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Columns

  • Banks of the Okaw

    This week’s Mystery Banks Photo: This young lady, pictured about 60 years ago, was born in Vandalia. She now travels extensively to foreign countries, and followed her grandfather in ministry work.

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  • Fehren home renovated for American Legion

    When I was in junior high, I was a member of the American Legion Junior Auxiliary that met one Saturday a month at the Crawford-Hale American Legion home in Vandalia.  Our meetings were held in a room  on the main floor that is now used for the military museum.

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  • Inns, taverns and hotels vital in local history

    Recently I have been looking into the history of a building in Vandalia’s business district – or rather, the history of the lot on which it stands.

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  • The Way We Were

    25 Years Ago

    1989 – Bill Donaldson was named assistant regional superintendent of schools, effective at the end of August.
    Vandalia hosted the Pioneer Sectional ACBL Bridge tournament, attracting 120 players.

    30 Years Ago

    1984 – A weekend storm dumped close to an inch of rain in the area. Accompanying the rain was hail on Friday and high winds on Sunday.

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  • Banks of the Okaw

    This week’s Mystery Banks Photo: No photo this week. Submit old photos for use in the Banks of the Okaw.
    In last week’s Mystery Banks Photo were: No photo last week.
    This week’s Scrambler: fi ouy natw royu drinlech ot runt tou lewl, densp witec sa humc meit twih meht nad fahl sa cuhm yemno no ehtm.
    Can you unscramble it? If so, call The Leader-Union, 283-3374, by 5 p.m. next Monday.

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  • The Way We Were

    25 Years Ago

    1989 – Vandalia Soroptimists planted flowers in downtown barrels as part of its “Bloom in Historical Vandalia” promotion.
    Twenty-four students were initiated into the Vandalia Community High School chapter of the National Honor Society.
    About 400 attended Vandalia Night at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis.
    The Fifth Saturday celebration held in Vandalia was well attended. That evening, more than 400 attended the Music Fest sponsored by The Leader-Union.

    30 Years Ago

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  • Ramsey fox hunt was 'a wonderful thing'

    This Saturday, the village of Ramsey will celebrate its 150th anniversary. While searching for a topic for this week’s column, I decided that a story about Ramsey would be fitting, and the fox hunts or "chases," as they were called, held at what is now Ramsey Lake State Park is something you should know about.
    Some of my information came from an article published in the Ramsey Centennial book, by JoAnn Klinker, titled, "The Fox Chase.” The area identified in the book where the event was held is the current boat dock area at Ramsey Lake State Park.

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  • Banks of the Okaw

    This week’s Mystery Banks Photo: No picture this week.
    In last week’s Mystery Banks Photo was: Ron Koehler.
    Identifying him were: Richard Koehler and Bob Dugan.
    This week’s Scrambler: og dylinoctenf ni eht noirtidec fo uroy marsed. veli het feli oyu veah daginemi.
    Can you unscramble it? If so, call The Leader-Union, 283-3374, by 5 p.m. next Monday.

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  • Banks of the Okaw

    This week’s Mystery Banks Photo: This young man, pictured in 1944, was dressed in a military uniform because his father was in the service at the time.

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  • The Way We Were

    25 Years Ago

    1989 – Friends of the Old State Capitol received a matching grant award from the Southern Illinois Regional Tourism Council to promote this year’s Grand Levée.
    Melinda Sue Yarbrough of Vandalia was a semifinalist in the Miss Illinois Teen-USA Pageant.

    30 Years Ago

    1984 – Fayette County Hospital was offered a contract with Vandalia Correctional Center, effective July 1, to run for one year.

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