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

The annual tradition of Mardi Gras carnivals arose in the Middle Ages...

Jared L. Olar

October 6, 2017

It’s on the logo of the Pekin Police Department and it’s the...

Jared L. Olar

September 29, 2017

In recent weeks, this column recalled two local historical events that may...

Jared L. Olar

September 22, 2017

The Pekin Public Library’s Pekin Community High School yearbooks are among the...

Jared L. Olar

September 15, 2017

Thirteen postcards featuring scenes from Pekin’s past were added to the Pekin...

Jared L. Olar

September 8, 2017

A few weeks ago, we recalled the Little Mine Riot of 1894,...

Jared L. Olar

September 2, 2017

Earlier this month, we reviewed “Early Times in Pekin and Tazewell County,”...

Jared L. Olar

August 25, 2017

Here’s a chance to read one of our old Local History Room...

Jared L. Olar

August 11, 2017

This week we return to Pekin’s pioneer historian William H. Bates, from...

Jared L. Olar

August 5, 2017

Here’s a chance to read one of our old Local History Room...

Jared L. Olar

July 27, 2017

Here’s a chance to read one of our old Local History Room...

Jared L. Olar

July 24, 2017

The week we’ll recall the life of one of Tazewell County’s “Old...

Jared L. Olar

July 21, 2017

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