Before we move much farther into January and Christmas 2024 becomes a memory of Christmas past, I wanted to share these photos taken the weekend before Christmas in Galena, Illinois.
As a Christmas gift to each other my kids stayed for two nights at the Jail Hill Inn. It is the county's old jail that has been restored as a luxury Inn. It has become a favorite place of theirs.
These photos were taken in the early morning hours before the sun came up. It was bitter cold and no one was out on the streets yet.
Galena is my favorite little town in the area. It is about an hours drive from my home and besides being beautiful, there is so much history there.
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. His father owned a leather shop in town and Ulysses worked there as a young man.
Here he is sitting alone in the cold and dark on a bench on Main Street. He is a bit scary when you come upon him at 5 AM and no one else is around!
There are lots of beautiful Christmas lights and decorated shop windows.
The sun is coming up on what appears to be a cloudy overcast day. The Galena river is quietly behind the dike, and the town will have a peaceful holiday!
