On the Road to Wisconsin

On this occasion we were off to Plover/Steven’s Point Wisconsin to have a mini reunion with a flock of Laurie’s cousins.  Along the way, we stopped in Mt. Vernon Illinois to pick up 2 of her sisters, Karole and Bonnie, who’d driven over from St. Louis to meet us. 

Of course, I had a few historic and/or railroad based sights to stop and photograph along the way…

We’d photographed this old Baltimore and Ohio Railroad combination depot a couple of years earlier and it hasn’t changed much.  I tried again to find out when this depot was built…with no luck.  

To see what the building looked like before it was significantly altered, you can use the following link to check out a photo of the depot from back in 1975: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=151288.

Hey…it’s not all about railroads!  We really liked the ‘look’ of Ed’s Nursery, a garden center along the highway in Salem.  Whoever set the flowers and plants in front of the building knew how to attract gardeners!

This is the old Vandalia State House.  It was built in 1836 and it was the 4^th capitol building in the state and the oldest to survive.  Abraham Lincoln served most of his time in the state legislature in Vandalia when the 3^rd capitol building was in use.  However, with Lincoln leading the charge, there was a major effort to move the seat of state government to Springfield.

As a result of this potential move, the Vandalia business community tore down the 3^rd capitol building and built this larger one on the town square.  The idea was that it would be so nice that the state government wouldn’t move… 

However, when Lincoln and the legislature returned to town in the fall of 1836 and saw the new building waiting for them, they weren’t impressed!  By 1839, the seat of Illinois’ state government had moved to Springfield.  This ‘old’ statehouse in Vandalia then served as the Fayette County Courthouse from 1839 until 1933.

This is the ‘retired’ Interlock Tower in Ramsey Illinois.  There used to be a rail crossing/intersection here where the Illinois Central tracks crossed the Clover Leaf (Toledo, St. Louis and Western aka. the Nickel Plate) tracks.  This tower with its controls protected the crossing… The tower, the Nickel Plate caboose and a box car are all maintained by the local Lions Club.

This is St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Pana Illinois.  This parish was first organized in 1856.  The first church, (a wooden structure), was built in 1860 and it was replaced with a brick building in 1884.  The current church, which is truly impressive, was completed in 1926.  The parish also supports Sacred Heart School, with classes K – 8^th grade.  The school was actually founded in 1887.  To learn more about the church and school, go to http://shspana.com/st-patricks-church/. 

This sure looks like an old railroad depot…but it is decrepit and neglected.  This building is located quite close to the Pana Tower. (See reference below) I had a hard time finding any information about this structure but I did learn that at one time Pana had a substantial depot, probably for the Illinois Central Railroad.  Speculation is that this was the baggage room…all that remains of the depot. 

This is the switch/control or ‘interlock’ tower in Pana.  The town was once the crossroads of 4 major railroads.  This switch tower is all that remains of the site where 4 rail lines once crossed.  The railroads brought goods and passengers to Pana and they took millions of coal from the area.  The tower restoration is being done through the “Pride in Pana Project”, a local non-profit that strives to improve the community.

Notes:

Ø  Pana was first known as Stone Coal Precinct when it was founded back in June of 1945.  The town became an important coal mining center in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.  The “Pana Riot” took place in April of 1899 when there was a violent confrontation between black and white miners.  A white miner was killed (actually by a policeman) and white union workers attacked black replacement workers that were brought in from Alabama.  Six more people were killed…one white (also probably shot by a white man) and 5 blacks…before calm was restored.

Ø  Pana later became known as the City of Roses.  A number of major florists and growers flocked to the area and set up operations.  At one time there were as many as 109 greenhouses in Pana.

This is the former Illinois Central Depot in Macon Illinois.  Bland looking it is but at least it’s been preserved for any possible future use…

FYI...Macon is the hometown of Brian Snitker, the current Manager of the Atlanta Braves Baseball Team in the National League.  Snitker played right field for the Macon High School baseball team back in 1971 when the team made a surprising run to the state championship tournament. (Surprising considering the fact that Macon’s total population in 1971 totaled about 1,250 residents)  

This baggage room is all that remains of the old Illinois Central Railway station in Decatur Illinois. 

     

Decatur has been served as a major railroad junction and at one time it was served by 7 railroads!  Today, it is still served by Norfolk Southern Railroad, CSX, and the Canadian National Railway.  The city is also served by the Decatur Junction Railway.  Decatur Junction Railway, with 21 miles of track, is owned by Pioneer Lines.  Pioneer owns a total of 19 short line railroads across the USA. 

This large structure is the old Illinois Central Freight Depot in Decatur.  Despite its size, this was only part of the huge Illinois Central Depot that served the city!  Back in its heyday, tracks for this railroad radiated out from Decatur in 5 different directions…creating a rail version of today’s airline hub cities.  

To see a photo of what the combined Illinois Central Depot looked like back in 1906, just go to http://towns-and-nature.blogspot.com/2015/12/decatur-il-ics-depot.html.

This building is now the home of Clayton Sales Company...a purveyor of fireplaces and wood stoves.  Somehow, its an appropriate business for this old depot.  Check them out at https://claytonsalesco.com/.

The Wabash Railroad Station and Railway Express Agency is a historic railway station at 780 East Cerro Gordo Street in Decatur.  It was built in 1901.  The Wabash was the most economically important railroad at the time through the city.  Service to the Classical Revival depot came to an end in the 1980s.  It’s a bit hard to comprehend these days, but as many as 72 passenger trains per day brought travelers to and from Decatur at the Wabash Railroad’s peak in 1907!

Today this beautiful old depot is now called the Wabash Depot Antique Centre.  At least it’s still around!  You can check out this business at https://www.facebook.com/Wabash-Depot-Antique-Centre-168416029840125/.

That’s all for now… Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave