This part of the site is dedicated to the broader history of Vermilion County and the surrounding region — the communities, landmarks, traditions, and events that shaped life here long before our time. You’ll find historical notes, community stories, old photographs, and research that connects our family’s experiences to the larger story of this place.
Whether you’re exploring the county’s early settlements, learning about the families who built the towns, or discovering how local culture evolved over time, this section helps visitors understand the deep roots and rich heritage of the region. It’s a way to honor the people who lived, worked, and dreamed here — and to preserve their stories for future generations.

Our family has preserved a remarkable collection of vintage books, pamphlets, manuals, and printed materials — many of them rare, fragile, or long out of print. This section brings those treasures to life by offering scanned versions that anyone can explore.
These books reflect the interests, education, and daily life of earlier generations: farm manuals, school readers, songbooks, cookbooks, religious texts, and community publications. Each scan is a window into the past, showing how people learned, worked, worshipped, and entertained themselves.
By sharing these materials, we hope to make local and family history accessible to researchers, genealogists, educators, and anyone who loves old books and the stories they carry.