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Centennial Souvenir Program, 1954
JAMES DISTLER, SR., first boy born in O'Fallon standing in front of the first school house located on South Lincoln Avenue. The house was removed from the site in May 1935. (Picture taken in 1927)
The first surveys of land under the supervision of the government of the United States were made in this section of the country in 1808. The surveying of Congressional Townships was not completed until 1814. Later the townships were divided for political purposes into precincts. O'Fallon Precinct, situated in the northern part of St. Clair County, was irregular in form and contained 40 sections or about 25,000 acres of rich productive land. The greater part of the precinct was contained within the area known as Ridge Prarie. The land in Ridge Prairie had sufficient timber and water to make it desirable for settlement and agricultural purposes. The first settlement in the O'Fallon area was made in Ridge Prairie in 1802 by Captain Joseph Ogle. In 1809, James Lemen, with other members of his family, settled in the precinct and constituted Bethel Baptist Church. These two settlements, Ridge Prairie and Bethel, had a profound influence on the establishment and development of O'Fallon. The city of O'Fallon received its name in honor of John O'Fallon, a prominent and wealthy gentleman of St. Louis, and who was at that time interested in the promotion of the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad, which is now known as the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. In 1854 the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad built a depot and water tank on the present site of the city and named the location O'Fallon Station in honor of Mr. John O'Fallon. Town lots were platted by Ernest Tiedemann under the direction of Frederick A. Carpenter and Hugo O. Sheerbarth. On May 13, 1854, under the big elm on the commons located south and east of the present depot, lots were sold at public auction. The top price paid for a lot was $10.00. ---9---
On to Page 10, Early History of O'Fallon, Part 2 |
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