Author

Local History Program Coordinator at the Pekin Public Library. I oversee the library’s local history room collection, write a weekly local history column/weblog for the library, and present local history programs at the library and in the community.

Author's Articles

It was less than a decade from the creation of the Illinois...

Jared L. Olar

March 5, 2026

Here at “From the History Room,” we have often cited and discussed...

Jared L. Olar

February 26, 2026

During this year of the U.S. Semiquincentennial, it is an opportune time...

Jared L. Olar

February 19, 2026

Continuing our “America 250”-themed recollections of the early history of Tazewell County...

Jared L. Olar

February 12, 2026

With the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln coming up this...

Jared L. Olar

February 3, 2026

Looking back over America’s 250-year history with a more local focus, last...

Jared L. Olar

January 29, 2026

With the United States of America preparing to celebrate its 250th birthday...

Jared L. Olar

January 22, 2026

In recognition of the United States of America turning 250 years old...

Jared L. Olar

January 13, 2026

One of Tazewell County’s early pioneer families were the Beckleys, a Pennsylvania...

Jared L. Olar

January 2, 2026

On 20 Sept. 1847, a ship that had been aptly christened the...

Jared L. Olar

December 26, 2025

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