Thursday, July 19, 2012

Visitor's Center

Today the kids and I went on a little country cruise to see a goat tower over by Findlay. I got a pic but not a great one.

Then a nice little country cruise back to Shelbyville to the Visitor's Center. We had never been there, sooo I thought we better check it out. (Especially since it was over 100 outside!)
There is a little model of a hut in the Visitor's Center. When you go in it, a voice starts telling you information and there's animal noises that begin.

Elle was not fond of this hut or the noises!

We read about some famous people to the area.

Anthony Thornton was a Representative from Illinois; born near Paris, Bourbon County, Ky., November 9, 1814; attended the common schools and Centre College, Danville, Ky.; was graduated from Miami University, Ohio, in 1834; studied law; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Shelbyville, Ill., in 1836; major of militia during the war with Mexico; delegate to the State constitutional conventions in 1847 and 1862; member of the State house of representatives in 1850; elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-ninth Congress (March 4, 1865-March 3, 1867); was not a candidate for renomination in 1866; resumed the practice of law; justice of the supreme court of Illinois from 1870 to 1873, when he resigned; president of the State bar association for four terms; chairman of the State board of arbitration 1895-1897; died in Shelbyville, Shelby County, Ill., on September 10, 1904; interment in Glenwood Cemetery.

There is a large stone marker outside the house in Shelbyville where Josephine Cochrane lived and invented this machine.


Robert Root (1864-1937) is best known for his 1918 painting of the Lincoln-Douglas debate held in Charleston, Illinois, in 1858. This painting is in the Governor's Office in Springfield. A large-scale color reproduction is exhibited at the new Lincoln-Douglas Debate Museum in Charleston. Root studied at the Cooper Union Art School, New York City, Washington University School of Fine Arts in St. Louis, and the Academé Julien in Paris, France. In the early 1890s he returned to live in Shelbyville.
DETAILS OF ROBERT ROOT'S LIFE AND HIS OBITUARY ARE HERE
Root made his living primarily from portraits, like that of Eastern Illinois University's first president, Livingston C. Lord, on view in Eastern Illinois University's Old Main. Two portraits are included in the Tarble exhibition. But he was also an Impressionist style landscape painter.. In the 1920's Root joined Coles County's Paul Sargent as the two non-Indiana members of the Brown County Artists Association.
SEE ROOT PAINTINGS & SCULPTURE HERE

Other examples of Root's work are classic style relief sculptures in the Chautauqua building in the Shelbyville park (Pictures coming soon)
A bust of the artist rests in the Shelbyville Public Library (picture also coming soon)
Eastern Illinois University Tarble Arts Center has a collection of Robert Root Paintings
Examples of Root art include: The Debate painting at Springfield, Shelbyville, Bas-Relief Sculptures in the Chautauqua at Shelbyville, and EIU paintings. Root paintings are in many homes and places in the United States, and the importance of this 19th Century Impressionist style painter is growing. (this information was taken off of http://www.alincolnlearning.us/Shelbyartist.html )

There is a great spot to sit and rest. Beautiful background for taking a nice picture.


We found a very furry rug. Elle loved to crawl on it. I believe it was a bison maybe. None of the animals that were stuffed had tags to tell what exactly what they were so a couple we may have to guess on.

Come on Elle! Crawl through the tree trunk.

Woo Wee Elle found the light at the end of the trunk! Well, okay she found the brother!

Another little fun thing for the kids to do. On the sides of this tree trunk are panels to lift for information.

This stump has holes in the sides and different things for the kids to take out and touch, hold, observe.

Watch out he will swoop down and get us. Haha.. not really.

We got to see some very beautifully done antler carvings. It was amazing to see what people can carve and paint out antlers!

Another smaller eagle and an elephant head.

There were alot of these carvings.

All carved out of antlers and painted.

More stuffed animals were on adventures around the room!

Abadger,


Look daddy we found a coon!

Flying squirrel I think. He was a cute little feller!

This little fawn was soo tiny. Hello mister squirrel!

Honk Honk to you too friend.

Hoo Hoo!


A friendly river otter just hanging out.

A couple of quacks hanging out here!

This is quite a catch!

This is a snapping turtle. He kept turning his head to look at us.

A corn snake. I didn't want to even take a picture of this one. There was also a black rat snake in another window but he was hiding in his rock house so I thought we would leave him be. One snake picture was more than plenty!

 2 cute little box turtles just swimming around.

Some fish. I love to look at fish.

And this was the whole wall with all the snakes, turtles and fish.

There were some arrow heads and spears shown.


Chautauqua (play /ʃəˈtɔːkwə/ shə-TAW-kwə) was an adult education movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua brought entertainment and culture for the whole community, with speakers, teachers, musicians, entertainers, preachers and specialists of the day.[1] Former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was quoted as saying that Chautauqua is "the most American thing in America."[2] H.L. Mencken used the word "chautauqua" (lower case) to refer more generally to a herd of clumsy writers: "When they essay to be jocose, the result is usually simply an elephantine whimsicality, by the chautauqua out of the Atlantic Monthly." [Vintage Mencken, p.96, ed. Alistair Cooke, 1955]

 More informaiton on the Shelbyville and Lithia Springs Chautauquas.

  Hope this guys not looking at any of us!

 This is the view out back of the Visitor's Center. It was beautiful but extremely hot!~ There is a railing all of the way around and a gorgeous view of the lake.



Baily checking out the view finder.


A beautiful place for a picnic or a partay! some picnic tables, a fire pit and a GORGEOUS VIEW!!!
It was a short trip but well worth it.

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