The I&M Canal: 175 Years
Tuesday, September 26 at 7 p.m.
Presenter: Linda Jackson, Illinois Department of Natural Resources
The program is open to all, so please share with family and friends.
WWI Gold Star Veterans of Grundy County
Tuesday, October 24 at 7 p.m.
Location: Wesley Center, 111 W. North St., Morris, IL
Presenters: Carter Corsello and Jeff Poundstone of the Grundy County Veterans Legacy Center and Museum have researched and summarized in a book the 38 WWI Gold Star Veterans of Grundy County. They will briefly tell their stories from what their research has uncovered.
Letters from World War I: YMCA Canteen Volunteer Edith Harrison Smith
Tuesday, March 26, 2024 at 7 p.m.
Location: Grundy County Historical Society & Museum, 510 W. Illinois Ave., Morris, IL
After the presentation, please join us for a tour of our new addition. All input on how to best use the space will be appreciated.
Presenter: Barb Boma
Barb’s grandmother Ruth Huseby took Edith Smith Harrison’s (Barb’s great-grandmother) written letter and typed it up to make copies for her grandchildren. This is the letter as she transcribed it. It is a fascinating read. The Ann, referred to in the letter, was the other volunteer that shared a hut with Edith. Edith was born August 30, 1874. She graduated from Hedding College and became a lawyer, forming the law firm of Smith, Smith, and Smith. At the age of 43, she volunteered as a YMCA canteen worker during WWI. She was one of the speakers at the Victory Festival in Morris, October 1-4, 1919. She passed away at the age of 91, in 1965.
(photo of Edith addressing the gathering during the Victory Festival, courtesy Ann Peacock, Morris A Nostalgic Portrait, p71)
Google maps picture of Lury-sur-Arnon and Chateau Coulanges described in the letter. Even today, 100 years later, it is approximately three kilometers or two miles as described in the letter between the two. The main road D30 does have a bend just before you get to the entrance which is similar to that described.
History of the Kankakee & Seneca Railroad
Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 7 p.m.
Location: Wesley Center, 111 W. North St., Morris, IL
Presenter: Josh Biggers
The Kankakee & Seneca Railroad was chartered in 1881 to connect two of the larger regional railroads in the area: the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad and the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway (otherwise known as the Big Four). Running between Kankakee and Seneca, Illinois, and operating with its own equipment and crews, it was a joint ownership between the Rock Island and the Big Four.
Abandonment of the line came on February 24, 1933. Today, most of the right-of-way is somewhat easily identified, both on the ground and in satellite imagery, surprising enough given how long it has been abandoned.
The image below is of an Eastbound Kankakee and Seneca mixed passenger/freight train arriving into the town of Bonfield, IL. This was taken some time between 1900 and 1910.
Annual Dinner/Meeting
Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Location: Maria’s Ristorante & Pizzeria, 1591 N. Division St., Morris, IL 60450
Presenter: Gerald Savage–Native Americans in Illinois