After Charles Titus retired from his position as a history professor at Eastern Illinois University several years ago, he had the time to visit 20 distinct historic attractions across the state.
Now those 20 sites make up a new book, “Exploring the Land of Lincoln,” Titus published through the University of Illinois Press.
In addition to familiar landmarks such as Lincoln sites in Springfield and Starved Rock State Park, Titus includes lesser-known attractions such as Fort Massac State Park, a military installation located in the southern part of the state the French once had a stake over 200 years ago.
Cahokia Mounds in Collinsville dates back even further, said Titus. “A lot of research has been there in recent years but there’s still an air of mystery that hangs over that place,” he said referring to mounds built by native Americans over 1,000 years ago.
“The largest mound is Monks Mounds, 125 feet tall. It’s accessible by a staircase. At the top you look out at the juxtaposition of two civilizations, the ancient one built so long ago while in the distance you can see the arch and tall buildings of St. Louis, the thriving civilization,” said Titus.
“There’s also a great visitors center there with a lot of information,” he said.
Another historic landmark—located just 65 miles from Cahokia—is the Vandalia State House in Vandalia, site of the state’s second capital (Kaskaskia was first) before Springfield became the center of government in Illinois.
“Vandalia served as the state’s capital from 1820 to 1839,” said Titus. “This is where a 25-year-old Abraham Lincoln first served in office,” he said.
“You can go into rooms (at the capitol) and see what those places were like at that time,” said Titus, noting that accurate reproductions of furniture and articles of the early 19th century help recreate another era.
A sculpture entitled “The Eternal Indian” by artist Lorado Taft at Lowden State Park overlooking the Rock River is another attraction cited by Titus. “Taft, an artist of uncommon gifts, used slip form construction to mold the concrete in the statue, the same way many grain elevators are built,” he said.
Taft, whose work also adorns the University of Illinois campus as well as sites in Chicago, was born in Elmwood, home to a number of the artist's sculptures and a museum devoted to his work.
Those leery of the pandemic who prefer to stay outdoors should consider visiting Bishop Hill, a Swedish settlement, and historic Nauvoo, founded by the Mormons, said Titus.
The history professor said he was familiar with the complaint that history sometimes proved “kind of boring.”
“But our history speaks for the variety in Illinois,” said Titus, suggesting that depicting Illinois simply as “a big city and a bunch of corn fields” was not the case.
“By traveling to these places and standing on the ground where historic events occurred, it helps us understand what we are today,” he said.
In the era of covid-19, Titus advised those thinking of traveling to historic locations to first check on specific locations “to see how they are accommodating visitors.”
Northern Illinois:
Apple River Fort State Historic Site
Bishop Hill
The Eternal Indian (or Black Hawk) Statue
Starved Rock State Park
Chicago Area:
Haymarket Martyrs' Monument
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
Old Chicago Water Tower
South Side Community Art Center
Central Illinois:
Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site
Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site
Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site
Reuben Moore Home and Thomas Lincoln (Shiloh) Cemetery
Nauvoo
Old State Capitol State Historic Site
Vachel Lindsay Home
Southern Illinois:
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
Fort de Chartres State Historic Site
Fort Massac State Park
Old Shawneetown
Vandalia State House State Historic Site
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