The Early History of Collinsville
Madison County ILGenWeb Coordinator - Beverly Bauser
The original town plat of Collinsville was
laid out by the representatives of William B. Collins, deceased
– Joseph L. Darrow and Horace Look. The plat was recorded May
12, 1837.
The first settler on the present site of
Collinsville was John A. Cook, who entered land, erected a log
cabin, and made some improvements in 1816. In 1817, three
brothers, Augustus, Anson, and Michael Collins, from Litchfield,
Connecticut, purchased the premises of Mr. Cook, and immediately
commenced improvements. They soon erected a distillery of logs,
with two stills – one of 30 gallons and the other of 60 gallons
capacity – a frame storehouse, a large double-decked ox-grist
and saw mill, cooper, blacksmith, wagon and carpenter shops, tan
yard, and several dwellings. The Collins brothers gave the name
of Unionville to their new town. The parents of the Collins
brothers, sisters, and more brothers came to the new town to
live, including brothers William B. and Frederick. One of their
first cares was the erection of a commodious place of worship,
which also served as a schoolhouse. Onlly one of the brothers,
Augustus, was married, however soon William B. Collins married a
daughter of Mr. Hertzogg of St. Louis, who was then running a
mill in the American Bottom. Michael Collins married a daughter
of Captain Blakeman, and Frederick Collins married a daughter of
Captain Allen – both of the Marine settlement. Each brother
attended to a special department, and all worked in unison.
The distillery of the Collins brothers was considered first
rate, and their inclined wheel ox-mill flour commanded an extra
price in eastern markets. A post office was opened, but it was
discovered that there was already a town by the name of
Unionville, and the Postmaster changed the name of the town to
Collinsville, which was accepted by the brothers.
The
brothers soon were convinced that the production of liquors was
sinful and unchristian. They ceased operation and totally
demolished the building, breaking up the generators. They took
the huge tanks in the distillery to their homes to use as
cisterns, and they sold the wash tubs to farmers for granaries.
After this time period, the brothers separated. Augustus Collins
died, and several brothers went to the Illinois River and
established mills at the town of Naples. William B. Collins
remained alone at Collinsville, carrying on the business, minus
the distillery, until his death in 1849.
In 1820, Mr.
Wilcox from New York located in Collinsville and began the
tanning business for ten years, then selling out to Hiram L.
Ripley. Another New Yorkers, Horace Look, came west in 1818, and
settled in Collinsville in 1821. He was a harness maker, and
formed a partnership in that business with Mr. Wilcox. Mr. Look
was an early Justice of the Peace, and was postmaster in
Collinsville for nearly thirty years.
Among other early
and enterprising residents were Benjamin Johnson, Aaron Ford,
Isaac and Ebenezer Lockwood, James Haffey, Jesse Glover, Aaron
Small, Dr. Gunn, Dr. Samuel Hall, Dr. Gurnsey, Dr. Strong, Dr.
Henry Wing, Dr. William S. Edgar, Dr. J. L. Darrow, and Captain
William N. Wickliffe. Dr. Gunn was the first physician. Richard
Withers, a blacksmith, had at one time quite an extensive plow
factory. Peter and Paul Wonderly owned a distillery and operated
the first coal mine.
Daniel Berkey, a native of
Pennsylvania, came west and settled in Collinsville in 1830.
Joshua S. Peers came from New York with his father, and became
one of the prominent citizens of Collinsville.
The first
house of worship in Collinsville was a frame building erected in
1818. It was a union church, used by all denominations, and also
for school purposes. Rev. Salmon Giddings organized a
Presbyterian society in 1817. Revs. James and Joseph Lemen,
Thomas Lippincott, and Isaac McMahan were among the early
preachers. By 1882, there were five churches in Collinsville –
Presbyterian, Methodist, Episcopal, Catholic, and Lutheran.
The earliest school in Collinsville was taught in the union
church. Philander Braley, who had been teaching there for some
time, erected a schoolhouse with his own money and established a
private school. His school became well known, and was patronized
by citizens from St. Louis. He later moved to Carlinville. The
Braley schoolhouse was a two-story frame building, which was the
property of Dr. H. L. Strong. It was located on the southwest
side of Center Street, south of Main. Mr. Braley was followed by
Rev. Charles E. Blood, pastor of the Presbyterian Church. Blood
erected a two-story frame building and established an academy.
He introduced higher classes, and prepared students for college.
This building was purposed by the directors, and in it the first
public school was taught until 1867, when it was moved, and
became part of the Wilson Bell Factory. On the property a new
three-story brick schoolhouse was erected. In 1872 this
schoolhouse was destroyed by fire. A new schoolhouse was
constructed on the property in 1873 – a three-story brick
structure with dressed limestone and yellow fire-brick
trimmings, with a cupola on the top. It had twelve rooms, four
on each floor.
Collinsville was incorporated under the
general law as a village in 1850. The following were elected: D.
D. Collins, President of Trustees; A. Tufts, clerk; J. J.
Fisher, H. L. Ripley and Horace Look, trustees. On November 11,
1872, an election was held for city officers: Mayor, John
Becker; Aldermen, A. W. Brown, James Combs, J. J. Fisher, C.
Kalbfleisch, A. M. Powell, and J. M. Verneuil; City Clerk, J. G.
Gerding; City Attorney, Edward Wilburn. John G. Blake was
appointed city Marshal and City Superintendent of Streets.
The Vandalia Railroad was constructed through Collinsville
in 1868, and the town soon began new growth and prosperity. Coal
interests were soon developed and became an important business.
Coal was underlying the whole surface of this region of the
country, with the vein at Collinsville averaging from seven and
a half to eight feet in thickness. The Collinsville Coal and
Mining Company was the owner of the first coal shaft in
Collinsville. George Savitz was President, with J. H. Wickliffe
as co-owner. They operated two shafts, the second of which was
sunk in 1873. The Lumaghi Mine was opened in 1869 by Octavius
Lumaghi. The Cantine Coal and Mining Company opened their mine
in 1873, and was owned by Morrison and Ambrosius. The Abbey Coal
and Mining Company, the most extensive mining company at that
time, was sunk by Reid and Strain in 1875.
The
Collinsville Flour Mill, was founded in about 1850 by James
Matthews. It later became the property of Baker & Company, and
had a grinding capacity of 150 barrels per day. They produced
Argentine and Sonora flour. Another flour mill was the Cantine
Mill, owned by F. Lange and leased by J. Higley. It was four
stories high, frame, with a capacity of 150 barrels per day.
The Collinsville Zinc Works was founded in 1875 by Dr.
Octavius Lumaghi, for the smelting of zinc ore at his coal mine.
In 1881, he leased the works to Parks & Brothers, who after
operating for three months, their company failed. In January
1882 the works was leased by Reichenbach & Company. In January
1897, the zinc works, then owned by the Meister Brothers, was
destroyed by fire.
The Stock Bell Factory was established
by I. C. Moore. Mr. Wilson purchased by property in 1876, and
made many improvements in the machinery and manufacturing
process. The machinery was run by steam power, and from 150 to
200 dozen bells were manufactured per day, employing ten to
twenty men in 1882. Mr. Wilson invented and patented a process
for coating bells with brass. His bells were sold to dealers in
all cities in the United States.
The Blum & Schoettle’s
Stock Bell Factory was established in July 1879. It was a
one-story building, and the company had a capacity of
manufacturing 100 dozen bells per day, employed from twelve to
fifteen men.
In the northeastern limits of Collinsville
was located the brickyard owned by Fred Hoga. It was established
in 1879, and contained two kilns where about 700,000 brick were
annually burned.
In April 1879, a tornado tore through
the town of Collinsville, killing a little girl named Annie
Reynolds, and severely injuring a six-year-old boy, taken
unconscious from his home with a broken leg. Many others were
injured. About thirty homes were totally destroyed, as well as
many businesses damaged. The blacksmith shop of Mr. Wnedler was
torn to shreds, and the wagon shop of John Gronour was also
destroyed. The W. W. Nilson carpenter shop, a saloon and
boarding house, and millinery store were either destroyed or
severely damaged. In the cemetery just outside of town, nearly
every tombstone was leveled to the ground.
In 1891, the
Illinois House, a hotel five miles west of Collinsville on the
St. Louis plank road, was destroyed by fire. The building was
within a few hundred feet of Monks Mound. For over half a
century it had offered hospitable shelter to the traveler, and
was a popular stopping place for the stagecoach drivers and
teamsters going to and returning from St. Louis. The building
had a dance hall connected, in which were held many joyous
social entertainments. Captain John Schmidt was the proprietor
when it was burned down.
***********************
THE LYNCHING OF ROBERT PAUL
PRAGER - April 5, 1918
Suspected of Being German Spy
Source: The Troy
Call, Troy, Illinois, April 5, 1918
Robert Paul Prager, an alien enemy, 39 years old, and suspected
of being a German spy, was hanged by a mob at Mahler Heights,
west of
Collinsville, about 1 o'clock this morning. Prager had been
under surveillance for some time because of alleged disloyal
remarks. He was in Maryville yesterday, where he posted a
proclamation declaring his loyalty, and as a result he was run
out of town. He was followed to Collinsville by a number of men,
and a mob soon assembled at the Suburban "Y." It proceeded to
the Bruno bakery where Prager was found and taken out and
marched down the street in his bare feet with an American flag
wrapped around his body. Police rescued Prager from the mob and
took him to the city jail in the city hall. The crowd then went
to the jail and demanded that Prager be turned over to them. In
the meantime, Mayor Siegel had been summoned and pleaded with
the men not to resort to violence. It was then Prager was taken
out of his cell and concealed among the rubbish of the city
hall. The mob dispersed after the talk by Mayor Siegel, but
returned after several hours and made a search for Prager, who
was taken out and hurried down the street. The police say they
were unable to handle the situation.
Prager was marched
out to Mahler Heights, west of Collinsville, and forced to
kneel. Arms crossed, he prayed in German for a few minutes. The
men placed a rope around his neck and Prager was swung to a tree
for several seconds. He was then let down and asked if he had
anything to say and requested that he be permitted to write a
farewell to his parents in Germany. His brief letter follows:
"Carl Henry Prager, Dresden, Germany. Dear Parents:
I must, this the fourth day of April 1918, die. Please pray for
me, my dear parents. This is my last letter and testament. Your
dear son and brother, Robert Paul Prager."
After being
permitted to write the note, Prager was again drawn up by the
rope and left hanging, and the mob dispersed quietly. Prager had
worked as a baker at the Bruno bakery for several years, but of
late had been trying to secure employment at the coal mine at
Maryville. He was denied union membership there because of his
disloyal remarks against the United States. He was registered in
St. Louis as an alien enemy. The authorities are indignant over
the affair. Attorney General Brundage and State's Attorney
Streuber have denounced the lynching as a disgrace and declare
that the members of the mob must suffer for the act which was as
unlawful as it was heinous and horrible. President Wilson and
his cabinet have also denounced the affair. Attorney General
Brundage is expected in Collinsville today, and the inquest into
the death of Prager is expected to be held Monday.
********************
EDITOR'S NOTES:
During the height
of World War I, Prager, a coal miner, made speeches to his
fellow coal miners on Socialism, and made derogatory remarks
regarding American President Wilson. Prager had been under
surveillance for some time, with some authorities fearing he was
a German spy. The fear of German spies was prevalent throughout
America, and bridges and vital businesses were guarded by the
military to prevent sabotage. Many Germans pledged allegiance to
America publicly, and some even changed their names to become
more “Americanized.” The day before his lynching, Prager put up
posters at the Maryville mine, proclaiming his loyalty to the
American government.
The miners became incensed at
Prager’s action. When they threatened to do him bodily harm, he
escaped to Collinsville where he lived. He was followed,
captured, and lynched. In Prager’s pocket was found a long
“proclamation” in which he stated his loyalty to the United
States and to union labor. The location of the hanging was along
St. Louis Road in Collinsville, near the St. John Cemetery.
The news of the lynching of Robert Prager spread throughout
the country. The Swiss embassy in Washington D.C., which was
attending to German interests in America, offered to pay the
funeral expenses, however the state of Illinois paid the funeral
expense, and sent the Swiss embassy a bill. The funeral was held
in St. Louis at the Harmonie Lodge of the I. O. O. F., of which
Prager was a member, and he was buried in the St. Matthews
Cemetery in St. Louis.
Joseph
Riegel, Wesley Beaver, Richard Dukes Jr., William Brockmeier and
Enid Elmore, all of Collinsville, were arrested at the request
of the coroner's jury investigating the death of Robert P.
Prager. Following the inquest, the men were taken to
Edwardsville to await the action of the Madison County Grand
Jury. Riegel, a proprietor of a shoe repair shop in
Collinsville, previously had admitted to being the leader of the
mob. Two of the other men were miners, and one a porter in a
saloon.
The trial was held in May 1918. The eleven
defendants arrived in the courtroom wearing American flags. The
jury included: Keith Ebey, clerk, Edwardsville; T. Benett,
railroad car accountant, Edwardsville; George Neary Sr.,
janitor, Edwardsville; Walter Solterman, teamster, Worden; W. C.
Dippold, flour miller, Edwardsville; Marion Baumgartner, tailor,
Edwardsville; D. W. Fiegenbaum, manufacturer, Edwardsville; John
Groshans, farmer, Edwardsville; A. H. Challacombe, plumber,
Alton; Frank Oben, horse and mule buyer, Alton; F. W. Horn,
tailor, Alton; Frank Weeks, clerk, Edwardsville.
State's
Attorney Streuber made a brief opening statement: "We do not
represent Prager nor any pro-German nor any pro-German
sentiment," he declared. "We have made an effort to keep
possible pro-Germans off the jury and I believe we have one that
is 100 percent loyal. Our only interest is to see that the law
is upheld. If Prager was either a pro-German or a spy, there was
a remedy at law, and we aim to show that a mob took the law upon
itself, which is in itself a violation."
James M. Bandy,
chief counsel for the defense, then spoke briefly. He declared
there was evidence to show Prager's disloyalty and that "after
all the evidence is in, the jury will not return a verdict of
guilty."
More than 100 witnesses were summoned to appear
at the trial. The men were declared not guilty by the jury and
were set free. The announcement of the verdict was greeted with
loud cheers, and when the men filed out of the courthouse, they
joined in a parade headed by the Great Lakes “Jackie” Band. The
acquittal was no great surprise to those who heard the evidence
in the case. The state failed to prove the actual participation
of any of the accused men. As a result, one county paper
asserted that Prager must have hung himself.
Following
announcement of the verdict, State's Attorney Streuber dismissed
the charges against five others who were implicated in the
Prager case. They were George Davis, Martin Futchek, Fred Frost,
Harry Stevens, and John Tobnick. The latter four were police
officers and were charged with malfeasance in office.
In
September 1919, it was announced that Robert Paul Prager’s body
was to be exhumed and moved “from one of the humblest graves” in
the cemetery to one of the “prettiest spots in the burial
grounds.” The Harmonic Lodge No. 353, I. O. O. F., was to pay
for the exhumation and re-burial. They also erected a monument
for Prager.