Williamson County Illinois Sesquicentennial History
This large volume was produced in conjunction with the county’s 150th Sesquicentennial celebration in 1989. The book was created and designed by Stan J. Hale, associate professor of English at John A. Logan College and was copyrighted in 1993. It stands as a similar, modern counterpart to an earlier treatise done on the county in the 1905 Souvenir History of Williamson County which has proved invaluable.
The contents of the large, 503 page book starts with coverage of the 1989 Williamson County Sesquicentennial event and progresses through a general history of the county. The history includes maps, a listing of the early pioneers in the year of their arrival, an updated listing of county officers from inception to 1989 and some biographical information on a number of prominent county figures.
The next section is a series of articles related to the towns and villages located in the county with illustrations, photos and some maps. The city sections are interspersed with individual articles related to prominent figures, buildings and businesses that stood out in history relevant to the locations being discussed.
A section is included on county families that have been outstanding or held some positions of prominence. Some of the families mentioned are Allen, Ashby, Arnold, Baker, Bethel, Boatright, Roberts, Brewster, Harrison, Butler, Gordon, Boren, Colp, Cook, Fine Dillard, Crighton, Goodwin, Hay, Helleny, Lawler, Ingersoll, Hastie, Hunter, Hayton and many more. This book unfortunately is not indexed which is a definite negative when looking for names and places.
Education and schools in the county are covered in one section and notes the history of education in the county. It is accompanied by many photographs, both new and old, of the many active schools in the county.
Many of the numerous churches in the county are also covered in this book and they are also accompanied by numerous photos of the buildings, events, congregations and pastors.
The final section of the book, about 75 pages, is dedicated to county businesses and industry and includes many operations from small business to large industry with photos documenting the articles.
Knowing how important it was that some of our county leaders had the foresight to publish the 1905 Souvenir History which has been so important in preserving innumerable details and facts, I am certainly please to know that we have a book which freezes the moments in time up to and containing the year 1989 in print. It will prove to be useful for many years to come when looking back.
Because this is a large book, it is likely that when it goes out of print, it may be too costly to reprint. However, there are still several copies left at the Williamson County Historical Society book store.