YouTube Videos
Watt Nakamaru Circa 1960 Videos
Circa 1960, Watt Nakamaru recorded video at several different locations in Fairbury. All 5 of his videos can be viewed using this link.
Individual Links to each of Watt's 5 Videos:
Demolition of Honegger's Office Building in August of 1995
This building at the southwest corner of Second and Locust Street used to be the corporate office and restaurant for Honeggers & Sons. It was demolished and the new City Hall was built on this site.
You can view this video using this link.
Fairbury Nurse Julia Flanagan and Bob Hope at hospital show on May 15, 1945
The audio of this show was recorded and located on the Internet. Informational photos about Julia Flanagan were added to the audio to make this YouTube video. You can view this video using this link.
Restoration of the Occident Flour Building Advertising Sign
This was one of three old building advertising signs restored by the Fairbury Improvement Group. You can see this video using this link.
Dr. Pendergast - Cigar Store Indian National Expert
Dr. Pendergast collected and restored Cigar Store Indians. He became a national expert in the field of Cigar Store Indians and wrote a book about the topic. After he retired, he moved to his home town in Indiana and a short video was made about his hobby. You can watch this short video using this link.
Fairbury in 2016
Steve Tooley made a nine minute video with aerial views of most of the buildings in Fairbury. His video does an excellent job of documenting the appearance of Fairbury in the year 2016. You can use this link to watch his video.
Fearless Tommy Hornsby
Thomas Hornsby Jr. was born and raised in Fairbury. He became a trapeze artist and got the stage name of Fearless Tommy Hornsby because he performed 50 feet in the air with no safety net.
Unfortunately, Fearless Tommy suffered a fall and had to stop performing. He then spent 12 years making a miniature carnival, which he exhibited at the Fairbury Fair. You can use this link to view a video about his life.
Paul Garcia 2021 Interview with Dale C. Maley
In May of 2021, Paul Garcia did a one hour interview with Dale C. Maley - Fairbury Historian. The interview covers many different areas of Fairbury and Livingston County history. You can use this link to watch this video.
1997 Demolition of Fairbury High School
The old high school was demolished in June of 1997. This video shows the layout of the 3 floors as of 1962. It also shows part of the demolition work involved with tearing down the old structure. You can use this link to watch this video.
2021 Presentation about Franklin Oliver to Livingston County Historical Society
Franklin Oliver had a connection to Fairbury including using Judge McDowell as a lawyer for some of his legal matters. Alma Lewis James also discusses this Fairbury connection in her book Stuffed Clubs & Antimacassars. You can use this link to watch this video.
2021 Presentation about the Three Cases Where Abraham Lincoln was a Lawyer in Pontiac, the County Seat of Livingston County
This presentation was prepared by Dale C. Maley and presented to the Livingston County Historical Society on November 18, 2021. Two of the three Lincoln cases involved two Fairbury men, Mr. Popejoy and Mr. Wilson, who sued each other. The Mr. Popejoy that used Lincoln as his lawyer is the 3rd great-grandfather of Ray Popejoy, Founder of Popejoy Plumbing in Fairbury. You can use this link to watch this video.
2022 Presentation about the 1887 Chatsworth Train Wreck
This presentation was prepared by Dale C. Maley and has been presented to many different civic groups including the Livingston County Historical Society, the Ford County Historical Society, the Piper City Historical Society, and the Fairbury Rotary. The talk is a condensed version of the complete book about the 1887 Chatsworth Train wreck written by Dale C. Maley. You can use this link to watch this video.
2003 Video About Fairbury for People Thinking of Moving to Fairbury, Illinois
There was a Fairbury Economic Development Group back in 2003 (now defunct as of 2024). They had this video to help encourage people to move to Fairbury. This video is of historic value because it captures what the people and places were like in 2003. You can use this link to watch this video.
2023 Paul Garcia Video About Fairbury, Illinois
Paul Garcia, Fairbury native, made a video titled Small Town, Big Hearts: Falling in Love with Fairbury, IL. and it was released in late 2023. This video is of historic value because it captures what the people and places were like in 2003. You can use this link to watch this video.
2017 Renovation of Marsh Park in Fairbury, Illinois
Through a community effort, Marsh Park was fully renovated in 2017. This video explains the renovation process. You can use this link to watch this video.
