Sept. 27--STAUNTON -- A woman who has spent years hoping to build a yesteryear settlement in an old coal mining area saw much of her project go up in flames Tuesday night, the result of a suspected arson.
Authorities, including the Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office, were at the scene on Wednesday. The location is 9627 Decamp Road, which is about a half-mile west of Illinois Route 4, in Olive Township, just south of Staunton.
Two storage buildings were damaged or destroyed, property owner Lynn Puryear said. Both of them housed items that Puryear was planning to use in establishing what she calls DeCamp Settlement Farm and Herb Gardens, a 1900s-era salute to the old coal mining village known as Decamp.
She said authorities found two containers of gasoline inside one of the buildings, and they were not hers.
"I did not have anything like that out here -- not even a paint can, for fear of a fire," she said.
She had the electricity turned off to the buildings to save on expenses.
Puryear had plans to establish a produce farm and an herb garden on the site and hoped to train "intellectually challenged adults" to run that part of the operation. For years, she has been collecting antiques that were to be a part of the surroundings.
Puryear received a call about 9 p.m. Tuesday from a friend who told her one of the buildings was on fire. It was the barn, full of antiques. By the time she arrived minutes later, another nearby building was on fire.
The two buildings were among three structures on the site described as 11-foot-by-14-foot, "character buildings," built with newer materials and constructed to resemble period structures.
Nothing was left of the barn but a shell. The nearby damaged building had substantial damage to its upper story and side. It housed new windows and related materials, she said.
DeCamp Settlement's mission is explained on its Facebook page. It is described as a place intended "to offer fresh herbs, vegetables, fruits and flowers on a farm where individuals with special needs work together with job coaches, high school students, farmers, gardeners, and all who wish to attain knowledge about gardening."
Puryer, who is 63 and retired, said it is her hope to educate the public about making good food choices, gardening and the abilities of special needs individuals.
This year, she had formed a board of directors, was building a volunteer base and was pursuing organization as a 501(c)(3) -- a nonprofit entity.
"Things just started falling into place this year. We were really moving it along. This will be a setback," she said.
Also on the site are a chicken house, a wagon and an outhouse, all of which are period in nature and were not touched.
The antiques included a tavern sidebar, trunks, old tin tub, old typewriter, a wood stove and more.
"A lot of them were very unique and one-of-a-kind. I was going to auctions two and three times a week to get stuff," she said.
Puryear, who lives in Staunton, said she has had some vandalism, including broken windows, "but this is the worst they've done."
Beyond the investigation, she said she's not sure what happens next, although she talked to the insurance company and is considering offering a reward if it's necessary.
When they first were called out, firefighters believed the fire could have been connected to the weather because of severe storms that passed through the region Tuesday night.
"The initial report was of a lightning strike, but then gas cans were found, and we turned it over to the fire marshal," said Maj. Brad Wells of the Madison County Sheriff's Department.
A spokeswoman from the State Fire Marshal's Office said she had no information to offer about the fire as of Wednesday afternoon.
Copyright 2012 - The Telegraph, Alton, Ill.
