http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wium/local-wium-990222.mp3
McDonough County, IL – A historic site in McDonough County continues to draw interest every time it's opened to the public.
Several hundred people showed up over the weekend for an open house at Vishnu Springs. Friends of Vishnu Co-Chair Marla Vizdal believes the attraction is the site's mystique.
"They hear the words 'Vishnu Springs' and they know it was an old community. They want to see what it is for themselves," said Vizdal.
She became interested in Vishnu Springs while working at the Western Illinois University archives.
"It was interesting how many people came in wanting to know about Vishnu," Vizdal said. "I just wanted to know more about the site and the history of of it, and to put the story together for the next generation."
This is the third consecutive October that Friends of Vishnu has hosted an open house at the site, which is owned by WIU. The university grants the Friends group permission to open the site to the public.
Vizdal said the Friends of Vishnu is contemplating whether to add some attractions to the event.
Those could include live music or performances of The Inadvertent Rascal by local playwright Sue Zendt. The play is about Darius Hicks, who developed Vishnu Springs as a health resort in the late 1800s. Zendt she drew on the facts she found in local newspapers of the time.
Vishnu Springs is now officially known as the Ira and Reatha T. Post Wildlife Sanctuary. The Post family donated the land to WIU in 2003. Friends of Vishnu was formed that same year to support the sanctuary.
WIU researchers are studying the pond water and fauna at the site. They are also completing an inventory of the plants and animals there.