4250 State Route 162 . Granite City, Illinois 62040 . 618.931.1230 |
| KEN DAVIS Supervisor HELEN HAWKINS Town Clerk OTIS "BUDDY" O'BRIAN Highway Commissioner ELAINE BECKLAND Assessor |
NAMEOKI TOWNSHIP
| GENE BAKER Trustee |
| ROGER CLUTTS Trustee |
| BILL GUSHLEFF Trustee |
| CHARLIE LUEHMANN Trustee |
Madison County History By Ten County Eighth Grade Graduates - 1931 Source: The Edwardsville Intelligencer, June 13, 1931 NAMEOKI TOWNSHIP BY A. J. MUELLER JR. Nameoki Township is located in Township 3, North Range 9 West, and is of a regular square shape, having 36 sections or 22,600 across of land, is bounded on the north by Chouteau, east by Collinsville, south by St. Clair and west by Venice. It lies almost wholly in the great American Bottom, hence is low and level. The soil is of a sandy loam and of a great fertility and with proper cultivation and drainage is the garden spot of Madison County. Horseshoe Lake, which is of about 2000 acres, was known to geographers as Maria's Mensoul. Long Lake crosses the county diagonally entering on section 12 and leaving out on section 3 being nearly 5 (five) miles in length. Cahokia Creek crosses the southern part of the township. The word Nameoki is of Indian origin and signifies "smokey." It was first given as a name to a station between St. Louis and Indianapolis rail road by A. A. Talmadge, who was a conductor, the name was latter given to the township. There are evidences that long before the white man came that the Indians were making history for Nameoki Township, because in the southern parts on sections 34 and 35 are several mounds from which have been taken by the State Archaeologists many interesting Indian bones and relics. Of the mounds the most interesting is the one known as Monk's Mound, so named after the monks of La Trappe who are said to have inhabited this mound about 1807. It is said that to these monks the first credit of the discovery of coal in Nameoki Township is due. This discovery was caused only by the blacksmiths complaining for the want of proper fuel for their fires, and on being Informed that the earth at the root of a large tree which had been struck by lighting (sic) was still burning, they went to the spot and on digging a little below the surface discovered a vein of coal. In 1816 the monks reconvened their property to "Jarrot the donor," they then returned to France. The first sturdy pioneers to blaze the way of civilization across the sandy prairies of this township were Hanniberry and Wiggins in 1801 who settled on what is the present section 16 near the 6 mile house now in section 15. No living descendants can be found in Madison County to impart any Information as to whence they came or whither they went. The first white man to erect or start any enterprize (sic) in the township was Nathan Carpenter, who erected a horse mill on section 16. This being the first mill in Madison County, Carpenter had little or no competition. In 1804 Thomas Cummings came to our township with his large and honest family and settled in section 17. Thomas GiIlham was the first Justice of the Peace and subsequently held the office of commissioner. The first school was taught in 1812 by Joshua Atwater. Dr. Smith was the first physician to practice his profession in the bottom. Reverands (sic) Chance and Jones, Baptist missionaries were the pioneer ministers in this township which begun as early as 1813. The first brick house was built by Robert Whiteside on section 21 in 1820. The first farm was opened in 1805 by Thmas (sic) Cummings in section 15. The first cemetery was on section 17 about 1810 in which Dr. Smith was buried and his epitaph still remains visible. Severe floods menaced our county and township, the first one being in 1844. Steamboats picked up refugees and transported them to St. Louis or Alton where they remained until the water subsided. This flood deposited many feet of sand and mud over our township. The next flood was in 1851 but not so severe, then again in 1903. To protect the farmers crops and all that was so dear to the hearts and so easily destroyed by the floods, a levee has been thrown up extending almost the whole distance across the Township from northeast to southwest. January 2, 1851, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows broke ground to build their home which still stands adjacent to the Nameoki City Hall on highway No. 4. The industries in the township in 1858 were a drug store, a blacksmith shop, a hotel, a physician's office and a U. S. post office. Since the wonderful beginning of whose (sic) who braved the pioneer test, Nameoki Township has made great strides forward. The industries in the township in 1931 are the coke plant, the N. E. S. Co , the steel mill, the Lewis tar plant, the Laclede steel mill, the fertilizer plant, the ice plant, an ice cream plant, an oxygen plant, the Illinois Traction Co. shops and many minor industries. Nameoki Township also is proud of its school system, the first standard school being started by Mrs. Lillie Pettengill, at Stallings, Ill., which recently was replaced by a modern up-to-date brick school on the same location of the first standard school in the county. These are the heretages (sic) of the boys and girls of Nameoki Township but it remains for our generation to preserve, improve and enlarge upon these wonderful works begun by our persevering forefathers until Nameoki Township is not only a place of historical Interest but can be pointed out with pride for its civic progress and a locality in which one can always be proud to Iive. I thank you. |
