How is Mary like Rod?

Here’s a conversation starter for you: What do Rod Blagojevich and Mary Lincoln have in common? (It’s not good hair.) The two are an incongruous pairing: an impeached former gover

The raucous office of Lincoln and Herndon

The Lincoln-Herndon law offices must have been like the “fun cabin” at summer camp: always messy, rarely dull and the best place to hear something interesting. William Hernd

Illinois women scorned

The long tradition of suing the guy who broke his promise

You’re an Illinois woman in the middle 1800s and you find yourself pregnant after your sweetheart — who promised marriage — left. Your reputation and chance of finding a husband are

The marvelous governor’s mansion across the street from the governor’s mansion

One of the grandest homes that Springfield has ever seen is only a memory. Not even a full photograph of it is known to exist. The home was built by Illinois Gov. Joel Matteson in

Search for Springfield roots

A different kind of Lincoln bicentennial celebration is being held in Springfield, starting March 7. It encourages everyone to search their family roots and see if they reach back to Spri

The Lincolns’ first home in Illinois

Decatur site gets new study and a makeover

When Abraham Lincoln, his father, stepmother, and step-brother first came to Illinois from Indiana, they settled in a log cabin about three miles west of Decatur on the Sangamon River. Th

Loads of Lincoln lore

There’s something for everyone at this weeklong celebration. Here’s your guide to bicentennial events.

Next week, Illinois’ favorite native son finally turns 200. After days, months, and even years of planning and preparing, Springfield residents will tip their hats to the 16th president in a

Grandson of Free Frank, an early inventor with Springfield roots

Did John McWorter ever get his helicopter off the ground?

Many of us have heard about New Philadelphia, the racially integrated town in west central Illinois established by former slave “Free Frank” McWorter in 1836. Free Frank was an

Memories of Christmases past

Candles and popcorn strings on the tree, and the rare fruit treat in your stocking — they were all part of Christmases past. And they’re so removed from our modern lives, which

The First Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum

How a deadbeat huckster saved history

When the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum opened, it was heralded as the first of its kind. However, there was an unofficial version housed in the Lincoln Home from 1884 to 1893. It wa