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Collinsville, Illinois U.S.A.
Motto: "Horseradish Capital of the World" Country United States State Illinois County Madison Population 25,579 (2010) Government Council-Manager Timezone CST Postal code 62234 Collinsville is a city located mainly in Madison County, and partially in St. Clair County, both in Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 25,579, an increase from 24,707 in 2000. Collinsville is approximately 12 miles from St. Louis, Missouri and is considered part of that city's Metro-East area. Known for having a large ethnic population, It is also the home of the world's largest ketchup bottle (Brooks Catsup Bottle Water Tower), built in 1949 by the W.E. Caldwell, and is the world's horseradish capital. Monks Mound, the largest Pre-Columbian earthwork in the Americas, and the largest pyramid north of Mesoamerica. Now part of the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. Monks Mound is larger at its base than the Great Pyramid of Giza. The complex also includes a reconstructed Woodhenge, used for complex astronomical sightings. There is a museum and visitors' center. 
Collinsville was originally settled by the Cook family and by a group of German American settlers who arrived by Conestoga wagon in 1812, from Pennsylvania, and who founded the Holy Cross Lutheran Church. They also had a hardware store, though they were mainly farmers. Within five or six years, a number of other settlers had arrived and began to perform the legal work required to form a town on the site. These original settlers are all buried in the Cook Cemetery or the Old Lutheran Cemetery. Other early settlers are buried in the Old German Cemetery near Sugarloaf Road near Maryville, Illinois. 
During World War I, a Collinsville mob lynched a German-American citizen, the only such murder in the country. On April 5, 1918, a mob of men numbering in the hundreds took Robert Prager from his home and paraded him through the streets barefoot and wrapped in an American flag, forcing him to sing patriotic songs. The Collinsville police interceded and took him into protective custody. A group formed outside of the city jail, however, and, threatening to burn it down, were permitted entry. Two men found Prager hiding in the basement. They took him outside and the mob marched him to the outskirts of town, where they lynched him. His final request was to be buried in the American flag. Eleven men stood trial for the murder, but all were acquitted. Collinsville, the community was laid out in 1837 on bluffs above the river’s floodplain. The village was originally named Unionville but was soon renamed Collinsville for an early pioneer family that had bought Cook’s claim in 1818. Once a bituminous-coal mining centre (the first mine was sunk in 1870), the area also had lead and zinc mines and a cowbell factory. Collinsville is now mainly residential, and the economy is based on government services, Fairmount Park (a horse racing facility), Fairmount Park is partnering with New York-based online sports wagering firm FanDuel Group and rebranding as FanDuel Sportsbook and Horse Racing. retail, and clothing manufacturing. It is also a center of horseradish production. Horseradish in Illinois is primarily grown in the Mississippi River Valley region adjacent to St. Louis due to the well-drained, deep friable, high organic matter, moist loam soils that are present in this area. Most of the production is located in Madison and St. Claire counties. A notable local attraction is the “World’s Largest Catsup Bottle” (built 1949), which stands 170 feet (52 metres) high. Just west of the city is Cahokia Mounds, which preserves a large prehistoric Mississippian culture city, and Horseshoe Lake State Park. Inc. village, 1850; city, 1872. Pop. (2000) 24,707; (2010) 25,579, (2020) 25,084 Notable people: Art Fletcher, shortstop with the New York Giants and Philadelphia Phillies; born in Collinsville Moses Harrison, Illinois jurist Jerry Kane, first baseman and catcher for the St Louis Browns; born in Collinsville Tony Malinosky, third baseman and shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers; born in Collinsville Terry Moore, center fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals; lived and died in Collinsville George Musso, Football Hall of Fame lineman for the Chicago Bears; born in Collinsville Robert Prager, German immigrant who was lynched in Collinsville during World War I Joe Reiniger, forward for the St. Louis Illusion (Major Indoor Soccer League-MISL) John Shimkus, US congressman; born in Collinsville Michael Stipe, lead singer of R.E.M.; graduated from high school in Collinsville Daniel A. Vallero, research scientist; author; adjunct professor of engineering at Duke University; grew up in Collinsville Click HERE for more YouTube Videos |