Katie Hargrave / Urbana: Hovel
In 2003, homage for the work of John W. Vance was undertaken by the Champaign County Board. In an effort to honor the work Vance did in establishing Urbana, Illinois and the larger Champaign County, a decision was made to rename a portion of the frontage road alongside Illinois Rt. 74, previously named Anthony Drive, to Vance Road.
Driving North on Cunningham, as if heading out of Urbana, I passed under the underpass for 74 and turned right at the first intersection. In front of me was the street sign marking Anthony Drive. I turned and on my left passed a large, plastic light-up sign stating INN. Just beyond the inn I passed another street sign, this one denoting the end of Anthony Drive and the beginning of Vance Road. In excitement, I wanted to walk the road. I pulled off into a gravel drive and parked my car next to a skeleton of an old tree. I walked from the beginning of the road, past this little gravel path, past a sign advertising the land as for sale, and then, quite abruptly, I approached another green and white reflective street sign. Not on a right angle, like it would be if it were differentiating between two perpendicular roads, but flat, this street sign showed that Vance Road was again becoming Anthony Drive, only about one hundred yards later. I kept walking, curious as to why the change back. Only a few yards more, and I saw a sign for a trailer park.
The Champaign County Board wanted to make good on all that John W. Vance had done for this community. He single handedly, due to his heritage, named the area that could, to some, be considered the heart of East Central Illinois. The Board named a road after his deeds, but they choose to name a section in which the least amount of people would be inconvenienced. No one lives on the land that carries his name. There are no businesses there. But without him, our identity would not be the same.
On Vance road there is an abandoned homestead, a torn down house, or something of the like. On the land, behind an overgrown hedge, I found these objects.
