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#SmallTownSaturday – Chatsworth, IL

Sketch of "The Great Chatsworth Wreck"
*Originally posted on September 23, 2017*

This week we’re visiting Chatsworth, Illinois (population 1,140) for #SmallTownSaturday!

Originally an indigenous settlement dating to at least 1774 known as Kickapoo Grove, the site of present-day Chatsworth was uninhabited by white settlers until 1832, when a small number began moving into the area in the midst of the Black Hawk War. Aggression against Native Americans soon drove the Kickapoo across the Mississippi.

By the time the Kickapoo people had been removed from the village, all of the white families save one – the Olivers – had relocated to Indiana. Renaming his slice of the county Oliver Grove, Franklin Oliver and his family lived alone in the area until the mid-1850s, when new residents began building their homes nearby.

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#SmallTownSaturday – New Philadelphia, IL

New Philadelphia, IL

New Philadelphia, Illinois is the first known town in the United States to have been established, planned, and registered by an African American man. The town, founded by “Free” Frank McWorter in 1836, reached its peak population in 1865 with 160 individuals and 29 households. It was a racially integrated community long before the Civil War.

Frank McWorter was born a slave in South Carolina. In his early twenties, he was able to purchase the freedom of his wife, Lucy, for $800. Two years later, he purchased his own for the same price. Eventually, Frank bought the freedom of at least 15 family members, including his children, by working at a saltpeter mine.… Read More

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#SmallTownSaturday – Kaskaskia, IL

Map of Kaskaskia that appears in Natalia Belting's "Pierre of Kaskaskia"

*Originally posted on August 26, 2017*

The wait is over! This week we’re traveling to Kaskaskia (pop. 14) in southwestern Illinois.

The modern day town of Kaskaskia is actually the sixth settlement named Kaskaskia in Illinois. The first Kaskaskia was located near present-day Utica, Illinois, across the Illinois River from Starved Rock. The village, named after the Kaskaskia tribe inhabiting the area, moved south along the Illinois River until it reached its present location in 1703. It was there that French traders settled down with the Kaskaskia and the Jesuit missionaries who had accompanied the tribe on their migration.… Read More

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Bicentennial Celebration – February

Oscar Stanton De Priest

Not only is February the second month of the Illinois bicentennial (1818-2018), it’s also Black History Month! To celebrate, we’re bringing you 28 days of trivia, quotes, fun facts, and more about the lives and legacies of African Americans in Illinois history. You can follow along on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and our blog.

Pictured above is Chicagoan Oscar Stanton De Priest, the first African American elected to Congress in the 20th century.

Want to learn more about African American history in the Prairie State? Come visit us, give us a call, or send us an email or message! We’d love to help.… Read More