Casey

Casey. A Tale of Two Cities. It's a story often told on the National Road. Two towns, both poised to prosper, grow up within walking distance of one another. One thrives. The other fades into the footnotes of history. , In the 1830s, Ewing Chancellor settled land along an earthen work-in-progress known as the National Road. By 1840, Chancellor's settlement of Cumberland was a stagecoach stop and center of commerce, offering food, lodging, supplies, and blacksmith services. , Meanwhile, a settler named John Lang staked out ground west of Cumberland. , Development of a north-south road-forerunner to Route 49, turned Lang's settlement into a crossroads. The population shifted and Casey was born. By the 1850s, Cumberland was fading from the map, and Casey's future was secure. , Casey Strikes Oil, In the early 20th century, Casey's economy shifted from agriculture to oil. In 1905, Casey fields produced 156,000 barrels of oil. By 1907, about 2,000 wells had been drilled between Casey and Westfield. Production declined as the century wore on, with most wells abandoned by the 1940s. , Day in the Field, Night at the Opera, There was more to life on the prairie than oil and agriculture. Arts played an important role in Casey., Standing here in 1907, you may have heard actors from Chicago preparing for a performance at the Hammond Opera House (center), just down the street. The troupe probably would have lodged at the Casey Hotel (right), where City Hall now stands. , (photo captions:), Jasper Avenue (pictured above and right) crossed the National Road about a mile west of Cumberland, Ill. The crossroads attracted business, industry and settlers. As Casey grew, the National Road- the city's Main Street- became a hub of commerce and community events. , Beginning in 1870, the St. Louis, Vandalia and Terre Haute Railroad connected Casey to communities along the National Road. The popularity of rail travel in the late 1800s contributed to the road's decline. , (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.