Great River Road, 2016

Browse Items (17 total)

  • Tags: Highland
Thumbnail Title Description Date Date Added
1840 Aggregate Census of Madison County This is a transcribed copy of the 1840 federal census of Madison County, including data on the county as a whole and specific towns and precincts. The page this was taken from lists every county that existed in Illinois in 1840; this copy only lists Madison County. It includes population data broken down by race, gender, and age, including the number of enslaved and free African Americans. It also lists the number of people with disabilities broken down by race and age, as well as the number of people employed in agriculture and various industries. In addition, it lists the number of various types of schools and the number of students at each type of school. 1840 August 7, 2017
1866 Highland Brewery This 1866 photograph shows the Highland Brewing Company's brewery in Highland. The view is from the north. Telegraph poles are visible in the photograph.

This photograph was digitized by Darren Latham as part of History 400: Community-Engaged Digital History.
1866 September 15, 2018
Louis Spengel’s Store in Highland in 1896 This photo of Louis Spengel’s store in Highland was taken in 1896. The signs on the store indicate that Spengel sold stoves, tinware, and umbrellas.

This photograph was digitized by Darren Latham as part of History 400: Community-Engaged Digital History.
1896 September 15, 2018
The St. Louis House Tavern in Highland This is a photograph of the St. Louis House Tavern in Highland sometime during its operation. It served Highland residents as a tavern and hostelry in the 19th and early 20th centuries, prior to the building burning down in 1913. In the early 21st century the site is the home of Ethel's, a tavern in operation since the end of Prohibition in 1933. Before 1913 August 27, 2018
Kid Walters Tavern in Highland This postcard shows the interior of Kid Walters Tavern in Highland sometime during his ownership from 1933 to 1952. In 1952 he sold the tavern to Jim and Ethel Hirsch, and the tavern became known as Ethel's. It is still in operation as Ethel's as of 2018. Circa 1933 - 1952 August 27, 2018
Ethel and Jim Hirsch Welcoming Returning Soldiers after World War II in a Highland Bar This photograph shows Ethel and Jim Hirsch (far left) and others welcoming home soldiers returning from World War II in a Highland. Various photographs of soldiers are hanging on the shelf behind Ethel and Jim. The identity of the bar is unknown. One possibility is Kid Walter’s Place, which Ethel and Jim bought in 1952. That bar became known as Ethel's and is still open as of 2018. Circa 1945 August 27, 2018
Business Card for the Village Motel in Highland, Illinois This business card for the Village Motel emphasizes the motel's air conditioning and TV service. The motel was located just off US Highway 40 slightly northeast of Highland, Illinois. At the time the motel was owned and operated by Wally and Ruth Nagel, who purchased the motel in 1958 before the construction of I-70 through Highland. It was sold in 1992 and is currently used as apartments. 1958 - 1992 January 9, 2018
Late 1960s Aerial Photo of Village Motel in Highland, Illinois This photograph is an aerial view of the Village Motel located just off US Highway 40 slightly northeast of Highland, Illinois. At the time the motel was owned and operated by Wally and Ruth Nagel, who purchased the motel in 1958 before the construction of I-70 through Highland. It was sold in 1992 and is currently used as apartments. 1965 - 1969 August 7, 2017
Letter to the Officers and Directors of the Illinois State Historical Society concerning the restoration and preservation of barns in Illinois, 1973 This is a letter to the Officers and Directors of the Illinois State Historical Society concerning the restoration and preservation of barns in Illinois from January 11, 1973. It is signed by the president of the society Donald F. Lewis. 1973 March 15, 2019
Voegele Families of Southern Illinois This book by Edward Zacharski discusses the descendants of Charles Voegele, a German-American immigrant who settled in Highland, Illinois in the 1840s. 2000 April 7, 2017