Collinsville, Illinois

Coordinates: 38°40′28″N 89°59′43″W / 38.67444°N 89.99528°W / 38.67444; -89.99528

Collinsville
City
Miners Theater, downtown Collinsville
Motto: "Horseradish Capital of the World"
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Madison
Coordinates	38°40′28″N 89°59′43″W / 38.67444°N 89.99528°W / 38.67444; -89.99528
Area	13.6 sq mi (35.22 km2)
- land	13.6 sq mi (35 km2)
- water	0.0 sq mi (0 km2), 0%
Population	24,707 (2000)
Density	1,817.4 / sq mi (701.7 / km2)
Government	Council-Manager
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	62234
Location of Collinsville within Illinois
Location of Illinois in the United States

Collinsville is a city located mainly in Madison County, and partially in St. Clair County, both in Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 26,016. Collinsville is approximately 12 miles from St. Louis, Missouri^[1] and is considered part of that city's Metro-East area.^[2] Famously, it is the home of the Brooks Catsup Bottle Water Tower—the world's largest ketchup bottle—and is the world's horseradish capital [1].

Geography

Collinsville is located at 38°40′28″N 89°59′43″W / 38.67444°N 89.99528°W / 38.67444; -89.99528 (38.674398, -89.995402).^[3] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.6 square miles (35 km²), of which, 13.6 square miles (35 km²) of it is land and 0.07% is water. Collinsville is approximately 12 miles due east of Saint Louis, MO.

Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2010, there were 25,579 people, 10,458 households, and 6,672 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,817.4 people per square mile (701.9/km²). There were 11,025 housing units at an average density of 811.0 per square mile (313.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.4% White, 11.2% African American, 0.8% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 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 population was spread out with 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 for the city was $22,048. About 5.6% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

Identifying traits

Collinsville is the self-proclaimed "Horseradish Capital of the World", and sponsors an annual Horseradish Fest. The area is said to produce 85% of the world's horseradish, of such high quality that Germany and China (key users of the herb) import it for gourmet use. Known for having a large ethnic Italian population, Collinsville hosts an annual Italian Fest in the Fall.

The 90W longitude line passes through Collinsville.

The Brooks Catsup Bottle Water Tower a water tower in Collinsville.

Collinsville is also home of the Brooks Catsup Bottle Water Tower, "the world's largest catsup bottle", a 170-foot-tall (52 m) water tower in the shape of a ketchup bottle.

The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is located within the city limits of Collinsville. The largest Pre-Columbian settlement north of Mexico, this was one of the first eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites designated within the United States. At its peak about 1200 CE, it 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, 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 complex also includes a reconstructed Woodhenge, used for complex astronomical sightings. There is a museum and visitors' center.

During World War I, a Collinsville mob lynched a German-American citizen, the only such murder in the country. On April 5, 1918, a mob of men numbering in the hundreds 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. The Collinsville police interceded and took him into protective custody. A group formed outside of the city jail, however, and, threatening to burn it down, were permitted entry. Two men found Prager hiding in the basement. They took him outside and the mob marched him to the outskirts of town, 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.^[5]

Collinsville High School, whose teams are stylized as the Kahoks (named for a fictional Native American tribe), have won several Illinois State Championships, in 1961, 1965 (basketball), 1980 (baseball), 1981, 1986, 1991, 1992 (soccer), and 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 (Dance Team).

Notable people

• Art Fletcher, former professional MLB player was born in Collinsville.
• Joe Gottlob, Supervisor, The Firm. Graduated from Collinsville High School.
• Tom Jager, Olympic gold-medal swimmer.
• Tony Malinosky, baseball player
• Terry Moore, center fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals teams.
• George Musso, pro Football Hall of Famer for the Chicago Bears.
• Antoinette and Alexandra Picatto, sister actresses born in Collinsville.
• Robert Prager, a German immigrant residing in Illinois was lynched in Collinsville during World War I.
• Joe Reiniger, was a soccer player in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), currently plays soccer for the St. Louis Illusion.
• John Shimkus, Republican Congressman.
• Kevin Stallings, head coach of the Vanderbilt Men's Basketball team.
• Michael Stipe, lead singer of rock band R.E.M., spent his high school years in Collinsville, and graduated from Collinsville High School in 1978. [2]

References

• The patriotic hysteria leading to the lynching of Robert Prager is described in Christopher Capozzola's Uncle Sam Wants You: The Modern American Citizen (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008): pp. 184–186. ISBN 9780195335491.

1. ^ City of Collinsville Illinois -- Collinsville Now! http://216.8.64.82/CollinsvilleNow/tabid/174/Default.aspx Retrieved January 13, 2007
2. ^ City of Collinsville: History of Collinsville http://www.ci.collinsville.il.us/history.htm Retrieved January 13, 2007
3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
4. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
5. ^ “Hunt Started for Lynchers of Enemy Alien,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 5 April 1918; “Collinsville Mayor Let Mob into Jail, Thinking Prager Had Been Removed,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 7 April 1918; “Coroner Says He Knows Five of Prager Lynchers,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 6 April 1918; “11 Men Placed on Trial for Lynching of Paul Prager,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 13 May 1918; “Plea of Prager Defendants to be He Was Spy,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 16 May 1918; and “Jury Acquits Defendants in Prager Lynching,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 2 June 1918.

External links

Illinois portal

• The Collinsville Chamber of Commerce
• Collinsville Community Unit School District 10
• Downtown Collinsville, Inc.
• Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site and Cahokia Mounds Museum Society
• Collinsville's Italian Fest
• International Horseradish Festival