This is the fascinating story of the 5-week revival by the famous evangelist, the unique “tabernacle” created for the event, and an analysis of why the revival attracted more than 150,000 attendees.

This presentation identifies the close connection between Dixon and the drug store chain founder who acquired more wealth and business success than any other person in Dixon history.

Learn why Dixon held a unique role in recruiting, training, and sending hundreds of local soldiers off to fight in major battles of the Civil War, with an emphasis on local places and local people connected with the famous War Between the States.

In the history of the Dixon area, it’s likely that no other homegrown native reached a pinnacle of business success as George Ham Page, the man behind Dixon’s Swissville and the largest condensed milk factory in the world.

Many remember President Ronald Reagan’s famous return to Dixon in 1984, but this presentation recounts other key Reagan visits ever since he left Dixon in 1932 to start his career in radio.

How did “Father” John Dixon become the first settler of this town in 1830? This story explains why the town came to revere this pioneer who attracted widespread acclaim throughout the Midwest and all the way to the nation’s capital.

Local pioneer life in the 1830s was often lawless and dangerous. This presentation tells how Christianity came to Dixon, the key women who made it happen, and how it helped to bring civility and conscience to this fledgling village on the frontier.

Much has been written about Dixon’s favorite son, Ronald Reagan. But few realize the great success achieved by his big brother, Neil (“Moon”), and how “Dutch” helped Moon at pivotal moments of his life.

Local eighth-grade history teachers commissioned this presentation, which tells the remarkable story of how Dixon’s own Ronald Reagan helped to end the volatile Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.

In December 1946, a Dixon doctor’s wife was kidnapped at gunpoint and led on a harrowing trek through the countryside. This often-hilarious retelling of the story identifies its most sensational and gut-wrenching aspects, revealing why it became national news.

Over the last hundred years, thousands of graduates have treasured memories of attending Dixon’s “castle” high school, but few are aware of its unique architectural features and the struggle to build the school.

Did you know that Dixon had an electric trolley car that could take passengers throughout Dixon and all the way to Sterling? This presentation tells the amazing story of “The Interurban,” its genesis, its daily operations, and why it ended.

Few realize the remarkable role of the stagecoach in settling northwestern Illinois and how Dixon became “the great transfer station on the stage lines that traversed the country.” This presentation includes eye-opening details of how local towns were formed.

Through fresh original research, this presentation identifies heart-rending details and brave rescues involved in “the worst road bridge disaster in American history,” which happened here in Dixon in 1873.

Why does Lee County seem to always vote Republican? Has it always voted Republican? This presentation identifies, for the first time, the key reasons why the Lee County area has been a Republican stronghold ever since the party’s beginning in 1856.