News Progress

Kickapoo Log Cabins •March 4, 2026• by Janet Roney Sometimes genealogists find stories about their ancestors that they want to forget, and then some snoopy, mouthy local historian comes along and tells everyone about it anyway. How Dodge Grove Cemetery in Mattoon got its name is a story like that. It involves the Whitleys (who, the old histories imply, would rather race and bet on horses than eat), their “Dodge filly”, and a lost bet. I know and admire several descendants of the Whitleys, so I’m going to leave the rest of that story alone for now, okay? … Read More

Parties on the prairie #3 •February 25, 2026• by Janet Roney In the mid-1820s, when white settlers first began arriving in Moultrie, they found most of the county covered with swampy tall grass prairie, which was too wet to farm and almost impossible to travel across except on a few trails. However, the southern part of the county was different. It was covered with a much drier prairie because from Whitley Creek south, the elevation of the land gradually rises towards the Shelbyville Moraine that runs along the south boundary with Shelby County.  Along the south side of the moraine … Read More