Well I was born in a small town...

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On November 3 my around the world trip came to a finish. After 292 days, 27 flights, 20 World Heritage Sites, 12 countries (14 if you count Hong Kong and Macau), 35 tigers, 5 pairs of sunglasses, and too many bowls of rice to count, I was back where I started; my hometown of Marine in Illinois. I've regaled my mates back in London with many stories of my hometown over the years, so I thought it would be fitting to write an entry about it when I returned. Having thoroughly procrastinated, I figured the time was right. Melloncamp can sum up life in small Midwestern town in a song, but I'll try and shed some light on one town in particular.

The first thing that might strike you as quite odd about Marine is its name. Why does a town in almost the exact middle of America have a name relating to water? I had always heard as a kid that it related to how the prairie grass looked in the wind. The panorama that greeted the first settlers provoked such a remark as "Imagine seeing the great Western Country tall grasses moving in the wind like waves of the ocean." However, after doing some research, I have discovered that this is not the case. Major Isaac H. Ferguson was the first settler in the area that is now called Marine township. At the time it was just known as Ferguson settlement. A new influx of former sea captains and sailors arrived to farm the land and make the township their home. Thus the township of Marine was named after the character of the settlers' former occupation. Captain Curtis Blakeman was one of the first such men. He was born in 1777 in Sheffield, England and made Marine his home 40 years later. He just might be the first Brit to ever come to Marine. And I thought Def Leppard was the only good thing to ever come out of Sheffield. I like to think the name of our town is much more original than our rival neighboring town that sits atop a higher elevation than us. Its name is Highland.

Subsequent migration in the 1800s and early 1900s would see large influxes of Germanic people who left their homeland and families, braved the rough currents of the Atlantic, and made their way west in horse-drawn wagons only to declare "this is far enough!" when they got to the Midwest. My great grandpa Pohl was one of those who made his way here from Austria (now Czech Republic) to settle down and start his entrepreneurial career as a blacksmith.

Marine is a small village with just a little more than 900 people making up its population. I occasionally run around my hometown (literally) and its circumference almost amounts to 2.5 miles. It is situated in southern Illinois about a 30 minute drive to St. Louis and a 5 hour drive to Chicago. The town is an island amongst a sea of cornfields. Unbelievably, Google has mapped out the street view of Highway 143 that divides Marine between north and south. Ironically enough, the highway that divides the town is renamed "Division Street" as soon as you enter the village.

If you go to the google link, it takes you to the financial and commercial epicenter of Marine. Us locals affectionately refer to it as "The four-way stop." This is where Division intersects with Duncan and our most serious traffic bottleneck occurs. At times, I've witnessed nearly four cars approaching the intersection at once! There hasn't been any talk of congestion charging just quite yet, but it got to be so serious, that about 10 years ago they installed a flashing red light to complement the 4 stop signs already in place. If you look for it in the air on the Google street view, you can actually see it hanging there.

On the Northwest corner of the four-way stop sits "Bradford National Bank." This institution holds the distinction of being the only bank in Marine, even though our economy has supported multiple banks in the past. It may not be big, but it must be clever because it is still in business while all those fancy Wall Street banks have gone bust. Years before the bank came into being though, this building had a close association with my family. My great grandpa built it to become home to the "Joseph Pohl and Sons" Garage. Although the garage serviced and sold cars, it was more well known for its service and sales of Case farm machinery. Three generations of Pohls worked here and if you head inside the bank you can see old photos on the wall of how the garage used to look. It was such a cornerstone of the town, that this main intersection used to be referred to as "Pohl's Corner" by all the locals.

To the north of the bank is an antique car dealership. Prior to housing antique cars, this building served as the town's firehouse. The old siren tower still stands behind it although it isn't used anymore. I can remember hearing it everyday at noon when I was a kid from the school playground. My great grandpa donated the land from his garage so that the building could be built. My grandpa, also named Joseph, went on to serve as the fire chief for Marine's fire department (fire brigade for you Brits) for approximately 20 years. Marine still operates a volunteer fire department made up of always on call town citizens whose only compensation is the satisfaction that comes from helping out those in need. The new firehouse sits a few block away where the old grain mill used to stand. It is significantly bigger, but regretfully still lacks a fireman's pole to slide down.

The southwest corner of the four-way stop is home to the "Stop-n-Go" mini mart, which is our only corner shop left in the town. When I was a kid, Marine used to have a few older general stores such as B&G and Vi & Jim's, but they have all gone away with only the Stop-n-Go left standing. You can find all the basics inside, including Ski soda. It's a southern Illinois original, being manufactured in the nearby town of Breeze. A refreshing blend of orange and lemon citrus flavors that isn't as sweet as Mountain Dew and leaves the taste buds with a bit of a bite in the aftertaste. You can only buy it in a few counties in Illinois, so you'll have to come over here to taste one. It even got a mention in some famous country singer's lyrics, although I can't remember which one.

A trailer manufacturer resides in the southeast corner of the four-way stop. I don't know exactly what these guys make. When I was growing up, this used to be the home of Schantz and Sons Trailer Manufacturer. They specialize in custom concessions trailers that you find at outdoor festivals and they patented an ingenious suspension that lowers once the trailer is parked. This allows the serving counter to be closer to the ground and to the customer. It has been so successful, that they moved to Highland to build a larger facility.

If you move south from the four-way stop, you will quickly leave town and after passing about a mile's worth of cornfields, you will come to the Marine Cemetary. This location is home to the original Ferguson's Settlement; and the last destination for many of the town's residents. North of the four-way stop is Duncan street. This street serves as what you might call the High Street in Britain.

As you continue north from the four-way stop, a mixture of houses and businesses flank either side of Duncan street. In the early 1900's there would have been a bustle of activity amongst all of the shop fronts. The advent of cars and mega-store retailing has since brought our neighboring towns closer together and made things too competitive for local shop owners. In the early days of Marine, it could take 4 - 5 days just to make the trip to St. Louis over primitive roads with horses and wagons. Now the journey can be made in 30 minutes. There are more houses than shops along main street now, but some of the older structures still remain. Two business which have stood the test of time are the taverns. I'm sure in England a town of Marine's size might have 10 pubs, but here we make do with only 2. By comparison there are 3 churches in town.

On the last Friday and Saturday of every June, this stretch of road becomes the focal point for the entire town. This is where the annual Marine Homecoming Parade makes its way. Every town in the area has its own Homecoming festival and parade, but they are scheduled so that each town gets an exclusive weekend to host. As a kid, the homecoming could only be rivaled by Christmas and Halloween as the most exciting time of the year.

Before the parade begins, each side of the street is usually packed with people. The adults have wisely brought their folding lawn chairs to enjoy the show while all the children stand at the curb ready to grab any and all candy that is thrown their way. The parade usually finishes just as the sun begins to set and even if you've found a spot to sit in the shade, you can't dodge the humidity. Every parade is led off by the fire department's trucks with their lights and sirens blazing. Marching bands, cheerleaders, classic cars, antique tractors, floats, politicians and clowns all follow in pristine formation. The Shriners are usually the crowd favorite. The Shriners are a fraternal group who wear aviator sunglasses and red fez hats with a black tassel. They drive either tiny motorcycles or tiny go-carts in figure eight and attack formations. Their work is more serious than their appearance. The Shriners are responsible for special hospitals throughout the country which treat children at no cost to the parents. The homecomings are a good way for them to get out and solicit for donations, and have fun doing it.

As the parade makes its way up main street, it passes the village park on the East side. For most of the year this is a tranquil place. A small bandstand cements itself in the center of the park amongst a spattering of trees. During the homecoming, the leaves will be green, but as summer gives way to Autumn, the leaves will change color to a beautiful mix of brown and yellow before finally shedding themselves to the ground. In December, the trees will be draped with lights in preparation for Santa's arrival (on top of a fire engine) where he will hear the Christmas wishes of all the town's children.

During the Homecoming, the park is filled with carnival games and rides. The homecoming wouldn't be complete without some fried jack salmon and a funnel cake. The beer tent is usually pretty popular as this marks one of the few times when Americans are actually allowed to drink alcohol in a public park. The biggest tent is always the bingo tent, where $.25 can buy you a chance to play one card per round. The rear of the park plays host to antique tractors that have been rebuilt and polished up by local farmers and collectors.

The Village Park and the Main Street which it resides next to, constitute the majority of the main sites within Marine. On the Western edge of town sits Marine Grade School. This is where I went to school from Kindergarten up until 8th grade. After that, I went to Triad High School which is nearly 10 miles away and itself surrounded by cornfields. The name does not have anything to do with the infamous Chinese gang, but rather represents the fact that there are three towns in the school district which send their students there. In keeping with American custom, each school has its own mascot. The Marine Hornets and the Triad Knights. Since I graduated, a new high school has been built, and the building that I attended has been converted into a middle school (grades 6, 7, and 8). In keeping with the Triad Knights theme, their mascot name is The Crusaders. I somehow doubt you could have such a mascot in an East London school.

The other streets of Marine are lined with people's houses. One thing that makes Marine unique is the people and the close knit feel of the community. Houses have green grass between them and although boundary lines do exist, you will rarely find fences constructed to define them. As I run around town I can be assured that I will be greeted with a friendly wave from whoever I pass, whether they know me or not. I remember initiating such a wave to a stranger in Regents Park once as I was running through, only to be met with a blank stare. Although I haven't resided in Marine much for the past 12 years, I can still walk into the bank and be recognized. There is no need for two forms of ID here and service is always with a smile.

As you walk through Marine, or any other small town in America, you will notice the American flag flying proudly over every public institution as well as many family homes. Although the sight of a national flag flying in the UK or Europe might provoke antipathy (unless it is during the World Cup); in America it is the strongest symbol of patriotism that unites everyone from small towns to big cities. Although Europe's love affair with nationalism has long since waned, it is still one of America's greatest strengths. When harnessed for a positive purpose it can fill you with pride. Patriotism is a double-edged sword though that can all too easily be hijacked for ulterior motives. When I was standing on top of Tiananmen Gate and witnessed the pomp and circumstance that surrounded the daily raising of the Chinese flag or the videos of military parades that marched in front of where I stood, I finally understood the true and only difference between Patriotism and Propaganda. Patriotism is when it is about your own country, and Propaganda is when it is about the other guy's country.

Traveling to different countries far on the other side of the globe was both fun and enlightening. As is the case in most places, the things you see are only surpassed by the people you meet. My trip had a healthy mix of well trodden tourist trails mixed with virgin experiences on paths less traveled. It would have been a privilege to travel to just one of these countries and it was even more humbling to have gone to all the places that I did. The world is getting smaller and the opportunities to go and see are far greater for my generation than for any past. It is a shame to think that more Americans do not take the opportunity to go and see the world with their own two eyes. Reading about it can never do the justice that seeing and experiencing it firsthand does. Although the opportunities are ever-expanding for westerners, the same can not always be said for the people of the countries I visited. Many of them will never have the ability or means necessary to leave their home country nor to even be a tourist within it. More than once from many a nationality, I have been told "You are very lucky." It is very humbling.

I arrived home just in time to participate in the presidential election of 2008. In a break from previous elections, this one was decided early in the evening of election night. It was a historic night and after traveling through Southeast Asia, it was a promising reminder of the power of democracy and its triumph over corruption. The triumph was short lived though as my state's Governor was arrested the following month by federal prosecutors for trying to auction off the senate seat held by Barack Obama as he prepared to leave it and assume the responsibility of President of the United States. I'd like to think that this is an anomaly, but not for the great State of Illinois. Should the current Governor be put in jail, he will be in good company. The previous Governor of Illinois is currently serving out his term in a federal prison for corruption as well. The act of corruption seems to be one of the few issues that receive bi-partisan support in Illinois as the previous Governor is a Republican and the current one is a Democrat. I guess the politics of Thailand and Illinois have more in common than I previously thought. One of the main things that I observed by traveling around the world, is that when you get down to it, things are more the same the world over than you might first imagine.

As they say in Thailand; "Same Same, but Different."

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Photos

Front Street in Fall
Here is a shot looking down my front street. That's my house on the left behind the french inspired street lamp.

Mason
Even Marine has a local chapter of the Masons. Just like the one in London, this building mysteriously has few windows.

Post Office
Marine is big enough to have their own postcode! Eat your heart out 90210

Village Park
I was able to capture the park just as the leaves were changing. This is where the Homecoming festival is held every June.

America Votes
This is me just after casting my ballot for President of the United States at our polling station in the Senior Citizens center.

Skyscraper
This is the tallest structure in Marine. The water tower provides water pressure for everyone in the town as well as proudly advertising our name to everyone for miles and miles.

British Phone Booth
I found this leaning up against a building in Marine. I didn't know that BT had service all the way out here.

All Guns Blazing
Nothing completes a small mid-western town park like a piece of retired military equipment.

The Pub
There is another pub just down the street that has changed hands more than a few times, but this one has been a fixture in Marine for as long as I can remember.

Classic Cars
This used to be the old firehouse, now it is Tire Kicker, a classic car dealership.

Stop-n-Go
The corner shop in Marine. Stop in here for a Ski soda.

Pohl's Corner
The only bank in Marine seems to have avoided the credit crunch. This building used to be "Joseph Pohl & Sons Garage" for 3 generations of Pohls.

UCC Church
This is the biggest of Marine's 3 churches and interestingly enough, the first and one of only two buildings in Marine with a lift.

New Firehouse
On this site used to sit the old mill. Now it is the new fire house for the Marine Fire Brigade.

Fireman's Park
This park was added to the town when I was a kid. It's got a few baseball diamonds and horseshoe pits.

Catholic Church
This church has been standing in Marine since the mid 19th century.

Christmas in the Park
Here is the village park lit up at night.

Comments

[James Riley Ferguson II]

Beautiful town!
As I am a desendant of Isaac Ferguson, I can understand why they chose to live there.