Editing Altamont, Illinois (section)

===Points of interest===
{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2010}}

Altamont is home to the Effingham County Fairgrounds, at which the Effingham County Fair has been held annually in the first week of August since 1945. Each year the Effingham County Fair hosts nationally known country singers, a touring rodeo, two ITPA truck and tractor pulls, a queen pageant, a talent show, Standardbred and Thoroughbred races, and a demolition derby.<ref>{{cite web |title=Welcome to The Effingham County Fair |url=https://effinghamcountyfair.com/ |accessdate=31 March 2020 |website=Effingham County Fair}}</ref> The fairgrounds were once host to the Illinois High School rodeo finals, and currently host the Mill Road Thresherman's gathering and the annual [[Schützenfest]].

The [[Dr. Charles M. Wright House]] is a Victorian style home built in 1889 by Dr. C.M. Wright on a {{convert|5|acre|m2|adj=on}} tract on upper North Main Street, where there had been a two-story frame house that was the Wright family home. Wright planned the house himself but the final design (with Wright's approval) was by Edwardsville, Illinois, architect, C. H. Spilman. The builder was Charles Hanker of Toledo, Illinois, for a $17,965 with the owner furnishing the materials.  The total cost, not including furnishings, was approximately $35,000. The house has 18 furnished rooms, including seven bedrooms. On May 8, 1986, the house was put on the National Register of Historic Places.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wrightmansion.org/history.htm|website=Dr. Charles M. Wright House Museum|title=A Short History of the Dr. Charles M. Wright House|accessdate=31 March 2020}}</ref>

Ballard Nature Center is a {{convert|217|acre|km2|1}} nature preserve and educational center located east of Altamont. It includes {{convert|107|acre|km2|1}} of woodland, {{convert|15|acre|m2}} of restored prairie, {{convert|10|acre|m2}} of shallow water wetlands and {{convert|85|acre|m2}} of agricultural land. Ernie Ballard donated {{convert|210|acre|km2|1}} for the site of a nature center and the funds to construct a visitor center. He developed a non-profit 501 (C) 3 foundation, in August 1999, to oversee development and management of the center.  Construction of the log building began in October 1999. It opened to the public in July 2000. In 2014, the Glen Mathias family donated another 7 acres of land adjacent to the original 210 acres.<ref>{{cite web |title=Welcome to Ballard Nature Center |url=https://www.ballardnaturecenter.org/ |accessdate=31 March 2020 |website=Ballard Nature Center}}</ref>