This forgotten town in Southern Illinois is a hidden gem

This forgotten town in Southern Illinois is a hidden gem - Full of fascinating historic sites and cool places to stay, this small town in Southern Illinois near the Ohio River is unlike any of the other surrounding towns in this part of Illinois and should be on everyone's list to visit!

About me: I grew up in a small town the Midwest. Now I drive America's backroads exploring small towns, forgotten places, local history and more!

Join our Sightseeing Sidekicks and get access to perks:

Or become a Fellow Sightseer on Patreon:

[sheilakelley]

Daddy bought his cars from Mr. Anderson. My Mother worked at Watson's for a while & then the Dairy Bar. and that is where my parents met. The "castle" use to have these big numbers that they put out for guides of some sort for the river boats. A friends Father, Mr. Ron, worked there & my friend & I played there. LOVED this video111

[TheRoadLessPaved]

Southern Illinois is horribly hot and humid nine months of the year. The other three are mud season. Hubby is from a town a little farther up the Ohio river. He hates Wisconsin winters, however he doesn't miss the other nine months. Wow, a court house without a security guard and metal detection system!

[RioAbajoBelen]

Good job on the video. We loved Marty's insight about heating the building and the construction of buildings. Very interesting to us. Well, we loved the entire tour actually.

And Pam noticed that you were able to climb the stairs and that makes us happy.

Thanks,
Doug and Pam

[RWX]

Glad to see you guys back in the saddle again!! Yay!❤ Your faces let me know you are in your happy zone. 😄 What a wonderful historical dive into a very neat town! Thank you.👍

[bramlintrent]

Enjoyed that one! (I'm from Mississippi, and we usually think of Illinois as being "up north", but in the Ohio River towns of Illinois I always feel like I'm still down south.)

[bentnickel]

I grew up in southern Illinois. When I hear of rents in California, Florida and Oregon being outrageously high, I think of these quiet midwest towns with nobody on the streets and wonder what a two bedroom home would rent for? These towns are perfect for retirees. I now live in Virginia and we have the same quiet little villages. So enjoyable with homes going back to the 1700's.

[cherylcossey]

Thank you for featuring our home town. Great getting to talk with you two. Lovely video!

[toyo]

So nice to see you two on the road again. Love to see the small towns and the cool old buildings. Thanks for taking us along. Best to you both, Lynn & Steve😎

[miriamrichardson]

I wish I would’ve known you were back in Southern Illinois. I would’ve tried to meet you. I love your videos.

[gregobern]

Cairo (Kay ro)was on my list since "The adventures of Huck Finn" the Movie. The bridge over the Mississippi from Missouri ends at a stop sign by a park at the south end of town, a right turn puts you on another bridge to Kentucky over the Ohio River. Cairo has Magnolia trees and levees with massive flood gates on the highway to keep floods out. The "City of New Orleans" still passes through Cairo, a town with history...

[kingneptune]

I always save you videos for Sunday morning with a coffee. That Marty cracks me up with all his talking in stuff. my guess you can't get a moment of silence around him.. lol..

[katiemoyer]

I live in Most Southern Illinois, in a mature home that has seen its share of family rearing, coming and goings. . Our largest winter bill is around 300- for our 5 bed-3 bath home. We do have a supplemental fireplace too. Yes, our winters are Very much milder than Wisconsin.

[Lorie]

Interesting Sally and Marty! Love those old

[richn]

Down the river south from Golconda is the town of Hickman, Ky. Jessie James and his brother used to cross the river there. There used to be a bar right across from the crossing . Jessie James carved his name under one of the tables. When I was a kid, you could still see where he'd carved his name there.

[toshkonya]

A small group of us rode our motorcycles through Golconda on our way to Cape Girardeau from OH two summers ago.

[claudiadesoto]

So. Illinois has many lovely small towns, I lived in DeQuion on the city lake . Mother’s family was everywhere down there . I’ve visited many places you are visiting. Safe travels

[tracyatkinson]

I live in Golconda Illinois. Thank you for doing a video here. Lil Hank (Mason Ramsey) is from here and still lives here. His grandpa comes to the bar where I do DJ/KJ but the grandpa doesn't have a voice like Mason 😂

[kendrashell]

I am a local here in Golconda. Thank you for showing the beauty of our small River Town. I wish you guys could have seen the old jail that used to sit behind the courthouse. It was really a blast from the past.

[chrisfulton]

Never heard of this town, and am from IL. Thanks!!

[danielburke]

I'm enjoying your Southern Illinois travels. Having passed through frequently a half a dozen years ago I have a fondness for the area and small towns in general. Good job as usual for you guys.