When does a village become a ghost town? When and how does a small town die? Does it occur when the Interstate bypasses it? When the railroad abandons its line and pulls up the rails for scrap? When the schools consolidate with neighboring towns, close and are torn down? When the churches close? When all the businesses close and the buildings become so dilapidated they collapse on themselves?
And why do people stay in small towns that are dying? Family, probably, plays a big part. Maybe it’s a sense of duty or history or tradition. Maybe it’s a sense of inertia. Maybe they simply can’t sell their house in this lousy economy.
Until I was 12, my family lived in Glenwood, Illinois, a south suburb of Chicago. It was then, and still is, surrounded by Cook County Forest Preserves, so although it was part of a major metropolitan area, it felt like a small town. We lived in "Old Glenwood," the oldest part of town. We always addressed the mothers of our friends as “Mrs.” and they felt free to correct us if we did something wrong. We were free-range children before the term was invented.
There are several reasons I decided to document Central Illinois small towns:
•I’m looking for answers to my questions, or at least clues.
•I’ve always loved abandonment. It doesn’t matter to me whether it is residential, retail, government or transportation.
•I’m interested in architecture, including Art Deco, old prefab housing such as Lustron and Sears homes, and old Queen Ann and Victorian houses.
•I’m very interested by downtown areas. Or as the State of Illinois calls them, Business Districts.
•Not many people besides hard-core genealogists seem interested in documenting the history of these small towns. Larger towns like Bloomington and Springfield have historical societies to tell their stories and preserve the memories.
•I want to work on my photography skills.
Early in my explorations several things became evident:
•Everybody waves at you.
•People are still proud of their town. In addition to the standard-issue green sign on the edge of the town announcing the limits and population, most small towns have a customized sign. Someone had to pay for, design and produce these signs. Also, in every small town or village, without exception, the grass in the common areas was mowed. Even the grass on vacant lots was mowed.
•They have some great down-home restaurants.
•Many lack a place to pee. Casey’s seldom has public restrooms. If there are public restrooms in the park, they’re often not open. And if the town has no library you’re outta luck.
•Every small town or village has a story to tell. Each one has something unique about it.
And that’s what I want to do with this blog. In words and pictures, I want to tell the stories of these small towns. That’s my mission statement.
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