HR0461 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0461 LRB094 12423 CSA 46750 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Village of Livingston marks its 100th anniversary in 2005; and

WHEREAS, Livingston was incorporated in 1905; and

WHEREAS, In the late 1890s-1900s, William Bennett had businesses on the prairie of Olive Township in northern Madison County; he operated a cane and grist mill, blacksmith shop, woodworking shop, and several homes; this was the first settling of a community that later became Livingston; and

WHEREAS, Coal was found on the property of the Livingston family; a mine was sunk, coal was mined, and the Big "4" built a railroad along the mine site; and

WHEREAS, The population grew and the new residents were from Italy, France, Germany, British Isles, and the Austrian-Hungarian area with the Balkan States; and

WHEREAS, There were people from the mine waiting at the train station to recruit miners as they left the train; these men brought their families from Europe; houses were needed, churches were built, and the mine operated a company store; people of prosperity opened a bank and a post office was established; many of the new residents were not miners; some opened saloons, pool halls, boarding houses, diners, and even movie houses, and bootleggers were in abundance; in 1926, a resident requested a license to broadcast from Livingston but nothing developed; and

WHEREAS, Schools were established and the children of these immigrants were the first pupils; times were good, but then the coal started to give out and unrest developed; World War I took many of the young men and they saw the world and went on to bigger things; World War II changed the community again; residents left to serve in the war effort and never returned, and the Village deteriorated; after World War II, Route 66 was built and several small filling stations and restaurants opened, but because the Village was located between Springfield and St. Louis, Missouri, no businesses came to town; Route 66 became Interstate 55, and now the Village is a bedroom community with a Grade School; the Junior High and High School students are bussed to Staunton; and

WHEREAS, The Village of Livingston is like so many communities in Illinois in that it is struggling to stay alive, but it is still a good place to live; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Village of Livingston on the occasion of its 100th anniversary; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Village of Livingston as an expression of our esteem and best wishes for the future.