Certified Illinois Expert

Statue of Arnold j Damen SJ covered in snow

Coneheaded Fr. Damen

Interior of chapel with rows of semicircular arches leading towards altar

Exterior of the stone chapel, in a moderne/streamline style

St. Matthew icon possibly done by Edgar miller

Still think this is my favorite church in Chicago — Madonna Della Strada at Loyola. Design by Andrew Rebori with some great @edgarmillerart.bsky.social (or perhaps Miller inspired…) art inside and out.

Back when phone numbers were just colors

Several framed and unframed pics propped up against a wall waiting to be hung

Good things happening in my cubicle at work… guess who came into possession of 12 rare 1967 prints portraying scenes from Illinois history. Yes that is Gov. Shadrach Bond getting inaugurated in back there, why, what are you getting distracted by?

Wow! I just might.

Very ornate theater front and marquee

The snow capped Tivoli Theatre (1928) in Downers Grove, one of the first in the state to show talking pictures. Magnificent on the inside but was closed when I walked by today.

I was born in 1990 but identify as Greatest Generation. Thrifty, savvy, cooperative giving, strong. I do respect Millennials though, they have inherited a big mess from boomers who deprive them of housing and shit upon them just for liking lattes and avocado.

Neon sign for sawas old Warsaw Polish style smorgasbord

A classic sign

It keeps catching my eye and then i am somewhat disappointed it’s not a history book or a book about Lincoln. Is it good??

Brick road stretching towards twilit horizon

Brick section of Route 66 south of Springfield

Teilhard de Chardin

Rose Philippine Duchesne

Elizabeth Ann Seton

Gerard Manley Hopkins

Four more windows from the lovely Pere Marquette gallery at SLU. Can’t quite figure out why these four specifically were chosen for the honor

A simple white church at the end of twilight with a single stained glass window glowing warmly

Close up on the window which reads IMMANUEL

Immanuel Hall in Hinsdale

Had to push the iPhones tilt correction tool to the max 😔. I need a drone!

Tall

Ugh i was too late to try it when i went by. Next time!

My Just Desserts Homemade Pies and Lunch. Brick building against an early sunset sky

Gotta love a business named after a pun. This is in Alton.

Masonic Temple in Alton IL

Lincoln in hat outside metamora courthouse

Hatless Lincoln in court with kind of wild hair

Lincoln regaling other lawyers in a dimly lit tavern

Lincoln and his boys

From Courtroom to Capitol is now available to stream at its full 18 min length. What do we think of their younger Abe actor. Fourth pic here he is rolling into town with his boys Judge Davis and Ward Hill Lamon, rarely depicted on film. Great work!

Lol. Well there you go, you are the reason for Alton’s sudden status as hipster Mecca. I am going to see if the library there will book my travel lecture so I can go back!

Is that so??

Mega-influencer @chickenjoestl.bsky.social posted a bunch of pics and then I copied him and went there after my conference in STL. The wave is growing.

Brick neoclassical building with double decker columned porch

Masonic Lodge in Auburn IL

An old stone church with round rose window above arched doorway and different sized towers on either side

Conical metal steeple atop an octagonal block with a somewhat minimalist clock face

Look at this very cool bell tower in Alton. Church dates back to 1855(!) and “space age” steeples are from 1950. Sts Peter and Paul, onetime cathedral for the southern half of Illinois

u bet!

More from Lincoln’s tomb

You have just put a target on both of our backs…. With this much money on the line don’t think the big wigs in Springfield will pause even a moment before tossing us into the Sangamon

I went back there but… do they let people in?!

Great resource. Big fan of Zinn’s work & legacy—appreciate what you guys do!

Gate showing name of cemetery and 1860 1900

Road past leaves and tombstones and trees

Far off view of Lincoln’s tomb obelisk with tree in foreground

Oak ridge abbey , presumably an old stone chapel from 1910-12

Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, final resting place of President Lincoln.

President Lincoln! Douglas is #3. They are all pretty close tho and it's a little confusing how they are measured (whether or not podium, column, and statue height are included). I am pretty confident in my ranking though.