
1860 photo taken 4 days after Mr.
Lincoln visited Lincoln, Illinois, for the last time. Info at 3 below.
This President
grew;
His town does too.
Link to Lincoln:
Lincoln & Logan County Development Partnership
Site Map
Testimonials
Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission of Lincoln, IL
1.
Abraham Lincoln and the Historic Postville
Courthouse,
including a William Maxwell connection to the Postville Courthouse
2.
About Henry Ford and the Postville Courthouse,
the Story of the Postville Courthouse Replica,
Tantivy, & the Postville Park
Neighborhood in the
Route 66 Era
3.
The Rise of Abraham Lincoln and His History and
Heritage in His First Namesake Town,
also the founding of Lincoln College, the plot to steal Lincoln's
body, and memories of Lincoln College and the Rustic Tavern-Inn
4.
Introduction to the Social & Economic History of
Lincoln, Illinois,
including poetry by William Childress & commentary by Federal Judge
Bob Goebel & Illinois Appellate Court Judge Jim Knecht
5.
"Social Consciousness in William Maxwell's
Writings Based on Lincoln, Illinois" (an article published in the
Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, winter 2005-06)
5.a.
Peeking Behind the Wizard's Screen: William
Maxwell's Literary Art as Revealed by a Study of the Black Characters in
Billie Dyer and Other Stories
6.
Introduction to the Railroad & Route 66 Heritage
of Lincoln, Illinois
7.
The Living Railroad Heritage of Lincoln, Illinois:
on Track as a Symbol of the "Usable Past"
8.
Route 66 Overview Map of Lincoln with 42 Sites,
Descriptions, & Photos
9.
The Hensons of Business Route 66
10.
The Wilsons of Business
Route 66, including the Wilson Grocery & Shell
Station
11.
Route 66 Map & Photos Showing Lincoln Memorial
Park
(former Chautauqua site),
the Historic Cemeteries, & Nearby Sites
12.
Route 66 Map & Photos Showing Salt Creek &
Cemetery Hill,
including
the highway bridges, GM&O bridge, Madigan State Park, the old dam (with
photos & Leigh's memoir of "shooting the rapids" over the old dam), &
the Ernie Edwards' Pig-Hip Restaurant Museum in Broadwell
13.
The Historic Logan County Courthouse, Past &
Present
14.
Route 66 Map with 51 Sites in the Business &
Courthouse Square Historic District,
including locations of historical markers
(on the National Register of Historic Places)
15.
Vintage Scenes of the Business & Courthouse Square
Historic District
16.
The Foley House: A
Monument to Civic Leadership
(on the National Register of
Historic Places)
17.
Agriculture in
the Route 66 Era
18.
Arts & Entertainment Heritage,
including
the Lincoln Theatre Roy Rogers' Riders Club of the
1950s
19.
Business Heritage
20.
Cars, Trucks & Gas Stations of the Route 66 Era
21.
Churches, including the hometown
churches of Author William Maxwell & Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr
22.
Factories, Past and Present
23.
Food Stores of
the Route 66 Era
24.
Government
25.
Hospitals, Past and Present
26.
Hotels & Restaurants of the Railroad & Route 66
Eras
27.
Lincoln Developmental Center
(Lincoln State School & Colony in
the Route 66 era), plus
debunking the myth of
Lincoln, Illinois, choosing the Asylum over the University of Illinois
28.
Mining Coal, Limestone, & Sand & Gravel; Lincoln Lakes; & Utilities
29.
Museums & Parks, including the Lincoln College
Museum and its Abraham Lincoln Collection, plus the Heritage-in-Flight
Museum
30.
Neighborhoods
with Distinction
31.
News Media in the Route 66 Era
32.
The Odd Fellows' Children's Home
33.
Schools
34.
Memories of the 1900 Lincoln Community High School,
including Fred Blanford's dramatic account of the lost marble
fountain of youth
35.
A Tribute to the Historians and Advocates of
Lincoln, Illinois
36.
Watering Holes of the Route 66 Era
37.
The Historic 1953 Centennial Celebration of
Lincoln, Illinois
38.
The Festive 2003 Sesqui-centennial Celebration of
Lincoln, Illinois, including photos of LCHS Class of 1960
dignitaries & the Blanfords
39.
Why Did the State Police Raid Lincoln, Illinois,
on October 11, 1950?
40.
The Gambling Raids in Lincoln and Logan County,
Illinois,
During the Late Route 66 Era (1950-1960)
_______
Pages
in this section tell about Leigh Henson's Lincoln years, moving away,
revisits, and career:
About Lincoln, Illinois;
This Web Site; & Me
A Tribute to Lincolnite Edward Darold
Henson: World War II U.S. Army Veteran of the Battles for Normandy and
the Hedgerows; Brittany and Brest; and the Ardennes (Battle of the
Bulge)
For Remembrance, Understanding, & Fun: Lincoln
Community High School Mid-20th-Century Alums' Internet Community
(a Web site and
email exchange devoted to collaborative memoir and the sharing of photos
related to Lincoln, Illinois)
Leigh Henson's Pilgrimage to Lincoln, Illinois, on
July 12, 2001
Leigh Henson's
Review of Dr. Burkhardt's William Maxwell Biography
Leigh Henson's Review of Ernie Edwards' biography,
Pig-Hips on Route 66, by William Kaszynski
Leigh Henson's Review of Jan Schumacher's
Glimpses of Lincoln, Illinois
Teach Local Authors: Considering the Literature of
Lincoln, Illinois
Web Site About
Leigh Henson's Professional Life
__________
Pages
in this section are about the writing, memorabilia, and Web sites of
other Lincolnites:
A Tribute to Bill and Phyllis Stigall:
Exemplary Faculty of Lincoln College at Mid-Twentieth Century
A Tribute to the Krotzes of Lincoln, Illinois
A Tribute to Robert Wilson (LCHS '46): Author of
Young in Illinois, Movies Editor of December Magazine,
Friend and Colleague of December Press Publisher Curt Johnson, and
Correspondent with William Maxwell
Brad Dye (LCHS '60): His Lincoln, Illinois, Web
Site,
including photos of many churches
Dave Armbrust's Memorabilia of Lincoln, Illinois
J. Richard
(JR) Fikuart
(LCHS '65):
The
Fikuarts of Lincoln, Illinois, including their
connections to the William Maxwell family and three generations of
family fun at Lincoln Lakes
Jerry Gibson (LCHS '60): Lincoln, Illinois,
Memoirs & Other Stories
Dave Johnson (LCHS '56): His Web Site for the
Lincoln Community High School Class of 1956
Sportswriter David Kindred: Memoir of His
Grandmother Lena & Her West Side Tavern on Sangamon Street in the Route
66 Era
Judge Jim Knecht
(LCHS '62): Memoir and Short Story, "Other People's Money," Set in
Hickey's Billiards on Chicago Street in the Route 66 Era
William A. "Bill" Krueger (LCHS '52): Information
for His Books About Murders in Lincoln
Norm Schroeder (LCHS '60): Short Stories
Stan Stringer Writes About His Family, Mark
Holland, and Lincoln, Illinois
Thomas Walsh: Anecdotes Relating to This Legendary
Attorney from Lincoln by Attorney Fred Blanford & Judge Jim Knecht
Leon Zeter (LCHS '53): His Web Site for the
Lincoln Community High School Class of 1953,
including announcements of LCHS class reunions
(Post yours there.)
__________
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Highway Sign of
the Times:
1926-1960
The Route 66
Association of Illinois
The Illinois
State Historical Society
Illinois
Tourism Site:
Enjoy Illinois
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Marquee Lights of the Lincoln Theatre, est. 1923, Lincoln, Illinois |
Leigh Henson's Review of Glimpses of Lincoln, Illinois
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Schumacher, Jan. Glimpses of Lincoln, Illinois: An
Inside Look at Abraham Lincoln's Namesake City Nestled Along Route 66
(Lincoln, IL: Lincoln Printers, 155 pages, 5.5"x8.5,"
including four pages of black-and-white photos).

Jan Schumacher
In April of 2007, Jan Schumacher emailed me to ask
if I would be interested in writing a review of her book, Glimpses of
Lincoln, Illinois, and I happily agreed. Since 2001, Ms. Schumacher has
written a weekly column for the Lincoln Courier, and her book is a
collection of 36 of these essays. In the preliminary pages, Ms.
Schumacher thanks the Courier's managing editor, Jeff Nelson, for his
cooperation and praises her husband, Steve, for his proofreading skill.
Indeed, Glimpses is one of the most typo-free, self-published books I
have ever seen.
This book is also attractively printed with a
heavy, glossy cover (depicted below), good paper for interior pages, and a
sans serif font in a crisp, large- enough size to make reading easy.
Attention to these details complements the book's worthy purposes and
engaging content. Lincoln Printers did an excellent job with this publication.
The foreword was written by Paul Beaver, Professor
Emeritus of History at Lincoln College. He praises the book as "a very
entertaining look at the great variety of people who make up our hometown. .
. . It is a fun book [that] will prove very enjoyable reading to those of
all ages." This reviewer completely agrees.
In this review, I describe Ms. Schumacher's
purposes in this book, present its table of contents, analyze the book's
content and style, and comment on its significance to Lincoln and Logan County,
Illinois.

Ms. Schumacher's Professional
Writing Background
At my request Jan offers the following summary of
her qualifications as a professional writer:
"Jan Schumacher was one of the lucky people who knew what profession she
wanted to pursue at an early age, deciding in junior high that she wanted to
be a writer. After graduating from Northern Arizona University with a degree
in journalism, her writing career has given her some unique opportunities.
She was a news reporter for the Las Vegas Review Journal, did public
relations for Nevada Power Company in Las Vegas, worked as press secretary
to Congressman Harry Reid in Washington, D.C. and was head of the tourism
bureau in Oxnard, California. She and her husband Steve moved to Lincoln 16
years ago when he began teaching at Zion Lutheran School, where he is now
principal. She currently writes a weekly newspaper column and reviews plays
for the Lincoln Courier."
Jan Schumacher's essays about Lincoln and Logan
County, Illinois, benefit from a double advantage: first, her essays are
polished and make for easy reading because she uses the knowledge and skill
that she developed while earning her journalism degree and gaining
experience on the job. Secondly, as a someone who grew up in the South and
West, she brings a fresh, insightful perspective to her Midwestern material.
Collectively, her essays are about much of Lincoln's small-town past and
present, and she finds much to celebrate in the story of the first Lincoln
namesake town.
Glimpses' Purposes and
Audiences
In July of 2003 when I first published this
community history Web site titled Mr. Lincoln, Route 66, and Other
Highlights of Lincoln, I stated its purposes on the homepage
(Introduction): "This site
aims to strengthen the civic pride of former and current (and future) Lincolnites
and to encourage people to visit this historic central Illinois city
(heritage tourism)." Glimpses of Lincoln, Illinois, shares in both of
these purposes.
In their original appearance as essays in a
small-town daily newspaper, their prime purpose has been to increase
community pride. These essays both gently remind long-time locals not to take the
familiar for granted and pleasantly inform non-native Lincolnites of the
qualities that give this community and surrounding area their distinction,
especially some their
kind, generous, and talented people.
These essays will also appeal to a wider audience
because they capture the best of the Midwest. This book should give the
readers who travel between Chicago and St. Louis great reasons to get off
the Interstate at Lincoln, explore its sites associated with Abraham Lincoln
and Route 66, and enjoy the museums, downtown historic district
architecture, restaurants, and specialty shops as well as the friendly
people connected with them.
Table of Contents
As indicated below, the table of contents
classifies the essays under three headings: history, community, and people:
History:
Community:
People:
The last page is titled "More Information on
Lincoln": Contact information for the Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of
Commerce, the Lincoln & Logan County Development Partnership, the Abraham
Lincoln Tourism Bureau of Logan County, Main Street Lincoln, and the Route 66
Heritage Foundation of Logan County.
Analysis of Content
Typically the titles of the essays concisely name
their subject matter, and collectively the titles indicate the impressive,
broad scope of the book. Also, Ms. Schumacher's knowledge of this community
is based on a wide range of source material. It includes published sources
such as Lawrence B. Stringer's classic History of Logan County 1911,
but her greatest resources are her personal observations and experiences in
the community. Just as we see in Nancy Lawrence Gehlbach's remarkable essays
in Our Times, Jan Schumacher's essays gain from a commendable talent
for finding and quoting perceptive local citizens. At the heart of both of
these writers' works are concise, apt comments from people ranging from
community leaders to ordinary folks.
Ms. Schumacher wisely devotes the first section of
her book to local history. The essays dealing with the Abraham Lincoln
heritage and the lore (and lure) of Route 66 connect all kinds of readers with the
essence of the first Lincoln namesake town and Logan County.
"Sesquicentennial Song" is notable for its account of how a local teacher,
Ruth Freesmeier, involved her students at Carroll Catholic School in
researching the town's history in order to write the lyrics to a song titled
"A Lincoln Sesquicentennial Tribute." Using these lyrics, 1997 Carroll
graduate Jason Yarcho, then a music major at Eastern Illinois University,
composed the song. When Mayor Beth Davis heard about this project, she "was
so impressed. . .she decided it should be sung at the re-enactment of the
[town's] christening." Undoubtedly this is the best kind of history lesson
because it connects the past, present, and future as many of the students
will cherish this memory. "Sesquicentennial Song" includes the complete
lyrics.
The four essays on the Route 66 describe the
alignments and heritage of the Mother Road in Lincoln and Logan County.
Examples are cited of visitors to these sites, including many tourists from
other countries. In "Preserving the Mill," Ms. Schumacher describes the efforts of
Geoff Ladd, director of the Abraham Lincoln Tourism Bureau of Logan County,
to save part of the Mill restaurant, home of a famous schnitzel, as a Route
66 museum and photo attraction.
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One of Four Pages of Photos
in Glimpses of Lincoln, Illinois
As someone who was born and raised in Lincoln but
who has lived several years in the Missouri Ozarks, I
am especially interested in how Ms. Schumacher finds central Illinois
culture different from the other sections of the country where she has
lived. "Estate Auctions" describes a new kind of event for the author, and
this essay features the observations of auctioneers Mike Maske and
Col. Dan White and his wife, Pam. All readers of this essay will find their
observations interesting and informative.
Rather than vent about "culture shock,"
Jan Schumacher finds positive ways to adapt. For example, in "Funeral
Visitations," she notes the absence of these visitations in the Southern and Western places
where she has lived and then writes, "Over the years, I've changed my
opinion about viewing the body. At first it seemed morbid and unnecessary.
Now I see how viewing the body of the deceased helps bring closure in the
grieving process. It also presents death as part of life, rather than
something hidden away."
In "Picturesque Central Illinois," the author
describes how her attitude changed toward the geography and climate of this
locale. As a college student traveling from Texas to Champaign, Illinois,
"on a snowy December day, I had looked at the stark, desolate countryside
and thought. . . , 'Who would ever want to live here?'" "My impression
changed completely when I moved to Lincoln in 1991. I now treasure the many
picturesque scenes I've discovered throughout Logan County. . . . I
especially enjoy the beauty of the seasons."
All of Ms. Schumacher's essays express a positive
attitude toward her material. The only essay in which she even hints at a
complaint about her adopted community is "LJHS Building," which offers
friendly advice. This essay
is a lament for the loss of the 1925 red-brick Lincoln Junior High School
(originally, part of the Lincoln Community High School complex) on Broadway
Street. She observes that the loss of this building is a part of a trend to
demolish historic schools. She tactfully counsels: "Some of our historic buildings are
important because they're beautiful and Lincoln would be less attractive
without them. Others are worth saving because they have plenty of good use
left in them. Some places are worth saving because they link us with our
past and help us understand where we've come from and who we are."
In such other essays as "Historic Preservation" and
"Logan County Courthouse," Ms. Schumacher documents the efforts to preserve
local historic structures. In "Historic Preservation," she tells about Tom
O'Donohue's work to restore the former J.C. Penny Building on north Kickapoo
Street and about the success of Greg and Julie Tarter in restoring the
former Landauer Building, which is the location of their Hallmark store on
Broadway Street.
The final essay is "Help with Tornado Clean-up"
(June 7, 2003). Since these essays portray the willingness of many people to
be involved in improving their local community, this essay is especially
appropriate as the last in the collection. In this crisis, government
agencies from the local fire and police to the Emergency Services Disaster
officials did exactly what their jobs required. Much of the clean-up was
done by local volunteers. "'I knew I had good neighbors, but wow,'" said
Bridget Schneider, whose recently renovated farm house was destroyed by the
tornado. 'I couldn't believe it when everyone came to help us. The response
has been absolutely fantastic.'"
"Schneider herself showed community commitment by
handing out diplomas as a Lincoln Community High School board member at the
LCHS graduation the night after the tornado devastated her home."
Analysis of Style
These essays, averaging just two or three pages, are
truly entertaining, informative, and easy to read. The paragraphs and sentences are short and characterized
by plain English, as the quoted passages above show. The readable style of
this book makes it accessible to readers of all ages.
Conclusion
Glimpses of Lincoln, Illinois, is a fine
addition to the growing body of literature about Lincoln and Logan County.
This book will have a special appeal to former residents, offering them a
way to reconnect and to tune in to present-day hometown folks and
activities. Of course, the book will also appeal to current residents of this
area because it celebrates the blessings of their community. For others not
familiar with the culture and people of
central Illinois, this book will afford an excellent introduction. Readers of
all kinds will come away from this book thinking, "Every place should be
like this," and they most likely
will find themselves hoping for More Glimpses of Lincoln, Illinois.
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Email comments, corrections, questions, or suggestions.
Also please email me if this Web site helps you decide to visit Lincoln,
Illinois: dlhenson@missouristate.edu
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"The Past Is But the
Prelude" |
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