Shale City, Illinois facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Shale City, Illinois
|
|
|---|---|
 Shale City, Illinois
Location in Illinois
Shale City, Illinois
Location in the United States
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Mercer |
| Elevation | 722 ft (220 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code(s) | 309 |
| GNIS feature ID | 418274 |
Shale City is a small place in Mercer County, Illinois, United States. It's known as an unincorporated community. This means it's a settlement that isn't officially governed by its own local city or town government. Instead, it's part of a larger area, like a county or township. Shale City is located about 3 miles (5 km) west-northwest of a town called Viola.
The Story of Shale City
Shale City was once a busy place because of a big factory. It was home to the Continental Brick factory. This factory made bricks, which were very important for building homes and other structures.
A Company Town
In 1915, the Continental Brick factory was sold to a company from St. Louis called the Hydraulic Press Brick Company. When this happened, Shale City became what is known as a "company town."
A company town is a place where almost everyone lives and works for the same company. The company often owns the houses, stores, and other services in the town. Shale City had about 40 houses for its workers. It also had a grocery store, a pool hall for fun, a gas station, and even a school for the children.
The Railway Connection
To help the brick factory, a special railway line was built in 1910. This line, called a "spur," connected Shale City to a larger railway system. It branched off the Rock Island Southern Railway line that ran between Gilchrist and Aledo. This railway connection was very important for moving the bricks made at the factory to other places.
