A local artist who moved to Galesburg from California three years ago is creating a coloring book to celebrate the city’s architectural heritage and historic landmarks.
Derek Peters, a graphic designer originally from Orange County, discovered Galesburg on oldhomesunder50k.com while searching for affordable Victorian homes. He told Galesburg’s Morning News he fell in love with the concentration of historic homes, churches, and civic buildings throughout the city.
“When I first got out here, I just started riding around Broad Street and just was blown away by all the homes and such a high concentration of Victorian homes,” Peters said. “Back in LA, I remember there’s a couple streets that had them, but they were like few and far between, but here they’re just like everywhere you look.”
Peters is now creating “Explore Galesburg: A Coloring Journey,” an interactive coloring book featuring hand-sketched, vectorized illustrations of local landmarks.
The book will include Victorian homes, the Purrington Mansion, Knox College, the courthouse, local businesses, the East Main Street underpass, and the birthplace of Carl Sandburg. Each page includes hidden “Easter eggs” referencing local history, such as Abraham Lincoln entering Knox College through a window during the Lincoln-Douglas debates, as well as educational “fast facts” providing historical context.
The book also includes a QR code linking to a curated soundtrack designed to be played while coloring.
Peters, who has published five previous coloring books, says the project is designed to help people slow down and truly see their city. He structures the book so each page leads to the next, encouraging readers to visit the actual sites and notice details they may have overlooked.
“I think I came in with unbiased eyes,” Peters said. “Sometimes when you’re around it all the time, you don’t really notice it, but I do.”
The coloring book is designed for all ages, from children learning about local history to older residents reconnecting with nostalgia. Peters describes it as therapeutic and a way to foster community pride.
Peters is seeking local business sponsors to fund printing, with the book scheduled for publication in June. Sponsorship opportunities include full-page coloring advertisements or traditional ads in the back of the book. He notes that unlike newspaper ads viewed for seconds, coloring book pages provide long-term visibility as users spend significant time engaging with the content.
The book will be 8.5 by 11 inches and approximately 32 to 40 pages. Peters envisions future editions including “then and now” comparisons and other thematic spin-offs.
Pre-orders and sponsorship inquiries are available at exploregalesburg.com.
