What are memorials? Why are they erected? By whom? When? Where are they placed?  These are some of the key questions that scholars investigate about this widespread phenomenon. And these are questions of significant public concern and political and social partisanship in America today. 

Coal mining was a tremendously dangerous activity and in Illinois there is no lack of memorials commemorating the lives lost in underground disasters and/or honoring the bravery of all miners and/or remembering miners who died in violent struggles waged around labor issues. 

Here we present and illustrate coal mining/coal miner memorials in Illinois, in alphabetical order of the towns where they are located. The towns are:
Braidwood: CLICK HERE
Centralia: CLICK HERE
Cherry: CLICK HERE
Glen Carbon: CLICK HERE
Herrin: CLICK HERE
Marissa: CLICK HERE
Mt. Olive: CLICK HERE
Moweaqua: CLICK HERE
Pana: CLICK HERE
Panama: CLICK HERE
Royalton: CLICK HERE
Sesser: CLICK HERE
Springfield: CLICK HERE
Taylorville: CLICK HERE
Virden: CLICK HERE
West Frankfort: CLICK HERE
Westville: CLICK HERE
Zeigler: CLICK HERE

Towns that could have memorials but do not include Carterville and Christopher.

WEST FRANKFORT (100 E. Main)
Coal Miners Memorial Park honors the 119 miners killed in the Orient Mine No 2 disaster on December 21,1951. Because of the date of the explosion, there are many older residents who remember it and many “baby boomer” adults who grew up hearing about it. The Southern Illinoisan website has published the heartbreaking front page of its first issue after the explosion, before the full scale of the tragedy was known. A memorial service is regularly held to commemorate the event.