Belgique, Missouri Explained

Settlement Type:Unincorporated community
Named For:Belgium
Mapsize:250x200px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Missouri
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Perry
Subdivision Type3:Township
Subdivision Name3:Bois Brule[1]
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Elevation Ft:371
Coordinates:37.8375°N -89.7811°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:63775
Area Code:573
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:29-04042
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:713893

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

Since a town already existed in Missouri which bore the name of Belgium, the Flemish residents opted to use the French name for their homeland.

History

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.[2] 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.[3] Its post office has closed and its mail now comes from Perryville.[4] Since the flood of 1993 there is no longer an existing town.[5]

Geography

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

Floods

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.[6] [7]

Notes and References

  1. http://www.histopolis.com/Place/US/MO/Perry_County/Belgique Histopolis
  2. http://shs.umsystem.edu/manuscripts/ramsay/ramsay_perry.html Missouri Historical Society: Perry County Place Names, 1928-1945
  3. http://www.flemishlibrary.org/genealogy-research/fahindex Flemish Genealogy
  4. http://www.missouripostalhistory.org/pe157pe.htm Missouri Postal History
  5. http://www.interment.net/data/us/mo/perry/nativity/index.htm Nativity Cemetery - Perry County, Missouri
  6. News: Remembering the 1993 flood: Locals look back at flood fight . Erin Ragan . Southeast Missourian . August 14, 2013 . January 11, 2016 . October 11, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181011053451/http://www.semissourian.com/story/1993643.html . dead .
  7. Upper Mississippi River Basin Flood of 1993, Flood-Fight Reconnaissance and Survey of Expedient Methods Employed . US Army Corps of Engineers . December 1993 . 2016-01-11 . 2016-10-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161009143007/http://acwc.sdp.sirsi.net/client/search/asset/1000950 . dead .