If you travel seven miles east of LeRoy on County Road 15, you’ll find the Sabina Elevator standing guard over the handful of homes that remain in this once bustling farming community, formerly known as Monarch.  The elevator house, which holds 50,000 bushels, was built with wooden pegs in 1914 and a rope man-lift is still used to reach the upper bins.  The Illinois Central Railroad once ran trains through Sabina on a branch line known as the Pumpkin Vine.  In 1974, the elevator was purchased by FS and when the decision to close it came about in 2003, longtime manager Dennis Mennenga purchased the elevator.  Today the facility is used by Dennis and others for grain, vehicle and equipment storage.

More importantly, on Monday and Wednesday mornings, the elevator serves as a gathering spot for a group of farmers who stop for a cup of Paul Heagy’s coffee and good conversation.                                                              

Photos by Ken Kashian and Cyndi Cook