A Looking for Lincoln historical marker can be seen on the Jonesboro Square. The marker is not far (within walking distance) of the Lincoln Memorial Picnic Grounds. An historic debate between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas took place at what is now the home of the picnic grounds.

Playing peekaboo with a squirrel...

Please read this...

Before we get to the “good stuff,” I just wanted to share a little something about my peekaboo encounter Monday evening with a rather friendly, and playful, squirrel...

Monday evening, after getting home from another day at The Paragraph Factory, I went for my daily walkabout. As I walked past the house next door, I noticed a couple of our bushy-tailed neighbors out looking for dinner.

One of the squirrels was on the ground, near the base of a tree in the neighbor’s front yard. The squirrel allowed me to get a little bit closer than squirrels usually do. The squirrel looked at me. I looked at the squirrel. The squirrel then scampered up the tree...

For a moment, the squirrel and the lower life form could not see each other. Then, the squirrel peeked around from behind the tree...for a moment. The peekaboos around the tree continued several more times. The squirrel seemed to be having fun with the game. Then, a car rumbled by. The squirrel ran up the tree. Peekaboo was done...

Enough about squirrels...

Last Sunday afternoon, I attempted to do a little bit of reading out on the front porch. At the time, the wind was blowing...something like about 40 miles per hour...

Winds like that made all of the vowels and consonants fly off the pages of the book I was attempting to read.  The jumble of letters flew away with bright yellow leaves from nearby maple trees.

Fortunately, I had a couple of bricks that we picked up during our visit to the bottom of the Mississippi River last weekend. I put a brick on each open page, which seemed to keep the letters on their page, and the pages in their place.

The book I was attempting to read on a windy Sunday afternoon was a novel by author Craig Johnson. The main character in the novel is a fellow named Walt Longmire, the sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming.

Longmire also happens to be the name of a show on the tube that we started watching recently. I’m liking Sheriff Longmire. He seems to be kind of “oldish” and grumpy, with a somewhat resigned, but still optimistic, outlook on how life is unfolding. Kind of like yours truly. My take on Sheriff Longmire may be wrong, though. Oh, well.

I picked up another book in what seems to be called “The Longmire Series” at Stinson Memorial Library in Anna a few weeks ago. I enjoyed the first book, so gave another one a go. Through page 50, I have not been disappointed.

During another visit to the local library, I happened to come across a book titled “The Civil War: A Traveler’s Guide.” The book was published by National Geographic, in a partnership with the Blue and Gray Education Society.

The contents of the guide highlight four regions of the country, The Southeast, The Northeast, The Midwest and The West. There’s even an International section in the book, which includes places a person might not think about when it comes to the Civil War, such as Australia. (Did you know that a Confederate raider arrived in Melbourne, Australia, on January 25, 1865? I did not know that. The ship and crew apparently received a very nice welcome, as did I during a long-ago visit to the same city in the Land Down Under.)

Pages 90 and 91 in the guide are devoted to a walking tour of Lexington, Kentucky. Highlights include Transylvania University and the Mary Todd Lincoln House. Transylvania University has played a rather important role in our family’s Journey Through Life. And the Mary Todd Lincoln House is, indeed, worth a visit.

Finally, there was an item mentioned on page 440, in the Other Midwestern States section of the guide. Illinois joins Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin as the Other Midwestern States. I guess being mentioned as one of the Other Midwestern States is better than not being mentioned at all.

The first site listed under Illinois is the Looking for Lincoln/Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area, which, the guide notes, features Lincoln sites in 42 counties. 

One of those counties just happens to be Union County. Looking for Lincoln historical markers can be found on the Jonesboro Square and in a municipal parking lot along West Davie Street in Anna. 

“Each person has his or her own level of interest in history,” the travel guide shares. Check out the Looking for Lincoln historical markers right here in our own backyard. They are pretty easy to find. And they just might get you started on an adventure...

The Gazette-Democrat

112 Lafayette St.
Anna, Illinois 62906
Office Number: (618) 833-2158
Email: news@annanews.com

Sign Up For Breaking News

Stay informed on our latest news!

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
7 + 0 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.
Comment Here