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

Where did Tazewell County’s pioneers go when they needed to have their...

Jared L. Olar

May 10, 2019

Last week we took a look at the community of Schaeferville, situated...

Jared L. Olar

May 3, 2019

Among the communities described in John Drury’s “This is Tazewell County, Illinois”...

Jared L. Olar

April 26, 2019

War

In an essay entitled, “The Educational Value of ‘News,’” published in the...

Jared L. Olar

April 20, 2019

This is a reprint of a “From the Local History Room” column...

Jared L. Olar

April 12, 2019

This is a reprint of a “From the Local History Room” column...

Jared L. Olar

April 5, 2019

This is a reprint of a “From the Local History Room” column...

Jared L. Olar

March 29, 2019

Only in the imaginary realms of science fiction, or the whimsical cartoon...

Jared L. Olar

March 22, 2019

This is a reprint of a “From the Local History Room” column...

Jared L. Olar

March 15, 2019

This is a reprint of a “From the Local History Room” column...

Jared L. Olar

March 8, 2019