Hand-drawn hometown collection
A hand-drawn celebration of DeKalb, available exclusively at Cast Iron Coffee.
15 oz ceramic mugMicrowave safeDishwasher safe
Community
DeKalb is a city where university energy, agricultural heritage, and a creative downtown come together. NIU, the Egyptian Theatre, Lincoln Highway, the Ellwood House, and the story of DeKalb corn make this community instantly recognizable to those who know and love it.
The collaboration
DeKalb is where both my husband and I attended Northern Illinois University, and it is where we met. That makes the community an important part of our own story.
The mug includes elements connected to NIU and the Huskies, along with DeKalb’s barbed-wire history and its deep ties to corn and farming. Bringing the university and the broader community together in one design was especially meaningful.
It was great partnering with Kyle, his wife Daria, and the team at Cast Iron Coffee. The mug makes a meaningful gift for alumni who return to NIU and want something that reminds them of a beloved town and an important season of life.
The story behind the mug
Inside the illustration
Altgeld Hall marks Northern Illinois University’s beginnings as a teachers’ college, with its cornerstone laid in DeKalb in 1895.
The Egyptian Theatre began as a movie and vaudeville house and remains a downtown DeKalb venue for films and live performances.
The Ellwood House Museum preserves a historic mansion and parkland in DeKalb, connecting visitors with the Ellwood family’s local history.
Known locally as Lincoln Highway, Route 38 carries DeKalb’s connection to the historic cross-country road through the city.
DeKalb’s agricultural heritage includes the winged-ear corn emblem, first conceived here in 1935 to represent the promise of hybrid corn.
Northern Illinois University formally adopted the Huskies name in 1940, giving DeKalb’s campus teams their enduring identity.
Journal · Behind the drawing
NIU and the Egyptian Theatre frame a town where Matt and I met.
Read the story
