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Continued from Page A-1 the administrative librarian in the city, cited a recent tour by two busloads of history and Route 30 enthusiasts who recently stopped off in the city. And she hopes that is just the beginning, as groups of people from other towns tend to spend money in locations they visit, giv ing a much needed boost to the local economy. But the benefits of an officially designated Route 30 historical corridor range beyond those vis its Paul said that another local boost could come in the form of state or federal transportation dollars to help with the renova tion of a local landmark. The Flatiron building, located near the corner of Route 30 and Halsted Street, once housed an auto dealership on the border of Chicago Heights’ then vibrant downtown area. Now the downtown area is almost deserted, but officials plan to make the building into a com munity center and landmark. “We're hoping to make (the building) the Lincoln Highway’s eastern gateway into Illinois,” Paul said. “We want to restore it because it’s a wonderful old rem nant of the 1920s.” She noted that a historical des ignation would help in a quest to get state money to help with the renovation of that building. Lincoln Highway is not the only road being billed as a historic transportation corridor in the south suburban region. Paul talked about Sauk Trail, which runs through Richton Park, Park Forest and other municipalities. That road, she said, was the original site of the planned Lincoln Highway. But Chicago Heights boosters of the early years of the 1900s somehow persuaded planners to route the road through their town, creating the Route 30 jog in Dyer, Ind., at the Sauk Trail intersection. But even without the Lincoln Highway distinction, she said, Sauk Trail has historical signifi cance in that it traced the path of westward-bound pioneers and before that, Native Americans. Two more historic transporta tion corridors are located in Homewood. According to Home wood historian Elaine Egdorf, preliminary plans are in the works to develop Dixie Highway, one of the nation’s first north south roads, and the Illinois Cen tral Railroad line as historic attractions. Roads and transportation cor ridors do not have to be national ly significant in order to be declared historical. In Blue Island, for example, a portion of Old Western Avenue has been reborn as a historic district and has helped to revi talize the downtown area of that city. Several antique businesses have set up shop in that area recently. “It’s really working in Blue Island,” Paul said. “A few years ago, there was not that much hope for that community.” if some areas are relatively new to the history game, others have been marketing history almost since their inception. Frankfort, another community reaping the rewards of Lincoln Highway’s growing historical prominence, markets itself to everyone driving through town as the “Village With 1890's Charm.” The latest in that village’s pro grams intended to attract visitors is an audio tour of the historic dis trict. “People walk around and get a great sense of history,” said Frankfort Historical Society pres ident Judy Herder. “The hope is that as people are playing the tape and walking by the old build ings, they'll stop and go inside and shop.” In an effort to bring more peo ple to the historic downtown, Herder said, the village is offering live entertainment on Sundays. But, she said, the main goal is to make the village a local historic getaway spot. “People come because they feel it’s quaint,” she said. “History goes right along with that. Going to Frankfort is like going on a ee 's vacation. We feel good about Regional historian Larry McClellan, who has been active in several related projects such as an effort to declare the bi-state Calumet region as a historically significant area, said “heritage tourism” is a growing trend across the nation. McClellan said while many people would associate the term heritage tourism with destina tions such as Revolutionary War or Civil War battlefields, more and more state and local officials are realizing there is a market for other aspects of history as well. He cited the efforts in Blue Island and Frankfort, and noted similar efforts in Crete and Orland Park. “There are a lot of communities that have the little things that are part of overall community pride,” he said. “But they don’t have that destination point quali ty.’ He said to develop the destina tion point quality, much effort has to be undertaken, like that of the groups spearheading the prestige push for Lincoln High way. The ways in which organiza tions accomplish that are many and varied. But they should have one goal in mind, McClel lan said. “At the heart of heritage tourism is that we talk about his tory in ways that make people stop,” he said. He believes lesser attractions can be played off of larger attrac tions He said if heritage tourists were traveling down Lincoln Highway, and learned that the Chicago Heights Public Library has extensive historical holdings, those tourists would be likely to stop in at the library and may be inclined to stop and tour the rest of the city as well. “They may find out that four blocks away is one of the best Ital ian restaurants around, and they may stay for lunch. Bingo. That’s heritage tourism at work,” he said. But Chicago Heights’ Paul alluded to another important fac tor in promoting local history. “You have to be proud of your self first,” she said. Photos by Art Vassy/Special to The Star Bill Calloway, co-owner of the General Store, on Kansas Street in Frankfort, paints his property. Below, with the landmark grainery in the background, Jim Wisneski pedals down the Old Plank Trail bike path. ILAGE RANKFOR “The hope is that as people are playing the tape and walking by the old buildings, they'll stop and go inside and shop.
Newspaper Details
Park Forest Star
Park Forest, Illinois, US
Sun, Aug 15, 1999
Page 8
Full Page
Clipped by
Geneva E.
USA 27 Aug 2026
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