 The Robert Allerton Estate near Monticello in Piatt County is a
visual arts feast for visitors. The property is beautified with a
Georgian Revival-style manor house, amply landscaped gardens and a
lavish collection of sculpture. All of this was done at the behest
of Robert Allerton, whose appreciation for fine art led him to
create this unlikely prairie paradise amidst an ocean of cornfields.
Allerton bequeathed the estate to the University of Illinois, which
maintains the house and grounds, and the park is open to the public.
The property was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
last year.
The article was written by Cynthia A. Fuener, IHPA publications
editor.
* * *
The importance of the railroad to the settlement of Illinois has
been amply chronicled in numerous books and publications. Lesser
known, though, are the short-line railroads that played an integral
role in the development of the state, often competing against
big-business railroads.
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 Although small in comparison to the mainline railroads,
short-line trackage represented more than 50 percent of all rail
lines built by 1900. Although the short lines fell on hard times
during much of the 20th century, they have enjoyed a resurgence
recently, and during 2002 one of every four cars moved on the
nation's railways originated from or was destined for a short line.
The article, written by Illinois railway history expert Stanley
Changnon, mentions such Illinois short lines as the Kankakee,
Beaverville & Southern; Keokuk Junction; Havana, Rantoul & Eastern;
Chicago, Illinois & Midland; Galesburg & Great Eastern; Chicago,
Springfield & St. Louis; Rock Island Southern; Jacksonville &
Havana; and Litchfield & Madison.
* * *
Historic Illinois is a bimonthly IHPA publication that features
historically significant sites in Illinois. Subscriptions are $10
per year, which includes six issues of Historic Illinois and a
full-color Historic Illinois calendar. For more information, call
217-524-6045, visit
www.illinois-history.gov, or write to Historic Illinois,
Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, 1 Old State Capitol Plaza,
Springfield, IL 62701-1507.
[Text from
Illinois Historic Preservation Agency news release received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information] |
