Colchester's Moses King Brick & Tile Works, Lebanon's McKendree University, Chicago's West Burton Place Historic District are featured in latest issue of Historic Illinois

SPRINGFIELD - The Moses King Brick & Tile Works in Colchester, the Civil War history of McKendree University in Lebanon, and Chicago's West Burton Place Historic District are featured in the latest issue of Historic Illinois, a publication of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA).

The cover story features a business that was founded in 1876 in the McDonough County community of Colchester. English immigrant Moses King purchased land near the community and began to mine coal. However, when he could not find enough buyers for the coal, King used the excess coal to fire the area's plentiful clay into bricks. This fledgling business quickly grew, and at its peak the Moses King Brick & Tile Works processed 50 tons of clay per day, creating 60 bricks per minute, or 86,400 bricks in a 24-hour period. The company operated continuously for 89 years until it was abandoned in the 1960s. The property and its wonderfully intact, restored brick buildings are now used as an artists' retreat. The article was written by IHPA publications editor Cynthia Fuener.

The Civil War history of Lebanon's McKendree University is the subject of another article. Founded as a seminary in 1828, McKendree faculty and students formed the 117th Regiment of Illinois Volunteers in September 1862 after President Lincoln issued a call for Union troops. The unit fought in General Grant's Tennessee campaign and campaigns in Mississippi, Missouri, Louisiana and Alabama. McKendree professor Samuel Deneen, who served as the adjutant of the 117th, later wrote of the unit, "if our land were to derive from its colleges no greater service than the zealous devotion with which they espoused the loyal cause in the late war, the nation would be amply repaid for all the self sacrifice and expenditure made in their behalf." The article was written by Greg Bailey, a writer, attorney and adjunct professor at St. Louis area universities.

The West Burton Place Historic District is a one-block enclave between Wells and LaSalle Streets at the southern end of Lincoln Park in Chicago. Although some of the Italianate, Queen Anne and Classical style buildings were constructed between 1870 and 1890, it was not until the block was "discovered" by artists in the 1930s that the neighborhood took on the physical characteristics that make it remarkable. Several of the original historic structures were altered between the 1920s and 1940s with Art Deco, Art Moderne or International style elements, providing an unlikely and unique mix of architectural elements that gives West Burton Place its unpredictable appeal. In the article, IHPA's Fuener argues that the area demonstrates that the Chicago art community contained talented people who boldly expressed their tastes.

Historic Illinois is a bimonthly IHPA publication that features historically significant sites in Illinois. Subscriptions are $10 per year, which includes six issues of Historic Illinois and one full-color Historic Illinois Calendar. For more information, call (217) 524-6045, visit www.Illinois-History.gov, or write: Historic Illinois, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, 1 Old State Capitol Plaza, Springfield, IL 62701-1507.