Woodford County Historical Society - Illinois

06/01/2026

Please support Brody Littlejohn at Kirby Foods in Eureka on Friday, June 12 from 11-1 as he raises funds for this worthwhile project. Thank you Brody for taking on the project. The Woodford County Historical Society thanks you!

05/29/2026

05/21/2026

Crews at Glendale Cemetery in Washington removed a military marker belonging to John Muller that had mistakenly been placed there over 90 years ago. Historians discovered the U.S. government mistakenly connected his service record to that of another veteran with a similar name in El Paso.

05/16/2026

You are invited to the Reagan Memorial – June 5, 2026

Celebrate the life and legacy of Ronald Reagan at Eureka College with a day of special activities honoring his leadership, service, and connection to Eureka.

• Explore the Ronald Reagan Museum and view the largest collection of Reagan movie memorabilia.
• Lay a flower at the Peace Garden beside a section of the Berlin Wall.
• Decorate ribbons for Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness.
• Take a guided tour of Ronald Reagan’s Eureka College — 20-minute tours begin at 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
• Attend the 10:30 a.m. reception featuring remarks from Ambassador J. Steven Rhodes on Reagan’s legacy of leadership and Eureka’s influence on his life.
• Watch Hellcats of the Navy at 11:00 a.m., starring Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis.

Register for events here: https://www.eureka.edu/alumni/events/reagan-memorial

04/27/2026

Mark your calendar for our next program on Minonk Chocolate Company - May 14, 2026, at 7 p.m. - St Patrick’s Parish Hall, Minonk.

04/23/2026

This book was discovered at the Historical Society. We do not know anything about it and wondered if anyone knows the history.

04/17/2026

The Woodford County Historical Society day trip to New Salem and Ann Rutledge grave site was attended by 15 individuals. We had excellent leadership with Guy Fraker, John Rutledge and Carol, our guide at New Salem. The weather was beautiful and the group is already anticipating our next adventure!

04/14/2026

At 11:30 am on April 14, 1865, a messenger from the White House arrived at Ford's Theatre. He brought news that President Lincoln and the First Lady wished to reserve a box for that night's performance of "Our American Cousin."

As theatre treasurer, Harry Ford leapt into action to prepare a private box for the president. Ford directed stagehands to decorate the box with flags and a portrait of George Washington.

Around half an hour later, the actor John Wilkes Booth stopped by to pick up his mail. While he sat on the step reading his letters, Booth overheard the news of the special guest. Booth began to chuckle, then to laugh aloud. He folded the letters, stowed them in a pocket, and strode away.

Follow along on Facebook today as we trace Abraham Lincoln's last hours.



Photograph of Ford's Theatre from the Library of Congress

04/13/2026

Lady Be Good - April 13. 1943 - as reported in the Woodford County Journal on April 15, 1943, the family of Samuel Ellis Adams (and assumably all other families of the Lady Be Good crew) received a telegram from the War Department on this date in 1943 “notifying them that their son, Staff Sergeant Samuel Ellis Adams is reported missing in action in the Middle East, in Africa, since April 4. He was a gunner on a bomber. He left the United States from Florida on March 2. His wife, formerly Dorothy Sherman of Washburn, and their eight-month-old son, Michael reside here.”

The date of death for the eight servicemen: Hatton, Toner, Hays, LaMotte, Adams, Ripslinger, Shelley and Moore (whose body was never recovered) was listed as today, April 13, 1943. The date of death for 2nd Lt. John Woravka, who died when they jumped out of the plane, is listed as April 5, 1943.

Only Adams and pilot, 1st Lt. William J Hatton were married, but of the nine crew members, only Adams.

Samuel Ellis Adam’s body was returned to Eureka and a service was held at Otto Argo Funeral Home on March 25, 1960. His burial was in the Olio Cemetery. The body came home six weeks after the remains were discovered, and over 17 years after his death.

His wife remarried a man from Secor, Edward H. Moreland in 1945 and Edward adopted Michael. He was known as Michael Adams Moreland. Both Dorothy and Michael are now deceased and buried out of state. Michael served in the US Air Force.

The picture of the stained glass is a memorial to the Lady Be Good crew at Dayton, OH AF Museum.

If this story interested you, Don Samford will be giving a presentation on the Lady Be Good on November 12th for the Woodford County Historical Society Veteran month. More information will be shared as we get closer to the date. Thank you for exploring the story of the Lady Be Good with us and keeping the memory of this amazing group of men alive.

04/12/2026

Lady Be Good - April 12, 1943, day 9 from mission take off and day 8 from landing in the Sahara and beginning the walk for help. This is the last diary entry from Lt. Toner. “Monday, 12. No help yet, very (unreadable) cold nite.”

(Sometime that day the crew took their last breath. The five men, Hattan, Toner, LaMotte, Hays and Adams, had walked 78 miles in 4 days on mere drops of water and minimal food before collapsing in this spot and surviving another 3-4 days with only drops of water to wet their tongue. Their bodies would not be found until February 11, 1960, almost 17 years after the crash, by an oil exploration team. The majority of the pictures that have been shared come from Dennis McClendon’s book, Lady Be Good”, which I highly recommend reading. The map shows clearly where the plane was found, where the crew landed, the various markers and location of 8 bodies found. The other is of the flag draped remains of the five crewmen. Lady Be Good is a story of unbelievable desert survival and the determination of a well trained crew who had an undeniable will to live. The two diaries tell the us the story of a group of soldiers who were thrust in a situation that appeared to be quite bleak, but they kept their faith and didn’t give up.)