Logan County Illinois Genealogical & Historical Society

05/21/2026

LCGHS program by Bill Donath on Revolutionary War soldiers buried in Logan County

[May 21, 2026] At the May 2026 Logan County Genealogical and Historical Society meeting, Bill Donath talked about Revolutionary War soldiers buried in various Logan County cemeteries.

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At the May 2026 Logan County Genealogical and Historical Society meeting, Bill Donath talked about Revolutionary War soldiers buried in various Logan County cemeteries.

05/14/2026

The Logan County Genealogical and Historical Society will be hosting a meeting on Monday May 18 at 6:30 pm at 114 N Chicago St. Lincoln, Illinois. The Program will be given by Casey Claypool and will provide insights to Rt. 66 Scenic Byways.20230208_105056.jpg

05/11/2026

Lincoln Heritage Museum hosts annual Civil War walk

[May 11, 2026] On Friday, the Lincoln Heritage Museum welcomed fifth graders from Central, Northwest, and Washington-Monroe Elementary Schools to participate in the annual Civil War walk. Students were stationed around the museum, using the exhibits as a backdrop for their presentations. Throughout the day, schools took turns bringing their fifth-grade classes and welcoming family and friends to see their students’ hard work.


The students have worked for several weeks to select a historical figure, research their historical significance, and perfect their portrayal. Students even dress in period costumes. There were two or three students at each station. Most stations featured historical figures who played similar roles in the Civil War era. Students presented stories about Civil War heroes like Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman, and about abolitionists like Frederick Douglass, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Harriet Tubman. They told stories of spies, trappers, inventors, and nurses from that time.

Slide show: https://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2026/May/11/NEWS/050926CIVILWARWALK/index.html
..Director of the Lincoln Heritage Museum, Ron Keller, was eagerly taking in each presentation and encouraging each student. Keller said in an earlier statement that “this is one of our favorite events every year. These living-history portrayals allow students to bring history to life. And the museum provides an intimate setting and an appropriate historical backdrop for those presentations.”

Once the students’ presentations were over, the teachers gathered them in the foyer for a group photo. This gave family and friends a chance to snap a picture with their student presenter. Once the photos were taken, one teacher promised a pizza party when they got back to school to celebrate the students’ hard work.

Civil War Walk photo slideshow

[Joli Boerma]

05/11/2026

05/09/2026

05/08/2026

Lincoln Planning Commission approves rezoning of former Lincoln College campus

[May 08, 2026] On Thursday, May 7th, the City of Lincoln Planning Commission held a meeting to discuss the rezoning of the former Lincoln College campus from residential to commercial. The meeting was held in response to a potential buyer of the campus seeking to renovate it. Developer Chase Huston would like to turn the former residence hall buildings into affordable housing and lease the other buildings to potential businesses and programs that want to come to Lincoln.

Six of the members of the commission were present including Molly Pickering, Morris Trent, James Wessbecher, Robert Coombs, Lori Blees, and Vic Martinek. The meeting started just after 6:00 p.m. and was located on the second floor of the City Hall Building. The room was packed, with dozens of residents present to voice their opinions on the matter. Many extra chairs had to be brought in. Every seat was taken and several people had to stand, with some not being able to get into the room left standing in the doorway.

The meeting kicked off with Wes Woodhall calling for a motion to approve the previous month’s meeting minutes. They were approved and the commission moved on to their only other agenda action item, the rezoning request. They invited Huston to come sit before the commission and speak on the project.

Huston started by stating that he wanted the property to be rezoned to C-2 specifically, as this would allow him to do all the things he wants to do with the property. He then spoke on himself a bit, stating that he lives in Washington state and is a senior engineer designer with Boeing. He stated that he has been developing real estate in Lincoln for about a decade and thinks of the town as his second home. Huston said that he has taken a lot of properties, many of which are apartments, in town and has renovated them to make them better. He added that he owns nearly 100 rental properties in Lincoln, and that he does not put any of the money he makes into his own pocket, rather reinvesting that money into the community.

Huston addressed a concern that he has seen making the rounds on social media. He assured the commission and everyone in attendance that the apartments he is proposing are not Section 8 housing, nor are they government funded.
He added that he wants to work with groups that are aligned with his interests. He does not want gambling machines or bars. Rather, he wants to attract businesses that Lincoln could use more of, stating later in the meeting that opening a day care is at the top of his list of priorities.

The public was then allowed to ask questions or make comments. There seemed to be an even number of comments in support as well as those against the rezoning, and the project as a whole. Scott Warner was the first to speak. He called Huston’s proposal a lot of “razzle dazzle,” pointing to the fact that he does not yet have any contracts signed with any potential businesses. He additionally called Huston’s request “spot zoning,” encouraging the commission to vote against it. Warner also brought up several questions about the financial state of the college, saying that he does not feel the commission has done enough to investigate this matter before selling it off. He ended by stating that he feels rezoning would open the community to future problems if Huston’s vision falls through, saying that it would “haunt you and every citizen of Lincoln forever.”

Patrick Dooling, president of the Lincoln College Board of Trustees was the next to speak, saying that the board has been marketing the campus since it closed in May of 2022. Doolin shared that there have been a lot of offers, but that they have all fallen through. While these groups were interested in parts of the campus, none of them were interested in purchasing the entirety of the campus. The board was not wanting to break up the campus and sell it individually, hence why these deals have been falling through.

Doolin additionally said that money that was made available for the college to help it close are the funds that they have been using to keep the grounds maintained. That money, according to Doolin, is running out, however. The board decided that, were there to be no buyers by a certain date, the board would put the campus up for auction. The board would have no control over who bought the campus or what they did with it. They had a date for the auction determined, and then Huston came in with his offer.

Spring Hyde was the next to speak. She was a professor at the college when it closed, and lives very near to the campus. She stated that she had to pay for her own insurance, accept the college not providing contributions to her retirement, and had the college ask her and her colleagues to donate their salaries back to the campus. She said these things to state that her home is her investment for her future. She voiced concern about things such as light pollution and noise pollution that could come as a result of the project, causing her property values to diminish. She was also wary of a McDonalds opening on the campus and hearing weddings held on the campus from her home.

Jackie Baker spoke next, sharing that she also lives down the street from the campus. She asked about the 4th Appellate Court voting to keep Lincoln College property tax exempt. Doolin spoke on this, stating that the County Assessor “took it upon herself” to see about having the college start paying property taxes after their closure. He continued, saying that the court ruled the assessor did not have the authority to do this, as the tax exempt status was set by a charter from the 1800’s and they had been “grandfathered in” ever since. He did say that, unless the buyer of the campus were to turn it into a non-profit, their tax exempt status would go away after the sale.

John Blackburn, president and secretary of Lincoln College spoke next. He also served on the board of the college for 25 years. During that time, he said he only knew of other board members wanting to do something positive with the college. He also mentioned that people’s property values will decrease if the college runs out of money, the grass is unkept, and the buildings become boarded up. He thanked Huston for “taking a risk” on this project.

The next commenter spoke on her hesitation, but reluctant acceptance of the project. She stated that she knows change can be scary, but that everything has to start somewhere. She also stated that she knows uninhabited buildings deteriorate quicker than inhabited ones. Next, she commented on the poverty rates in Lincoln, stating that the poverty rate of the town is 17 percent, while the state average is only 11.8. She stated that the vacancy rate in Lincoln is under ten percent, calling housing a “huge issue” when people do not have the money to make a down payment on a house.

She then asked Huston if he had considered prices for the apartments yet, and he informed her that he had. He said that each apartment would have all amenities, such as electricity and internet, included, also adding that they would be getting their power from an eleven-acre solar farm. Huston said that a one bedroom is planned to be $750 per month, and two bedrooms $850. He said that he has been getting phone calls daily from people in Lincoln looking to move into one of his rental properties, which he shared are all at capacity. Huston also said that he has been getting about one call a week from people outside Lincoln inquiring about vacancies.

Hyde then spoke again, asking why the commission could not just rezone the campus to allow Huston to renovate and rent out apartments first. If that worked, Hyde said, the commission could then allow for the full rezoning at a later date. Blackburn addressed this comment, stating that Huston was not going to buy the entirety of the campus if he was only going to be able to use four of the buildings. The two had a bit of a back and forth before the next commenter, Susan Howe, spoke.

Howe asked Huston about the previously mentioned solar farm, claiming that the Trump administration is pulling funding for these kinds of projects and that all the solar farms are going to be shut down. Doolin corrected Howe, stating that the cut in funding will keep new solar farms from being built, but will not shut down existing ones. He also stated that the college has a twenty-year agreement with the solar farm to be able to purchase the energy at a heavily reduced rate.

The next commenter compared Lincoln to Morton, where some of her family lives, saying that the towns are quite different. She also spoke down on the gambling businesses in Lincoln, calling them “pretty much a tax on the poor.” She asked Huston if he would be allowing more gambling businesses in town, and he reiterated that he would not.

Jan Dickerson spoke next, stating that the Evergreen properties, that Huston purchased after their previous owner’s death, were not run down when he acquired them. She also called his handwriting “barely legible.”

Local real estate agent Ty Tucker spoke next. He attested to Huston’s character, stating that he has been working with him as he has acquired properties over the last eight years. Tucker also stated that he feels Huston has improved the properties, raising their property values. He called Huston a “fantastic person.”

This was the end of the public comments, and the planning commission members were allowed to ask questions of Huston. Pickering started, asking if he has any other investors. Huston stated that he does have one but declined to give the person’s name. Pickering also asked about any contingency plans that are in place if the project does not pan out. Huston stated that he is not worried about the apartments, as they have plenty of experience renovating these. His bigger concern is the commercial side of things, as they are not as experienced.

Trent then asked about a timeline for the project, and Huston stated that he expects the apartments to take about a year and a half to renovate. Trent called the timeline “not realistic,” while Huston stated that there are hundreds of units that would need to be renovated.

Coombs next asked about how many apartments would be available once the project was finished. Huston stated that the number was originally 271, but that the number had changed. He did not have the official number but stated that most of them are going to be two bedroom apartments. Coombs then asked about their Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance, to which Huston stated that all of them would be.

Trent spoke again, asking Huston about any plans to sell the property. Huston stated that there are no plans. He said that it was discussed as a worst-case scenario plan, but that would be if the buildings were left uninhabited for years with no interested parties.

Coombs had another question, asking about how many different companies that he is working with that might have interest in inhabiting some of the buildings. Huston stated that they are having “serious talks” with five companies.

Wessbecher then asked about the parking situation, inquiring if the street parking would be enough. Huston stated that, for starters, once they start getting people moving in, it should be, but that there are plans to expand parking if needed. He stated that, with the hundreds of students that used to live on the campus, it is likely that there is already enough parking on the campus.

Wessbecher also asked about why Huston chose C-2 specifically to have it rezoned as. Huston stated that he is hoping to bring in some baseball teams, stating that he is hoping to make Lincoln a “baseball hub.” This being the case, he would have to have it rezoned as C-2 to add some of the things he would like to do the baseball field. Seeing as how Lincoln is situated relatively close to four major league teams, Huston said, he was told that Lincoln could be a great community for companies and teams to come in and get established. Doolin added that there were many sports and entertainment inquiries that fell through, adding that two of the entities are still interested.

Martinek then made a motion to approve the rezoning request. The motion was seconded and a vote was taken. It passed in a vote of 4-2, with Wessbecher and Trent being the two ‘no’ votes. With the motion passing, Woodhall entertained a motion to adjourn, and the meeting swiftly came to an end.

[Matt Boutcher]

05/04/2026

Mark your calendars for next Wednesday, May 6, 2026 for our fundraiser at Country Aire restaurant in Atlanta IL. All day long. Great food and great desserts. We thank you.

05/02/2026

Annual Civil War Walk set for May 8 at Lincoln Heritage Museum

District 27 Fifth Graders Will Portray Historical Figures

LINCOLN, IL — The annual Civil War Walk, featuring fifth graders from Lincoln Elementary District 27 portraying historical individuals of the Civil War era, will be Friday, May 8 at the Lincoln Heritage Museum. “This is one of our favorite events every year. These living history portrayals allow students to bring history. And the museum provides an intimate setting and an appropriate historical backdrop for those presentations,” said Ron Keller, Director of the Lincoln Heritage Museum.
The fifth graders from Central, Northwest, and Washington-Monroe Elementary Schools will present their monologues to museum guests at appointed times. Northwest fifth graders will present at 9:00 a.m., followed by Washington-Monroe students at 10:30 a.m., and Central School students will start their presentations at 1
p.m. The students prepare weeks in advance in selecting a Civil War era historical figure, then they write a monologue. After honing and practicing their portrayals, they are set to provide their first-person interpretations in period looking apparel to the public.
for more, go to --> https://www.logancoil-genhist.org/

04/22/2026

The history of Temple Beth-El and Jewish families in the early years of Logan County

[April 22, 2026] At the April 2026 Logan County Genealogical and Historical Society, Bill Donath spoke about the history of Temple Beth-El and Jewish families in Logan County from around 1842 to 1927. He has done extensive research on this topic.

Donath said 1842, 1884, 1904, 1910 and 1927 were significant transition dates for the Jewish population in Logan County. 1842 was the earliest documented person of Jewish faith in Logan County. The man was living in Postville.

By 1884, eight or nine families in Lincoln and Logan County came together for religious services and organized Temple Beth-El.

The numbers dwindled for a while, but Donath said in 1904 the temple was reorganized with twenty families. Rabbi Abraham Messing helped organize the temple.

Rabbi Charles Levi from Peoria put Rabbi Messing in charge of the Lincoln temple.

Donath said by 1910, the families had pooled enough money to build the temple.

By 1927, several men who were leaders at the temple had passed away and the women were left to try to keep it going. That year they had to close the temple and dispose of the building.

When they started in 1884, the Beth-El congregation leased the old Universalist Church on Kickapoo facing Latham Park where Mel-O-Cream Donuts is now located. Donath said the building housed the library from 1870 to 1884 and was the library's second location.

In 1910, the temple’s permanent home was built on McLean Street facing Latham Park. Donath said the Star of David on the top is still there today.

Margaret E. Maxwell purchased the property for $1100. The temple was designed by architect J.M. Deal, who also designed the Logan County Courthouse, library and several other churches in Lincoln.

The contractor was Crowell and the cost for building the temple was $7000. Donath said they had no debt when the building was completed. The temple was approximately 36 feet wide and 70 feet long and follows the modernized Roman style. The interior of the temple was done by Schaumbacher of Springfield who had decorated many churches in Lincoln built around the time.

Construction of the temple started in June 1910, and it was dedicated November 5, 1910. Donath found information for his presentation in articles by Nancy Gelbach and Mary Ellen Martin. Gelbach’s article on the Star of David was in a 1997 Our Times article and Martin’s article was about the Jewish temple being dedicated. Both articles can be found in the church files at the LCGHS building.

The temple had several glass windows, but Donath said only one window is still in the building today. Several windows and the pulpit were donated by families who were part of the temple.

In 1920, Donath said several men in leadership positions at the temple had passed away. The women tried to keep the temple going, but they disbanded in 1927.

A Methodist Church in Cornland which had been destroyed by a tornado bought the pews, pulpit, chairs and some stained-glass windows from the temple for their new church.

The temple was purchased by the Lincoln Woman’s Club in 1927. Donath said the Woman’s Club had the interior renovated for their use at a cost of $9000 and are still using the building today.

Donath heard there were a Jewish cemetery in Old Union Cemetery. This cemetery has had two additions, and the Jewish families were buried in the newest section. There are diagrams for each of the six lots in this section and most are big enough for eight burials. Lots one, two and three have members of the Rosenthal family, who were part of the temple.

A list of the various families who were part of the temple and are buried there was created by Donath. Jewish kids who died and had no family were buried in donated plots.

Notable families

The Kahns and the Rosenthals were two notable families who were part of the temple.

Solomon Kahn bought the Postville Courthouse in 1848 and lived upstairs before he married Yete Aaron, with whom he had eleven children. Just down the street from Postville Courthouse, he ran a store with his brothers Felix and Moses Kahn. He later sold the store to his brothers.

In 1884, Donath said Solomon Kahn was Vice-President of Beth-El. Kahn served as Lincoln’s first city treasurer from 1865 to 1885.

Lewis Rosenthal and Francis Aaron got married at the Postville Courthouse in 1856 and Donath said it was the earliest known Jewish marriage performed there. Over the years, the couple had nine children, though some did not live to adulthood. Rosenthal was a merchant and horse dealer who sold racehorses in Mexico, Missouri.

When Rosenthal served as a Deputy Marshall, Donath said he got to know Abraham Lincoln. One day when Lincoln was in the courthouse for court, he saw a shed sitting on his lot that was supposed to be empty. Lincoln asked Rosenthal if he knew whose shed it was and thought maybe the person who owned it could pay the taxes since Lincoln was not getting any use out of it. Lincoln asked who the guy was and Rosenthal said he knew who the guy was and he would not pay any taxes on it. It turns out Rosenthal was the one who had the shed there. Lincoln ended up paying those taxes.

Rosenthal was also a Civil War veteran in the 106th regiment who was a sutler or storekeeper for soldiers. Donath said sutlers sold goods like toothpaste, toothbrushes, writing paper and stamps.

From 1862 to 1865, Rosenthal served as the President of Beth-El. From around 1880 to 1916, Rosenthal served as a Police Magistrate in the county, sorting out who needed to go to the county court. Donath said Rosenthal was known to be an honest and reputable man.

Jewish Merchants in Logan County

Most of the Jewish people in town were merchants who sold men’s apparel or dry goods. Donath pulled several newspaper advertisements from the Shew collection.

One ad shows a merchant named Frank Atlass bought and sold hens, springs, young turkeys, old turkeys and eggs plus rags and other items that could be reused.

Donath said two of Rosenthal’s sons built a radio station in the attic of a house on Logan Street. They would have people come in and talk, sing or play music. Later the brothers moved to Chicago and ran the radio station WBBN, which still exists today.

The Cork Faced Collar Company sold products like horse collars and mule collars that mostly went to the military.

The Landauer family had a store and invested in various industries in Lincoln.

H.F. Friend was a jeweler. Donath said he rented part of the store to someone who sold sewing machines.

Meyer Gresham was a men’s clothing store.

Julius Jacobs & Company sold overalls, topcoats and other men’s clothing.

John A. Lutz Company was a dry goods store. Donath said the store was open for over 50 years.

Chicago Novelty Cloak Company sold women’s clothing like dusters, which Donath said were coats that protected their clothes from dust as they travelled.

Kahn Brothers sold Dawson’s Hog and Poultry Cholera remedy. Donath said the remedy was made in Mt. Pulaski

Steifel & Company sold women’s clothing. He had someone in the shop who did millinery and dressmaking. Steifel had a dry goods store with carpets and menswear as well.

Those were just some of the shops during the early years of Lincoln.

As Donath researches families who are buried in the Union cemetery, he makes a file folder for each family. When Donath runs across articles on the families, he puts them in the files. He hopes to have a nice collection on each family so people will know what they did here in the city and elsewhere.

The next Logan County Genealogical and Historical Society meeting will be Monday, May 18 at 6:30 in the LCGHS building located at 114 N. Chicago Street in Lincoln. Casey Claypool will speak on Route 66 scenic byways.

Temple of Beth-El photo slideshow

[Angela Reiners]

04/02/2026

For more, go to --> https://www.logancoil-genhist.org/
THE SUDDEN FREEZE OF 1836. History of Logan County, 1911, L. B. Stringer, Chapter III, p91-94

About five years after the "deep snow," or to be exact, on December 20, 1836, another meteorological event occurred, in the history of the county, which has likewise not been surpassed, since that time. This event was known as the "sudden freeze." Rain and sleet had been falling in the early afternoon, when without warning, a strong wind, traveling at the rate of at least seventy miles an hour, accompanied by a deep, bellowing sound, with its icy blast, swept over the county, and everything was instantly frozen hard. The water of the little pools in the roads froze in waves, sharp-edged and pointed, as the gale had blown it. Chickens, pigs and other animals were frozen in their tracks. Wagon wheels,

ceasing to roll, were frozen to the ground. Men, going to their barns or fields, in slush and water, a short distance from their houses, returned a few minutes later, walking on the ice. Some caught out on horseback, were frozen to their saddles. Ice was frozen in streams, from six inches to a foot thick, in a few hours. John Buckles, of Mt. Pulaski, gave the following version of this event, during his lifetime: "On the morning of the sudden change, it was warm, the atmosphere was saturated with moisture and on the ground was a light layer of snow. About noon, rain began to fall for a time, when without a moment's warning, an icy wave swept down from the north, freezing everything as it went.

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0Regan Collection digitized with Index  The Regan Collection is a set of 36 binders of newspaper clippings covering the years 1859 to about 1912. It was compiled by John Regan, a retired attorney from Decatur, IL. This portion of his collection covers many of the Logan County Newspapers. It contain...