Arcola, Illinois

History

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.

In 1904 Arcola was one of the towns selected to have a Carnegie Public Library built. The Arcola Carnegie Public Library was finished in 1905 and eventually was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

A nationally known tourist attraction, Rockome Gardens, which featured large formal gardens, concrete fencing and architecture, and many Amish-influenced attractions was located just outside of Arcola. Rockome Gardens was built in 1937 and was operated for nearly 80 years by members of the local Old Order Amish community. In 2015, the Rockome Gardens property was sold to a local developer and has since been converted into Aikman Wildlife Adventure, a drive-through wildlife park which officially launched in 2016.

From the History section of Arcola, Illinois on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.