Founded in 1974     to Preserve O'Fallon's History

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Raleigh Jessup, a pre-eminent citizen of the City of O'Fallon, passed away on January 9, 2009 at the age of eighty-six. Known as both "Mr. O'Fallon" and "Mr. History," Raleigh will long be remembered for his service to the community he adopted when he and his wife, Betty, moved to O'Fallon in 1947. Raleigh's passion for the preservation of O'Fallon's history began with his involvement in the city's Centennial celebration in 1956. In 1974, he was a principal in the founding of the O'Fallon Historical Society and for the next few years worked side by side with Bill Westhoff in moving a log home located at the corner of Hwy K and Veteran's Memorial Parkway to a new location in Civic Park to become the organization's headquarters. In 1973 Raleigh was elected to the Board of Alderman and served a total of ten years, though he will most often be remembered for his continued efforts toward the reconstruction of Jacob Zumwalt's homestead fort. In the late 1980s, Raleigh used a portion of the last remaining log to construct a scale model of the Fort and hundreds of area school children were introduced to their community's history as Raleigh visited classrooms and scout groups. His passion for the fort stems in part from his dedication to his church. Cornerstone United Methodist Church is the fourth generation congregation of the Mount Zion Society that started in Jacob's log home. Everyone who was blessed to work with Raleigh had a deep appreciation for his conciliatory nature, his earnest desire for people to work--and disagree--respectfully, his ability to preserve history while keeping an eye on the city's future. Even in adversity, he remained grateful for the blessings and opportunities offered by his country and city. We will miss him greatly. He is preceded in death by his beloved wife, Betty, and we at the O'Fallon Historical Society wish to extend our heartfelt sympathies to their three children; sons Ken and David, and daughter, Shirley and their families.

The O'Fallon Historical Society's 2010 calendars have just arrived. Please see our Gifts page for more information on how to purchase your copy. The O'Fallon Fire Protection District is being featured and $1.00 of each calendar sold will go to BackStoppers.

The O'Fallon Historical Society was organized in 1974 to preserve and protect O’Fallon’s history for future generations. We meet four times a year at the Society’s Log Cabin Museum in Civic Park on the first Monday of each quarter: March, June, September (on the 2nd Monday due to Labor Day), and December. The December meeting is the traditional Christmas dinner and program.

New members are always welcome! Whether you’ve recently moved to O’Fallon or have been a part of our community for many years, you will always be welcomed. Dues are only $10 per year for individuals and $15 per year for couples. You can mail your membership dues along with your name, address and phone number to The O’Fallon Historical Society, P. O. Box 424, O’Fallon, Missouri 63366, or contact Lewis Swinger at 636 980-8015.

Please take a moment to browse through our website for information on our Museum, interesting photos and history on the City of O’Fallon. Be sure to visit our Gift Shop and see how you can purchase a copy of O’Fallon: A Good Place to Live, as well as the Historical Society’s 2009 Calendar featuring vintage photos of O’Fallon’s historic schools and churches.

Officers:

President: Lewis Swinger Treasurer: John Griesenauer

Vice President: Jim Karll Secretary: Dottie Schulte

The log cabin and museum is located in historic Civic Park. From Hwy 70, K & M exit, go North on M (Main Street) to left on Civic Park Dr.

O'Fallon celebrated its Sesquicentennial in 2006. To see a recap of the events held during that historic year,
visit our Sesquicentennial Page.

Did you know we have a sister city? O'Fallon, Illinois is also named for John O'Fallon.
Be sure to check out their website and learn about the "other" O'Fallon!   www.ofallonhistory.com

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