Plan to attend the program “The Little Town with a Big Heart” on February 21, 2026, at 1:30pm at   at Sumner’s new City Hall, 224 S. Christy Ave. Free admittance and refreshment courtesy of the city of Sumner.  Presentation by George Zwilling. The Lawrence County Illinois Historical Society proudly announces the TV premiere of its  documentary, "An Eagle on his Button." This film highlights the remarkable stories of African Americans from Lawrence County who served in the Ci

Attention: Program by Nancy King scheduled for February 5, 2026 at History Center, Ladies' Lingerie through the Decades, has been cancelled due to weather. Daily Record J anuary 11, 1945   "Citations to accompany the medals awarded posthumously to PFC John E. Crewell and Sgt Devere I. Means, two Bridgeport boys who were killed in action, have been made public by Capt. T.R. Lovett, in charge of arrangements for the presentation ceremony to be held Friday afternoon at 2:45 at

The Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944, known as D- Day was one of the turning points of twentieth century history.  The Western Allies were finally able to deliver their greatest blow of the war, the long delayed, cross channel invasion of northern France, code named Overlord. General Dwight D Eisenhower was supreme commander of this operation that ultimately involved the coordinated efforts of 12 nations, 175,000 allied troops, and 50,000 vehicles as well as numerous ships a

Possibly the most significant airplane in history is the Enola Gay, (a B-9 Super Fortress) which on August 6, 1945, under the command of Colonel Paul W. Tibbets, Jr., flew on a mission to Hiroshima, Japan and dropped the world's first atomic bomb on a city, ultimately leading to the end of the WWII. In the January 9, 1945 issue of the Daily Record was an ad seeking workers to help build B-29 Super fortress planes. A Boeing representative would be interviewing in Olney on a

Christmas 1944 George Field: Col Bobzien and 3000 presents for the soldiers   The Research Library and History Center will be closed the week of December 21-27.

Our newest exhibit at the History Center features dresses from 1850-1950, the last being the army uniform of Magdalene Angle Fleckenstein known as Madge.  Madge was born in 1920 in the Klondike area near Chauncey. She attended grade school at the nearby one-room school, going on to graduate from Bridgeport High School in 1940. After graduation Madge enrolled in the Olney School of Nursing and after three years graduated from there as well.  She enlisted in the Army Nurse Cor

Second Lieutenant  (Air Corps) Vernon L Burda was a navigator on a B-24 bomber in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Burda was captured by German forces after his aircraft was shot down on or about July 16, 1944, and was held as a Prisoner of War until his return to U.S. Military Control at the end of hostilities in May 1945. (This is a long article but the ending will make you cry.) While not a resident of Lawrence County, Burda’s experiences were recorded in the George

Ten men from the Mieure family of Sumner, Illinois served in World War II. Five of the men (H ubert, twins Harold and Gerald, John,...

Staff Sergeant   William W Kaiser shared his experiences at George Field at the 1996 Reunion. Wendall Kaiser was a brother to Gene...

Two things the Historical Society volunteers love, besides homemade baked treats, are a challenge and a great story. C Petersen had asked...