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St. Clair County, Illinois
St. Clair’s
proximity to the city of St. Louis makes the southwestern
Illinois county a popular destination for day-tripping
Missourians. The county was organized in 1790 – the first
county established in Illinois from the Northwest Territory.
It was named after the first governor, Arthur St. Clair.
Some of the cities in St. Clair County include, Caseyville,
East Saint Louis, Lebanon, , National City, Saint Libory and
Washington Park. The county seat is Belleville,
and is located 15 miles southeast of St. Louis near the
Mississippi River and the Missouri state line. It was founded
by mostly German settlers, and the architecture of the city
and the history it exemplifies are distinctly German.
The area has a variety of golf courses, and Belleville Area
College. Other can’t-miss sites in Belleville:
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Lady of the
Snows. The nation’s largest outdoor shrine sits on 200
acres just 15 minutes from downtown St. Louis.
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Victorian
House Museum. Built in 1866, this adaptation of a Greek
revival home was built by Moritz Dobschultz, a German
immigrant who became very prosperous in Belleville.
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Cathedral of
Saint Peter. Founded in 1842 and dedicated in 1866, it is
modeled after the Cathedral of Exeter, England. The
English Gothic style of architecture utilized high,
pointed arches aiming toward heaven. This type of
architecture is actually a forerunner of today's modern
skyscrapers.
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