Belgique, Missouri
Belgique, Missouri | |
|---|---|
 Belgique, Missouri, roadsign | |
 Location of Perry County, Missouri | |
| Coordinates: 37°50′15″N 89°46′52″W / 37.83750°N 89.78111°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Missouri |
| County | Perry |
| Township | Bois Brule[1] |
| Named for | Belgium |
| Elevation | 371 ft (113 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 63775 |
| Area code | 573 |
| FIPS code | 29-04042 |
| GNIS feature ID | 713893[2] |
Belgique is an unincorporated community in eastern Perry County, Missouri, United States. It is located approximately five miles south of Chester, Illinois, in Perry County's Bois Brule Township.
Etymology[edit]
Since a town already existed in Missouri which bore the name of Belgium,[citation needed] the Flemish residents opted to use the French name for their homeland.
History[edit]
-
Belgique, 19th century
The town was originally settled by Catholic Flemings from Belgium. A Catholic church, The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, existed in Belgique from 1884 to 1992.[3] A post office was established in 1890, but as the name "Belgium" had already been taken, the French name for Belgium "Belgique" was used instead.[4] Its post office has closed and its mail now comes from Perryville.[5] Since the flood of 1993 there is no longer an existing town.[6]
Geography[edit]
Belgique was located on the flat alluvial plain of the Bois Brule Bottom situated in the northern part of Perry County.
Floods[edit]
Of the many floods over the centuries, the most devastating flood was the Great Flood of 1993. The subsequent flood destroyed the village, leaving only a handful of residents to return to the area following the flood.[7][8]
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Flooded Church - Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary -
Flooded store
References[edit]
- ^ Histopolis
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Belgique, Missouri
- ^ Missouri Historical Society: Perry County Place Names, 1928-1945 Archived March 31, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Flemish Genealogy Archived August 19, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Missouri Postal History Archived October 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Nativity Cemetery - Perry County, Missouri Archived November 4, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Erin Ragan (August 14, 2013). "Remembering the 1993 flood: Locals look back at flood fight". Southeast Missourian. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
- ^ US Army Corps of Engineers (December 1993). "Upper Mississippi River Basin Flood of 1993, Flood-Fight Reconnaissance and Survey of Expedient Methods Employed". Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
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Municipalities and communities of Perry County, Missouri, United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Village | ||
| Townships | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Abandoned villages | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |