Chili Pepper in the Urbana Daily Courier

Can powdered chili pepper help with arthritis? Capsaicin, the compound found in peppers that gives them zing or heat, can send signals to the brain, reducing the perception of pain. This compound can be added to creams, gels, and pain-relief patches. This interesting tidbit of information appears in an advertisement in the April 18, 1922 […]

The Twin City Review: A 1920s Labor Newspaper Covering Champaign-Urbana

The Twin City Review went into circulation in November 1920. The Review was originally published in Tolono, Illinois, before relocating to Champaign. The Twin City Federation of Labor published the paper “in the interest of organized labor.” At the time, Champaign County’s primary industries were higher education (the University of Illinois), railroads, and farming.  The Review frequently wrote about […]

Veridian Update

A major software update is being implemented by our software developer Veridian that will change certain aspects of the Illinois Digital Newspaper Collection website. IDNC users will notice that several features of the website are different than they were in previous versions. Many of the changes involve back-end software updates which should not directly affect […]

Hay Stove: Part Two

by Kimberly Lerch  |  Published: July 15, 2020 We left off on the last blog post just about ready to get some food into the hay stove. Let’s see what we should do to prep the food! Preparing the Food for the Hay Stove   Cereals, soups, meats, vegetables, fruits, steamed breads and even puddings […]

Hay Stove: Part One

by Kimberly Lerch  |  Published: July 8, 2020 Are you an overworked farm wife?   Short on time but long of mouths to feed? Between weeding the garden, scrubbing and hanging out the wash to dry, visiting your sick neighbors, baking goods for the church social, repairing worn clothing, taking care of the chickens, churning […]

Fancy Work (French and Eyelet/Cutwork Embroidery)

by Kimberly Lerch | Published: June 29, 2020     I love to do needlework; in particular, I love to do what is called “fancy work.” What is Fancy Work? Needlework encompasses all work done with the needle, whether it is necessary work or not. Darning, patching, repairing ripped seams, hemming, sewing buttons back on […]

Five Weeks in October: Week Five

by Kimberly Lerch  |  Published: June 19, 2020 October of 1918, the fifth week.[1] Last week read like an endless list of friends, neighbors, and loved ones in the area dying from this damned flu. We (I say we because, after a month of reading about these folks, I feel I know them) are told […]

Five Weeks in October: Week Four

by Kimberly Lerch  |  Published: June 18, 2020 October of 1918, the fourth week.[1] At the beginning of last week, they closed the Urbana and, a day later, the Champaign public schools. The state stepped in and forced the closure of all non-essential businesses and any schools that did not have a nurse on-site. By […]

Five Weeks in October: Week Three

by Kimberly Lerch  |  Published: June 17, 2020 October of 1918, the third week.[1] At the beginning of last week, “places of amusement” were ordered closed, only one church service was allowed per week, but residents’ children were still expected to attend school. Folks were becoming increasingly concerned by the flu directly affecting their community; […]

Five Weeks in October: Week Two

by Kimberly Lerch  |  Published: June 16, 2020 October of 1918, its second week.[1] At the beginning of last week, residents in Champaign County felt safe; not a case to be mentioned in the Urbana Daily Courier. Then, local folks had relatives in other locations become flu victims. By the end of the week, there […]