A Forgotten Town in Northern Illinois

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  • Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
  • A Forgotten Town in Northern Illinois - We explore forgotten history while walking the empty streets of a living Midwestern ghost town. Although most of the businesses are gone and many places appear to be abandoned, there IS a reason why people still live in this small rural town in Northern Illinois. Find out in this episode of SightseeingSally.
    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!
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    #forgottenplaces #illinois

КОМЕНТАРІ • 967

  • @a1ar127
    @a1ar127 Рік тому +19

    Your video shows no one anywhere. Do you ever make an effort to talk with the remaining residents, get a little of the local history? Why did this town decay? Who can explain the secrets of where Buda was, and is today?

    • @SightseeingSally
      @SightseeingSally  Рік тому +29

      Of course we do! We make every effort to chat with locals and research history. We also take people’s privacy seriously. If someone doesn’t want to appear on camera we don’t film them. If you actually watched the video (and paid attention) you would know that we made several references to the people we talked to AND shared information about the town’s history.

    • @Johnnynbk
      @Johnnynbk Рік тому +1

      its sightseeingsally. she made no claims of being a conversationalist.

    • @catherinecrawford2289
      @catherinecrawford2289 Рік тому +3

      Bingo. Thank you. There is one video like this where someone just drives around an empty neighborhood in Rockford and says, dude, it's so scary, and empty, and icky. How about turn your camera two blocks away and find some folks who use this neighborhood and get real facts instead of dumping on small cities and towns.

    • @TheDeathfromcrow
      @TheDeathfromcrow 8 місяців тому +2

      What made all towns go into decay, the good old NAFTA bill. Cheaper to outsource everything.

    • @traceyarnaud8433
      @traceyarnaud8433 5 місяців тому +5

      @@SightseeingSally Why is everyone always so ready to criticize? I liked your video.

  • @davidjarigese5509
    @davidjarigese5509 2 роки тому +48

    The “shotgun” house at 1:20 was my grandmothers workshop since the 70s-80s and she was a seamstress.

    • @SightseeingSally
      @SightseeingSally  2 роки тому +7

      Very cool! We were wondering what the history was. Now we know. Thank you :)

    • @jeannie457
      @jeannie457 2 роки тому +8

      I’m not sure what that building was when it was built, but before my mother used for a costume shop, I know a couple that lived in it before she got to it. I also remember the building no water or sewage.

  • @danebarnett2063
    @danebarnett2063 2 роки тому +368

    The building with the “let your fingers do the walking” sign in the window was the Fullerton Lumber Yard and then turned into the Buda Lumber Company until my family bought it for the office of Buda Feed and Mill that was down the road along the tracks and then the feed mill was sold and that building was turned into the office for the gas business my great-uncle bought from my grandpa on the other side of my family 😂. The scale you reference wouldn’t have been used for grain or feed. It was used for coal and other bulk purchases for the lumber yard. My great-uncle still owned the building and the storage behind it until very recently. The “shotgun” building was the original offices for Buda Feed and Mill after my great-grandpa bought the building from the original feed store and then my great-grandpa and great-uncle built the feed mill down along the tracks. Hope this is helpful and makes sense!

    • @SightseeingSally
      @SightseeingSally  2 роки тому +23

      Made sense to me. Thanks so much, appreciate you sharing this!!!

    • @jamescoleakaericunderwood2503
      @jamescoleakaericunderwood2503 2 роки тому +33

      Let your fingers do the walking! Yellow pages.. any where in USA Between 1947-1984 chances are 1 in 8 it came off my Dad's press in Los Angeles...LA Times had the contract for almost 40 years.. Telephone Directory Division... Boyle heights CA ✌️❤️🇺🇸

    • @user-ne2tb1vs9m
      @user-ne2tb1vs9m 2 роки тому +8

      Thanks for sharing Dane.

    • @donnaml8776
      @donnaml8776 2 роки тому +10

      What happened to the town?

    • @jamesclinton5841
      @jamesclinton5841 2 роки тому +1

      😅

  • @jeannie457
    @jeannie457 2 роки тому +227

    The Buda Plain Dealer (newspaper) was a weekly that ran from 1871-1953. The library has most of it on microfilm, there are few missing pieces. I can trace my ancestry here to 1852. I have lived since 1964 and was the village librarian for 27 years. I know a lot of Buda history. My great- great uncle started the newspaper.

    • @johnwilcox4078
      @johnwilcox4078 2 роки тому +10

      Love the name of that paper, in my hometown, Cleveland, the newspaper is also the Plain Dealer!

    • @SK_2019
      @SK_2019 2 роки тому +7

      New Bedford, IL !

    • @brianbeecher3084
      @brianbeecher3084 Рік тому +2

      Jeannie, born in April 1957?

    • @jeannie457
      @jeannie457 Рік тому +2

      @@brianbeecher3084 yes

    • @DrEVIL-og4qv
      @DrEVIL-og4qv 8 місяців тому

      I grew up in the next county south of Buda, Henry County, lots of towns there nothing but ghost towns. Seems like more deserted towns along the railroads.

  • @lisalally3038
    @lisalally3038 2 роки тому +68

    I grew up here , my parents still live here and most of my dad's family still reside here . ❤️❤️

    • @juliewatts6145
      @juliewatts6145 2 роки тому +5

      Hi Lis! ❤️😘

    • @virginiaconnor8350
      @virginiaconnor8350 2 роки тому +3

      I thought shot-gun houses only existed only in the south. My boyfriend had a Packard. Ho hum. I loved-and miss- his '05 Mustang more so. He was born in Provo, Utah and lived in Lebanon, Ohio before moving to Ga. Another friend lived in Sandy, Utah.and lives here.

    • @scottsteward110
      @scottsteward110 2 роки тому +1

      Did u no the carper boys ...Mike n Tom

    • @stevescoville8465
      @stevescoville8465 2 роки тому

      I’m sorry

    • @marieshanahan946
      @marieshanahan946 2 роки тому +2

      It is easy to see how pretty a place it is, and would be, with more people. Why did so many people leave? It is sort of "mind boggling!"

  • @cobra5088
    @cobra5088 Рік тому +89

    I grew up in southern IL. As someone who has traveled all over illinois i can tell you illinois is abundant with small rural towns like this.

    • @Pianoman999
      @Pianoman999 Рік тому +4

      Very much so. It’s a cool drive North to South if you let it be.

    • @GeorgeHartler-jg4rc
      @GeorgeHartler-jg4rc Рік тому +3

      Hi

    • @marlinweekley51
      @marlinweekley51 Рік тому +7

      Absolutely. Most were built 150 years ago as whistle stops, usually every 5-8 miles to take on wood and water. Since diesels in the 1950’s most have slowly died. Sometimes theres a grain elevator that has survived. The lucky ones have a Caseys and a few a Dollar store. Some died when the interstate highway (example I-55) was build around the towns vs the original route through the town. The family owned gas stations and cafes were the first to close. Others that were larger and more established have continued to grow attracting business and new residents.

    • @cobra5088
      @cobra5088 Рік тому +2

      @@marlinweekley51 Interesting. Never thought about those towns being built around whistle stops. My uncles house was next to the tracks of the nickel plate railroad which went from new york to st. louis. I remember as a kid in the early 80's it was still active but was defunct by the 90's, its now a bike trail. I saw a map from the early 1900's and noticed there was a stop about every 5 miles and was wondering why there were so many stops. At first i thought it was to pick up passengers but that couldnt be because theres no population there. Thanks to your reply I now know why.

    • @WildJJasmine
      @WildJJasmine Рік тому

      One of my college friends (1988-91) grew up in Buda, and I believe some of her family still lives there. So cool to find this video. I know a lot of tiny towns in IL that are slowly dying.

  • @benjaminwood6900
    @benjaminwood6900 2 роки тому +75

    Went to school in that town. I’m from that area (lived 10 miles away) and its wild to see my home towns slowly going away.

  • @dank7256
    @dank7256 Рік тому +8

    I love it when the leaves of Fall are left on the ground and not immediately chopped up.

  • @KenBlackRifleAmerica
    @KenBlackRifleAmerica 2 роки тому +91

    Kinda sad in a way. Old towns that used to be thriving and so much fun, now wasting away. Thanks for bringing them to us before they're gone forever guys!

  • @denisestinnett4414
    @denisestinnett4414 2 роки тому +59

    Born in Northern Illinois, the town of Palatine. I have the best memories of the town, people and countryside! We lived by the tracks and I still love the sound of trains at night. I also remember fruit growing everywhere in the summers. Trees of apples, pears and plums. Grapes and berries galore, gardens that folks would plant with a little corner where kids could grab tomatoes or beans. Streams, ponds and giant willows. It was magical 🤙😎

    • @thekowboymom2710
      @thekowboymom2710 2 роки тому +4

      My grandparents lived in Palatine in the 1979's. There was a horse stable in their neighborhood. I remember we could see the screen for the drive-in movies from my uncle's bedroom window.

    • @funnypranker34
      @funnypranker34 2 роки тому +6

      My parents currently live in palatine and in my opinion palatine is not what it used to be anymore

    • @denisestinnett4414
      @denisestinnett4414 2 роки тому +2

      @@funnypranker34 what is? My experiences were based on 60+ years ago. 😎

    • @funnypranker34
      @funnypranker34 2 роки тому

      @@denisestinnett4414 look at the comment above me

    • @funnypranker34
      @funnypranker34 2 роки тому

      @@RK-ey6gs thank you!

  • @cindygreenberg9079
    @cindygreenberg9079 2 роки тому +21

    My cousin sent me this link to your video and as I watched I got teary eyed. My mom was born in this town and so was her mother and I spent a lot of time there as a child visiting my grandparents. The last time I was there was in the 1970's when my grandfather was in the hospital and my mom and I drove from Southern California to visit and make sure that grandma was OK. My grandpa worked for the CB&Q railroad at the pump station in Buda, in which the Bu part of the name rhymed with "cue" the way they pronounced it and I remember walking into the town everyday but Sunday with my grandpa, during a summer vacation visit, to pick up some groceries at the little store....I couldn't tell you where that was now. I also remember that there were no kids my age around because they were all away at band camp or something else. My grandmother's family immigrated to America in 1853 and after their ship landed in New York they went straight to LaSalle County and in a couple of years moved to Buda and they were there for the rest of their lives 😪

  • @rjenkins23853
    @rjenkins23853 Рік тому +40

    I really appreciated how respectful you were in the video. These old places are were many good people worked hard, built their dreams, loved their families, and tried their best. Great video

  • @Kathleennebel
    @Kathleennebel 2 роки тому +16

    I absolutely love old towns especially in Illinois, my home state.. I was born and raised in Rockford and our family moved to Tucson in 86.. After raising kids, divorced I’m finally back in the Midwest.. Didn’t go back to Rockford but I’m close to it and I love it… old old towns that are abandoned I just love seeing.. thank you ❤

    • @patmaloney5707
      @patmaloney5707 Рік тому +3

      Former Rockfordite here as well, left in 1981.

    • @JESUS-SAVES_1975.
      @JESUS-SAVES_1975. Рік тому +1

      I was born and lived a few years in Freeport, Illinois.

    • @For_TheExhale
      @For_TheExhale Рік тому +2

      Stay where you’re at , we’re not doing well up here

  • @alanosterman7130
    @alanosterman7130 Рік тому +6

    There are many virtues to living in a town like this. Nice and peaceful. Nature all around. Since it is northern Illinois, still get spring, summer, fall, and winter. No drive by shootings, no car jackings. Very sincere place.

  • @billa1870
    @billa1870 Рік тому +2

    I moved from Illinois many years ago. However, in my late teens and early 20s, I bicycled all over the country. During the last 20-30 years I have made many trips from my home in Florida to and through Illinois by automobile via the back roads. There will always be a special place in my heart in Illinois, as I have bicycled to the center, across and to all four corners of Illinois. This video brought back a lot of memories. I loved bicycling through town like this.

  • @toniremer1594
    @toniremer1594 Рік тому +7

    I can actually see myself, along with my husband, living there. The peacefulness, the tranquility, and the beauty in towns like Buda. We currently live in Pontiac and not too far away from the maximum prison of the same name as the town.
    Coming from a city, where there were a lot of noise, cops being called almost on a daily basis, first responders being called almost on a daily basis, fights between 2 extremely intoxicated and drug fueled people, suicides and many other very deplorable people residing in the building, and living in a town where it’s quiet, police patrols every so often and low crime rate was a bit of a shock to our senses. We absolutely LOVE living in Pontiac.

  • @hattyburrow716
    @hattyburrow716 2 роки тому +17

    Autumn is so lovely in that part of America, its very like England.

  • @kennethbjorkmann8517
    @kennethbjorkmann8517 Рік тому +18

    You two seem like "the real deal." Authentic and curious, unlocking little mysteries of an old Illinois town. Thanks for allowing us viewers to accompany you through Buda....perhaps now not so forgotten.

  • @bobm8294
    @bobm8294 2 роки тому +19

    This is the first time I've seen one of your videos. I expected you to trash the town and its people. I really appreciate the respectful way you discussed the town. You have yourself a new subscriber.

  • @brocklally5068
    @brocklally5068 2 роки тому +40

    My great grandmother and grandfather rasied 17 kids in buda. Buda will always be home

    • @PsychicHomeschools
      @PsychicHomeschools Рік тому +2

      What would you speculate their diet was like? My grandmother had 10 children. I say we can grow strong off oatmeal and potato 😆

  • @johnkinsel5027
    @johnkinsel5027 2 роки тому +50

    Good to see Marty in front of camera. If you go a little farther south in Illinois the train stations of an old electric railroad all have blond brick and red tile roofs. They are still in Pekin, Mackinaw and Union.

    • @tonyborello3826
      @tonyborello3826 2 роки тому +8

      There is still one in minooka il

    • @420luvsounds
      @420luvsounds Рік тому +2

      thanks!

    • @mfeltes
      @mfeltes Рік тому

      You're referring to the Illinois Traction System? There's an old station that's been beautifully renovated into a home with period decor in Fithian.

  • @crismartinez1642
    @crismartinez1642 2 роки тому +7

    I was in Oswego a few weeks ago and I have to say I love that Midwest small town feel.

  • @Ricardolong-d8j
    @Ricardolong-d8j Рік тому +3

    I grew up for a few years in Buda. It was a great place to grow up in. I missed the small town world that after my 12 years in the Marines and 27 years of trucking i now live in the small town of Troy Grove. I say a small is town great, because it's true, everybody knows your name!!!

  • @carnivalgods4573
    @carnivalgods4573 2 роки тому +8

    The town service station has new windows @11:23. Really accentuates the curb appeal. Seriously, I love small towns and this is no exception. Appreciate the history thanks for sharing.

  • @robertrouse1920
    @robertrouse1920 Рік тому +6

    My grandparents have lived here since I was born and further back. I live ten minutes away and I actually fish at the public lakes outside of town atleast once a week. It is dwindling town but not as abandoned as you’d think, there’s ones even further off the map in the area!

  • @BlueGoat682
    @BlueGoat682 2 роки тому +26

    Its kind of sad to see how some of these Midwestern towns are now former shells of themselves. I grew up in a small town (3000 population) in East Central Minnesota. My hometown is not only alive and well but it has even prospered and gone up some in population over the years. I rarely go back there anymore but its comforting to know that the town is still alive and well.

    • @earljohnson2113
      @earljohnson2113 2 роки тому +3

      Yeah,You have the Twin City influence. You get over 150 miles from a major metropolitan area, where the towns sole economy is Agriculture,they are really dying. Sadly. 😕

    • @BlueGoat682
      @BlueGoat682 2 роки тому +2

      @@earljohnson2113 Thats true. Its close enough to the cities that a fair amount of people even choose to commute daily. It was a nice area to grow up in because you had the small town experience with the big city option to do things in if you chose to. When I was in High School we spent a lot of time in the cities doing fun stuff like going to concerts amongst other big city things.

  • @virginiafujino7350
    @virginiafujino7350 Рік тому +1

    I grew up on Buda, the best! Loved it, great times, sorry to see it's decline!

  • @gma956
    @gma956 Рік тому +9

    Thank you Sally and Marty! I love road-trips and old towns off the beaten path. I try to pull over to look at all the old buildings in town but never know the history. Keep on truckin and making these videos please!

  • @jonsymmonds1120
    @jonsymmonds1120 2 роки тому +8

    Buda, Il. Years ago I used to take care of a transmitter site in this neck of the woods. It was a FM station. I am a broadcast engineer. I remember the area well, I just wish I could remember the call-sign of the radio station. I know it wasn't licensed to Buda, but a town nearby. Thanks for sharing! I would also like to say another thing. I have deleted so many explorers because they do no history. I feel history of the site is important, and you deliver! I thank you!

    • @jeannie457
      @jeannie457 2 роки тому +4

      That transmitter probably had a Sheffield address. That’s 3 1/2 miles, as the crow flies.

    • @jonsymmonds1120
      @jonsymmonds1120 2 роки тому +3

      @@jeannie457 That sounds familiar. I thank you!

  • @larryhall882
    @larryhall882 2 роки тому +7

    Thanks for bringing to light old historical forgotten towns like this.They truly represent American history as well as any of the larger cities.

  • @bpekim1
    @bpekim1 Рік тому +20

    Hey Sally , I appreciate your explorations and thoughtfulness of the history of small towns. I’ve lived in Chicago for over 30 years but grew up in a small town in Indiana and always take small short drives to little places I’ve never been to before like you guys. You guys go beyond the historical markers sometimes which is great. Keep it up! ❤

  • @seeker_chicago4352
    @seeker_chicago4352 Рік тому +10

    I love your walk-around exploration of small towns, rather than driving by.

  • @vesuviacorpseflower4828
    @vesuviacorpseflower4828 2 роки тому +7

    I go through Buda every now and again...looks like most of the dying little towns scattered throughout Central Illinois (Tiskilwa, Bradford, Lafayette, Yates City, Altona, Sparland, Maquon, etc). Lots of affordable houses there if anyone wants to get out of the cities!! I love those towns...the isolation is peaceful.

    • @Kiamichi-Okie
      @Kiamichi-Okie Рік тому +1

      I know a person from Yates City her name is Carol Moser, she was a member of a group of women that were attached to our Fraternity Alpha Phi Omega Mu Nu Chapter Wesern IL U

    • @vesuviacorpseflower4828
      @vesuviacorpseflower4828 Рік тому

      @@Kiamichi-Okie Interesting...I've actually never been through the Macomb area (I don't go West very often).

  • @cheriboles9235
    @cheriboles9235 2 роки тому +12

    I have memories of every place you showed in my tiny hometown. :)

  • @Yzabeaux1
    @Yzabeaux1 2 роки тому +5

    The churches are absolutely beautiful. Their architecture is reminiscent of the era. Thanks so much for sharing.😄🙏🏻👍🏻

  • @tammyuptegrove6589
    @tammyuptegrove6589 2 роки тому +51

    This was a trip down memory lane I grew up here and LOVE my home town. My Father was a Signal Maintainer for B&N Railroad and his office was in the old Depot that was torn down years ago sadly 🥺. Western High School is also no longer there "Home of the Western Rams".

    • @tammyuptegrove6589
      @tammyuptegrove6589 2 роки тому +12

      I graduated from a class of 26 people and have so many Great memories of the small town closeness we all shared. My Parents both were on the Fire & Rescue team for many years. And I still have Family that lives in town there in the house I grew up in 🙂.

    • @JohnShinn6078
      @JohnShinn6078 2 роки тому +4

      @@tammyuptegrove6589 👍
      I feel somewhat envious.

    • @hoghead2608
      @hoghead2608 2 роки тому

      What's the name of this town .I never herd them say

    • @ivermectin1908
      @ivermectin1908 2 роки тому +1

      @@hoghead2608 it's Buda Illinois. I live south of it but I remember going there visiting the Van Drews

    • @josephmartino9958
      @josephmartino9958 2 роки тому

      Glad to know that your Father kept the railroad rolling safely thru your town...in the heat of summer and the depths of winter. I remember the chicken train high balling on the CNW mainline in DeKalb.

  • @bryanburton4094
    @bryanburton4094 2 роки тому +8

    My hometown!

    • @ike780
      @ike780 Рік тому

      Do you ever visit?

  • @bobm8294
    @bobm8294 2 роки тому +13

    You have to love how people in the Midwest would name their towns after European cities and then have unorthodox pronunciations. In Illinois there is Milan (My-lin), Athens (Ay-thins), Vienna (Vy-anna), and my favorite, San Jose (San Joes)

    • @debra1363
      @debra1363 2 роки тому +2

      Also(outside Peoria)is Creve Coeur which they pronounce as Creeve Core.

    • @jameswagoner3309
      @jameswagoner3309 2 роки тому +7

      The most obvious is "Kay-row" Illinois...(Cairo).

    • @davidcrandall2415
      @davidcrandall2415 2 роки тому +2

      In Cattaraugus County New York there is Versailles. (Ver'-sails) Not the French palace pronouncement.

    • @samiam7086
      @samiam7086 2 роки тому +1

      Go to east coast and they are named for English kings and queens. Towns people were usually from the European place they came from. Louisiana purchase French names and South West Spanish names. You have some towns name after person who started the town or some that describes the town and some names after Indian tribes.

    • @nac71
      @nac71 2 роки тому

      Tipoli Iowa is pronounced Tripola

  • @jims1942
    @jims1942 2 роки тому +8

    We used to live in Sheffield, IL. about 5 minutes away. Our daughter went to the school you show in Buda. - Thanks for the video. 😀👍

    • @stevenpiehl6199
      @stevenpiehl6199 Місяць тому

      Saw your name on the comment section on that town featuring Buda I know Sheffield I used to visit friends are from college. Are you familiar with a resident called Dave grub great friend of mine we moved to Hawaii and 72 obviously came back if you know of them, please let me know. I’ve lost contact with him if you know anything about himbe super appreciated.

    • @jims1942
      @jims1942 Місяць тому

      @@stevenpiehl6199 - Hi Steven, sorry I do not know any Dave in the Sheffield / Buda area. We only lived there a few short years and then moved to another state in 1976.

  • @mikekazmerski6421
    @mikekazmerski6421 2 роки тому +22

    Wow! What a nice video. My family's roots go back to the very earliest days in Buda. I am familiar with many of the buildings you show and I have personal history with the parks, baseball fields, and main street. My grandfather was the postmaster in town for a few years. The Westervelts and Conley's owned many farms in and around Bureau County. At one time, Buda hosted a very popular 4th of July celebration. The park you showed was full of people and carnival rides. The baseball field you showed was where the fireworks show was held. My great grandfather played a large role in building the Methodist Church that you showed, although, I think the one he build is a different one - I don't recall it being brick. Many great childhood memories of Buda (thanks for correcting the name pronunciation, although being named after Budapest, I'm not sure why it is pronounced Buda, as in Boot.) Thanks again! Many of the early settlers of Bureau County and Buda, came from people of Dutch origin who were farmer's and migrated from both New Jersey and also the Lancaster, PA area.

    • @jeannie457
      @jeannie457 2 роки тому +1

      I don’t think that there are any Westervelts or Conleys left. I can’t think of any.

    • @bmeierkord
      @bmeierkord 11 місяців тому +1

      My ancestors were the Westervelts. I have quite a bit of information on the family. If I remember correctly there were three brothers and their mother who came from New Jersey in the 1850s or 60s. My great great grandma was the last of the family to live in the town and died in 1975. Her first husband was a Stinson and his mother was a Westervelt.

    • @mikekazmerski6421
      @mikekazmerski6421 11 місяців тому

      @@bmeierkord We're probably cousins. Who was your Great Great Grandmother? My Grandmother Mildred Westervelt lived in
      Buda until her death in the mid 1980's. One of her daughters still lives in Kewanee.

  • @kurtbitting9257
    @kurtbitting9257 2 роки тому +7

    My hometown🥰 Thank you… thank you so much for this.

    • @toribitting8800
      @toribitting8800 2 роки тому

      I did not like this video one bit. I thought the way they only showed the ‘bad’ and ‘abandoned’ parts of town was not okay. The fact that they walked around peoples houses and pointed at the stuff in their windows and around their property was VERY rude. I think if you’re going to go to a town you know nothing about maybe ask the mayor or people with knowledge to show you around and educate you about the town instead of making blind guesses. Our town isn’t forgotten for the people who chose to stay here and make a life.

  • @cincinnatiphan
    @cincinnatiphan 2 роки тому +6

    Thanks for your video. My family is originally from Buda and I remember many visits back to my grandparents (He was a waterman on the railroad). Many summers we would be there when fireworks were shot off from the park. Loved seeing the old sights.

  • @JesusLopez-tb7ni
    @JesusLopez-tb7ni 2 роки тому +2

    Great video! This was a breath of fresh air! Nice 2c people going around looking at history. I'd live there. No Hussle n bussle of everyday life, no shooting on the streets. Just living in a piece of history. A hidden gem! Somebody shud start selling it off, n bring it back 2 life. Thanks again!

  • @sherylyoungman1606
    @sherylyoungman1606 2 роки тому +4

    Love this! I'm a road tripper and I purposely meander through towns like this on my travels.

  • @movieedge7370
    @movieedge7370 Рік тому +1

    I love the old RCA Victor sign Nipper the dog which is used in the UK for the HMV stores now 👍🏻

  • @alanbregar
    @alanbregar 2 роки тому +5

    I grew up in a small mining town called Mark and t used to only have a population 100 and now so many years later the population is now 500.

  • @dicky143
    @dicky143 Рік тому +1

    My great grandfather grew up there when it was known as the mayonnaise capital of the world. Great video guys.

  • @sandrabrearton5781
    @sandrabrearton5781 2 роки тому +8

    We shouldn't be sad when we see these places deserted and lonely, l have a strong feeling the towns and village's are going to make a comeback. As the madness in the cities increases decent industrious people will ReDiscover the now empty places and breathe a new life into them .

  • @jaybo4999
    @jaybo4999 Рік тому +1

    I don't live to terribly far away from Buda. A lot of small area towns in Illinois are getting to this state of existence. With the reduction of area farm families to corporate farming, a lot of these small towns struggle to exist. Some of the slightly bigger ones have faired better but still face the same stressors. Just stumbled on your video and will check others out. It is nice thing you are doing.

  • @gregboyden564
    @gregboyden564 2 роки тому +4

    thanks for a great trip back in time. I love these towns that life has passed by. In the 1950's I lived in Highland Park , Ill. I have always had a hankering to go back and see where I grew up.

  • @BobBeyer-w4r
    @BobBeyer-w4r Рік тому +2

    Back when the Chicago & NorthWestern RR owned the track the line that runs through Buda ran from Nelson (just east of Sterling, IL) to National City, just across the river from St. Louis. There were stockyards in National City. The yard at Nelson (pre 1980s) was a beehive of activity at one time.

  • @Astromontana
    @Astromontana 2 роки тому +8

    I actually made a pit stop there just 3 weeks ago at the Casey's gas station when traveling from Rockford to Peoria to go see a friend. Honestly had no clue what this town was called, just stopped by the closet gas station at the time lol. It's kind of sad the state of affairs that town is in. It kind of reminded me of a run downed version of Genoa, IL.

  • @PYRO-ON
    @PYRO-ON Рік тому +1

    Very cool……living in the Chicago suburbs I want to college at Northern Illinois University back in the late 90s early 2000s and I passed through this town before…. It’s sad to see the heart of America disappearing, generational, farmers, being bought out or put out of business by conglomerates, small businesses, going the same way, factories leaving overseas…..it’s sad, we should do something to save our history and our country’s way of life. Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it, not to mention there’s something wrong with one percent of the worlds population controlling over 90% of the worlds wealth while the other 8 billion people share what’s left out of the 10% or less.

  • @bonniekaye
    @bonniekaye 2 роки тому +4

    I don't know how I keep missing your videos... 😭
    *Loved this old town!*
    *Great seeing you and Marty!*
    🙂👍🌹🌹

  • @MichaelKrahulec-f6o
    @MichaelKrahulec-f6o 2 місяці тому

    I loved this documentary/tour. This is the type of tours I like. The two of them, especially the woman did a great job.

  • @kenmiller8370
    @kenmiller8370 2 роки тому +6

    A onetime there was a farm home and family making a living on every 160 acres. Now there is 1 family making a living on about 800 acres or more. Consequently, the rural small-town areas have lost 500% of their previous populations that had supported the local schools and businesses.

  • @DeeMoback
    @DeeMoback 2 роки тому +7

    So sad.....great video....thank y'all for the guided tour......towns like this all around me down here in the south....look up my town of Barwick,Ga.....very sad .....used to be 500 and now a ghost town.....nothing here but a DollarGeneral

  • @pesoto74
    @pesoto74 2 роки тому +59

    Having grown up in a rural area of Illinois I have noticed a big change that I think accounts for a lot of the decline of small rural towns. When I was growing up in the 60's there were a lot of farms. Most of those farms had large families. These families did a lot of business in the small towns. I remember people used to say that when the farmers have a good year then the local merchants will have a good year. Since that time farms have gotten much bigger. 50 years ago if you saw a house in the country it most likely housed a farm family. Today most of the places in the country are not lived in by farmers. I'd guess the ratio is as much as one farm to ten non-farms. And most of these non-farm households have no connection to the small towns. Most of these people usually work and shop in some larger town. Also many of the people who farm land live far away from the land they farm. Anyway small towns now don't have the large farm families to support them that they once had.

    • @glennoconnor2980
      @glennoconnor2980 2 роки тому +7

      The 80's farm crisis really did a number on family farms.

    • @africkinamerican
      @africkinamerican Рік тому

      Corporations can come in and just hire farm labor including of course, migrants.... Now being shipped in by the millions like human cargo. Maybe that's who's going to be filling up these towns.

    • @carlsaganlives4141
      @carlsaganlives4141 Рік тому +8

      Yes, of course. The knee-jerk reaction is to blame politicians, government in general, 'outsiders', the damn border, etc. when in reality there's winners and losers in a modern free market...those factors didn't force Maytag or RCA to make shit in foreign countries - we all did, demanding cheap and plentiful goods. The blame game is a zero-sum investment, like it or not ya gotta adapt or die a slow death unfortunately. Not much about modern life I like either, but that's the way it is.

    • @maryfries2147
      @maryfries2147 Рік тому

      Also government don't want what made America great small farms and small businesses

    • @neils5539
      @neils5539 Рік тому +5

      @pesoto74 Bingo! These towns exist because of farming. The small farms are gone, and with them the families. The remaining people just drive to the nearest "big" town for goods and services.
      Has nothing to do with the government.

  • @danebarnett2063
    @danebarnett2063 2 роки тому +7

    My hometown! Great place to grow up ❤

  • @vjb488
    @vjb488 9 місяців тому

    This was like a family reunion! Enjoying the video and listening to the wonderful conversations from folks who lived here. I don't think this place will ever be forgotten! Great video!

  • @kenz5469
    @kenz5469 2 роки тому +9

    I've traveled through most parts of Illinois in my time
    There are a multitude of towns like this throughout the state

    • @duncanevy
      @duncanevy 2 роки тому +3

      Yup. I live in the southern half of the state. There are alot of places like this. The small town I live in is like this. It used to be a busy place until the oilfields dried up. Not much here now but it is cheap to live in.

  • @robwoodke6592
    @robwoodke6592 Рік тому +2

    So many places like this. I live in Northern Indiana (Chicago suburbs) and there are a lot of little towns like this. One of my retirement hobbies is driving around and exploring these places. It’s very cool and yet very sad.

  • @lauriem46
    @lauriem46 2 роки тому +9

    This is a great idea, and both hosts are really excellent at bringing you into their "finds". Great work, you two. More! Thank you.

  • @Kiamichi-Okie
    @Kiamichi-Okie Рік тому +2

    Buda IL I have a friend, Tom Carper , he is Vietnam Veteran, and former Restaurant and Bar owner in Macomb, Il. He was also former Mayor to 2 terms . " Shotgun " homes were built for Railroad workers, those in charge of track switches and making sure trains comes to a stop if there was danger ahead of them. I wish there was / is a way to save that Victorla Ad on the side of the building. I am surprised no one has taken the stain glass from those churches no more to use in homes.

  • @stevenwarner7348
    @stevenwarner7348 2 роки тому +3

    Hey Sally. You guys have got me for this one. Grew up in Sylvania Ohio with plenty of sketchy towns like this one around. Now I'm here in New Hampshire. And so. thanks so much for your "video time" and posting this. I especially appreciate your "connecting with the locals" and offering historical information. Thank you and I am now a new "subscriber."😉

  • @jacquelineflores8393
    @jacquelineflores8393 2 роки тому +2

    So good to see Sally and Marty back on u tube❤.....it's heart breaking to see a town like this get abandoned and forgotten. When it could be growing and thriving.😞

    • @richardeschallert8526
      @richardeschallert8526 Рік тому +1

      To keep growing, any community needs to provide one or two REASONS to exist! Any products produced there and shipped somewhere else for sale? OR, any "destination" aspect. Here in Winneconne, Wisconsin (pop. 2500 plus), our congregation established a Thrift & Gift Shop about 15 years ago! We "earn" about $100,000 a year; these earnings are then donated to good causes (fire department, public library, parks, athletic fields, special items for school kids, etc. It is a non-profit corporation, a 501(3)(c) under IRS rules.
      +

  • @don66hotrod94
    @don66hotrod94 2 роки тому +19

    Buda Engine Company was founded in 1881 in Buda, IL. Later moved to Harvey, IL and bought by Allis-Chalmers in 1953. Sad to see the little town fall into decay like it is.

    • @timothykeith1367
      @timothykeith1367 2 роки тому +2

      The Buda engines were popular

    • @cadewey6181
      @cadewey6181 2 роки тому

      Where was the factory in town? Buda powered a lot of AC tractors and Dozers in direct competition to Detroit Diesel.

    • @7viewerlogic670
      @7viewerlogic670 2 роки тому

      Thanks for the info, I wondered about that but figured the town was too small for that!

  • @Biggdaddy903
    @Biggdaddy903 Рік тому +1

    I live in Rockford and when we moved back here from Versailles Missouri we went past Buda such a lovely little town. I wish I could buy the abandoned homes and cars and give them to people who desperately want the small town feel. I think I would be my first customer, lol

  • @jillybear6007
    @jillybear6007 2 роки тому +9

    This was yet another very enjoyable video!!! I discovered your channel when you were in Vegas and you met up with Jason Goodman and John and have been following ever since. I really enjoy the work and investigation you put into your videos. Your channel is one of my favorite "chill out and enjoy" channels. Thanks for all that you do!

    • @africkinamerican
      @africkinamerican Рік тому

      Do you mean Jason Goodman from Crowdsource the Truth?

  • @gnphoto21
    @gnphoto21 Рік тому +1

    This video popped up on my UA-cam feed and I’m happy it did. As a historian and a street photographer, I appreciate this video and looking forward to watching all of the others on your channel. Hope we can collaborate sometime in the future.

  • @bobholmes65
    @bobholmes65 2 роки тому +8

    “Let your fingers do the walking” was from the advertising campaign for the Yellow Pages. It’s so good to be following you, Sally and Marty again on UA-cam. You were truly missed! I do follow you on Facebook but this is awesome! I feel as tho I have reunited with friends I haven’t seen in some time. Love you guys!!!

  • @caroljames6371
    @caroljames6371 2 роки тому +28

    You and Marty are great together....more, please! What a Buda-ful town! ( Sorry, I couldn't resist!)

  • @pippishortstocking7913
    @pippishortstocking7913 2 роки тому +1

    I'm two minutes in but had to pause it to say so far this looks like every little town around my region, including my hometown.

  • @JohnShinn6078
    @JohnShinn6078 2 роки тому +5

    Wow! by reading the comments, I belive all the remaining townspeople are subscibed to Sightseeing Sally! 😆

  • @pgh45rpms
    @pgh45rpms 2 роки тому +1

    That Victor mural sign (:13) is a classic from the past. It ought to be restored.
    The pizza slice building at 5:00 is called a flat iron in PA.
    My grandmother was from Princeton IL in Bureau County.about 15 miles from here.

  • @Allicks-Guitar-Shop
    @Allicks-Guitar-Shop 2 роки тому +12

    Most locals pronounce it Be-you-da smearing the be and you into one syllable. I remember it being a nice little town when I was a kid. It looks like it has gotten pretty run down. Have you checked out Princeton?

    • @SightseeingSally
      @SightseeingSally  2 роки тому +4

      Yes we found out while filming and made a point to state the correct pronunciation in the video.

  • @Brooklyn_Powers
    @Brooklyn_Powers 2 роки тому +1

    Sitting here at the truck stop waiting to roll and watching this video, I find out that I'm exactly 75 miles from Buda!

  • @edwardkellogg1284
    @edwardkellogg1284 2 роки тому +4

    I just discovered your channel and like it a lot. I love old towns like this. There is lots of history here.

  • @jaesta197
    @jaesta197 6 місяців тому

    I just found your channel yesterday and I ❤it! I’m a born and raised Illinoisan, the videos are great you give so much great information about the town and area’s! That Victor sign in its day was beautiful! Thanks guys ❤

  • @badgerpa9
    @badgerpa9 2 роки тому +7

    I would say everyone from this town has made a comment and most do not seem to think the local that told you info was correct in their history. Sounds like the town has a split personality. Good pick the more comments you will get if with the split. Nice to see you both out and about. Be safe.

  • @marshaflorom730
    @marshaflorom730 2 роки тому +2

    Great video! I am from what some people call a larger town the smaller places still have their charm ! I would think it would be so nice to visit!!

  • @VanInhalin
    @VanInhalin 2 роки тому +4

    a bar and a gas station is all a town needs

  • @anitablake8032
    @anitablake8032 Рік тому +1

    If I remember correctly, the first building you looked at was a little restaurant. My mother and I would eat there when we visited her aunt and uncle.

  • @NeilLGray-cq1vi
    @NeilLGray-cq1vi 2 роки тому +62

    Lots of towns in IL are in similar abandoned conditions.
    Years and years of a state mismanagement and nafta drove population away.

    • @elizabethowens8548
      @elizabethowens8548 2 роки тому +12

      This also happened to Ohio from the mid seventies onward. Thanks Nixon and kissenger fiat currency opening China then Reagan Clinton trickle down trickle out economics

    • @scottwilkes3705
      @scottwilkes3705 2 роки тому +4

      @Neil L Gray same here in my hometown of OPP, Alabama except it's been mostly the industry that has disappeared opp used to be a cotton mill and sewing factory town now we're down to one sewing factory and mostly burger joints,gas stations,and 2 grocery stores and 2 bars basically more of a retirement/welfare town oh and we do have 3 hotels and several churches

    • @pippishortstocking7913
      @pippishortstocking7913 2 роки тому

      A lot of exodus from southern Illinois occurred due to racism. After civil rights successes white racists fled & racist businessmen moved their operations out.

    • @joerowland7350
      @joerowland7350 2 роки тому

      @@elizabethowens8548 naw that's all democrats vote them out or Starve

    • @chrmng1
      @chrmng1 2 роки тому +6

      High taxes and no jobs

  • @ChicagoJ351
    @ChicagoJ351 Рік тому +1

    I live in Illinois and I like these little towns. Especially when you do long bike path rides out of the Chicago area and wind up in little towns like this. Reminds you of what towns used to look like 100 years ago.
    Yes, run down in places and not alot of money to go around, but there are usually nice homes in places too.

  • @orionwarren4244
    @orionwarren4244 2 роки тому +6

    Those types of buildings, 5:06 usually at oddly angled intersections are known as 'flatirons'...for obvious reasons!

    • @SightseeingSally
      @SightseeingSally  2 роки тому +1

      Flatirons, I’ll try to remember that.

    • @jeannie457
      @jeannie457 2 роки тому +3

      I do know that that wedge of pizza house was at one time a dentist office.

  • @naturelvr123
    @naturelvr123 2 роки тому +2

    "LET YOUR FINGERS DO THE WALKING". A yes. I printed a lot of phone books (really I made the printing plates) down in Dwight saw many of those house ads go into those phone books. Now, I don't even have a phone book in the house!

  • @marcuscicero9587
    @marcuscicero9587 Рік тому +2

    love this stuff. thanks for takin the time to root out these old towns and creating a travellog

  • @wyattwirth5393
    @wyattwirth5393 2 роки тому +34

    Hey, I live here in Buda and know a good amount of it's history. The building with the sharpening wheel outside of it was actually at one time a hotel. Upstairs in that building there are some of the original hotel rooms. The train depot was closer to the existing rails where the rectangular fenced in area is.

    • @SightseeingSally
      @SightseeingSally  2 роки тому +4

      Nice! The plot thickens lol Too bad walls can’t talk. I bet that building has some stories to tell. Thanks for the additional info.

    • @wyattwirth5393
      @wyattwirth5393 2 роки тому +4

      @@SightseeingSally No problem, I haven't been in the library for a long while now. Did you see anything about the old tractor dealership that was then a sewing factory and is now just a shop. The buildings to the southwest of Casey's used to be a place called the highway cafe and martin's texaco

    • @jeannie457
      @jeannie457 2 роки тому +6

      The building with the sharpening wheel was not a hotel, it was a furniture store and the family lived above it. Yes it’s spent some time in the bank and a few other things. The gentleman that lives there now is a carpenter and the bottom is his woodworking shop and his apartment is upstairs. The hotel was a block west coming out of the Depot, both places are now empty, nothing there.

    • @wyattwirth5393
      @wyattwirth5393 2 роки тому +4

      @@jeannie457 The gentleman who owns the building is Larry. He has given me a tour of that building. He took me upstairs and he told me that the north half of the building was once a hotel and there are 2 rooms of equal size upstairs that he said were the 2 reaming rooms of the hotel.

    • @jeannie457
      @jeannie457 2 роки тому +1

      @@wyattwirth5393 that is not the story I was told by the daughter of man who owned the furniture store, she grew up there. I have had a tour of the place also. Have you seen a picture of the hotel that is in the Buda book, it’s not the same building and it’s the only hotel I ever heard about.

  • @danthunder5373
    @danthunder5373 2 роки тому +1

    I know this town well. Live a couple miles away in Neponset.

  • @browngreen933
    @browngreen933 2 роки тому +9

    Dead as a door nail -- but I like it and could easily live there. Buda was the original home of the Buda Engine Company. Later it moved and that probably helped kill the town. Marty is cool.

    • @jeannie457
      @jeannie457 2 роки тому +2

      Buda engine wanted to expand and they were going to have to displace residents, the village board at that time said no. So they moved down the railroad to Harvey and we can all see what that is now. Buda engine leaving was the beginning of the end, there was also a fire that took out a lot of the downtown in the mid-1950s.

    • @browngreen933
      @browngreen933 2 роки тому +2

      @@jeannie457
      Interesting. Do you know about what year Buda Engine Co. left Buda?

    • @davidcrandall2415
      @davidcrandall2415 2 роки тому

      I have always pronounced Buda Engines like the City of Budapest. If they were named after this town then we are all saying it wrong.

    • @davidcrandall2415
      @davidcrandall2415 2 роки тому

      @@browngreen933 I would believe that we could find that answer in the history of the Buda Engine Company, who I believe was acquired by Allis Chalmers Company. I believe they made the engine for the diesel version of the WD-45 tractor. There were several engine manufacturers which were utilized for making early tractor and truck engines: others being Continental, Hercules, Waukesha, among others. We all been calling them Buda and not Beau'-da all this time.

    • @davidcrandall2415
      @davidcrandall2415 2 роки тому

      I looked up Buda Engine Company which was founded in 1881 to fabricate things for the railroads. It later moved to Harvey Illinois (no date given) but began the manufacturing of engines in 1910. They were acquired by Allis-Chalmers in 1953.

  • @darrylkoehn-ec8mk
    @darrylkoehn-ec8mk Рік тому +1

    Just went through Buda a few days ago on my home from Wyoming!
    It is ghostly!

  • @davidwick4298
    @davidwick4298 2 роки тому +3

    I enjoy your video's and keep them coming. Thank you.

  • @raymondsprengelmeyer1278
    @raymondsprengelmeyer1278 2 роки тому +3

    I enjoy your friendly town tours! Thank you for sharing!

  • @nco_gets_it
    @nco_gets_it 2 роки тому +1

    My dad's parents lived in Buda and his family is all from Bureau county. Growing up, we would go up there to visit with family in Princeton, Waynette, Malden, and Spring Valley. You should go over to Ladd and get some fried chicken at Rip's. Best fried chicken in IL---maybe the entire USA. The family has since passed on and my cousins have moved on to other places all over the world. Small towns in the midwest have lacked any real opportunity since the 1960s.

  • @JohnShinn6078
    @JohnShinn6078 2 роки тому +7

    Almost

    • @jaypiper3171
      @jaypiper3171 2 роки тому +3

      A few hundred people live there

    • @erickatransou8542
      @erickatransou8542 2 роки тому +6

      Not a ghost town. Very much a thriving town. We have a very active community.

    • @JohnShinn6078
      @JohnShinn6078 2 роки тому

      Edited my comment, added "Almost"

  • @danehlers9989
    @danehlers9989 Рік тому +2

    Seriously, this was awesome 👌. I wish I had someone to go "gaddin'" with like you two have. I'd call it an adventure 👍

  • @scottnielsen1553
    @scottnielsen1553 2 роки тому +5

    I bet that pizza shaped building at 5.05 on the video was built like that because to the right looks like an old railroad right of way. Further down is a shed angled the same way but on the opposite side of the right of way. Probably abandoned a very long time ago.

    • @JohnShinn6078
      @JohnShinn6078 2 роки тому +3

      Scott, if you use a colon (:) instead of a period (.) when referencing a certain time point in a video you create a tappable link for one to get to that point in the video. 👍👍
      Example: 5:05

  • @DC-ht9tc
    @DC-ht9tc 2 роки тому +2

    I live an hour south of there in Peoria area ,thanks for video love this kinda stuff..

  • @tekki2060
    @tekki2060 2 роки тому +8

    Very interesting!! I lived in Rockford most of my life and did quite a bit of traveling in the area. I was close to Buda many times but never went through it.

    • @killroyjohnson1256
      @killroyjohnson1256 2 роки тому +2

      Ol RockTurd huh? 🤣. I moved that direction after getting out of the Army and lived in Rockton. Rockton wasn't bad at all, but its still Illinois and I had to go. Feels good to be back in Florida away from the long cold winters and commie politicians. Good luck you you up there, I hope that place comes back around and redeems itself some day soon. 👍👍

    • @tekki2060
      @tekki2060 2 роки тому +3

      @@killroyjohnson1256 Actually, I hate Illinois! Even though I spent most of my life there it's still a very corrupt state. I've been living in Northern Wisconsin out in the country for the last ten years. I like it much better up here.

    • @killroyjohnson1256
      @killroyjohnson1256 2 роки тому +2

      @@tekki2060 Right on, I don't blame you one bit. Wisconsin is amazing but unfortunately seems to be following in the same footsteps as Illinois. Hopefully I'm wrong about that.

    • @tekki2060
      @tekki2060 2 роки тому +2

      @@killroyjohnson1256 It is kind of looking that way, isn't it. Fortunately, I live way out in the country away from any cities.

    • @killroyjohnson1256
      @killroyjohnson1256 2 роки тому

      @@tekki2060 sadly it is. I love Wisconsin and wanted to move there, but figured I better just get back to DeSantisland where I know we should have some good years to go before those worthless degenerate liberals flood here and try turning it into a DemoCrap cesspool. At least I hope. I hear they make excellent gator bait lmao 🤣