A fire in Latham has shocked the community, and now those with ties to the building are sharing memories.
The small town of Latham Illinois has drastically changed since Donna Howe was a child.
"My father, growing up here in Latham, he was the store owner in the late 40's and and he sold his portion around 1962, so we spend a lot of time here at the grocery store," says Howe, whose father used to own the mainstay building burnt in Saturday's fire.
Donna grew up in Latham with family ties rooted throughout the community.
"It was like a general store. You could buy your bib overalls, your gloves things like that you might need at home. My dad also, he and his partners had a panel van and the van they would deliver to you home," added Howe.
However, a fire Saturday destroyed a building that Donna and her family held near and dear to their hearts.
"It wasn't just my family that it touched. It was the other owners in the past that owned the building," said Howe.
Howe, as well as other community members, are collecting the bricks from the building next to Latham's Korner Cafe, hoping to preserve memories.
"My dad would walk the children up here, and they had their stops. They would stop at the restaurant for a red pop and a doughnut and then he would walk them down here to the store and tell them stories, and they'd stop at the bank and get lollipop then they stop at the post office and get the mail then they'd walk back home and check the garden and it's just memories like that that you cherish," Howe remembers.
Remembering a building and all that it stood for.
