I have always believed that memory is one of the most powerful things we have. It connects us to the people who came before us, reminds us of what we have been through, and helps us understand who we are today. For me, that sense of memory has always been tied to a place, the little town of Summerfield, Illinois.
When I began gathering stories for Summerfield: A Collective History and Fond Memories, I did not set out to write a book. At first, I was simply curious. I wanted to hold on to the details that time has a way of erasing. A name carved into a church pew. A photograph tucked in an attic box. A family name once painted on the side of a barn. The voice of someone who still remembers what it felt like to walk to school on a gravel road in the chill of a fall morning. Read More
