History
1894 Historical & Descriptive Review of Illinois, Volume 1, The Southern Section, Her Principal Towns and Their Progressive Men.
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1925 A History of Johnson County Illinois by Mrs. P. T. Chapman offers a thorough account of life in Johnson County during the years of our ancestors. Some excerpts are offered below and others are scattered throughout this website.
1940 Stories from Illinois History
DOOR NAILS BY THOUSANDS
It has been carefully estimated that 9,702 wrought-iron nails stud the surface of the door which separated the upstairs living quarters from the early Illinois store and liquor dispensary on the ground floor of the original Bridges Tavern in Johnson County.
This famous log building, which has since become part of the barn on the Bridges' property, was associated with the early settlement of southern Illinois and the transfer of the Cherokee Indians. Broken flint a short distance northeast is evidence in support of the story that an Indian village was at one time located at this point.
Extracted 20 Oct 2019 by Norma Hass from Stories from Illinois History, compiled by the Workers of the Writers' Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Illinois, published in 1940, page 12.1940 Stories from Illinois History
PROMOTING THE FROG
A farm given over to the growing of select colonies of frogs attracts the attention of many tourists driving along State Highway 37 in Johnson County. The finest specimens of frogs are imported from Louisiana. A sheet iron fence keeps all the frisky tadpoles and frogs on home territory.
Extracted 13 Apr 2020 by Norma Hass from Pioneer Days in Illinois, compiled by the Workers of the Writers' Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Illinois, published in 1940, page 1.- 2013 Trail of Tears 231-page pdf includes Bridges Tavern pages 57-59, Properties (taverns, groceries, mills, ferries, cemeteries, campgrounds, residences, springs) pages 144-163.
