Dowell’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold just one old photo of Dowell. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Dowell was founded as a coal town and named by Du Quoin attorney George Dowell and William Lafont. They requested bids for property development as early as 1917. In 1922, the town's population was over 2,000.
In February 1920, the Dowell State Bank was opened in the town. Town founders George Dowell and William Lafont were among the first directors of the bank. It was the scene of a bank robbery on September 30, 1924. The bank closed in 1932 following embezzlement charges against its president, William Lafont.
In late 1920, construction began on a railroad depot serving the Illinois Central Railroad. At one time the rail line had a spur into the Kathleen Coal Mine
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Dowell’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Dowell’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewKathleen Mine at Dowell, Ill. Whe…, 1922: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people close to Dowell
See all 27 →
Dowell, decade by decade
1990s
Nothing in Dowell is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Dowell has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Du Quoin State Fairgrounds in Du Quoin, 3 miles away.
Dowell and the nearest listed places
How a place gets listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Kathleen Mine at Dowell, Ill. Where the Clean, Clinkerless Southern Illinois Coal Comes From,... (NBY 428839) (1922) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.