Columns

As a volunteer interpreter at the Vandalia Statehouse, it is my job to relate the story of Vandalia during the years it served as Illinois’ capital, 1819-1839, and of Vandalia's current capitol building, built in 1836.

15 Years Ago

1997 – The city of Vandalia held a reception to welcome its first city administrator, Ron Niebert. The reception gave residents a chance to meet Neibert and his family.
The Illinois legislature approved a new law dropping the legal intoxication limit for drivers from 1.0 to 0.8.
The country band BR5-49 was the main attraction at the Fayette County Fair in Brownstown.

20 Years Ago

This week’s Mystery Banks Photo: These friends, pictured in the early 1950s at a 4-H camp in Monticello, all grew up in the Loogootee area. The one on the left now lives in Springfield, the rest still live in the area.  

The first capitol in Vandalia was a frame two-story building erected on the northwest corner of Fifth and Johnson streets – at the current site of The Leader-Union.  Construction began in the spring of 1820, and records show it was built at a cost of around $4,000.
A fire, discovered around 2 a.m. on the morning of Dec. 9, 1823, totally destroyed the building, along with some state papers.