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 This new attraction provides zero-depth entry for the young, the old and physically handicapped. It has a frog slide, a water slide, and a one-meter drop slide. It has a wet playground area, a sand playground area, a concessions/food court area, a shaded picnic area and a new bath house. It also has several lap lanes and a diving board. The Shelbyville Family Aquatic center offers recreation for all ages. Opens Memorial Day Weekend.
Hours |
| Monday - Saturday |
12:00 PM - 6:00 PM |
| Sunday |
1:00 PM - 6:00 PM |
Price List |
| 0-3 |
Free /Paying Adult |
| Over 3 |
$4.00 Each |
| Groups of 15 or More |
$3.00 Each |
| Individual Season Pass |
$60.00 |
| Family Pass/4 |
$200.00
$30 each addt'l mbr
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| Individual Punch Card |
15 admission -$45.00 |
| Individual Punch Card |
10 admission - $20.00 |
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| Where: |
Forest Park, Shelbyville |
| Call: |
217-774-4343 |
| Back to the top |
 The Best Wedding Chapel is nestled in mid-west Illinois in the historic town of Shelbyville. Dedicated in the 1870's this former Catholic church features Gothic style architechure, 14 foot original stained-glass windows, and a 33 foot cathedral ceiling with a small archway separating the vestibule from the nave. It is now the home & business of the Best family. This wedding chapel is available as a traditional, as well as non-traditional wedding, or vow renewal site. For more information, please call or visit the website.
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| Where: |
159 N. Washington Street, Shelbyville |
| Call: |
217-774-7809 |
| Back to the top | View the Best Wedding Chapel Site |
Municipal park with Chautauqua Auditorium, Vietnam memorial, family aquatic center, picnic area, pavillions, baseball & softball diamonds, fishing lagoon and more! You can also start the General Dacy trail in the back area of the park. Future improvements coming.......Soccer fields, athletic house, and more.
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| Where: |
Northeast Ninth Street, Shelbyville |
| Call: |
217-774-5531 |
| Back to the top |
Lake Shelbyville provides visitors an opportunity to experience over 50 miles of developed multi-purpose trails on public lands. The General Dacy Trail Concept Plan is a mult-partnered regional effort to expand recreational trail opportunities into a 170-mile trail network that will  provide opportunities for bicycling, hiking, and other recreational trail uses, and provide off-road connectivity between local communities, public recreation areas and other interesting and scenic attractions in the region. Lake Shelbyville offers some of the best mountain biking at the Camp Camfield section of the General Dacy Trail with 10.5 miles of trail currently available with a designated bike route connection to the City of Sullivan. A four-mile section in the City of Shelbyville to Forest Park and Dam West is currently being developed and will provide an opportunity for winter sports such as snowmobiling as well as warm weather activities. In addition, Wolf Creek State Park provides the only Equestrian Trail on Lake Shelbyville with 15 miles of trail conveniently located adjacent to an equestrian campground. Other trails include the Illini Trail, Okaw Bluff, and Coon Creek Trail. |
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| Where: |
Camp Camfield, Chief Illini, Dam West (under construction) |
| Call: |
217-774-3951 |
| Back to the top | View the General Dacey Trail Web Site |
GOAT TOWER
Dave Johnson built this tower for his Saanen Goats. The tower is made up of 5,000 bricks and 276 concrete steps that spiral around the outside and has 6 levels. This tower is only one of three that are in the world. Dave Johnson also owns Agri-Serve.
The Saanen dairy goat originated in Switzerland, in the Saanen Valley. These goats are white or light cream in color, with white being preferred. The does weigh 135 pounds or more with the bucks 185 pounds or more. The breed is sensitive to excessive sunlight and performs best in cooler conditions. Shade is essential and tan skin is preferable . This breed is large and big boned, but they are graceful. Both sexes have beards and horns.
The tower gives the goat shade as well as giving them the climbing that they would normally get in their native Switzerland. |
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| Where: |
On the Road to Wolf Creek State Park |
| Call: |
217-459-2836 |
| Back to the top |
This state forest consists of approximately 1,200 acres of land near Clarksburg, about 10 miles southeast of Shelbyville.
The name Hidden Springs was selected to designate this particular state forest because of the seven known springs on the property which wre used for drinking water by the Indians and early settlers. Over the years these springs have been covered over by natural siltation and vegetation (hence the name). Rocky Spring and Quicksand Spring have trail access.
The entire forest area was originally planned as a state lake. These plans were altered when the construction of Shelbyville Reservoir began. The property was then assigned to the Division of Forestry in 1960 to be managed as a state forest.
Hidden Springs is used for the production of superior seed for use at the state tree nurseries and growing of hardwoods, such as oak and black walnut, but also has facilities for picknicking, camping, fishing, hiking, hunting and wildlife watching. |
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| Where: |
Near Clarksburg |
| Call: |
217-644-3091 |
| Back to the top |
SETTLEMENT
 Permanent settlement of the county began in March 1818, when Charles Wakefield Sr. located his family and five others in what is now Cold Spring Township (Herrick vicinity) in the southwest part of the territory. They came north from St. Clair County, Illinois, and settled at this location because of the abundance of good water, good soil, and plenty of timber. The first settler near the present day Shelbyville was Asa Ledbetter, who built a water mill on the Okaw (Kaskaskia) River in 1822. This mill only lasted a short time; it was washed away by the high water of 1828. Ledbetter lost his life at the same time trying to save the mill. The first to locate in the future city was Joseph Daniel arriving about 1825. He built a cabin of very meager pretensions. It was a single room. He also farmed a small tract next to his cabin. Shelby County was established by Act of Legislature in January, 1927 and the virtually uninhabited tract for the future Shelbyville was selected on April 5 of the same year. Both were named in honor of Isaac Shelby, Revolutionary War soldier and public servant.
In 1827 Joseph Oliver, who had been appointed Clerk of Shelby County, came up from Vandalia and bought out Joseph Daniel's cabin. He soon expanded the cabin and used his cabin as the Court House until the first Court House was built. Shelbyville was incorporated as a village on May 22, 1839, and became a "City" April 24, 1863. |
SHELBY COUNTY COURTHOUSE
In 1871, the Committee on Public Buildings reported to the County Board that the existing Courthouse (located on the Public Square) was too small and unsafe. In November 1872, voters approved the proposed new court- house.
The lot, just north of the Public Square, was purchased for $800.00. Moses Flanders' brickyard (southeast of town) was given a contract for one million seven hundred and fifty thousand bricks. Their cost was $6.00 per thousand.
The building is classic in design.
Two statues occupy niches above the south or front doors. The Grecian statues represent the Goddess of Liberty and Justice. The building was completed at a cost of $72,987.00 and was dedicated on April 13, 1883.
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CHAUTAUQUA AUDITORIUM
Built around the turn of the century in 1903, Shelbyville's Chautauqua Auditorium was at one time a center of culture and entertainment in the community.
The building was designed by Dixon and Chicago architect Morrison H. Vail. H.B. Trout, a local machine shop owner, supervised the construction. It was built in eight  months, and was completed in 1903 at a cost of $7500. The bowled floor can provide seating for 5,000. Above the stage are Grecian statues designed by Robert Root, a local artist. The statues represent art, music, and drama. The building was used for Chautauqua programs. Such famous speakers as William Jenning Bryan, Rev. Sam Jones, Billy Sunday, and Carry Nation appeared for these programs. The interior floor space of the building is 15,000 square feet and there are no posts inside the structure. The roof is supported by a unique series of beams and supports in the ceiling. It is the largest building of its kind anywhere in the world and is included on the National Register of Historic places.
Inside the building is a 36-foot by 36-foot stage area with 2,000 square feet of floor space. At one time, it had an orchestra pit that held 20 musicians and their instruments.
The Chautauqua Auditorium is home to the Annual State Fiddlers Contest. It is located in Forest Park on Northeast Ninth Street in Shelbyville. For more information, please call 217-774-5531. |
JAILHOUSE
 The first county jail was located on North Morgan St. The second jail was west of the current Court House. The contract for this jail was let in 1892 to the Champion Iron Co. of Denton, Ohio for the sum of $22,952. The steam heating system was installed for $850. The inside walls were made of iron, covered with plaster and were considered fireproof. The entrances on the West side, were double doors of steel, with round iron bars on the outside. On January 15, 1984 the jail failed its State inspection. The Shelby County Board agreed on July 26, 1985 that a new county jail would be built at 151 N. Morgan St. On April 23, 1986, the contract was awarded to L.J. Swingler Construction Company for the new jail at a cost of $1,522,900.
In October 1987, the old jail building was sold by sealed bids to the Shelby County Historical and Genealogical Society. |
LINCOLN PUBLIC SQUARE - ETERNAL FLAME
 The Soldiers & Sailors Monument, designed by local artist, Robert Marshall Root, is located in the Lincoln Public Square. This public square, erected in 1907 in memory of the Soldiers & Sailors of Shelby County, has always been a source of pride throughout the county.
To add to the beauty and pride of the Lincoln Public Square another additon took place on July 3, 2002. A monument housing an eternal flame was dedicated to the veterans of Shelby County. Former mayor, Lowell Goleman, worked tirelessly for two years to make this deram a reality.
The eternal flame sits on top of a 3-foot-high black granite base just in front of the 1907 Civil War Memorial opposite the Shelby County Courthouse. Extending off to each side are sloping wings of matching black granite. One wing is etched with a copy of the famous picture of the Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima in World War II. The other wing is etched with another famous picture: General  Douglas MacArthur wading ashore in the Phillipines in 1945, fufilling his "I shall return" pledge. The Marine shown striding right next to the five-star general is Shelbyville resident August West. The local connection makes this picture especially important to residents. The flame will be an "eternal" rememberance of the Shelby County veterans, living and dead, and their valiant sacrifices for our freedom. |
TALLMAN HOUSE
The Tallman House serves as office for the Shelby Historic House & Inn. It was built in 1905 by inventor of the mechanical hay baler, and restored in 1989. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located at 816 West Main, in Shelbyville. It's open daily, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. |
WILLIAMSBURG HILL
Kickapoo villiages still existed in 1818 when settlers came to the area from St. Clair County. Originally known as the Wakefield Settlement, the name was changed to the Cold Spring Settlement until 1839 when the Williams and the Horseman families aspired to begin a town at this location. Hard pressed to come up with an adequate name, they drew names out of a hat. When the Williams name was drawn the town was called Williamsburg. The Williamsburg area, the highest point in Central, IL still has natural cold water springs and multiple varieties of fauna. |
 After 37 years without an indoor movie theatre, Shelbyville again has a place for movie buffs. Boarman's Roxy Theatre is the brainchild of Shelbyville automobile dealer Bob Boarman who donated $100,000 in the summer of 2003 to the Greater Shelbyville Area Chamber of Commerce if they would build a movie theatre.
The original Roxy closed on November 6, 1966 after showing the Disney film "Mary Poppins." The new Roxy is located in the same location in downtown Shelbyville after volunteers and members of the Roxy Theatre Management Committee, gutted the old theatre building, that had been a photography studio, and rebuilt the Roxy from brick walls out.
The theatre shows current Hollywood releases, classic films, and children's films and provide other special programming. Prices are low, because the theatre is still staffed mostly by volunteer labor. The Roxy pays homage to the glory days with a vintage-looking theatre marquee featuring neon lighting, and old style fabrics and curtains inside the building.
In addition to Boarman, other businesses have donated to the theatre restoration and their names are featured on a plaque in the lobby of the building. Civic groups, Boy Scouts, and other volunteers contributed many hours to the restoration project.
For current listings and dates, click the image of the Roxy Theatre. |
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| Where: |
Downtown Shelbyville |
| Call: |
217-774-ROXY |
| Back to the top | View the Roxy Theatre Web site |
 Winery with wine tasting room and gift shop. In 1997, Brenda and Dennis Vahling and their children began building a dream. They planted a vineyard with the hope that someday they would be able to bottle and market their own unique blend of wine. Using varieties that are indigeous to this area, they began growing and experimenting with different varieties and recipes. Developing a wine that would be a trademark of their vineyard was a real challenge. They started with a large number of different wines and have narrowed it down to five superior varieties. On October 1, 2002, the Vahling Vineyard was officially open to sell bottled wine to the public. |
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| Where: |
Near Stewardson |
| Call: |
217-682-5409 |
| Back to the top | View the Vahling Vineyards Web site |
WILLOW RIDGE VINEYARDS & WINERY
 Willow Ridge Vineyards & Winery, situated on a sesquicentential farm, is owned and operated by Louie and Tina Donnel. Nestled in a rural setting, it creates a warm and relaxing atmosphere to enjoy a glass of wine, visit with friends, sit by the fireplace or relax on the terrace overlooking the vineyard. The tasting room offers a Tuscan style atmosphere complete with handcrafted bar, stained glass windows, and a stone fireplace. They serve complimentary wine tastings and you may purchase wine by the glass or bottle. They also offer cheese, crackers, sausages and breads that pair nicely with their wines. The banquet room is a perfect setting for any occasion. Whether it be a family reunion, class reunion, wedding reception or holiday party, they offer a unique atmosphere for your special event. The banquet room seats 190 people. It is available for reservation most dates except major holidays. The tasting room, which will sit an additional 40 people, is also available after regular closing time. |
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| Where: |
Westervelt |
| Call: |
217-738-2323 |
| Back to the top | View the Willow Ridge Winery & Vineyards Web site |
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