It turns out that most of Fort deChartres is actually a reproduction, but it is still really interesting to see.
The building below, the powder arsenal, is supposedly the oldest stone building in Illinois, though heavily restored, obviously.
I think the idea is to eventually rebuild the entire walls around the fort one day.
For the time being, foundations can give you the impression of what other buildings once stood in the compound.
During most of my childhood my parents and I went to the Rendezvous at Fort de Chartres held on the first weekend of June. Chris, do you have any photos of the towns of Red Bud, Waterloo, or Columbia? That's usually the route we took to get to the Rendezvous. These towns have some interesting architectural buildings.
No unfortunately, we were passing through and it was raining, so we are planning on hitting them again this spring or summer.