#102: Alton City Hall

Alton is one of three Illinois cities that got five cakes (the others being East St. Louis and Belleville). Actually, six if you count the Piasa Bird, which is located just a few miles outside the city. A lot of people questioned why one at Alton City Hall. I don't know the answer, but I do believe it was a way to represent the strong connection between St. Louis and the town known as 'the riverbend', Alton.

 

I may as well share what I know about Alton, Illinois. Where to start? Alton has so much rich history, and I would hate to leave out so much. A man named Rufus Easton started the city in 1818 (same year Illinois was admitted into the union). At one time (50 years ago) Alton was the largest city in Madison County, but unfortunately it has lost many residents each decade since the 1960s. But locals still are proud to show what the city has to offer. Besides the Piasa Bird, one of the earliest stories of Alton was the possible early site of the American Civil War. Illinois was a free state and Missouri was still a slave state in the 1830s, and many believed it was an independent journalist and publisher, Elijah Lovejoy, who sparked the whole thing. Lovejoy printed out several papers and pamphlets about anti-slavery, which angered and alienated several people. His printing presses were destroyed and thrown in the river, and he was shot by a pro-slavery mob while trying to defend his newer printing press. The Lovejoy Monument in Alton was in honor of him, and his philosophy on free speech and speaking out is always reminded on the front page of the Alton Telegraph (its newspaper).

 

Alton is also one of the Top 10 haunted towns in America, as noted by paranormal enthusiasts. I have heard several stories about personal experiences with ghosts. Not just from my peers, but from interviews I have done with people as well as several books that point out Alton's creepiest places. Several old buildings in downtown Alton have claimed ghost sightings. The Meridian Coffeehouse and the McPike Mansion are known to be the two most haunted places in Alton. Cemetaries including the Lovejoy and Confederate, are also noted to be very haunted.


Throughout the 20th century to today, Alton has been a manufacturing city and working-class place. In 1954, Alton was one of three cities selected for the site of the United States Air Force. A little town called Colorado Springs got it instead, and the town grew to become Colorado's 2nd largest city. Just think what would have happened if they put it in Alton?! Alton has also seen its struggles, including the Great Flood of '93.

 

Famous 'Altonites' (I call them that!) include:

• Robert Wadlow - the world's tallest person
• Miles Davis - the 'king of cool' jazz music; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer (there is a statue of him that will be placed in Alton in the future)
• Phyllis Schlafly - conservative activist and writer
• James Earl Ray - assassin of Dr. Martin Luther King
• Bonnie Bramlett - rocker who sang with the Ikettes and Delaney & Bonnie, later played Roseanne's friend Bonnie on TV's Roseanne

 

Alton City Hall

Behind the grand ol' fountain across from Alton City Hall. Look closely and you'll get a nice view of the Clark Bridge (which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year) and the Mississippi River

The welcoming staircase inside Alton City Hall

And the cake:

Left side of the cake

Right side of the cake

NOTE: This cake has since been removed to the outside of the building, possibly due to cake-hunters' complaints about the limited hours the City Hall is open.

 

City of Alton Official website

 

101 E. 3rd St., ALTON, IL, 62002
Cake artist: Screwed Artist Collective

#60: Robert Wadlow Statue

The tallest man in recorded history is honored here in Alton, Illinois. Despite of his short life, the man has brought a great legacy, not just to his hometown but Madison County and Illinois. To this day, the Guinness Book of World Records lists him as the 'World's Tallest Person'. When I was a student at LeClaire School in Edwardsville, we learned a lot about Madison County, as well as Wadlow. A distant relative of mine, Steve 'Pete' Vazzi (now in his 90s), recalled that he saw Wadlow sitting in his chair at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield. Sufjan Stevens sang about him, a golf course in Alton is named for him, and there are many statues of him (one in Copenhagen). Greg Maddux once told Guinness that he did a report on him in school. 

 

• Known as 'Alton's Gentle Giant'
• Born and lived most of his life in Alton in 1918; died in 1940 in Manistee, Michigan.
• He was a traveling celebrity in the 1930s, as part of the Ringling Brothers Circus act, and he made several appearances at festivals around the country.
• His growth was caused by hyperplasia of his pituitary gland, which resulted in an abnormally high level of growth hormone.
• Wadlow passed away at age 22 of a foot infection, which was caused by an ill-fitting leg brace he wore on tours. 
• When he was in 1st grade, his height was 5'7". He was still growing up until his death.

 

Robert Wadlow statue



Top of the cake



Back side of the cake



A close-up of the Robert Wadlow statue



A replica of Robert Wadlow's chair

 

 

 

 

Robert Wadlow Statue on FB
Robert Wadlow Wikipedia link

 

2809 College Avenue, ALTON, IL, 62002
Cake artist: Screwed Arts Collective

#59: National Great Rivers Museum

Everything you want to know about the Mississippi River is right here at the National Great Rivers Museum, just outside Alton, Illinois. It is joined with the Melvin Price Locks & Dam, one of 29 locks and dams north of the Mississippi. The museum is packed with a storied history, told through many interactive features and exhibits. It even has a diorama-like model of a map of the Mississippi River and part of the St. Louis area, with a small fountain! Usually serves as a self-guided tour, but there are tours with guides that take you around the museum as well as the Melvin Price Locks & Dam. These tours are three times a day. The museum also hosts special events, for holidays and those with environmental themes. Sure to bring a full learning experience!

Here's a look inside the museum, where you'll learn the history of the Mississippi River and its surroundings:

Here are the fascinating cake sides, which give a history of St. Louis:

Right side of the cake

Back side of the cake

Left side of the cake

Great Rivers Museum on FB
Meeting of the Rivers Foundation Official website

2 Lock and Dam Way, ALTON, IL, 62002
Cake artist: Danielle Correll

#18: Alton Visitors Center

There really isn't much to say about this one, except that its the Alton Visitor Center....

In one of the closest locations two different cakes are right by each other, this one is literally across the highway from the Lincoln-Douglas Square. In a diagonal way, of course. Of course, that involves crossing the dangerous intersection, but if you do it with care you'll be fine.

The cake:

Right side of the cake

Back side of the cake

Top of the cake

Left side of the cake

And here's my shot of two cakes in one photo (one of VERY few places that can happen):

I assure you if you zoom in very well, you can see the Alton Visitors Center cake!

Visitalton.com

200 Piasa St., ALTON, IL, 62002
Cake artist: Renee Bearden-Williams

#17: Lincoln-Douglas Square

As seen on the side of the road as you're driving into downtown Alton, you'll likely see statues of two men. Those people are Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. This was the site of the famous debate that took place on October 15, 1858. It was the seventh and final debate between the two men. Stephen Douglas was an incumbent Democrat who believed in state's rights, while a then-unknown Abraham Lincoln (a Whig-turned-Republican) argued that the United States can no longer survive on both slavery and free states.

More than 5,000 people showed up for this event at the time. Lincoln lost to Douglas in the Senate race that year. He would eventually beat Douglas for the 1860 Presidency. Hopefully, you know what happened as a result of Lincoln's win.

The statues as well as the .25-acre square serve as a tribute to the famous debate which got nation-wide attention. It is free all year round, and anyone is invited to visit any time. Usually on the Friday before Thanksgiving in November, there is a lighting for the Christmas tree which sits along the square.

The cake:

Located at the corner of Piasa and Broadway Streets, ALTON, IL, 62002
Cake artist: Genevieve Esson

UPDATE (9/4/2016): The cake is now on private property.

#16: Piasa Bird

There are many legends behind this thing. I've been familiar with the Piasa Bird ever since my elementary school days. The most popular version of the legend goes like this: the first non-Indian to see it was Frenchman Father Jacques Marquette, which happened in 1673. At first he and his followers were scared of it (it was believed that the bird was there to scare non-tribespeople), but later were curious of the uniqueness of the painting. He would write about it in his journal or diary, and even draw what he saw.

The Piasa Bird

It would not be called the 'Piasa bird' until 1836, by a professor named John Russell. The name 'Piasa' is believed to have been from the word 'Piasua', which translates to 'the bird that devours men' or 'bird of the evil spirit'. However, these claims have been false according to historians. Another theory is that the bird has been repainted several times during the long period from 1673 to 1836. From 1836 on, it has been restored many times. Some time within 10-20 years ago, the Piasa Bird painting was taken down because it was blamed on traffic accidents on the Great River Road (Illinois Hwy 100) as people stopped in the middle of the road to glance at it.

There is even a legend about there being an actual 'Piasa bird' that killed Native Americans 500 years ago.

Wikipedia link
Page from Alton's website

Illinois State Route 100 (Great River Road), ALTON, IL, 62002
Cake artist: Jennifer Hayes (she also decorated the Famous Footwear/Brown Shoe Co. cake)

UPDATE (9/4/2016): The cake was removed in early 2015, and it was one of 3 cakes donated to the Friends of Haskell House in Alton. It was re-painted into a chalkboard-like cake, so kids can draw on it. It is not publicly displayed, with the exception of private and public Haskell House events.