In the third year of the American War for Independence, Lt. Col. George Rogers Clark and his army of 170 Virginia volunteers camped 5 miles southeast of here. On July 2, 1778, Clark made the fourth of five camps on his march from Fort Massac to . . . — — Map (db m161442) HM
The evolution of Southern Illinois University began here in 1856 when Presbyterians founded Carbondale College. Suffering hardships during the Civil War, the college was sold to the First Christian Church in the mid 1860s and renamed Southern . . . — — Map (db m161077) HM
On April 23, 1861, eleven days after Confederates fired on Fort Sumter, the cofounder of Carbondale, Daniel Harmon Brush, called a public meeting on this town square. Brush delivered a patriotic speech in support of the Union. Two days later, Brush . . . — — Map (db m161965) HM
In this cemetery was held the first Memorial Service to the Civil War Veterans Apr. 1866 which inspired Gen. John A. Logan a citizen of Carbondale to issue General Order No. 11 as Grand Commander of G.A.R. establishing National Memorial Day May 30 . . . — — Map (db m174000) HM
When Saddam Hussein, the dictator of Iraq, invaded and seized Kuwait in August 1990, the UN and the US took it as an act of aggression. With UN sanction, a coalition of 24 nations led by President George Bush deployed half a million troops in the . . . — — Map (db m163488) HM
On June 25, 1950 North Korean Armed Forces invaded South Korea. To contain Communist aggression, President Harry Truman ordered American forces to defend South Korea. The UN called on all member nations to help repel the invaders. Fifteen responded, . . . — — Map (db m163490) HM
"If I have helped someone along life's way then my living has not been in vain"
Born in Brookport, Illinois Rev. Turley was a man interested in all facets of life. He always liked to build, loved the positive approach to problems, glorified in . . . — — Map (db m167726) HM
The first memorial service in Illinois, and one of the first in the nation, to honor those who had died in the Civil War, took place at Woodlawn Cemetery on April 29, 1866. On that day, a group of more than 200 veterans gathered at the old "Blue . . . — — Map (db m163493) HM
(all are photo captions:)
Daniel Harmon Brush founded Carbondale in 1852 along the right-of-way of the Illinois Central Railroad. The railroad became the center of the town's activity, bisecting what would become the Town Square. The . . . — — Map (db m161966) HM
Following construction of the Illinois Central Railroad, frame and brick commercial buildings were built on the east side of the Town Square. The photo to the right depicts the 100 block of North Washington (ca. 1870). The Richart and Campbell . . . — — Map (db m161968) HM
In 1869, Carbondale was chosen as the location for Southern Illinois College. By the early 1870s, several new commercial brick buildings were planned for the Town Square, reflecting growth and optimism.
The Newell House Hotel at 101 South . . . — — Map (db m161969) HM
A major change in the configuration of the Town Square occurred about 1900 when the Illinois Central Railroad announced an expansion of its Carbondale facilities. New tracks were added, and the St. Louis Division Office, depicted in this ca. 1920 . . . — — Map (db m161970) HM
By 1900, fifty trains a day stopped at the Town Square. Passengers disembarked to find commercial buildings with corner turrets and ornate windows. Examples are the Dunaway Building, erected in 1900 at 102-106 East Jackson, and the F.A. Prickett . . . — — Map (db m161972) HM
In 1898, the railroad industry was approaching its height in Carbondale. The expansion of the Illinois Central Railroad resulted in numerous families relocating to the area and major expansion of railroad facilities north of the Town Square. This . . . — — Map (db m161974) HM
Because of the active railroad freight and passenger line, overnight lodging facilities were in demand, and several hotels were constructed. The most imposing of the early hotels was the Union House, later the Planters House Hotel; it stood on the . . . — — Map (db m161973) HM
The Solomon and Winters Dry Goods Store, built in 1897, at the northeast corner of Illinois Avenue and Jackson Street is in the background of this photo (ca. 1905). This was the first commercial building in Carbondale with a corner turret. The . . . — — Map (db m161977) HM
In 1868, the city passed an ordinance forbidding frame construction on the Square. The photo to the left (ca. 1900) depicts the New Brush Building at 100 South Illinois Avenue. The store was built in 1895 to replace the city's first commercial . . . — — Map (db m161975) HM
This statue was placed here by Station Carbondale, Inc. through donations from people dedicated to the preservation of Carbondale's railroad history.
The first train came to Carbondale, July 4, 1854. As many as 53 passenger trains passed . . . — — Map (db m161978) HM
In 1954 the army of the revolutionary government of North Viet Nam was on the verge of ending French colonial role in Viet Nam. Fearing the spread of Communism in SE Asia, the US eased the French out, set up a government in Saigon, and sent massive . . . — — Map (db m163489) HM
On April 29, 1866, over 200 veterans and several thousand citizens gathered at Woodlawn Cemetery to honor those who had died in the Civil War. General John A. Logan delivered the keynote address, saying "Every man's life belongs to his country, and . . . — — Map (db m161076) HM
In 1914 war broke out in Europe between the Allies (Britain, France, and Russia) and the Central Powers (Germany and Austria-Hungary). After three years of fighting, German armies defeated Russia and drove deep into France. The sinking of the . . . — — Map (db m163492) HM
War began in 1939 between the Axis (Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy) and the Allies (France, Britain, and others). In 1940-41, German forces conquered most of Europe and North Africa and invaded Russia. Japan joined the Axis and attacked the US at . . . — — Map (db m163491) HM
Erected A.D. 1920
B.B. Easterly Pres'd't. • F.A. Richards, Clerk • Thos. G. Dunn • Samuel Smith • Munroe Lunceford • S. L. Porter — — Map (db m191123) HM
A memorial to our United States Vietnam War Veterans
Elmer Matthew Shield Feb 15,1949 - Nov 4, 1969 •
Phillip Arbeiter •
Gary Beisner •
Homer Bradshaw •
Gerald "Peck" Derossett •
Gilbert "Shorty" Easterly •
Natham Geiger • . . . — — Map (db m191196) WM
Captain William Boone, the nephew of the famous Daniel Boone, is thought to have been the first white settler in Jackson county, having arrived shortly after Lewis and Clark discovered Tower Rock. William Boone's son, Benningen, was the first white . . . — — Map (db m180340) HM
In continuous use since 1872. Moved from north Grand Tower to this site in 1896. It's Gothic architecture is primarily of solid walnut. A Civil War veteran was the first minister. — — Map (db m196141) HM
The American War Mothers,
Tower Rock Charter,
Grand Tower, Illinois,
Honor these men who made
The supreme sacrifice in
The service of their country
Robert Fisher • Roy E. Nimmo • Aubrey East • Robert S. East, Jr. • Lorain Rushing . . . — — Map (db m161855) WM
In November 1803, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and their party passed by here on their way west. They camped across the river. Clark sketched the area, the local landmarks of Tower Rock and the Sugar Loaf, and their keelboat anchored near the . . . — — Map (db m161439) HM
Who, for more than 30 years from 1940 served more than a million and a half all-you-could-eat home-cooked meals to all comers on this site. Those of us who enjoyed her cooking affectionately dedicate this plaque to her. — — Map (db m191114) HM
This steam locomotive built by H. K. Porte Co. in 1929, donated to Devils Backbone Park, Grand Tower, Illinois in 1961, by Central Illinois Public Service Co. — — Map (db m190983) HM
In Memoriam
The American Legion
Tower Rock Post 921
Grand Towers, lll.
Honor these men who made
The supreme sacrifice
In the service of
Their country
World War I
Pvt. Lorain Rushing
Died September 26, 1918, . . . — — Map (db m161858) WM
In December of 2009, the lush wetland at the heart of Lover's Pond Nature Preserve was renamed in honor of James "Gene" Korando, a lifelong resident of this area and avid outdoorsman.
Humble Beginnings
"Gene" Korando was born May 26, . . . — — Map (db m161856) HM
Murphysboro celebrated its first Logan Day on August 3, 1914. This event drew 25,000 visitors, including national dignitaries and a large number of Civil War veterans.
The main focus of Logan Days was to dedicate this monument as the . . . — — Map (db m203172) HM
The Pathe News Company recorded the activities surrounding Murphysboro's first "Logan Day" on August 3, 1914. The film appeared in movie houses a little over a week later. Among them was Murphysboro's Tilford, now Liberty Theater, which opened in . . . — — Map (db m203169) HM
Lindorf Ozburn, born in Jackson County, Illinois in 1823, married Diza Glenn, John A. Logan's cousin. Ozburn, who served with Logan in the Mexican War, joined the Illinois 31st Infantry at the beginning of the Civil War. On Logan's promotion to . . . — — Map (db m208665) HM
In July 1861, J.D. Wheatley of Duquoin wrote Illinois Governor Richard Yates that a Confederate company was drilling in Murphysboro. A Union officer sent to investigate discovered a group of men in uniforms made of red and white bed ticking drilling . . . — — Map (db m160953) HM
Dr. Conrad Will, the "Father of Jackson County," was born in Pennsylvania in 1779 and came to Illinois in 1813. He was a physician but also operated a grist mill, tannery, and salt works. He was one of the founders of Jackson County and in 1816 . . . — — Map (db m160951) HM
Samuel H. Dalton, a widower, purchased this board and baton house from the John A. Logan estate in 1887 for $150.
Dalton, born enslaved in 1839 in Richmond, Virginia, lived in Mississippi at the beginning of the Civil War. After emancipation . . . — — Map (db m203170) HM
Dr. John Logan, born in Ireland in 1788, came to America with his family in 1793. He moved to Jackson County in 1822 where he married Elizabeth Jenkins. Dr. Logan served four terms in the Illinois Legislature and became a friend of Abraham Lincoln. . . . — — Map (db m161005) HM
Elizabeth Jenkins, born in 1803 in North Carolina, married Dr. John Logan in 1825. When her son, John A. Logan, joined the Union Army in 1861, Elizabeth refused to speak to him. In this, she reflected the strong Southern feelings held across Egypt, . . . — — Map (db m161007) HM
The first coal mine in Illinois was located one-half mile south of here along the south bank of the Big Muddy River. William Boone and his indentured servant, a man named Peter, loaded a small raft with coal from an outcropping and, after floating . . . — — Map (db m160955) HM
Lt. Col. Clark and his troop of 170 Virginians camped near here on July 2, 1778. It was their third campsite during a march from Fort Massac to Kaskaskia to capture that post from the British. Earlier that day, the troop was lost for a time on . . . — — Map (db m161008) HM
In August 1862, federal authorities detained Israel Blanchard, John A. Logan's brother-in-law, as he walked near the court house. Blanchard was subsequently taken to the Logan Hotel, and arrested on vague charges related to alleged anti-war . . . — — Map (db m161006) HM
On January 10, 1816, Jackson County, created from Randolph and Johnson counties, became Illinois' ninth county. It was named for General (later President) Andrew Jackson, hero of the Battle of New Orleans. The county's first seat, Brownsville, was . . . — — Map (db m160952) HM
Murphysboro celebrated its first Logan Day on August 3, 1914. This was Illinois’ second Logan Day, the first occurred in Chicago in 1897. Logan Day brought 25,000 people to Murphysboro. Among the attendees were Illinois Governor Edward F. Dunne, . . . — — Map (db m119541) HM
John A. Logan was born here in 1826. He fought in the Battle of Bullrun as a Democratic U.S. Congressman. Logan joined the Union Army and before the Civil War's end he earned the rank of Major General. Experiences in the war changed Logan from a . . . — — Map (db m161003) HM
In 1806, surveyors mapped Southern Illinois noting the small prairies extending across the region. These "pocket prairies" preserved remnants of the vast grassland which covered the area in prehistoric times. Climate changes brought the growth of . . . — — Map (db m203173) HM
Their term of service being up in February 1865, 205 members of the 56th Illinois Infantry chose to muster out. Before doing so they fought at Bentonville, North Carolina, the regiment's final engagement. Their journey home began March 29th, 1865, . . . — — Map (db m203167) HM
The sandstone outline marks the location of Dr. John and Elizabeth (Jenkins) Logan's 1823 to 1844 home.
Their home faced west with an apple and peach orchard between it and that road. The 20' x 50' two story log building consisted of two rooms . . . — — Map (db m203174) HM