Harco, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Harco is an unincorporated community
in Saline County
, Illinois, United States. The Harrisburg Colliery Coal Company Mine was sunk in November 1916, in the center of section 27, township 8, range 5, Saline County, Illinois, and the town of Harco soon grew up around it. The name of the town is derived from the first three letters of Harrisburg and the first two letters of Colliery, spelling “Harco.”
The Harrisburg Colliery Company was organized by J. H. Kilmer of Chicago
, and Ed Qualkenbush, D. K. Seten, and O. D. Norman, of Harrisburg, Illinois
. D. K. Seten was a grocer and O. D. Norman, his brother-in-law, was the husband of Mrs. Hattie Norman and the father of Mrs. Mary Lindsay, of Harrisburg.
It is listed that 134 men lost their lives in accidents at the Harco mines, Peabody no. 47, and west of Harco, Peabody no. 40. There were 11 killed in an explosion August 31, 1921 and 8 killed in an explosion December 28, 1941. Harco mine was closed April 25, 1951, but the coal washer continued to process coal until 1954. The mine was then dismantled.
To accommodate its workers, the coal company built four-room houses on the east side of town and the five and six room houses on the south side. The houses were prefabricated Sears Catalog Home
s shipped by railroad to the mine and then delivered to the building sites by wagon. Some of the families were living in tents and were so anxious to move in that they did so before the doorknobs were placed on the doors.
When the Harco mine closed in April 1951, families living in the company houses were given evacuation notices. The houses were offered for sale at $50 a room, and several of the houses were moved intact. Some of the empty houses burned, and rest were torn down, for the land was not sold with the houses.
There was a one-room school known as 'Vinyard School'. A larger framed two-room school was built and ready in the fall of 1917. Several years later it burned down, and a large two-story brick five-room school building was built.
J. Ogden opened the first store in the village. There was a forty-room hotel to accommodate the miners. Other stores included the Company Store, owned and operated by C. V. Parker; a grist mill and a grocery store run by Charlie Manier and a general store. The Gibbon’s Drug Store had a registered pharmacist and a soda fountain, whilst another drug store also sold patent medicines and sundries. Dr. M. D. Empson and Dr. R. G. Bond practiced medicine in Harco. Neotere “Butch” LePontre ran the local meat market. The village had a shoe store, blacksmith, and a two-chair barbershop.
There was a one-room jailhouse. For many years there was a wood-framed Baptist church in Harco. The Old Brushy Cemetery is nearby.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Saline County
Saline County, Illinois
Saline County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 24,913, which is a decrease of 6.8% from 26,733 in 2000. Its county seat is Harrisburg. Saline County is home to the smallest post office and the largest KFC in the United States....
, Illinois, United States. The Harrisburg Colliery Coal Company Mine was sunk in November 1916, in the center of section 27, township 8, range 5, Saline County, Illinois, and the town of Harco soon grew up around it. The name of the town is derived from the first three letters of Harrisburg and the first two letters of Colliery, spelling “Harco.”
The Harrisburg Colliery Company was organized by J. H. Kilmer of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, and Ed Qualkenbush, D. K. Seten, and O. D. Norman, of Harrisburg, Illinois
Harrisburg, Illinois
Harrisburg is a city and township in Saline County, Illinois, United States. It is located about southwest of Evansville, Indiana, southeast of St. Louis, Missouri. The 2010 population was 9,017, with a township population of 10,790. It is the county seat of Saline County...
. D. K. Seten was a grocer and O. D. Norman, his brother-in-law, was the husband of Mrs. Hattie Norman and the father of Mrs. Mary Lindsay, of Harrisburg.
Mining
Harco was founded based on discovery of coal. The first coal was hoisted January 6, 1918. In later years, it was known as the Saline County Coal Corporation, and later as the Peabody Coal Company Mine No. 47. Harco was plotted June 24, 1919, with the plate showing 121 lots 50 by 140 feet (42.7 m).It is listed that 134 men lost their lives in accidents at the Harco mines, Peabody no. 47, and west of Harco, Peabody no. 40. There were 11 killed in an explosion August 31, 1921 and 8 killed in an explosion December 28, 1941. Harco mine was closed April 25, 1951, but the coal washer continued to process coal until 1954. The mine was then dismantled.
To accommodate its workers, the coal company built four-room houses on the east side of town and the five and six room houses on the south side. The houses were prefabricated Sears Catalog Home
Sears Catalog Home
Sears Catalog Homes were ready-to-assemble kit houses sold through mail order by Sears, Roebuck and Company, an American retailer. Over 70,000 of these were sold in North America between 1908 and 1940. Shipped via railroad boxcars, these kits included all the materials needed to build a house...
s shipped by railroad to the mine and then delivered to the building sites by wagon. Some of the families were living in tents and were so anxious to move in that they did so before the doorknobs were placed on the doors.
When the Harco mine closed in April 1951, families living in the company houses were given evacuation notices. The houses were offered for sale at $50 a room, and several of the houses were moved intact. Some of the empty houses burned, and rest were torn down, for the land was not sold with the houses.
Facilities
The Harco post office was established in November 21, 1917, and Thomas Hoffman was its first postmaster. In later years, Lois C. Naugle was postmaster for twenty years, with the post office housed inside Naugle’s general store.There was a one-room school known as 'Vinyard School'. A larger framed two-room school was built and ready in the fall of 1917. Several years later it burned down, and a large two-story brick five-room school building was built.
J. Ogden opened the first store in the village. There was a forty-room hotel to accommodate the miners. Other stores included the Company Store, owned and operated by C. V. Parker; a grist mill and a grocery store run by Charlie Manier and a general store. The Gibbon’s Drug Store had a registered pharmacist and a soda fountain, whilst another drug store also sold patent medicines and sundries. Dr. M. D. Empson and Dr. R. G. Bond practiced medicine in Harco. Neotere “Butch” LePontre ran the local meat market. The village had a shoe store, blacksmith, and a two-chair barbershop.
There was a one-room jailhouse. For many years there was a wood-framed Baptist church in Harco. The Old Brushy Cemetery is nearby.