Comments on: Reflections on Danville, Ill.

By: Tim

Tim — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 20:22:58 +0000

I left Illinois at the age of 5 I lived in Westville and attended grade school somewhere near by,my father was employed at Hysters forklift company right up until they started laying off my memories of Danville and Westville were good though there were things gong on in my family that weren’t good.
I personally survived cancer and had my surgeries there for that,when I read of the loss of manufacturing and commerce there it saddens me a grate deal there was so much hope there it seemed but there’s something missed in all of this its the human lives that were involved those factories didn’t run themselves I personally watched a grown man reduced to human rubble the innocence of those day’s provided for a false sense of safety for everyone.
I’ve have since seen the same thing replay its self here in Indian people living beyond their financial means making enough money to have gotten by if one had used common sense,I would dare say many who lost their jobs at the Hyster company not only lost their jobs but their families in divorce and would dare to say there might have been those who took their own lives.
I personally witnessed the total devastation of two families who relied on the manufacturing plants that were lost in Danville,I often times think back to those relatively simple days and wish that at the age of 42 that I could relive my time there without the final outcome that caused my family to have to leave,but at last I know I can’t I’ve not been there in at least twenty three years that I can remember.
If I could say anything is this hurt a lot of people likely more at that time than it does now today for the current residents who may or may not have recalled a better time for Danville and the surrounding areas,at any rate my thanks go out to the author of this page for bringing back some childhood memories.

By: Anita Hardesty Isaacson

Anita Hardesty Isaacson — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 01:42:48 +0000

Can you give me any history of Lynch Grade School.

By: karry beisner

karry beisner — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:44:32 +0000

I lived in Danville as I grew up too, My mother was born and raised there and her entire family lived there. I still have family there today. I have fond memories of my home town. When ever i go home now to visit family that still live there, I realize it has grown awfully big from the town I recall in my memory. I moved away from there in 1976, so I am going back aways in time.

By: pwstrain

pwstrain — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:44:26 +0000

Joe Cannon was elected to the House in 1873. The University of Illinois was founded in 1867 and opened for business in 1868.
Danville suffers from the same problems as many small midwestern towns: the loss of thousands of manufacturing jobs. You mention most, but left out the GE plant.
What happened to Danville is neither complex nor unique, but it did not begin with Uncle Joe Cannon. Let’s kill that myth once and for all. Please.

By: Karen Lyons

Karen Lyons — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 22:50:15 +0000

I actually lived in Westville, IL. which is about 5 miles south of Danville. I even went to school and graduated with Mike Shedlock ( the author of this story). Mike was a very quiet person in high school. I guess age makes us all a little more outspoken. As for the rise and/or fall of Danville…how about stop trying to place blame on good old “Uncle Joe” who was around during the Civil War, for heavens’ sake , and try to come up with a solution to improve the situation. I for one, being from Westville, could never understand why everything was built on the North side of Danville. (i.e. the mall, restaurants etc.) It took me less time to go to Champaign and go shopping (which I did) than to fight all of the the stoplights. Why not consider the outlying towns when trying to improve a “city”? Westville will always be my hometown and I have loads of good memories and good friends from both towns…but would I ever move back to either one? Not a chance in hell!

By: Bob Johnson

Bob Johnson — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:02:54 +0000

I was born in Danville, Ill back in 1948. I graduated from DHS in 1967, I lived there till I joined the USAF in Feb 1968 and went to Viet Nam in 1969-70. My enlistment was up in 1972. But I decided to stay in the USAF as there were no jobs back in Danville. Seems I remember the Danville sign saying around 52,200 one time. I retired from the USAF in 1988 and live in Sacramento CA which has a population of over 460,220. Property value here has dropped also as with everywhere. My 1600 sq feet house I bought in 1989 cost us 112,000. At one time it went up to around $450,000, now I’m not sure maybe $200,000 or less. We often think about moving somewhere cheaper when we retire in a few years. So maybe I’ll check out the housing market in Danville for a bargain. I still have friends and reletives in the area and know a few good fishing holes and hunting areas.