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ATLANTA ILLINOIS
By Dave Bishop

The J.H. Hawes Grain Elevator Museum
They have been called the skyscrapers of the prairie, the mammoth tank towers that seem to be a part of nearly every rural skyline across the Midwest. Grain elevators are one of the agricultural landscape's most recognizable features. They are the reservoirs of a vast wealth created in the soils of America's heartland, annually dispensing some eight billion bushels of grain worth twenty-five billion dollars to foreign and domestic markets worldwide.

The J.H. Hawes Grain Elevator Museum in Atlanta, Illinois has been created to commemorate the origins and development of this vital link in the flow of grain between producer, processor, and consumer. A state-of-the- art facility when it was built in 1903, the wooden elevator in downtown Atlanta was the first structure of its kind to be listed as an historic site in Illinois and one of only a handful remaining in existence throughout the United States.

The J.H. Hawes Elevator was operated as a commercial enterprise from 1903 until 1976. In 1988 the abandoned structure was purchased by the city of Atlanta. Fearing it would become a public safety hazard the city council initially planned to destroy it, but many members of the community felt the old elevator should be saved as a reminder of Atlanta's agricultural past. A group of local citizens then formed The Atlanta Historic Preservation Council for the purpose of preserving, and ultimately restoring, the wooden elevator and its associated structures as a museum and tourist attraction.

In 1991 the Hawes Elevator was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its association with the area's commercial, transportation, and engineering history.

In 1993, during the process of site stabilization and general clean up, the foundations of the brick engine house and a wooden scale house and office were discovered. Both structures appear in early photographs. By the fall of 1994, the engine house was reconstructed with period materials and fitted with a 1920 Fairbanks Morse gasoline engine. The engine was donated by the Eminence Grain and Coal Co. of rural Atlanta and restored by Deane May.

In 1997, a $55,252 matching grant from the Illinois Bureau of Tourism was received, and work to raise matching funds and restore the exterior of the elevator began. Gene Fisher (Creative Restorations, Gilman, IL) replaced the exterior sheeting. LaVerne Young (Young's Roofing, Litchfield, IL) repaired the roof and installed slate shingles. Russell Willis (Willis Masonry, Hopedale, IL) repaired the brick foundation. Scot Martin (Color-All Painting of Atlanta) painted the building, and Wayne Alberts (Bonnie-Brae Nursery of Atlanta) landscaped the site.

In 1998, The Stanford Grain Company of Stanford, IL donated a period wooden scale house, originally used by the CrackerJack Company® of Chicago. Eugene Craft of Atlanta donated a period scale mechanism. Volunteers completed work on the internal mechanisms and the replacement of the wooden approaches. Restored to its original operating condition, the museum was dedicated and opened to the public on July 17, 1999.

Museum Information
The J.H. Hawes Grain Elevator Museum will be opened to the public for its 2000 summer season on Sunday, June 11 from 1 to 3 PM. An elevator demonstration using horses and wagons to recreate harvest operations during the early days of the 20th century will take place. The Atlanta Community Band will also perform during the two-hour demonstration. Summer hours, beginning June 11 and continuing through August, will be Sundays 1 to 3 PM. For information, call Marge Coleman at 217-648-2506, or Bill Thomas at 217-648-5077.

Other Places of Interest in Atlanta
For the history buff, downtown Atlanta also features an octagonal public library and museum of local history built in 1907. A museum annex is also located in the county's oldest bank building built in 1856. All of the historic sites (including the Grain Elevator Museum) are within easily walking distance from the library parking lot. Library hours are: Tuesday and Thursday 12:30 to 8, Wednesday and Friday 12:30 to 4:30 and Saturday 9 to 3. For more information call the Atlanta Public Library at 217.648.2112.

How to Get To Atlanta

SCENIC ROUTE: Take Rt. 51 North to the outskirts of Wapella. Turn left on Waynesville Road. When you arrive in Waynesville, just ask someone the way to Atlanta. They will lead you in the right direction. Travel time: 45 minutes

DIRECT ROUTE: Rt. 121 past Warrensburg-Latham. On the outskirts of Latham, turn north on County Road 6. Follow this road through Chestnut and Beason straight into Atlanta. Travel time: 30 minutes

ATLANTA: Follow the road into town and turn right at the Public Library Clock Tower. Parking is available at the library or at the museum ahead on your left.

Dave Bishop is a conservationist and prairie writer who lives in Atlanta IL. Dave can be reached by email at prairiewriter@abelink.com

This article originally appeared in the June/July 2000 issue of Decatur Magazine.
It may not be reproduced or redistributed in whole or in part without the publisher's consent.
© Copyright 2000 Decatur Magazine - First String Productions. All rights reserved.