Established in 1826, McDonough County has experienced fascinating changes since pioneer days, including the gradual disappearance of some small communities and rural neighborhoods. "Remembering McDonough County" focuses on the local tradition of notable storytellers and historians as it reflects the county's strange and colorful, poignant and meaningful earlier days- in Macomb, outlying communities, ghost towns, and wild areas. Award-winning author John Hallwas sketches memorable figures like pioneer storyteller Quintus Walker, Macomb newspaper editor W.H. Hainline, and Bushnell poet Marian Stearns Curry, and he depicts beloved, legendary, and sometimes mysterious places like Vishnu Springs, Gin Ridge, Ragtown, and Scott's neighborhood. Along the way, he portrays the racehorse and Civil War hero Chickamauga, the frightening Gooseneck Ghost, and the long-forgotten Crooked Creek Terror.

John E. Hallwas, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Western Illinois University, has written or edited two dozen books related to Illinois and the Midwest, including the award-winning Cultures in Conflict (1995), the highly praised true crime narrative The Bootlegger (1998), and the recent Dime Novel Desperadoes (2008), which won the Midland Authors Award for "Best Biography." A noted historian and writing teacher, he has spoken in more than 150 communities in Illinois and other Midwestern states.