Clayville Restoration Project
Pleasant Plains
The Clayville historic site was originally restored in the 1960’s by Dr. Emmet Peterson as a place to train historic site managers and educate the public in the history of the area through demonstrations and reenactments. Eventually ownership of the Clayville site and the nine buildings changed hands, and over the years fell into a dire state of disrepair. The property was listed in Landmarks Illinois’ 2007 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois. The site stood vacant and forgotten under years of overgrowth until 2009, when the Pleasant Plains Historical Society was formed. This organization spearheaded the clean-up, restoration and preservation of the site mainly through volunteer efforts.
Since March 2010, the site has been utilized for various functions and events by a range of community organizations. The care and maintenance of the site, as well as keeping it a vital part of the Pleasant Plains community is the main mission of the Historical Society.