While exploring the streets of Petersburg Illinois.... not too far from Springfield (less than a half an hour) and only a couple of miles from New Salem, we stumbled in to the wonderfully stocked local gift shop, "The Crazy Daisy."
I didn't catch her name, but there was a very sweet lady running the place, who was proud of the area, and all that it had going on. She gave us a lot of great info on the area!
The shop itself had a lot of cool items that my wife and I both appreciated. There were local crafts, jewelry and other items. I was thrilled to see a well stocked local book section, and "New Salem" gift items.... as there are no gift shops at this time at the state park.
One book that I picked up at the Crazy Daisy gift shop was Raymond H. Montgomery's "In the Shadows of Greatness".
Montgomery, a local historian, gives first hand accounts by locals concerning the legendary area's history. His family has lived in the location for generations, and he gives some interesting facts about the locals. One (of the many) things I love about this book, is that Montgomery gets first hand accounts from some old timers about the towns connection to legendary circus performers AND there is a first hand account from a cousin of Ann Rutledge, discussing Abe Lincoln and Ann's relationship!
The author has given information on the less famous locals, and the buildings around this fascinating area. In fact, it has really inspired me to think about another trip to this part of Illinois, just to soak in some more New Salem and Petersburg.
This book is a bit obscure, the usual book selling web sites are asking a steep $40 plus for this one. You can get a new copy at the Crazy Daisy for about half that though, and it is well worth the cover price. Oh, I LOVE the cover to this book too!
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