Saturday in Carthage

-
When the alarm rang at 7:00 am, I was thinking more "relaxation" than "research." However, I had an appointment with Michele Hansford in the archives of the Powers Museum and I was looking forward to it. At the Pancake Hut, breakfast and coffee fortified us for some work.

The Powers Museum is located at the west edge of Carthage on West Oak Street. The museum was a gift to the city from Marian Powers Winchester in honor of her parents, and the institution just celebrated its 25th anniversary in June of this year.

Director Michele really knows Carthage history and was of tremendous assistance. I listened, read, and scanned while Steve wrote on his projects for awhile before jumping in to assist with  my work so we wouldn't end up camping out in Michele's archives for another week or two. We finally packed up and left a little while before closing time, with lots of information, souvenirs, and a copy of each of Michele's Arcadia books on Carthage. There are plenty of stories to tell about Carthage, including Arthur Boots and the Boots Court and Boots Drive-In; and the intersection of two great highways - Route 66 and the Jefferson Highway.

Michele Newton Hansford and me at the Powers Museum.

After five or six hours of research and a short nap, we were ready to explore the Carthage square. The Jasper County Courthouse is Romanesque in style, complete with towers, turrets, and multiple arches. It dates from the 1890s and is on the National Register. This edifice is massive and we really enjoyed taking photos from many angles. (It's a mix on this page of Steve's photos and mine.)












Carthage went up in flames during the Civil War and was rebuilt throughout the late 1800s. Most of these buildings still stand in the blocks surrounding the courthouse and exhibit a wealth of architectural ornament. Here's a sampling, plus a couple signs.











Then we hopped in the car and drove to Kellogg Lake and Park, explored some old highway, and finally looked for some dinner. Some good food and excellent service at the Sirloin Stockade was welcome, and then it was back to the Boots Court for a little more time travel. Oh, those '40s tunes and a glass of wine...

Kellogg Lake



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

June 2017 Route 66 events and adventures with the new van

-
Image
With the 2017 Route 66 event season in full swing, my pertussis quarantine over, and an itch to go places in the new van, June proved to be a busy month. Between St. Louis and Chicago, I gave a program, attended a program, went to the Route 66 exhibit at Missouri History Museum twice, drove across the Chain of Rocks Bridge, sold and signed books, and, with my BCC colleagues, produced the third annual Blue Carpet Corridor festival weekend. Here's a brief rundown of my June: June 1 - At Jubelt's  in Litchfield, I met up with Bill Kelly, Executive Director of Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway, and Dave Tucker, Vice-President of Blue Carpet Corridor, for hand-off of materials for Blue Carpet Corridor weekend. Lunch was terrific as always at this long-standing cafe-bakery. June 4 - I drove to Greenville to record a podcast for Creekside with Don and Jan at Owl Creek  with the lively and fun Don and Jan Stover. We talked Route 66, the upcoming Blue Carpet Corridor event, and my ne
Read more

Sixth Annual Miles of Possibility Route 66 Conference is planned for October 2021

-
Image
The Miles of Possibility Route 66 Conference is back this year with its sixth annual event, to be held virtually Thursday – Sunday, October 21 – 24, 2021. This year's theme is “A Worldwide Celebration of Route 66,” emphasizing the love of Route 66 and its collegiality that is truly an international phenomenon. To that end, this year's slate of speakers and presenters comes to you from across all eight Route 66 states and from locations around the world. Embracing the virtual format, the organizers have created a truly “worldwide” event!  The by-now familiar conference format plus social activities will be followed again this year with a few new twists. The event kicks off with a Thursday evening virtual Happy Hour to meet and greet old and new friends and colleagues from around the globe. Friday and Saturday feature daytime conference sessions, with no need this year to choose from multiple breakout sessions. ROUTE Magazine editor Brennen Matthews will present the keynote speec
Read more

Edwardsville's A&W Drive In - Edwardsville's Route 66 History #7

-
Image
As promised, here we are back to Edwardsville's Route 66 history with the story of the A&W Root Beer Drive-In. This was published in the November 2012 issue of The Prairie Land Buzz and also in an issue of Show Me Route 66. Give an eatery half a century in the same location and it's bound to generate a lot of memories. And when the restaurant is owned by the same family all those years, their story becomes part of the community's story. Mel and Vonney Kaufmann lived in Wisconsin when they started hearing glowing reports of Vonney's sister's successful A & W Root Beer Drive-In franchise in Springfield, Illinois. Inspired to search for a city that needed an A & W, Mel and Vonney decided on Edwardsville. They arrived in 1954 and purchased a lot on St. Louis Street/Route 66 on which to build their A & W. The Kauffmanns' chosen property had once been the location of the grand two-story A. O. French residence, but the now-empty lot had more re
Read more