Livingston County Illinois Historical Society

05/16/2026

05/01/2026

Last month, I gave a presentation on Governor Len Small, Illinois Governor from 1921-1929, in my opinion our most corrupt Governor, to the Livingston County Illinois Historical Society. Besides embezzling money from the state, selling pardons, and being involved with Gangster Al Capone, he promoted the K*K in Illinois including 2 big rallies at Fairbury and 1 at Chautauqua Park in Pontiac. Today I converted the presentation into a YouTube video which you can watch using the link below:

Governor Len Small the Most Corrupt Governor of Illinois

04/17/2026

Thomas Googerty was the Pontiac native who was a nationally recognized ornamental blacksmith artist. When I was researching him to write the book about him, I found that he said he was most proud of the Poor Box he made circa 1915 for his Pontiac Catholic Church (a Poor Box is a box with a key placed in the church for people to donate money to the poor).

Some Historical Society members checked through the Pontiac Catholic Church, and they do not have the Poor Box or know where it is at. And I could not find a photo of it.

Yesterday, I accidentally found that he published an article in the 1923 Western Architect magazine with a photo of his proudest achievement 🙂🙂🙂 After seeing this picture, I understand why he was so proud of it, it is truly a Work of Art !

I will have to add a poster to the Googerty Room upstairs at the Strevell House to show this. I used the AI program ChatGPT to repair and colorize the black and white image of the Poor Box, which is shown below.

03/29/2026

I gave a presentation on the history of the BP&J Railway at the March Livingston County Illinois Historical Society meeting. This Interurban railroad ran from Pontiac up through Odell and to Dwight. I converted the presentation into a YouTube video and you can watch if interested using the link below.

The Bloomington, Pontiac & Joliet Electric Railway — better known locally as the BP&J — was once one of the most important transportation systems in Livingst...

03/29/2026

This sheet was recently donated to the Livingston County Livingston County Illinois Historical Society about Route 66.

03/26/2026

A Chicago based documentary film maker contacted the Livingston County Historical Society and said.......... "I am a documentary filmmaker based in Chicago, looking for photos, news or radio reports of the 1978 prison riots."

If you have any info or direct knowledge about the 1978 riots and want to contact this film maker, send me a PM and I will give you his email address for you to contact him.

thanks !

Dale

03/24/2026

This week's Fairbury area history story is an interesting one about Postmaster history, especially the Fairbury Post Office have a .45 caliber revolver with ammunition and a holster with belt back in 1935 🙂 🙂 Read this interesting story using the link below............

https://www.fairburynews.net/post/fairbury-had-44-postmasters