GRIFFIN SOCIETY 11TH ANNUAL MEETING
MAY 22, 2010 IN ANNA, ILLINOIS
Mark your calendars for next May 22nd. The eleventh annual meeting of the Walter Burley Griffin Society of America will take place in downstate Illinois among the rolling hills of the Shawnee National Forest, at Griffin’s major public building in America—the Stinson Memorial Library in Anna. 
Photo by Mati Maldre
Three subjects of interest will be explored at the meeting: Griffin’s library; a remarkable house nearby by the great Organic architect, Bruce Goff; and the Anna Pottery, a local company run in the late 19th century by two brothers, Wallace and Cornwall Kirkpatrick. The proposed itinerary is as follows: morning meeting at the Stinson library, with three lectures in the assembly hall—Paul Kruty on the library, Richard Mohr on the startling products of the Anna pottery, and Richard Helstern on the creation of the Goff house for Hugh and Minna Duncan. Box lunch in the library. Afternoon tour: several additional sites in Anna, then to Cobden for a visit to the Union County Historical Museum, which has a comprehensive display of Anna pottery, and ending with a reception at the Giant City Lodge.
Anna, its neighbor Jonesboro, and Cobden are small towns, so accommodations are limited. Carbondale, which has a full range of chain motels, is about twenty miles north. Because lodging in the immediate vicinity of Anna is limited, you are advised to make your reservations early. The Giant City Lodge (at giantcitylodge.com) has a limited number of rooms. Reservations for next year begin on December 1st and the lodge fills up fast—so don’t wait, if this is your choice. There are also many wineries in the vicinity (and even a “Wine Trail” for truly hearty adventurers—check out shawneewinetrail.com), most of which seem to have cabins available. There are also many B & Bs. In Anna, there is the Davies School Inn, a converted school house only a few blocks from the library (davieschoolinn.com)
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