Places to See

Centralia Carillon & Musical Fountain

Come see and hear the distinctive sites and sounds of the Centralia Carillon towering 165 feet high above the city. The Centralia Carillon, the sixth largest bell tower in the world, is played by a professional carillonneur who climbs 173 steps to play the bells in concert. The base of the tower contains a small museum, and tours of the Carillon are available free to the public by making a reservation.

The beauty of the Centralia Carillon is enhanced by the surrounding tower park just west of the carillon tower. The “sitting wall” is a perfect spot to listen to the music. Soft amber lighting at night makes the park an attractive place to take an evening stroll. Visitors may also experience the one and only musical fountain which moves to the unique expressions of the Carillon. For private tours or concert information please give us a call.

(618) 533-4381
114 North Elm St
Centralia, Illinois 62801

 

Centralia Boys Basketball-Winningest Team in the Nation

(618) 532-7391
2100 East Calumet
Centralia, Illinois 62801
http://www.centraliahs.org/
Winningest Team in the Nation

The Centralia High School boys’ basketball program is one of the most storied in the state, having reached the IHSA State Finals 24 times (the first coming in 1909), which has resulted in three state championships. That type of long-term success led the school to become the winningest high school program in the country, as it notched the program’s 2,000 wins during the 2007-08 season.

The Orphans eventually relinquished that mantle to Dobyns Bennett High School in Kingsport, Tennessee, but regained it on March 1, 2016, with a 67-35 win over Salem in the IHSA Regional Semifinal round.

Centralia’s 2,198 wins are two better than Dobyns Bennett’s (2,196), whose season is over with a 5-21 record this year (2016).

Article Credit: http://www.ihsa.org/IHSAState/IHSAStateArticles/tabid/768/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/905/Centralia-Boys-Basketball-Once-Again-the-Nations-Winningest-Program.aspx
Orphans Basketball
The father of the “Orphans”

The Orphans, formed in 1906, first entered the national spotlight in the 1940s, under head coach Arthur L. Trout. Trout truly “made” the Orphans, leading them to more than 800 victories over a 36-year career and christening the team with its truly unusual name.

Centralia is the only town in the United States-it’s probably even safe to say “in North America”-with a team named “Orphans.” But the team didn’t start that way. Early in Trout’s tenure, the red-and-white suited players were known variously as Cardinals, Redbirds, and even Troutmen. But the Coach apparently wanted something more distinctive.

According to some, Trout named the team after his favorite movie, the 1922 silent classic Orphans of the Storm. But the true origins of the name have become the stuff of local legend. In his book Trout: The Old Man and the Orphans, author Don Schnake suggest that some people thought the boys on the team looked “as sad as a band of unwanted orphans.” It’s also known that the frugal Trout had his players pick their uniforms from a stack of leftovers from past years. “When two players arrived on the floor at the same time in matching uniforms, it was by accident, not design,” Schnake writes. Again, fans were reminded of poor, neglected orphans.

Whatever the origin, the moniker stuck. And although some opponents may snicker when they hear Centralia’s cheerleaders shout, “O-R-P-H-A-N-S! Orphans are the very best,” the players take pride in having a name unique in all of basketball.

Article Credit: http://americanprofile.com/articles/high-school-winningest-basektball-team/

Bicentennial Park

This wood water tower is one of only two wooden structures of its kind still standing along the Canadian National Railroad line. It is a local historic landmark.

The wooden water tower in Centralia is a remnant of the Age of Steam, during which the Illinois Central Railroad had more than 600 towers built during the last half of the 19th Century and the early years of the 20th Century to furnish water to steam-driven locomotives. Centralia’s tower is believed to be at least 102 years old.

The tower has not held water since the 1970s and has not been used by the railroad for several decades. It is the focal point of Bicentennial Park, a park created by volunteers in 1976 as part of the community’s observance of the nation’s 200th birthday. The water tower and this Park is a reminder of Centralia’s proud railroading history.