It may appear to be a fancy junk yard, but each item has a story to tell and a lesson to impart.

This abandoned Abraham Lincoln statue has also earned the honorary of "World's Ugliest."

The history of funerals and funerary customs.

In a historic steel foundry east of the Mississippi River, thousands of wooden crates hold the architectural remnants of buildings long gone but not forgotten.

This unassuming city park is home to three different types of Native American mounds.

The study has wall paneling from a 17th century ship.

This lush 12-acre site was once named the finest Japanese garden in North America.

An Art Deco gem that held together the artistic heart of an agricultural community for 92 years.

The young Black revolutionary was killed before getting to see a non-segregated pool in his hometown.

The park that the Chicago Stockyards built.

With 8,000 pipes this giant instrument is the most versatile theatre pipe organ ever built.

The world's largest covered wagon is piloted by a giant Lincoln lawyer.

A massive bur oak tree believed to be some 500 years old is the centerpiece of this quiet urban greenspace.

A 30-foot man on a penny-farthing bicycle rides along the banks of the Mississippi.

A mythical bird etched into the face of a rock doubles as the mascot for a nearby school.

In a grove of fast growing walnut trees outside Paris, Illinois, a marker shares the story of a fictional road building culture.

The murals have transformed a residential alley into a vibrant drive-through gallery.

The carved remains of a 200-year-old oak tree memorialize the namesake of the iconic "Wizard of Oz" character.

This monolithic statue was erected in honor of Chief Black Hawk (even if it wasn't made to look like him).

An amazing collection of scale model ships.

This historic Illinois "Muffler Man" has been converted from axe-touting lumberjack to rocket-wielding space ace.

This rare female version of the Muffler Man has its clothes removed each summer to signal the start of pool season.

The dream home of an iconoclastic renaissance man still stands as a monument to his domestically mundane vision.

More than 8,000 drinking jugs say “Cheers!” to a guy named Toby.