Moweaqua Collection

Title

Moweaqua Collection

Subject

Illinois--Moweaqua
Industrial buildings
Illinois--Decatur
Wild West Show
Architecture

Description

The city of Moweaqua, Illinois, located in Shelby County, was a coal mining town in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In December 1932 a large methane gas explosion in the Moweaqua coal mine killed fifty-four miners. The accident led to the passage of new federal mining safety legislation which phased out the use of carbide miner's lanterns in coal mines.

The photographs in this collection include images of buildings and daily life in Moweaqua and surrounding cities including Decatur and Vandalia. Images of the Wild West Show in Moweaqua also appear in this collection.

Collection Items

Boys Orchestra
Members of a Moweaqua boys orchestra pose for a group photo with their conductor.

Derailed Switch Engine
A railroad employee stands next to a switch engine that derailed near Decatur.

Grand Army of the Republic
Members of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) post in Moweaqua pose for a group photo. Benjamin F. Stephenson founded the Grand Army of the Republic in Decatur in 1866.

Moweaqua Concert Band
Members of the Moweaqua Concert Band pose for a group photo with their conductor.

Baptist Church
A Baptist Church located in Moweaqua stands at an intersection.

First United Methodist Church of Moweaqua
The First United Methodist Church of Moweaqua features large stained glass archways on either side of the main entrance. A bell tower stands above the main doors.

Street View
A horse-drawn carriage drives down a street lined with businesses in downtown Moweaqua.

Water Tower
The 1906 water tower in Moweaqua stands 120 feet high.

Northeast Moweaqua
An aerial view of Moweaqua's central business district highlights an intersection lined with storefronts.

Northwest Moweaqua
An aerial view of Moweaqua's industrial section shows its proximity to the railroad tracks.

The Public School
The nineteenth century Moweaqua public school building featured two floors and a bell tower.

Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal church, built in Moweaqua in 1875, featured several stained glass windows and a bell tower. The building was destroyed in the spring of 1907.

Train Station
Several men stand outside the Moweaqua train station.

House
A home near Moweaqua sits among several trees

Street View
Automobiles and horse-drawn carriages line the street of a commercial district.

Wabash Railroad Depot
Pedestrians cross the street next to Decatur, Illinois', Wabash Railroad Depot.

Dirt Road
The Buckmaster & Bullock Feed Livery sits next to a dirt road lined with telephone poles.

Transfer House
The domed Transfer House, located on Lincoln Square in downtown Decatur, was built in 1895. The structure served as a shelter for passengers waiting to board street cars as they made their way through the city.

Wabash Railroad Depot
The Wabash Railroad Depot was built in Decatur, Illinois, in the 1900s.

South Moweaqua
An aerial view of the residential and industrial section of Moweaqua shows several houses next to industrial buildings.

Clarence P. Snell
Clarence P. Snell of Moweaqua, Illinois, poses for a portrait wearing a dark suit. Snell moved to Springfield, married Edna C. Snell, and became a salesman at a local cereal company.

Men in a Carriage
Several unidentified men ride in a horse drawn carriage with a dog.

Marching Band
A marching band leads a procession down a spectator-lined street.

Wild West Show #1
Three Native Americans sit on their horses outside a large tent at a wild west show.

Wild West Show #2
Native Americans ride their horses in front of spectators at a Wild West Show.
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