The public is invited to a free, one-hour program on two central Illinois topics at the Macon County History Museum on Sunday, Aug. 7 at 1:30 p.m.

Tom Emery, an award-winning historical researcher from Carlinville, is the featured speaker, and returns to the museum for his sixth appearance since 2013. Emery will spend part of the hour discussing his ground-breaking 2020 work, Abraham Lincoln and the Heritage of Illinois State University. 

He will use the rest of the time to talk about Enoch Gastman, a towering figure in the early educational history of Decatur.