Lamira Kehlor was the widow of James Kehlor, millionaire flour miller of East St. Louis. She spent her winters in Clermont visiting her sister who lived in Historic Downtown Clermont. During her stay, Lamira devoted her time to local admirable causes. She died in 1918 in her home in St. Louis and, in keeping with her wishes, in 1920 the family deeded a building and several adjoining lots, located on the corner of Minneola Avenue and Fifth Street, to the City of Clermont specifically for park and recreation purposes.
Today the recreational area, known as Kehlor Park, has shuffleboard and tennis courts. Inside the original, wood-framed building, a wide variety of activities are available 7-days a week. The schedule is maintained by the Clermont Recreation Club; and depending on the schedule, you can find a group playing scrabble, bridge, dominos, bunco, pinochle in the cozy center. The building also is the home of several Clermont clubs, including the Clermont Chess Club, the Clermont Shuffleboard Club and the Philosophy Club.
The aging building also houses nearly 100 years of memories. Over the years, the historic building has received improvements; the porch has been enclosed, restrooms have been updated, air conditioning added, nevertheless, bringing the building up to current standards would cost more than to replace. Therefore, the building will soon be razed once the new building is completed.
(picture was taken by Will Delaney)
