Subject to Change

Untold Nauvoo Stories Keynote Presentation Community Room

Bill Furry: “Lillian Snyder: Guardian of the Icaria”

Randall Soland: “The Dirty Thirties": Bank Robbery, Bombing and Bootlegging

In this talk, step into the dangerous world of 1930’s Nauvoo, where bank robbers, bootleggers, gangsters and religious tension made headlines. Discover the daring bank robbery of theNauvoo State Bank and the criminals who robbed it. Learn how Prohibition transformed Nauvoo’s grape and wine industry and fueled a thriving local bootlegging trade. Hear the startling story of a bombing of St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church amid growing anti-Catholic sentiment. Together, these stories reveal a very different side of Nauvoo during the Depression era.

Lester Ramsey “ The Way it Was in Postwar Nauvoo”

A description of 1950’s life in Nauvoo including the grape vineyards, the strawberry fields, raft building at the river, the businesses such as Nauvoo Cheese Plant, Kelly’s Ford Garage, Mayor Horton’s Chevrolet and Standard Station, the St. Mary’s Academy, the Grape Festival Parade, the Wedding of the Wine and Cheese, the visits of the Delta Queen, the seaplane base and the airplane crash, the fire and destruction of the Morman movie theater, the night our Nauvoo High School Gym burned to the ground, the grocery stores, the city dump, school days, and the Cub Scout troops. There would be a special emphasis on the flat area and the coming of our first official Dairy Queen. That much anticipated opening day of the DQ would lead to an exciting bicycle race down Martin Hill. It was a day never to be forgotten and summed up by the words, “The First shall be Last and the Last shall be First.”

Alan Moberly: “Nauvoo in 1927”

What was life like in Nauvoo 100 years ago? What was going on in the national news? How did people live? What did they eat? How did they travel? In this presentation, we will learn more about the world of those who lived here in the late 1920s.

Larry Nicholl: “Nauvoo Area Burying Grounds”

Nauvoo Area Burial Grounds - From its early history individuals have been buried on their property, in family cemeteries, and community cemeteries throughout Nauvoo. This presentation will identify many of those locations.

Pat Hallman: “The Brown Home”

Miranda BaileyPeetz: “Fashion and the Civil War”

What did women wear and why. I start out in my "underpinnings", aka a chemise and stockings, and get dressed in full Civil War era dress. I explain each layer, why and how it is worn, what it is made of, etc. I finish with a complete outfit, including dress, bonnet, gloves, and all other accessories.

Rebecca Williamson: “Lionberger Family Musical”

The Lionberger family came to Hancock County in a horsedrawn wagon as one of the first settlers of the county. In 1993 at the Lionberger National Family Reunion the Hancock County Lionberger descendents put on a musical production that told the story of the Lionberger Family coming to Nauvoo. Rebecca will talk about the story of the muscial play and play a few videos of the 1993 performance.

Lisa & Denny Gillespie, and Maralyn Candido: “Riverman with a Pen: The Dean Gabbert Story”

The life and times of Nauvoo Resident Dean Gabbert, writer, historian and friend of Nauvoo. Dean once described his blood as "a murky mixture of printers ink and river water." Dean Gabbert was born in 1922, in New London and died in Nauvoo in 2015, at 92 years old. He graduated Paisms College, Fairfield, IA following with military service in the US Marine Corps. His career with the Fairfield Ledge spanned 53 years as a reporter, Managing Editor and Publisher. He was an Elder in both the Frirfield and Nauvoo Presbyrterian churchs. He had a life long relationship with the Mississippi River, writing many books and articles about the river and people who lived and worked on it. Dean was honorad with many awards and a long standing member of the Nauvoo Historical Society.

John McCarty: “Signs of the Times in Nauvoo”

A trip down Mullholland storefronts with a pictorial history of their signage. We will show examples of early sign work all the way to the present day. We will explain the surface & paint material types and their evolution over time. We will also show the changes of building use and it’s effect on the signage.

Paula Furry: “St. Peter and St. Paul's Historic Church Organ and other Illinois Rural Churches Organs”

Musical presentation.

Rita Souther: “Carved in Stone: The Secret Language of Graves”

Carved in Stone: The language and imagery on tombstones that reveal long-lost secrets and forgotten facts about the deceased. The talk is illustrated with images of tombstones in local cemeteries and other historical sites.

Gene McEntee: “History of the Nauvoo Grain Elevator”

Dane Chapman: “Going to the doctor in the 1840's-- Traditional or Botanical?”

A tale about two doctors in early 1840's Nauvoo; one traditional, one botanical who used the same Nauvoo office (still standing). Give a brief history of early American medicine. Describe common illnesses and remedies of 1830-1850 and Explore whether attitudes & traditions of early doctors can still be seen today.

Lois DiPrima & Linda Hardy: “The Summer Kitchen at the Joseph Smith Homestead”

We will share the techniques and history of the whys and hows of pioneer living. We will include The spinning wheel and 8 stages of wool. We will share the history of the building and how it came to be in modern times. We will discuss cast iron preservation with beeswax.

Mike Wiant: “The Sauk Tribe of the Central Mississippi River Valley”

The arrival of Europeans in North America in the late 15th century triggered a wave of cultural, political, and personal changes for Indigenous people. Long before a substantial number of Europeans arrived in the Illinois Country, their impact was already altering lives, as evidenced by the history of the Sauk, who settled in the central Mississippi River valley in the early 18th century. In this presentation, we explore Sauk history and how, over time, they were forced to abandon their homes and move west.

Setphanie Moore & Sister Marlene: “The Bell Still Rings: The Lasting Influence of the Benedictine Sisters of St. Mary’s Academy - Subtitle More than a school; A legacy that still calls us back to Nauvoo.”

More to be announced!