Collinsville

Collinsville. Main Street of America. Imagine Main Street in the early 1900s. Horses pull supply wagons stocked with fruits, vegetables, and dry goods to shops facing the thoroughfare. Trolleys bounce and clang as they trundle down rails at the street's center. Bicyclists weave between clattering automobiles and strolling shoppers., Now imagine this scene repeated in cities from Cumberland, Md., to East St. Louis, Ill. Collinsville's Main Street is part of the National Road, a 19th-century highway that linked the East Coast to the Mississippi River. The road connected Collinsville to river ports, county seats, and state capitals. , While the National Road has been eclipsed by modern highways and interstates, Collinsville's Main Street still serves as a corridor for art, commerce, and community., Transportation Station, In 1891, Collinsville's city countil approved a proposal for a railway connecting Main Street to commercial districts in neighboring cities. By 1900, streetcars on the Collinsville, Caseyville and East St. Louis Electric lines circulated between Madison and St. Clair counties., Coal-fired Economy, Dr. Octavious Lumaghi sank Lumaghi Mine No. 1 in 1869. More mines followed. Driven by rail access and rich coal deposits, Collinsville's industrial and commercial sectors flourished. , By 1922, coal miners and their families made up nearly a third of Collinsville's 9,800 residents. Main Street merchants prospered, providing goods and services to a growing population employed by the mines and outgrowth industries., Photo captions:, Grosze Bros. Quality Shop operated at 304 West Main from about 1905 to 1915. The store sold items ranging from groceries to gasoline., Thomas A. Riggins sold groceries on Main Street for close to 40 years., (aside:), A Road of Dirt, Rock, And Dreams, In 1806, President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation to provide federal funding for a National Road. Surveyed from Cumberland, Md., to the Mississippi River, the National Road was a highway for pioneers eager to settle the West., Today, as US 40, the National Road in Illinois spans 164 miles. From Indiana to East St. Louis, you can still see how the ambitions and accomplishments of early Illinois immigrants shaped our communities. You'll find their influence in our art and architecture, our industry and agriculture, and in our way of life. Enjoy your time on the Road.