The Peru Public Library has 92 oral history interviews available for use by local patrons, researchers, and students. The interviews range from the Cherry Mine Disaster to the Illinois-Mississippi Canal to teaching in the 1900’s. Taped and transcribed during 1975 and 1976 as part of a local history project supported by the Starved Rock Library System (Ottawa, Illinois), the interviews were given to Peru Public Library by the Starved Rock Library in 1993.
In 2013-14, the tapes and transcriptions were digitized under a grant given to the Peru Library from the Illinois State Historical Records Advisory Board. Circulating copies of the interviews are available for two-week loans from the Peru Public Library. A set is also housed in our Local History & Genealogy Collection. And the transcripts are available as pdf’s at the following links. Please note, not all the tapes were transcribed and not all the transcriptions have the original tape.
- Albrecht, Henry & Harriet – Family operated well-drilling
- Allen, Mary – Soapmaking
- Ambrose, Joe – Early years in Austria and DePue
- Anderson, Mary – Life in Princeton
- Arendell, Lester – History of Coal Mining in Toluca, IL
- Bartlett, Watson – Trip to Yakima
- Battin, Charles – Description of Indian artifacts
- Beatty, Lester – Farm life in LaMoille
- Bender, Michael – Personalities & business in Spring Valley
- Bieser, William – Life on a farm and farming
- Brady, Gladys – Sandwich fair
- Bryant, Edward – Autobiography & the Illinois-Mississippi Canal
- Bryant, Minnie – Childhood in Spring Valley
- Carus, Alwin – Zinc, Hegeler & Mattiesen
- Castle, Latham – Career in Law
- Clay, Floyd – Working on a riverboat
- Confrey, Burton – People & places in LaSalle
- Curtis, Ora – 27 years teaching in Lostant
- Divan, Louis – Life in Toluca
- Donna, Peter – Cherry Mine disaster & coal mining
- Dunlap, Jessie – Marseilles Daily Press, 1921-1966
- Fisher, Hart – Interurban line
- Fletcher, Vera – History of Bureau County
- Flint, Irvin – Strip mining in Bureau County
- Foster, Rosa – Reminiscences from a 91-year-old
- Fry, Donnabell – Teaching in Princeton