The Oldest Grain Elevator along the I & M Canal

The Railroad is along the canal route

From April 13-May 24, 2012 The Way We Worked, a Smithsonian exhibition, is on display in LaSalle County.

The exhibit and accompanying programs and lectures explore the history of work.  Click here for information on 18 programs at various locations throughout LaSalle County!

The lectures, exhibits and tours associated with this traveling display have been fantastic.  I highly recommend checking it out before it leaves the area in a few weeks.



Armour (or Hogan) Grain Elevator in Seneca, IL

 In association with this exhibit there is a rare opportunity to visit three canal sites that are not usually open to the public for tours at the same time.

The Canal Boat in La Salle, (which I wrote about last week,) The Grain Elevator in Seneca and the Toll House in Ottawa (which I will write about next week). 

They are all three open again this coming weekend, May 19 from 10am-2pm. 

The oldest grain elevator along the Canal remains in Seneca, IL.  It is a landmark (on the National Register of Historic Places since 1997) in the middle of Seneca's downtown, just off the main street.

 The elevator, built in 1861-1862 is 65 feet tall, and at capacity can have 70,000 bushels. Grain was loaded directly on to barges on the canal.

Men working at the elevator had to keep the grain moving through out the building in order to keep mold, rot and other dangers to the crop at bay.

Storing grain here allowed them to ship it up the Illinois and Michigan Canal to Chicago.  They could hold it here and then ship it when the prices were higher and make a larger profit.

Looking up 3 1/2 stories in the center
of the elevator.

It was built by John Armour, but most locals still call it the Hogan Elevator.  The Hogan Grain Company operated the elevator from 1890-1949.

In 1975 The Illinois Department of Conservation aquired the property.  It is currently under restoration.

What else is going on this weekend?
The main exhibit of The Way We Worked, is housed in the Ottawa Historical and Scouting Heritage Museum, 1100 Canal Street, Ottawa IL.

The LaSalle County Historical Society is currently featuring 10 exhibits about LaSalle County industries in a self guided tour.  You can follow the “The Way We Worked” logos posted throughout the museum to discover LaSalle County’s rich work history.

At the Lock 16 Visitor's Center in La Salle,  The “Waterways That Work” exhibit features photographs by landscape photographer Edward Ranney and you can take a ride on the Canal Boat!  It's going to be a great weekend!