Collinsville is a city located mainly in Madison County and partially in

St. Clair County, Illinois St. Clair County is the ninth most populous county in Illinois. Located directly east of St. Louis, the county is part of the Metro East region of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area in southern Illinois. As of the 2020 United States ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 24,366. Collinsville is approximately east of

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, and is part of that city's

Metro East The Metro East is an urban area in Southern Illinois, United States that contains the eastern and northern urban, suburban, and exurban areas on the Mississippi River in Greater St. Louis. It encompasses eight Illinois counties and constitutes ...

area. Collinsville is the location of

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site Cahokia Mounds ( 11 MS 2) is the site of a Native American city (which existed 1050–1350 CE) directly across the Mississippi River from present-day St. Louis. The state archaeology park lies in south-western Illinois between East St. L ...

, a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

and

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

. This prehistoric urban complex is estimated to have had a population of thousands at its peak, long before European exploration in the area. The city is also known for the Brooks Catsup Bottle Water Tower, the world's largest

ketchup Ketchup or catsup is a table condiment with a sweet and sour flavor. "Ketchup" now typically refers to tomato ketchup, although early recipes for different varieties contained mushrooms, oysters, mussels, egg whites, grapes, or walnuts, amon ...

bottle, and is billed as the world's

horseradish Horseradish (''Armoracia rusticana'', syn. ''Cochlearia armoracia'') is a perennial plant of the family Brassicaceae (which also includes Mustard plant, mustard, wasabi, broccoli, cabbage, and radish). It is a root vegetable, cultivated and us ...

capital.

History

Cahokia Cahokia Mounds ( 11 MS 2) is the site of a Native American city (which existed 1050–1350 CE) directly across the Mississippi River from present-day St. Louis. The state archaeology park lies in south-western Illinois between East St. L ...

, the largest

Pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European col ...

settlement north of Mexico, was developed by the

Mississippian culture The Mississippian culture was a collection of Native American societies that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 to 1600 CE, varying regionally. It was known for building la ...

and is located in what is now the westernmost part of Collinsville. At its peak about 1200 CE, Cahokia had a population of 20,000-30,000, more than any city in the present-day United States until after 1800. It includes

Monks Mound Monks Mound is the largest Pre-Columbian earthwork in the Americas and the largest pyramid north of Mesoamerica. The beginning of its construction dates from 900 to 955 CE. Located at the Cahokia Mounds UNESCO World Heritage Site near Collins ...

, the largest prehistoric earthwork in the Americas, and more than 70 surviving smaller mounds. Monks Mound is larger at its base than the

Great Pyramid of Giza The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid. It served as the tomb of pharaoh Khufu, who ruled during the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt, Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, Old Kingdom. Built , over a period of about 26 years ...

. During the French colonial era of its

Illinois Country The Illinois Country ( ; ; ), also referred to as Upper Louisiana ( ; ), was a vast region of New France claimed in the 1600s that later fell under Spanish and British control before becoming what is now part of the Midwestern United States. Whi ...

, a group of French Catholic monks had a settlement on Monks Mound, after whom it was later named. They cultivated agriculture on the terraces of the mound. They traded with bands of the historic Illini, who had migrated into the area after the peak of the Mississippian culture. Collinsville was subsequently settled by the Cook family and by a group of German-American settlers who arrived by

Conestoga wagon The Conestoga wagon, also simply known as the Conestoga, is a horse-drawn freight wagon that was used exclusively in North America, primarily the United States, in the 18th and 19th centuries. Such wagons were probably first used by Pennsylvania ...

in 1812 from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. They founded 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 arrived and began to organize 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. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, a Collinsville mob, composed mostly of local coal miners,

lynched Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged or convicted transgressor or to intimidate others. It can also be an extreme form of in ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

immigrant, the only such wartime murder in the country. On April 5, 1918, the mob numbering up to 300 men 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. Collinsville police interceded and took Prager into protective custody. The mob was later mistakenly allowed to search city hall, and two men found Prager hiding in the basement. They took Prager outside and the mob marched him to the outskirts of town, along the St. Louis Road, 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 on June 1, 1918. Several historical buildings survive in Collinsville. Built in 1885, the City Hall is still used today. It was built on property originally owned by the Collins family. The building features

Italianate architecture The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century ...

with window crowns. A short, half-block walk from City Hall is the former State Bank of Collinsville at the corner of Center and Main streets. Designed in 1916 by architect Robert G. Kirsch, this structure features a limestone exterior and marble interior walls. To the west on Main Street, the Collinsville Public Library is a colonial-style brick building with an inviting circular stone walkway; the first section was completed in 1937. Additional wings were added in 1967 and 1980.

Geography

Collinsville is located mainly in southern Madison County at (38.674398, -89.995402), approximately by air or by road east-northeast of downtown St Louis. Two portions of the city extend south into St. Clair County. Collinsville is bordered to the north by Maryville, to the west by Pontoon Beach and Fairmont City, and to the south by Caseyville. The 90W

longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east- west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek lett ...

line passes through Collinsville, west of the city center. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, Collinsville has a total area of , of which are land and , or 1.22%, are water. The city is drained to the northwest by Schoolhouse Branch and to the south by Canteen Creek, both of which flow west into the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

valley in the western part of the city.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 25,579 people, 10,458 households, and 6,672 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 11,025 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 11.2%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.8% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, and 1.7% from other races (according to the "race alone of in combination" section of the Census Summary File 1). There were 10,458 households, out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.94. In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 23.2% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $42,353, and the median income for a family was $54,956. Males had a median income of $39,379 versus $27,409 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $22,048. About 5.6% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Roads

Interstates 55 and 70 run concurrently through the north side of Collinsville, with access from Exits 9 through 15, while

Interstate 255 Interstate 255 (I-255) is a bypass route of I-55 in Greater St. Louis. Along with I-270, it forms a loop around the central portion of the bi-state metro area; a majority of I-255 is located on the Illinois half. It shares its southern ...

passes through the west side of the city, with access from Exits 24 and 26.

Illinois Route 159 Illinois Route 159 is a north–south state route in southwestern Illinois. Its southern terminus is at Illinois Route 3 and Illinois Route 154 in Red Bud and its northern terminus at Illinois Route 16 in Royal Lakes. This is a distance of . ...

passes through the center of Collinsville as Morrison Avenue and Vandalia Street, leading north to Edwardsville and south to Fairview Heights, while Route 157 (Bluff Road) crosses the west side of the city, leading north to Glen Carbon and south to Caseyville.

U.S. Route 66 in Illinois U.S. Route 66 (US 66, Route 66) was a United States Numbered Highway in Illinois that connected St. Louis, Missouri, and Chicago, Illinois. The historic Route 66, the ''Mother Road'' or ''Main Street of America'', took long distance automobile t ...

originally passed through Collinsville.

Culture

Collinsville is the self-proclaimed "Horseradish Capital of the World", and sponsors an annual Horseradish Festival. The area is said to produce 85% of the world's

, of such high quality that Germany and China (key users of the herb) import it for gourmet use. The Horseradish Festival is held annually during the first weekend in June and is held uptown Collinsville on Main Street. It has activities for all ages, including a 5K run, live music, a beauty pageant, and root-grinding demonstrations. Known for its large

ethnic An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...

Italian population, descendants of late 19th and early 20th-century immigrants, Collinsville hosts an annual Italian Fest in the fall. The Italian Fest has been held annually since 1983 and is located in uptown Collinsville on Main Street. This two-day festival features live music and vendors selling authentic Italian food such as spedini,

spumoni Spumoni (: spumone) is a molded gelato made with layers of different colors and flavors containing candied fruits and Nut (fruit), nuts, with the main three flavors being pistachio, cherry, and chocolate (or sometimes vanilla). Its origins da ...

, bagna cauda, cannoli, and Italian Ices. Other activities include a parade, midnight bike ride, 5K Run/Walk, Little Miss & Mister Pageant,

Bocce Ball (, or , ), sometimes anglicized as bocce ball, bocci, or boccie, is a ball sport belonging to the boules family. Developed into its present form in Italy, it is closely related to English bowls and French , with a common ancestry from anci ...

Tournament, and a grape stomp. Collinsville is the site of the Brooks Catsup Bottle Water Tower, "the world's largest catsup bottle", a

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...

in the shape of a

bottle, which is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. The bottle along with the property was put up for sale for $500,000.00 on July 12, 2014. In order to celebrate this roadside landmark, Collinsville hosts an annual World's Largest Catsup Bottle Festival in July. The

Fairmount Park Racetrack Fanduel Sportsbook and Horse Racing, formerly Fairmount Park Racetrack, is a horse racing track in Collinsville, Illinois, a part of the St. Louis, Missouri, St. Louis metropolitan area. The track hosts Thoroughbred flat racing. It is one of two ...

for horse racing is located in Collinsville. The racetrack is owned by the corporation Ogden-Fairmount Incorporated. This is one of five race tracks in Illinois, and the only one located outside Chicago. Fairmont Park Racetrack features a one-mile oval dirt track and opened in 1925. The racetrack originally hosted both Thoroughbred flat racing and Standardbred harness racing. The racetrack has hosted popular races, including the Fairmont Derby in the 1920s and the St. Louis Derby in 2006, along with other weekly live races. Three restaurants are located at the track for visitors to enjoy: the Top of the Turf, the Black Stallion Room, and the 1st Turn Café. Admission for live racing is $1.50 per person on Tuesdays and $2.50 per person on Fridays and Saturdays. The

is located within the city limits of Collinsville. This large park has been designated as a

and was one of the first eight

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Sites World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

designated within the United States; today there are a total of 23. A museum and visitors' center provide a movie and displays which present the lives of the ancient inhabitants.

Notable people

* Michelle Bartsch-Hackley, Team USA Olympic volleyball player and professional volleyball player; grew up in Collinsville *

Irving Dilliard Irving Lee Dilliard (November 27, 1904 – October 9, 2002) was an American journalist and author. He was born in Collinsville, Illinois, and died in Glen Carbon, Illinois at the age of 97. Dilliard was the editor of the editorial page of the ''St. ...

, journalist and author; life-long resident of Collinsville. * Art Fletcher, shortstop with the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

and

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

; born in Collinsville *

Moses Harrison Moses Wilkins Harrison II (March 30, 1932 – April 25, 2013) was an American attorney and jurist who served as a judge of the Illinois Appellate Court and the Supreme Court of Illinois. Early life and education Born in Collinsville, Illinois, ...

, Illinois jurist; born in Collinsville * Tanner Houck, pitcher drafted as the 24th overall pick by the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

during the

2017 MLB Draft The 2017 Major League Baseball draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on June 12, while the remai ...

; grew up in Collinsville *

Tom Jager Thomas Michael Jager (born October 6, 1964) is an American former competition swimmer. He is five-time Olympic gold medalist in relay events, a two-time World Championship individual gold medalist for the 50-meter freestyle, and a former world ...

, Olympic gold medalist in swimming; went to Collinsville High School * Jerry Kane, first baseman and catcher for the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

; born in Collinsville * Tony Malinosky, third baseman and shortstop for the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...

; born in Collinsville *

George M. McCormick George Miley McCormick (November 4, 1841 – January 13, 1913) was an American politician. McCormick was born in Clermont County, Ohio. He served in the 2nd Ohio Infantry during the American Civil War and had suffered from a wound in his leg wh ...

, Illinois state senator; lived in Collinsville * James O. Monroe, Illinois state legislator and newspaper editor; lived in Collinsville * Terry Moore, center fielder for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

; lived and died in Collinsville * George Musso, Football Hall of Fame lineman for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

; born in Collinsville *

Ken Oberkfell Kenneth Ray Oberkfell (born May 4, 1956) is an American former third baseman. He played from 1977 to 1992 for six different teams. Oberkfell primarily played third base but he also played over 400 career games at second base. After retiring as a ...

, former infielder St. Louis Cardinals 1982 World Series Champ went to Collinsville High School * Alexandra Picatto, former child actress; 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 John Mondy Shimkus (, born February 21, 1958) is an American politician who served as a United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative from 1997 to 2021, representing the 20th, 19th and 15th congressional districts of Illinois. Shi ...

, US congressman; born in Collinsville *

Kevin Stallings Kevin Eugene Stallings (born October 1, 1960) is an American former basketball coach, who formerly served as the head coach at Illinois State University, Vanderbilt University and the University of Pittsburgh. He was an assistant coach at Purdue ...

, former college basketball coach; born in Collinsville *

Michael Stipe John Michael Stipe (; born January 4, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter and artist, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the alternative rock band R.E.M. Stipe was born in Metro Atlanta in January 1960. Due to his father's militar ...

, lead singer of

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

; graduated from high school in Collinsville * Daniel A. Vallero, research scientist; author; adjunct professor of engineering at

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

; grew up in Collinsville

References

External links

Collinsville Chamber of CommerceCahokia Mounds State Historic Site and Cahokia Mounds Museum Society
{{authority control Cities in Illinois Cities in Madison County, Illinois Cities in St. Clair County, Illinois Italian-American culture in Illinois