Molly Crusen Bishop: Flanagan House is oldest standing home in Peoria

The Flanagan house located at 942 N. E.  Glen Oak Avenue is the oldest standing home in the city of Peoria. It was given this honor on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. It is an American Federal style home.

In 1837, the Flanagan house was built, and Peoria’s population around 1844 was a little over 1,100.  By 1870, our city’s population was about 22,000. Around 1890 the population was over 41,000 citizens.

John Flanagan Sr. was born in Dublin, Ireland, in the 1700s to a wealthy family. He married Jane Platt in the early 1800s. Jane was born in 1790 in Philadelphia, the daughter of a wealthy Revolutionary War Patriot.  John and Jane Flanagan lived across the street from the Pennsylvania State house and had five children; the oldest died as a young child. Their other children were John C., James, Louisa, and Letitia.

The family came to central Illinois in the 1820s when John Sr. originally acquired more than 600 acres in Peoria, planning to be a land developer. Jane’s health was suffering and this caused the family to relocate to a better environment, and the family settled on a large farm near Kickapoo Creek in Limestone Township.

John Sr. died of typhus on a trip to New Orleans in 1832, causing the newly widowed Jane to continue to try to operate the family farm. She acquired a reputation as a strong pioneer woman. She later asked her adult son John C. Flanagan to come and assist her in her estates.

John would later become Judge John C. Flanagan. He and his mother built the American Federal style house on the 600 acre estate. Jane died in 1854.

Judge Flanagan continued to live on the estate, which looked like an Irish country estate, with his sisters Letitia and Louisa, who was handicapped. The front of the house (now the rear) faced the Illinois River valley, offering breathtaking views. The foundation of the house was built with limestone that came from Kickapoo Creek. The carriage house was where the back of the house is now, partway down the hill. I can just imagine the horses and carriages coming from the river at the bottom of the bluff.

Judge Flanagan was a popular man who loved to entertain. He often had large parties in his beautiful home. He died in 1891, and his two sisters died within months of each other in 1892. The Flanagan house passed through several owners and has been owned by the Peoria Historical Society since 1962. It is now a beautiful museum and also houses the local chapter of The Daughters of the American Revolution as well.

The Judge John C. Flanagan House Museum is one of Peoria’s greatest treasures. It offers one of the most spectacular views of the Illinois River valley, and also for the July 4^th fireworks.

The beautiful backyard of the Judge John C. Flanagan House Museum opens July 4 at 6 p.m., with fireworks beginning around 9 p.m. Feel free to bring your lawn chairs and blankets. Picnic baskets are welcome. Soda, water, and popcorn will be offered for $1, and there will be fun novelties for the children.

The cost is $5 for adults, $3 for children, and add a tour of this spectacular museum and their special military display for another $5. All proceeds benefit the Peoria Historical Society and the Judge John C. Flanagan House Museum.

Take care: 'Tis the season for dog bites

Summer is peak season for dog bites – especially among children, who spend more time outdoors during July and August, increasing the potential for problem encounters.

An estimated 4.5 million people suffer dog bites each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control; more than half of the bites resulting in serious injury happen to children under age 14. Dog bite prevention requires action by both human and pet parents.

"Whether a family has a dog in the household or not, parents must teach children how to behave safely around dogs," says Traci Simo, head of Manners dog obedience training for Canine Company. She says every child should know these four basic rules:

• Never pet a dog you don't know without first asking the owner. If given permission, let the dog sniff your hand before touching him.
• Don't grab a dog from behind or place your arms around his neck because he may feel threatened.
• Never disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating, or caring for puppies.
• If a strange dog approaches you, stand still. In most cases, the dog will sniff you and go away once it decides you are not a threat. Don't run. Dogs love to chase, and may become excited and lunge. Walk slowly with your hands at your side.

"We all think our own dog will never bite," adds Simo, "but even a sweet, friendly dog can strike out from fear, for protection or in defense." Pet parents are legally responsible for injuries their dog causes, so it's important for pet parents to take these precautions:

• Follow leash laws. Don't let your dog run free unless you have an Invisible Fence^® system that will keep him contained in your yard.
• Have your dog spayed or neutered. Studies show that dogs are three times more likely to bite if they are NOT neutered.
• Train your dog to obey basic commands like 'sit,' 'stay' and 'come.' While it's best to start when the dog is a puppy, no dog is too old to learn obedience skills. 
• If a dog demonstrates any aggressive behaviors, don't wait for a bite to happen. Seek professional advice from a qualified trainer right away.

Most expect more female leaders in the next decade

America has come a long way since 1971, when The Harris Poll found that equal parts of the American public favored and opposed efforts to strengthen and change women's status in society (42% favor and 41% oppose).

Today, majorities of Americans say they would be equally likely to trust either a man or a woman in various leadership roles, 3 in 4 agree that the U.S. has come a long way toward reaching gender equality, and nearly 9 in 10 acknowledge that, compared to previous generations, men today are willing to take on more responsibilities at home (86%).

We've come a long way indeed, but we're not there yet – women still face barriers to leadership opportunities and lack of recognition in the workplace, but more than 8 in 10 adults are hopeful that gender equality will be achieved in their lifetime (84%), including nearly half (47%) who strongly agree.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll® of 2,097 U.S. adults surveyed online between June 1 and 3, 2016. Complete results of this study can be found here.

Bright outlook for women's future, but work remains to be done

Most U.S. adults are optimistic about what the future will hold for American women:

• About 9 in 10 believe the next decade will see more female leaders (91%); and,
• Majorities think the next generation of American women will have more leadership opportunities (69%), higher income potential (65%), and greater freedom to marry (57%).

At the same time, however, only about half are as confident about increased access to education (53%) and health care (50%), and more protection against violence (51%).

In fact, more than 9 in 10 Americans (93%) agree – including nearly 2 in 3 (65%) who strongly agree – that we must make faster progress in preventing violence against women.

It takes a village: responsibility for change lies with all, but mostly women

Large majorities of Americans agree that the responsibility for change lies with all facets of society:

• The media play a crucial role in shaping gender roles and norms (87%);
• It's important that families teach their children that girls can do anything that boys can do (89%); and,
• Businesses, non-profits, schools, and government need to work together with families to promote gender equality (84%).

Employers can also help level the corporate playing field by taking certain steps – such as flexibility and transparency – to promote equal leadership opportunities for men and women in the workplace.

But ultimately, the bulk of the burden to inspire change lies with women themselves – while the vast majority of adults feel everyone should have at least some responsibility for improving American women's lives, nearly 2 in 3 place the onus primarily on women:

To see other recent Harris Polls, please visit our website, TheHarrisPoll.com.

Methodology

This Harris Poll was conducted online, in English, within the United States between June 1 and June 3, 2016among 2,097 adults. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. 

Travel etiquette: What would you do?

As summertime temperatures begin to rise, air travel passengers' patience tends to wane – which can lead to uncomfortable situations and potentially unruly behavior, particularly on extremely full flights.

Recently, Travel Leaders Group – the nearly $21 billion powerhouse in the travel industry – asked Americans travelers "What would you do?" when faced with a variety of travel situations, such as  pets on planes, in-flight fights, reclining airline seats, children behaving badly on a plane, and airline passengers not using headphones when listening to music, watching movies or playing video games.

The survey of 3,431 consumers across the United States was conducted by Travel Leaders Group April 4 to April 30, 2016.

"Last year, an all-time record of more than 798 million American airline passengers took to the skies. That means there are plenty of opportunities for travelers, perhaps unknowingly, to commit a gaffe – from the constant tapping on the seatback monitor to reclining so much that it's uncomfortable for the passenger behind you," explained Travel Leaders Group CEO Ninan Chacko. "Not surprisingly, a vast majority would let the flight crew handle any in-flight disagreements – and there have been a few as of late. But in many other instances, there aren't clearly defined right and wrong answers on how to handle particular situations. Patience, civility, common sense, self-awareness and courtesy toward others all contribute dramatically toward in making any travel experience better, all around."

Airplane Etiquette – In-flight Fights and Bad Behavior:

After multiple incidents of airline passengers fighting, survey participants were asked, "If you saw two airline passengers fighting, in-flight, what would you do?" and the responses included:

When asked, "If a child was behaving badly on a plane, one that was old enough to understand their actions, and the parents did nothing to correct the behavior, what would you do?" the responses were:    

Airplane Etiquette – Reclining Seats:

When asked, "If the person in the airline seat in front of you reclined their seat so much that you had difficulty lowering your tray table or perhaps were unable to open up a laptop, what would you do?" the responses were:

Conversely, when asked, "If you were trying to recline your airplane seat and you were hindered by the person behind you, in some way, what would you do?" the responses were:

Airplane Etiquette – Music and Videos:

Trying to keep occupied on flights today often includes watching videos or in-flight television or listening to music. It's not uncommon for the volume of those to be disruptive to other passengers.  When asked, "If an adult passenger seated near you on an airplane was listening to music or watching videos without using headphones, what would you do?" the responses included:  

When asked, "If a child near you was playing video games without using headphones on an airplane, what would you do?" the responses were: