Northwest of the old LeTourneau works, we pick up Northeast Madison Street again, no doubt looking at the former workers’ homes of that once massive factory that helped win World War II. Houses are built close together, and there is a rhythm to their placement and massing. There are very few abandoned houses in this…
Tag: Central Illinois
Northeast Madison Avenue Between Voris Avenue and Abington Street, Northeast Peoria
We continue to the northeast on Northeast Madison Avenue in Northeast Peoria, looking at the varied housing stock, including that interesting house above with a double gable. Note the three front doors on the first floor. There are more of that common workers’ houses, with some of the original millwork left in the lintels on…
Northeast Madison Avenue Between Spalding and Voris Avenues, Northeast Peoria
I revisited the neighborhood in Peoria that I’ve dubbed Northeast Peoria, which are those streets that come out of downtown and have a wide variety of styles and ages of construction. I chose to view the entire length of Madison Avenue Northeast, starting at Spalding Avenue but really beginning at the giant trench that takes…
Peoria Panorama
There’s this bridge that vaults over Interstate 74 in East Peoria that’s impossible to take a photograph of because you’re on the highway, but I finally found a way to drive over it, and I was treated to a panoramic overlook of the city of Peoria (remember to click on the image above to see…
Farmdale Reservoir
How in the forty-plus years I’ve been visiting the Greater Peoria area I never learned about Farmdale Reservoir is beyond me. But I made it finally last Saturday, and it is one of those great examples of mid-Twentieth Century massive public works by the Army Corps of Engineers born out of great optimism. You can…
Indian Food and Peoria
Did you know that Peoria has over eight Indian restaurants, and they’ve all opened in the last several years? In fact, the city has become a bit of a mecca for Indian food, just like it had become a haven for Lebanese food back in the 1980s. The Indian food is really good, too. I…
Family Farm, Deer Creek Township, Tazewell County, Early October 2026
The family farm was looking good in the early morning light. The soy beans had been harvested, but the corn was next as soon as the soil was dry enough for the combine to go out in the fields. The neighbor up the road seems to have gotten rid of the longhorns. The sun sets…
Birthplace of Blessed Fulton Sheen and Good News at The Pines, El Paso, Illinois
Update: Title updated to reflect Fulton Sheen’s Beatification in September of 2026. First of all, there’s great news for the old Elms Restaurant in El Paso, Illinois. I spotted two people working on the roof, so it seems its long-awaited rehabilitation has begun. I first looked at the historic house and restaurant back in July…
Family Farm, Late June 2026
The corn is still relatively short at the family farm east of Peoria. It is prime firefly season, with thousands appearing when the sun sets.