With the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence approaching in just four more days, the Pekin Public Library’s Local History Room now exhibits a fascimile of the Declaration of Independence, accompanied by other items that look back not only to Pekin’s celebration of the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976, but all the way back to Pekin’s and Tazewell County’s celebration of the U.S. Centennial in 1876.
On display are copies of pages from the Friday, 30 June 1876 edition of the Tazewell County Republican newspaper, which was one of Pekin’s leading newspapers at the time of the U.S. Centennial. That issue included the complete parade line-up and celebration program that took place in Pekin on the Fourth of July that year.
Also displayed is the library’s copy of the 1876-1877 Pekin City Directory, which indexed the residents and businesses of Pekin at the time of the U.S. Centennial. The directory is display open to the page that describes Pekin’s city limits and ward boundaries in 1876. The library’s copy of the directory was originally owned by Pekin’s pioneer historian William Henry Bates (1840-1876), a Civil War veteran who was noted for his patriotism. Bates’ contribution to the U.S. Centennial parade in Pekin was a life-size mechanical elephant that he named “Giasticutus.” As the 30 June 1876 Tazewell County Republican states, during the parade Gehrig’s Cornet Band rode atop Giasticutus.
Mementos and photos that recall Pekin’s celebration of the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976 remain on display as well.
