14+ hour, 56+ min ago   (1232+ words) WorldAtlas Illinois towns build their main streets around one landmark and dare you to look away. Galena stacks its shops up a real hill. Oregon points its square toward a giant statue on the bluff. Carthage rings a limestone courthouse…...

2+ mon, 3+ week ago   (588+ words) Illinois's oldest towns go back to 1699. French missionaries built the state's first permanent European settlement at Cahokia. Kaskaskia came next in 1703 and became the first state capital. Prairie Du Rocher followed in 1722. River trade pulled later settlers toward the Ohio…...

3+ mon, 3+ day ago   (1167+ words) WorldAtlas Elsah is the only village in America listed in its entirety on the National Register of Historic Places, stone cottages and Italianate brick homes lining a few short streets along Piasa Creek bluffs above the Mississippi River. That's the…...

3+ mon, 1+ week ago   (1090+ words) WorldAtlas For centuries, Illinois has been full of opportunities partly due to its rich land and location on major rivers. French settlers and British settlers as well as the original Native American inhabitants of the region have all staked claims…...

3+ mon, 2+ week ago   (272+ words) The Nauvoo Historical Society's Nauvoo State Park and the LDS-operated Historic Nauvoo together cover the broader Mormon settlement story through restored homes, working print shops, blacksmith demonstrations, and costumed interpreters. The 148-acre Nauvoo State Park rounds out the visit with…...

5+ mon, 1+ week ago   (745+ words) WorldAtlas One of the most recognizable college communities in downstate Illinois, Charleston has a strong case as one of the state’s best college towns thanks to the long presence of Eastern Illinois University. EIU was founded in 1895, and that history…...

5+ mon, 4+ week ago   (360+ words) Besides history, visitors can explore the town's art scene at the Jacoby Arts Center, where local artists display different art forms. When exhausted from wandering the streets of downtown Alton, Rock Springs Park provides a nice spot to relax and…...