The wonderful advantage to having speaking engagements all over Illinois is I get to see a lot of remarkably wonderful old towns (as well as, of course, the beautiful countryside). The downside is that I rarely get enough time to truly explore some of these delightful places. But I do see enough to be glad I visited—and learn enough to know that I need to eventually get back.
One example is a recent trip to Mount Carroll. This delightful, historic town, founded in the early 1800s, is a beautiful example of a small but prosperous, Midwestern town of the era, with a handsome business district, brick streets, elegant old homes, a nice history museum, and a downtown square with government buildings, monuments, and a Carnegie Library. I had the opportunity to walk around the square, gave my presentation in one of the old downtown buildings, and spent the night in a historic hotel, but I didn’t have time for the museum. That said, while I didn’t see everything, I was delighted by what I did see.
As is common across the upper Midwest, there is a Civil War monument in front of the County Courthouse. (If you don’t know how important this region was during that war, I recommend a visit to the Civil War Museum in Kenosha, WI—the upper Midwest supplied stunning numbers of volunteers and resources).
Across the street from the County Courthouse is the Bridgewater Inn, first opened in 1886, which is where I stayed. The necessary things have been updated, but every effort has been made to preserve the charm of that earlier time.
Happily, there is more to discover if I get back there. Also happily, if I don’t get back, I’m delighted with what I have seen. Traveling around the Midwest continues to support my belief that this is a delightful region.
Midwest Maize 