Brereton Coal Mine No. 1

About three miles north of Canton about a half mile east of Route 78 sits a little town called Brereton.  When people drive by they probably pay it no mind but at one time there was a coal mine here which the village sprang up around because of the mine.  Monmouth Coal Company was organized by represenatives of what are known as the Hanna Factories up in Monmouth so they opened up a mine for the purpose of securing a sufficent supply of coal to those facilities.  It was incorporated in 1901 and the town popped up and was named Brereton.  The Coal company would  operate from 1902-1925.  There was a spur track here that ran off the CB&Q line.  The  town was  plotted and built 25 cottages of four rooms each.  The company  also drilled an artesian well to supply the town with a water works system.  This town and former mine site is in section 11 of Canton township 3 miles north of the city of Canton.  Today there is only  a bunch of houses and  an asphalt company nearby.  The Railroad tracks, spur track and the mine is long gone.  Houses are built on some of it's old property and the rest is plowed fields for farming purposes.  In it's operating years four known people were killed at this mine which back in the time wasn't rare for someone to be killed in the line of duty working a mine. Other than what i just listed it's as much information i can dig up.  Here are pictures of the area of the mine and the old CB&Q mainline which up the line had a spur track to the mine.  







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