ILMENARD-L Archives

Archiver > ILMENARD > 2002-05 > 1022212279


From: Jeanne Weaver <>
Subject: [ILMENARD] 1879 Menard History continued
Date: Thu, 23 May 2002 20:51:32 -0700 (PDT)


Dear Listers,

The following history has been typed for the Menard
County ILGenWeb Project,
please do not repost on another website without
permission of


Menard GenWeb site:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilmenard/index.html

1879 History posted at:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilmenard/1879.html

This, of itself, is a source of inexhaustible
wealth. A writer in the London Quarterly Review said,
not long since, that no people can succeed in the arts
of Christian civilization without a supply of coal;
and as it is essential to many classes of manufacture,
and to the navigation of the ocean, and consequently
to the commerce of the world, the statement does not
appear to be extravagant. The same writer says that
the paddle-wheels of European enterprise are
constantly stirring up the dark water of superstition
in the East, and every Christian steamer that
navigates those water goes as a herald of Christian
civilization and advancement; and that coal is thus
becoming a grand and essential agent in the
enlightenment of the world. Such were the stores of
coal deposited in the bowels of England, and her
supply so inexhaustible as supposed that the
expression, carrying coals to Newcastle has long
been the manner of expressing the inexhaustibleness of
the deposit. But present indications bid fair for it
to become literally true, and also that the coals
carried to Newcastle shall be from America. Thus we
see that in respect to this source of wealth, this
little county is behind none of her neighbors. Some
seven or eight coal mines are being operated
successfully in the county; the most of them, in fact,
nearly all, are in the immediate vicinity of the town
of Petersburg. In addition to the fact that we thus
keep the price of this article at home, it also
affords employment for a large number of laborers, and
in the same proportion, it furnishes market of our
produce. The coal interests are just beginning to be
developed here; but the time is not far in the future
when this will be an important branch of industry
here. The first regular coal-shaft was opened by
Elijah Taylor, in the southeast part of town, in the
fall of 1865. Since that time, the several shafts near
town, and that of Tallula have been opened.


Jeanne Weaver
Menard GenWeb Coordinator
and List Administrator



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