1907 Map of Breese

About this map

The agrarian plains of southern Illinois at the start of the 20th century are defined by an expansive grid of rural schools and the steel lines of four major railroads. Settlement clusters such as Highland, Trenton, and Breese anchor the landscape, while smaller locales like Sebastopol and St Rose serve the outlying farming townships. The map illustrates a high density of one-room schools, including Linden School, Forrest School, and Frey School, which were the social hearts of these local districts before mid-century consolidation.