Filmed on Friday, June 16 2023, I drive around the village Saint Elmo, IL to see what's going on.
This settlement began as "Howard's Point" and was renamed "St. Elmo" after a railroad stop was built there.
St. Elmo was a small, peaceful agricultural community until the 1930s oil boom hit it, with people from several states arriving … and no place to put them.
The people in St. Elmo, Brownstown and other nearby villages and towns turned every available space into living accommodations for the sudden swelling of population, including spare rooms, garages, sheds and basements.
The oil companies built “communities” with nice homes, recreational buildings and a large, brick school, playgrounds and meeting halls. These communities, built by the oil companies for the oil workers and their families near the oilfields, were named Carter’s Camp, William’s Camp and Fortner’s camp.
The word, “camp,” however, grossly misrepresents the living conditions. They were neighborhoods, with streets, nice homes, lawns and garages. Some of Fayette County citizens today citizens today can recall when they lived in the camps as children, and all said they were comfortable and happy living there.
As of the census of 2020, there were 1,254 people residing in the town, down from 1,426 in 2010.
The racial makeup of the city was 98% White, 0.07% African American, 0.07% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.09% of the population.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,750, and the per capita income for the city was $14,048. About 12.1% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line.
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