PEORIA MAGAZINE July 2022

C O M M U N I T Y S P O T L I G H T

PERFECTLY PRINCETON Historic preservation is front and center in a town with its eyes on the future

BY SCOTT F ISHEL PHOTOS BY RON JOHNSON

F rom the rush of transcontinen tal traffic at Main Street and Interstate 80 to the peaceful Soldiers and Sailors Memorial at the south end of Princeton’s primary thoroughfare, this town is a portrait in contrasts. Deeply rooted in the early history of Illinois, the town of 7,800 about an hour north of Peoria has parlayed its rich past into a future filled with energy and confidence. And growth. Even as BureauCounty shed residents in the past decade, the 2020 Census showed a modest uptick in Princeton, the county seat. There are few empty storefronts amid a boom in renovation and historic preservation. Even during the challenges of the last two years, Princeton hardly missed a beat.

“We didn’t lose a single business during the pandemic,” saidMayor Joel Quiram. “I was constantly impressed by the in genuity and creativity of our businesses during that very difficult time.” HISTORY RUNS DEEP Princeton’s history goes back near ly 200 years. Settlers fromNewEngland and other parts out east established an outpost called Greenfield in the early 1830s. Legend has it that the village was rechristened Princeton after the name was drawn from a hat. And yes, it is connected to an early trustee’s fond memories of his New Jersey roots. Owen Lovejoy looms large in the town’s past. The home of this well known abolitionist, politician and friend of Abraham Lincoln was a crit ical stop on the fabled Underground

Railroad. No one knows how many es caped slaves passed through Lovejoy’s home in the years before the Civil War, but the moral conviction and courage of the man himself is undisputed. The Lovejoy Homestead, located on the eastern edge of town, is a National Historic Landmark operated by the City of Princeton. The annual Home stead Festival reflects the enduring influence of this early resident. “Be Like Lovejoy,” suggests a colorful mural on a downtown building. Local historians are also quick to tell of a rousing political speech by Lincoln at Bryan Woods on July 4, 1856. A plaque marks the spot in what is now a quiet neighborhood. Meanwhile, a couple of covered bridges also beckon visitors.

14 JULY 2022 PEORIA MAGAZINE