McDonough County Historic Sites

Author John E. Hallwas, a professor of English and archivist at Western Illinois University, examines McDonough County with a keen eye and wealth of knowledge. He is the author of Keokuk and the Great Dam as well as many other books related to the Midwest.

McDonough County Historic Sites depicts a remarkable agricultural region steeped in 19th-century tradition and community spirit. Originally set aside by Congress for veterans of the War of 1812 as part of the Illinois Military Tract, the land that is now McDonough County was settled by a diverse and ambitious population starting in the 1820s. From the trials of settlement to the coming of railroads and the establishment of small-town culture, McDonough County history reflects developments that have shaped America. The region's cemeteries, businesses, and homes that have endured-or vanished-offer stories of human endeavor that unite the people of the county to this day. The maps accompanying the chapters locate the county's many historic sites, such as the hotel in Macomb where Lincoln stayed during his 1858 campaign, the Prairie City Drugstore that launched a national poetry publishing company, and the remote village of Vishnu Springs that is now a ghost town. The historic images illustrate McDonough County's progress and controversy, small-town life and rural development, as well as religious diversity and cultural achievement.