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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: Arts & Culture, Historical Organizations
Mission: The education, preservation and restoration of the champaign, havanaand western railway system.
Target demographics: preserve the history of the original CH&WRy of 1879.
Direct beneficiaries per year: maintain the Seymour to White Heath trail. We also provided historic research about the CH&WRy of 1879 to other area railroad preservation groups.
Geographic areas served: Central Illinois
Programs: historic research for area railroad preservation groups as well as work to establish hiking/biking trails on portions of the original CH&WRy of 1879 which have been abandoned. Towards that end, we have cleared off 4 miles of abandoned railroad grade between Seymour and White Heath, Illinois for Heartland Pathways, owner of 33 miles of original CH&W grade which was abandoned by the Illinois Central Railroad in 1988. In the future, we will be working to clear off another 3 miles of Heartland's original CH&W railroad grade between White Heath and Lodge, Illinois. This part traverses the Sangamon River Valley and is one of the most scenic and environmentally significant portions of Heartland's trail system. Future plans include raising funds to purchase select adjacent properties to increase the width of the historic corridor to protect the natural habitat upon it.