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Robert H. Aiken, Tilt-Up Construction Inventor
In 1907, Robert H. Aiken (1859 - 1925) of Winthrop Harbor, Illinois invented "tilt-up construction."Aiken's fast and economical method of building concrete-walled buildings revolutionized construction...
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Girl Scouts of America
Last year marked the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts of America (1912-2012), which were formed in Savanna, Georgia by Juliette Gordon Low. To celebrate, let's take a look at Girl Scout items in...
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Silas Nichols: Last Civil War Veteran
Silas S. Nichols (1848 - 1945) was Lake County's last surviving Civil War veteran.Left to right: Civil War veterans Silas S. Nichols (145th Ohio) and Frederick Worth (96th Illinois), photographed by...
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Passenger Pigeons in Lake County
2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the extinction of the passenger pigeon. This bird once numbered in the billions in North America, but in a matter of decades market and recreational hunting drove...
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Illinois National Guard, Camp Logan
Camp Logan in Zion was an Illinois National Guard rifle range. This Guard training facility operated from 1892 to 1974 in what is now the IllinoisBeachState Park. John Alexander Logan, namesake of Camp...
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Slaves Found Freedom in Lake County
The issue of slavery was in the hearts and minds of many prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861. "The Underground Railroad" by Charles T. Webber, 1893Cincinnati Art MuseumMany citizens...
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Mastodons in Lake County
The earliest known discovery of mastodon bones in Lake County occurred in January 1876, as reported by the Waukegan Weekly Gazette: "One morning Mr. M.B. Stone, while digging sand in the pit south of...
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Women Artists and the Civil War
Artists, Edith F. Sherman and Lily Tolpo, made significant contributions to two of the county's Civil War monuments—the Soldiers and Sailors monument and Lincoln monument in Waukegan.Edith Freeman...
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Civil War Veteran - William Bonner
William Bonner, 1841 - 1863Courtesy of Bonner FamilyWilliam Bonner Jr. was one of thousands of Lake County men to enlist in the Civil War. By the summer of 1862, the war had become synonymous with...
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Antioch Theatre (1924 - )
July 26, 2014 marks the 90th anniversary of the grand opening of the Antioch Theatre building in Antioch, Illinois.Advertisement in the Antioch Newsfor the Grand Opening of theAntioch Theatre, July 26,...
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Gurnee and the Salem Witch Trials
Local lore in the Gurnee area claims that witches were burned at the stake in the early days of its settlement. Although this is one of the most far flung stories I've ever heard, it intrigued me...
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Gwinn-Loring Christmas Romance
Among the oldest items in the museum's archival collections is a diary kept by Hannah Gwinn Loring (1791 - 1847) written between 1804 - 1807. Hannah kept the diary when she was living in her hometown...
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Portrait of Levi H. Mead, 65th Illinois
This handsome portrait of Levi H. Mead, from the collections of the Lake County Discovery Museum, prompted me to research his life in Newport Township, Lake County, Illinois and his service with the...
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Bruce Jenner Physical Fitness Trail
The running and fitness craze of the 1970s, and the popularity of Olympic champion Bruce Jenner, led to the creation of the "Bruce Jenner Physical Fitness Trail" at Lakewood Forest Preserve in...
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John Hobart Jansen - First Waukegan Fireman to Die in Line of Duty
John Hobart Jansen (1861 - 1908) was the first member of the Waukegan Fire Department to die in the line of duty.The son of Prussian immigrants, John was born near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and worked on...
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The Harness Horse Racing Craze
Harness racing at McKay's race track, Waukegan, Illinois, circa 1878.(LCDM Glass Negatives Collection)Horse racing, specifically harness racing, was a wildly popular past-time in Lake County from the...
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96th Illinois Captain Blodgett's Roster
Asiel Z. Blodgett of Waukegan understood the importance of being a good leader. During the Civil War, he served as the main recruiter and Captain of Company D, 96th Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He...
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Benton Township Families
When Samuel S. Cole and Grace B. Baird married on May 27, 1859, they united two families, who were early immigrants to Lake County, Illinois and Benton Township.James Cole and Nancy Swetnum Cole left...
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Historic Minto Home, 1857 - 2016
Nearly everyday I drive past the Minto homestead on Deep Lake Road in Antioch Township. I have spent years researching and acquainting myself with this historic family of Scottish immigrants through...
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Mother Rudd's Temperance Tavern
The historic Mother Rudd House stands on the corner of Old Grand Avenue and Kilbourne Road in Gurnee. The building is a testament to Lake County's settlement period and the county's role in the...
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