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What is the history of Geneva, St. Charles and Batavia area?
Geneva, Illinois, and its neighboring communities of St. Charles and Batavia, is located 35 miles directly west of Chicago. Europeans first settled along the Fox River in the 1830s, the area that had long been the home of Native Americans.
All three communities have strong ties to Civil War history. Notable local residents helped to found the Kane County Anti-Slavery Society; St. Charles was home to Camp Kane; and President Abraham Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, spent time in Bellevue, a Batavia sanitarium, and is said to have visited St. Charles frequently.
Geneva Profile: Read more ...
St. Charles Profile: Read more ...
English, Irish, German and, then, in the late 1890s, Swedish settlers formed strong enclaves in Batavia; Geneva had large concentrations of Swedish, English, Irish and Italians; St. Charles was home to many of German, Swedish, Irish, Belgium, and Lithuanian descent. Immigrants from the latter two countries came to St. Charles via Moline, Illinois, to work in the Moline Malleable plant.
The three communities not only survived, they thrived during the Industrial Revolution of the middle 19th century by capitalizing on their location. The Fox River powered their industries and the arrival of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad through Geneva in 1853 made for a convenient transport of products. Passenger train service, with three trains daily to Chicago, came in 1857. A spur track was laid to St. Charles in 1871 to service their burgeoning industries; a line was run to Batavia a year later and then extended to Aurora in 1883. This rail expansion led to growth after a twenty year period of relative quiet.
Rail traffic increased dramatically, with 31 passenger trains and 36 freight trains passing through Geneva each day by 1892. In addition, the three towns were connected to Elgin and Aurora via the “Inter-Urban trolley” line.
Batavia’s flour, ice, lumber, paper and stone found markets in Chicago; their farm implements and quarry stone were distributed beyond the region. Geneva’s flour, sad irons and automotive parts were shipped around the world. Early industries in St. Charles included a paper mill, condensing mill, oil mill and an iron foundry. Manufacturing in Geneva centered on food products such as corn sweeteners, flour, butter and cheese. As the county seat and location of the first hospital in the tri-cities, Geneva became home to many lawyers, doctors and health care professionals.
Early on, other communities sold their electric utility infrastructure to Commonwealth Edison; the three cities wisely retained control. This unusual action resulted in reliable local systems offering better service and lower rates than found elsewhere in the region, thus making them attractive locations to modern day industry. St.Charles’ 800-acre industrial park is the largest in the tri-cities; businesses include food processing and manufacturing of automotive and plastics products. Geneva’s industry still centers on food products and research and development. Batavia’s largest employer is Fermi National Accelerator Lab. Other industrial strength is found in plastics, electronics, and warehouse distribution.
More information on the history of each community can be found at:
http://www.bataviahistoricalsociety.org/batavia_history.htm
www.geneva.il.us/LivingInGeneva/aboutgeneva.htm
http://www.st-charles.il.us/historypage.htm |
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