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

This week we feature another of the six 19th-century downtown Pekin businesses...

Jared L. Olar

October 20, 2022

For the next installment in our series on the downtown Pekin businesses...

Jared L. Olar

October 6, 2022

This week our ongoing series turns to a downtown bakery that was...

Jared L. Olar

September 29, 2022

In this next installment in our series on the group of 19th-century...

Jared L. Olar

September 22, 2022

Continuing now with our series on Pekin’s downtown businesses featured in the...

Jared L. Olar

September 15, 2022

This week our series on the 19th-century downtown Pekin business cards turns...

Jared L. Olar

September 8, 2022

In advance of Pekin’s 50th Marigold Festival (to be celebrated 8-11 Sept....

Jared L. Olar

September 2, 2022

Last month a group of vintage late-19th-century Pekin business advertising cards, featuring...

Jared L. Olar

September 1, 2022

Recently Fred Massaglia brought an old photograph to the Tazewell County Genealogical...

Jared L. Olar

August 18, 2022

Three weeks ago we reviewed Dr. W. E. Schenck’s 1905 list of...

Jared L. Olar

August 11, 2022

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