Rams Football Training Camp – Macomb, IL 1996-2004
From 1996 to 2004, the Western Illinois University campus and Hanson Field Stadium was home to the St. Louis Rams‘ football summer training camp. As part of the Rams’ training camp two NFL scrimmages were held on Hanson Field. On July 29, 2000, Hanson Field was the site of a Super Bowl XXXIV rematch as the Rams hosted the Tennessee…
Read MoreWhen The Chicago Cubs Played In Forgottonia
No one alive today can recall when the Chicago Cubs came to Forgottonia to play baseball, but they did just that, and not only once, but twice! For three seasons Macomb had a minor league baseball team in the Class D level Illinois-Missouri League. The Macomb Potters joined the league in its startup year, 1908 and folded on August 17, 1910. The Potters began…
Read MoreUnderground Railroad In McDonough County
The Illinois leg of the famous Underground Railroad ran directly through McDonough County from it’s origin in Quincy, IL where slaves arriving clandestinely from the Southern Confederate States via the Mississippi River stopped seeking refuge in free Northern Union States and Canada. The County’s two most prominent conductors on the “railroad” were the Allison and Blazer families. Below you…
Read MoreLooking For Lincoln Self-Guided Tour
Through the Looking For Lincoln offices in Springfield, IL and the U.S. National Parks Service, Macomb celebrates it’s designation as an Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area by way of it’s Looking For Lincoln Self-Guided Tour. This unique attraction allows users to experience 10 significant sites throughout Macomb and McDonough County directly related and pertaining to Abraham Lincoln and…
Read MoreBushnell Historical Society
Housed in the Bushnell Recreational Center facilities, the Bushnell Historical Society displays many photographs and artifacts pertaining to the Bushnell, IL area. Mailing Address: 22825 N 1900th Rd Bushnell, IL 61422 Staff Contact Donna Tracy 309-772-3782
Read MoreMacomb Murals Project
Conceived in 2018, the Macomb Murals Project was initiated by the offices of Visit Forgottonia/Macomb Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. Beginning with the inaugural dedication of The Old Dairy Mural, the project was designed with the goal of inspiring other organizations and community members to create their own murals, and the plan worked. Since 2018…
Read MoreLiving Lincoln Topiary Monument
The Living Lincoln Topiary Monument is a 15 feet high and 8 feet wide bust of our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. It’s mixed media construction of durable cast stone and steel features a unique topiary aspect in which the 16th president’s beard consist of real living flowering plants and greenery, making it the only sculpture of…
Read MoreMcDonough County Historical Society
Since 1969, the McDonough County Historical Society, a not-for-profit organization, has been an important force for promoting historical understanding and preserving materials that reflect the Forgottonia county’s heritage. Their mission supports the preservation of McDonough County, Illinois heritage. The organization also offers free historical programs at their meetings five times a year (September, November, January, March and…
Read MoreU.S. Presidential Visits to Macomb & Unforgettable Forgottonia
Macomb and Unforgettable Forgottonia has been visited by several US Presidents over the years. Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan have all made short addresses in Macomb and McDonough County. Additionally, on two separate occasions Barack Obama visited Macomb. Abraham Lincoln was Macomb and Unforgettable Forgettonia at least four times addressing…
Read MoreNagel Brothers – Inventors of Rolled Oats
The Nagel Brothers of Bushnell, IL were the first to invent a process of making rolled oats without having to steam the oats. Until that time, the oats were first steamed to separate the groat from the hull. The brothers patented the new process and later sold it to the Quaker Company, who in turned changed…
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