IVCHA PURPOSE The Illinois Valley Cultural Heritage Association will preserve the past for the future of Greene, Jersey and Calhoun Counties all in the Lover Illinois River Valley.   We will save historic properties and sites, whether we hold the property ourselves, or it is owned by others.    We will be available to help others who have historic property find grants and technical assistance for  preservation and restoration.   We will educate the public at large  about our local  history (pre-historic, rural, and settlement), historical figures, and our natural resources by means of brochures, marketing techniques, newsletters, workshops,  and festivals.   We will fundraise, sell services, lease operations to local individuals and groups, and procure grants or loans to raise monies to fund our operations and programs.   We will work in committees, with both public and private organizations. We will use the skills of a wide range of professionals, community leaders and volunteers to build the protection of historic and natural resources into the planning of our tri county area’s future.       VISION STATEMENT As you drive along the Eldred - Hilliview Scenic Road this first decade of the new millennium you experience a rare opportunity to visualize the pristine natural beauty of the early nineteenth century, agricultural farming of the river delta, the architectural significance of the early English settlers in their hi-style limestone homesteads, as well as the original beauty of the native prairie grasses that roll gently up into the limestone bluffs along the river valley.   This James J. Eldred House Information/Welcome Center,  will bring tourist into the Tri-County area off Corridor 67 and up the Illinois River Road from the Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway and facilitate over night stays at local hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts and generate sales at local restaurants and service stations.   The Lower Illinois Valley today remains pristine and natural. The information/welcome Center will discuss how the valley was formed and who has lived here. It will educate the public about what a wonderful, beautiful, fruitful and abundant life exists here today, the same as it has for thousands of years. With the restoration and preservation the James J. Eldred House, visitors to the Illinois River Valley will share a place dedicated to remembering the many people who have called this place home. A private residence built in high style will be a public focal point for remembering an ancient past, comptiplating a historic settlement and farm, and considering the value of preserving an important part of the region’s architectural, archaeological, and cultural heritage.

Links: Landmarks Illinois | Greene County Economic Development Group | Western Illinois Tourism | Greene County Illinois | Illinois Tourism