- I've got a New Year's resolution.

- Oh, what is it?

- To watch more "You've Gotta See This."

- Well, then you're in the right place 'cause you gotta see this.

(lively music) (lively music continues) Happy New Year from "You've Gotta See This."

We are celebrating one year of our show.

- And I'm celebrating an entire year of still being employed by WTVP.

- That is super exciting.

But we have been going back and looking at all the episodes and finding our favorite stories and we wanna show them to you.

- And we did a lot of stories on animals.

We get sea monsters and unicorns and dinosaurs, and- - None of that happened.

None of that happened.

But we did do something about armadillos and whether or not they're coming to Peoria.

- The march of the armadillos right now.

So Julie, you get animals in your backyard, right?

- I do have some fox and some kits in my yard right now.

- How about armadillos?

- No, I've never had an armadillo.

- Maybe sometime soon.

Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe.

- Okay.

But you don't see them around here, you see in Missouri.

But people say they're already in southern Illinois and they're marching north.

The march of the armadillos.

- They're definitely migrating.

We've definitely heard of sightings even in southern Illinois, In Indiana, Iowa.

And so they're rare, but people have seen them which is really kind of interesting.

And so the biggest thing that keeps these guys from really going north is temperature.

They can't handle cold temperatures for prolonged periods.

And so if it's with our shorter winters in Southern Illinois, you can kinda see how they could make it at least for a time, it would be difficult.

They can't conserve heat very well.

- So it seems weird that armadillos would be in Illinois, right?

- They're usually in warm climates like down south at least.

- Oh, yeah, but they've been on the move northward for hundreds and hundreds of years.

They come from far South America.

They came up through Central America.

That's a long way.

Then they got to Mexico.

Then midway through the 1800s, they come into Texas.

And then they're there, they're hanging out.

And then the '70s, they march up and they get to some of the southern states and they're in Missouri.

They got into Illinois.

Now, you know Illinois, it's surrounded by rivers to the south, right?

- It is.

- How did they get across there?

Well, armadillos can swim, but those are some pretty strong rivers.

They can't get across those rivers.

But apparently, and this is the thought, they got into barges.

I don't think they were stolen.

- Did they buy tickets?

- I don't know.

I don't think so.

They weren't like deckhand.

They got onto these barges.

- Titanic, they're at the front, king of the world.

- Yes, could have been.

But as far as I know, that what happened was they got on the barges, and the barges go to the other side and they're like, armadillo.

And they fling them in into Illinois.

What are you gonna do with an armadillo that's stolen?

- Well I recommend not flinging armadillos.

- Well, it's not nice.

- I'm Just gonna make a stand.

- That's not nice, but that's what they did.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources a while back they asked people, "Hey, people of Illinois, have you seen armadillos?"

People like us, yes.

And they have a map on their website and there's all these dots in Southern Illinois.

Yup, yup, yup.

And it goes all the way up to about Springfield.

If you draw that as a latitude across.

- Okay, all right.

- And there's armadillos.

- I feel safe right now.

Okay, go.

- But then this year, they asked for more input.

And so now there's more dots north of that.

- Ooh.

- Yeah.

And there's some in a couple in Peoria County, Not tons, not tons, but a few.

Every time experts say, well, there's no way they can go farther north.

They go farther north.

- [Julie] So they're determined little critters.

- They say, the state says if they get to the Peoria area in a couple years, they wouldn't be surprised.

But they're not gonna attack.

They're not nasty.

They're mostly at risk of your garden.

- So if a nine bandaid.

was approached by a human he would kind of hunker down and protect his soft underbelly.

So he would try to cover as much as he could with his armor.

That's actually one of their strategies.

At least that's what the theory is, that they confuse the predator because they just jump and the predator's like, yikes.

He's pretty cute, isn't he?

This is actually how we tell them apart, these scoots on top of their head.

They're unique to each one.

- So yeah, well they're cute in a very weird looking way, but they dig through, they'll burrow through your garden.

That's about the biggest risk they are, unless you eat them.

- I don't wanna, why would I eat it?

No.

Here in Peoria, we have a lot of famous people and some of them are artists.

- One of them of course is Preston Jackson.

He's been around doing some great work for so many years.

- Oh yeah.

- One thing that happened that didn't catch any attention other than this show was the fact that there was a memorial in Saint Louis.

They wanted somebody to do this.

It was for a great civil rights cause.

They went across the nation looking for people.

Guess whom they chose?

- Preston Jackson.

- Preston Jackson.

Here's that story only in Peoria.

You gotta see this.

As an artist, Preston Jackson has become an historian.

The Peoria sculptor and painter often strives not only for aesthetics, but meaning in truth, especially regarding civil rights.

Even if painful, the truth is important to him - Because it's all for the betterment of womankind, mankind human beings, that we understand the truth.

And my only tool, or my only weapon, if you wanna call it is to put it on canvas and into bronze.

- [Phil] That's why he spent five years intensely working on an ambitious and impressive sculpture that was unveiled this summer in downtown St. Louis.

It's the Freedom Suits Memorial dedicated to hundreds of slaves who went to court to try to win their freedom.

Their stories had gone untold, and many people didn't know about the slaves lawsuits at all until legal documents were discovered deep in courthouse storage.

Jackson helped bring to light a harsh part of American history.

One that he believes many people would like to keep hidden.

- I was very happy to be a part of that discovery.

Something, I mean, new history, fresh.

- [Phil] About 20 years ago, a clerk at the Civil Courts building in downtown St. Louis found a stack of old boxes.

They were stuffed with faded and deteriorated legal papers from the five decades before the Civil War.

During that period, St. Louis underwent an economic explosion fueled by steamboat traffic on the Mississippi River.

There, as Missourians hotly debated the issue of slavery, you could find free Blacks and slaves working almost side by side.

- And this was a state particularly a region that was very mixed at the time.

There were a lot of free Black people just wandering around in St. Louis.

The state of Missouri wasn't really sure where it was gonna go during the Civil War.

Some areas had a lot of freedom some areas had a lot of slavery.

And there was a real debate here in Missouri during all that period of time.

- [Phil] At the time, Missouri courts often abided by a legal concept known as once free, always free.

- That once a person had their freedom, and they were entitled to it, period, no matter how they got it.

And a lot of slaves got their freedom by being taken into free states, kept there for long enough to get past that state's residency requirements and then bought back by their punitive slave owner.

And then they were sued on the grounds that once free, always free.

- [Phil] Between 1814 and 1860, at least 330 of these freedom suits were filed in St. Louis.

After the discovery of those documents, Judge Mason poured over them with fascination, amazed at the bravery of the slave plaintiffs.

- Because all of these cases were tried in front of all white male jurors who also were white male property owners.

You would think that an enslaved person, a Black person suing a white slave owner for their freedom would have great difficulty even getting in the courthouse door, much less convincing the jury.

- [Phil] Yet more than 1/3 of the plaintiffs won including Dred Scott, who later would lose his freedom in an infamous decision by the US Supreme Court.

Otherwise though, successful plaintiffs would leave the courthouse forever free.

- [David] One of the main reasons I felt this memorial was so important because it also memorializes the judges who made sure that there was equal access to the court despite the low level of society that the enslaved person had.

The jurors who were able to say, okay, white slave owner, we're gonna disagree with you on this one.

And we're gonna issue an order freeing this enslaved person who has sued for their freedom.

- [Phil] Judge Mason decided to spread the stories of the Freedom Suits.

- [David] It became clear that there was an incredible story here to be told - [Phil] A steering committee was formed to raise $1 million in private money to build a plaza on empty land outside the courthouse centered by a memorial to the Freedom Suits.

Artists nationwide submitted ideas for a memorial sculpture.

St. Louis attorney Paul Venker, who heads the committee was floored by a proposal from Peoria's Preston Jackson.

- In my view, Preston's was head and shoulders above the rest.

His was such an in-depth approach to the topic that I've been calling a dynamic visual narrative.

That it's a very rich with imagery, very rich with storytelling.

- [Phil] Jackson would need five years to put together the memorial which stands 14 feet tall and consists of 85 separate pieces.

The artwork depicts slaves at work, a slave auction, a steamboat, and other vestiges of everyday St. Louis life before the Civil War.

The focal point features a slave appearing in court before a white judge and white jurors.

And the base is inscribed with the names of those hundreds of brave plaintiffs.

- [Paul] We are enjoying the feeling that we get when we think about these courageous people.

But as Preston would say, there's ugly here.

Slavery is still at the core of this memorial.

At the core of his sculpture - [Phil] The Freedom Suits Memorial and Freedom Plaza were dedicated in June before a crowd of hundreds.

Now, fundraising continues.

Still shy of the goal by about $150,000.

Supporters want to add a marker in the plaza to further explain the memorial then perhaps add an interactive display inside the courthouse, maybe narrated by Preston Jackson.

He is always interested in spotlighting the truth.

- Because see, we have a way of trying to deny what happened.

Like changing the education system, changing everything.

And wrong is wrong.

Good is good.

- You know, I've learned over this year that Phil disappears at lunchtime.

- Shh.

- He has a favorite spot he likes to go.

And it's all the way from Peoria to Tremont.

- Well it's not to eat there, but to buy some of their frozen hamburgers.

They're great, they're fantastic.

And that place has been around for 100 years.

- And it's all family run.

You've gotta see this.

For a century, Beecham's Market has not only survived, but thrived.

The Tremont Grocery store burned to the ground twice but rose back up each time.

In a big box era where small towns have lost all their grocers, Beecham's has pushed into its fourth generation and 100 years of family ownership.

Though still a general store, the business is founded niche as a destination meat market, say the husband and wife owners - You know, we can't compete with Walmart and the big chain stores with Fruit Loops and Cheerios but we can compete on the quality of fresh meat that we provide.

- And we're blessed, we're blessed to be busy.

- [Julie] The story starts in the Peoria County village of Glassberg There in 1922, William and Clarence Beecham opened Beecham Brothers.

Even then, they provided fresh goods, slaughtering chickens out back, and then selling them inside.

1938 brought the second generation of the family business.

Williamson Jerry Beecham went across the Illinois River to Tremont.

The store got off to a solid start until one night in 1940.

A fire broke out as he and his wife slept in their residence above the store.

Though choked with smoke, they managed to stagger outside safely.

- And my wife's grandparents got out with nothing but their clothes on, and that was it.

They had nothing.

And I remember my father-in-law always talking about how that was one of the most empty feelings that his parents ever had.

- [Julie] Eventually, the business was joined and eventually run by a third generation, Lanny and Mary Beecham.

Meantime, their daughter, Carrie, grew up in the store, learning the trade.

- I'm very blessed and fortunate that my grandfather and grandmother and my parents taught me hard work and work ethic and just always to put the customer first.

- [Julie] In 2004, she wed Dave Hughes a Morton native, working in lumber.

A few years later when her parents wanted to retire, Carrie and Dave took over the reins.

- We took the opportunity and her dad wanted to make sure we really wanted to do it because it does consume your life.

In a good way, but it does consume your life.

- [Julie] He works 12 hour days Monday through Saturday.

His wife works weekdays at home for an insurance company but she comes into the shop in the late afternoons to lend a hand.

Also keeping things humming are five full-timers and five part-timers often in cutting and grinding meat.

In addition to the deli, Beecham showcases top shelf beef, pork and chicken plus homemade sausage and brats.

The biggest lure might be their specialty burgers, fresh or frozen.

That will include the likes of bacon cheddar jalapeno Turkey and corn beef with Swiss.

Such uniqueness helps a throwback grocer to succeed in a Walmart world - Folks will bring in their meat list, say they're running to Walmart, and come back and pick up their order.

So it's kind of one of those things where we just have found our niche and and take care of it the best we can.

- [Julie] They also stress customer service.

Many are regulars - And they're Turkey burgers.

If you like Turkey burgers, they're the best.

They really are.

That's why we come.

- And you don't have to buy a pack of two or three or a family pack of 10.

You can get one.

I have several customers where we wrap up 10 tenderized pork chops individually.

They take 'them home, freeze them and they come back and see us the next month and we do it again.

See somebody coming up the middle aisle, we almost know grab the pan the ground chuck, they're gonna get two one pounders.

They're gonna get their roast, they're gonna get their chicken breast.

Yeah, we kinda know what they want.

I've got people that want filets cut certain ways and cut in half with bacon around them and we just know what they want.

- [Julie] Such attention to detail draws customers not only from all over Central Illinois but as far away as Chicago.

Beyond the meat counter, they come for local area products not sold in just any grocery store.

- Yes, we sell some soap from just South of Tremont here in Dillon.

We sell King's popcorn from Morton.

There's honey, local honey from Delavan.

- [Julie] As for the fifth generation of ownership, that'll be up to the Hughes lone child, Ella, age five, when the time comes.

- If she wants to do it, she's more than welcome.

- For now, the focus is on autumn.

Beechams will host an outdoor celebration to mark the family's 100th year in business.

Also, the storefront will soon get a makeover to freshen up the look.

- We're trying to show some commitment to our customers refacing the building.

We're gonna do a little painting inside or whatever.

Nothing crazy inside.

More for the outside, but to us it shows commitment to the community and our customers.

We're not going anywhere.

- Hey, Julie.

- What?

- Boo!

Don't you love a ghost story?

Don't you love a spooky story?

My favorite one this year was on old book and you love it.

- It's that clear.

- I do love the old books.

(both laughing) - [Phil] What follows is perhaps the most unusual and haunting of Peoria's many ghost stories.

Truth, legend?

That's a mystery.

Yet here's another one.

The source of this remarkable story is none other than Dr. George Zeller the revered and renowned mental health reformer who ran the Illinois asylum for the incurable insane.

In the late 19th century, asylums were often hardly more than jails.

Mad houses where many patients were restrained like inmates and often neglected or abused.

The Illinois Asylum for The Incurable Insane opened in 1902 in Bartonville, part of the state's push to reform mental healthcare.

Still of patients there, not everyone had severe psychological maladies.

Some face challenges such as deafness or blindness but were committed to the assignment for a lack of any other state institution or agency to help them.

Such was the case of a patient brought there not long after the asylum opened.

The man, apparently in his late 20s, had suddenly lost his ability to speak.

Further, he could not write so he could not share his name.

However, the asylum somehow found out that he had once worked at a printing house.

Thus, the asylum called him manual book binder or sometimes just a book binder.

In time, he became known simply as Old Book.

Aside from his communication difficulties Book seemed healthy and blessed with a strong back.

He was given a shovel and put on funeral detail.

The job kept him busy.

As the 2,000-bed facility had funerals all the time.

Many residents were indigent.

So many were buried on site, under tiny concrete markers bearing only numbers row after row after row.

At the end of each service, Old Book would lean on a particular elm tree and whale and sorrow.

Staffers and residents were impressed by his boundless compassion and heartfelt grief as he leaned on what became known as the Graveyard Elm.

In 1910, Old Book went the way of all men and Zeller himself decided to handle the funeral attended by 300 asylum employees.

In his diary, Zeller would recall a most extraordinary end to the service.

- [Narrator] A choir singing "Rock of Ages," the usual signal to lower a coffin into the awaiting grave.

Just then, the crowd froze at the sound of a familiar whale of grief.

(dramatic music) - [Phil] As Zeller later wrote, we could not be mistaken.

It was Old Book.

Some mourner shrieked and ran away.

At Zeller's command, the lid was opened on the casket.

At that very instant, the wailing ceased.

And inside the coffin, there was Old Book.

Lifeless but at peace, hands folded across his chest.

As mourners watched, Zeller directed the casket lowered into the grave.

The matter went on without further incident until a few weeks later.

The graveyard elm suddenly began to wither, apparently dying.

So the asylum's landscaping crew decided to chop it down.

But when a worker struck the first ax blow, an agonizing screech of pain screamed from the tree.

(dramatic music) Spooked the worker ran off.

Later, another crew tried to burn down the tree but the tree wailed once more with smoke curling upward in an outline of Old Book.

Workers hastily put out the fire and left the Graveyard Elm alone.

After that, the story faded into history as did memories of Old Book.

Until Zeller's diary was found decades later.

Over all that time, a bolt of lightning had zapped the graveyard elm, which burned to nothingness.

An Old Book's grave marker got stolen.

But about a dozen years ago, amateur historians researched the backstory of old book.

A new marble marker was put on his resting place.

Today, visitors sometimes come by and read the epitaph.

In each death, he found great sorrow.

He wept at each passing tears for the unloved and forgotten.

Now Old Book, we weep for you.

(spooky music) Speaking about big Peorians, there's one who's head and shoulders above the rest.

- That's without a doubt.

This woman is above everyone we've ever talked to on you.

Gotta see this.

Vanna Whitewall.

You've gotta see this.

(lively music) She's a Peoria charmer that we can count on to tell us summer has finally arrived here in central Illinois.

- That's usually our sign that the weather's finally breaking.

We're gonna have that summer, spring type weather.

Typically, the first sign that we have when the clothes come off.

So no more snow, no more salts on the road, all the fun stuff.

(lively music) - [Julie] Vanna Whitewall is an ageless beauty but she has had her share of makeovers.

- She has been bumped into or knocked off the post she stands on or needed cosmetic repairs.

- [Julie] Standing tall outside of Plaza tire for 54 years, this tall doll has shown us all that size does matter.

Weigh in at 450 pounds and 17 1/2 feet tall, she continues to look out for Peoria.

- She's a Peoria landmark.

So whether you're from here, we're passing through, a lot of the times, there's some sort of story or you've heard a story about her.

So it definitely draws a attention.

(lively music) - The fiberglass femme fatale sports her 28-pound dress all winter long.

But have you ever wondered how she wiggles into her famous red summer bikini?

Well, you gotta see this.

- We are going to back our Plaza Tire truck close to her, set up a ladder, and we will have her dress placed in the bed of the truck when it's all done.

And then we actually have a hangar inside the shop that the dress will hang on all winter or summer long until next winter.

- [Julie] Bikini on, check.

Dress is stored away for another season, check.

It can only mean one thing.

That it is officially summer in Peoria.

♪ Pretty woman ♪ - What a great year we've had on "You've Gotta See This."

We've had a lot of things that I am thankful for including some coworkers.

- Yeah, right.

And we're thankful for (indistinct) for hosting us here.

- Oh yeah.

- We're thankful for all of you viewers out there for tuning in every week.

Every week.

Remember, every week.

- Every week, Tuesdays.

(Phil laughing) - And we're thankful for everyone who reads Peoria Magazine.

- And next season, we'll have lots of things.

Maybe we'll get to that Sea Monster video.

- Oh man, we're gonna ride that sea monster?

Into your home.

Coming up.

- You gotta see this.

- You gotta see this.

(gentle music) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues)