Photographer Mike Matney
Home to the world’s largest ketchup bottle, Collinsville straddles Madison and St. Clair counties in Illinois; Belleville lies to the south, Edwardsville to the north, and is only 15 miles from downtown St. Louis. The city has a population of 24,366 according to the last census. The ketchup bottle is not the only thing that Collinsville is famous for though. It is billed as the Horseradish capital of the world, a stop along the Mother Road of Route 66, and the location of Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site.
Photographer Mark McKeown
First settled in 1810 by John Cook of Virginia, the community was laid out in 1837 on bluffs above the Mississippi river floodplain to the west. Originally named Unionville it was renamed Collinsville for an early pioneer family that had bought Cook’s claim in 1818. For a time, it was a bituminous-coal mining center (the first mine began in 1870), but was also home to lead and zinc mines.
Photographer Jason Gray
Photographer RJ Wilner
Photographer Theresa Harter
During World War 1 a local German immigrant, Robert Prager, was lynched by a mob composed primarily of local coal miners. On April 5, 1918, the mob (numbering around 300) took Robert Prager from his home and paraded him through the streets barefoot and wrapped in an American flag, forcing him to sing patriotic songs. The police initially stopped the mob and took Prager into protective custody. However, Prager was found and the mob marched him to the edge of town where he was finally lynched. Eleven men stood trial for his murder but all were acquitted on June 1st, 1918.
Photographer Mike Matney
Photographer Mark McKeown
Photographer Jason Gray
Photographer RJ Wilner
Photographer Theresa Harter
Billed as the Horseradish capital of the world, it is said the 60-80% of all horseradish is grown in the Collinsville area. The fertile river bottom area is rich in potash, which the plant thrives growing in. The city hosts the International Horseradish festival the 1st Friday and Saturday in June every year. The city also hosts an Italian festival in September every year since 1984. Collinsville is also home to the Fairmount Race track, the only horseracing facility in southern Illinois.
Photographer Mike Matney
Photographer Mark McKeown
Photographer Jason Gray
Photographer RJ Wilner
Photographer Theresa Harter
Collinsville is home to what is considered the world’s largest ketchup bottle. The bottle is actually a water tower, standing at 170 feet high. The tower was constructed in 1949 and was built to supply water to the nearby Brooks catsup plant. Even though the Brooks catsup plant is long gone the tower is still painted to resemble the company’s catsup bottles. The tower was to be torn down but volunteers raised the funds to restore the structure and it was added to the National Register of Historic places in 2002. It has been featured in popular culture and is a notable regional landmark.
The Cahokia Mounds World State Historic Site lies within the borders of the city. It was the largest pre-Columbian settlement north of Mexico. Primarily occupied from 800-1400, it had a population of 20,000-30,000 at its peak, more than any city in the United States until after 1800. It once covered more than 1,600 hectares and included some 120 earthen mounds and went into decline as the Mississippian culture died out. The largest mound, Monk’s Mound is approximately 100 feet high and its base is same size as the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Cahokia Mounds was one of the first eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites designated within the United States. Currently the visitor’s center is undergoing an extensive renovation with a projected opening at the end of 2024.
Photographer Mike Matney
Photographer Mark McKeown
Photographer Jason Gray
Photographer RJ Wilner
Photographer Theresa Harter
