What makes Anchor sights so special is the silent determination of a small town, which since the 1860s can hardly be removed from its basic idea. I remember driving to Anchor for the first time by train – a crunching old diesel that came from Bloomington and held in the middle of the flat Illinois, where the country reaches almost to the horizon. The city was built around the railway station of the same name in 1869, and the word “Anchor” comes from an early ship anchor symbol that the founders chose as a sign of resistance.
Today, I like to stroll through the few but charming streets of the Anchor Township, where every house carries a piece of history – from the original brick houses to the modern bungalows that quietly fit into the landscape. The people here are proud, but not exaggerated loud; a short chat in the local diner is enough to feel that life here is pulsating more slowly than one knows from the larger cities.
When you arrive by car from Bloomington, just follow Interstate 55 towards the north and take exit 210 – a short stroller to County Road 15 She's right into the heart of Anchor. For those who prefer to travel by train, the daily Amtrak service stops at the nearby station of Normal, from there a short taxi trip, and you are in the middle of the action. I don't understand the hype about big-city oasis, but here, between corn fields and the quiet sum of the wind turbines, I find my personal rest – and this is for me the true highlight of the Anchor sights.
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The first stop of my little Odyssey was the imposing David-Davis-Mansion in Bloomington, a house that looks as if it had built a Victorian interior designer according to a particularly expensive dream – and that is also, at least in terms of interior design. I spent a little time admiring the original furniture there, while an older gentleman in the suit, who presented himself as “the leader of historical preservation”, explained to me that Abraham Lincoln was here once to visit. This sounds almost too beautiful to be true, but the house is actually a National Historic Landmark, and parking is almost always a Klacks at the main parking lot right in front of the house, as long as you don't come with the school classes on Saturday morning.
A short jump over the road leads to Miller Park Zoowhere I wondered why as an adult I am still fascinated by a penguin basin. The animals are not exactly the most exotic in the world, but the staff is friendly and patiently explaining why the Zebra enclosure is just being renovated – a hint that you should come early in the day if you want to see the animals without crowds. I spent my lunch break on one of the benches there, while a little boy spoke loudly about the “fast” giraffes – a real moment that makes the whole thing alive.
The McLean County Museum of Historyhidden in an old courthouse. I must admit, I was skeptical if a museum in a small town really has something to offer, but the exhibition on the railway history of the region has completely knocked me around. Especially the old locomotive you can see from the inside was a highlight – and parking is a bit tricky here, because the museum is located in the middle of the historic district. I was just looking at the sidewalk and watching some passers-by who looked as confused as I did.
An absolute must for technology fans is that Illinois Railway Museum in Union, about 20 minutes north of Anchor. There are more than 400 locomotives and wagons, and I've spent almost half a day admiring the old steam locomotives still running. The museum is huge, so you should pack comfortable shoes – I have unpacked my old walking shoes and then pulled through the halls, while a voluntary guide told me why the “Baldwin” motifs are so famous. Parking is generous, but on sunny Saturdays the field quickly fills with families planning a picnic.
For those who prefer to stay in motion, Constitution a real secret tip. The 45-kilometre-long cycle and hiking trail stretches through the fields and small villages around Bloomington-Normal. I borrowed an old bike and drove a piece of the trail past old barns and a small lake where a few ducks defended their territory loudly. The trail is well signposted, and parking at the entry points is usually easy – apart from the few weekends when local groups take over the whole.
A little further south, almost on the border to LaSalle County, lies this Kickapoo State Recreation Area. I spent a few hours there to fish a bit and enjoy nature. The lake is not huge, but the water is clear enough to see the fish that are sluggish in the reed. The visitor center is small but informative, and parking is free at the main entrance as long as you do not come with a group of school classes that use the terrain for an outdoor project.
Lastly, the annual Normal Corn Festival do not forget that every August takes place in the neighboring city of Normal. I was there by chance because I wanted to visit a friend, and I immediately fell in love with the mixture of corn-eating people, live music and a huge giant maize flask, which was presented as a prize for the “largest corn”. The festival area is large, parking is usually sufficient, but on the main days there can be light traffic jams when the visitor numbers go into the thousands.
So if you ask yourself what Anchor sights really are, then the answer is: a colourful mix of historical architecture, animal encounters, technical nostalgia and natural recovery – all just a cat jump from this inconspicuous spot in the heart of McLean.
Whether adventurers, connoisseurs or culture lovers – in Anchor everyone finds something that at least briefly distracts him from everyday life, and that is the real highlight for me.
I always start with the Anchor United Methodist Church because it is the heart of the village. The brick building from the 1880s is proud of Highway 9, and when you pass by a sunny afternoon, you hear the quiet click of the old church bell, which almost looks like an acoustic souvenir. I once participated in a church service there – no joke, the church was so small that I almost felt I was the guest of honor. Parking is usually easy, except on Sunday morning when the whole city comes together and turns the road into an improvised parking paradise.
A short walk further Anchor Grain Elevator, a monumental wooden and steel colossus, which has swallowed the harvest of the surrounding fields for over a century. I don't quite understand the hype about such silos, but the sound of the conveyor belts and the endless panorama of corn and soya, which extends to the horizon, have something calming. If you are lucky, the operator will let you in for a short time, and you can marvel at the inner life – a bit like a visit inside a huge hive, just that the bees here consist of grain.
For those who want to sniff a bit of history, this is Anchor Cemetery A must. Between weathered gravestones from 19. Century and newer markings are a silent witness of the village community. I once found my great aunt that I never knew, and that made me think about the transience – no joke, that was a real moment. The grounds are freely accessible, and parking is a children's play, as long as you are not there on the day of the annual commemorative festival, then the field becomes quickly a fully occupied parking lot.
Another highlight that is often overlooked is that Anchor Township Hall. The red brick building from the 1920s houses not only the local administrative matters, but also the notorious “coffee-crown round” of the oldest inhabitants of the place. I once tried a cake that is supposed to come after an old family recipe – honestly, he was better than anything I ever had in the city cafés. The building is right on the main square, so you can take a short look at it at any time without running.
If you're looking for a place where you can rest for a moment, that's Anchor Community Center That's right. The small but cozy building offers a space for local events, from bingo to handicraft fairs. I took part in an improvised jazz jam where the only professional musician was the owner of the local diner who suddenly pulled a saxophone out of the closet. The center has a small parking lot behind the building – mostly empty, except when the annual village festival takes place, then it becomes the battlefield of parking.
There is a little nostalgia in the abandoned Anchor School- Building that has been empty since the 1970s. The faded wall paintings in the hallway tell stories of generations who have learned how to solve math and at the same time cultivate the grass at the edge of the field. I once entered an abandoned classroom and found an old, dusty textbook – a real treasure for anyone who loves the flair of past school hours. The building is surrounded by a small parking lot, which usually remains unused, so you can look around uninterrupted.
I do not want to Anchor Fire Department forgotten, which is housed in a charming red brick house. The firefighters here are real characters, and I once spent a day with them to see how they wait for the old hose system. No joke, that was more exciting than any reality show I've ever seen. The building is located at the intersection, so that parking is practically possible directly in front of the door – as long as you do not have the weekly firefighting meeting at the same time, it will be a bit tight.
All this together Anchor Sights to a small, but fine mosaic of history, everyday life and a bit of peculiarity that I would put to everyone who wants to discover the true heart of Illinois.
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