At the heart of Peoria's Haunted Memories is the rich and compelling history and folklore of the Peoria area. Buildings and cemeteries in and around the city provide ideal stomping grounds for many restless specters. In this collection of haunted sites, the reader will be introduced to some of Peoria's best-loved mansions, institutions, and graveyards, as well as many of its more illustrious citizens. From Bartonville State Hospital to Bradley University, historic downtown theaters, hotels and taverns, and local churches, where ghostly congregants and ministers continue to worship, this book presents these ghost stories and legends for the fi rst time together in print. In addition to providing thrilling tales, Peoria's Haunted Memories serves as a unique guide for the intrepid supernatural sleuth seeking confi rmation that the dead do not always rest in peace.

Featuring more than 200 vintage postcards, Peoria: A Postcard History captures the changing scenes of the river and downtown Peoria from 1900 to 1950. One of the largest cities in Illinois, Peoria is the seat of Peoria County and lies on the Illinois River where it forms Lake Peoria. Located in the state's central-farm country, Peoria is a manufacturing center known as the "Earth-Moving Equipment Capital of the World. " Distilling has also been important in Peoria, which was home to the world's largest distillery, Hiram Walker and Sons, in 1933. Peoria: A Postcard History will allow you to visit "the world's most beautiful drive," as proclaimed by President Theodore Roosevelt during his visit to Grand View Drive in an automobile manufactured in Peoria Heights.

It Didn't Play in Peoria explores the interesting history of this small Middle American town which is often looked over. "Will it play in Peoria?" was an old Vaudeville phrase meaning, "Will it appeal to the average person?" But it had greatness in its grasp, and more than once. The Illinois city has gained fame through the years, but more often as the butt of jokes or as an example of the typical Middle American town than through any recognition of its many accomplishments. Peoria boasts a string of close brushes with prosperity, any one of which could have made it a Chicago or a St. Louis. Charles Lindbergh, for example, first approached Peoria for backing for his historic flight, but the town's moneymen refused him and his Spirit of Peoria, perhaps losing a chance at the airline industry as well.