Mount Clare is located in Sections 25, 26, 35, and
36 of Gillespie Township. The village is situated within Gillespie Township just
on the edge of the Cahokia township line. According to the book, Place Names in
Illinois, Mount Clare was incorporated as a village 16 Apr 1915. The post office
was established 26 Feb 1929.
Mount Clare was named for Mrs. Clare DORSEY,
Pioneer.
Excerpts from the Litchfield News Herald (about. 1936):
"Mt.
Clare, a village of some 650 in population (1936), is one of the many towns to
take its name from a woman. The village, incorporated in 1903 and
re-incorporated just recently as a facto corporation, received its name from
Mrs. Clare DORSEY, wife of one of the original land owners of the great Superior
Coal field.
One of the interesting facts about the village is that the
name is incorrect when abbreviated. The "Mount" must be spelled out, according
to residents.
Mount Clare is the site of the Superior Coal company's mine
No. 3 (1936). Superior #3 mine was sunk in 1915 and was closed in 1954. The mine
at present (1936) employs about 180 men, being closed down for the installation
of loading machines at the present time. Alexander YOUNG is mine manager. The
mine rears on the north side of the village and is the only industry of the
little camp. It was sunk about 1905 and was one of the original mines of the
Superior company.
The village is governed under the president and village
board system (1936). The junction of routes 4 and 110 are inside the village
corporation limits which extend nearly to Benld. Andrew KALASKIE, who resides on
Gillespie's South Hard road , is the village president. Dominic Obertini, is
village clerk. Members of the board are Peter BORGINI, Frank LOIE, John MAGNANI,
Joseph LADAME and Fred BARNABE.
The village school system is under the
Benld district organization. Modesta ROSA represents Mount Clare in the district
school board. Mount Clare has its own grade school and four teachers (1936) with
an enrollment of about fifty pupils. Miss Jean HADDOW, Miss Jenny FESSIA, Miss
Fannie GAUDINO and Miss Mary MONAHAN are the teachers.
Mrs. Armeda
GUERZONI is postmistress of the Mount Clare post office (1936), which is located
in one of the village's four general stores.
The village is unique (1936)
in that it has no churches and no fraternal orders. The residents attend
Gillespie and Benld churches and hold membership in lodges of the two cities. "
Contributed by Edna Grosenheider
Macoupin County ILGenWeb Copyright
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This page was last updated
07/01/2022