Our Rural Heritage
184 stories
Viruses and vaccines in the 19th century
By Sandy Vasko Health care is on the minds of many these days. The talk is about both how to…
Political shenanigans, 1865 style
By Sandy Vasko It was the fall of 1865. The War Between the States had only been over for five…
Now open wide … dentistry in Will County
By Sandy Vasko I doubt that going to the dentist is on the top of anyone’s favorite things to do…
An accounting of Will County, 1878
By Sandy Vasko I am old enough to remember a man coming to my parents’ house to assess their personal…
Surviving the deep snow of 1830 … or not
By Sandy Vasko Sitting in my office, I can see very little snow, and I am glad. But the temperature…
The First to Volunteer, the 20th
By Sandy Vasko One hundred and sixty-five years ago, our country was in turmoil. The southern states had seceded, and…
Looking at the earliest days, pioneers’ reunion
Editor’s Note: Sandy Vasko is taking some well-deserved time off. So we are re-running some of our favorite columns. By…
Only the name remains, Jug Town
Editor’s Note: Sandy Vasko is taking some well-deserved time off. So we are re-running some of our favorite columns. By…
Was Plainfield really plain? Quirky perhaps
By Sandy Vasko Everywhere you look in Will County you can see new construction, a lot of which is warehousing…
Twelve Mile Grove, and other mysteries of Wilton
By Sandy Vasko Take 52 south, past Manhattan, and you will come to the community of Twelve Mile Grove, now…
Let there be light, and there was
By Sandy Vasko I live in the southern agricultural area of Will County. The other evening, when there was a…
Christmas in the 1870s, Part 2
By Sandy Vasko Today we continue or look at Christmas in Will County 150 years ago. Step on the way…