Belleville, Illinois

JHE site of Belleville was selected as the county seat of St. Clair county in the year 1814. As the American settlers on the highlands east of the American Bottom began to outnumber the old French residents along the Mississippi, the idea was entertained of removing the county tt -«««gm5«=sw s^*t to ^ more eligible and central location K >wr than the village of Cahokia. This question was one of the issues which entered into the election of members of the legislature in 1813. In December, 1813, the legislature, in session at Kaskaskia, appointed John Hay, James Lemen, Isaac Enochs, William Scott, Jr., Nathan Chambers, Jacob Short and Caldwell Cains, commissioners to select a new seat of justice. The commissioners met at the dwelling-house of Col. William Whiteside on the twenty-fifth of January, 1814, but, by reason of not being thoroughly informed as to their legal duties, and that no proper officer was present to administer the necessary oaths," they adjourned to meet at Cahokia on the following fourteenth of February. At the latter meeting no decision was reached. The commissioners desired further consideration of the subject, and a personal view of the proposed location. Their next meeting was at the house of Geo. Blair, on the site of the present city of Belleville. At this meeting considerable diversity of opinion was shown, and they adjourned without being able to come to any conclusion. At a subsequent meeting held at Blair's house on the tenth of March, 1814, all the commissioners being present, the majority fixed the county seat on Blair's land, and a site for the county buildings was marked in Blair's corn-field, about twenty-five rods north-east of his dwelling-house. Blair agreed to give one acre of land for a public square, on which to erect the public buildings, and to relinquish twenty-five acres adjoining, of which every fifth lot of land, exclusive of the streets, he gave as a donation for the use and benefit of the county of St. Clair. The report was signed by all the commissioners except William Scott, Jr., and Caldwell Cains. Blair agreed to have suitable arrangements made so that the June term of court, 1814, could be held at the new county seat.

Passage source: History of St. Clair County, Illinois. With Illustrations ... and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers, published 1881.

Such was the beginning of Belleville. The locality was previously known as Compton Hill. It is said that the name of Belleville, " beautiful city," was given to the place by George Blair. A survey was made in the summer of 1814, by John Messenger. This survey was completed some years afterward by Gov. Niniaa Edwards, who placed it on record. An old plat is now on file made on a scale of four chains to the inch. The names of the streets were given by Mr. Blair. The most eastward street was called

Passage source: History of St. Clair County, Illinois. With Illustrations ... and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers, published 1881.

Church street, and westward were Jackson, High, Illinois, Spring and Hill streets. North and south from the public square the streets were numbered First, Second and Third. The street extending east and west through the public square was called St. Clair street, but by common usage, it has become known as Main street. This and Illinois streets were laid off sixty-six feet wide, and all the others forty-nine and a half feet. In the summer of 1814, Etienne Pensoneau was given the contract to build a courthouse. This was an unpainted frame building, two stories high, and stood in the public square east of the site of the National He. tel, and north of the present court-house. The court room occupied the whole lower floor, and in the upper story were the clerk's offices and jury rooms. The records show that for hauling to Belleville the benches, seats and tables, from the old court-house, at Cahokia, Mr. Blair was paid six dollars. A new brick court-house was begun in the year 1829, and finished in 1831. It stood in the public square north-east of the old building. This in turn gave place to the present court-house, which was erected about 1859. The first jail, of which a man named Henry Sharp was the architect, was built of logs, and stood in the public square, about one hundred feet south-east of the site of Hinckley's bank. The second jail was a two story brick building on Illinois street, east of the old log jail. The third jail was built on Illinois street, above First North street, and the building is still standing. It was used for the confinement of prisoners till the erection of the present jail.

Passage source: History of St. Clair County, Illinois. With Illustrations ... and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers, published 1881.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

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