The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
by Jennifer Dance, Quill Staff
One would have to have gotten an early morning start this past Saturday to begin trailing Henderson County's heritage.
There were (and still are, by the way) numerous worthwhile places to visit over the weekend.
The Henderson County Museum in Raritan has a multitude of historical items covering most of the county. It is laid out beautifully and is very well organized. The Graham School House is an amazing part of the museum. It is almost an eerie experience; it seems as if it has been untouched since the last teacher and her students walked out of the school house years ago. Hand - knitted mittens hang over the big stove in the back of the classroom as if children had just come inside after playing in the snow, books lay on the desks as if the students just finished their lessons, potatoes sit heating on the stove, ready for lunch...
Mr. Jim Cook has done an outstanding job preserving the county's history in the museum. He is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to the past accounts of Henderson County and is a delight to listen to.
"There were as many people that came through this year as there ever was," Mr. Cook said on Monday after the Heritage Trails weekend.
Mr. Cook enjoys giving tours of the museum's five buildings and can be reached to schedule a tour at (309) 746-6103.
There were quite a few people at the parade that marched through the town of Biggsville on Saturday morning. Floats of all sorts, candidates running for office this November, a marching band and some beautiful horses were just some of the entrants. The streets were lined with lawn chairs and standing neighbors watching the parade go by. Afterwards, downtown Biggsville stayed busy with many fun events.
Oquawka was very busy as well. There were rows and rows of yard sales and craft booths up and down the city streets, a Civil War reenactment at Monument Park, and tours happening throughout many of the buildings in town.
The Phelps House was a beautiful highlight of Heritage Trails. The home was restored by the Henderson County Historical Society and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The house is available for luncheons and receptions by appointment. It has a peaceful view of the Mississippi River and a grand yard circling the entire house.
The circus came to town on Sunday afternoon in Oquawka! Jugglers, acrobats, camels, horses, elephant rides... It was entertaining for any age.
(Note: Norma Jean will not have to share her graveside with anyone; all the elephants made it out of town safely!)
The Henderson County covered bridge park was filled with booths. Cars lined the side of the highway as well as the grass outlining the park. It was packed with shoppers and admirers that came to see the bridge that has witnessed the many weekends of Heritage Trails. It is a beautiful place to have a picnic or read a book on a much more quiet weekend if you do not enjoy big crowds.
Weir Farms was an exciting place to visit this weekend. Apples galore were being sold and munched on as folks walked through the farm grounds. Curt Eisenmayer stirred his yummy apple butter, butterfly chops and brats were grilled and sold by the Biggsville Volunteer Fire Fighters for lunch, many eyed the scrumptious eats from the HCE and some walked through the Weir Farm Museum. The farm is a wonderful place to visit any weekend this fall and there are always the best apples to eat!
Many vendors held down "The Fort" in Stronghurst. The town had some yard sales on Saturday, but most of the action was at the fair grounds. There were tractor pulls on both Saturday and Sunday and fun games for the kids to play. Some came to play paint ball on Saturday and on Sunday there was a kiddie castle that the kids bounced around in and there were some other fun games. Both men and women showed off some of their talents with their handiwork at booths held in two buildings. Ronnie Stamp showcased some beautifully refurbished furnishings.
Virginia Ross had an extremely informational genealogical booth. Sunday morning, a lady brought Mrs. Ross a Bible that had been found in a wall of a home during remodeling. The Bible had many names written in it. Some of which were the names of the Bailey's and the Valkenburgh's. Virginia is working on figuring out where the Bible came from and what families the names are connected with. Many births and deaths were recorded in the Bible. The earliest birth was that of a Nathan Bailey born December 15, 1778. The last record in the Book was the death of a James Van Valkenburgh in 1906. If you have any information regarding these names, please contact Virginia Ross.
Roger's Pumpkin Farm in rural Lomax was a beautiful site! Pumpkins lined the yard along with gourds, Indian corn, some colorful mums and many other harvest items. The corn maze tour was great fun. One could spend hours going through the rows of tall corn. Kids had a great time running through the maze trying to find one of the exits, but as soon as they found an exit, they wanted to turn around and go back in. It's amazing how huge it seems when you are in the middle of it!
All of the towns in our county are worth mentioning and worth visiting, not only during Heritage Trails weekend, but anytime of the year. There is a hope that all citizens of all sixteen towns that populate this county feel their exceptionality. After all, it is not just one town that occupies Henderson County, but each and every one of them, no matter how big or small.
Stronghurst communnity was busy at the county fairgrounds with a tractor pull on Saturday and garden tractor pull on Sunday. They also had some games, plus booths with crafts and offerings.
The Graham Country School House (a historical one room school) is now refurbished and offers tours as part of the Henderson County Museum collection at Raritan. Jim and Doris Cook are head of the museum.