Border Patrol
The two states are separated by yet another waterless border. They looked nearly indistinguishable from the highway. But crossing into Indiana, though, was like traveling back in time. An hour back in time. We had driven straight into Eastern Standard Time. By the time we made it back to Illinois, we had lost fifteen minutes of our lives.Indiana looked like this:
Danville
Danville, the seat of Vermilion County, was established in 1827. Salt wells, important to the Native Americans, played a significant part of the city's early economy. At one point, local saltworks pumped out sixty to eighty bushels of salt a week. The salt empire proved short lived as production costs squished profits, but the Danvillagers soon found a profitable replacement: coal. Coal companies employed some of the nation's first open pit mining techniques around Danville.Driving into Danville, we saw a water tower thusly sloganed:
Danville
At The Corner of Progress and History.
At The Corner of Progress and History.
Since we could find no intersection of the aforementioned streets, we could only assume the water tower had been commissioned by someone who had never actually been to Danville.
The Holland Apartments: built around 1900 in the Dutch Colonial Revival Style. This building is to Danville what the Art Deco City Building is to Champaign.
Edison Elementary: built in the 1930s in the Tudor Style (see the towers flanking the main entrance and the Tudor Arch?). I don't know about this elementary school, but the local high school (not pictured) spit out such illustrious alumni as Gene Hackman and both Van Dykes.
The Kathryn Randolph Theater (built 1902 as a Presbyterian church) is home of the Red Mask Players theater company (founded in 1936). It's one of the oldest community theaters in Illinois. Dick Van Dyke got his start with these guys. Jerry did too, I guess. I'm not sure what style this is, but something says Tudor to me.
St. James Methodist Church, built in 1926. Aside from the cool name, I couldn't find much about this building. Shot in the dark: Gothic Revival.
Fortunately, no one asked me for three dollars on this out-of-the-car experience, but one guy asked me for a lighter. It told him no. He stared at my pockets for a minute, then walked away mumbling. I think he called me a Cracker.
Diagonally across the intersection sat the Federal Court Building. This one dates back to 1911. I was excited: I've been on the look out for a decent Mansard roof since I arrived in Champaign. This building has what I'll call a Mini-Mansard. You know a Mansard roof by the steep side and the little windows peeking above the shingle line.
I didn't realize until I started researching this building online that it's apparently in poor taste to take pictures of federal buildings. If Homeland Security kicks in my front door with jack boots I'll probably remove this picture from my blog.
I saw the National Guard Building on the street behind the sinister Fischer Theater. I couldn't find any information on this building but it looks pretty old.
Down the street from the horrifying Fischer Theater (all these things are on the same two blocks, I'm not even kidding), the archway from the Temple Building marks the entrance to Temple Plaza. The Temple Building, according to trustworthy sources on the Internets, was roughly contemporaneous with the blood-curdling Fischer Theater and was the tallest building in town. After demolishing the building, Danvilleins turned the space into a park for Farmer's Markets and Outdoor Concerts. I met neither Farmers nor Musicians here, just some gentleman inquiring after my lighter.
Danville also loves its veterans. The old Public Library, built in 1883, had been converted into the Vermilion County War Museum. The town also had a dedicated stretch of Korean Memorial Highway. We were running short on time (and energy after our harrowing experience at the harrowing Fischer Theater).
Aside from Lincoln and Dick Van Dyke, Danville's most hallowed former denizen is Uncle Joe Cannon, who has a long list of accolades that contribute to his notoriety:
The Flower Building: I couldn't find out how this building is currently employed, but the flowers (Impatiens walleriana) planted in the windowsills and over the glass front looked cool. Water from the planters came down in steady drops. If you stood inside and looked out the front doors, you'd think it was raining.
Six Flags over Illinois
Texas ain't the only one. Illinois' flag history includes: Spain (the initial Spanish conquest and creation of New Spain), France (who built New Orleans and then controlled everything up the Mississipi), The United Kingdom (the French lost the French and Indian War), Virginia (whose claims then reached all the way to the Mississippi and wrapped around the Great Lakes), Illinois (after becoming a US Territory in 1809), and the US (after 1783, obviously).
Driving Danville
According to the Internets, Danville is chock full of historic buildings. Indeed, we missed several of the more interesting ones. Danville isn't a town where you want to spend a lot of time outside of a locked and moving automobile, but I did snap a few photos from the window of the ole Yaris.The Holland Apartments: built around 1900 in the Dutch Colonial Revival Style. This building is to Danville what the Art Deco City Building is to Champaign.
Edison Elementary: built in the 1930s in the Tudor Style (see the towers flanking the main entrance and the Tudor Arch?). I don't know about this elementary school, but the local high school (not pictured) spit out such illustrious alumni as Gene Hackman and both Van Dykes.
The Kathryn Randolph Theater (built 1902 as a Presbyterian church) is home of the Red Mask Players theater company (founded in 1936). It's one of the oldest community theaters in Illinois. Dick Van Dyke got his start with these guys. Jerry did too, I guess. I'm not sure what style this is, but something says Tudor to me.
St. James Methodist Church, built in 1926. Aside from the cool name, I couldn't find much about this building. Shot in the dark: Gothic Revival.
Downtown Danville
I had to get out of the car here. We stopped to see the bone-chilling Fischer Theater, given two little ghosts out of four by Mr. Kleen.
Fortunately, no one asked me for three dollars on this out-of-the-car experience, but one guy asked me for a lighter. It told him no. He stared at my pockets for a minute, then walked away mumbling. I think he called me a Cracker.
Diagonally across the intersection sat the Federal Court Building. This one dates back to 1911. I was excited: I've been on the look out for a decent Mansard roof since I arrived in Champaign. This building has what I'll call a Mini-Mansard. You know a Mansard roof by the steep side and the little windows peeking above the shingle line.
I didn't realize until I started researching this building online that it's apparently in poor taste to take pictures of federal buildings. If Homeland Security kicks in my front door with jack boots I'll probably remove this picture from my blog.
I saw the National Guard Building on the street behind the sinister Fischer Theater. I couldn't find any information on this building but it looks pretty old.
Down the street from the horrifying Fischer Theater (all these things are on the same two blocks, I'm not even kidding), the archway from the Temple Building marks the entrance to Temple Plaza. The Temple Building, according to trustworthy sources on the Internets, was roughly contemporaneous with the blood-curdling Fischer Theater and was the tallest building in town. After demolishing the building, Danvilleins turned the space into a park for Farmer's Markets and Outdoor Concerts. I met neither Farmers nor Musicians here, just some gentleman inquiring after my lighter.
Against the wall in Temple Square, a sculptress from San Antonio carved a relief dedicated to the Citizens of Danville.
Danville also loves its veterans. The old Public Library, built in 1883, had been converted into the Vermilion County War Museum. The town also had a dedicated stretch of Korean Memorial Highway. We were running short on time (and energy after our harrowing experience at the harrowing Fischer Theater).
Aside from Lincoln and Dick Van Dyke, Danville's most hallowed former denizen is Uncle Joe Cannon, who has a long list of accolades that contribute to his notoriety:
- Second longest career as Republican Speaker of the US House of Representatives.
- Longest serving Republican Congressman (46 years).
- Most dominant Speaker in Congressional history.
- Helped pass the 16th Amendment (income tax: we have Uncle Joe to thank).
- Featured on the cover of the first issue of Time Magazine.
- Had a seriously badass beard.
The Flower Building: I couldn't find out how this building is currently employed, but the flowers (Impatiens walleriana) planted in the windowsills and over the glass front looked cool. Water from the planters came down in steady drops. If you stood inside and looked out the front doors, you'd think it was raining.
That's a cute little chickie-babe ya found at the Indiana state line! :)
ReplyDeleteshe's all right.
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