Popeye's Birthplace

We made a side-trip and saw K's Grandma and cousin Andrea. On the way back, we came through Chester, IL. Every once and a while, a magical thing happens in small town America. In this case, Elize Segar was born in Chester in 1894. He would later create Popeye, and change Chester's identify.


The fun all starts at the Elzie C. Segar Memorial Park, where a six-foot, 900 lb. bronze statue of Popeye welcomes you to Chester.


As you enter Chester, there are so many things to see and do.





And, on ocassion, you see non-Popeye attractions ... for example, an attractive, not so intelligent woman being all cute in front of the local GOP headquarters. Odd, really.


If you are interested in seeing more of Chester in film, check out:

- In the Heat of the Night (1967)
- The Fugitive (1993)
- Hoop Dreams (1994)
- Poor White Trash (2000)