CONANT

The Unincorporated village of Conant was situated along the Wabash Chester & Western RR, which was built in 1871.  A RR freight station was located there [in the SW quarter of the SW quarter of Sec 25 Twp 5 R4] and an agent was hired.  The town of Conant was never plotted into lots, but small tracts of land compose the village.  Residents were both German and English in heritage.

Two stores were opened and a post office was established on June 3, 1872, named BROWNSVILLE.  One store was operated by a FULTON and the other by Gabrial TREFFTS.  Al KOONTZ was the blacksmith, with Joseph KRICK, a wagonmaster and wheelwright, as his partner.  There was a creamery and an ice house East of the TREFFT store, where whole milk was accepted from area farmers.  Ice was harvested in winter from a nearby pond and stored in sawdust.  The creamery was managed by Edw. BRUNE and powered by a small steam engine which operated the separator. [separator= devise used to SEPARATE the milk from the cream]  The cream was sold and skim milk was taken home again, to be used  for hog feed.  In the 1920's the creamery was moved beside the TREFFT store and Jewell BROWN operated it.

On April 19, 1875, the Post office was changed to the name of Conant, for a family living there by that name.  It must have been closed for a time, as there is record of a re-establishing on June 14, 1878, when it was located in TREFFT's store.  Wm. H. SCHRADER bought this store in the 2nd decade of the 1900's and operated it for a few years, and BENDERS were then owners of the FULTON store at this same time.  About 1918, A. F. BECK traded his farm SE of Conant to their nephew, Wm.SCHRADER, for the store.  After A.F. died, his son, Fred operated the store until 1984 when he died.  The Post Office closed sometime during the mid 1940's and mail was delivered RFD Pinckneyville henceforth.

In the late 1920's a deep shaft mine was sunk along the tracks, just west of the RR crossing and operated for about 20 years.  A second mine existed about 1 1/2 mile west of Conant, along the RR tracks, known as the Ring Mine.  It closed  about the WWII era also.

All the businesses except BECKS store, gradually disappeared through the depression era.  Mr. Clarence EATON took over the blacksmith shop, which closed in the early 1940's.  The RR is now owned by Missouri Pacific.  Only about 5 families reside in Conant now.  One business does still exist though.  In the 1970's a feeder pig sales barn owned by Inter-State Livestock Ass'n, an affiliate of Illinois Farm Bureau, located on the grounds of the old shaft mine.  A maintenance building and office were built 1/2 mile west of the church by Southeastern Coal co. for Horse Creek Mine No. 1 in 1986.  Mining is currently being done between Conant and Route 154, changing the landscape forever.

This article is reprinted by permission of PCHS to Jean Salger. No parts may be copied or reproduced in any form or manner for monetary or personal gain without copyright infringement.  It is intended for educational and personal use only.

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