Beardstown, Illinois

There is much more information about Beardstown, but in a short synopsis, during the early 1800s, settlers from Europe came to central Illinois. Many of our early pioneers arrived by boat, traveling up the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. Our early settlers became farmers, others made a living off the river. Liverpool, Havana, Bath, Browing, Beardstown, and Meredosia were developed.

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  Beardstown, Illinois was founded by Thomas Beard, who was raised in Granville, NY. He began a ferry service crossing the Illinois River in 1826. The town along the river's edge was approximately three blocks deep and twenty-one blocks long. Around the early 1830s Beardstown had become a growing port that shipped grain, hogs, and goods downriver to markets. According to the Illinois State Museum, as Beard's transportation business grew, he charged $.75 per wagon with four horses or oxen, $.37 1/2 per cart with horse, $.05 per head of cattle, and $.06 1/4 per pedestrian. Beard's ferry ran until 1888, which was replaced by a wooden toll bridge. Next came a steel toll bridge that brought the town revenue until 1955. It was replaced by a state built bridge about a mile away.
  
  The railroad came to Beardstown in 1869, an important meeting point where crews changed on the Galesburg to St. Louis run, and the line to Centralia met. The roundhouse was built in 1882. The Beardstown railroad employed many families. A hundred years after the railroad began, my father worked for B & N railroad out of the Beardstown facility. The railroad was a great income boost to our town.
  
  Fishing has been another industry in Beardstown. Nestled right along the Illinois river, frequent catches of bass, buffalo, carp, catfish, as well as frogs and turtles were caught and sold. My grandfather earned an income finding mussels and freshwater pearl fishing. The shells and pearls were sold worldwide, and even into the 1970s, they were still earning a good income. Shells were even sold to Japan for oyster pearls.
  
  Today, the Illinois River, a previous money maker for Beardstown, has faced major siltation problems. Even the CORP of engineers have been frustrated at their attempts to open the channels for boating enthusiasts. They'd remove the silt only to see their dredging to be filled back in. Hopefully the Sangamon River will continue to return to its natural route that had previously been interrupted by man, which in turn might help solve much of the siltation problems. This experience is proof it's better not to mess with mother nature. Maybe she knew more than we thought.
  
  Beardstown, in 2008, our largest factory which was previously owned by Oscar Mayer is now owned by Cargill Meats (AKA Excel), a pork production factory. Cargill employs many people in our community. The plant continues to thrive today, a major factor in our economy. The Industrial Park has also grown over the years.