ILFRANKL-L Archives

From: Al Castleman <>
Subject: "A History of Macedonia, Illinois"
Date: Sun, 02 Aug 1998 20:30:33 -0700

Chapter I, page 12, "Founding and Early History", copied from a book
written as a local history project of the 8th grade class of the
Ewing-Northern School, May, 1991.

"One can quickly lose himself in retrospective reverie in the spaceous
high ceilinged VISE general merchandise store. The visitor will meet
with a singularly characteristic welcome there, whether he comes to buy,
to browse, or just to pass the time of day. The laden showcases, racks,
bins and shelves are reminiscent of a bygone era. The old fashioned
casualness of these surroundings prompts the visitor to look around for
the time honored cracker barrel and the molasses spigot. The well worn
bench near the huge stove in the center of the store is hard to resist.
There amid the sounds and sights and smells that were an enchantment of
childhood, the mid-century world of war and atom bombs, of subversion
and subterfuge, of racketeering and political corruption, seems very far
away.

"The front door slams behind a local customer and you overhear
solicitous inquiry of a certain family's well-being, a message to be
relayed to someone down the street. The Sunday meetin' comes up for
discussion, but that is drowned out by the hoarse voice of the coffee
grinder. A disheveled urchin pops in and financially appraises the
contents of the candy showcase. The youngster's wants appeased,
conversation that is natural and easy resumes.

"But time if fleeting. The mounting roar of a tractor laboring up the
long hill into town,the sharp blast of an auto horn clash with the quiet
environment and intrude upon one's fancy. Still the visitor will turn
his back on Macedonia with a feeling of having visited the county's
past."

Few of the buildings and even fewer of the houses that belonged to
Macedonia's "golden era" remain. Still families have continued calling
it home, activities continue, colder homes have been modernized and a
few new homes dot the town's two main streets. Sounds of life remain:
chidlren laughing and arguing, neighbors visiting, dogs and cats
guarding their territories, people waving from passing vehicles, special
occasions bringing old friends together. The "village on the hill"
lives on, both in memory and in fact.

More to come.....
Janice Mauldin Castleman

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• "A History of Macedonia, Illinois" by Al Castleman <>