05/21/2026
'The Panthers of Washington County'
Washington County has been no stranger to interesting animals. Before our Native communities and settlers, the county was home to a plethora of big cats, bears, and even mastodons! Of course, as time has gone on, many of these animals have been lost to time, or moved along as people flooded in. One critter that seems to have been persistent in its occupation of the county is none other than the panther.
One of our earliest stories of the presence of a sleek big black cat comes from the Tucker family in 1824. Elizabeth and Mary Jane Tucker, daughters of settlers James and Sarah (Huston) Tucker, were traversing the still wild lands of New Philadelphia when they were stopped by the eerie screeches of a woman. Before they knew it, they weren’t met with a woman in distress, but a blood-thirsty panther! The girls took off in the direction of their cabin, discarding items of their clothing as they went as they noticed the panther would stop to smell the fabric, giving them more time to escape. They would reach home, barreling into their father, who quickly hushed his girls and took off in pursuit of the cat. Joined with his neighbor, the men followed the trail of clothing, but never encountered the menacing creature.
Nearly one hundred years later, talk of a panther began running rampant in the southeast part of Washington County. The first documented report of a big cat came from Ellen (Brown) Prather in 1943, who claimed to see a panther prowling about her parent’s backyard. For the next decade reports flooded in to the Salem Leader and Pekin Banner-Gazette—so many, that Pekin native, writer, and musician, Ward Meadors became the de-facto expert and reporter on all things panther. Reports reached a height in the mid-1950’s. Sightings were cropping up from Borden to Salem, and everywhere in-between. Eventually sightings began to taper, especially following Mr. Meadors’ passing in 1956.
There has never been definitive confirmation of a panther roaming around Pekin, but the legend has persisted ever since. Many citizens, even to this day, have their own stories of of catching a peek at this elusive cat!
You can read more newspaper clippings about Pekin Panther sightings at the Stevens Memorial Museum's Genealogical Library, Thursdays through Saturdays from 10am to 5pm!
