Founded in 1814, Belleville, Illinois, celebrated its 200th Anniversary during 2014. Thanks to George Blair and his donation of one acre of land on March 10, 1814 for a Public Square, the county seat of St. Clair County was moved from Cahokia to the more centrally located settlement.
Mr. Blair was given the honor of naming the town and county seat, and on August 8, 1814, the court of St. Clair County recognized the name he had chosen which was Belleville; a French word meaning beautiful city.
Source: The Pioneer History of Illinois by John Reynolds
Gustave Phillip Koerner
Gustave P. Koerner was part of the first wave of German immigrants to arrive in Belleville in 1833. He became an influential spokesman for immigrants, was the 12th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, worked with Abraham Lincoln to end slavery, and was appointed Ambassador to Spain by Lincoln in 1862.
Koerner joined Abraham Lincoln, Horace Greeley and others who, fired by the passions of the times, came together to create the Republican Party in 1856. Koerner became a close Lincoln confidant, helped write the 1860 Republican Party platform, and managed Lincoln’s drive to the presidential nomination at the party’s convention. Koerner was an ardent anti-slavery proponent and, as a German emigre, played a key role in allying western America’s German population with the Union cause.
Koerner House Restoration
The restoration of Gustave Koerner’s home at 200 Abend Street in Belleville will stand as a testament to one of Belleville’s most illustrious citizens.
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Candy Corn, Not Jelly Beans
Many people around the world recognize the name Jelly Belly Candy Company with its trademark smiling jelly bean. The corporation, headquartered in Fairfield, California, has international distributors in almost fifty countries and the company’s signature tiny jelly bean is available on all five continents.
Jelly Belly traces its roots to the entrepreneurial efforts of Gustav Goelitz (born March 28, 1845 in Osterode am Harz, Kingdom of Hannover; died March 16, 1901 in Belleville, IL), who came to the United States in 1866 and with his younger brothers, Albert and George, built a successful confectionery business, Gustav Goelitz Candy, in Belleville, Illinois, and later Goelitz Brothers’ Candy in St. Louis, Missouri. The business failed during the devastating economic depression following the Panic of 1893.
Returning to Belleville, Goelitz worked with his oldest sons as they started their own confection business. His sons then moved the company to Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1898. Before Goelitz’s death on March 16, 1901, in Belleville, Illinois, his sons began producing candy corn, a new buttercream treat that would ensure the continued success of the business. / source
Over 150 Years of Musicianship
The Belleville Philharmonic Society was founded on November 19, 1866. With their first concert performed on January 26, 1867. The Society’s first conductor was Theodore Decker, who began the annual schedule of concerts that is unbroken to this day–making the Belleville Philharmonic Orchestra the nation’s second oldest symphony orchestra in continuous operation. The original orchestra was comprised of talented volunteer musicians who made distinguished contributions to the community in a wide range of vocations. The same can be said of the Society’s various ensembles today.
The Philharmonic Chorale was formed for the Society’s centennial in 1966 and was first directed by Charles Laughlin. The chorale performs on its own and with the Philharmonic Orchestra, often teaming with other choruses in the St. Louis metropolitan area.
Visit the Philharmonic Society of Belleville for more information including performance schedules.
Midcentury Modern Architect Charles Erwin King
In 1947, Charles Erwin King opened an office, “Charles E. King, Architect,” at 19A North Illinois Street and soon took his first commission for a private residence. He favored a design style that today is known at Midcentury Modern. He continued to practice in Belleville until 1961, when his firm was purchased by Hellmuth, Obata and Kassebaum (HOK) in St. Louis. During his fourteen years in Belleville, King designed and completed 34 public and commercial projects and an estimated 100 custom designed residences and home additions. Perhaps most notable is the Belleville City Hall. All but three of King’s works in Belleville still stand today. / learn more
