We Wandered and We Wandered SO Well

Big sigh of pleasure...here is Day One

Oh, man, I can not TELL you how good it felt to wander. I felt like I was an extra bit alive—filled up like live music fills me up. I was worried it wouldn’t happen but it DID. And a million thanks to my paid subscribers that helped us to do this. You did more than you know. Oh, and pictures—we have pictures!

We planned to leave at 8 but managed to pull out of the alley at 9:10. Eh, we’ve done worse. The weather, um, wasn’t perfect. We’d seen the forecast though and I like gloomy days so we were prepared. However, as we headed up I-39 the spray from the semi trucks almost created a whiteout. This picture doesn’t begin to capture it but you get the idea.

We decided to get off the interstate early so we got onto a smaller road around El Paso, Illinois and it felt much, much better.

We cruised into Minonk and saw an old friend all dressed up for the holidays.

Small town America. Snowman cutouts for pictures next to a big gun strung with Christmas lights, a Casey’s in the background. I believe we bagged a total of TWELVE Casey’s that day.

The vines on this building struck me as so beautiful. For some reason, David Olney’s song Roses came into my mind. I can’t explain it but I just felt as though that vine should magically blossom roses just as the old oak tree did.

Roses
(David Olney)

Lightning spoke to the wind,
“The devil's in me today, my friend
Do you see that old oak tree down yonder?
Blow like hell and bring down thunder
When your raging's through, I'll cut that oak in two"

The wind began to moan
The old oak tree began to groan
Thunder raged like hell's own daughter
The air was filled with fire and water
Laughing viciously, lightning struck that tree

The old oak tree began to shudder
But he held his ground like some old soldier
His ancient pride was burnt and shaken
But something deep inside did waken
He raised his limbs just like Moses

And blossomed roses
He blossomed roses
He blossomed roses

The sky is clear, the air is clean
The earth is brown, the forest green
The ancient oak he still is standing
With strength surpassing understanding
Like dreams a noble mind composes, he blossoms roses

And isn’t that last line of the song a perfect description of David? Here he is singing it, with a BeeGees twist, at Kenny Pipes’ series, Almost Austin.

We meandered on. I do like a corner entrance.

And I have a big soft spot for Odd Fellows buildings.

I always like seeing small town newspaper buildings. Sadly, the Minonk News-Dispatch printed its last paper in 2001.

I love these storefronts that pop up in small towns. Miss Sara’s Shining Stars; tumbling and dance.

I liked the one above because of its rusty sign. I can just make out ICHES. Was it SANDWICHES? I doubt it but wouldn’t that be nice? I couldn’t manage to track down any info. It’s on the west side of 251 (Elm St) between Race and Market in Rutland if you have any ideas.

I happen to deeply love Vitrolite facades and the little deco-y corners on this storefront just made me love it. These facades often seemed to be found on jewelry stores. Was Wenona, Illinois big enough for a jewelry store? Or maybe a drug store? 214 Chestnut if you can come up with any info.

Wenona also got high marks for its Christmas decorations!

Quality chicks.

It’s always nice to see little old bank buildings still being used as banks!

Loved Lostant’s exuberant decorations on their Village Hall.

And THEN, probably my favorite building of the whole trip and we’re still only on Day One!

I just fell madly in love. A little flatiron STONE building. Oh, I want to buy it and live in it. Look at the trim too! This is what I found out:

Ireland Flatiron Building , circa 1852 (152 East Main). Wedge-shaped, two-story, five-bay, stucco-covered stone commercial building erected by Perserved Ireland circa 1852. The storefronts on the structure are intact and have wooden pilasters. The eaves are decorated with scroll-cut tracery. The west half of the building was occupied by a barber shop from 1885 through 1928; the east half housed a confectionery i n 1885, 1893, 1898, and 1904 and served as an office in 1912.

and then this:

The earliest commercial building within the Warren Commercial Historic District is the stone Ireland Flatiron Building (Building 39) which was erected circa 1852. Of stone construction, the formal exterior has been covered with stucco (struck to emulate stone blocks) and is probably reminiscent of its original exterior finish. Although stone played a significant role in the development of the commercial district, it most often was used for the construction of secondary walls in conjunction with brick (which was used in the construction of the primary facades).

I did a bit of research on Perserved Ireland who turns out to have been Preserved Ireland. He was born in Ohio in 1818 and married Susannah, age 16, in 1841. They had 15 children in 26 years. He was a farmer throughout his life and according to his military records, he was blue eyed with brown hair, 5 foot 9 inches, with a florid complexion. He entered the Civil War while living in Wisconsin in 1862 but was discharged in Memphis, Tennessee in 1863 after being injured and losing a leg. He died on March 17, 1886, in Belleville, Kansas, at the age of 68, and was buried there. I find no mention of him in Warren except in the historic district National Register form. He moved all over the place in the midwest though. Through it all he managed to build a delightful little building. Thank you, Preserved.

Here is how it looked in 1995.

And then a lot more of this.

Before finally landing in the intoxicatingly beautiful Mineral Point. I’d been there with my mother years and years ago but had only vague memories. Oh. My.

From there we tumbled toward our hotel with a bag of takeout. An absolutely glorious first day of a wander.

Have a favorite spot?

Onward to the New Year!

Love,
Cynthia