Illinois Bicentennial, 20 Oddities: The Boeing 727 From "U.S. Marshals" Movie

I hadn't heard of any of these first three oddities.

BOEING 727 FROM "U.S. MARSHALS"

Belknap, 6724 North U.S. Highway 45

There's a piece of Hollywood in southern Illinois, but you'll have to venture fifty feet underwater to see it.  The ill-fated Boeing 727 that crashed in the 1998 film "U.S. Marshals" was laid to rest in Mermet Springs, a spring-fed limestone quarry that draws around 6,000 scuba divers a year.

There are also planes, a train and automobiles as attractions at the site in the more than 8 acres of water. (Hey, there was a movie about them too.)  Also you can see paddlefish (one real strange-looking fish), bass and albino catfish there.

So, you don't scuba.  Well for $25 you can get a 25-minute shallow dive with an instructor or for $50 get this dive and a full day's access to the quarry and snorkle equipment.

The Plane, The Plane.  --