Ed Baumgarten Photography

We’re……… Exploring Illinois !

edbaumgarten — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 01:23:51 +0000

If you’ve landed here, you’ve landed at our old photo blog. I invite you to take a stroll over to exploringillinois.com and see what we’ve been up to.

We’re on a mission to bring you information about the people, places and things that we think make downstate Illinois such a great place to live and visit.

ExploringIllinois.com

and of course, if you’re looking for our photography portal, its at:

edbaumgarten.com

We’ll not be updating this site anymore, so be sure to update your bookmarks!

The CH Moore Homestead in Clinton, IL

edbaumgarten — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 02:15:28 +0000

The C.H. Moore Homestead

Right along Rt-51 on the north side of Clinton is a wonderfully preserved piece of Illinois history, with ties to President Lincoln. Completed in 1867 as the private residence of John Bishop, a local lumber merchant, the homestead was sold to C.H. Moore in 1880 after the death of the Bishop’s youngest daughter.

Mr. Moore

Mr. Moore was a lawyer and land purveyor and made the acquaintance of another young lawyer named Abraham Lincoln. The two became friends, assisting each other on some cases, and opposing on others….remaining friends throughout. Mr. Moore developed the estate in Clinton throughout the years, including an extensive library in an addition on the west side of the mansion.

The Library

This library was, at the time, one of the most extensive private libraries outside of Chicago (and is still quite impressive!). The manor house itself serves as the Dewitt County Museum and maintains a wonderful museum of late 19th and early 20th century life. The many rooms are full of furniture and decoration appropriate for the era. The entry way is graced by a wonderful winding staircase and very ornate carpet and wallpaper. The Moore’s original square Steinway grand piano and a full size harp are the center pieces of the music room.

The Music Room

Upstairs are the bedrooms, including the masters, and also the children’s room. The children’s room contains a wonderful, authentic childs four post bed, and is overseen by a pastel portrait of the Butler families only child who was lost at the age of two, Mary Elizabeth. Among the several rooms in on the ground level are the dining, parlor, music, kitchen and what is obviously the showpiece room of the house, the library. This two story room contains very unique rotary bookcases in two corners, with glass fronted barrister-like bookcases along the opposite wall. The upper gallery is also lined with bookcases and an iron railing lines the portal ceiling between the two stories. The library also contains many items one might find in a well appointed Victorian library, including an Edison cylinder phonograph and a wonderful, nautical themed kaleidoscope. Mr. Moore’s original hand made secretary desk anchors the room, with a pair of glasses sitting on the desktop, as if awaiting the masters return.
The basement of the manor, which reveals the houses natural brick walls, has been set up display case style and features a very complete collection of World War One weaponry and Indian artifacts. A central wall displays antique photos of the mansion through the years, as well as local landmarks. There’s also a room depicting life in an early log cabin and another with revolving collections, containing antique tin-toys and pedal cars on our visit.
Stepping outside, one is treated to various views of the manor house, which is of the Second Empire style of architecture with Italianate ques. The mansard roof is replete with curved top dormers and all of the corbels and brackets that make this style of architecture so beautiful are intact and in good order on this very well appointed house. The front area of the grounds are flanked by a wonderful cast ironwork fence and gardens. The carriage house stands just across the way from the manor house and contains several antique carriages, displayed in a warm rustic setting.
Many festivals and events are held on the grounds, with the Pork and Apple festival (September 25-26 this year) being the highlight. Visit the C.H. Moore Homesteads website for hours and more information. The homestead was placed on the National Register in 1978.
Located in view of Rt-51 between Decatur and Bloomington, this wonderful and well maintained site is a jewel in the city of Clinton, and a wonderful location to enjoy some history, and view the ornate wonders of Victorian life in early Central Illinois.

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-Ed Baumgarten

Treasure in Litchfield….

edbaumgarten — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 02:21:56 +0000

On old Route 66 in Litchfield Illinois is a treasure. Thousands have found it, from those around the block to those half a world away. The Ariston Cafe has stood at it’s present location since 1935. It’s believed to be one of, if not THE, oldest cafe on historic Route 66. Pete Adam founded the restaurant. In 1966 his son Nick and family took over, and in 2004, Nicks son Paul joined the team. Three generations of the Adam’s have cherished and cared for this classic piece of American Heritage…and it shows.
The exterior of the building, with it’s multicolored, round topped brick facade has been a welcoming site for travelers for decades longing for a hot meal and a chance to climb out from behind the wheel and into a booth for some classic dining.
Stepping through the front door is a step back into time. The classic wooden booths with their attached coat hangers and polished finish will instantly transport you to simpler times, and you can almost see the fedoras that would most certainly have found a temporary perch there. A counter replete with bar stools awaits those who wish a quick bite. Near the door is an original menu from 1938 that was presented to owner Nick by loyal local patron. Imagine a Porterhouse steak for 85 cents in today’s world!
The menu at the Ariston promises something for everyone from steaks and seafood to patty melts and reubens (visit their website for a great Baklava recipe).
Take the drive to Litchfield and stop off at the Ariston Cafe for some classic dining at a classic American cafe!

A classic theater in the heart of Illinois…..

edbaumgarten — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 17:44:23 +0000

The Orpheum theater in Hillsboro stands as a monument to the the glory days of movie theaters, where the ‘silver screen’ brought the rest of the world to small towns. This classic 19th century building has all the art deco ornamentation that made these movie houses the jewel of any town on a Saturday night.

1920

Originally opening in 1920 the theater boasted some 780 seats in the ‘modern and attractive’ building for patrons. Over the years the theater changed owners through ups and downs, and luckily, was kept in good condition. The current owners took over in 2003, moving to Hillsboro from Iowa where they ran several theaters. Since taking over the Orpheum in Hillsboro, the Eisentraut Family has opened several other theaters in surrounding towns. Their secret…..being the best movie deal in Illinois. Just $6.00 gets you a ticket, a tub of popcorn and a drink…..$6.00…..!! Not quite 1920′s prices, but darn close. With today’s ever escalating prices this family has taken a stand to provide good quality entrainment at a price everyone can afford. The building itself is a wonderful example of 20′s Art Deco and maintains it’s original facade.

Orpheus

The sign above the marque proudly displays the name of the theater and above that, the original stone work carving of Orpheus, the Greek entertainer who wooed the gods, and the theater’s name sake, beckons all to come and be entertained. The original viewing room has since been divided in height to allow for two theaters in the same building, over and under. From the upper theater the original tin ceiling and ornate cornices can be seen. What wonderful ornamentation these buildings had!

The ornate upper level theater

In these days of high prices and multiplexes it’s great to see small town values can survive, and thrive, in the theater business…..and at the Orpheum the show goes on….

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-Ed Baumgarten

River Crossing….

edbaumgarten — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 01:33:01 +0000

Cooler weather means more movement in the deer population. In the last month or so with the high temps we’ve had in the midwest I’ve hardly seen a whitetail anywhere. Maybe a set of ears sticking out of the bush very early in the morning, but they’ve been lying down alot.
Something told me to make a right turn on a road I don’t travel much anymore. I’d shot a couple of the tell tale orange colors in a field a few miles before the river, but zooming in on the lcd on the camera realized it was just some random stalks of corn, yellowed by the heat.
I’ve traveled the area long enough to know what spots I should approach slowly and quietly, and always at a river crossing. Such a find today! Standing 50 yds from me as I nosed around the brush was this girl. She was of course looking right at me, you can’t fool ears like that. She didn’t flinch, as I fired off 20 or 30 frames with the D3s. I took a glance down in the viewfinder at my settings and realized that I was shooting manual with auto ISO, 1/500th and to my horror f2.8. I had shot some plant life earlier in the day with a narrow depth of field and forgot to roll back to 5.6 or 7, my default ‘be ready’ scenario. I was shooting through the 70-200mm vr2 at 200mm however, and had locked a focus point right on the old girl, so no worries, she was in focus just fine. As I had stopped shooting and took my eyes off of her for a second, she decided to bolt (I probably flinched a bit) and headed up the muddy bank. I was about to shift hand position to roll the aperture up to 5.6 when a splash caught my eye and I pulled the barrel back hard on the scene with the trigger button down, just in time to catch a large fawn as she bounded across the river to follow her mom. I got some blur in the first shot of her jumping in the water (which would have been the best shot of the series) but mangaged to grab a couple frames of her as she approached the right bank, before scurrying up into the brush.
All in all, the shot at the top of this post ended up being my favorite of the day and I’ve already prepped it and put it on the Smugmug site for print orders.

Moral of the story….if something tells you to change your route, and take a right turn where you rarely do….listen! God has a way of pointing US in the right direction, YOU have got to point the camera in the right direction…….

The fawn that followed

Lady in a white fur coat…..

edbaumgarten — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 00:22:26 +0000

Caught this lady in a white fur coat hanging out on a black door about noon the other day. I think it’s a Packard’s White Flannel Moth, but I’m no entomologist so I could certainly be wrong. She was dug in pretty tight, and had her eyes hidden from the harsh mid day sun. She was about 1/2″ long. Was going to go in the door and saw her so doubled back to my kit and threw on my trusty old 105 AIS f/4 micro with PN-11 extension tube (for the non-photographer crowd, that’s a lense to shoot close ups or macro) and an SB-800 so I could shoot f32. The old 105 that I use has been around forever, and it looks like it….but crystal clear and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

My trusty (very) old 105mm f/4 with PN-11

Lovely creature, and upon closer examination, she appears to have toes ; )

The Covered Bridge at Sugar Creek

edbaumgarten — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 17:46:22 +0000

Spanning Sugar Creek, just west of Glenarm, IL is the Sugar Creek Covered Bridge. Also known as the Glenarm, or Hedley bridge, this 60 foot span is listed on the National register of historic places and is one of 5 remaining 19th century covered bridges in Illinois. Rehabilitated by IDOT in 1965 to keep it intact, this wonderful old structure was placed on a modern under-deck and embankments to keep it preserved for many years to come. The historical society of Sangamon County established ‘Pioneer Park’ adjacent to the bridge in honor of Robert Pullian, who settled there around 1817. The original bridge was constructed around 1880 using the Burr Arch design and served as a passage across Sugar Creek for what must of been countless settlers, livestock and traders for many, many years. This site is wonderfully kept and is just a mile or so off of historic Route 66. For a nice diversion when traveling the ‘Mother Road’ or heading down I-55, exit at Glenarm (Exit 83) and take the frontage road up through and past Glenarm and follow the signs. It’s beautiful country and just a short hop off the main road. A hint…the last turn isn’t marked….turn right….happy motoring!

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-Ed Baumgarten

The original Stone Arch Bridge

edbaumgarten — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 01:22:21 +0000

Just to the west of Marshall, hidden away under modern day Rt-40, is one of the few remaining, original stone arch bridges used by the National Historic Road. This piece of early American transportation history is hard to see when traveling through the area, because you drive right over the top of it. There is a historical marker sign right next to the guard rail on the bridge with an arrow pointing to a turn off where one can view the arch. Being of the non-mortar, stacked stone construction typical of the day, the entire arch is still supported by the ‘keystone’ placed at the center when it was constructed in 1834. In fact, this bridge could be the oldest remaining bridge in Illinois. The next time you’re in the Marshall area, take a little detour, stop, walk over to and put your hands on what was surely a road traveled by most every early visitor to Illinois…….

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-Ed Baumgarten

The Keystone holding history together

A covered bridge on the National Historic Road….

edbaumgarten — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:49:31 +0000

The Jackson Covered Bridge near Greenup

Just west of the little town of Greenup on the Cumberland National Road a little bit of history has been recreated.

177 years after the original Jackson Covered Bridge was constructed, a recreation of that bridge was commemorated over the Embarass River (pronounced Em-ba-raa).

The recreation was designed to carry modern day vehicle loads, including semi-trucks, this 200 foot single span structure is reported to be the longest covered timber bridge in the US without posted restrictions.

The old bridge, according to local folk lore, was constructed by a group of people which included a young Abraham Lincoln, his father and a cousin. In 1995 a group of people started discussions on a replacement for the old bridge which had fallen into disrepair and in 1996 a flood
all but finished the structure off.
Costing 2.8 million dollars to construct and funded by Federal and State funds, the old structure was demolished and removed in November of 1998 and in spring of 2001, the new bridge was commemorated.
A patent from the original bridge truss aided in the design of the new bridge. Walking inside the bridge one is astounded by the size of the large timbers and the visible construction techniques used.

The new bridge has a story board and observation deck on the west bank and is open to both vehicle and foot traffic.

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-Ed Baumgarten

Frowning Cows…….

edbaumgarten — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:42:07 +0000

First time I’ve ever shot a cow and had one ‘frown’ at me.
If you’ve never taken a shot of a cow, give it a try. They’re in general docile critters and curious and if they hear you clicking away, they’ll turn and look right at the camera….and evidently, if you catch one on a bad day, they’ll frown at yea……!