A Forgotten Town in Southern Illinois

A forgotten town in Southern Illinois... Driving through Southern Illinois, we stumble upon a forgotten town. This town, unlike the rest of Illinois, is a virtual time capsule filled with forgotten items from the past.
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[@deangray1823]

White cat? I love perusing these old towns.

[@SightseeingSally]

Did you see it sitting in the window? Or did you take a wild guess lol 😂

[@micheleann6099]

It was on the left side of the window, if you was facing it, from the outside..I actually thought that it was the color of "Morris" the cat.

[@JohnShinn6078]

White cat with gray on top.

[@7ebr830]

2nd window from the left, first floor (I'm British, so I _think_ that's 2nd floor to you guys).

[@LisaMitchell-f8e]

Roosevelt? Where are these people from?

[@ahsh04]

I have lived in Elizabethtown most of my life. The reasoning for all the Coca Cola signs you see is because just 1.5 miles west of town is where the Coca Cola Bottling Plant was located. I have a couple original 8oz glass Coca Cola bottles with Elizabethtown on the bottom of the bottle. My great uncle owned the old service station on the corner also. Thanks for spending time in our small town and viewing its history.

[@SightseeingSally]

Very cool, I love finding out about a town's history from the people who know it best! Thanks so much for sharing ❤️

[@felixfischer312]

thanks for the info sounds like a peaceful little town.

[@wadepinnon1694]

I used to drive a feed truck and delivered feed to that gas station. The man who ran it was named Bud . A great guy , bald headed and never wore a shirt in the summer . I'd usually go across the street and have fried chicken at the town n country. That was their special on Thursday , that was the day my route went through there . Probably around 1994 or so

[@felixfischer312]

@@wadepinnon1694 times have change mom&pop seem not to have a chance in this world now. You should see downtown Mc Combe MS. Everything boarded up all out of business looks like ppl left for hurricane and never reopened. I talked with a old timer there he said at one time at one time there was train station 900ppl. Now 2 work just checking the land. He says its starter when the big W. moved in town at the next exit in town slowly it closed up.

[@patpowell9646]

I own an old Coca Cola wood crate and a couple of Santa antique photos, professionally framed, holding Coca Cola bottles. Love to sell them to an antique lover but have no idea what the market price would be or how to do it or if anyone would want! I also have an old large Coca Cola tin hang up.

[@348loadedlever3]

I blows my mind when people take time and enjoy what’s around them, I love these kind of exploration

[@SightseeingSally]

That’s awesome, thanks for the feedback!

[@suzangreenier3351]

Me toi!!! Especially now!

[@daynacjones]

I grew up in mt. Vernon. Ill. Love your tours down memory lane.

[@darrenvaughn3488]

I still live and grew up in E-town, it's really cool to see people interested in our small town

[@joancervenka3241]

You Don's kid?

[@SightseeingSally]

@Darren Vaughn - We really enjoyed walking around your hometown! Thanks for taking time to say hi.

[@hueso5071]

What do you guys do for fun?

[@holoholopainen1627]

What is it with USA ! Big Cities has People without HOMES & Then You have This ? What is The Main REASON for ALL THIS ?

[@thomasr8652]

@@holoholopainen1627 these homes would cost to much to bring up to the governments codes. These homes were generally used up until an owner transfer and them were vacated do to our screwed up code enforcement. Cant live how or where you want, you can only live where they tell you you can live. The American government has become a dictatorship.

[@tylertwitchell7316]

That service station a long time ago used to be my great grandfathers service station and he would detail vehicles and my dad when he was a young boy would help him! We also at one time had a Coca Cola bottle company that was shut down way before I was born but it was located on Rt. 146 in between Rosiclare and Elizabeth Town.

[@SightseeingSally]

What a wonderful memory, thank you for sharing! We really enjoyed walking through E-town and enjoyed reading your family's history there.

[@johnbob4545]

What a small world. I met you and your dad one day long ago. Don't know if you remember the Stewarts that were scattered about, but most left, most died. There are still a few way up in Ewing, and a couple I know that moved way South. Even married one at one time but left the area.

[@tonirad9577]

That was a good visit to a piece of history . Thanks for the visit .

[@d.aardent9382]

Oh yeah, Paducah,KY CocaCola was a big deal over there also. I forgot now, but was it a big headquarters r something? Sally, if ever in Paducah, at the flood wall at river front, there are really great large painted murals of historical points from before the founding of city down through different important famous industries and events there. One of the murals shows a really fancy CocaCola office for a bottling plant if i remember correct. There is a preserved Illinois Central Railroad steam engine and cars displayed along the flood wall and across the street are some neat shops and a small historical museum.

[@catherinegarrigan3852]

Ah the old days ! These old gas stations are so cool ! So glad it is still standing and you can go visit from time to time. I bet it brings back great memories !

[@MsMadmax1]

I've been through Elizabeth Town. I love it and at the same time I find it heart breaking. When six lane super interstate highways bi-passed little towns like this, it took away the business that would have helped little towns thrive. Also, when our factories all shut down and we stopped making things in America, young people couldn't afford to stay in places like this--there was nothing there for them. I would love to see small industries move back to these towns and start creating jobs so young people would come back and breathe new life into the towns. Kind of the way that couple in Laurel, Mississippi did. I actually remember gas stations like the one at the beginning. A man in a clean, neatly pressed uniform and cap would come out and ask you, "Fill her up? Regular or Ethyl?" and "Would you like me to check your oil?" He'd also clean your windshield and your rear window for you. I sure miss those days.

[@larrocovarry9027]

I still drink "R/C" cola ... its available in northern illinois... yummy !!!

[@wil7228]

I worked at a full serve gas station in the 70s at a military base I loved it military people love their cars .

[@dragoncrackers7660]

I love old towns. I actually bought an old Main Street building for $6k when I was 21. I live in a city and I love going out there to escape. Came in real handy when the virus hit because it has WiFi so I worked from there. I'm now buying an old church near it to fix up for my parents to retire. Point is, it's not very expensive to save these old places. Just poke around and you can get a good deal. Some are tax delinquent so a really good deal sometimes.

[@toms6756]

Sounds great, I would like to do this one day. I have to learn more about the the tax delinquent properties. Good luck with the old church!

[@d.aardent9382]

Yes, i guess it just takes a few people that care enough to step up and help save things. We were just discussing what a shame it was for Cairo,IL to have lost so much of the older period historical buildings as they just went to ruin and people couldnt afford to keep up all the maintenance required for older places. A lot of things happened in that area historically that was really interesting. It used to be a major hub of riverboats terminals and train terminals and agricultural products and major crossroads point of access to get across the big rivers to get down south. Look up Capt. W.P.Halliday and the Halliday bros. they pretty much helped bring that southern ILL. region to financial prominence and prosperity. Cairo was a amazing place at one time. See the old 1869 US Customs House museum if ya can there if its still existing. Cairo was a major Civil War training camps area and military security point for the Union then and had one of the big Naval Hospitals and rehabilitation centers for soldiers and vets back during and after civilwar. Men from both Union and Confederate would go there. Mr Halliday bought the St.Charles Hotel of 1859 and it was a huge place that was used by military and politicians and businessmen traveling back and forth through the area. Gen. Ulysses Grant headquartered there at major points in CW, and he was who ordered the building of Camp and Fort Defiance and other barracks camps for troops base of operations and training at start of civilwar around 1862. His desk is at that Customs House museum along with many other civil war era documents and collection of artifacts. Halliday's home is a museum also, called RiverLore, there in Cairo. There is a famous bronze statue made by George G. Bernard for the 1904 St.Louis Worlds Fair, that was commissioned by a family friend of the Halliday's and it was given to the city by Mrs. Halliday and children as a memorial to her husbands life. It is in a small park in Cairo with a fountain. The statue is titled "The Hewer" if you want to look it up on i-net. There is a Riverboatman's memorial pavilion at the Fort Defiance park, at the southernmost point of Illinois at the confluence of Mississippi and Ohio rivers. There is also a memorial statue called 'Proceeding On' there that commemorates the stop over camp of 1803 Lewis and Clarke expedition where they spent a period of time early on in their trek teaching the members how to do celestial navigation. At the Customs House museum i think is where the memorial for the Lewis and Clarkes dog named Seaman and also a memorial stone about the member of the expedition,York, who was a slave that went with Clarke but was freed at some point and he has an interesting story.

[@cherrysmart3500]

@@d.aardent9382 Thanks for this info.🙋

[@aabbccdd320]

what towns has old Main Street buildings for $6k?

[@judithdollins4753]

The First Baptist Church of Elizabethtown is the oldest active Baptist church in Illinois.

[@SightseeingSally]

Wow! Elizabethtown is full of neat surprises. Thanks for sharing!

[@Patriotman54]

WHEN WAS IT FOUNDED ?

[@f.r.ledbetter4009]

@@Patriotman54 On July 19, 1806, my 4th great-grandfather Rev. Stephen Alexander Stilley, Sr. co-founded the congregation with Rev. William Jones.

[@f.r.ledbetter4009]

This church is the oldest non-Catholic church in what is now the State of Illinois still in existence. It was in the Indiana Territory when founded, shortly thereafter the Illinois Territory was created, and 12 years later, of course, Illinois became a state. Additionally, this church is the oldest church in what is now the State of Illinois still in existence that was founded in what was part of the United States at the time of the church's founding. The older churches in Illinois were founded by French Catholics in locales that were not part of the U. S. when founded but were located in territory owned by France. Rev. Stilley, the son-in-law of early Baptist minister Rev. Martin Whitford, a 5th great grandfather of mine, founded several other churches in Kentucky, Illinois, and Missouri. Stephen Stilley, Sr. died circa 1840 and was buried on his estate in Saline County, Illinois, 30 miles or so north of "E-Town."

[@kathyhenderson2114]

Hmmm could be, but there's another primitive church close to Greenville, Il in the country still in operation, but could be a different denomination. 🙂

[@CaptTrips-pr5hq]

I eat at the E-Town River Restaurant every time I am down there. Usually camp at Cave-in-Rock State Park or Pounds Hollow.

[@miked1765]

The fish restaurant out on the river? Absolutely the best catfish you can get anywhere. We eat there every time we go home for a visit.

[@OhioSawMan]

That is an excellent restaurant!! My Wife and I vacationed in this area in 2021. We had an excellent catfish dinner there after hiking at Garden of the Gods 😎

[@jennaBhere]

I went to high school in E-town and I was a waitress at Lee’s. 😁

[@SightseeingSally]

Cool! If I had to bet, the food is really good at Lee's. We should have grabbed a bite to eat there.

[@jennaBhere]

@@SightseeingSally true southern cooking

[@cdikkers30]

As of April 2019 it was open and serving about the best biscuits and gravy I've ever had. We rented a house for a few days there and explored the towns, trails, and other stuff. I'm a photographer so I came home with about 3000 pictures to sort!

[@JohnSmith-en2st]

I lived in Elizabeth town pa before as a kid I didn't know there was a Elizabeth town in Illinois

[@jennaBhere]

@@JohnSmith-en2st there is an Elizabethtown, KY too.

[@trackman174]

A very nice tour of one of the many small towns that are disappearing all over America. Many things have contributed to their demise over the years, which is sad. It was a way of life that I much prefer rather than today’s madness.

[@ronrice2249]

In DuQuoin, Illinois there is even an IOOF cemetery. That's where I grew up. They also have a Coca-Cola bottling plant where I worked at once upon a time. I love these small old towns. And I drank RC cola when I was growing up. I haven't drank alcohol in many years, but when I was drinking, PBR was my favorite beer of all of them. You play 'I Spy', but when I was a kid it was " bee, bee, bumble bee, I see something you don't see, and it is (color)". And someone else would have to guess what it was. This brings back alot of old memories. It's good to remember the 'good old days'.

[@waynejanik9668]

Thank you for sharing. E-town is also the eastern terminus for the River to River long distance trail in IL. It starts on the Ohio River in front of the hotel. The trail is 157 miles and the western terminus is in Grand Tower IL on the Mississippi River.

[@Thesaltymedic36]

I’d love to restore and live in an old gas station like that. I would use the service bays as my garage and put old gas pumps and other old service station items out for decoration. Maybe an old sign out front. Always thought that would be a cool residence.

[@lindabingham394]

cant afford the envirmental work that would have to go on for groundwater samplinf prolly why mom and pop closed sad use to work in that field enviro drilling soil samplinf and installinf monitoring wells for samplinf ground water

[@angellamyers9758]

Sounds really good

[@Brend.0]

They say the old Rose Hotel is haunted. I'm from Carrier Mills. Many happy memories going down to Etown. The river towns have always been my favorite.

[@dawncraft9138]

I am loving these tours thru these little,forgotten towns! Keep up the great work

[@SightseeingSally]

Thanks Dawn! I’m enjoying them, too.

[@dallasmore6703]

I've eaten in the Town & Country dozens of times. My Grandfather took me there in the 60's & 70's. My Grandfathers people are from Peters Creek & Karbers Ridge. I grew up playing on the bluffs and in that old Gazebo, and in the park South of the Rose Hotel. They used to set up a screen and show movies for kids in that park in the summer.

[@mikecochran8867]

Elizabethtown, IL , the town where I was born and grew up. Many fond memories.

[@SightseeingSally]

Nice! It reminded me of my own hometown, except a bit smaller.

[@holoholopainen1627]

Nice ! I am watching this in Europe - and have alot of Questions !

[@mikecochran8867]

@@holoholopainen1627 I will be glad to answer your questions.

[@holoholopainen1627]

@@mikecochran8867 Thanks ! What has happened ? Where Did People move to ? What is The Closest City ? What Do You think - Is this Good or Bad ?

[@mikecochran8867]

@@holoholopainen1627 The fluorspar mines all closed and people left to find work.

[@justinbryson352]

I really love that little house, towards the end of your video. I agree. Looks magical. Like a Witches house. Love the architecture of that house. Hopefully someone buys it, and fixes it up.

[@davidwrightlive7449]

May GOD BLESS YA for BRINGING "HISTORY" to our ATTENTION in such an INFORMATIVE WAY!

[@JoeMotionVideos82]

I absolutely adore small town life, especially sleepy little places like this.

[@ronmcc100]

Thank you ever so much for making this video! I used to love exploring little, old and forgotten towns... This takes me back to a time when we didn't have to worry so much about pandemics or fuel prices. Keep up the great work, stay safe and have fun!

[@ray1965ify]

You think E town is forgotten try Old Shawneetown IL.

[@miked1765]

No kidding. Not much left last time I was there.

[@beckyplayer8835]

Eldorado, too.

[@miked1765]

@@beckyplayer8835 Parts of Eldorado were looking rough last time I was there. I remember when it was a somewhat prosperous town, with two hospitals, a busy downtown and Cousin Fred’s, a local version of an early 1970’s Walmart.

[@illinoisboy8577]

Golconda and Cairo too

[@oddoops]

Most of Illinois is just like this I think tbh lmao Apple River in Northern IL is the same.

[@patpowell9646]

I met a wonderful craftsman who lived there. He made the most beautiful willow furniture of exquisite craftsmanship and showed his artistic pieces at a huge monthly flea market in Kane County. How fun to see this town I had never heard of before meeting him.

[@OhioSawMan]

😎 This town seemed like just the kind of place where such a skilled artisan would reside. Hopefully, he had lucrative sales up in Kane County. That is a long ride, considering that this part of Illinois is closer to Cincy than to Chicago 😃

[@beckyplayer8835]

I lived in a few southern Illinois towns when I was a young child. Eldorado, Galatia, Anna, and Edwardsville. Then we moved to Florida and stayed put,

[@alcopower5710]

I’m in Alton.......very close to Edwardsville.

[@JohnSmith-en2st]

Good choice there's no work in southern Illinois

[@stephenfletcher1579]

You got out, when the gitten was good. The future for most of S.I. is very bleak, gloom and doom. A few towns have weathered the demise, but not many. It's a tale of two states, Chicago and the rest of us. The last election year for governor, the rumor circulated about an inland type shipping port for Cairo. Well nothing has resembled any new construction that would show there's progress being made on that. The people that made these towns prosper, are long gone, and their children saw the future wasn't to stay. IL state wide has seen a population decline for over a decade, and it doesn't seem to want to change course. Like the ole saying, your gonna reap, what you sew.

[@davidk.7264]

I lived outside there in 84, and had eaten at that restaurant many times, thanks

[@michaelgayandproud6466]

Little forgotten towns like these are awsome its like going back in time thanks for having me along for the ride

[@SightseeingSally]

You’re welcome Michael, I’m glad we could bring you along!

[@michaelgayandproud6466]

@@SightseeingSally thanks

[@tinkmarz1]

Wow...just...wow. This town looks like something straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting! Fantastic architecture from days long gone, and very interesting details all over (why isn't nearly the entire town on the National Register of Historic Places?). Why aren't there shops and boutiques lining the streets...? This town is an absolute gem...looks like there's some rehab being done...just needs a couple more, a town committee to come up with some sort of festival or annual event and start blowing it's horn. Very near to beautiful Shawnee National Forest and handy to Paducah, Ky. Definitely has the potential to become quite a tourist's delight.

[@josephconsoli4128]

Good tour. I saw the white cat too. As an antiques collector the signs and antique shops intrigued me! By the way, love that house for sale. It's one that, after restoration, needs an English garden in front of it. It has an English cottage feel to it.

[@lindagoreham2238]

This video was supurb! I love Illinois, I grew up in Glen Ellyn, IL and I hope you get to explore there in your travels!😊

[@roselay3433]

Glen Ellyn is beautiful.. I grew up next door in Lombard I'll..n learned to drive the one way street s in Glen Ellyn..Lombard has changed way too much ..but GE has maintained their charm

[@SuperSecretSquad]

I grew up here on and off! My great grandparents owned Ma & Pa’s restaurant that you peeked in @ 1:15 and the gas station @ 14:00 , I remember playing with the pay phone as a little girl

[@louslugga9887]

This looks like a good place to make a movie

[@kennethrisner8648]

my thoughts exactly. preferrably sci-fi or something scary

[@ddriskill1]

Very close to where part of the fugitive was filmed

[@BarryKeaton]

Actually right nearby at a place called Cave in Rock a State Park a movie called How the West was Won was filmed partially there.

[@ddriskill1]

@@BarryKeaton Mantle rock is across the river and I grew up about a mile from it where the Cherokee took refuse on the trail of tears

[@MeadowDay]

Just loved this, the old house reminded me of a sad forgotten fairy tale. Imagine the peace and quiet, beautiful gardens and character of the place if this was renovated and bought to life 🥰. Don’t build them like they used to....

[@mwilson7345]

Great little town with no graffiti , if you can imagine that !!!

[@spiritwings4592]

Oh there's graffiti there.

[@pbcoop62]

I was in Elizabethtown about a year ago. i ate at the E-Town River Restaurant, which is a floating restaurant on the Ohio River.

[@dwaynebeavers2088]

There's a lot of history in that county and it's a forgotten area in the state of Illinois and I grew up in Cave In Rock and the floraspar from that area was the only floraspar that didn't have cyanide in it and it was used in Colgate toothpaste for a long time and all the mines were shutdown and my grandpa, my dad and uncle and different relatives worked in those mines and some of the best floraspar veins were left in the ground and there are so many different places to go in Hardin County to see Historical places and to checkout the Ohio river from.

[@ohioalphornmusicalsawman2474]

Love this town❤ There is a little restaurant in a riverboat that serves the best catfish dinners. Quiet and peaceful, fresh air, away from the rat race and big city

[@mikeg9450]

Make sure the river isn't in flood stage. The restaurant won't be open. The catfish is the best. Your choice of farm raised catfish or catfish from the river.

[@ericspratt3164]

When I was a kid, we used to put 16 oz. bottles of Royal Crown “RC” Cola in the snow while we made pizza. By the time the pizza was ready, the soda would be slushy and great. Thanks for posting, interesting video in my home state.

[@alcopower5710]

Did you ever make snow ice cream?

[@ericspratt3164]

@@alcopower5710 yep. Sugar, milk, a little vanilla and before we knew better, raw egg

[@jnolette1030]

Towns like this are dying all over the country.

[@Indigo00eyez]

Southern IL has been dying for decades. ☹️

[@robertcuratolo5339]

Its Mayberry....lol

[@marcanthony854]

I agree, Born in Chester, PA. Google it and look at 223 Highland Avenue. I lived in that Row Home until 1969, I was 6. Things Change, Nt always for the Good.

[@designpainter3193]

This video was SO INTERESTING! I also read ALL 339 comments! I can't wait for your next one. I wish you had gone into the café and hotel. I grew up in Chicago, but during the Summer months my Mom & Dad shipped my brother and me to Cassopolis, MI to stay with my grandmother. Looking at this town reminds me of Cass in a way. In Chicago, my brother and I had to stay on the block, but in a small town, we had a lot more freedom. In Summer, we could ride our bikes anywhere in town, as long as we didn't cross M-60. This video brought back a lot of fond memories. Great job! Thanks and stay safe.

[@margietucker1719]

I lived in Chicago during my teen years....but before that--I lived in a small town 100 miles south of Chicago. And yes--we had the same freedom you spoke of. We rode our bikes ALL DAY....all over the place! Miles and miles out in the country, past all the corn fields, and rivers...etc... Thanks for bringing some good memories back to my mind ♥

[@designpainter3193]

@@margietucker1719 Yes, those were fun days. Lately, I have been doing some serious thinking about how I could bring some of that old-timey simplicity into my life again. You're not going to believe this: My name is Margie too!😁

[@mrs.jslife9395]

@@designpainter3193 Ya'll should meet and go on a ride together in the country of some the places Ya'll used to go as kids or in Chicago. Ya'll may enjoy each other's company. Never know you may have grew up close.

[@leviaustin1233]

I love Elizabethtown. Such a nice little town with the best fried catfish in Southern Illinois at the E-town Restaurant. First Baptist Church of Elizabethtown is also the oldest Baptist Church (and I'm pretty sure the oldest Protestant Church) in the state of Illinois. Love the old Rose Hotel, too.

[@tonyw2136]

I rode my motorcycle there while I was in Cave in Rock, 300 miles south of my house, I like riding through southern Illinois

[@SightseeingSally]

Cool! I was surprised by how heavily “southern” sounding the accent is in Southern Illinois.

[@michaelwertzy9808]

Cave in Rock is both town & cave well hidden treasures! If there are truly ghosts (spirits), they would definitely be "haunting" in this spot! How in the hell did those inscriptions, initials, names and DATES get up to the ceiling?! The lore of it being a hideout for river bandits and bank robbers is wonderful to imagine! Please stay healthy and safe! Pax

[@roselay3433]

@@SightseeingSally accent depends on education n how much one cares to speak correctly.. Some could just be lazy ..Illinois speech is generally plain.. Chicago area sounds harder n striking..you get a twang past Spring field Illinois or west. ..St. Louis influence s speech a bit..actor John Goodman has a class ic St. Louis accent.. People are genuinely friendly in Illinois n will help you out..but small towns stare too much

[@mikerafone4736]

@@SightseeingSally il is strange, far southern il is really in the south this town is really nice for its latitude

[@donnasheraden6371]

A lot folks have ancestors who came from the Carolinas, Kentucky, & Virginia.

[@PCH456469871278]

Fantasic video! id love to see more quiet towns. :)

[@SightseeingSally]

Alright, sounds like a plan Stan!

[@troyhirsch9532]

Worked at old gas station,in early 90s,area was booming until the fluorite mines shut down,due to china cheap labor, a coke plant was located couple miles outside of town

[@towtowstrailtalk6853]

I remember you working there

[@SightseeingSally]

@Troy Hirsch - I didn't realize there was mining close to this area. What a shame that all those jobs were lost! The area I grew up in has lost a lot of manufacturing jobs to China.

[@troyhirsch9532]

Back 70s- 80 were 5 limestone rock quarries, 3 fluorspar mines,and a processing mill in the small county,is why people started moving away,either you went to college or the mines,

[@OhioSawMan]

Wow!!! I can't picture a coke plant here. I remember these plants well, though, from the 70's and 80's. They smelled like moth balls

[@bentnickel7487]

It's going to be videos, like this, that future historians will be referencing when recalling 2020. Thank you for this.

[@jamesola7968]

There is a lot of towns forgotten in Southern Illinois

[@pocu321]

When I was stationed in Germany, upon leaving I still had to do two years in the Reserve so the Reserve rep in Germany was trying to put me in a slot. When I gave him my zip code back home it came up as Shakerag, Illinois. Shakerag was an area I think near my grandmother's village. I don't even think it was ever incorporated. I had heard the old folks refer to it when talking but I had never seen it officially on any map. It was the strangest thing.

[@johnmathers1259]

I just close my eyes and wonder who was running up and down the streets as kids. The good humor man selling ice cream out of the back of the truck. The old Italian guy coming around the neighborhood sharpening knives and scissors. I almost think of Barney Fife with Opie

[@SightseeingSally]

I like this, I can picture it too!

[@sandig.4724]

I remember RC Cola. Also seeing the pay phone is something else. That’s a rare find nowadays. Although if I recall, they actually have pay phones in Mexico that actually work. What a cool video. I love seeing old buildings and towns, but it is a shame that they are left to go to the wayside.

[@j2themac778]

Great video!. You guys are doing what I always wanted to do, stop in and look around old towns and cities and cemeteries too. See the old buildings, signs and architecture. It's fun to imagine what those towns were like when they were booming. Thanks for taking us along.

[@margietucker1719]

Old towns, and old cemeteries--are the best! FULL of fascinating history ♥ And yes, imagining them back in the day....

[@markhill2279]

Might try to find yourself a WPA guide to Illinois or any other state...road tours undertaken in the late '30's...might find some at a well stocked library or used book store...fun to travel with.

[@Nacho-Mamma]

The wood trim on the old house is called gingerbread moulding.

[@CynthiaWord]

Molding, it's not penicillin.

[@sonnyhootman9811]

@@CynthiaWord Ha! Ha! good one.

[@davidglaum2538]

I have always stopped in small towns and looked around just love looking at it old things. I now live in town that by most standards is small 5000 people. Old buildings along main street a lot of history and warm friendly people. Absolutely love it.

[@utuber2940]

I wish I won the lottery I would buy up everything in this town and restore it...

[@bobandlucas]

I went to Southern Illinois Univeisty in Carbondale for a semester years ago. It was summer and I love the smell of grass and leaves when I walked across campus. Sure bring back sweet memories. Tq for the tour.

[@robertkarchunas7292]

Hi Sally, Seeing this old town made me think of Route 66 and all the small places that are across the United States. I always enjoy seeing videos of old and historic places that are across America. The house in your video reminds me of a good location for a scary movie.. lol It was interesting to see the very old cemetery stones and walk by the soda advertisement and hotel. Thank you for sharing a informative and entertaining video. May your travels be safe and your adventures be many. Bob :)

[@SightseeingSally]

I agree Bob, this town is very similar to ones along Route 66. All it needs is a couple of old souvenir stands and an old beat up pickup truck and it would be perfect!

[@robertkarchunas7292]

@@SightseeingSally Uh huh! lol

[@michaelwilliams374]

Happend apon your channel last and & love it. Been retired from painting for almost 5 years and tool up metal detecting for exercise. So my mouth is watering to detect those curbs stirps. Very well produce,s and enjoyable. Happy trails guy's.

[@348loadedlever3]

I remember royal crown in 8 pack returnable 16 oz bottles

[@SightseeingSally]

Me, too. My parents used to buy them.

[@annahgibbus8]

Yes! RC was the first pop I tried from our neighbors. My mom was a health nut way way way back. LoL I'd take the neighbors bottles back for cigarette money. LoL Coke? Pepsi? Neither! RC💝😁👍 I just moved to a small town bigger then this and love it💝 Those little houses were adorable I wonder how much? Fun video I'll sub💝👍

[@lonahlen8655]

Oh my! Remember the “RC and a Moon Pie”.

[@katiepeters6146]

They still have RC it's available at any Chicago area grocery store

[@larryk769]

Back in 1964 living in Jacksonville Florida during the British Invasion RC Cola had a special promotion. Bring in 6 RC bottle caps and get in free to a Beatles movie. At intermission they had a twist contest in which I participated in. I was all of 9 years old. Those were the day. The cat was mostly white.

[@CrownJewelDiscoveries]

Yet another great video tour. Thanks for sharing!

[@glennjudd2467]

Love. Old towns ! Sad , preety much ghost towns ! Everybody knows everyone ! Royal crown cola !!! Yes , remember drinking royal crown ! Probably haunted on some old buildings & cemetery ? Wondered eagles or elks club used to be in town ? Nice finding , sally & marty !

[@Jim-xs4us]

Your dog doesn’t look too happy. She’s shivering like crazy

[@JWimpy]

This is what happens when people stop supporting their local businesses and take their money to Walmart. It's so sad that small businesses suffer just so you can save three cents on an item. I live in a small town like that and we have a Walmart. I haven't set foot in there in over a year. All my money goes to the local businesses.

[@SightseeingSally]

Or online shopping. I wonder how many small businesses would still be around if Amazon hadn’t come onto the scene.

[@eward5877]

Actually, this is what happens when all industry leaves the area. The mines closed, the forest service left, etc. There is no Walmart nearby, no big box businesses. This town died a slow painful death of poverty. But the people that have stayed are hearty folk, hard working. Teachers, nurses, reporters, photographers, woodsmen, tinkers, mechanics, plumbers, electricians, truckers. They didn't kill this town by shopping at big box stores. They have kept it breathing while it slowing dies the death of no industry.

[@tinaharner3272]

These small towns were lost way before amazon. I live in Southern Illinois. We were booming when big companies came to build their plants etc. Once building stopped business etc slowly slowed down. Eventually these plants only needed workers. And with time everything closed cause people left.

[@henrycomputer1403]

Me too.

[@Filippa698]

You must have money to splurge. I watch mine! That's why I have done so well in life. Wal Mart prices are not that low either! Perhaps the little stores should have not had higher prices than a Wal Mart and offered better stuff. Dominick stores were big, but their prices were too high and they went out of business. Competition is the key to success!!

[@carlaallen4398]

A white kitty was in the window. I was born and raised about 55 miles from Etown, but I have not been there very many times. I didn’t know the was ever an Odd Fellows Organization there, either. Etown has always interested me throughout the years due to my having extended family relatives from there and having worked for the U.S. Forest Service and visited their office. Good thing you couldn’t see the windows on the little blue house…no telling what color kitty may have been looking out that window! Great video. Very nice presentation!🤙

[@melzwings]

So peaceful there. I just found your channel can wait to check out your travels!

[@onrycodger]

I'm certainly glad that I ran across your channel. Most interesting AND you're an elegant speaker.🙂👍

[@tomcook7676]

This little town would make a wonderful location for an artist's colony.

[@prophet71124]

Tom, I do believe you have an awesome Idea. Why not get started today? YOU could become millionaire right away!

[@tomcook7676]

Only a suggestion, I will leave it at that!

[@cindym.1618]

Which is what happened to Santa Fe and the gentrification of that town.

[@OhioSawMan]

Most definitely😊 A nice, relaxed pace of life surrounded by natural beauty and solitude

[@dougtepfer1899]

I was in a sommercamp in 1977 and we went to e town to do our laundry. Was interesting to revisit. Thx

[@alindsey1013]

This is super neat and also heartbreaking. Also, if you try to book on their website it takes you to a different site altogether. I'd suggest just calling and booking at The Historic Rose Hotel. Also that house is currently listed on zillow and is beautiful.

[@calvindellinger9467]

Thank you for your posting this . Keep videos up I am a FAN.

[@SightseeingSally]

You’re very welcome! Glad to have you here 😀

[@brycejohnson6209]

Elizabethtown is a seasonal town. It looks like you got there in the off-season. There is a LOT more activity on the river and in the town over the summer. . .

[@ric9759]

My first time watching your cool little show and I loved it. So I joined up.

[@karin9670]

Wonderful video! The abandonned and decayed villages and buildings make one really sad. I can imagine how People lived their lives in that place. Thank your for sharing I will subscribe. Regards from the netherlands ❤️🙋‍♀️

[@DeeMoback]

August 2022......just found this video....... SUCH A DOCUMENTATION OF HISTORY..... you are very much like a freelance photographer

[@TheGreat_One1988]

I lived in Rosiclare, Elizabethtown, and Cave in Rock for 30 years till I moved to Harrisburg. That old red building use to be a laundromat. Me and my mom use to wash clothes there when I was a kid and I’m 32 now. I could tell you a lot about all of Hardin County

[@miked1765]

From Equality myself. You related to any of the Atkinson’s in Gallatin county?

[@TheGreat_One1988]

@@miked1765 I’m not sure if I am but I’m related to all the Atkinson’s in Hardin and some in Saline County

[@miked1765]

@@TheGreat_One1988 I was wondering as my Grandmother was an Atkinson.

[@miked1765]

@@TheGreat_One1988 Now that I think about it a bit I think that I’m related to some in Hardin county as well. I need to ask some relatives.

[@dave327ful]

Small towns are great when you're feeling nostalgic. It's a different life from the big cities!

[@MiracleFound]

I was told that one of my relatives tore up a bar in Elizabethtown when her husband got his paycheck and went to the bar instead of home back in the late 1800's.

[@zubairrazzaq6271]

Great video 👍👌👍👌👍video amazing work thank you for making video

[@vernonsanders371]

I love towns like this an that store is awsome

[@tylerjones2695]

Yes that was a wonderful little town to see

[@patriciajeremiah9961]

The red block building that is being renovated was a laundromat for years. It was owned by an old woman named Ida Mae who lived in a house to the left of it. It was yellow and white with outstanding old sign painting on it’s outside walls which have been totally destroyed by this misplaced zeal to “renew” everything. It should have been preserved as a historical structure like the old Coca Cola signage on the restaurant. Once it’s gone it’s gone.

[@SightseeingSally]

Sometimes I wish we could go back in time just for that very reason.

[@barryervin8536]

Fascinating. I love these old places that are off the busy roads but full of history from when they were important centers of the area. Reminds me of a time back in the early 70s when I found myself in downtown Hagerstown, MD, which is more of a small city than a small town. Apparently the main industry had departed and almost every business was closed or boarded up, but the old architecture was still beautiful. I did find a tiny restaurant still open where I got a great dinner for about $4.

[@juliuscullum6596]

I love to see someone interested in our little towns around the place I live at. I dont live in Elizabeth Town I live in Rosiclare right next door to that town. Its like 4 or 5 miles from there. That red building thats being renovated use to be a laundromat back when I was growing up.

[@SightseeingSally]

That’s really cool you can across my video! I’m pretty sure we drive through Rosiclare.

[@juliuscullum6596]

@@SightseeingSally really. Thats awesome. Next time your around you should check out the Iron furnace and cave n rock.

[@juliuscullum6596]

I ment to ask you. When you was in Rosiclare did you go to the museum?

[@SightseeingSally]

No, unfortunately we didn’t.

[@judymassof2293]

Loved these town. I lived in. Rosiclare.. My Dad work at the mines William Harden.. Best place to grow up😘😘

[@maryrecoy1616]

Love you're lil dog..nothing sweeter then a Chihuahua and nothing funnier when they show their lil teeth💕💙😂😊💕💙😂😊

[@hb2019]

Elizabethtown, on the Ohio River, is upriver from Metropolis. The name tells you people once had high hopes that Metropolis would rival Chicago at the other end of the state. And farther down the Ohio, at its confluence with the Mississippi, is one of the country's most forlorn cities, Cairo.

[@SightseeingSally]

Hey Hal, thanks for watching. We visited Cairo, Illinois, too. Here’s the link to the video in case you’re interested: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pprRepqLe7x3ipI

[@ladymacbethofmtensk896]

Cairo was ALWAYS a pretty unwholesome place, since the very beginning, when Charles Dickens (Yes, THAT one!) wrote it into his novel Martin Chuzzlewit as the disease-ridden swamp that almost kills the book's hero. Cairo would be highly dependent on the federal government for just about ALL of its glory days, which worked well enough while racism was the law, but when locals defied Civil Rights legislation, the government cut Cairo off, and it has been disintegrating ever since.

[@timothykeith1367]

When these towns were founded there was little thought about Chicago. It was assumed that the Ohio river would continue to be the main transportation for the young nation. It was the fact that Chicago could potentially connect to the major inland rivers which brought attention to that area.

[@kathyhenderson2114]

The cat looked white. But the wood carving on the house is called Gingerbread work. Loved this!

[@bruceritchie4382]

For a town with only 300 people living there, It's sounds like a constant flow of traffic. I grew up in a 1 store town called Mt. Vernon, Maine. That town's a city compared to where we grew up. Coarse Elizabeth has a much better feel to it. I think I'll subscribe and cruise around with ya

[@plainsimple442]

I've been in about every town around Mt. Vernon, grew up in Windham & recently lived in So. China.

[@jimmarks7748]

So much history in that town so cool

[@ramblinman2033]

My family and I were in the area visiting friends. We took a hike on a scenic trail close to Elizabethtown. A gentleman from the area approached us on the trail and asked if we would like to hear about the ancient history of the area. Evidently his version of area geology, paleontology, was in direct conflict with scholars. My wife was freaked out by his sudden appearance on the trail but he was cordial and didn't have any agenda other than expressing his views on the subject. I'm wondering if he's still there and if anyone knows him? It was 15 years ago.

[@NoBody-zr4ue]

Describe his theories

[@westy40]

So great! I rarely comment but I always watch! Just know that your videos and the work you put into them are so appreciated! Thank you!

[@SightseeingSally]

No, thank you! You just made my day 😊

[@BlindViews]

Ha, that's funny. We have an Elizabethtown here near me. It is sad to see the demise of small town America. I guess those big box stores really do more harm than some notice.

[@JohnSmith-en2st]

I lived in Elizabeth town pa I didn't know there was one here in Illinois

[@patricknester435]

Bente Elizabethtown several times. Fact is my good friend Steve Hopper. Renovated the hotel and it was a beautiful job well done. And we walk down to the water's edge and there was a barge sitting on the water that you could go in and eat the catfish that he had caught from the river that morning great little town then there used to be two bars in that town that were side by side. and as it's called in Las Vegas what happens here stays here laugh out loud thanks for the share. We were there from like 99 to 2005, and we went there with a club Motorcycle Club for hill climbs and flat tracks racing.

[@yvettee3828]

Your converse are adorable. What great memories that town holds.

[@brendadixon221]

Thank you for visiting our little county. Wish you had time to talk to some of the residents. They could have given you a history to go with everything you saw. You missed the Newspaper Office and the oldest Baptist Church in Illinois

[@SightseeingSally]

You’re welcome :) We truly enjoyed our visit there. I wish we would have gone inside the restaurant on the corner. I’m sure there would have been someone to talk to there.

[@curtisgrupe5730]

Great video I love watching these old town are fun to explore👍👍

[@timbit72]

Really diggin this series and Marty is the icing on the cake, one cool dude... We still have Royal Crown soda here in Ontario Canada which happens to go real well with Crown Royal whiskey lol... Looking fwd to the next episode :)

[@sierrachoco5271]

@Black Sheep72 - 😊love to Ontario,Canada from Buffalo, NY

[@timbit72]

@@sierrachoco5271 Cool!

[@Leo-z1v]

Good video. Thanks for the tour I learned a lot about the odd fellows. Nice town

[@SightseeingSally]

Thanks Leo, I think the Oddfellows history is pretty fascinating.

[@Sparose3]

I’m 59 and I remember drinking RC Cola!😁

[@heidifisher7693]

i remember everyday after school, going to Ray Moens or Belands, little small town candy stores on mainstreet. we'd get an RC cola and a Hostess Suzy Q, all for less than 50 cent. Today that would be around $5.00

[@ponygirl2203]

My favorite day small town was clinton iowa. Went thru there in 1981. It would be a shame to loose these towns. Thanks for your channel 👏👍😄

[@carlosc1559]

Im from texas but ive been working in illinois. Theres obviously rich history, but all these towns seem to be on a downward slope. Or maybe its the whole country. Still kind of sad realizing there might not be much of a future for these places.

[@nahuilegorreta6572]

Pabst Blue Ribbon and Royal Crown are still around . Good stuff

[@martinphilip8998]

I liked your tone. You show respect even when visiting a town that has seen better days. Did the locals talk to you?

[@alcopower5710]

I guess they didn’t

[@supratimbhunia8063]

Interesting town, surely need to explore and visit