Halfway, Illinois facts for kids
Halfway, Illinois was a small, unnamed place in northeastern Williamson County, Illinois. It was located about halfway between the county seat of Marion and another town called Corinth. From 1895 to 1911, a post office operated there inside a country store. The area had a ZIP Code of 62974 during that time.
It's important not to confuse this Halfway with another place also called Halfway in Williamson County. The second Halfway is found on Illinois Route 37 between Marion and Johnston City.
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Where Was Halfway?
The country store that housed the post office was located in an area known today as Lake Creek Precinct. If you were to visit the spot today, you would find it at the intersection of Edwards Road and Dwina Road. Edwards Road was the old path leading to Corinth. Dwina Road runs along what's called a "township line," which is a boundary used for land surveying.
A Brief History of Halfway
The story of Halfway mainly revolves around its small country store and post office.
The First Postmasters
On February 5, 1895, a man named Joseph H. Williams opened the very first post office in Halfway. He was the first postmaster, which is the person in charge of a post office.
About two years later, on August 3, 1897, Henry W. Rogers took over as postmaster. However, Joseph H. Williams became postmaster again on December 1, 1897.
Changes at the Store
Joseph Williams later sold his country store to James Chadwell. Mr. Chadwell brought in new items to sell, making the store better for the local people. On May 20, 1899, James Chadwell's daughter became the new postmaster.
Later, James Chadwell and his business partner, John Leander Roberts (who owned a store in Corinth), sold the Halfway store to two brothers, Albert and Nicholas G. Riggs.
The Riggs Brothers and the End of the Post Office
Albert Riggs became the postmaster on June 14, 1905. But when a nearby town called Pittsburg, Illinois started to grow, Albert moved there and became Pittsburg's postmaster.
Nicholas Riggs then took over for his brother at Halfway, becoming postmaster on December 8, 1905. The Halfway post office continued to operate for a few more years, but it officially closed down on December 15, 1911. Today, people in the Halfway area get their mail from the Pittsburg Post Office.
