I had never even heard of Pana, Illinois, until we saw it on a map and it was in between our destination and Vandalia. We were pleasantly surprised that the town has some really nice houses.
Turreted Queen Anne style houses predominated on the streets south of downtown.
Interestingly, a very old grain elevator still stands on the west side of downtown. I was told these are increasingly very rare.
Downtown had a nice mix of Italianate storefronts. The grid of streets in the center is off kilter, and then the outer parts of town are back on the cardinal directions.
Sadly, much of the street is clearly abandoned.
My great grandfather Wesley Simpson one of the founders of Pana & Springfield..built this house & I have pictures passed down to me by my father Frank Simpson
How interesting! I would love to see those photos if that would be alright.