Our Rural Heritage
188 stories
When the city moves to the country
By Sandy Vasko There are times I find myself lost driving on familiar roads in what was once rural Will…
Civil War: Spring 1865, the war winds down
By Sandy Vasko Ed Conley, a musician and former printers’ devil for the Wilmington Independent, wrote back to the newspaper…
Civil War: 1865 brought turmoil on the home front
By Sandy Vasko All the signs were good. It truly seemed like the North was prevailing. Those at home believed…
Celebrating the return of the 100th, but where?
By Sandy Vasko Celebrating the Fourth these days means family picnics and relaxing with a couple of cold ones. But…
Peaceful, quiet Channahon, or so he says
By Sandy Vasko One of the rules of writing for a newspaper is that your readers must understand what you…
Civil War: December 1864, the beginning of the end
By Sandy Vasko Beginnings and ends – December 1864 was full of them. Things were looking up for the Union,…
Quirky bits from Jackson Township
By Sandy Vasko There are times in my research that I come across a bit that probably will never work…
A summertime treat … the circus
By Sandy Vasko I’m not sure how many of you remember the circus, I mean the real one, not one…
Civil War: November 1864, it’s not over yet
By Sandy Vasko Winter was starting to show its face, but the folks in Will County were smiling. A precious…
Civil War: September and October 1864, the war rages on
by Sandy Vasko We pick up our story of Will County in the Civil War in Georgia, where the 100th…
Frankfort Township, the early years
By Sandy Vasko Will County is known across the state as the “Stairstep” County. Making up one of these stairs…
Civil War: August 1864, in the trenches at Petersburg
By Sandy Vasko When speaking about great battles of the Civil War, many names come to mind, such as Gettysburg. …