This article originally appeared in the Pantagraph

By Jeff Woodard

Over the years, people have worked hard to ensure the area’s rich historical record remains intact for future generations. The McLean County Museum’s latest publication, “Pages from the Past: Stories from the Sunday Pantagraph” written by museum librarian and columnist Bill Kemp, continues that tradition today.

The book is based on Kemp’s weekly Pantagraph column, “A Page from Our Past.” The column first appeared in the Sunday Pantagraph in 2005 and now totals nearly 365 installments.

In 2009, the Illinois Humanities Council awarded Kemp the Studs Terkel Humanities Award for his work on the column.

In 2012, the Illinois Historical Society honored Kemp with its Superior Achievement Award for this series.

From the stories like the 1730 siege of the Fox people in eastern McLean County to the 1970 Vietnam War protests by Illinois State University students, “Pages from the Past” touches upon many key events in local history.

All proceeds from the sale of the book go back to the community in the form of educational outreach to the public, including programs for seniors.

We would like to take the opportunity here to publicly recognize and to thank the staff of The Pantagraph. None of this would have been possible without their commitment to making this wonderful gift of local history a reality.