The Rest of the Story… An online supplement to the feature “In Pursuit of Knowledge” about the 150th anniversary of the Decatur Public Library published in the Feb/Mar 2025 issue of Decatur Magazine. All rights reserved. The Chapters of the Carnegie Building in Decatur, Illinois Many residents have fond memories of the Decatur Public […]
By Patricia Lathrom In the summer of 1923, a spectacular 4-day celebration took place in Decatur to honor the completion of Lake Decatur. At the time, Decatur was a manufacturing force in America’s growing prosperity and home to industrial giants such as Mueller Company, Wagner Castings and A.E. Staley Manufacturing Company. We even had a […]
By Jan Mathew | Photography by Kathy Locke Visit the Hieronymus Mueller Museum and you’ll step into the rich story of a man heralded as a creative genius, prolific inventor and community champion. Chapters, as viewed through Mueller Company’s lens, are historical snapshots only Decatur can share. Within this panorama, the angle that Museum Director […]
Beyond merely utilitarian function, WPA projects are aesthetically pleasing constructions that were built to last. Many of these gems are still in use today, although residents often fail to appreciate their historic significance. Before the dawning of “economic stimulus packages,” Grandpa had to put in a full day’s work before Big Brother would spare him […]
The Manhattan Project, so named because the first plan originated in that “district,” was America’s top-secret mission to harness nuclear energy into a massively powerful bomb and end World War ll. The mission’s leaders were Dr. Leo Oppenheimer on the science side, and General Leslie Groves on the management/military procurement and coordination side. The rest, […]