Illinois Routes 78 and 116 passing east to west through Farmington’s downtown, are called Fort Street, so named for the Blackhawk War era’s (early 1830s) fort that once stood near where the town’s water towers are now. By 1900, the business district on Fort Street was well established and much of it remains today. Farmington Summer Festival is an annual community-wide celebration that includes a contest to “Find the Farmer.” Spoon River Valley Scenic Drive Fall Festival historical markers indicate the location of two private residences, visible from the street, that were stops on the Underground Railroad. One, the 1854 Riley Bristol home on the north side of Fort Street, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The other stands above the road on the west side of South Main Street. An impressive monument honoring Farmington’s veterans, and spanning conflicts from the Civil War to the First Persian Gulf War, can be found in Reed Park, downtown just one block north of Fort Street. This park also plays host to Scenic Drive Fall Festival vendors and visitors. Farmington boasts three other parks: Jacobs Park, Dimmitt Part and Farmington Township Park that offers pavilions, sports facilities, playgrounds and a small lake. The Farmington Historical Society Museum can be found within the downtown business district. Travel services in Farmington include restaurants, bars, groceries, ATM banking, car wash, gasoline, auto repair, convenience stores, and laundromat.