Warsaw, Illinois is almost all history.

The town doesn’t set on any form of highway. If you’re in Warsaw it’s probably because you visit Warsaw or got lost. But the townspeople like it this way.

History is Warsaw’s greatest draw. The people enjoy its history.

One of the town’s greatest claims is that it was at one time bigger than Chicago. The once booming town was the product of location. As the Des Moines River splits the states of Missouri and Iowa it collides with the Mississippi river and settles on Warsaw’s riverfront. The result labeled Warsaw the epicenter of shipping and trade in a time when the Mississippi River was the west coast of America.

Evolution eventually had its way, and highways damned the steam and wheel ships that defined shipping and transportation on this coast. Warsaw remained populated but isolated; its growth was eventually smothered.

The town was left with some shipping, and its economy has now dwindled to raising corn and soybeans. But there seems to be no question that the remaining population takes pride in the town’s rich history.

The people of Warsaw have two museums to remind them of their roots; but the town’s greatest tale is written on the faces and inside the buildings of its main street. The buildings are either restorations or ruins; however, even the crumbling walls contain their share of heritage.

One of the restored buildings, which sits on the corner of 4th and Main, holds a history that once disappeared, but has returned. This one small shop holds a fountain of Warsaw’s greatest flavors – Scoop’s Soda Shop.

At one time the vintage soda shop was a mainstay in most Midwestern towns, including Warsaw. When this reporter was growing up there, the fountain, which is now at Scoop’s, was at Murphy’s. I drank a lot of Green River there.

More recent generations remember it being at 6th and Main where the fountain made carbonated creations for two businesses – Macadoo’s and Back to the Fifties Diner. But it all started where the fountain now sits and is operated by master soda jerk Jenifer Cameron.

Jenifer Cameron’s Scoops is in the original building that installed the fountain over one hundred years ago. This serious piece of history has kept Cameron pulling taps and pushing syrup pumps. She started the business four years ago, while working on a management degree.

Cameron will also feed you traditional Midwestern food. Her menu is small to match the resources she has for preparation. Hamburgers and grilled chicken are the extent of her hot food staples, as well as deli sandwiches that can be ordered on any day and she supplements this with a rotating selection of daily specials.

These specials are classic homemade meals and Jen claims that the most popular are the meatloaf and country fried steak. I know one local who really enjoys the liver and onions. But when it comes down to business, deserts rule this shop; with a generous selection of ice creams and deserts made from her great grandma’s recipes Cameron keeps the threat of diabetes high in this little burg.

When asked about income, Cameron said the shop pretty much sustains itself.

“I don’t make any money,” she said. “I really just break even.”

She said she just enjoys being in charge, adding the people and the environment that she has created for herself are profit enough for her to continue. One of these people may have contributed directly to revenues, Cameron tells the story of a woman who helped her.

“A woman who used to work in a soda shop came in and wanted an ice cream soda and then taught me how to make it,” Cameron said. “They’re now one of my top sellers and people say that they are the best ice cream sodas they have ever had.”

Although she works hard in her business she is not alone. She employs three part time high school students. While I was doing the interview one of the employees was there to cover any business that came in but Jen could not stay seated while customers when in the shop. Whenever someone came in, and there were a few, she sprung up and went to her post behind the fountain to help fill orders.

Her dedication was obvious. You could see it everywhere in the building, the century old masonry still a crisp red, the bricks the same color as the day they came out of the kiln.

Her Coca-Cola display is catching to the eye, but the décor that reinforces her love are the photos on everything – pictures of patrons hung in frames or stuck in napkin dispensers. Pictures made by young regulars are displayed with pride, and Cameron smiles when she brags about knowing their usual orders.

Ryan Robison from outside of Carthage has made Scoops a regular stop when he finds himself in Warsaw visiting friends or boating. He gives credit to a devoted owner and homey atmosphere as the main draws of the shop.

He did not have a definite favorite; he likes the pie and ice cream, but on this day he dined on a farmer’s lunchmeat sandwich and drank one of the many variations created at the fountain. He chuckled when asked about his favorite flavor and said he didn’t have one, there were too many to choose from.

I then got the input of one of Jen’s high school employees who had worked there for almost three years. Ray enjoys working at Scoops; he really likes the conversations with the people he gets to meet. This job also allows Ray to connect with the town he grew up in. he is recognized by the youngsters around school who remind him that he is “the Scoops guy” he chuckled as he recalled this. Chuckles and laughs seemed common in this setting.

I finished my interviews and my hot fudge milkshake made with birthday cake ice cream. I sat and looked out the window on to Main Street. The flags were still flying from every light pole. They were left over from the Memorial Day weekend seven days earlier.

The street I gazed upon once had a trolley line to carry people up and down it; public transportation seemed so foreign to this landscape. Public transport is for cities, for places that making your way through crowds is a hassle or delay. Today Warsaw is free from this worry.

A freedom created by an unfortunate history of forgotten bustle and booming business. The people that do traverse Warsaw’s downtown find gems like Scoop’s that are a kind of reminder of the past like the small grocery store that sits across the street, or the bank that is still in an antique building, a massive secure feeling bit of architecture a couple of blocks up. Walking distances, no trolley needed.

I couldn’t help but notice a new café was open, one I had never been to before. I’ll have to check it out next time I’m in town. But don’t worry Scoop’s; I’ll still be by for dessert.