The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The city was named Arcola after the town of Arcole, Italy, where the Battle of Arcole took place.
Arcola was the birthplace in 1880 of John Barton Gruelle, or "Johnny" Gruelle, who created Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy, the loveable American dolls and storybook characters. He used artistic skills learned from his painter father, Richard Buckner Gruelle, combined with his self-taught writing skills to create stories expressing regional values and aesthetic images. His artistic granddaughter, Joni Gruelle Wannamaker, manages the Raggedy Ann Museum in Arcola.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Start Arcola’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Arcola’s history is told.
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Arcola, decade by decade
2000
CommonsArcola Township Cemetery in Illinois2011
CommonsArcola Township Cemetery, looking northwest, August 20092009
CommonsArcola Township Cemetery, looking northeast, August 20092009
CommonsHitching shed2008
CommonsHippie memorial peace sign2008
CommonsArcola IL2008
CommonsArcola IL-edit2008
CommonsArcola IL-edit (US 45 crop)2008
CommonsArcola IL E Main St2008
CommonsAmish Buggie sign2008
CommonsAmish Buggie sign wide2008Then & now
When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.
Historic places
National Register · via Wikidata
From Wikimedia Commons (11) and the National Register (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.