Local History History of Frankfort and West Frankfort Study Guide

Local History

History of Frankfort and West Frankfort Study Guide

1. 
   Which two Native American tribes fought a battle west of West Frankfort in the earlier 1800s?
   

2. 
   Which tribe is believed to have won this battle?
   

3. 
   In what year was the first fort established in what is today Franklin County, Illinois?
   

4. 
   Who was this fort named for?
   

5. 
   For what reason did a settlement grow up around Frankfort Hill?
   

6. 
   In what year did Illinois become a state?
   

7. 
   In what year was Franklin County, Illinois organized?
   

8. 
   Until a permanent county seat was selected where was county business conducted in Franklin County?
   

9. 
   Which community was chosen as the first permanent county seat of Franklin County?
   

10. 
    The Shawneetown Kasaskia Trail started in ___________________ and ended in
    

__________________.

11. 
    How was Franklin County divided in 1841?
    

12. 
    What town became the new county seat for Franklin County after 1841?
    

13. 
    What was established west of Frankfort in 1895?
    

14. 
    On what date was the original plat of West Frankfort laid out?
    

15. 
    The railroad that went through West Frankfort was first known by what name?
    

16. 
    With the establishment of West Frankfort the community of Frankfort Heights feared that what type of establishments would try to move into their community?
    

17. 
    What four local residents collected money in 1897 to sink the first coal mine in West Frankfort?
    

18. 
    This mine was originally known by what name?
    

19. 
    Which coalmine opened just east of the Frankfort Heights in 1914?
    

20. 
    What was the name of the coal mine located where Pollack’s Junkyard is now located?
    

21. 
    Which coalmine was at one time the largest, deepest, and most productive coalmine in the world?
    

22. 
    Which coalmine exploded killing 119 miners December 21, 1951?
    

23. 
    In which year was West Frankfort’s population the greatest?
    

24. 
    When did the Frankfort Heights become part of the city of West Frankfort?
    

25. 
    Which Frankfort church was established in 1835?
    

26. 
    Which church served as Frankfort Community High School in 1920?
    

27. 
    Which church at one time served as the West Frankfort Public Library?
    

28. 
    Which church was the first in the community to also have a parochial school?
    

29. 
    The Post Office is now located on the site of which early West Frankfort school?
    

30. 
    What was the first high school in West Frankfort called?
    

31. 
    Where was this school located?
    

32. 
    This school would eventually become the original location of what school?
    

33. 
    What school opened in 1911 at 903-west St. Louis Street?
    

34. 
    Who was the first graduate of the West Frankfort High School?
    

35. 
    How many people graduated from the high school in 1914?
    

36. 
    What grade school was located on the site of Long John Silver’s?
    

37. 
    What grade school was located on the site of the Frankfort Historical Museum?
    

38. 
    What grade school was located on the site of the Vocational Building?
    

39. 
    What school was located on the corner of Day and Elm Street?
    

40. 
    What two communities did Frankfort Community High School serve?
    

41. 
    When was FCHS established?
    

42. 
    Who was the famed architect that designed the current high school?
    

43. 
    What year did the current high school building open?
    

44. 
    In what year was the new jr. high school built?
    

45. 
    What did the city of West Frankfort build in 1921?
    

46. 
    What event did the people of West Frankfort use as an excuse for the Italian Riot?
    

47. 
    What notable gangster was known all over Southern Illinois during the 1920s?
    

48. 
    What was the name of this gangsters club (hideout)?
    

49. 
    What kind of criminal activity did this gangster and his men engage in?
    

50. 
    What gang was their chief rival?
    

51. 
    How did this gangster die?
    

52. 
    What horrible event occurred during the winter of 1918-19 in West Frankfort?
    

53. 
    What natural disaster occurred in Southern Illinois in March of 1925?
    

54. 
    Which United States President campaigned for reelection in West Frankfort in 1948?
    

55. 
    Which Major League Baseball Team had a minor league team in West Frankfort during the 1940s?
    
56. 
    What type of factory opened in West Frankfort during the 1950s?
    

57. 
    During what decade did Interstate 57 come through Southern Illinois?
    

58. 
    Which United States President campaigned in West Frankfort in 1980?
    

59. 
    What does UMWA stand for?
    

60. 
    What event caused most of the Southern Illinois mines to close during the 1990s?