Two Tazewell County historic buildings, cemetery preservation, Effingham Hotel are featured in latest issue of Historic Illinois

SPRINGFIELD - The Dement-Zinser House and the Denhart Bank in the Tazewell County community of Washington, a new cemetery preservation handbook, and Effingham's Benwood Hotel are featured in the latest issue of Historic Illinois, a publication of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA).

The cover story features the 1858 home of Washington entrepreneur Richard C. Dement that was purchased by physician Harley Zinser in 1905. The residence is operated as a museum by the Washington Historical Society, offering visitors the opportunity to learn about standard medical practices of the early 1900s. While the Zinser home is filled with period furnishings, an adjacent office building on the property appears the way it did when Zinser retired from his medical practice in 1930.

Another article covers the historic Washington Denhart Bank building. The two-story Italianate structure was built in 1872 and prospered for years before falling victim to the bank failures of the Great Depression. The Denhart Bank building has been completely restored and how houses a bed and breakfast inn and a café, restaurant and bar. Both articles about these historic buildings in the Tazewell County community of Washington were written by IHPA publications editor Cynthia Fuener.

The new publication, Illinois Historic Cemetery Preservation Handbook, published by IHPA and the department of Natural Resources, is also featured in Historic Illinois. The book talks about what can be learned from headstones and monuments as well as the best way to maintain them.

Effingham's Benwood Hotel opened in 1923 and was named for local banker, Illinois legislator and Congressman Benson Wood. The Benwood was strategically located along Illinois Route 11, the National Road, and came at the right time to take advantage of traffic caused by the automobile boom. The structure was extensively rehabilitated in the 1980s and is now used as an office building for Effingham County. The article was written by IHPA's Head of Research and Education, Keith Sculle.

Historic Illinois is a bimonthly IHPA publication that features historically significant sites in Illinois. Subscriptions are $10 per year, which includes six issues of Historic Illinois and one full-color Historic Illinois Calendar. For more information, call (217) 524-6045, visit www.Illinois-History.gov, or write: Historic Illinois, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, 1 Old State Capitol Plaza, Springfield, IL 62701-1507.