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2004 Annual AIMHS award winners  Winners of the 2004 Illinois State Historical Society Annual AIMHS Awards Competition were recognized at the Society's Annual Awards Luncheon, held April 24 in Elgin. The awards were presented in conjunction with the Society's 105th annual meeting, held this year in the Fox Valley region. The awards recognize and encourage the efforts of individuals, groups, and organizations that collect, preserve, exhibit, or publish the history of the Prairie State. "When it comes to documenting and interpreting our history, Illinois publishers, museums, and historical societies continue to push the envelope of excellence," said Awards Chair Russell Lewis. "This year's entries in the Association of Illinois Museums and Historical Society (AIMHS) Awards competition reflect highly on the communities and institutions that produced them. Our congratulations to all who participated." Publications: Scholarly Envisioning Cahokia: a Landscape Perspective, Award: Book of the Year A superb investigation of Illinois' prehistoric urban history by a talented group of scholars, Envisioning Cahokia places the state in a regional, national, and international context. Often ignored as a part of our history, Cahokia comes alive through the concept of landscape and an interpretive framework that goes beyond traditional historical and geographical boundaries to make a significant contribution to our understanding of the town's significance. Bridges of Memory: Chicago's First Wave of Black Migration, Award: Superior Achievement An outstanding example of oral history that adds significantly to urban, African-American, Chicago, and Illinois history, Bridges of Memory chronicles one of the most critical events in twentieth-century America and describes through engaging interviews how African American migrants changed Chicago and Chicago changed them. 
Chicago Death Trap, Award: Certificate of Excellence An engaging history of the Iroquois Theatre fire, Chicago Death Trap provides a comprehensive analysis of the factors that created the disaster and its consequences for Chicago. An Uncertain Tradition: U.S. Senators from Illinois, 1818-2003, Award: Certificate of Excellence This comprehensive survey of Illinois' U.S. senators, which documents the senators' personalities, political ambitions, and their convictions, will serve as a valuable reference for any student of Illinois history. Publications: Other Township of Palatine: Understanding Local Government, Award: Certificate of Excellence This handsome publication encapsulates the history of Palatine Township from its origin to the present and convincingly captures the overall community experience of its citizens. 19th-Century Echoes: The Carlinville City Cemetery, Award: Certificate of Excellence This readable and concise guide to the Carlinville City Cemetery is a welcome local history publication that future histories of the town will inevitably draw upon. County West Book, Award: Certificate of Excellence This comprehensive study presents an impressive collection of anecdotes and photographs and makes an important contribution to our understanding, through history, of how this small part of the state contributed to the whole. ILLINOIS HERITAGE| 21 The Mad Gasser of Mattoon: Dispelling the Hysteria, Award: Certificate of Excellence An engaging work that places local culture in the context of broader historical events and trends, The Mad Gasser of Mattoon provides a provocative counterpoint to the accepted historical record. Galva History, Award: Certificate of Excellence This worthy compilation of anecdotes and photographs celebrates the history of Galva and provides a strong base for future historical research. The Old Chicago Neighborhood: Remembering Life in the 1940s, Award: Superior Achievement Illustrated with a fascinating selection of 1940s images of daily life in Chicago, The Old Chicago Neighborhood effectively blends historical interpretation with memory to create a compelling portrait of Chicago as a microcosm for the nation.
Cookin' Back When Series, Award: Superior Achievement Conceived to provide an inexpensive item produced at low cost for visitors to purchase, this series is an excellent historical product. Drawing on the Historical Society collection of recipes, these small publications provide visitors with an opportunity to make a personal connection with the past. Publications: Ongoing/Periodicals The Call to Remember Newsletter, Award: Certificate of Excellence This highly engaging newsletter and its electronic counterpart demonstrates the effectiveness of good design and easy access to make newsletters an efficient and compelling way to communicate with history-minded audiences about a specific historical event. Best Web Site Mr. Lincoln, Route 66, and Other Highlights of Lincoln, Illinois, Award: Best Web Site of the Year Easily navigated, well researched, and appealing to all age groups, Mr. Lincoln, Route 66, and Other Highlights of Lincoln, Illinois provides a wealth of historical information about the community and gives students an in-depth and first-hand encounter with their local history. Multimedia 150 Years of Mendota: 1853-2003, Award: Certificate of Excellence This comprehensive overview of 150 years of Mendota covers the history of schools, religion, industry, farming, business, and the people who have shaped the town since its founding. The Legend of Charlie Birger, Award: Certificate of Excellence A compelling video documentary of one of southern Illinois' most notorious outlaws, The Legend of Charlie Birger is an excellent example of how communities can come together to tell a common story. Using local actors and musicians, interviews with eyewitnesses, academics, and regional historians, producer David Kidd explored the myths and facts of Charlie Birger's infamous career, and found a new audience for a fading local history. 22 |ILLINOIS HERITAGE Exhibitions The Ulysses S. Grant Exhibit, Award: Certificate of Excellence Employing display panels with photographs, a timeline, and display cases with artifacts, this exhibit provides a comprehensive portrait of Ulysses S. Grant in an historic site and is a wonderful complement to the Ulysses S. Grant Home. Educational Programs
Annual Walking Tour of Forest Home Cemetery, 2003, Award: Superior Achievement An outstanding model education program, this guide provides participants with a first-hand experience in the area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries through a re-enactment and teaches them about death as a powerful lens for understanding disease, the poor, and the relationship of outlying areas to major urban centers. Underground Railroad, Slavery, and Abolition Programs, Award: Superior Achievement A model education program, providing an interactive and multi-resource approach to teaching history, the Underground Railroad, Slavery, and Abolition Programs is especially noteworthy for targeting diverse students (including at-risk students) and for meeting all of the grade 5 benchmarks for social studies and language arts. ILLINOIS HERITAGE| 23 Special Programs
Gordon Pruett and the Shawnee Classics Book Series Award: Superior Achievement As editor of the Shawnee Classics book series at Southern Illinois University Press for the past ten years, Gordon Pruett made significant historical resources available to a broader group of students, scholars, and the general public through his effort to reprint classic Illinois books and provide a new-context for them through a new introduction or preface. The 22 titles he selected and edited for the series help to preserve and make accessible important aspects of the states history for years to come.
Red Grange Event, Award: Superior Achievement A two-part event that celebrated nationally renown football player Red Grange's Wheaton origins and raised funds to support the Wheaton History Center, this program reflects a creative vision that expanded historic awareness and built crucial community support for the local history museum. Abraham Lincoln: Deputy County Surveyor Statue, Award: Certificate of Excellence The placement of a new statue of Lincoln depicting him as a surveyor is a welcome addition to other sculptures honoring our 16th President. Its placement at the visitors entrance at New Salem Historic Site is sure to pique interest in this lesser-known and underappreciated aspect of Lincoln's life." Timuel Black Jr. Award: Lifetime Achievement Renown throughout Chicago as the unofficial historian of the city's Bronzeville neighborhood, Timuel Black has been a dedicated advocate for better understanding and appreciating the history of African Americans and their contributions to Chicago, and through his teaching career and his civic service he has brought important historical perspective to historic preservation efforts, the civil rights struggle, and his passion for jazz. His commitment to working across generations, neighborhood boundaries, ethnic and racial lines, and social classes has made him one of the leading elders of his community, and he has become a powerful spokesman for history and its ability to illuminate the past to better our understanding of the present. 24 |ILLINOIS HERITAGE |
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