History: Mount Clare - 1 Jan 1998 - Macoupin County Illinois
Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives ©1997 Edna Grosenheider


Mount Clare Macoupin Co IL History

contributed by Edna Grosenheider

Mount Clare is located in Sections 25, 26, 35, and 36 of Gillespie Township. The village is 
situated within Gillespie township just on the edge of the Cahokia township line. According 
to the book, Place Names in Illinois, Mount Clare was incorporated as a village 16 Apr 1915. 
The post office was established 26 Feb 1929.

MT. CLARE NAMED FOR MRS. CLARE DORSEY PIONEER (Excerpts from the 
Litchfield News Herald (abt. 1936)

Mt. Clare, a village of some 650 in population (1936), is one of the many towns to take its 
name from a woman. The village, incorporated in 1903 and re-incorporated just recently as a 
facto corporation,  received its name from Mrs.. Clare DORSEY, wife of one of the original 
land owners of the great  Superior Coal field.

One of the interesting facts about the village is that the name is incorrect when abbreviated. 
The "Mount" must be spelled out, according to residents.

Mount Clare is the site of the Superior Coal company's mine No. 3 (1936). Superior #3 mine 
was sunk in 1915 and was closed in 1954. The mine at present (1936) employs about 180 
men, being closed down for the installation of loading machines at the present time. 
Alexander YOUNG is mine manager. The mine rears on the north side of the village and is 
the only industry of the little camp. It was sunk about 1905 and was one of the original mines 
of the Superior company.

The village is governed under the president and village board system (1936). The junction of 
routes 4 and 110 are inside the village corporation limits which extend nearly to Benld. 
Andrew KALASKIE, who resides on Gillespie's South Hard road , is the village president. 
Dominic Obertini, is village clerk. Members of the board are Peter BORGINI, Frank LOIE, 
John MAGNANI, Joseph LADAME and Fred BARNABE.

The village school system is under the Benld district organization. Modesta ROSA represents 
Mount Clare in the district school board. Mount Clare has its own grade school and four 
teachers (1936) with an enrollment of about fifty pupils. Miss Jean HADDOW, Miss Jenny 
FESSIA, Miss Fannie GAUDINO and Miss Mary MONAHAN are the teachers.

 Mrs. Armeda GUERZONI is postmistress of the Mount Clare postoffice (1936), which is 
located in one of the village's four general stores.

The village is unique (1936)in that it has no churches and no fraternal orders. The residents 
attend Gillespie and Benld churches and hold membership in lodges of the two cities.


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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Edna Grosenheider