History of Roxana, Illinois
Madison County ILGenWeb Coordinator - Beverly Bauser
In 1917, the Roxana Oil Company decided to
build a new refinery on land referred to as “Wood River Field,”
just south of Wood River in Wood River Township. Previous to
this time period, the area was mostly farmland, due to the rich
soil of the American Bottoms. While the refinery was under
construction, the bones of fifteen skeletons were unearthed. The
skeletons were found whole, in an upright position, and appeared
to be male and female, young and old. The teeth were in good
condition, but the skulls appeared to have a small dent, which
may have been made by a club. The bones were taken away to be
studied at an unknown location.
After completion of the
refinery in 1918 [Shell Oil], houses were erected for the
refinery workers. In 1921, the village of Roxana was
incorporated, and was named after the oil company that took up
most of the land within the village. C. C. Martin was elected
president of the village, with trustees Harry C. Chaffer, Walter
Dipple, J. B. Williams, Fred Isaminger, Edwin Laatsch, and
George A. Molique being chosen by the people. Charles M. High
was elected the village clerk, and Reid Bivens was elected
treasurer. W. W. Davis was elected police magistrate.
A Baptist Church was organized in September 1921, and land
purchased in 1922 for construction of a church. The first
services were held December 3, 1922, with J. A. Wilson serving
as the first pastor.
The Roxana village hall was
constructed in 1938. It houses the Village President and
Treasurer, Water Department, Clerk’s office, fire and police
department, village board room, and a municipal gymnasium.
In 1940, a large Art Deco-style theater was constructed at
400 N. Central Avenue. First called the Roxana Theater, it was
owned by Albert Critchlow. The name was later changed to the
Roxana Cine. Critchlow and his family lived in an apartment
above the lobby. In 1949 a tornado took the roof off the
theater, but it was repaired. Critchlow operated the theater
until 1965, when Bloomer Amusement Company of Belleville
purchased it. They re-opened the theater in 1968. It was later
owned by Kerasotes, before it closed in 2002. The theater is now
owned by the Church of the Nazarene.
Early Roxana Schools
The first school in the Roxana area was held in a Shell Oil
Company staff house on East Tydeman Avenue. In 1918 a
schoolhouse was constructed on Edwardsville Road, between Walnut
and Tydeman, facing the Standard Oil Refinery fence. This school
closed in 1926, and the property sold to a trucking company.
The Edison School (built in 1926) was constructed at the
southwest corner of Tydeman and Central Avenue in Roxana, across
the street from the First Baptist Church of Roxana. Six years
later a gymnasium and stage were added to the school. Edison
School was a two-room junior high school, which was later
converted into a primary grade school. After its demolition in
the late 1960s, the Roxana Public Library was constructed on the
site in 1970.
The Burbank School was constructed in 1936,
and was named after botanist Luther Burbank. The school was
constructed as a WPA project. An addition to the school was
constructed in 1966. The school closed in 1983 and was sold to a
local chiropractor. The building was given to the city, and
razed in 2009.
In 1939, citizens of Roxana and eastern
Wood River voted to form a new school district, called the
Roxana School District 156. The Roxana High School was
constructed in 1941. This school had three stories, with twelve
classrooms, a main office, a library, and a gymnasium. A larger
gym was added in 1954.
Today, the refinery in Roxana is
owned by ConocoPhillips.