Palestine, Illinois

Transcription

[music] >>Narrator: On this episode of Heartland Highways … join the fun as we get into the living history of Fort LaMotte in Palestine, Illinois, with the Fort LaMotte Rangers! Then … we head to West Salem, Illinois…the home of the only Moravian Church in the state. We’ll learn more about the rich history of the church and town. And finally we trek to the Clark-Landsbaum Holley Arboretum in Terre Haute, Indiana, where they grow over 400 different kinds of hollies. It’s also one of only 21 official holly arboretums in the world! That’s all coming up next so stay tuned! >>Lori: Hello and welcome back to Heartland Highways. I’m Lori Casey. >>Kate: And I’m Kate Pleasant. For our show today we’re taking you to three very different places, each with an interesting history all their own. Our first story takes us to Palestine, Illinois, to Fort LaMotte. I got the idea for this story last season when I went to shoot a volunteer group of archaeologists down near Palestine. They told me all about the history of the fort and a group of enthusiastic re-enactors that I wanted to share with you this year. If you look close, you might even catch me playing along. >>Kate: Here on Heartland Highways we do stories that are mostly about a person or a place. It's usually one or the other but occassionally they run together, just like in the case of this story about Fort LaMotte in Palestine, Illinois. This story isn't just about the historic fort, but also about a group of re-enactors called the LaMotte Rangers that bring it to life. >>Greg: Well the Rangers actually got started back in about uh '84 and it was mostly a shooting club that started out with re-enacting and we travelled to reenactments as far away as Michigan. And then uh we were constantly were thinking about the fact that wouldn't it be great if we had the reconstructed fort. And so we had conversations with Palestine. Palestine's been very helpful to us. They helped us put together a shooting range and then we started the fort reconstruction. >>Rob: This is a re-recreation of the original Fort LaMotte that at one time housed at least 26 families along with upwards toward 100 United States Rangers. So, it would've been crowded at that time period. It was used for when the Indian uprisings or threats would occur. In building this fort our goal was to help promote the local tourism and educate the public on how life was in this very area 200 years ago. What better way is there to teach or learn our local history then be able to live our local history. That's just what this fort does; takes us back to the fort life right here in this area 200 years ago. >>Kate: And that desire to re-create the fort and portray that lifestyle came as the Fort LaMotte Rangers continued to compile research and records about the fort. Eventually in 2006, the Palestine Development Association made the move to team up with the Rangers and get the fort construction underway. >>Greg: It's amazing the amount of records that we have on the fort. The fort had, after the creation of the U.S. Rangers in 1813, the fort had almost daily mail collection. One-day delivery from Vincennes, which I don't think we can get now. But it was all military correspondence and luckily for us the captain in charge of our area was a packrat and he kept everything and so those records are kept in a uh historical depository. The original letters. And that's where we gained a lot of our understanding of the fort and who was here and what took place. >>Rob: We know there was a block house right in this vicinity, which would've been the beginning of Fort LaMotte in 1811. We know that Rangers were working out of Fort LaMotte giving support to surveyors working in what's now the Clark County area. So it was used for a good six or seven years, which is kind of long for this kind of fort. >>Kate: The Rangers now do living history events to tell the story of the fort during those years. Their biggest event being the annual Fort LaMotte Days at the end of every April. Each of the events aim to give a glimpse into what life was like in the 1812-era forts. >>Greg: We just kind of do several things. We have gun builders in the organization, we have people who like to work on costumes of the period. Of course this is the Jane Austen period so that's kind of fun. And then we have guys that like to shoot, and then we have people that like to do re-enacting, both civilian and military re-enacting. We have the ladies doing spinning, uh the things that took a mammoth amount of time on their part everyday. Clothes were expensive and had to be taken well care of, mended. Washing was a major problem because they started out by boiling their own hot water, then they did bobbin lace. The men spent their time with making sure that the firearms were in working condition, uh some farming, harvesting of woods. In fact, we know that there were coopers that were here at the fort. The people didn't really live in the fort all the time. They lived in their own cabins. They used the fort whenever danger developed in the area. And of course, with the outbreak of the War of 1812 and the Battle of Tippacanoe in 1811, the danger was prevalent here for about a 5-year period. >>Kate: The atmosphere at the fort makes it easy to get involved. As you can see, I even tried my hand at it. And of course no good re-enactment is complete without blowing something up, right? Or so they say. So, I tried my hand at that too. [CANNON FIRES - BOOM] >>Greg: You're not supposed to jump! [laughter] >>Kate: But fun and games aside, forts in this era are what started towns. Keeping that part of history alive and making that connection for others is part of what the LaMotte Ranger mission is all about. >>Greg: The Wabash River had series of forts that ran up and down the river on both sides. And some of those forts are lost forever, there's nothing there, but some of those forts turned into towns. And those towns are West Union, Fort Handy, Mount Carmel. There was a fort at Merom, Halfway Fort. Actually the forts was the germ that started some of the towns. The fort was here first and it created the town that we call Palestine. >>Kate: Conveying that history and so much more is what constructed this fort, brought the Rangers to it, and what will keep it going in the future. And as far as personal connections go, well that's covered too. As Greg says, the Rangers will keep re-enacting so that.. >>Greg: So the people will have an idea of what the early pioneers, and in the case of Crawford County, actually personal ancestors. Because a lot of the people who were here at the fort, their families still live here. The names are the same. [music] >>Lori: This next story came to us from a viewer. In West Salem Illinois we learned about the history of the Moravian Church, which today is the only Moravian Church in Illinois. Founded in 1844, the Moravians had 2churches, one that spoke German and the other that spoke English. They would later combine, but when you visit West Salem you can still walk the cemetery and see the original German and English divisions. You can also visit the church built in 1892 to learn more about its history and that’s just what I did. [music] >>Lori: West Salem, Illinois, is a community of about 1000 residents who's history can be traced back to a few settlers in the 1830's. By 1843, there were 80 families were living in this area, most of them were of the Moravian faith from Salem North Carolina. 1843, a man named Martin Hauser, came from Hope, Indiana. Itinerary pastor came over and just more or less to test the waters to see what was over here and he got enthused about and he went back home. He petitioned for pastor down at (McCain?) He petitioned about four years in a row. Each year he kept expelling on the posibilities here finally they signed him as a pastor here. >>Lori: Hauser bought 80 acres and had the town surveyed into the current configuration of streets and blocks that is it today. All that was missing, was the name. He decided he wanted to call it New Salem 'cause it's (word) Salem west of the Salem, North Carolina. Well that's fine until 1854 when they applied for the post office they found out there's already a New Salem so he decided to call it West Salem cuz it's West of West Salem or west of Salem, Carolina. So, that's how he got the name. So, actually he's responsible for the town and everything. >>Lori: With the town laid out the congregation was formed and a cemetery was created that followed the traditions of the Moravian church. He called it the choir system; (subjects of God in four plots.) Women on one side, the men on the other side, and girls on one side and boys on the other side. So when you die, you die in order. You don't buy a lot. If someone passes away and you're the next, you're right beside that person. You just go down the line until the line's full. And it cost them fifty cent to be buried which that was a lot of money in those days. And they had to put a stone up. That's the (words) they had. >>Lori: In the early years of West Salem there were two groups of Moravians, one that spoke English and one that spoke German. The customs were different, their ideas were different and their language were different. They couldn't communicate, but they hung in and finally they'd go to church down there in front of my house and they went, the Germans went one time and English next time. They rotated back and forth. It wasn't the same each time, but that wasn't working out either. So, they decided they was gonna split. After about nine years they had to quit and they built a church of their own on the south side of the square in West Salem, the English did 'cause they couldn't put up with those Germans. >>Lori: The German congregation also built their own church in 1892. These are all handmade. You see they're not quite true in places, but they were handmade its the love that's in them, not the way they look. >>Lori: By 1915 the two congregations merged and began having services together in the German Church. Today [music ends, church bells begin] the church contains two bells one from the English church, the other from the German. So, you really see what the church is made of. Yeah, all this wood and stuff is coming out and (word). It's been here since '91 so it's getting kind of old. [church bells] You get to go on the other side >>Lori: Today visitors to West Salem can see firsthand the history of the Moravians by not only visiting the church but walking just down the street to the cemetery. On the way there, you might spot what appears to be small gazebo. They dug a well by the church down there. Got down fifty-five feet and they couldn't find the water so they quit. Next point they came out it had water in it, so they (word) and they used it for a long time, it was the town well for a long time. That's a deep well, fifty-five feet [laughing] dig by hand. It's got a shed over at the well house, they call it down there, by the cemetery. >>Lori: The Hauser memorial arch is located at the entrance to the original English cemetery. Here town and church founder Martin Hauser is buried alongside his wife. Walking the cemetary you can clearly see how the Moravian choir system was used. The old German cemetery is also located here. One interesting side note, you can find the smallest gravestone in the world, according to Ripley's Believe it or not. It is the stone of Emma Pfeil and measures just 6 inches by 10 inches. Today the church is West Salem is the only Moravian congregation remaining in Illinois. (Words) I say we stay how we are. We take care of our own necessities. If we have something wrong with the church we have a work day. The men will come in and we'll do it and we have all (words) by (Infinian?) So usually, we're self supporting, we take care of ourself. We save a lot of money that way, but it's a labor of love. The sons of Care for the Church is really, has been, has been very clear. These people love that they're Moravians. They love this church and they want to see it succeed and they want to see God work through them. And so I sense there is an enjoyment of tradition here. They are proud of who they are and should be proud of who they are. But, you know, they're not worshipping history at the expense of the future. >>Lori: And while this is a close knit community with a long and established history, the church is open and welcoming to visitors. I mean there's this very strong tie to history and to being established here and founding the church and the community, but that they understand that for Christ's church to grow, others much be welcomed in. And so they talk about the importance of welcoming visitors. They talk about the importance of, you know, yes this is our church and we've we've, you know, we've been in it for a long time, but they know for it to sustain and continue and to thrive and to grow you can't this sort of inward mentality. And so i would hope and this doesn't make it completely unique. There are other churches like this. I would hope that visitors to the congregation would feel that one of the ways the church is different is that they would feel welcomed. And that they feel that the doors are open and that they're they're welcome here. >>Narrator: Now you can watch Heartland Highways online anytime. Check us out on youtube.com/weiutv. Once you’re there just look for the Heartland Highways playlist which will take you to a list of full episodes from seasons 7 through 11. And if you subscribe to our channel, you’ll automatically be notified of when new programs are available to view, so sign up today. >>Lori: You wouldn’t think November would be an ideal time to film a story about trees and shurbs. However if those trees and shrubs are Holly’s, then it’s a perfect time of year. In Terre Haute, Indiana, we took a tour of the Clark-Lansdbaum Holly Arboretum and saw for ourselves just how many varieties of Hollies there are. See for yourself. >>Lori: When some people think of Hollies, they most likely picture a bright green leaf with red berries during the holidays. Well as you're about to see there's a lot more to hollies than just red and green. Located in Terre Haute in Deming Park we discovered the Clark-Landsbaum Holly Arboretum. Founded in 1992, the arboretum was the vision of Bill Clark and his wife Marilyn. >>Marilyn: We had grown hollies for a number of years and we got the place where we had sixty-five large hollies. And he wanted to know what I thought about donatiing them to the city. And I said, 'Well, I think that's a wonderful idea.' But I didn't know it was going to take two years to, you know, get all the paper work done and get support from people in the community, get permission from the mayor and the parks department and just do all the things you have to do. >>Lori: The city gave the Clarks their choice of any park for the arboretum and so they chose Deming Park. >>Marilyn: We are very blessed with nice parks. But, we chose this one because of the hillside. The hollies were suppose to have well grade soil. Some of the hollies, the alpacas, and then the deciduous hollies on the other side were near the stream and they needed damp, dampness in the soil so it seemed to be an ideal thing. We checked the pH and looked at a lot of things before we decided, but they were nice and they gave us this large plot of land. So, we're thankful to have this pretty place to showcase and the city's been receptive and helpful and citizens have too. They've supported us. The businesses and the different foundations and different companies have really supported us too. >>Lori: In 1998 the Deming Park Arboretum was officially recognized by the Holly Society of America, making them only one of 18 in the United States and the only one located in a public park. >>Marilyn: And we keep a record of every single plant that's ever been planted here. And if we die we even keep a rolodex card file so we know what plants we lost and when we lost them. And you have to keep detailed records of the size they were when you got them and where you got them and how much they cost or if you got them as a gift. So, there's just a lot of book work to it. >>Lori: The arboretum has over 435 different hollies, so you can clearly see they come in all different shapes, sizes and colors. >>Marilyn: There are shurb-type hollies like these little tiny ones here. They're (crenadas??), they're little shrubs. Then there are blue hollies which are nice landscape plants. They're more intermediate sized. And then there are the big tall hollies that are the American hollies that grow thirty, forty, fifty feet tall. It's one plant that's beautiful all four seasons. It has little tinny blooms in the spring that become the berries, but they're not very showy, but that's how you can tell whether they're male or female. And you have to have one of each in order to have berries on your plant. So, if you come home and you have two plants and you can't figure it out, well you've gotten two females or you've gotten two males. They should be marked if you get them from the nursery, but maybe a friend has given them to you or something. You can tell by the little blossom on them whether they're male or female. >>Lori: Each holly has a sign next to it that identifies the genus and species type. Most of the hollies are of American origin but some come from Japan and China. Many hollies are evergreen, but there are some that are deciduous, meaning they lose their leaves in the fall. But one thing the holly is probably most known for are their berries, which come to life in the winter. While red is common, you can find white, black, yellow and orange. Due to the dry summer of 2012, the berries were not as plentiful. >>Marilyn: They're, they're pretty healthy considering what they went through they went through this past summer and I don't think it takes a lot of work. We fertilize them actually two times or maybe three times and we give them either 12-12-12 or we buy Holly-Tone. And Holly-Tone is a natural fertilizer and you don't have to worry if you get it on the leaves, but 12-12-12 can burn the leaves, so it's safer to use the Holly-Tone. >>Lori: The Holly Arboretum is maintained by a group of volunteers who care for, catalog and maintain the collection. >>Marilyn: We have such a dedicated board and nobody gets one cent, but they just do it for the fun of it and we all enjoy getting out hands dirty. Or nails always broken and dirty and it's not so bad in the winter, but the rest of the time it's pretty bad, but we enjoy that. We have a good time in the gardens and we have fun. >>Lori: In addition to maintaining the arboretum, the group has also worked to promote the planting of hollies around Terre Haute in a project called City of Hollies. >>Marilyn: We are just amazed at all hollies that are planted through town and I talked to Bunch Nursery and I've talked to The Apple House and the Hank Mescure and they are all three nice nurseries and they all three say that they're sale of hollies has risen dramatically. And they always stock a lot of hollies because people come out here, they see how pretty it is all year round and so, it's one plant that's pretty in the winter. >>Bob: I think they're just coming into they're hay day (background: okay) It's been just recently that more and more people have been planting hollies. And they've been making some developments. Breeders and horticulturers have been getting plants that are heartier and more adaptive to climates like we have here in the Midwest. Well, I've always been interested in hollies. And I think it's remarkable this time of the year around here got all the visible bare ground and mud and the hollies are green all year round. Usually they're covered with red berries this time of the year and they're just beautiful plants. And I think that they deserve more attention and deserve to be used more in the landscape. >>Lori: That’s all the time we have for you this week. We hope you’ve enjoyed our journeys and learned more about Illinois history and hollies. I know I sure did. >>Kate: Thanks for tuning in and we’ll see you next time. >>Narrator: If you’d like to purchase a copy of any Heartland Highways program contact us at 1-877-727-9348 during regular business hours. You can also visit our online store at www.weiu.net or mail in your order with payment to the address on your screen. DVD’s are available for $25 each. Visa, MasterCard, discover or American Express are accepted. Just let us know what show you’re interested in by mentioning the story name or person featured in the show. >>Narrator: Is there a place we should see or a person we should meet, well tell us about it. Heartland Highways covers within a 200 mile radius of our home base in Charleston Illinois. You can e-mail us at [email protected], call us at 1-877-727-9348 or send us a letter to 600 Lincoln Avenue Charleston, IL 61920. We’re looking forward to hearing from you. And now you can share your Heartland Highways adventure with us! [music]