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History · Beckemeyer

Beckemeyer’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Beckemeyer. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

1866established
0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Samuel B. Watkins was reported to be the first settler in the area, circa 1817. Beckemeyer began as a way station on the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad. It was organized and laid out in 1866 and originally named "Buxton" in honor of a railroad attorney.

A large coal seam underlying the village and surrounding area was mined starting in 1894, resulting in growth of Buxton. It was renamed "Beckemeyer" after an election held in 1905. The first school and bank were opened in 1906.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Beckemeyer’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from BeckemeyerWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Beckemeyer.Meet them →
By decade

Beckemeyer, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
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National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Beckemeyer is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Beckemeyer has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is General Dean Suspension Bridge in Carlyle, 4.1 miles away.

Beckemeyer and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Beckemeyer. Tap a dot.
General Dean Suspension BridgeJames C. Twiss HouseOriginal Springs Hotel and BathhouseSchlosser, Frank, ComplexCentralia Commercial Historic DistrictSentinel Building

Closest to Beckemeyer

General Dean Suspension BridgeCarlyle · Structure4.1miJames C. Twiss HouseAviston · Building9.4miOriginal Springs Hotel and BathhouseOkawville · Building13.4miSchlosser, Frank, ComplexOkawville · Building13.5miCentralia Commercial Historic DistrictCentralia · District16.9mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. General Dean Suspension Bridge’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Beckemeyer?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Beckemeyer’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Wade📜 Carlyle📜 Carlyle📜 Bartelso
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