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.
With the end of Pekin’s Bicentennial year fast approaching, this is an...
Jared L. Olar
December 19, 2024
Only 11 months after the founding of Pekin, the survival of the...
Jared L. Olar
December 12, 2024
Our nation this weekend will mark the 82th anniversary of the Empire...
Jared L. Olar
December 5, 2024
The seed from which Pekin grew was the log cabin that pioneer...
Jared L. Olar
November 27, 2024
Among the notables of Pekin’s past is a man whose remarkable career...
Jared L. Olar
November 21, 2024
While Pekin traces its origin to the 1824 arrival of Jonathan Tharp...
Jared L. Olar
November 13, 2024
As another Veterans Day draws near, it is an opportune time to...
Jared L. Olar
November 7, 2024
With the 2024 General Election just days away, this is an opportune...
Jared L. Olar
November 1, 2024
One of Pekin’s notables from days gone by was a German-born businessman...
Jared L. Olar
October 24, 2024
For about 90 years, St. Joseph Catholic Church has been the sole...
Jared L. Olar
October 17, 2024
Imagine the city of Pekin in 1980: The post-World War II Baby...
Jared L. Olar
October 10, 2024
Architecturally, perhaps the building at 1024 Court St. – which for the...
Jared L. Olar
October 3, 2024
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