Ready or not, here I come – broken legs and all. It was Sunday July 19, 2015 and I was headed back to Iowa; this time in the family’s Dodge Avenger with my photographer and his wife Vicki. Tom was still armed with his wife’s small digital Nikon, but for the first time he was packing some larger firearms as well – his brand-new Nikon 7100 DLSR. That camera would come in handy on the third and fourth days of the trip when he planned on shooting the high school senior pictures of Tracy Habel’s twin daughters, Megan and Madison, in Dyersville, Iowa.
After leaving home at 4:00am, we arrived at our first scheduled destination at 10:45am – it was the Antique Archaeology store in LeClaire, Iowa; a place that was made famous on the History Channel’s ‘American Pickers’ show. Once we had walked onto the property, which was only a block or so from the Mississippi River, we immediately saw the antique that was the centerpiece of the show – the 1950 Nash Statesman Super automobile. The silver and rust colored vehicle was implanted into the stone and rocks that decorate the front of the two stores; the original gray building that looked like an old garage and the newer brick building that was constructed when the show became popular and became a tourist mecca. My photographer carried me around in the camera case just in case we ran into anything of Presidential significance. Tom also carried an old Prince Albert tobacco can that was sent with him from Marine City, Michigan. His mother and stepfather Marge and Jim Owens, who were huge fans of the show, wanted to donate that old can to Mike and Frank. They were also hoping that Danielle Colby (aka Dannie D) would be at the store to accept it.
We spent some time walking around inside both buildings and saw some cool things that Mike Wolfe had “picked” over the years. But most of the items that were affordable were the souvenirs that came from China; and since I had come from China, those items made me a tad homesick! The biggest disappointment came when we heard that Mike and Frank Fritz, as well as Danielle Colby, rarely come to the store anymore due to the popularity of the show. The trio make an appearance maybe once a month for filming; then they hit the road again – at least that was what we were told by the workers there. Once we had been there for an hour and the novelty of the site had worn off, we realized that it was a tourist trap. Even though I didn’t see anything at all related to a President, I still thought the stop was worth our efforts. I guess it was a bobble head trap, too.
At around 12 noon, we drove back across the Mighty Mississippi and headed east for about 40 miles until we arrived in Tampico, Illinois – the birthplace of our 40th President Ronald Reagan. We rolled into town at 12:40pm and parked along the main drag of Tampico. We were situated directly across the street from a row of two-story brick buildings that all looked similar and took up half the block. Near the middle of that group of buildings was one of historical significance for me – it was the place where Ronald Reagan was born on February 6, 1911.
When Reagan was born, the business below the apartment was a tavern; and that pub remained there until 1915. When the tavern closed, a bakery took its place for a few years until the First National Bank opened its doors in that building in 1919 and stayed there until 1931. It was easy to identify the birth site as we could see a large oval sign with an attached banner that read: Birthplace of President Ronald Reagan.
When we were finished with the exterior photos of Reagan’s birthplace, we headed inside for a tour of the apartment where the 40th President was born. The apartment itself was a lot larger than it looked from street level; and although everything inside the rooms were period pieces, it was still exciting to be in the same building where Reagan first saw the light of day.
When we finished our tour of Reagan’s apartment, we were headed back across Main Street towards the car when we noticed a large mural painted on the side of a two-story brick building. It turned out the building was once the H.C. Pitney Variety Store; the business that Jack Reagan had worked at when young Ron was born. Roughly five years after “Dutch’s” birth, the Reagan’s lived for about a year in an apartment above the store.
Not knowing how far the Reagan boyhood home was from his birthplace, we piled into the Avenger and drove towards Glassburn Street. It turned out that the historic house was only a block away and we second-guessed ourselves as to why we just didn’t walk. It didn’t matter to me either way because I get carried wherever we go.
The first thing I noticed when we arrived in front of Reagan’s second home was the large white wooden sign in the front yard that read: ‘Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home’. We were happy that the sign was there because the house did not appear to be a historical home that had been preserved for future generations. As a matter of fact, the two-story wooden building looked like it had been well lived-in by a large family who didn’t appreciate the fact that their home was a Presidential site. Since the dwelling was a private residence, I did not attempt to stand on the porch; but I might have been lost amidst the décor anyway. As I posed for a photo in the front yard, I thought of young Ronald Reagan as he played there with his brother Neil. It was likely that the rambunctious brothers were involved in some sort of mischief in the neighborhood; like climbing on the cannon that was located in Depot Park across the street.
As I stood there on the cannon, I could envision “Dutch” and “Moon” (brother Neil’s nickname) as they played in the park. They were typical and carefree young boys as they ran, laughed, and climbed; in other words, they were boys being boys. Times were different before 1920; simple times where children could be children and they didn’t need to be entertained by television or video games – because they didn’t exist. As I stood there on that quiet Sunday afternoon, there was not one kid playing in that park. There was only my photographer and me standing there; Vicki had already seen enough and had returned to the car in preparation for our next Presidential stop.
We headed out of Tampico at around 2:00pm and our destination was another Ronald Reagan home that was located in Dixon, Illinois. When we were about halfway through our 28-mile drive, I heard a loud shriek from the front of the car. It turned out that a large turkey vulture, who was on the side of the highway munching on a tasty carcass, flew up and nearly crashed into the windshield of the Avenger. Had there been a collision, it wouldn’t have ended up good for either party; our windshield would’ve been cracked, and the buzzard would’ve been reduced to roadkill him or herself.
Without any other near-miss incidents, we arrived at the boyhood home of Ronald Reagan in Dixon at about 2:30pm. We quickly learned that tours of the home ended at 4:00pm, which meant we needed to see the inside of the house first. After one photo of the exterior, we headed inside the home where our 40th President had lived for just over two years.
Once I was carried inside, the first room we visited was the front parlor, where we saw its beautiful tile-trimmed fireplace. As I looked at the hearth in front of the fireplace, I noticed one of the tiles had been set aside and four pennies were situated where the tile had been removed. It turned out that when Reagan was a boy living in the house, he would hide pennies under the tile. When the 40th President visited the house on his 73rd birthday in 1984, he re-enacted the hiding of the pennies. Following Reagan’s home tour, the four coins and the tile were glued in place on the hearth where the President had left them; although the actual pennies that Reagan had used were replaced and the originals put aside for posterity. My first photo-op inside the house was easy – I stood on top of the tile piece that was next to the pennies.
When we walked into the dining room, I immediately saw an oval-shaped table that had place settings for five people. We were told that during Ron and Nancy Reagan’s 1984 tour of the home, they ate lunch at that table. I wanted very badly to stand on that table for a photo, but the area was roped-off and I couldn’t make my way onto the historic piece of furniture.
For us, the second-story of the historic house was easier for us to tour and to capture our photos. As soon as we entered “Dutch” and “Moon’s” bedroom, I was immediately placed on the bed that took up over half of the small room. From my position on the bed, I could easily see sports pennants on the wall and the dresser that was located at the foot of the bed. Although the furnishings in the room were period pieces consistent with 1920, I knew that I was standing on the exact spot on the bed where Reagan had sat during his ’84 visit. It might not have been the bed Ronnie slept on as a nine-year old; but it was without a shadow of a doubt the bed he sat on as a 73-year-old.
Once our interior tour was finished, I was carried outside for more photos of the home’s exterior. I posed for a handful of pictures at various locations around the building; but there was one spot that I just had to stand on. That spot was on the sidewalk leading up to the front porch where Reagan had posed in 1984. I was placed on the exact location where the President had once stood, and I was in my glory. It did appear, however, that the section of sidewalk where Reagan had stood with his brother and Nancy had been recently replaced; perhaps souvenir hunters had chipped-away sections of the sidewalk as keepsakes. Now who would do something like that?
It was going on 4:00pm and there were a handful of other Presidential sites left to see in Dixon. The first site was located about a mile from Reagan’s home on the north side of the Rock River in President’s Park. It was a bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln that was dedicated to Lincoln’s service in the Black Hawk War of 1832. But when we read the inscription on the rear of the monument, it appeared the focus was to commemorate Dixon’s founding father John Dixon. The ten-foot tall green statue of 23-year old Lincoln looked cool as he was depicted standing in uniform with his coat draped over his right arm. It is the only known statue of Lincoln in military dress. I posed near the statue for a photo, but I knew in my resin-filled heart that this was not one of the more inspirational Presidential sites that I would ever visit.
My photographer and I spent about ten minutes near the Lincoln statue and then we joined Vicki as she sat along the Rock River enjoying the scenery. The peaceful rush of water over the Rock River Dam, combined with the migratory white pelicans as they fished the river, made for a nice respite from a hard day of touring. As we stood along the shore of the Rock River, I thought of Ronald Reagan and the time he spent at nearby Lowell Park Beach as a lifeguard. In 1927, 16-year old Ronald Reagan reportedly pulled 77 people from the water over the summer working there, although locals joke that at least a few of those were young women who faked their distress to be rescued by the handsome lifeguard.
The next place of interest was located directly across the Rock River from President’s Park. There was an equestrian statue of Ronald Reagan that was situated in Heritage Park; and I just had to see it. In the summer of 1950, motion picture actor Ronald Reagan “came home” to Dixon to participate in the city’s festival; known as ‘Injun Summer Days’. During the festival, Reagan rode through town on a palomino horse; he was wearing a tee shirt and jeans. The statue, called “Begins the Trail”, was dedicated on August 14, 2009 and was a tribute to Reagan for saving 77 lives in the Rock River during his time as a lifeguard.
There were three other sites that we had wanted to see before our search turned into finding a place to stay for the night. We needed to visit Reagan’s high school; his junior high school; and the church he was baptized in.
From the “hokey” Reagan equestrian statue, our first stop was only two blocks down the street: the First Christian Church. That light-colored stone block church was where Ronald and Neil Reagan were baptized on June 21, 1922. The future President and his mother were active members of the church from 1921 to 1937 and each taught a Sunday school class within the building’s walls.
Our next stop was once again only two blocks to the south. When we arrived, I found the Northwest Territory Historic Center; in the 1920’s, the building was the South Central School where Ronald Reagan attended 6th and 7th grades. The majestic structure, with its dark brick façade and light granite columns at the front entrance, looked grand in the late afternoon sunlight. The historic center did feature exhibits that were related to Reagan and Lincoln, but at that time of the day the exhibits were closed.
For our last stop of the long day, we had to cross back over to the north side of the Rock River to a huge building located a short distance from President’s Park. There we found North Dixon High School; which was now known simply as Dixon High School. It was in that building, in 1928, where Ronald Reagan graduated high school. While a student at Dixon High, Reagan was student body president; participated in school plays; and was a member of high school football team. It was also at Dixon High School where the future 40th President honed his craft at storytelling. As I stood in front of that historic school, I wondered if Reagan could tell better stories than me!
With our Presidential sites finished for the day, it was time to track down a motel. We crossed the Rock River on Galena Avenue and we saw a large white archway that had been built over the road. Attached to both sides of the white arch were large purple letters that spelled out the word DIXON; with the ‘X’ at the apex of the arch. The arch looked very picturesque and my photographer decided he needed a photo of it. With me riding in the camera case, we walked a block from our parking area to the sidewalk beneath the arch.
Just as our photo session near the Dixon Veterans Memorial Arch was winding up, we saw a historical marker in front of a four-story building that was in the shadow of Dixon’s famed archway. I couldn’t believe my eyes – the marker stated that the building, now an apartment complex, was once known as the Nachusa House. Built in 1853, the limestone structure was a hotel that served primarily as a stagecoach stopover for travelers riding from Galena and Peoria to Chicago. It was the brainchild of none other than the local founding father John Dixon.
Throughout the building’s history, it has hosted four U.S, Presidents; as well as Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The four Presidents who had stayed under the Nachusa House roof were Grant, Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. The 16th President stayed at Nachusa House numerous times and always bedded down in the same room. The balcony outside of that room was where Lincoln would sit and socialize. I couldn’t get out of the camera case fast enough to pose for a photo alongside that historic hotel. As I gazed up at the Nachusa House, I could see two balconies – one was large and served the second floor. But the second balcony was smaller and appeared to serve only one room on the third level. Could that have been the balcony where Abraham Lincoln sat when he stayed there? In my mind, I could envision ol’ Honest Abe as he sat there and spun tales to anyone who would listen.
It was after 6:00pm and we needed to find a place to stay for the night. I thought it would’ve been cool to stay in the Nachusa House, but the hotel was closed in 1988. Once renovated, however, the historic building was reopened as a senior citizen housing unit in 1997.
With the Nachusa House out of the equation, we headed south on Galena Avenue and about a mile past Reagan’s Boyhood Home site we found a Quality Inn that looked adequate. It had been a long day; we had left home over fifteen hours earlier and I could tell that Tom and Vicki were tired. Our room at the Dixon Quality Inn was small and somewhat outdated, but at that point we really didn’t give a damn. It was a place to rest and I took my usual spot alongside the television set. As I spent the night watching for critters, I thought of my personal favorite Ronald Reagan quote: “Thomas Jefferson once said, ‘We should never judge a president by his age, only by his works.’ And ever since he told me that, I stopped worrying.”
