Yet More Places to Experience

Who says the former prairie has no soul?
This structure appeared to be an abandoned church. I have no particulars, but she eminated a strange energy, to be sure. Somewhere in Tazewell County--worth the search.





This old bridge spans the Mackinaw River near Hopedale. I robbed this history off the net:

"The bridge, located about five miles south of Tremont on Locust Road, was built in 1910 by a local man to span the Mackinaw River in Tazewell County. It was named after John Waltmire, a farmer who lived nearby. It's also commonly known as the Locust Street bridge because of its close proximity to that road. The bridge links the townships of Hopedale and Dillon. For years, many rural commuters used the one-lane bridge to get to their jobs or shopping in Peoria and to get to Tremont. Over time, however, the bridge began to show its age. The steel used to build the bridge in the early 1900s is no longer used for that purpose. It is rusty, and its wooden planks are rotting with gaps in some places of between 3 and 5 inches. Eventually, the weight allowed on the bridge was reduced to a 3-ton limit."