Marlene Cook
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Marlene Cook is a Lansing resident who loves learning and writing about local history. A member of the Illinois Women's Press Association since 1973, she has won multiple IWPA awards. Her 2020 awards in the Mate E. Palmer Communications Contest included first place for columns and second place for nonfiction book in the history category.
Lansing history: Did Lansing have a pickle factory?
On a tip that long ago a pickle factory may have operated on the site of the former Waters Edge building at 18418 Wentworth Avenue, a search began....
Lansing history: Brick by brick a community is built
Many early settlers came to Lansing from Holland and Germany to start a new life. Some found the rich soil suitable for growing vegetables and bought farmland. Others dug deeper...
Lansing history: Lansing’s original Village Hall has served Board members and bike owners — and much in between
LANSING, Ill. (April 26, 2023) - In early 1893 the population of unincorporated Lansing was 249 — and that included the towns of Bernice and Oak Glen. To become incorporated, the State of Illinois required 250 residents. Thanks to a very timely move by a farmer, his wife, and...
Remembering women of Lansing’s history
Last year during Women's History Month, Lansing Journal history writer Marlene Cook wrote a series of articles on influential women in Lansing's history. Each of those women is highlighted below, with links included to the original articles.LANSING, Ill. (March 26, 2023) – “The hand that rocks the cradle, rules...
Lansing history: The family farm that became Fox Pointe
LANSING, Ill. (March 21, 2023) - Where once cows grazed and horses frolicked on a family farm, now people relax on a manicured lawn. Fox Pointe has been through many changes before becoming the entertainment venue it is today.The Krumm family farm
It all began in 1850 when Henry Krumm...
Lansing history: From Riemer’s Farm Stand to Van Til’s to Jansma’s
Changing times eventually force a Lansing icon to close
By Marlene Cook
LANSING, Ill. (February 21, 2023) - Beneath the TF South High School building at 186th Street and Burnahm Avenue lie the roots of the Riemer Van Til farm that helped to feed many earlier Lansingites. In the 1930s, local...
Lansing history: The Ford Hangar and Henry Ford’s lasting impact on Lansing
By Marlene Cook
LANSING, Ill. (January 25, 2023) - The building is 96 years old, but it looks much as it did in 1927. You’ve probably driven past it many times without noticing it. But the Ford Hangar deserves attention.Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford commissioned three hangars in the...
Lansing history: The lengthy, confusing story behind Jack’s Pub
If only walls could talk! They might confirm or deny the many stories surrounding the property at 3325 Ridge Road, currently known as Jack’s Sports Pub and Eatery.
Lansing history: The murder of Bohemian Joe
1914 homicide still unsolved
By Marlene Cook
LANSING, Ill. (November 13, 2022) - Many Lansing residents remember the restaurant Bohemian Joe's, which opened in 2016 and sold to Dixie Kitchen in 2018. (See Bohemian Joe's says goodbye, published April 2018.) Bohemian Joe's was located at the northwest corner of Torrence and...
Lansing history: The Lansing Fire Department
Serving Lansing for 100 years
LANSING, Ill. (October 9, 2022) - This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Lansing Fire Department, which was organized into an official fire-fighting unit on July 13, 1922. October 9–15 is Fire Prevention Week this year, and that gives us an opportunity to celebrate...