I was absolutely stunned and delighted to find some magnificent paintings on the interior of St. Mark’s when I went inside on a quiet Saturday. There’s a long story about how the parish renovated the church to undo changes done in the mid-Twentieth Century, but one of the major alterations was to embrace the work…
Tag: Peoria
St. Mark’s Roman Catholic Church, Peoria, Exterior
Up the hill in Peoria away from the South Side is St. Mark’s Roman Catholic Church, which has roots going back to 1891. It is interesting in that it has only two front portals. As is typical of many German Gothic Revival churches, the spire is offset and transitions to an octagonal shape above the…
The South Side, Peoria
My trip up to Central Illinois in mid June took me to all sorts of random surprises, including several new churches and other sights, and that is why I enjoy doing what I do. It is often totally random. But sometimes my totally random path takes me through neighborhoods that tell stories that I don’t…
St. Ann’s Roman Catholic Church, South Side of Peoria
Due to heavy demolition of the South Side, or Near South Side of Peoria in the mid to late Twentieth Century, the remaining churches in the area south of downtown are easy to spot, notwithstanding their spires, as I noted in regards to St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church back in September of 2019. The stunning…
Springdale Cemetery, Peoria
When I first drove into Springdale Cemetery, founded in 1855, I thought it was just going to be a standard burial ground with rows of normal tombstones. But that changed dramatically, as I soon hit narrow roads that dropped precipitously into deep hollows that stretch down into the river Illinois River valley. In the first…
Dan Fogelberg Memorial, Peoria
“Dan Fogelberg? Who’s Dan Fogelberg?” As at least one friend has remarked to me recently, Google Maps has been arbitrarily highlighting some features and ignoring other more important landmarks. Recently, while scanning around Peoria on Google Satellite, one such arbitrary landmark popped up near the shores of Lake Peoria: The Dan Fogelberg Memorial. Peoria, as…
Tomb of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen and Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Peoria
Located just northeast of downtown Peoria, the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception has recently gained greater prominence as the burial place of the Venerable Bishop Fulton J. Sheen. I’ve looked at some of the houses nearby, most recently back in July. The first St. Mary’s was completed in 1852, and was a…
Richard Pryor and Peoria
I had known for awhile that Richard Pryor was from Peoria, but I had always assumed it was one of those situations where he was born there and had moved away when he was a small child. That is far from the case; his childhood is inextricably linked to his upbringing in the city. Weirdly,…
In Search of LeTourneau, Peoria
It is amazing how quickly we lose the memory of the huge old factories that once powered America through peacetime, and then when war came, helped defeat Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. Few people probably know the LeTourneau name anymore, despite it once being one of the largest producers of machinery in the world. Located…
Moss Avenue Between North MacArthur Highway and North Sheridan Road, Peoria
Heading east on Moss Avenue past North MacArthur Highway, the houses become even more stout, and even more heavy in their structure. But there are newer houses that are built after their Nineteenth Century predecessors, such as the house below, which probably dates from the 1920s. And then, we pick up where we had looked…