LeClaire Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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LeClaire Historic District
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Holyoake Road
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 Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Location | Roughly bounded by RR tracks, Wolf St., Hadley and Madison, Edwardsville, Illinois |
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| Area | 200 acres (81 ha) |
| Built | 1890-95 |
| NRHP reference No. | 79000855 |
| Added to NRHP | August 8, 1979 |
The LeClaire Historic District is a special neighborhood in Edwardsville, Illinois. It is a place with a rich history. This area was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 8, 1979. Being on this list means it's an important historical site in the United States.
Contents
Creating a Special Community
The LeClaire community was built between 1890 and 1895. It was created by a man named N. O. Nelson. He owned the Nelson Manufacturing Company. Mr. Nelson wanted to build a unique place for people to live and work.
N. O. Nelson's Vision
N. O. Nelson had big ideas for LeClaire. He wanted it to be an intentional community. This means people chose to live there because they shared similar goals. Nelson was inspired by a book called Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy. This book described a perfect future society. He also followed ideas from the Ethical Culture movement. This group believed in living good lives and helping others.
Learning and Sharing Ideas
Nelson made sure the community had places for learning. He built an academy that offered free classes for adults. There were also reading rooms where people could enjoy books. These ideas came from a "self-culture hall" in St. Louis, Missouri. Nelson wanted everyone in LeClaire to have chances to learn and grow.
Fairness in Work and Life
N. O. Nelson also brought a special idea to his company and community. This was called profit sharing.
What is Profit Sharing?
Profit sharing is a system where a company shares some of its earnings with its workers. If the company does well, the employees get a bonus. This idea came from a place called Maison LeClaire in Paris, France. The community of LeClaire was even named after this French example.
An Open and Welcoming Place
LeClaire was an "open community." This meant that not everyone living there had to work for Nelson's company. Also, company employees did not have to live in LeClaire. This made it different from some other company towns. Nelson's company provided important services to the people living in LeClaire. These included things like water and other public facilities.
Famous Visitors and Writers
The LeClaire community became quite well-known. Famous journalists visited and wrote about it. Nellie Bly, a very famous reporter, wrote about LeClaire. She even said it was better than Pullman, another well-known company town in Chicago. Another important writer, Ida Tarbell, also wrote about the community.
