Historical Resources
Belleville and St. Clair County
St. Clair County Historical Society
Artifacts, memorabilia, museums, historical awards, gifts and upcoming events.
St. Clair County Genealogical Society
Helping people trace their family genealogy since 1978.
Belleville Labor and Industry Museum
The only public institution devoted to the history of the labor and industry of Belleville and southwestern Illinois
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Area Libraries
Belleville Public Library, 121 East Washington Street, Belleville, IL 62220 (618) 234-0441
O’Fallon Public Library 120 Civic Plaza, O’Fallon, IL 62269 (618) 632-3783
Cahokia Public Library, 140 Cahokia Park Dr., Cahokia, IL 62206 (618) 332-1491
Caseyville Public Library, 419 South Second St., Caseyville, IL 62232 (618) 345-5848
Fairview Heights Public Library, 10017 Bunkum Rd., Fairview Heights, IL 62208 (618) 398-6586
Freeburg Public Library, 407 South Belleville St., Freeburg, IL 62243 (618) 539-5454
Mascoutah Public Library, 3 West Church St., Mascoutah, IL 62258 (618) 566-2562
Millstadt Public Library, 115 West Laurel, Millstadt, IL 62260
New Athens District Library, 201 North Van Buren, New Athens, IL 62264 (618) 475-3255
St. Louis Genealogical Society, just across the Mississippi River.
StLGS Collections are at the St. Louis County Library
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State, National, and International Links
Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois. Explore broadsides, diaries, manuscripts, newspapers on microfilm, and published material related to Illinois’ history.
Steps to apply for the National Historic Register of Historic Places, courtesy of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
Illinois Historical Preservation Agency. “Without the old structures, cities take on a different character; neighborhoods lose their identity; we more easily forget those who went before us.”
Women and the Republican Party 1854–1924 by Melanie Susan Gustafson. Book online, courtesy Univeristy of Illinois Press.
NARA National Archives Records Administration. Our source for Koerner’s Despatches from Spain on microfilm.
German and American Sources for German Emigration
The restoration of Belleville’s Gustave Koerner home, on Mascoutah Avenue at Abend Street, will stand as a testament to one of Belleville’s most illustrious citizens. Koerner joined Abraham Lincoln, Horace Greeley and others who, fired by the passions of the times, came together to create the Republican Party in 1856. Koerner became a close Lincoln confidant, helped write the 1860 Republican Party platform, and managed Lincoln’s drive to the presidential nomination at the party’s convention. Koerner was an ardent anti-slavery proponent and, as a German emigre, played a key role in allying western America’s German population with the Union cause.
The Koerner House Restoration Committee, working with a team of consultants,prepared an Historic Structure Report. Selective demolition of the structure’s modern components commenced in May 2005. Once complete, the home will be opened as a museum, where Koerner’s life and political career will be interpreted.