Farmersville Quadrangle

Mining in the Farmersville Quadrangle

A great deal of mining by the Freeman Coal Company (later Freeman United Coal Mining Company) took place in the Farmersville Quadrangle. The Herrin Coal was thicker here than in the Virden South Quadrangle to the west. The Freeman mines, Crown No. 1 (mine index 707), Crown II Mine (mine index 933), and Crown III Mine (mine index 996) operated after 1974, and were more prepared to deal with the issues that occur in thick coal in deep mines.

The Farmersville No. 1 Mine (mine index 3004) had thick coal, and was located near town. It is likely that the short operating span (only 8 years, from 1907 to 1915) was due to the lack of railroad connections and an inability to expand their market, with larger mines in Belleville, Collinsville and Mt. Olive to the south and well-established mines in the vicinity of Springfield to the north.

Some fractures and faulting were noted in the Herrin Coal, with displacement of up to 2 feet. A sandstone channel was present in Crown No. 1 Mine (mine index 707) and between Crown No. 1 Mine and Crown III Mine (mine index 996).