The O'Fallon Illinois
Historical Society Museum

Understanding the history of our community is basic to our democratic way of life, gives us a better understanding of our state and nation, and promotes a better appreciation of our American heritage.

Function   Collect any material which may help to establish or illustrate the history of the area. It will collect printed material such as histories, genealogies, biographies, descriptions, gazetteers, directories, newspapers, pamphlets, material such as letters, diaries, journals, memoranda, reminiscences, roster, service records, account books, charts, surveys, and field books, and museum material such as pictures, photographs, paintings, portraits, scenes, aboriginal relics, and materiel objects illustrative of life, conditions, events, and activities of the past and present.

The Society will provide for the preservation of such material and for its accessibility, as far as may be feasible, to all who wish to examine or study it, to co-operate with officials in insuring the preservation and accessibility of the records and archives of the O'Fallon area and to undertake the preservation of historic buildings, monuments, and markers.

History of O'Fallon   The city of O'Fallon was named in honor of John O'Fallon, a prominent and wealthy gentleman of St. Louis, who was an officer of the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad Company which later became the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The railroad company built a depot and water tank at the present site of the city of O'Fallon.

Town lots were platted by Ernest Tiedemann under the direction of Frederick A. Carpenter and Hugh 0. Sheerbarth. On May 18, 1854 lots were sold at a public auction. John and Sarah Distler had erected a log cabin on the site in 1851, but the first house in O'Fallon was built by Anderson Umbarger in 1855. He was also the postmaster when the post office was established in 1855. O'Fallon was incorporated as a village on January 27,1874. On March 14,1905 the citizens voted to change to the city form of government.

Much of the steady growth of O'Fallon was due to coal mines, the Willard Stove Factory, the Tiedemann Milling Company, the Independent Engineering Company and the farm land surrounding O'Fallon. O'Fallon has continued to grow because of its close proximity to Scott Air Force Base and St. Louis. Many people choose to live in O'Fallon because of its excellent schools, churches, and parks.

The First National Bank building located at State and Lincoln was occupied by two businesses in 1918. The bank used the main floor and Smiley Telephone Exchange was upstairs. Presently, the building is the location of the Main Street O'Fallon office and O'Fallon's first-ever historical museum.

• O'Fallon Historical Society Museum
• Open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday
• Afternoons 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

• O'Fallon Historical Society, Inc.
• P.O. Box #344
• 101 West State Street
• O'Fallon, IL 62269