Palestine is the oldest town in Illinois on it’s original plat. It was platted in April 1818. What do we have to show from our early history ? Not much because no one thought to preserve our history until much of it was gone. Fort Lamotte vanished and no one is sure where it was. The site was chosen for Fort Lamotte due to it’s location on the Wabash between Fort Harrison at present day Terre Haute and Fort Knox at present day Vincennes at the opening of the War of 1812. A few records of Fort Lamotte have been discovered in Vincennes a town known for not only preserving but celebrating it’s history. Fort Foot’s site was destroyed on the Northwest side of town by the water project. Palestine came to prominence in 1821 when it was chosen as a site for a Federal Land Office. It brought people from many stated looking for land to purchase in the new state. These people needed not only land but a place to spend the night, provisions and other supplies. Some traveled by river to Palestine and needed to purchase wagons and teams to pull them to the location of their new land. Palestine was a hopping place in those days. We know in 1830 Thomas Lincoln brought his family to Palestine. He purchased land in Coles County. His son Abraham was a country boy that was impressed enough by the sites he saw here. He later remembered and spoke of them. He also meet Jesse K Dubois who became a lifelong friend and even a pallbearer after his assassination. Nothing remains of the land office except the desk that is displayed in the Village Hall. Palestine was the home of many powerful men in Illinois and even federal politics. They had grand homes but none of them remain today. The Lagow home stood just east of where the Christian Church now stands. It was the showplace. It even had a racetrack where they raced their Kentucky throughbred horses. It was the home of Clark B. Lagow who served as Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s Aide de Camp during the Civil War. He was instrumental in the Battle Of Vicksburg. Not only was the home destroyed but the family cemetery was torn out. The caskets were reburied in the Palestine Cemetery. All for the extension of East Lamotte Street. The Mausoleum at the cemetery is crumbling, bodies have been removed and it will be torn down. Although, there are preservation grants for mausoleums no one thought to preserve it. The Kitchell, Patton, Alexanders, Fifes and other leading families in Palestine built beautiful 2 story homes. (I have reposted photos of some of these homes on my page and in the group, Remember Palestine, Illinois When.. All that remain are the Fife homes which are decaying eyesores. Once again a chance to preserve our history was missed. Gov. Looker of Ohio once had a home on what is now West Grand Prairie Street it later burnt. Gov. French of Illinois had a home in Palestine and in the country both are now gone. Palestine has lost so many opportunities to preserve it’s history. To have places for those who come after to visit our past. For tourists to visit and bring money to our community. Not only the admission price but gas for transportation, meals, shopping etc... The Harper House, Circa 1833 has been restored beautifully to that period. The Fife Opera House continues to be restored to it’s glorious past, circa 1900. Both buildings I mentioned have been saved and restored due to a group of people with a love of our history and a passion to preserve it, the Palestine Preservation Project Committee. The Lamotte Rangers have built a fort to represent Fort Lamotte. They struggled for the funds and put many hard hours of labor into it. It is very nice but wouldn’t it be great to know where the original actually stood ? To know more about what it looked like ? These two groups have done so much to keep our history alive. Our Main Street is even part of a National Historic District. To be designated as such is no small feat. It took a lot of research, documentation and paperwork to be accepted. It is a designation that can interest people and bring them to Palestine. It can make tax breaks and grants available to the district. Now some of our community leaders want to approve a project that will destroy the historical look and status of our Main Street. They insist on going forward with the project due to a large sum owed to an engineering firm that came up with a ridiculous design. Not only is it a modern design but it handicapped individuals must go behind their cars into the street to one end or the other of a block to enter the sidewalk. Other people must either do the same or walk down to the center of the block to enter the sidewalk via steps it makes no sense. Surely a safer plan can be designed. Historical buildings have some exemptions from the ADA. Severe changes to the building and area are usually avoided. The engineers hired were aware of our historical status when they drew the design. Since they didn’t meet the requirements that our community needs why should we pay them ? I think until they do the job correctly we should refuse to pay. Once they come up with a design that compliments our turn of the century Main Street district and is safe for all our citizens only then do we owe them for a job well done. It is up to us. Are we to be cowed into accepting something unacceptable, lose the grant due to people not doing their job well and refusing to correct it or make them come up with an acceptable plan and execute it in time to use the grant. Then we have a safe, revitalized Main Street that maintains its historical status.
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 03:09:33 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015