Tells the stories of fifty-two significant events in the history of Illinois.

Known as the “Prairie State” and the “Land of Lincoln,” Illinois is a fascinating state for students to study. This book covers all the basics that students need to know about the twenty-first state: The book includes chapters on the land, history, government, and major industries. There is also a chapter on notable people from the state, including famous figures from Abraham Lincoln to Barack Obama. Every chapter contains a sidebar devoted to the theme “Illinois Past and Present” which brings to life a moment from Illinois’ past and compares it to the present day. A timeline of important events and a listing of key facts about Illinois are also included.

Hauntings lurk and spirits linger in the Prairie State Reader, beware! Turn these pages and enter the world of the paranormal, where ghosts and ghouls alike creep just out of sight. Author Troy Taylor shines a light in the dark corners of Illinois and scares those spirits out of hiding in this thrilling collection. From a gallows tree in Greene County where an apparition can still be seen hanging, to the lingering spirits of warring mobsters at the site of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, these stories of strange occurrences will keep you glued to the edge of your seat. Around the campfire or tucked away on a dark and stormy night, this big book of ghost stories is a hauntingly good read.

Herrin, Illinois, has seen many dramatic events unfold in the nearly two hundred years since it was a bell-shaped prairie on the frontier. Now, Herrin native John Griswold, a writer and teacher at the University of Illinois, provides the first comprehensive history of this most American city, a place that in its time became not just a melting pot, but a cauldron. Discover why the coal was so good in the Quality Circle and what happened to the boom that followed its discovery. Explore the roots of the vicious Herrin Massacre of 1922 and learn why the entire nation has focused its gaze on this small Midwestern city so many times. Incorporating the most recent scholarship, interviews, and classic histories and narratives, this brief and entertaining history is illustrated with more than seventy-five archival photos that help tell this important American story.

Hauntings are believed to be created from violence and bloodshed. And from the beginning, the Prairie State was a place where death thrived, and mysteries became commonplace. Illinois was the home of ancient peoples know as Moundbuilders whose only legacy is silent graves and many unsolved mysteries. The French left behind their own ghostly stories after their displacement by the Americans in the 1700s and countless slaughters such as the Dearborn Massacre gave birth to tales of horror that live on in the history of Illinois. Eerie occurrences, spooky events, unsolved mysteries, and terrifying specters haunt Illinois. Tales of headless horsemen, haunted castles and a penitentiary occupied by ghosts chill the spines of visitors. Haunted Illinois explores the Prairie State’s paranormal side and serves as a guide to its haunted places.

William Kinney (birth date, place and parents not listed) died in 1770 in Desarte, Little Creek [Hd?], Sussex County, Delaware. He married Mary (birth date, place and parents not listed). She died after 1770. They were the parents of 4 children. Descendants have lived in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, Oregon and elsewhere in the United States.

Find out about the strange and mysterious creatures living in Illinois.

California is home to Hollywood stars, gorgeous vineyards, and some of the most haunted areas of the country. Its immense wilderness has been the setting for mysterious disappearances, unsolved murders, and bone-chilling supernatural occurrences. Exploring all the spookiness the state has to offer has been a difficult challenge… until now. Spooky Trails and Tall Tales California features different spooky stories across northern, central, and southern California. Accompanying each of these captivating tales is hiking information for the brave reader interested in venturing into the wilderness to test their mettle. Written in an engaging, “campfire-style” voice and with dozens of stories and hikes throughout, readers will discover and explore the haunted history of the Golden State.

In 1854, Decatur was nicknamed "Hell's Half Acre."? By the 1910s and 1920s, the town was referred to as the "Second Most Corrupt City in Illinois, "? gaining notoriety as a place where murder, bootlegging, prostitution, kidnapping, gambling and political corruption were common. Members of the Decatur police force, like Troy Taylor's great-grandfather, were hard-pressed to bar the door against crime in a town that seemed determined to remain wide-open. Wicked Decatur presents a rogue's gallery of those who have slipped through the cracks of legality over the past century and a half.