Historic Collinsville

Main Street | Miners Theatre | Historic Museum | Naitional Road

Collinsville, plotted in 1837, became a village in 1850 and was incorporated as a city in 1872. Collinsville's city hall, designed in the Italianate style and built in 1885, still houses government offices. Glimpses of the past come alive as you stroll through Glenwood Cemetery, the city's first cemetery and possibly the oldest public cemetery in Illinois. Persons buried here include the city's first pioneer, two Revolutionary War soldiers and veterans from the War of 1812, Black Hawk, Mexican, Spanish-American, Civil and later wars.

On a lighter side, the drawing of Bull Durham painted on a brick wall around 1908 has seen a major change in recent years. When an attached building was torn down and the painting rediscovered, modest residents felt the bull's anatomical assets should be covered with a fence. And, so it was, a glimpse of Americana in the early 1900's was changed forever.

MAIN STREET
Collinsville sits atop the Mississippi River bluffs in southwestern Illinois, 15 minutes from St. Louis, Missouri. Our quaint and inviting downtown main street is home to unique shops, fun eateries, and beautiful architecture. The 150 year-old D.D. Collins house, the stately Blum house, and the historic Miner's Theatre, are highlights of an interesting and educational, self-guided walking tour. Be sure to bring your camera to document your visit to the World's Largest Catsup Bottle, a world-renown roadside attraction just south of Main Street. For more information visit uptown.collinsvilleil.org
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MINERS THEATRE
In December 1918, the doors opened to the Miners Institute, a cornerstone in Uptown Collinsville. The building, which now houses a theatre, shops and other businesses, mirrored the city's major industry when "coal was king."

If we let our imaginations soar, we might just hear raised voices at the union meetings...catch glimpses of upcoming shows on the marquees... enjoy live minstrel shows by the Shriners... or view Paramount's five-reel "Easy to Get."

While ropes, pulleys and counterweights still line the stage of this theatre, built entirely by miner's wages, the past is reflected in the glory of yesteryear's Abbey, Hardscrabble and Lumaghi mines.

This historical architecture is highlighted in Collinsville's Historical Walking Tour. Visit the Theatre at 204 West Main Street, Collinsville, or call (618) 344-0026.
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HISTORIC MUSEUM
Collinsville's historic museum is located next to the Collinsville Memorial Public Library.

Our local historians have been able to display a road map of Collinsville's yesteryear inside this quaint museum. On display, you will find a large assortment of artifacts that include, but are not limited to: horseshoe bitters bottles, a resident's confederacy uniform, a collection of Blum cowbells and several other antiques that tell the history of our wonderful community.

The historic museum hours are limited, so be sure to request a brochure for detailed information.

For more information, call (618) 344-1112.
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NATIONAL ROAD
Thomas Jefferson's vision in 1806 to unite the developed eastern part of the United States with its western frontier was realized in the National Road. The road, later known as Highway 40, open in the Northwest Territory to trade and settlers.

In Collinsville's capsule of historic memories, the National Road touched everyone's life in some way. It helped people get their produce to markets in the St. Louis area and served as a toll road and stage line that carried mail and people from Highland through Collinsville to St. Louis.

The road carried people, mail and goods, speeding development and communication across the country. The road also brought the nation to Illinois, bringing a mix of customs, languages and practices.

With the invention of automobiles, interest in the road was reborn as U.S. 40 in the 1920's. The original road, plotted from Cumberland, Maryland, through Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana and on to Vandalia, Illinois, was later extended to Collinsville, and then on to East St. Louis, as a road was already in place from Vandalia to St. Louis.

For more information on this National Scenic Byway, please call (888) 268-0042 or visit www.nationalroad.org.
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