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Belgique, Missouri

Coordinates: 37°50′15″N 89°46′52″W / 37.83750°N 89.78111°W / 37.83750; -89.78111
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Belgique, Missouri
Belgique, Missouri, roadsign
Belgique, Missouri, roadsign
Location of Perry County, Missouri
Location of Perry County, Missouri
Coordinates: 37°50′15″N 89°46′52″W / 37.83750°N 89.78111°W / 37.83750; -89.78111
CountryUnited States
StateMissouri
CountyPerry
TownshipBois Brule[1]
Named forBelgium
Elevation371 ft (113 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
63775
Area code573
FIPS code29-04042
GNIS feature ID713893[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

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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

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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

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Belgique was located on the flat alluvial plain of the Bois Brule Bottom situated in the northern part of Perry County.

Floods

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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]

References

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  1. ^ Histopolis
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Belgique, Missouri
  3. ^ Missouri Historical Society: Perry County Place Names, 1928-1945 Archived March 31, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Flemish Genealogy Archived August 19, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Missouri Postal History Archived October 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Nativity Cemetery - Perry County, Missouri Archived November 4, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)