Amboy Welcome Guide 2016-2017

61310 0

Get to know us

Amboy, Illinois 2016-2017

Published by Sauk Valley Media

Get To Know Us ... Amboy, Ill. ~ 2016-2017

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Care You Need.

When You Want It.

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Get To Know Us ... Amboy, Ill. ~ 2016-2017

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Publisher Sam R Fisher Advertising Director Jennifer Heintzelman Advertising Sales Jill Reyna Editors Lucas Pauley Rusty Schrader

History .................... 5 Community groups ... 6 Dining .................... 7

Education ............. 8-9 Parks .................... 10 Things to see ......... 11 Camping............... 11

Depot Days ...... 12-13 Railroad history ..... 14 Depot Museum ...... 15 Health care ...... 16-17

Churches............... 17 Library .................. 18 Numbers to note .... 19

Get to Know Us ... Amboy, Illinois, is a specialty publication of Sauk Valley Media of Dixon and Sterling. Articles and advertisements are the property of Sauk Valley Media of Dixon/Sterling. No portion of Get to Know Us may be reproduced without written consent of the publisher. Ad content is not the responsibility of Sauk Valley Media. Sauk Valley Media cannot and will not be held liable for the quality or performance of goods and services provided by advertisers listed in any portion of this publication.

Amboy Veterinary Clinic & Trego Veterinary Service Toni L. Trego, DVM Stephanie Wire, DVM *Please Call For Appointment*

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Get To Know Us ... Amboy, Ill. ~ 2016-2017

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Get To Know Us ... Amboy, Ill. ~ 2016-2017

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Amboy grew up from farmland T

he city of Amboy sprang forth from humble roots.

In the mid-1800s, the land that now falls within city limits was primarily farmland, dotted with a few shanties and farmhouses, built by settlers who began arriving in 1837.

All that changed in 1852, when the Illinois Central Railroad bought the farms owned by Cyrus Davis, Joseph Appleton and Joseph Farwell, with plans to make Amboy its manufacturing and repair shop hub.

A survey was done on March 23, 1854, to establish the original portion of town, and bonds for lot deeds were executed that July.

The first city lot, on the northeast corner of Main Street and South East Avenue, was bought by John L. Skinner for $600. He built a hotel on the lot, and within a year, there were 100 homes and 1,000 people in Amboy.

As the Illinois Central Railroad made progress on its buildings, more people settled in Amboy. To accommodate them, Amboy’s original plat was expanded repeatedly until the city limits encompassed nearly 1,000 acres of land.

Amboy, circa 1907, as seen on a picture postcard.

By July 1856, a 2-year-old Amboy had nearly 2,000 inhabitants, 500 houses, two churches (also used as schoolhouses), a printing office, 16 stores, several groceries, a planning mill, three hotels,

two livery stables, and other shops, including a carpenter, cabinet, blacksmith, tin, mattress, paint and harness shop.

FARMLAND continued on 64

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Get To Know Us ... Amboy, Ill. ~ 2016-2017

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Groups offer ways to get involved Amboy Education Foundation 815-857-2856 or facebook.com/ pages/Amboy-Education-Foundation/160373574099100 Amboy Lions Club 280 W. Wasson Road, 815-440-1779 or amboylionsclub.com American Legion & Auxiliary P.O. Box 349, meets at 224 N. Jones Ave. the first Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m., 815-849-5219 or illinois-dist13-legion.org Depot Museum Commission P.O. Box 108, 815-857-4700 or amboydepotmuseum.org Future Farmers of America 11 E. Hawley St., 815-857-3632 or ffa.org Girl Scouts 229 First Ave., Suite 1, 815-997-5100 or girlscoutsni.org Green River Saddle Club 1580 Morman Rd., 815-857-3497 or greenriversaddleclub.webs.com

FARMLAND

CONTINUED FROM 5 t

Common storerooms were rented at $150 to $200 a year, homes from $10 to $20 a month.

A town without a name The town continued to grow and prosper, but did not have a name.

The residents called a meeting to rectify that situation, and many suggestions were made, including Hornsby, Bolton, Painted Post and Elmira. Finally, the name Bath was chosen.

Lorenzo D. Wasson was sent to Dixon with papers to have the town incorporated, but when the papers were returned, to everyone’s astonishment, it had been incorporated as Amboy. The cause of the change never has been determined.

Some thought the name came from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, which was named for the Earl of Perth, while others attribute it to the Indian word “em-boli,” which means “between the hills.”

It might not have been the city’s chosen name, but it stuck, and the city was incorporated as Amboy by popular vote on March 2, 1857. Later that year, Col. John B. Wyman was elected its first mayor.

Submitted

Members of Teen Turf Inc., a program and youth center for kids in Amboy, have some fun in the water on a warm day in June.

Lee County Master Gardeners, Lee County 4-H, Lee County Extension Office Lee County Extension Office 280 W. Wasson Road, 815-857-3525 280 W. Wasson Road, 815-857-3525 or web.extension.illinois.edu/clw/leemg or web.extension.illinois.edu/clw/lee4h Illinois Central Masonic Lodge 237 E. Main St., 815-857-2782 Knights of Columbus Council 8277 St. Patrick Catholic Church, 32 N. Jones Ave., 815-857-2315, stpatrickamboy.org or kofc.org

St. Patrick’s Women’s Organization, St. Patrick Catholic Church 32 N. Jones Ave., 815-857-2315 Teen Turf Inc. 235 W. Main St., 815-857-4800 or Find Teen Turf on Facebook

Mormons at Palestine Grove

A city at war

Among some of the early settlers in the Amboy region were Benjamin and Elizabeth Wasson.

The Wassons built a cabin along the Green River in 1837, and later a house in what was then known as Palestine Grove, just outside of present-day Amboy.

Elizabeth Wasson’s sister was Emma Smith, wife of Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

When the Smiths and other members of the Mormon Church fled religious prosecution in Fayette, New York, they moved to Illinois and settled in Commerce. The village later changed its name to Nauvoo.

Because Nauvoo and Amboy were not too far apart, the Smiths would travel to Amboy to visit the Wassons and helped establish Mormonism within the community, making Amboy one of the first settlements of the Mormon Church.

Just outside of Amboy on Mormon Road, the Mormon Church established the Mormon Cemetery. One of Brigham Young’s wives is buried there.

After Joseph Smith died and the church was moved to Plano, members of the Mormon Church began attending some of the other churches in Amboy. By 1854, there were nine churches in Amboy.

In 1942, Amboy was selected as the site for the Green River Ordnance Plant, one of four munitions assembly facilities built in Illinois during World War II. The Stewart-Warner Corp. operated the 8,342-acre facility for the Army Ordnance Corp., which had seven munitions lines.

The types of ammunition manufactured at Green River ranged from rifle grenades to armor-piercing shells to bombs. The bazooka rocket was developed and produced there.

By Dec. 15, 1942, Green River employed 4,419 people on 3 shifts, 6 days a week.

More than half of these workers were women, who were entering the workforce in significant numbers for the first time.

Worker turnover was constant, especially on the loading lines where explosive powder in the air caused skin infections and respiratory problems.

Despite the constant need for new workers, Green River was awarded an Army-Navy “E” flag for efficiency in production and won two more stars by the end of the war.

Only 5 percent of the nation’s war production plants received this award.

By the time the plant ceased production on Aug. 20, 1945, Green River had produced 25 million rifle grenades, 10 million 75-mm projectiles and 10,921 1,600-pound bombs.

Get To Know Us ... Amboy, Ill. ~ 2016-2017

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Grab a bite to eat in Amboy Amboy Family Restaurant & Pizza Junction 211 E. Main St. 815-857-3985 Depot Tap 49 S. East Ave. 815-857-3555 Casey’s General Store (carryout pizza) 308 E. Main St., 815-358-3992 Long Branch Saloon 55 S. East Ave., 815-857-3486 Maria’s Pizza 110 E. Main St., 815-857-2200 Meusel’s Dairy Delite 303 S. Mason Ave., 815-857-2050 Subway 310 E. Joe Drive, 815-857-3249

ABOVE: As you can see from this photo, the toppings are endless at Maria’s Pizza, 110 E. Main St.

Sunset Inn Restaurant 1578 U.S. Route 30, 815-857-3482

LEFT: Sunset Inn Restaurant, 1578 U.S. Route 30, offers many options, including this chicken-baconranch wrap with fries.

Submitted photos

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Julie DeArmitt, Manager

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www.cityofamboy.org Tom Nauman, Mayor

Get To Know Us ... Amboy, Ill. ~ 2016-2017

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Amboy schools provide excellence every day

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hrough data-driven decisions, teamwork, community involvement and visionary leadership, the Amboy Board of Education is striving for, as its mission statement says, “excellence, every day.”

The Amboy Board of Education meets once a month, generally on the third Thursday, at 7 p.m. in the high school cafeteria. A calendar of dates, which might vary based on holidays and other school activities, is available on the district website.

Cast members in the Amboy High School production of “Tarzan” perform during a dress rehearsal in March 2015 for students at the school.

Amboy Community Unit School District No. 272 11 E. Hawley St. 815-857-2164, amboy.net

Amboy High School

11 E. Hawley St. 815-857-3632 Amboy High School was formed as part of Amboy CUSD 272 in 1949 in Lee County. This district replaced the former Amboy Township High School District.

The 205-square-mile district encompasses Amboy, Sublette, Maytown, Harmon, Eldena and Walton.

In September 1969, the new building at Metcalf and Hawley streets opened, replacing the former school building, which now houses Amboy Junior High School.

Amboy High School is the home of the Clippers, whose colors are red, black and white. School activities include Academic Bowl, FFA, Key Club, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Student Council, yearbook, band, chorus and athletics.

Joshua Nichols is principal.

Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com

Amboy Junior High School

14 S. Appleton Ave. 815-857-3528 Fifth- through eighth-graders take courses in English, language arts, math, science, social studies, art and computers. Opportunities are available for advanced math, pre-algebra and algebra.

All students can participate in beginning band, band, pep band and jazz band. Sixth- through eighth-graders also can join chorus.

Extracurricular opportunities include an art club, computer club, academic team, student council, wrestling, volleyball, basketball and track.

The school is the home of the Vikings.

Joyce Schamberger is principal.

Amboy Central Elementary School

30 E. Provost St. 815-857-3619 Central School includes kindergarten through fourth grade, Smart Start and Early Childhood Education.

The school features ground-floor classrooms and a large playground.

Central is a progressive elementary school that uses research-based methods of instruction to teach the basics of reading, writing and mathematics. Specialists also are on staff to teach science, music and physical education.

The Ogle County Education Cooperative provides special education services in all grades.

Mary Ann Redshaw is principal.

The Amboy High School building at Metcalf and Hawley streets opened in 1969, replacing the former school building, which now houses Amboy Junior High School.

Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com

Get To Know Us ... Amboy, Ill. ~ 2016-2017

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Sauk: On a mission of quality education

S

auk Valley Community College has been on a mission to provide quality education to its diverse student body since its doors opened in 1965.

The college, which sits on a 144-acre campus at 173 state Route 2, between Dixon and Sterling, enrolls more than 2,400 full- and part-time students a year from 18 in-district high schools, 29 counties, 15 states and even some other countries.

Sauk offers 2-year transfer associate degrees in art or science in more than 40 areas; along with career and certificate programs; men’s and women’s sports; cultural activities and events; and more than 20 student clubs and organizations, including Phi Theta Kappa (the honor society for 2-year colleges), student government, Association of Latin American Students, Sauk Arts Magazine, Magic Club, Campus Crusade for Christ and Math Club.

Online courses for all students, and dualcredit courses for area high school students, are among its offerings, as is adult education classes, literacy and GED services, community services and workforce services. Students also have access to a full fitness center and weight room.

Sauk has been fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools since 1972.

Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com

SVCC students Trista Shelley (left) of Rock Falls and Andra Trank of Byron talk Aug. 31 with Angel Alba of Polo about a Zombie Survival Club that students can join during the fall SaukFest at Sauk Valley Community College.

More Info

To find out more about Sauk Valley Community College, go to svcc.edu or call 815-835-6273. Class schedules are available online.

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Get To Know Us ... Amboy, Ill. ~ 2016-2017

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Parks offering a welcoming place to relax Amboy City Park East Main Street, five blocks east of U.S. Route 52; picnic areas, shelters, charcoal grills, playground equipment, lighted ball diamonds, tennis courts, bathrooms, water and electricity, plus 30 sculptured trees; closed Nov. 1 through April 1.

Amboy Sports Park At the corner of Appleton Avenue and Main Street; soccer, football and baseball fields, plus a playground, concession stand and bathrooms.

Clint C. Conway Historical Park Main Street, two blocks west of U.S. Route 52; site of the Amboy Depot Museum, railroad engine and picnic shelter.

Green River State Wildlife Area 375 Game Road, Harmon, 15 miles southwest of Amboy; this wildlife restoration area is popular with hunters, hikers and birders. The 2,565-acre area includes prairie restorations, timberlands and a camping area.

Shady Oaks Golf Course 577 U.S. Route 52, 815-849-5424; a fun, 18-hole course, with tricky greens and a short course; club house with cocktail bar, food and pro shop.

Sen. David C. Shapiro Park U.S. Route 52, next to the Green River; picnic shelter and tables, bathrooms, and fishing.

Veterans Park Corner of East Avenue and Division Street; the Amboy Women’s Club dedicated the park in fall 1919 to the veterans of World War I.

Visitors to Amboy City Park can view a variety of tree carvings throughout the park.

Photos by Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com

Get To Know Us ... Amboy, Ill. ~ 2016-2017

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Check out the sights in Amboy Amboy Conference plaque 9 S. East Ave. Amboy was one of the first Mormon Church settlements. The Amboy Conference was the settling of the official “reorganization” of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints into the Latter Day Saint denomination now known as the Community of Christ. The conference was held April 6, 1860.

Amboy Depot Museum East Main Street and South East Avenue 815-857-4700, amboydepotmuseum.org This Illinois Central Railroad depot, built in 1876, has been completely renovated and now is a 19-room museum reflecting the history of the Amboy area. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. Other attractions adjoining the museum include a steam locomotive, a one-room schoolhouse, the Illinois Central Freight House, and a 1920s era Norfolk & Western caboose all open to tour; free admission, donations welcomed; open year-round, 1-4 p.m. Sunday and Thursday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Photos by Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com

ABOVE: Pieces from Amboy’s past sit on display inside one of the many cases at the Amboy Depot Museum on East Main Street and South East Avenue.

RIGHT: Wilbur, a buffalo rug from the 1940s, is a favorite feature among visitors to the museum.

Carson Pirie Scott store plaque 55 S. East Ave. Samuel Carson left Ireland in 1854 and found his way to Amboy, where he opened a dry goods store called Carson Pirie & Company. The store became the foundation of the retail department store chain.

A plaque commemorates the site of the first store.

Stone Home Farm 1125 Inlet Road, Lee Center 815-440-5556, stonehomefarm.com The owners of this historic farm, located about 4 miles northeast of Amboy, sell fresh eggs, pork and alpaca yarn.

Temperance Hill Cemetery and Prairie Preserve Off U.S. Route 52 north of Amboy, west of U.S. Route 52 and Inlet Road junction This cemetery, started in 1846, is situated on a fragment of virgin prairie and is an Illinois Nature Preserve. Three crosses at the end of the cemetery drive mark the site.

Campgrounds bring out nature’s best

A

mboy, with its abundant natural beauty, has long been a popular destination for campers. On an average summer weekend, 35,000 people come to stay at one of the many campgrounds in the Amboy area. On holiday weekends, that number increases to more than 50,000 campers.

Green River Oaks Camping Resort 1442 Sleepy Hollow Road 815-857-2815, greenriveroaks.com Mendota Hills Campground 642 U.S. Route 52 815-849-5930, mendotahillscampground.com

O’Connell’s Yogi Bear Jellystone Park 970 Green Wing Road 815-857-3860, jellystoneamboy.com Pine View Campgrounds 1273 Sleepy Hollow Road 815-857-3964, pineviewcampgrounds.com Woodhaven Lakes (Private resort, membership available with lot purchase) 507 LaMoille Road, Sublette (3 miles west of U.S. Route 52) 815-849-5191, woodhavenassociation.com

Get To Know Us ... Amboy, Ill. ~ 2016-2017

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There’s a barrel of fun at Depot Days

D

epot Days, a 4-day festival held every year on the weekend before Labor Day, celebrates the town’s railroad heritage. It also brings out the best in antique and classic cars, trucks and tractors, while providing plenty of fun activities for the entire family.

The highlight is the car show. It’s one of the largest in Illinois, often attracting more than 450 vehicles to the downtown shopping district. There are more than 35 classes of vehicles at the show, including restored classics, muscle cars, street rods, modified vehicles and unique, special interest vehicles. Another group of vehicles that always attracts attention is the Best of the Best class; members of the Amboy Car Show Committee attend other car shows in the Sauk Valley area each

summer and invite the winners of those shows to Depot Days.

Those who prefer looking at tractors will want to attend the antique farm tractor show.

A carnival, petting zoo and fireworks entertain the children. There’s also a craft show, multiple food stands, beer garden, parade, a 5K run/walk, and free live entertainment throughout the weekend. Other events include community-wide garage sales, the announcement of Miss Amboy, and a Little Mister and Miss Amboy event.

Another major highlight: the annual 50-50 raffle. The 2016 first-place winner took home more than $139,903.

The second-place winner took home a 2016 Chevy Malibu LT, and the thirdplace winner took home $10,000.

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Rayven Wehling, Miss Amboy 2016, reaches into the tumbler Aug. 28 to pick a first-place winner of the 50-50 raffle during Depot Days.

For more information For more information, including a complete list of Depot Day activities, go to depotdays.com or call 815-857-3814.

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Get To Know Us ... Amboy, Ill. ~ 2016-2017

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Depot Days features fast cars, good music

Photos by Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com

3 On The Tree performs Aug. 28 at Amboy Depot Days. The 4-day festival features a car show, carnival, petting zoo and fireworks to entertain the children, as well as a craft show, food stands, beer garden, parade, a 5K run/walk, and free live entertainment on Friday and Saturday.

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Larry Piper of Princeton checks out a green 1932 Ford Coupe at the car show.

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Get To Know Us ... Amboy, Ill. ~ 2016-2017

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Trains delivered progress

R

ailroads gave Illinois the boost it needed to flourish in the mid-1800s. Trains provided farmers with a way to ship produce to other regions to make a profit. Industries could bring in building materials and ship out finished products, and each brought needed growth and development to Illinois.

The Amboy Depot, headquarters for the Northern Division of the Illinois Central Railroad, was a key stop along that journey.

Without the railroad, there couldn’t be any farms or industry.

The Illinois Central line was built in the 1850s.

Unlike many other railroads being constructed at the time, it ran north to south. Its main line ran from Cairo to East Dubuque, and eventually a branch line to Chicago was added.

To help the railroad’s employees in their duties, the line was divided into divisions, roughly 100 to 125 miles long.

Employees would board at one end of the division, work to the end of it and then return on a different train to complete their workday. Each division had its own headquarters. Because Amboy was the division’s headquarters, it had a much larger depot than many other towns along the line.

The original depot, built in 1855, also contained a hotel. It was destroyed by a fire in 1875, and replaced a year later with the current brick and Joliet limestone building. The 19-room depot had space for administrative personnel, tools and sup-

plies needed to operate the division.

At the height of its operation, Illinois Central had 400 people working on the railroad.

Any number of passenger or freight trains could pass through the Amboy station on a given day because there were no set schedules in the railroad’s early days. Because the line had only one track, the dispatchers had to keep in communication by telegraph to ensure there were no collisions.

As the years passed, the Illinois Central eventually extended to New Orleans and connected with each east-west line it passed. The main line began to see less and less use, though, as more traffic was directed toward Chicago.

Eventually, the main line became the branch line and went into a long, slow decline, although the records never formally changed the Chicago line to the main line.

Passenger traffic ended along the Northern Division in the 1930s, but freight trains continued to use it.

By the 1980s, use of the line was deemed unnecessary, and it was closed.

The Amboy Depot fell into disrepair from lack of use until a group of concerned residents began expressing an interest in the early 1970s. They formed the depot committee and began a volunteer effort to preserve and restore the historic building.

In the past decade, they have brought the depot back to life, and now the museum and complex are filled with displays highlighting Amboy’s history.

Highlighting Amboy’s history • A 1929 0-8-0 steam engine built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works as switcher No. 8376 for the Grand Trunk Western Railroad but last used as a switcher at the Northwestern steel and Wire Mil in Sterling.

• A 1915 Norfolk and Western wooden caboose No. 518125, built in Roanoke, Virginia.

• The Palmer School, a fully restored, furnished, one-room schoolhouse built in 1924 on state Route 26, 6 miles west of Amboy and moved to the complex.

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Get To Know Us ... Amboy, Ill. ~ 2016-2017

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It’s a railroad ride into the past

he Amboy Depot Museum is in a former depot and division headquarters of the Illinois Central Railroad. The building is an architecturally unique two-story building built of brick and cut Joliet limestone and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

It has been completely restored inside and out, and includes the original brick tarmac surrounding the depot and the grounds of the former rail-yard, now preserved as a city park.

Also reconstructed were the distinctive chimney caps on the building’s eight chimneys, fully restoring the building to its original exterior configuration.

Within the museum are artifacts of the history of Amboy and the Illinois Central Railroad.

The museum complex also contains a freight house

Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com

A model train setup that replicates the way Amboy used to look is on display at the Amboy Depot Museum. The model train display was an Eagle Scout project for Marcus Mitzel and was completed in 2012. with additional artifacts, a fully restored one-room country schoolhouse, a retired steam engine and a caboose.

The museum is downtown on Main Street, two blocks west of U.S. Route 52 (turn at Casey’s General Store).

The museum is open April

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through October. It is closed Nov. 1 through March 31, and on holidays, except Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. Hours are 1-4 p.m. Sunday and Thursday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Friday and Saturday; closed Monday-Wednesday. Museum doors close 30 minutes before closing time.

Admission is by donation.

Museum membership is available and is open to anyone who is interested in preserving the museum’s buildings, the history of the Amboy Area and the railroad’s part in the birth of Amboy. Annual membership fees go toward preserving the museum. For more information, contact the museum at P. O. Box 108, Amboy, IL 61310; call 815-857-4700; or e-mail information@amboydepotmuseum.org. Membership forms are available at amboydepotmuseum.org/ membership.pdf

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Get To Know Us ... Amboy, Ill. ~ 2016-2017

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Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com

KSB Center for Health Services – Amboy Clinic, 308 E. Joe Drive.

Clinic, hospital help keep residents healthy

T

he Amboy community is served by two area hospitals, a clinic and a nursing and therapeutic care facility.

KSB Hospital is 13 miles north of Amboy in Dixon. KSB also operates a medical clinic in Amboy. Mendota Community Hospital is 16 miles south of town. Amboy Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center is on the north side of town.

Serving Amboy

KSB Hospital KSB Hospital is an 80-bed acute-care facility founded more than 115 years ago.

Along with the typical services a hospital provides, KSB offers a balance center, cancer center, diabetes center, foot and ankle center, sleep lab, occupation-

Amboy Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center 15 W. Wasson Road 815-857-2550 amboyhealthcare.com

KSB Center for Health Services – Amboy Clinic 308 E. Joe Drive 815-857-3044 ksbhospital.com

KSB Hospital 403 E. First St., Dixon 815-288-5531 ksbhospital.com

Mendota Community Hospital 1401 E. 12th St. (U.S. Route 34) 815-539-7461 mendotahospital.org

al therapy, and hospice and home nursing care, among several other medical services.

In 2006, KSB opened a $3 million, state-of-the-art cardiovascular services

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lab and endoscopy area. And in 2011, it completed a $16 million expansion of the outpatient surgery and emergency departments.

HEALTHY continued on 174

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We have a full retail counter with deli meats and cheeses, fresh cut steaks, our full line of marinated products, freshly smoked snack sticks, and much more!

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Serving the Amboy area since 1995 DIXON 204 S. Ottawa Ave. • 815-288-2241 Patrick R. Jones, Sr.

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AMBOY 303 E. Main St. • 815-857-2611 Patrick R. Jones, Jr.

Get To Know Us ... Amboy, Ill. ~ 2016-2017

17

Churches keep the faith in Amboy East Grove Union Church 449 Reuter Road, 815-376-6661 or facebook. com/EastGroveUnionChurch First Baptist Church 24 N. Mason Ave., 815-857-2682 or fbcamboy.com Grace Fellowship Church 37 S. East Ave., 815-857-3900, graceisforyou.com Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church 960 U.S. Route 52, 815-857-2225 or lutheransonline.com St. Patrick Catholic Church 32 N. Jones Ave., 815-857-2315 or stpatrickamboy.org United First Church of Amboy 326 E. Main St., 815-857-2415 or ucc.org

HEALTHY

CONTINUED FROM 16 t

Mendota Community Hospital MCH has been providing health care to the area for more than 60 years. An entirely new, acute-care facility was opened in 2011, employing more than 300 people.

The hospital has a 24/7, physicianstaffed emergency room and an intensive care unit. It offers other services,

including cardiopulmonary care, gastroenterology, nephrology, neurology, oncology, podiatry, pulmonology, rheumatology, and surgery.

MCH has a community health services department that provides occupational health services, drug testing, and a variety of public programming and screenings throughout the year to promote public awareness and offer early detection or warning for certain diseases.

It also offers home health services, magnetic resonance imaging, a CT

F l a v o r s We bring life to products.TM 25 E. Main St., Amboy, IL

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Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com

The United First Church of Amboy.

scanner, and it has its own rehabilitation services department.

Amboy Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center Amboy Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center offers residential nursing care, as well as therapeutic services, including occupational therapy, speech therapy and physical therapy. Services also include respite care and hospice support.

1442 Sleepy Hollow Road, Amboy 815-857-2815 • 815-638-2088 greenriveroaks@yahoo.com

• 2 Heated Pools • Basketball, Volleyball, • Horseshoes, Shuffle Board • Seasonal Sites Available Tennis Courts • Country Store • Family Owned & • Weekend Themes • Mini-Golf Operated & Activities • Arcade • FUN for the Whole Family!

• Playgrounds • Fishing

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Get To Know Us ... Amboy, Ill. ~ 2016-2017

18

Pankhurst Memorial Library has been updated with a ramp and elevator to make it accessible to the disabled.

Services to patrons include interlibrary loans, online e-book loans, programs and events for all ages, a copier and fax machine and a meeting room.

Pankhurst Memorial Library

Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com

Address: 3 S. Jefferson Ave. Phone: 815-857-3925 Online: amboy.lib.il.us Hours: 1 to 7 p.m.

Monday and Wednesday; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday and Saturday

There’s a lot to check out at the library

I

n 1875, a library association was formed to create a new library. It was housed in various locations until 1910, when the Amboy Women’s Club rented rooms on the second floor of the Green Building for use as a public library.

Within a year, though, the library outgrew its space, so it moved again to the Vaughan Building over Whonke’s Drug Store. To maintain the library, an annual fee of $1 was charged to each adult and 25 cents to each child patron.

By 1922, the library had 2,800 volumes.

In 1928, James W. Pankhurst, a prominent farmer in the area, donated money for a new library to serve as a lasting

memorial to himself. W.F. Remsburg was hired to build this first permanent library in Amboy.

The new library, named Pankhurst Memorial Library, was dedicated May 27, 1929, with the Women’s Club presenting all of the books from the old library to the new one.

The first borrower’s card went to Pankhurst when the library opened July 6, 1929. That day, 93 people registered for borrower’s cards and 115 books were checked out.

By the end of the library’s first fiscal year on May 9, 1930, the library had 508 registered borrowers and a collection of 2,756 volumes, including 2,061 adult

books, 695 children’s books and nine newspapers and magazines.

Today, about a third of Amboy residents have a library card, and the library has more than 23,500 volumes. The library also offers an online e-book service.

The Women’s Club now is the Amboy Civic Organization, but it continues to support the library through fundraising efforts.

Pankhurst Memorial Library has been updated with a ramp and elevator to make it accessible to the disabled.

Services to patrons include interlibrary loans, online e-book loans, programs and events for all ages, a copier and fax machine and a meeting room.​

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134 S. Mason Ave. • Amboy, IL 61310

Get To Know Us ... Amboy, Ill. ~ 2016-2017

19

Numbers to note Service providers Amboy Water Department 227 E. Main St., Amboy.........................................815-857-3814 cityofamboy.org Allied Waste 1214 S. Bataan Road, Dixon.................................815-284-2432 republicservices.com/corporate/home.aspx ComEd (electricity) 919 W. First St., Dixon...........................................800-334-7661 comed.com Comcast-XFinity (cable/Internet) 115 N. Galena Ave., Dixon.....................................800-934-6489 xfinity.com Lee County Animal Control 112 E. Second St., Dixon.............815-288-5135, 815-284-3833 Nicor (gas) 1844 Ferry Road, Naperville..................................888-642-6748 nicor.com Verizon 1684 S Galena Ave., Dixon....................................815-288-4044 verizon.com U.S. Cellular 212 Keul Road, Dixon............................................815-288-7407 uscellular.com

Government

Illinois Secretary of State (driver/vehicle services) 925 S. Peoria Ave., Dixon......................................815-288-6685 cyberdriveillinois.com Pankhurst Memorial Library 3 S. Jefferson Ave.................................................815-857-3925 amboy.lib.il.us

Health Care KSB Hospital 403 E. First St., Dixon............................................815-288-5531 ksbhospital.com Mendota Community Hospital 1401 E. 12th St., Mendota....................................815-539-7461 mendotahospital.org

Misc.

Amboy Community Building 280 W. Wasson Road...........................................815-857-2324 cityofamboy.com The Telegraph 113 S. Peoria Ave. Ste. 1, Dixon............................815-284-2222 saukvalley.com Post Office 215 E. Division St..................................................815-857-2212 usps.com

Amboy City Hall 227 E. Main St., Amboy.........................................815-857-3814 cityofamboy.com

Amboy Community Unit School District 272 11 E. Hawley St.....................................................815-857-2164 amboy.net

Lee County Clerk 112 E. Second St., Dixon......................................815-288-3309 leecountyil.com

Public Safety

Lee County Treasurer 112 E. Second St., Dixon......................................815-288-4477 leecountyil.com Lee County Chief of Assessments 112 E. Second St., Dixon......................................815-288-4483 leecountyil.com City Maintenance Building 1 Water St.............................................................815-857-2422

Amboy Police Department 227 E. Main St.......................................................815-857-3400 Fire Department and ambulance 25 N. East Ave......................................................815-857-2325 amboyfiredepartment.com Lee County Sheriff’s Department 306 S. Hennepin Ave., Dixon.................................815-284-5217

In an emergency, call 911

Bank Where Community Counts We provide customer friendly, community banking service.

Commercial Loans • Agricultural Loans • Real Estate Loans • Trust Services • Personal & Business Banking Serving the Amboy Community Since 1934

•

The First National Bank

Where you come first.

815-857-3625 AMBOY 220 E. Main Street • 301 E. Joe Drive DIXON 1314 N. Galena Avenue • 728 S. Crawford Avenue FRANKLIN GROVE 108 N. Elm St.

MOBILE BANKING • www.fnbamboy.com SM-ST5961-0915