Spoon River Home |
When traveling the Spoon River Valley Drive, consult this list of Places
to Visit. Note that this list doesn’t list all the sites
to see; however, it is a good sampling of the possibilities available.
| London Mills • Old Mill Wheels • Restored Ross Hotel • Statue of Liberty Replica |
Smithfield • Old City Jail • Red Brick Schoolhouse • Welch Art Studio & Museum |
| Middle Grove • 1894 Schoolhouse • Rapatee Coal Mine |
Bernadotte • Only dam site on Spoon River • Randall Cemetery • 1915 Iron Bridge over Spoon River |
| Lewistown • Edward Lee Masters Home • Major Newton Walker Home • Oak Hill Cemetery • Rasmussen Blacksmith Shop & Museum |
Farmington • Luther Birge Home (Underground Railroad Station) • Shad Hill Cultural Center |
| Avon • Historical Homes • Railroad Museum |
Ipava • Presbyterian Church (stained glass windows) • Quaker Cemetery • Restored Log Cabin |
| Ellisville • Ellisville Opera House • Ellisville Public Library (Smallest in Illinois) • Sullivan House |
Duncan Mills • Isabel Town Hall • Replica of covered bridge • Tarvin Horse Farm |
| Mt. Pisgah Park • Scenic view of Spoon River • Site of an early Indian village |
Waterford Area • Dickson Mounds Museum • Schoolhouse • Waterford Plank Road Ticket Office |
| Fairview • 1838 Dutch Reformed Church • Octagon-shaped village hall |
Astoria • South Fulton Dunkard Church • Village Bandstand • Woodland Church |
| Canton • Canton Museum • Fulton County Playhouse • Orendorff Mansion |
Vermont • Civil War cemeteries • Historic mansions • Masonic Hall |
| Cuba • Coal Mining • Underground Railroad Station |
Table Grove • Camp Ellis Memorial • Table Grove Community Church |
Camp Ellis
was a United States Army training camp that trained more than 125,000
men during World War II. 50,000 men were assigned to Camp Ellis at any
one time. The 17,800 acre camp opened in April 1943, making a huge impact
on the surrounding communities of Table Grove and Ipava. The camp’s
training activities included combat, medical, quartermaster, and engineering.
In October 1945, two years after opening, Camp Ellis was closed. The land
was returned to private ownership and today there are few remains of Camp
Ellis.
In 1927 Don Dickson began digging ancient burial mounds located on his family farm. After uncovering more than 200 burials, he built a building to enclose the mounds and protect his findings. The building and mounds became a private museum that attracted more than 40,000 visitors in the first year. Dickson Mounds Museum became a center for the study of prehistoric life in the Illinois River Valley. This area of the Illinois River Valley is a very rich archaeological area with burial mounds and village remains that date back to 1500 years ago. Don Dickson sold the site to the State of Illinois in 1945. Today, Dickson Mounds Museum offers 15,000 square feet of exhibits, artifacts, presentations, and hands-on activities. Call (309) 547-3721 for additional information.