Towns in Western Mound Twp	History	Cemeteries	Schools
Population in 1870	1875 Atlas	1875 Atlas Names	Google Map

The population for all of Western Mound Township in 1870 was 891.

Partial Abatement List For 1866 Delinquent List of Tax Payers on Personal Property Western Mound Township

The towns in Western Mound Township are:

(Hagaman) Lat 391837N Long 0900441W

(Reader) Extinct Lat 391820N Long 0900227W

Fayette Greene County IL

Bear Rough Point How It Got Its Name - Article from Jim Frank

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Hagaman Information Lat 391837N Long 0900441W

Hagaman was located in Section 15 of Western Mound Township. The town was established as the result of the building of the Jacksonville Southeastern Railroad Line. There was a hotel in the town and quite a few town lots.

From Illinois Place Names book by James Adams - PO est. 18 July 1882 and located north of Chesterfield. Hagaman Post Office disbanded since 1931; now RFD Chesterfield. Population (RM58) 30.

Hagaman is marked on a current plat map.

GENERAL STORE - Family Maintains historic Hagaman landmark

The State Journal-Register, Springfield, IL - Tues. Sept 2, 1997, page 7 by Kimbre Chapman, Correspondent

contributed by Mary Ann Stewart Kaylor

(The following article was extracted in *part* and summarized.)

HAGAMAN - Time seems to stand still in the old general store. There's still a hitching post flanking the weathered wooden porch, a turn-of-the-century meat counter and products--such as men's stiff shirt collars--that you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere else.

This general store was opened in 1881 and is still owned by the family of the original proprietor C. C. ROBINSON. C. C. ROBINSON worked on the railroad. He used three mules and a scraper to move the dirt. He was paid $1800. and used it to build the store. "That's what they did then (railroad companies)--contracted local people every few miles to help build the railroad" according to his granddaughter MARY SMITH of Hagaman.

Hagaman had three grocery stores in the early days, two railroads running four routes each day, a depot, a warehouse, a town hall, a busy hotel and a church. About 30 or 40 people lived in the town, with a total population of 93 if the surrounding area is included. Three creeks provide ample water for the town.

The population today had dwindled to 10 and almost everything is gone, except the town hall, the church, the general store and the three creeks.

Merchandise in the store is from the '20s,'30s and '40s and earlier. Antique horse collars hang on the walls, udder ointment in its original tin cans. Hit Parade cigarettes are advertised as well as "vegetable butter tonic". You will not find electric lights and heat is from an old wood stove which replaced the original large potbelly stove.

The store has a dry goods section where there are antiquated hats, shoes, long underwear known as union suits and suspenders. Stiff men's collars are available, made primarily of some kind of paper material. Most of the clothing is in its original boxes.

When C. C. ROBINSON died his son J. L. ROBINSON inherited it, who upon his death gave it to his cousin J. B. ROBINSON. After the death of J. B., the store closed in 1962. The stock was left in the store with no heat for 13 years.

It was purchased in 1976 by descendants of J. L.- BILL, and CHARLIE JACOBY. Today it is owned by BOB son of MARY SMITH. It was reported as a meeting place for neighbors to visit with lots of stories being told, fights instigated on Saturday night that would occur on Sunday morning.

The two railroads were Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis; Litchfield, Carrollton & Wester Train (renamed by residents as "LOOK, CUSS and WAIT") They were shut down in early 1940's. It provided an access to Carlinville.

Most famous town story concerns the WRIGHT brothers (ORVILLE & WILBUR), who are said to have spent two weeks during two winters trapping and coon hunting in the area. Story goes that after their visit, they wrote back asking a number of people to loan them $1,000 as an investment for an airplane they were working on. Some people didn't believe this was true.

The general store also housed a post office. The old postal slots are still in the store. Every few years paint is thrown on the old store, which doesn't "hold paint too well". They have also put on a new roof, but no other changes have been made in the store.

This General Store has been on the NATIONAL HISTORIC REGISTRY since 1980.

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Reader Information Lat 391820N Long 0900227W

Reader was established close to the Jacksonville Southeastern Railroad Line in Section 13 of Western Mound Township. The town had quite a few town lots.

Reader was located north of Chesterfield and was named after George W Reader. Reader Post Office was established 3 Apr 1888 and was disbanded 15 Oct 1924. Population 20.

Reader is marked on a current plat map.

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Fayette Information

Fayette was located in Greene County but the Post Office at Fayette was used by residents on the western side of Western Mound Township.

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Bear Rough Point How It Got Its Name - Article from Jim Frank

In Western Mound Township.
An article in the Macoupin County Enquirer, issue dated March 22, 1893 titled Macoupin's Early Days tell:  "This writer remembers distinctly hearing the old pioneers relate their dangerous encounters with the bear.  Some three miles north-east of Chesterfield there is a point of timber running out south of Bear creek, some three miles into the prairie.  In the early days this was named "Bear-Rough Point" which name it retains to this day.  It was so named on account of the great number of bears which inhabited the area.  We remember having heard Joseph Hodges (who was a son of Seth Hodges) relate the facts and circumstances attending the slaughter of  many of these animals by his father and others in "Bear Rough Point", and it is absolutely certain that this point as well as Bear creek took their names from the fact of there being found in their precincts  such vast numbers of this animal."






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