About Us

Who We Are

P.A.S.T. of Union County is a not-for-profit, 501(3)(c) organization with a volunteer board of directors and  friends of the organization who may also serve as volunteers. The basic goal of P.A.S.T. is to encourage an appreciation of the historical structures in Union County, Illinois so that individuals, businesses, and groups will help to preserve these treasures for the future by finding new and functional ways to use them. One of the best ways P.A.S.T. has found to do this is by making their history available to others. The home and structure tours, website and social media, historical presentations at the Heritage House, and other events are methods of sharing this information with others.

Our History

In 1995 a few women were asked to form a committee to plan home tours during the annual ColorFest weekends. As they discovered the wonderful histories of some of the homes, then President Mona Diefenbach suggested they become a not-for-profit and do more to promote the history of the county through the historical structures. About 4 years later, P.A.S.T., Promoting Appreciation of Structural Treasures, of Union County, was formed as a non-profit with a board of 12-15 members and over 300 "Friends" or lifetime members.

At the time the organization was formed, an opportunity came up to take on the empty, dilapidated St. Anne's Episcopal Church building on South Main Street in Anna. This property was put on the National Register of Historic Places and restored due to the efforts of many volunteer hours, grants, and gifts.

P.A.S.T. was later gifted the Kirkpatrick Pottery founder home, tried to restore, sold it, and raised additional funds. In 2012, the Heritage House was purchased and transformed into the local history museum and resource center. 

Our Work

P.A.S.T. owns and maintains the St. Anne's Church in Anna, hosting events such as dinner auctions and concerts of local musicians to raise funds for these efforts. St. Anne's is also available to rent to the public for special events. The organization also owns and maintains the Heritage House in Jonesboro which serves as the location for hosting events including open houses during the February Civil War Weekend, September Constitution Day celebration, October Union Co. Colorfest, and the December holiday luncheons. During the Annabelle Festival in June, P.A.S.T. began serving the community as tour guides of local history on bus tours and as hosts of business locations on self-guided walking tours in downtown Anna.