DeKalb Centric

Big news for local history lovers: the J.F. Glidden Homestead & Historical Center has been chosen as Illinois’ featured story in a national USA250 series celebrating America’s 250th birthday. Not Chicago. Not Spring field. DeKalb. 👏 That’s right — something invented right here helped shape an entire nation.

I just came across a fantastic YouTube video by Behistoric that dives deep into DeKalb’s railway past, exploring the disused railyards and stations of the Chicago Great Western Railway . The video follows the only official spur on the Eastern Division, running from Sycamore to DeKalb , and uncovers the rich (and surprisingly fascinating) railroad history that helped shape our city on the northern Illinois plains. If you’re into local history, abandoned infrastructure, or just love learning more about DeKalb’s roots, this is definitely worth a watch! A great video by Behistoric (check them out on Youtube) Explore the rich railroad history of DeKalb, as well as their other series.   Past Stations of the Chicago Great Western's DeKalb Spur