Pope County Historical Society - The Packet

11/20/2024

Come to the museum this Saturday or Sunday and vote (by putting money in a can) for your favorite tree decorated by local people. Money will go to our building fund. Come share some cheer!

11/19/2024

11/13/2024

The Pope County Historical Society is holding a
Holiday Mini-Tree Decorating Contest.
To participate you will pay for and pick up your $2.00 tree. and details for the contest at either the Not-So-New or the Historical Society Museum during open hours.

Decorated trees are to be dropped off at the museum before November 17(new date) and will be displayed there.
Voting will be by monetary donations. All money collected will go to the building fund for much needed repairs.
Winners will be announced on December 7 with the winner being awarded an air fryer.
Trees will be returned to the participant after judging.

Picture is similar.

11/13/2024

Pope Pioneer!!!
We are happy to welcome Jamie Wolf as our most recent person to receive a Pope Pioneer Certificate. The early settler is William P. Griffin who was in Pope County, IL in 1860.

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11/08/2024

The Pope County Historical Society will hold it's monthly meeting on the third Tuesday this month, November 19th at 6 p.m.
Our speaker this month is Todd Carr.
By 1830, all roads led to the high water road at Ford's Ferry Ohio. Here a band of highwaymen were ready to rob and kill unsuspecting pioneers on their way to southern Illinois. Join us as we explore the life and death of Satan's Ferryman, James Ford and the Ford's Ferry Gang.
Come join us.

11/08/2024

Upcoming Programs at the Pope County Historical Society Museum - 6 p.m. each night. We hope to see you there - More programs will be added soon!
Nov 19 - Todd Carr - Satan's Ferryman, the Story of Ford's Ferry
No meeting in December
Jan. 28 - Ed Annable - Six Years in the Illinois Territory
Feb. 25 - Mark Motsinger - The Old Soldiers' Reservation
March 25 - Anthony Fleege - Medical and Funeral Advances in the Civil War
April 22 - Darrel Dexter - Removing the Sheets: Ku Klux Klan in Southern Illinois
May 27 - Gillum Ferguson - Illinois in the War of 1812
July 22 - Krystal Wilson - Southern Illinois Literature and Using Genealogy in the Classroom
August 26 - Krist Thodoropoulos - Dept of Defense MIA Recovery Methods
Sept. 23 - Rick Allen - The One-Word Key to Solving Most Brick Wall Problems in Genealogy

11/02/2024

An early map of wagon trails in Illinois, dated 1819-1820, from the Chicago Historical Society collection that was in the “Trails to Rails” transportation history book of Illinois. When Illinois became a state in 1818 the population had reached some 40,000, with most being in southern Illinois along the Mississippi, Wabash and Ohio Rivers due to ease of transportation along those waterways. The rest of the state was “a howling wilderness” where Indians outnumbered the whites three to one. Kaskaskia was the first state capital in 1818, and Vandalia became capital in 1819, though the first meeting wasn't held there until late 1820.

10/21/2024

Monthly meeting is tomorrow evening at 6:00 pm.
No speaker this month.

10/11/2024

Come see us this fall.

09/27/2024

James Lewis has also shared a family diary and Carol Crisp has typed and completed the book. You can call her 1 618 218 7809 to order a copy of the book. She can give you information about the book.

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09/27/2024

Enjoy the video from this month's program at the Pope County Historical Society meeting. Thank you to Mr. James Lewis for gathering all of this information and sharing it with us.

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09/24/2024

Having technical difficulties.
Will try to share later.