The city of Belleville was named by George Blair in 1814. He thought the name (French: “beautiful city”) would attract new residents. Most of the residents who were attracted were Germans. Indeed, Belleville was the center of the first important German settlement in Illinois.
Many Germans fled their homeland after the failure of the German Revolution in 1848. They were liberal, free-thinking revolutionaries. Arriving in St. Louis, they were so horrified by slavery, they crossed back across the Mississippi River to establish themselves in St. Clair County, as Illinois was a free state (though laws allowed slavery and indentured servitude to continue under a wide range of circumstances – but it certainly was better for African Americans than Missouri). They were fervent abolitionists and protected freed and escaped slaves in an area outside Belleville known as Shiloh Valley and Turkey Hill. One of the primary black families in Belleville, the Freemans, came to Illinois in 1818 as enslaved or indentured people but were manumitted as soon as they got to St Clair County. They had a large farm in Shiloh Valley, complete with a school marked on 19th-century maps as the “African School.” This, along with the cemetery is located at the edge of a forest preserve today. The Belleville News-Democrat has a fascinating story by Teri Maddox about the free African American community of Belleville in the February 26, 2017 issue. CLICK HERE
Most of Belleville’s early German immigrants had graduated from German universities. They were nicknamed or called themselves “Latin Farmers” because of their education. They established one of the first kindergartens in the country. The German settlers also founded choral groups, drama groups and literary societies. One German immigrant, Gustav Koerner, helped establish the city’s public library, which is the state’s oldest library, predating the Illinois State Library (what is called the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library) by three years. The Belleville Public Library has a large ‘founders collection’ of German language books and newspapers.
By 1870, an estimated 90% of the city’s population was either German-born or of German descent. Belleville has a distinct sense of its history and embraces its German heritage as an identity.
Gustav Koerner (mentioned above) became a Lincoln confidant. He was a fervent abolitionist and part of the group creating the Republican Party in 1856. Koerner helped write the 1860 Republican platform and he managed Lincoln’s campaign to get the presidential nomination. He was the only pall bearer for Lincoln who was not from Springfield.
After the Civil War, Belleville became a manufacturing center producing nails, printing presses, gray iron castings, agricultural equipment, and stoves. Belleville became known as “The Stove Capital of the World.” The first brewery in Illinois was established in Belleville. And in 1868, Gustav Goelitz founded the candy company that is known today as Jelly Belly.
The first style of houses in Belleville were simple brick cottages, known locally as “German street houses” or “row houses.” Many other architectural styles flourished. A significant amount of this architecture has survived and 73 properties were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, forming the Belleville Historic District. The streets off Main Street have a number of lovely antebellum homes, many connected to early families. The Koerner House on Mascoutah & Abend is on the National Register of Historic Places. The restoration of his home is ongoing (see: https://gustavekoerner.org/ )
This article in the Belleville News-Democrat (April 8, 2015) is about Belleville’s German heritage: CLICK