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Towns That Time Forgot
Elsah, Illinois
Wooded bluffs above the Mississippi River's Illinois bank seem to be hiding 19th-century Elsah (20 miles north of St. Louis). This onetime steamboat stop squeezes into a notch in the hills so small that you might whiz past it on the Great River Road (State-100).
Weathered stone cottages hug wooded hills that rise like walls on three sides of town. A few frame Victorian houses look frivolous beside their plainer neighbors.
Once, Elsah radiated from the river. Steamboats stopped to feed their boilers and load grain. Now, the brook that tumbles past the 1874 Methodist church, with its simple steeple, seems to be the center.
Chirping birds and the rushing stream are the only sounds you hear. Bicyclists detour from the 20-mile path that follows the river road to spin through the middle of Elsah.
Nearby, the old stone one-room school, now a museum, tells the story of Elsah's founder. He offered lots to settlers who agreed to build with stone, ensuring the village would endure. Now, the National Register of Historic Places lists the entire town. You can pick up a booklet at the museum that details the history of more than 50 old buildings.
The Green Tree Inn, a newer, clapboard two-story, painted red, resembles an 1850s hotel. Innkeeper Pauline Bradley says, "You can't help being at peace here."
Side trip Go northwest on State-100 about 10 miles. Take the ferry across the Illinois River, then head west and catch another ferry across the Mississippi.
Travel Tips Lodgings: Green Tree Inn (800/701-8003). Corner Nest Bed and Breakfast, an 1883 Victorian (800/884-5832).
Dining: Elsah Landing restaurant 4 miles north in Grafton (618/786-7687). Contact: Greater Alton/Twin Rivers Convention and Visitors Bureau (800/258-6645).
