Near Edwardsville in Madison County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Fort Russell
Photographed by Alton Museum of History & Art, Inc
1. Fort Russell Marker
One quarter-mile to the west stood Fort Russell, a wooden stockade which served as a base of supplies and operations for the Illinois Militia during the War of 1812. From here, for months at a time, Governor Ninian Edwards administered the affairs of Illinois Territory.
Erected 1934 by State of Illinois.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • Government & Politics • Patriots & Patriotism • War of 1812. In addition, it is included in the Illinois State Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1812.
Location. Marker has been reported missing. It was located near 38° 49.392′ N, 89° 57.944′ W. Marker was near Edwardsville, Illinois, in Madison County. It could be reached from Springfield Road north of Illinois Route 159. GPS coordinates are approximate. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 5000 Springfield Rd, Edwardsville IL 62025, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker was in Greater St. Louis. It was also in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, in the Corn Belt, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it was in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location: Lincoln School (approx. 0.3 miles away); Governor Coles and Slavery (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Pogue Store (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Weir House
this page online
Regarding Fort Russell.
Fort Russell - Many blockhouses were erected in Illinois during the War of 1812, most of them defenses against attack by the Indians who were allied with the British. There were at least 22 such blockhouse-forts between old Kaskaskia and Alton in Madison County, with the largest and strongest of them being Fort Russell, just northwest of present Edwardsville. The fort was built by Governor Ninian Edwards and named for Colonel William Russell of Kentucky, who commanded ten companies of Rangers, organized by an act of Congress, to defend the western frontier against the British and Indians. Four of these companies were allotted to the defense of Illinois. At least five cannon were removed from Fort Chartres to arm Fort Russell. The only Army regulars stationed at the fort were there during spring of 1812 and constituted the garrison for
via Belleville News-Democrat, 2016
2. Fort Russell
"This model of Fort Russell was made in 1925 by boys of the Manual Training Department at Wood River Elementary schools. John Stahlheber was the instructor. Its now in the basement of Madison County Historical Museum. ROGER SCHLUETER [email protected]"
Also see . . .
1. Arthur W. Jaggers and the location of Ft. Russell. The Pageant article included in Luke Moores pdf article (previous link) is from 1946 not 1944 and available at newspaper.com Alton Evening Telegraph, Alton, Illinois · Monday, September 30, 1946 (Submitted on September 5, 2024, by Russ Grimm of Hampton, Virginia.)
2. Archaeologists dig into Fort Russell's history. Edwardsville Intelligencer (04/03/12) (Submitted on April 24, 2012, by Russ Grimm of Hampton, Virginia.)
3. Arthur W. Jaggers and the location of Ft. Russell. The location of old Fort Russell has been a long mystery in Madison County. In the 1950's amateur historian Arthur Jaggers wrote that he and several friends dug up a section of the old Fort's stockade in 1908, but the public remained skeptical. In 2022 we attempted to proof his findings, writing a brief article to let the reader decide if Arthur did in fact find the elusive Fort in 1908. (Submitted on August 13, 2024, by Luke Moore of Paducah, Kentucky.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 19, 2012, by Russ Grimm of Hampton, Virginia. This page has been viewed 4,465 times since then and 185 times this year. Last updated on July 12, 2022, by Russ Grimm of Hampton, Virginia. Photos: 1. submitted on April 19, 2012, by Russ Grimm of Hampton, Virginia. 2. submitted on January 10, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
