PEORIA (25News Now) - For the past year, 25News has highlighted the past of Peoria and the Central Illinois region. One key resource in this project is the Peoria Historical Society. Beth Johnson, a tour guide and 10-year volunteer of the PHS, said it was formally founded in 1934, with the mission to “preserve, share, and celebrate stories of the Peoria area.” They do that by collecting artifacts and documents.