Ever since I saw the first, “Night at the Museum” movie with an all-star cast headed by Ben Stiller playing an embattled night security officer, I’ve had heightened curiosity about museums of any kind. And lucky me, I live in a town that just hosted their second annual “Museum Day” on the first Saturday in May; a tour that had nine planned stops, all of which, with a little stretch of the imagination, could be labeled as “museums”. For sure, they are all “historical”.
If you have traveled much at all, you realize how rare it is for a rural county seat town to have nine museums and even more rare that they would all join forces to be open for the exact same hours on the same day. But, that is exactly what about 3,500 visitors experienced recently in Greenville, IL.
And as a bonus, I found a few extra sites and events to include in this blog in addition to the nine listed in the passport that visitors picked up at their first stop. Each site host/hostess thereafter, placed a sticker in the passport, so you could track your progress.
There are about an equal number of sites in downtown Greenville and at the American Farm Heritage Museum (AFHM) complex located just south of town at the Junction of Interstate 70 and IL RT 127. Let’s begin at the AFHM on the south edge of town. To reach it, you need to take exit 45 off of I-70 and go south on IL RT 127 to the well-marked AFHM entrance on the east side of the highway. This road becomes the south frontage road and leads to the AFHM about a half mile down the road to the east.
A. American Farm Heritage Museum
The American Farm Heritage Museum (AFHM) is 40 acres of nostalgia with its antique tractors, scaled-down trains, country store, 1808 fort, military vehicles, and a large multi-purpose building. The museum complex plays host to numerous activities throughout the year and includes a magnificent Christmas Light display.
The AFHM is widely known for its annual Heritage Days during the last week-end of July, when it celebrates long-ago rural lifestyles through a display of hundreds of antique tractors, tractorcades, tractor parades, field demonstrations, car cruises, and other static displays. But on this day in May, they coupled Museum Days with their own Spring Fling Festival and Smok’n on the Farm BBQ Competition.
The Fling combines a large swap meet/flea market and a BBQ cooking competition with all the on-site museums being open. The BBQ contest hosted 25 chefs this year and the parking lots were filled beyond their maximum. This cooking event is becoming quite a crowd pleaser as you buy a pass and then get to sample BBQ offerings, that change every hour or so. The menu might start with ribs, then go to pulled pork, etc. So, pace yourself to last for several hours of tasting. Not a problem for me!
A1. The Lil’ Red Barn Museum
If you grew up in a rural part of the country and were lucky enough to have a country store nearby, then you must stop at the Lil’ Red Barn as you enter the grounds. You will find it full of items you would have needed to survive in the country 75 years ago. If you needed it, they had it; or you could live without it. They also sell a giant hot dog that is guaranteed to satisfy.
A2. American Heritage Railroad
Next stop is the Railroad Depot, train and track, which was established in 2005 by a group of local enthusiasts. The one-mile circle of 15” gauge rail accommodates trains that are just the perfect reduced size for adults and, more importantly, kids. Trains leave the local depot regularly on the first Saturday from May to October and they have a Polar Express at Christmas time. Brrr!
A workshop has been built nearby so the local crew can continuously tinker and maintain their proud possessions: a collection of scale steam and diesel locomotives. Future plans include a display of model trains in a building near the depot.
A3. Hill Fort and Blockade Building
A circa 1808 full-scale reproduction of Hill Fort complete with a blockade building, serves as a reminder of the early forts that were erected to protect settlers from Indian attacks. The threat was real as witnessed by an attack in the Hill Fort area on September 9, 1814, when four soldiers were killed and three wounded at the hands of natives when Bond County was an unsettled area.
Each September, the Hill Fort Rendezvous allows folks to see re-enactors demonstrate some of the skills necessary to survive in that period.
A4. Armed Forces Museum
One can’t help but notice a large metal building surrounded by a wide variety of WWII military vehicles. Thanks to several donated items, a fledgling military museum has been established and is also open upon occasion to display its memorabilia.
A5. The “Big Building”
A dominating red metal building measuring 100’ x 200’ is an air-conditioned events space that houses a stage and a full kitchen. It can be rented for concerts, weddings, funerals, auctions, anniversaries or any other special event that takes place in a rural community. You can rent 1/3, 2/3, or all of the building as needed. It is one of the largest event spaces available in the area and, although not a tourist attraction as such, the walls are lined with farming memorabilia.
Food on the way to downtown
If you made the mistake of not eating at the BBQ cooking contest, shame on you. And if you didn’t, you may seek food and drink on the one-mile drive on IL RT 127 north to the town square at the Bond County Courthouse in downtown Greenville.
On the way from the AFHM, you will pass several local and chain restaurants, including: Scooter’s (drive-thru coffee), Shimoji Coffee, Kahuna’s Burgers & More, Lubob’s, Chang’s Chinese Buffet, Los Amigos, Huddle House, McDonald’s, KFC/Taco Bell, Domino’s, and the Love’s Truck Stop, which has Subway and Chester’s Chicken. So, don’t go hungry.
B. In town sites
B1. Montrose Abbey Mausoleum
From the Courthouse Square, go west one block to Fourth Street and head north to 400 N. Fourth Street and dead-end at the 13-acre Montrose Cemetery. At the entrance is the Montrose Abbey Mausoleum, which may not seem like a museum to some, but certainly is, if you have family interred there or are into genealogy. The Abbey was built in 1914 and is seldom open to the public, so be sure to check on its open hours. The well-manicured grounds in front of the Abbey are used annually for Memorial Day ceremonies.
B2. Andrew Carnegie Public Library
Go five blocks south on Fourth Street to 414 W. Main Street and you will find a Classical Revival style building that is the original public library built with money from Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist. It was required that it be built on city-owned land and be tax supported.
Carnegie arrived in America a dirt-poor kid from Scotland, but by the 1880’s he was the richest man in the world. He had built his fortune in steel before giving $40 million to fund 1,679 libraries between 1883 and 1929: 106 of which were in Illinois. Overall, he gave away $350 million to worthy causes.
B3. Bond County Museum
Go south two blocks to 409 S. Fourth Street and you will run into the U.S. DeMoulin Mansion, which is the home of the Bond County Historical Society and Museum. The mansion was built in 1900. It holds many local treasures that have been collected over the years and only recently moved, when this spacious house was generously donated to the Museum. Exhibits are updated yearly to keep the museum relevant.
B4. DeMoulin Museum
Two blocks east of the Square and two blocks south at 205 S. Prairie Street, sits a former Episcopalian Church with a bit of history of its own since it was built in 1882. However, it ceased church usage several years ago and was eventually purchased by the DeMoulin Museum, not to be confused with the DeMoulin Mansion and Bond County Museum. The DeMoulin Museum pays tribute to the DeMoulin Bros & Co. founders, employees, and the products they created. It is a fun and sometimes “shocking” interactive facility that may see you being spanked or riding a bucking goat before you leave. Your kids will love it.
Founded in 1892 as a manufacturer of lodge initiation devices and fraternal regalia, DeMoulin’s is now one of the world’s leading makers of band uniforms. Although no longer locally family-owned, DeMoulin’s continues to produce extraordinary band uniforms that can be seen on TV almost any Saturday being worn by a major university’s marching band. The factory is not open to the public for tours.
B5. Richard W. Bock Sculpture Museum
Going east from the Square, you will begin to see Greenville University buildings on each side of College Avenue. At 315 E. College, is the Bock Museum, which is housed in the historic Almira College House, which was constructed in 1855 as the Almira College for Women (the forerunner of Greenville University). In addition to sculptures and paintings, there remains a second floor “period” room devoted to Almira College history.
The German-born Bock (1865-1949) was a sculptor who ended up in Chicago and worked with renowned American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. From 1901-1913, Bock worked almost exclusively for Wright, creating many sculptures for Wright’s home and his projects. Bock went on to became head of the Sculpture Dept at the University of Oregon, later dying in California.
A former GU art history professor was largely responsible for the Bock family donating over 300 plaster and bronze sculptures, numerous drawings, mockettes, and original photographs, all from Bock’s hand. A few of Wright’s items are also on display. The Bock Museum opened in the fall of 1975.
B6. One-Room School Museum
Beaumont Avenue runs along the north side of the GU campus. Take it for three blocks east and you will find a one-room schoolhouse that is representative of the 78 that once populated Bond County. The museum is furnished with items from several of those schools. For folks 70+, this stop may take you back in time, especially if you attended one of these, like I did in my youth.
A previous visit to the school, resulted in my meeting the on-site school “marm” dressed in period clothing. Much to my delight, she turned out to be a classmate from those country school days. She perfectly portrayed the teacher we had back in the mid-1950’s. I think she was paying closer attention to our former teacher than I was at the time.
I also found time to sit in what may have been my actual desk from the 1950’s, as I reviewed the 3 R’s: “readin, ritin, and rithmetic”. And well do I remember warming my backside to that large boiler/heater that provided heat for the whole room. Oh yes, and there were the less memorable outhouses.
Courthouse Classic Car Cruise-In
To finish off the day, I’d suggest you stay downtown for the evening and stroll the streets surrounding the County Courthouse that will be filled with classic cars. This is one of three cruise-ins that take place on the Square during the year and this one, helps kick off a summer of events in Greenville. I think it’s fair to call a cruise-in a “museum” for autos.
Coffee and food
You may be in town for the museums, but while hanging out downtown, don’t fail to take a walk around the town square and take advantage of several local and chain restaurants, coffee shops, and a recent resurgence in boutique retail shops. Jo’s Java and Espressions Coffee Roasting Co. are bona fide coffee shops, but for other “filling” food stops close to the Square, try the Corner Café, Joe’s Pizza & Pasta, Toastiez, Mario’s Pizza, Hibachi Buffet, Subway, and/or the Dairy Queen. Grab a bite and enjoy your meal on the SMART Center patio or under a shade tree on the Courthouse lawn.
The sites in town are readily reachable by bicycle if you so desire.
Related blogs
Look for more Bond County, Illinois info in several current or upcoming blogs covering:
- A day in downtown Greenville focusing on the town center and Greenville University activities and sites and shopping plus three agri-tourism venues on the edge of Greenville
- A day on a 100-mile journey by car, cycle or bicycle, through rural Bond County that visits nearly all the county’s villages and hamlets
- A day in the rejuvenated village of Pocahontas in the previously published blog titled “Bond County Day Trip 2: Pride of Pocahontas – Eating, Antiquing and Shooting”
- Several Bond County sites included in a three-day road trip across the Old National Trail, which roughly follows Interstate 70 for the 150-mile width of the state
Keep travelin’ and be safe. Look for the TwoLaneRambler. I’ll be out there with you!
