THERE IS A TOWN WHERE THE TOWN SCAPE HAS CHANGED
LITTLE IN 150 YEARS AS WE
DISCOVERED IN MAEYSTOWN, WHICH
IS 35 MILES OUTSIDE OF ST.
LOUIS.
IN 1852, JACOB MAEYS SET OUT THE TOWN OF MAEYSTOWN.
IT GREW VERY SLOWLY, BUT FOR THE
MOST PART, MAEYSTOWN WAS A
GERMAN SPEAKING VILLAGE.
ST. JOHN'S UNITED CHURCH OF
CHRIST WAS BUILT IN 1867.
ABOVE THE DOOR, THERE IS A GO
GERMAN SAYING, EVANGELICAL ST.
JOHN'S CHURCH.
JOHN'S CHURCH. GERMAN WAS THE LANGUAGE OF THE
CHURCH.
CHURCH. GERMAN WAS NOT ONLY USED IN THE
COMMUNITY, BUT IN THE CHURCH.
UP IN THE 1940'S, GERMAN WAS
USED IN ALL SERVICES UNTIL
CHRISTMAS OF 1943.
THE SMALL BUILDING NEXT TO THE
CHURCH IS REFERRED TO AS THE
SCHOOLHOUSE. ORIGINALLY, IT WAS
THE FIRST CHURCH.
THAT PARTICULAR BUILDING IS THE
OLDEST KNOWN MON STRUCTURE ON
ITS ORIGINAL FOUNDATION AND
CONTINUED USE FOR RELIGIOUS
PURPOSES IN THE STATE OF
ILLINOIS.
ILLINOIS. IT SERVED AS THE FIRST CHURR
INCH 1857, AND SERVED AS THE
FIRST RESIDENCE FOR THE MINISTER
AND HIS., REVEREND ROSHI.
TWO-THIRDS OF THE BUILDING WAS
CHURCH, AB ONE THIRD WAS THE
ORIGINAL PARSONAGE.
ORIGINAL PARSONAGE. THE GUTTER SYSTEM HERE IS VERY
UNIQUE.
UNIQUE. THIS IS PROBABLY CLOSE TO 140
YEARS OLD, AT LEAST THAT'S THE
BEST WE CAN DATE IT AT.
IT DATES BACK TO THE 1860'S,
1870'S, AND IT INCLUDES STONES
THAT ARE EMBEDDED IN THE GROUND
VERTICALLY.
VERTICALLY. 90% OF THE ROCK IS IN THE EARTH.
BECAUSE OF THE MASSIVE AMOUNT OF
STONES IN THE GROUND, THESE
GUTTERS HAVE STAYED STABLE OVER
140 YEARS, AND IT DOES
REFLECTING THE FACT THAT THE
NUMBER OF THE GERMAN INTERGRANTS
WERE STONEMASONS, AND IT ALSO
REFLECTS THE FACT THAT WAS THE
NATIVE MATERIAL WHICH THEY HAD
TO WORK.
TO WORK. HILLSIDES WE SEE THROUGH THE
WINDOWS WERE FORESTS OF
LIMESTONE.
LIMESTONE. >>THE ROCK HOUSE WHICH IS A
LOCAL TERM FOR STONE HOUSES, THE
ROCK HOUSE WAS BUILT IN 1857.
IT WAS BUILT BY THE MAN ACTUALLY
WHO LATER BUILT THE INN,
MR. HUFF MAN, AND THAT
PARTICULAR ROCK HOUSE WAS ONE OF
JUST FOUR OR FIVE.
I THINK TODAY THERE ARE ONLY
STILL FIVE ROCK HOUSES STANDING
HERE IN THE VILLAGE.
AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY,
THERE WERE HARD TO BELIEVE 13
GEORGE HUFF MAN'S WHO LIVED IN
THE LOCAL AREA AND FOUR OF THEM
LIVED IN A ROW.
THE FIRST ONE ON THE CORNER WAS
LAUGHED A LOT, OR LAUGHING
GEORGE.
GEORGE. THE NEXT GEORGE HUFF MAN WAS A
VILLAGE THE BLACKSMITH, WHICH IS
(GERMAN TERM ).
A BRACT SMITH.
THE NEXT ONE WAS OVERWEIGHT, AND
THEY CALLED HIM FAT GEORGE.
THIS GEORGE HAPPENED TO LIVE IN
THE CORNER, SO THEY CALLED HIM
CORNER GEORGE.
CORNER GEORGE. THIS WAS PART OF THE LAND HE HAD
HAD TIME SOME TIME.
HE DECIDED TO BUILD A
MERCANTILE, AND A HOTEL.
AROUND THE CORNER WE CAN SEE THE
ORIGINAL SIGN, HOTEL AND SALOON.
IT IS STILL HERE.
THIS IMMEDIATE SET OF DOORS TO
MY RIGHT IS THE OLD SALOON.
THAT IS SIX DOORS EACH SET WOULD
OPEN UP IN A SUMMERTIME ON A HOT
DAY LIKED TO AND PROVIDE WELCOME
AIR CONDITIONING.
AIR CONDITIONING. UPSTAIRS WAS A BALLROOM.
TO THE RIGHT WERE TWO HOTEL
ROOMS ON THE SECOND FLOOR, AND
DOWNSTAIRS WAS THE LIVING
QUARTERS FOR THE OWNERS.
THE BUILDING ACROSS THE STREET
IS THE OLD BANK BUILDING, AND IT
INCLUDED A CANNON BALL SAFE
WHICH WE HAVE IN OUR MILL.
IT IS RETURNED TO MAEYSTOWN, AND
THIS SAFE WE ARE TOLD WEIGHS
CLOSE TO FOUR TONS.
THE STONE BUILDING BEHIND ME IS THE OLD MILL, OLD MAEYSTOWN
MILL.
MILL. IT WAS BUILT IN 1859 AND SERVED
AS A MILL FOR ONLY TEN YEARS.
IN 1869 A FIRE DESTROYED THE
MILL.
MILL. WE THINK THEN FOR 11 YEARS THE
PROPERTY STOOD VACANT. WE KNOW
IN 1880 IT WAS REBUILT AND USED
AS A FURNITURE FACTORY.
TODAY THE BUILDING IS THE HOME
OF THE MAEYSTOWN PRESERVATION
SOCIETY.
CLAIM TO FAME TODAY IS THE FACT THAT MAEYSTOWN IS PROBABLY ONE
OF THE BEST PRESERVED HISTORIC
TOWNS IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
IT IS A TOWN THAT IS FOR WHERE A
LOT OF LOCAL PEOPLE BRING THEIR
FRIENDS TO SEE WHAT LIFE WAS
LIKE IN THE 1800'S.
ALMOST ALL THE BUILDING DATES IN
1850'S, UP THROUGH 1900, 1910.
MAEYSTOWN IS JUST ONE OF A
HANDFUL OF VILLAGES IN ILLINOIS
LIST ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF
HISTORIC PLACES.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON MAEYSTOWN, VISIT THEIR WEB SITE
AT WITH WWW.MAEYSTOWN.COM.
OR CALL (618)458-6660.