Shiloh History

History

In 1807 Shiloh was known as "Three Springs" because there were three abundant fresh water springs at the foot of a hill where church camp meetings were held. Today, geological changes have caused two of the springs to be eliminated and the third one is no longer a "gusher". This spot is behind the Shiloh Methodist Church.

The name "Shiloh" was first used in 1847 when the area was laid out and recorded. In 1905 Shiloh was organized into a Village with a vote of 47 citizens for incorporation and 4 against. They elected the first of 17 Mayors. The present mayor is Jim Vernier.

On August 14, 1836 the 1st library in the area was located in the home of Dr. Schott and had a collection of 93 volumes. At the end of the year it had grown to 346. On February 22, 1839 it was incorporated by the General Assembly of Illinois with papers signed by Governor Theo Carlin. The collection had grown to 1,906 volumes.

Colonel Morrison built an estate called Glen Addie in honor of his wife at the location. The mansion had 26 rooms and was later turned into St. John's Orphanage. In 1952 the mansion was torn down.

The site of the Catholic Pastoral Center on Lebanon Avenue was once part of the Underground Railroad.

The first one-room Schoolhouse in St. Clair County was a one story log house established in Shiloh in 1811. In 1850, 20 pupils were enrolled in the Shiloh School.

Silver Creek which drains the eastern part of Shiloh and was named for the silver ore found there by Phillip Renault in 1719. The mine was later abandoned because of hostile indians.

In 1998, a significant archaeological find has been discovered at the proposed Thouvenot Lane Road Extension in Shiloh. The traces of twenty-two houses and quite a few huts are believed to date back to the Mississippian era. This era occurred between 1000 A.D. to 1400 A.D. Broken pots, stone tools and animal bones were found at the site.

In April of 1842 Charles Dickens passed through Shiloh on his way to the Looking Glass Prairie near Lebanon.

The seam of coal mined in Shiloh was first discovered by the French Explorer, LaSalle in 1679. He was the first recorded explorer to use it for fuel during his trip on the Mississippi River.

Other Firsts

Shiloh is the home of Jacob Haege, the inventor of the fire escape.
In the Shiloh Cemetery are memorials to a Revolutionary Soldier, Risdon Moore, and several Minutemen.

In 1886 a toll gate was erected on the newly "paved" road between Lebanon Ave. and Hartman Lane (Belleville to Shiloh).

The first house was built in Shiloh by Edwin Pierce in 1845.
Shiloh's red and white water tower is a landmark that can be seen for miles. It is 145 feet high and is on one of the highest points in St. Clair County, Illinois. It was built in 1978 at a cost of $198,000 and holds 225,000 gallons of water.