Monroe City, Illinois facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Monroe City, Illinois
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| Etymology: James Monroe, 5th President | |
 Monroe City, Illinois
Location in Illinois
Monroe City, Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Monroe |
| Precinct | 15 |
| Elevation | 449 ft (137 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Postal code |
62298
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| Area code(s) | 618 |
Monroe City is a small community in Monroe County, Illinois, United States. It's an unincorporated area, which means it doesn't have its own local government like a city or town. Instead, the county handles its services.
In 2016, about 45 people lived in Monroe City, in 23 homes. The community includes the older areas of Monroe City (from 1856) and Woodville (from 1857). The main part of the community is in a valley, often called the Monroe City Hollow. A creek, called Monroe City Creek, flows through the Hollow all year round.
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History of Monroe City
Monroe City has a long and interesting history. Back in 1790, a man named Golden built a blockhouse here. A blockhouse was a strong building used to protect early settlers.
In 1798, Josia Ryan built a mill near this blockhouse. A mill is a building where grain is ground into flour. The creek nearby was even called "Ryan's Creek" because of his mill.
Later, in 1800, Andrew Kinney built another mill on the creek. The area then became known as "Kinney's Mill." In 1823, General Thomas James bought Kinney's mill. After that, people started calling the place "James' Mill."
By 1883, Monroe City was a busy frontier town. The mill was very important for the local economy. Many businesses, schools, churches, and social groups supported the community. About 300 people lived in the area at that time.
Timber and Woodworking
The forests around Monroe City had lots of hardwood trees. This led to many timber businesses. Sawmills were built to cut wood for the growing community.
In 1851, the mill was updated to use steam power. This meant it needed a lot of firewood. Even steamboats on the nearby Mississippi River got their firewood from Monroe City.
The Foster family in Monroe City were early coopers. Coopers are people who make barrels. They made flour barrels and sold them to the mill operators. Their original cooper shed is still standing today.
When railroads came to Monroe County in the early 1900s, people in Monroe City cut wooden railroad ties. Harold G. Baum paid woodcutters to cut ties from trees on his family farm. He then sold these ties to the railroad companies.
In 1933, Harold G. Baum started a woodworking shop on his family farm. He became famous for making "HUCKABAY & BAUM" brand baseball bats. These bats were made from hickory and ash trees from the farm.
Over time, both the milling and timber businesses slowed down. Production moved to bigger, central factories. In 1956, the last school in Monroe City closed. The population has slowly gotten smaller as people moved to bigger cities for jobs.
How Monroe City Was Founded
Monroe City was officially planned in 1856 by J.B. Harlow. It had about 117 lots, 9 named streets, and 7 named alleys.
A year later, in 1857, another area called Woodville was planned by H. Wetzel. Woodville had 27 lots and 1 named street. These two planned areas are only about 75 feet apart.
Geology of the Area
The ground under Monroe City has a special type of rock called Karst. This geology has greatly affected the area's development.
Water flows through underground karst waterways. It then comes to the surface at more than 24 springs in the Monroe City Creek system. This means the creek always has water, no matter the season.
