Born in Richland County, Illinois on March 8, 1908, Virgil Henry was the son of E Clinton and Rosa Shick Henry. He came from a family of schoolteachers; his father was a teacher; his brother Omar taught in schools in Lawrence County and his sister Fern was a teacher at Sumner High School. While a student in 1924, Virgil Henry of Sumner was awarded the prize in the home lighting contest conducted by the Central Illinois Public Service Company. The prize was a radio outfit

January 28, 1881:  Still the winter held on with snow and ice, and the sleigh bells sounded merrily in the county’s villages. The weather was disagreeable, the roads were slippery, but health was good. While A W Leech of Sand Barrens was out sleighing, his sleigh turned over and threw him and his lady fiend out.  The editor admonished him to drive with both hands next time.   Mart Drake received an increase in his war pension of $12.00 per month, and the reporter noted that

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

The annual Lawrence County Historical Society Meeting previously scheduled for Monday Night January 26, 2026 is CANCELLED. In addition, the Research Library will NOT be open on Monday January 26, 2026.

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF LAWRENCE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY The annual meeting of the Lawrence County Historical Society will be held on Monday, January 26, 2026, 7:00 p.m. at the History Center in Lawrenceville.  The agenda will include the election of officers, a treasurer's report and a report from the board of directors on current activities and projects.  All members are invited to attend. Because of predicted inclement weather, this meeting may be cancelled. Watch f

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

Hyatt Madding voted for Herbert Hoover in the Presidential Election of 1932 and lost his bet about the election outcome with Leslie Hildreth, who voted for Franklin D. Roosevelt.  The winner of the bet had to push the loser in a wheelbarrow down Main Street in Bridgeport. This picture was taken at the corner of Main Street and Chestnut Street in downtown Bridgeport.  Pictured, left to right: Unknown, State Patrolman Charles Baker, Leslie Hildreth, Hyatt Madding, Unknown, a

The 20-millionth Ford car on a countrywide tour visited Lawrenceville on October 30, 1931. Arriving shortly before 9:00 a.m. in a caravan that included twenty of the new Model A Fords, the delegation stopped at the A L Maxwell Company showroom where the drivers were welcomed by Mayor CL Holson. Mayor Holson, Chief of Police William Stivers, and GL Eshelman and GC Armstrong of the Chamber of Commerce accepted an invitation to ride in the Ford and inscribe their names in the l

Roy Hayden of Vincennes opened his miniature automobile (midget) racing bowl in July 1946 located on the blacktop road north of May Chapel Church known then as the George Field Road between Lawrenceville and Vincennes.  He called it the Lawrence County Speedway.  The track was a fifth of a mile. He advertised nationally known drivers and racing cars from Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky and Florida would appear.  A chartered bus service for fans, leaving from Vincennes City