My friend and I had an errand out in this area and decided to see what else there was to see while…read morewe were here. This museum (the home of the Hegeler and Carus families, who were involved in a local zinc company and also a publishing house, Open Court Press) is a national historic landmark and is unique because it was owned by the same family the whole time, & they never made any fundamental updates to the house so it's largely as it was when designed by WW Boyington (who also designed Chicago's Water Tower and the old Joliet prison) in the 1870s. Several rooms have been restored, but you can see in areas where it hasn't where time is taking its toll (for example, the main hall was painted with egg tempera paint, and that organic element [the egg] is now degrading after 150 years). Still, the parquet floors are amazing, and details like pocket doors, carved wooden decorations and historical elements like the speaker tube system in the walls for speaking through the house are unusual! The house also contains the only German-style turnhalle (gymnasium) in a historic home in the US. Other interesting details include an ornate butsudan (buddhist cabinet shrine) due to Hegeler's interest in Eastern religions. We just took the general tour ($15), but you can do half house (upper or lower half for $50 each) or whole house tours ($100). The longest one is apparently 3.5 hours with two breaks and children are discouraged since it is long. You must register for the tours as they max out at 6 people. Despite it saying "masks are required" and our temperatures taken at the door, our guide was initially trying to take his mask off to talk and the other couple on the tour followed suit. When my friend and I left ours on, they all put them back on at some point. The rooms do have 6 foot markers on the floors, but since some of the rooms aren't big, if you had a full tour group this would be an issue. There is an elevator so the Mansion is handicap accessible. Overall, this seems to be one of the bigger attractions in LaSalle, so take a tour if you're in town.

This mansion is beautiful and a amazing historic site to see!! The house tour is incredible! I…read morehighly recommend going here and learning about this incredible family!

Go see a tribute to one of the most important figures of the American West, at his birthplace. In…read moreTroy Grove, there's not much in town except a memorial for Wild Bill Hickok. He is among the best known of the Western culture, so kind of a big surprise he was born in Illinois. Besides this there isn't much else. There's an information marker and a statue. Around here besides this there isn't much of anything. It's good for making a quick stop on the way to somewhere else. The plot of land its on is where the house he was born in was. Even though the house isn't there anymore, the informational marker has a photo of it. There's also a big bust of Hickok and there's a granite marker with a plaque. It's not much to look at, but it's interesting for a bit. There's not much else around it mostly. Best way to get here is if you're going somewhere like Starved Rock State Park, then it isn't real far away. It's a few miles off Interstate 39 to the east. There's no parking lot or anything like that, but there's plenty of room roadside to get out.

Dedicated on August 29, 1930 The Wild Bill Hickok Memorial is a state historic site operated by the…read moreIllinois Historic Preservation Agency. It is located across from a large picnic and play ground in a small green at the intersection of Main and Ottawa Streets in Troy Grove (Troy Grove was known as Homer at the time), Illinois. The Monument marks the approximate site of the birth of "Wild Bill" Hickok. The site features a plaque on a stone monument that honors Hickok's various services, as well as a facial bust of Hickok. If you are traveling by be sure to keep your eyes peeled Troy Grove is only .69 square miles so if you yawn you might pass it. Little historical sites such as this are common in the area as around the time of the civil war Illinois was sort of a Gateway to the west. I would also like to point out the site has changes since its dedication several years ago there was a wooden bust (it was attacked by termites) and has since been replaced, gardening and landscaping are always revolving as well. If you're a history buff or if you just like little trivial facts take the time to stop out and stretch your legs.

A little bit down a side road from downtown Ottowa, this statue commemorates the Radium Girls who…read morewere tricked into sacrificing their health for corporate greed. Could be a little bigger, but it was nice that someone had added a scarf and flowers recently.

I learned so much today! The mansion history was very interesting and the history about Ottawa was…read morefascinating too. The tour was ten dollars and was well worth it. I was told Christmas is a really great time to visit. I didn't even know about this mansion until a few days ago. I searched for other things around Starved Rock and foind the mansion. It was the best part of the day.

Beautiful turn of the century home. The docent was very knowledgeable (maybe a bit too…read moreknowledgeable). She shared the history of the home, it's pervious uses and work being done to restore it to the time of the Reddick family's occupancy. We stopped as an activity during a road trip but had to leave a before the end of the tour to get back on the road. The home had beautiful plaster detail, original wood work, windows, doors, and fireplaces. Definitely worth visiting to appreciate the architecture of days gone by.

Great little museum. Very informative past info on the local area and beyond only five dollars to…read moreenter and you get access to two museums. The staff are kinda unfriendly at the first little one a young girl but the guy working the second one with the coal museum. Was very friendly and helpful. We came like five minutes before closing he told us please don't rush take your time it's ok we appreciated that very informative history here liked it.

We always try visiting local museums whenever we're on a stop-over; even small towns often have a…read morelot of history behind them. The LaSalle County Historical Society Museum is one of the few mid-19th-century buildings left standing on the Illinois & Michigan Canal. It's a very distinctive building on the corners of Canal and Mill Streets in Utica that was built in 1848 from blocks of Utica's native sandstone. Over the years, it was a warehouse, a general store, Utica's first post office, a livery and feed stable, a garage, and a car wash. It was saved from the wrecking ball in 1963 to house the headquarters of the LaSalle County Historical Society. When we stopped in at the museum during a recent week-end trip to Utica, it also happened to be the day that nearby Starved Rock State Park was holding its version of "The Amazing Race." The old gentleman in the lobby was so happy to see a couple who actually wanted to look around the museum and weren't just popping in and out for the race that he gave us quite an enthusiastic tour. He even took down the rope barring entrance to the downstairs to let me use the bathroom! (Apparently they're usually for employees only.) The museum contains lots of interesting exhibits such as: * the coach in which a local entrepreneur drove Abe Lincoln to Ottawa for his first debate with Stephen Douglas * Native American artifacts * tools, clothing and other memorabilia from local pioneers and early residents * samples of coal and a map of some of the many coal mines in LaSalle County (all now closed) * pictures of the devastation Utica suffered during the 2004 tornado, as well as memorial pictures of a young married couple who were among the 8 people killed during this storm * a display of old Westclox radio-luminescent dial clocks that were produced by the Radium Dial Company at its plant in Peru. (Since no one knew about radium poisoning in the early 20th century, many of the young women who were hired to paint these dials later suffered from radiation sickness.) There's no fee to tour the museum, but they're happy to accept any donations. So stop by the next time you're in Utica - you might learn some interesting trivia and you'll make their day.

It's quirky, creative, a bit creepy, and oddly moving. Worth a detour through scenic backroads…read more A visit to nearby Norway, Illinois is also worth your while. Never seem to get there in-season to see the museum, but the general store does sell some lovely Scandahoovian kitsch, and about the widest selection of locally sourced preserves as I've seen.

The Agricultural Crash Monument is a hysterical historical site!…read more You'll find it along Route 71 a few miles south of the village of Norway, IL. It's a local monument that dramatically illustrates the fatal crash of American agriculture in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Be prepared! When you're zipping along Rte 71 and come upon the monument, your first thought will be, "QUICK! CALL 9-1-1!"

Advertised pallbearers, flowers to put on casket before burial, taps, gun salute, service. Arrived…read more35 mins before meeting time they already gone & service almost over without son & other family. Directed to permanent tent for services, no graveside burial or site seen, nothing as advertized. Someone read couple bible readings. Told that other groups waiting, to leave fast & come back (over 2 hours away) in couple weeks & should be buried. Body & flowers went where? Hideous experience. Tempted to retrieve & go elsewhere. Could not get real answers before choosing.

I found this on the old Route 66 mini road trip and I had no idea that this was even on my drive…read moreafter looking and planning my road trip so I had to stop. The ALNC is almost a 1000 acres with nice uniform tomb stones from any angle that is so cool and perfect with all the contours of the small hills and dips of the land. I stopped by on a Sunday and although the property was open for visitors the building were closed but it was still a cool place to visit. ALNC is a national cemetery available to all armed service members and family depending on eligibility and requirements and for the full experience you have to go Monday to Friday 8 to 4:30 except on federal holidays.

What a cool place with a neat backstory. Unfortunately we missed being able to get inside the home…read moreby about 30 minutes but enjoyed exploring the picturesque grounds regardless. It is sad to see the building falling apart in places, it is definitely in need of restoration. Still, the place is in a gorgeous setting with massive trees that make it truly peaceful. Bathrooms on site were open even when the home was not and were clean. There are plenty of videos on YouTube and history to be found online. I found a cool tie in to my personal family history. Apparently the builder of this unique home, Fred Francis, had a run in with my great grandfather and great uncle who were hunting on his property. Francis, being a naturalist and vegetarian disliked hunting and chased the two off his property. My uncle recounted the story to us and we walked the grounds. A neat place with an amazing story. Check it out here: http://www.cityofkewanee.com/document_center/FrancisParkBrochure.pdf

Don't miss an opportunity to tour the Woodland Palace. It was built by a recluse named Fred Francis…read morewho was way ahead of his time. He transported the bricks with a bicycle. It has the equivalent of air conditioning by underground tunnels. The doors opened and closed automatically. There is quite a story around this place, tours are cheap, and the inventions are fascinating. The house can be toured in 20 minutes. The surrounding park has plenty of camping spaces and hiking trails.

I still remember the first time I came here, shortly after the memorial had been erected, and last…read moreweek I visited again after nearly 20 years when I was in search for a nice, semi-quiet, green spot to escape from the world for thirty minutes to enjoy my ice cream in peace and serenity. Who knew that a little island under a busy bridge near downtown Aurora would be so perfect?! I'm only sad that I didn't think to check it out earlier in the summer. Located under the bridge on Illinois Avenue between Broadway (Rt. 25) and Lake Street (Rt. 31), one wouldn't think that it would be so easy to access, but he would be wrong! If you're heading west across the bridge you'll have to park on either end of the bridge, which basically gives you two opportunities to park; if you're heading east across the bridge you'll turn off into a parking lot about half-way across the bridge right down onto the island. If you parked on either end of the bridge, it's a short walk across the bridge, from which you'll be descending to the island within a few minutes of getting out of your car. The island itself is separated into two halves connected by a short tunnel (my nephew got a real kick out of the echoes in there), with the memorial on the northern half of the island, and the parking lot (and not much else beside a little green space) on the southern half. The memorial itself is nice, if not fairly plain and non-descript, and the grounds are neat and well maintained, with trees and benches all along the perimeter to provide shade and places to sit. I've been here twice recently and found myself all alone both times--which was really awesome--apart from my nephew and the geese, and it was surprising how quiet, serene, and picturesque it felt knowing what madness was taking place right above my head. The first time I came I sat in the shade and enjoyed my ice cream, just loving my surroundings and enjoying the views, but the last time (with my nephew) was a little more solemn, though ice cream was still involved. For anyone with veterans in the family, or anyone who feels the urge or wish to honor them, it's REALLY nice knowing that there's a memorial dedicated to them so close by. With several veterans in my family, this memorial was a wonderful way to begin introducing my nephew to some of his history--if not just history in general--and though still young, I was surprised by how many questions he had and how much he actually understood. I actually didn't think he would find it interesting or would become engaged in it, but I think there's something about not just the solemnity of the place, but particularly the interesting, massive, and otherwise functionless memorial that made him question where we were and what this place was all about. I think I would have rated this place four stars, simply because it was a great spot to escape, but how can I rate a memorial to veterans any less than five stars??? I don't think I could unless it was treated like crap and left to the elements, and this memorial is certainly well-tended, and I genuinely and unselfishly hope to see more people here, even if it means I have to share my quiet spot. So whether you're close by and just need a place to stop and take a break for a little while, or just feeling the need to go and think of, or 'honor' or whatever, a friend, loved one, or stranger, please come down to the island and visit. Oh and just a note, there isn't (unfortunately) a garbage can on the memorial side of the island, so please head through the tunnel and find a garbage can on the other side or take it back with you to dispose of properly--don't be a jerk. And even better, if you see some harmless piece of trash that won't hurt you or threaten your health to pick up, then at least maybe think about it; if you won't do it for the earth, then at least do it for the vets.

Huge property well kept historical landmark buildings. Barn type hall great for large receptions…read more Wonderful place to get married!

From the owner: The Kendall County Historical Society was chartered in 1970 to preserve the history of Kendall…read moreCounty and to provide historical education for the county's residents. The Kendall County Historical Society has no paid staff, nor does it depend on support from any governmental agency. Operating income is derived from memberships, regular and memorial donations, events held at the Lyon Farm, fees for providing research material, the sale of books and other miscellaneous items. The everyday business of the organization is handled entirely by volunteers. Kendall County is located in the north central part of Illinois and was established in 1841. The Lyon Farm is the home of, and also the pride and joy of the Kendall County Historical Society. In 1974, Mrs. Frances Lyon donated 39 acres of her farm to serve as a home for the society and its artifacts. A large bequest by Mrs. Mae Dunbar along with the support and contributions of the many members and friends of the society have made it possible to restore many of the old farm buildings to their original outward appearance, and to establish display areas within. There are several buildings of historical interest that have been moved to the farm, and are displayed on turn of the century Dunbar Lane.