Galesburg

The origins of Galesburg can be traced to a group of courageous pioneers who came to this gently rolling prairie in 1837 and founded Knox College and the town. The founders were staunch abolitionists, and Galesburg became a major stop on the Underground Railroad. Farmers bought land owned by the college and reaped bountiful harvests from the virgin soil. But, Galesburg was more than just a college and farming community. In the mid- and late-19th century, two major railroads came through town: the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy (CB&Q) and the Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe Railroad. The CB&Q built one of the largest rail yards in the nation, and it is still expanding today. Manufacturers took advantage of Galesburg's ready transportation and able workforce, and the once-small town transformed into a successful municipality that offered good jobs and living wages. Small businesses and service companies thrived, and Main Street stores flourished. Images of America: Galesburg contains never-before-published images that show how Galesburg citizens worked, played, and worshipped from the 1880s to the 1960s.