in Marion, Illinois hosted an Elvis and Octoberfest Chamber after hours and open house on Thursday, October 2, 2014 from 2:00 P.M till 6:00 P.M. The event was attended by many local citizens, business owners, chamber members and school officials.

    Among the entertainment was a strolling Elvis tribute artist named Rick Ital who made himself available for photos with the guests. Those attending also got to be amazed by a magician doing tricks and snack on Elvis sliders provided by Johnny B’s Biblegrove BBQ’s as well as sample product from the Grand River Spirits Scratch Brewery. Hilary Lehew was present and served as a representative for the HUB promoting Marion’s newest recreation center project.

    The visitors also got to learn a little about Marion’s past with a presentation put on by the Williamson County Historical Society who created a display of old and new photos of downtown positioned on large downtown maps. Over 70 photos were on display for the event which included a 20 x 30 aerial view of downtown taken in the summer of 1963 and a panorama of the square from 1910. The display was organized by WCHS museum coordinator Sharon Vansaghi and director Sam Lattuca.

  • Boyd Publishes New Historical Volumes

    Harry Boyd Sept 25 2014

    Harry Boyd and his wife, Dorothy, recently published their third historical reference work entitled “Tribute to Williamson County Heroes.” Harry Boyd is a Director serving on the board of the Williamson County Historical Society. He and his wife Dorothy live in Marion and have been residents of Williamson County for over 45 years, having moved from Saline County.

    “Tribute”, is a large, four volume set that details over 8,600 men and women who served in the military and were buried in Williamson County. Harry stated, “The two requirements were that they did military service and had to be buried in this county. The rather extensive listings detail those who were in military service ranging from the Revolutionary War to current times. There were found to be five Revolutionary soldiers buried in the county, one of which was John Ellis, a free black man from N. Carolina who signed up for the Continental army on April 27, 1776. He is the only black Revolutionary war soldier buried in Williamson County and is buried near New Denison where his family lived for decades. (more…)

  • Herrin Area Historical Society to Host “A Look Back”

    HAHS Meeting notice October 2014

  • Final Herrin Massacre Tour of the season

    The Herrin Massacre Tour on Sat. Sept. 13 may be the LAST PUBLIC TOUR of the season.  Interested particiapnts are encouraged to book now. Seats are $45 and there is a special rate being offered for additional family members. Group tours and field trips are being planned for the Fall. Call 618-751-2924 or visit www.herrinmassacretour.com for seats.

  • Herrin Society to sponsor Pete Peterson, sports author

    Peterson post

    HERRIN AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY and Gordon Pruett, HAHS Board Member, have arranged to have Richard “Pete” Peterson speak on “Major League Baseball Players from the Herrin Area: Ray Chapman, Robert Veach, Ray Fosse and Others” on Friday, September 12th at 2:00 p.m.

                  Richard “Pete” Peterson is Professor Emeritus of English at Southern Illinois University and, for the past ten years, the commentator for the Reading Baseball series on WSIU-FM.  He is the author of Extra  Innings: Writing on Baseball, Growing Up with Clemente, and Pops: The Willie Stargell Story, and the editor of The Pirates Reader and The St. Louis Baseball Reader.  His baseball writings have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and his hometown Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. (He is not to be confused with another “Pete” Peterson in Marion (husband of Yolande Peterson).

  • New Book List Posted

    One of our own society members, Helen Sutt Lind, has made her books available through our website. Helen has published numerous books detailing newspaper clippings, cemetery listings and historical county records for years. Now you can order directly from Helen and help support her research. These books are invaluable reference tools for genealogical and historical research.

    Helen’s book list can be accessed from the Book Store Index page or you can go directly to it here:

    Helen Sutt Lind’s Book List

  • Herrin Area Historical Society to Encore “Looking Back”

    HAHS August Meeting Flyer BLOG 1

    The Herrin Area Historical Society will be hosting an encore of “Looking Back.”  The presentation is a nostalgic look back into Herrin’s rich history via a slide show of over 100 photographs depicting Herrin in its early days.

    The event will be held on Friday, August 15th at 6 P.M. in the Tony Galenas meeting room of the Herrin City Library. Membership is not required to attend the showing.

    Membership in the organization for 2014 dues is $25 per person and $35 for couple memberships should you desire to join.

    H.A.H.S.

    P.O. Box 127

    Herrin, Illinois 62948

  • Herrin Massacre Tour Dates Extended

    Massacre tour 2

    Due to the overwhelming popularity of the Herrin Massacre Tours, further available dates have been made available on August 8, 9, 15 and 23. The August 9th tour has already sold out. Be sure to secure tickets now, if you have an interest, since this will likely be the tours’ final dates.

    For ticket information see www.herrinmassacretours.com