[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 81 (Monday, June 14, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1104-E1105]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CITY OF MOUND CITY, IL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 14, 2004

  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, today I'd like my colleagues to join me in 
honoring the sesquicentennial of one of the oldest communities in 
southern Illinois, Mound City.
  In its earliest days, Mound City was known as the ``Mounds'' because 
of prehistoric Indian mounds found there. Mound City already had a 
small settlement located there because of its strategic location as a 
river trading center and was also well known for its safe harbor and 
steep river banks.
  The original Mound City was platted in 1854. In 1855, the Emporium 
Real Estate and Manufacturing Company, based in Cincinnati, OH, was 
organized solely for the purpose of building a community in Southern 
Illinois on the banks of the Ohio River. The company received $1.5 
million from stock sales and secretly purchased a large section of land 
adjacent to the newly platted Mound City. The company named the 
development Emporium City.
  The financial backers of the Emporium Real Estate Company had big 
hopes for Emporium City. At one time, plans even called for a new U.S. 
Capitol to be located in the new town. The company built a hotel, 
several warehouses, a foundry, homes and a shipyard, but went bankrupt 
in 1857 and the two communities merged into Mound City.
  The shipyard or the Marine Ways played a key role in the further 
development of Mound City. The wheels and machinery for the boats

[[Page E1105]]

constructed at the facility were molded at the Mound City Foundry. At 
the outset of the Civil War in 1861, the U.S. Government leased the 
Marine Ways facility for $40,000 a year. This facility in Mound City 
was used by the government to build and repair ships and to convert 
steamships into armored vessels. It was at the Marine Ways site that 
the USS Cairo, the USS Mound City and USS Cincinnati were constructed 
under the direction of James Eads. These gunboats or ``ironclads'' were 
used by the Federal Government during the decisive river conflicts of 
the Civil War, particularly the capture of the confederate facility at 
Fort Donelson in Stewart County, TN. In fact, Andrew Foote's flagship, 
the USS Benton was serviced at the Marine Ways complex.
  In 1863, the Federal Government took possession of additional 
property fronting the river to be used for a naval station together 
with the adjacent rail depot. One of the warehouses built by the 
Emporium Company was converted into a naval hospital.
  The hospital treated thousands of Union soldiers and was the largest 
hospital facility in the Union's western campaign. After the Civil war, 
the hospital served many uses but was eventually destroyed by fire. 
Many of the soldiers who had died being treated at the hospital were 
buried nearby and the government created the Mound City National 
Cemetery there in 1862 where over 5000 soldiers are buried.

  Also affiliated with Mound City during the Civil War is the story of 
the USS Red Rover, the first hospital ship of the U.S. Navy. Originally 
a confederate side-wheel steamer, the Rover was captured by the crew of 
the USS Mound City in 1862 when it was hit by another Union ship. It 
was then refitted as a hospital ship. The Red Rover Hospital Ship 
entered service and during a battle in Arkansas in July 1862, the USS 
Mound City was struck and many crewmembers were injured, the Red Rover 
came to their aid and transported them to the Mound City Naval 
Hospital. Some of the Red Rover's female personnel were the first to 
serve on a naval vessel. Though not in operation today, the boatyard is 
still present in Mound City.
  In 1861, Pulaski County moved its county seat from Caledonia to Mound 
City as recognition of the growth and development of the town and its 
strategic importance during the Civil War. Fire in 1879 destroyed the 
courthouse and flooding was a constant problem for the community. It 
was during this time that the city strengthened its levee system and 
flood waters never entered the city from 1868 to 1936. In January, 1937 
a record flood on the Ohio breached its levees and inflicted much 
damage to the community. As a result of that flood, the community 
strengthened its levees.
  Mound City today is a community of over 600 and remains a vital part 
of the economy of Pulaski County and southernmost Illinois. The 
community serves as a key tourist attraction for southern Illinois with 
a restored historic courthouse, national cemetery, and Civil War 
attractions. Pulaski County continues to promote economic development 
by creating a business environment conducive to further development. 
Mound City is part of the Southernmost Illinois Delta Empowerment Zone, 
an Illinois Enterprise Zone and the Delta Regional Economic Development 
Authority.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the founding 
of the community and the people of Mound City, IL, on the occasion of 
its 150th anniversary.

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