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Call for papers

The Illinois State Historical Society's Symposium Committee announces a call for papers around the theme "Knowledge on the Prairie," for presentation at the 2007 Illinois History Symposium. Papers, panels, presentations, and video documentaries on all aspects of Illinois history will be reviewed, with special consideration given to topics and presentations that focus on classroom applications. Proposals should include one-page description of topic, list of primary sources to be used, and curriculum vitae. Deadline for proposals is June 30, 2006. The 2007 Illinois History Symposium will be held in conjunction with Illinois State University's 150th anniversary on the ISU campus in Normal. For more information about the symposium, call the Society office at 217-525-2781.

Call for photographs

Illinois historical societies, museums, and individuals are invited to submit their favorite images from the past for the 2007 Illinois Visions Calendar. Selected photos will be reprinted in the November/December issue of Illinois Heritage, which includes the Visions Calendar.

Photographs and digital images (jpgs at 300 dpi are preferred) should be mailed (or e-mailed) to Visions Calendar, Illinois State Historical Society, 210 1/2 S. Sixth Street, Suite 200, Springfield, Illinois 62701, ishseditor@eosinc.com. All photographs accompanied by self-addressed stamped envelopes will be returned. The deadline for this year's calendar is July 15, 2006.

Pilgrimage Scouts to earn badges

Boy Scouts participating in the 61st annual Abraham Lincoln Pilgrimage, April 29-30, 2006, will earn a new patch by following the Illinois State Historical Society's "Museum Trails Passport." Scouts who visit 4 of the 11 museums listed in the passport will be eligible for the "Museum Trail Badge." Passports are available through the Land of Lincoln Boy Scout Council in Springfield (217-546-5570).

In addition to offering the Museum Trail patch, the Society offers Scouts the opportunity to earn the American Heritage Merit Badge. For more information about this program, call the Society office at 217-525-2781.

State Chamber of Commerce to co-sponsor Centennial Awards

The Illinois State Chamber of Commerce has signed on as a co-sponsor of the 22nd annual Centennial Awards Banquet, which will be held on Friday, October 13, 2006, at the Palmer House Hilton hotel in Chicago. The State Chamber, located in Springfield, has agreed to sponsor this year's banquet reception. "We are delighted to be a part of this celebration," said Michael Ayers, Executive Vice President and COO of State Chamber. "It's just the sort of activity that promotes Illinois' rich economic heritage."

The Centennial Awards Program will honor businesses and not-for-profit corporations celebrating their centennial years in 2006. Organizations and businesses celebrating their 125th, 150th, and 175th years are also encouraged to apply for special recognition. Applications are available on-line at www.historyillinois.org or by calling the Society office.

The Centennial Awards Program, founded in 1984, has honored more than 1,100 corporations around the state including the Walgreen's Company, SBC, the Chicago White Sox, Rotary International, and more than 50 Carnegie libraries around the state.

In addition to a free ticket to the banquet, Centennial Award winners receive a plaque inscribed by the current Illinois Governor and Society president, use of the Centennial Awards logo on their business letterhead, a year's free membership in the Society, and statewide recognition. For more information about the Awards Program, call 217-525-2781.

Prize money for student scholars

Do you know a young Lincoln scholar who could use $1,000 for college? Illinois high school students are invited to participate in the Orndorff Competition, an essay contest about Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War era.

Essays should be between 1,000 and 1,500 words with an annotated bibliography and suggestions for further reading. The focus of the essay should be on Abraham Lincoln or a significant event in the Civil War period in Illinois. The Illinois high school student whose research paper is selected will receive a $1,000 scholarship, plus a certificate from the Society.

The winning essay and author will be honored at the Illinois History Symposium Banquet in February 2007. His or her essay will be published in the January/February 2007 issue of Illinois Heritage magazine, the popular history magazine of the Illinois State Historical Society. For more information, call 217-525-2781, or visit the Society's web site at www.historyillinois.org.

Entries should be sent to the Illinois State Historical Society, Orndorff Scholarship, 210 1/2 South Sixth Street, Suite 200, Springfield, Illinois 62701. The deadline for the 2006 award is October 31.

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On Monday, February 13, 2006, community leaders gathered in Springfield's Oak Ridge Cemetery to break ground for a new memorial wall honoring children who perished at the city's Home for the Friendless. The Home, an orphange for Civil War refuges and abandoned children, operated from 1863 to 1904, and served more than 6,500. The new 45-foot limestone wall will include the names of the 52 children known to be buried there, as well as a list of the original Civil War orphans transported to Springfield from Fort Smith, Arkansas. (See "The Fall of the Sparrows," Illinois Heritage, March-April, 2005).             courtesy of Nancy Chapin

Block Documents on display in Bloomington

The Block Documents, a collection of more than 40 signed presidential documents and lithographs from the Madison to Coolidge presidencies, are on display now through May 14, 2006, at the McLean County Museum of History. This collection, which features several signed Lincoln documents, is being exhibited for the first time outside of Springfield, Illinois.

The collection, given to the Society by the family of Joseph and Lucille Block, was first shown publicly at the Lincoln Home National Historical Site last spring and includes handwritten notes from Lincoln to Generals Grant and Meade, and a letter from Andrew Jackson to a friend.

The papers reflect the feelings and attitudes of the time. On Saturday, April 1, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., Dottie Hopkins-Rehan, archivist for the Block Documents collection will present, Preserving the Past: A Paper Conservation Workshop. The workshop will cover how to clean, repair and preserve important family documents. There is a $15.00 registration fee for this workshop. The exhibit showing is made possible by the Illinois State Historical Society through a grant from the Illinois Humanities Council. For more information on these and other fine programs call the museum (309) 827-0428 or visit the website at www.mchistory.org.

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