June 18th, 2020
The Eakle family of Waterman is a treasure with many stories to tell. In a previous Legends column, we wrote about the DeKalb County airport that the family ran.
Alice Eakle Marks stands in front of the "Ladies." The "Shady Lady" started as a closet door curtain replacement in the Eakle ...read more
April 21st, 2020
Memorial Day is a day of reflection to honor those who gave the supreme sacrifice that we may live in a free nation.
During World War I, the popular honorarium was to plant trees in dedication to the memory of the soldiers killed in the war. Many of the towns in ...read more
March 19th, 2020
Freeland, Illinois, also known as Freeland Corners, was located along Chicago Road between Somonauk and West Sandwich Roads in Somonauk Township.
The origin of the name Freeland is uncertain. One opinion is that when the first pioneers
came to this area in the 1830s, they took possession of the land by ...read more
February 13th, 2020
Studebakers, Reo’s, Overlands, Ramblers and Fords – old-time cars are lined up in fields. Farmers drove to farms to watch field demonstrations and learn more about raising better crops in the early 1900s. They also attended Farmers’ Institutes whereby they heard experts talk about improving soil conditions with natural fertilizers ...read more
February 13th, 2020
The Greeley Farm on Duffy Road in Clinton Township was once one of the most beautiful farms in the county.
In 1912 Frank Greeley had one of the few alfalfa fields that had withstood an extremely severe winter the previous year. It was said that it had been the most severe ...read more
February 12th, 2020
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” Ronald Reagan
DeKalb County Farm Bureau has had some great leaders – from the early beginnings of the Soil Improvement Association to the present day ...read more
January 16th, 2020
The DeKalb County airport in Waterman was the place to be on any Sunday afternoon for a day of fun-filled activities.
The grass field opened in 1929 with a three-day dedication and celebration event. The celebration included visitors who traveled more than 50 miles, plane rides in a Ford Tri-Motor, parachute ...read more
December 18th, 2019
One of the most cherished memories of my father involves a wrecker and a bunny. Every year around Christmas time I laugh with this memory.
You see, my father owned a wrecker service called Breezy’s in DeKalb County. At the time it was the only wrecker service in the county. One ...read more
November 18th, 2019
Counterfeiters have been operating in DeKalb County since the beginning of the county. The activities started out east and traveled west as the population moved in that direction.
One of these counterfeiters, William G. Taylor, a Cleveland merchant, was one of the first court cases in DeKalb County.
DeKalb County’s first term ...read more
November 13th, 2019
Farmers are ready to wrap up this year’s harvest but some are still weeks away from being done.
DeKalb County harvest is running about a month behind schedule. The lateness is attributed to a wet spring – most corn and soybean fields didn’t get planted until June – then a wet ...read more