Need an Escape from the City - Visit the Great River Road and the Historic River Towns of Alton, Grafton and Elsah
Need an Escape from the City - Visit the Great River Road and the Historic River Towns of Alton, Grafton and Elsah? This is another great localism post by Nancy Milton. For St. Louisians not familar with the Village of Elsah, it is a great daytrip with Alton, Elsah, and Grafton as stops plus a ride on the Brussels Ferry or a visit to the Lodge at Pere Marquette with its massive hall, stone fireplace, oversized chess pieces and great river views (perfect place to see fall foliage). Mix in a stop at the National Great River Museum in East Alton and a fascinating tour of the lock and dam (great area for eagle watching in January) or pick apples and peaches at Eckert's Orchard (now). It makes for a great afternoon. Looking for lunch, plenty of options - but I still like Mississippi Half Step (on the patio). The Fin Inn and the Loading Dock are other local restaurants in Grafton. Piasa Winery is great for a glass of wine and Beasley's Fish has morels for sale in May so stop in.
As regular readers of this blog know, one of my favorite things to do here in St. Louis' Illinois suburbs is to drive along the Great River Road from Alton, Illinois to the towns of Elsah and Grafton, Pere Marquette State Park and beyond. The combination of the mighty Mississippi River flowing alongside the soaring limestone bluffs is magical.
Today we'll take a closer look at Elsah, a charming enclave tucked among the limestone bluffs on the Mississippi River. The entire village was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in the 1970s.
Elsah's site along the Mississippi River north of Alton, Illinois was first settled in the mid-1840s as a riverboat landing and the village was officially founded in 1853. Many of the area's historic residences are built of limestone quarried nearby.
Today between 600 and 700 residents live in the village's historic area, contemporary subdivisions and rural roads. Midwest Living magazine has called Elsah, "The town that time forgot."
Active visitors can reach Elsah via the bike trail that follows the Great River Road. Bed and breakfast inns provide cozy shelter for travelers who would like to get to know the town. Advance reservations can be made online at the Maple Leaf Cottage Inn, the Green Tree Inn.
Elsah is also home to Principia College, a liberal arts college for Christian Scientists. The institution, perched on the bluffs above the town, began as a home school in St. Louis in 1897 and the higher education campus at Elsah dates to the 1930s. The beautiful site has been named a National Historic Landmark.
If you would like to live in or near the historic village of Elsah or if you would like to find a weekend getaway house along the river, get in touch with me at Just Ducky Homes. We can keep track of listings that are new to the market and make sure you are informed as soon as homes become available.
Because Elsah is so small, there aren't always active listings available, but right now two homes are active in the village and two are pending. The active listings include a bi-level on the market for $84,900 and a raised ranch listed for $274,900.
The pending listings are for an historic stone home built in 1860 with one bedroom that had been priced at $129,900 before going under contract and a
1970s ranch foreclosure listed for $33,600.
Commercial property is also available on the village's main drive.
If you'd like to call Elsah home, send an e-mail to me at Nancy@JustDuckyHomes.com for an appointment to discuss available listings.
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About the Author: Nancy Milton, GRI, is a Realtor with the Just Ducky Homes team at Coldwell Banker Brown Realtors in Edwardsville, Illinois. She and Kristina Pratt help their customers buy and sell homes and investment properties in St. Louis' Illinois suburbs of Madison and St. Clair counties with special emphasis on real estate in the communities of Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Maryville, Collinsville and Troy. For more information, visit their web site at http://www.JustDuckyHomes.com or e-mail Nancy@JustDuckyHomes.com.
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