John Messinger, 1771-1846
CITY:
Swansea
COUNTY:
St. Clair
DEDICATED BY:
St. Clair County Historical Society and The Illinois State Historical Society
DEDICATION DATE:
July 12, 1981 at 5:00:00 AM
The marker is located approximately three miles northeast of Belleville, on Old Collinsville Road on the right side of the entrance to the Messinger Cemetery. The Cemetery is at 3450 North Old Collinsville Road, 1.5 miles north of Lebanon Road.
John Messinger received a formal education in New England before settling on the Illinois frontier in 1802. After serving as St. Clair County Surveyor, he was appointed Deputy United States Surveyor and platted much of the government land between the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. In 1835 he produced the first map of Illinois based on the official United States Survey.
When Illinois was part of the Indiana territory, Messinger served in the territorial legislature. In 1818 he assisted in writing the constitution for the new State of Illinois and was elected the First Speaker in the House of Representatives.