HistoryHistory
Molly Crusen Bishop: Trefzger's legacy lives on
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- Published on Monday, 14 November 2016 17:48
- Written by Molly Crusen Bishop
One sunny October morning in 2016, in Peoria Heights, I was walking along Prospect Road delivering newsletters for Central Illinois Landmarks Foundation to all of the unique shops and establishments. I decided to stop by the newly renovated Trefzger’s Bakery, the work done by the incredibly talented Farnsworth Group, to take a...
Molly Crusen Bishop: From where her hopes spring eternal
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- Published on Wednesday, 26 October 2016 14:00
- Written by Molly Crusen Bishop
My memories of neighbors on the West Bluff are vast and still can bring forth sweet emotions from the days of yesteryear. The first distinct one takes place early in the mornings on weekends with Mr. Van Norman playing his bagpipes and pacing from one end of his large front porch to the other. His handlebar...
Molly Crusen Bishop: Whiskey Baron event to benefit local history
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- Published on Monday, 18 July 2016 17:38
- Written by Molly Crusen Bishop
One thing we all have in common in Peoria is being its citizens and sharing the rich history that comes with it. No matter where someone lives in Peoria, we all have a hand in taking care of our city and passing on a legacy of pride and preservation...
Molly Crusen Bishop: Thomas Harris Lindsay was a Peoria pioneer
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- Published on Thursday, 06 October 2016 15:39
- Written by Molly Crusen Bishop
Thomas Harris Lindsay was born in McConnelsburg, Pennsylvania, in August of 1830, and later became one of Peoria’s first black citizens. His obituary says he came to Peoria when he was only a boy of 7 years old.
Peoria had a population around 1,400...
Molly Crusen Bishop: Flanagan House is oldest standing home in Peoria
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- Published on Thursday, 30 June 2016 16:20
- Written by Molly Crusen Bishop
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...
Molly Crusen Bishop: East Bluff folks work to help others
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- Published on Friday, 26 August 2016 17:27
- Written by Molly Crusen Bishop
There are many people in Peoria who never travel through the older neighborhoods and could literally live here for decades and never see what large sections of Peoria have going on.
We hear things on the news and then we complain about crime or poverty,...
Molly Crusen Bishop: The Heneberys were important in local history
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- Published on Friday, 10 June 2016 16:28
- Written by Molly Crusen Bishop
Mathew and Mary Daniels Henebery were extraordinary citizens in Peoria’s history.
Mathew and Mary Daniels were both born in Ireland in 1834 and they helped make up the wealth and whiskey...
Molly Crusen Bishop: The importance of Ward Chapel A.M.E. to Peoria history
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- Published on Monday, 01 August 2016 17:09
- Written by Molly Crusen Bishop
There is a church called Ward Chapel A.M.E. at 511 Richard Allen Drive in Peoria, Illinois. It is there African Americans in Peoria first began to get an education.
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Molly Crusen Bishop: Barker had a Midas touch
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- Published on Thursday, 26 May 2016 16:03
- Written by Molly Crusen Bishop
I grew up on Barker Avenue on Peoria’s West Bluff. I often wondered as a young girl if my street had been named after the television game show host Bob Barker, and found this quite odd. There wasn’t anything taught or known about his namesake street in my world growing up.
