Zinnia buffet feast captured by Cindy Welch . . .

For you avid readers out there, here is a little more for your summer must read list, 1840's style ~ the first five pages from that little gem we came across from archive.org. Think D.D. Collins may have gotten a chuckle from page 4 and shared the anecdotes with the local big bugs? Did they discuss the eclipses like we do today? Or maybe check their horoscopes? Or did D.D. study the Chronological Events? You can bet he studied the Distances from St. Louis via the River as he

After Trisha harvested some of the zinnias from the garden, several members of the Collinsville Garden Club began working on making centerpieces that were delivered to Cedarhurst Assisted Living located on Vandalia Street to decorate the tables in the dining room. Above: Lavadna is getting vases for the centerpieces. Above and below: Emily and Susie fill vases with water and begin to arrange some of the centerpieces. Above: Terri, Alice and Lavadna work with the flowers so th

Thanks to Trisha Haislar and the Master Gardeners who planted the seeds and tend the garden, we've had some new visitors who appreciate the beauty and bounty they so enjoy! Photo taken by Trisha Haislar July 24, 2017 Kind of looks like a picture postcard, doesn't it? Be sure to read our flowers page about Zinnias! Click the seed packet below and you will be magically transported to the Zinnia patch in the garden . . .

Produce from our garden bounty donated to the Spirit Of Sharing (SOS) Soup Kitchen. Today's harvest. First tomatoes of the season! 5.4 lbs. All going to S.O.S Dinner tonight. The hard work of Trisha Haislar and the Master Gardeners who planted the seeds in spring continues with great harvest results - this was donated to the SOS Soup Kitchen on July 20, 2017. Click image to visit their webpage. Updates on more harvested produce to help our community will be posted soon!

Produce from our garden bounty donated to the Spirit Of Sharing (SOS) Soup Kitchen. The hard work of Trisha Haislar and Master Gardeners members of the Garden Club who planted the seeds in spring continues with great harvest results - this was donated to the SOS Soup Kitchen on July 13, 2017. Click image to visit their webpage. Updates on more harvested produce to help our community will be posted soon!

D.D. Collins owned the Collinsville Plank Road Company and built the plank road from Collinsville to St. Louis. There is not a lot of information about the plank road, so when we find something it is like finding a gold nugget. Here is our latest finding from ~ "The Private Laws of the State of Illinois, passed at the Nineteenth General Assembly ~BEGUN AND HELD AT THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD ~ JANUARY 1, 1855." Here is the inside front cover and the Act granting the Collinsville