Caldwell Elevator, State Road 10, White Heath, Piatt County, IL

1986 Charles E. Peterson Prize, Honorable Mention
Significance: Although presently owned by the Monticello Grain Company, use of the elevator was discontinued in 1975, and in 1983 the Illinois Central Railroad abandoned service to the site and removed its tracks. Though the future of the elevator is uncertain, it represents a type of building so important to the history of this grain producing region. Once commonplace, country elevators are rapidly disappearing from the American landscape. Constructed in 1917, the elevator originally served a private farm, one of the largest in Piatt County. The contractor was the Union Iron Works of Decatur, Illinois, which specialized in the manufacture of elevator machinery. The grain bins are constructed of 2x6 inch lumber laid flat, a method known as crib construction. The building was sheathed with corrugated sheet metal from the outset to reduce maintenance and to protect against fire from sparks from steam locomotives. The foundation and basement are poured-in-place concrete. A single cylinder gasoline engine once operated the leg of the elevator, though was later replaced by an electric motor...
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: FN-160
Survey number: HABS IL-1134
Building/structure dates: 1917 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1975 Subsequent Work