The Illinois Department of Mines and Minerals' Springfield Mine Rescue Station is the first built and last remaining mine rescue station constructed as a result of the Cherry Mine Disaster. It was the first permanent facility, built by a coal producing state, whose sale purpose was mine rescue. The Springfield Station and others like it were built out of concern for the safety of miners in the Illinois coalfields. These stations serve two distinct purposes. One, to furnish a trained corps of men available to assist 1n case of mine emergencies. The second, to train miners in the use of mine rescue techniques and apparatus with the ultimate goal of having trained personnel available at every mine in the state. The Springfield Mine Rescue Station is a lasting symbol of one of the state's earliest efforts to provide a safer work environment for the Illinois miner.
As industry grew, and the use of coal expanded to meet the needs of this growth, Illinois' coal production steadily increased. Mine employment followed this growth until 1923 when it reached its peak of 103,000 miners. This rapid growth in the coal industry did not come without its problems. Because of the rapid expansion, many feared that a disaster could occur at any one of the coal mines in the state.
This prophesy came true on November 13, 1909, as a fire spread through the underground workings of the St. Paul Coal Company #2 Mine, "Cherry Mine Disaster," killing 259 miners. This disaster proved to be the state's worst coal mine disaster in number of lives lost. The horror of the fire and loss of life spread throughout the state as nearly every city in the state provided either aid or support. Many organizations were to follow in providing aid and assistance.
Public sentiment, aroused by what it saw and heard, gave its support to the need for a law to prevent such a disaster from happening again. The General Assembly was so responsive to this public outcry that legislation was introduced and passed even before all the bodies had been recovered. This law, approved by the Governor on March 4, 1910, provided for the establishment of three rescue stations to serve the northern, central, and southern coalfields of the state and authorized the Governor to appoint a commission to carry out the provisions of the Act.
The Commission decided, after visiting several sites throughout the state, that the three stations should be located in LaSalle for the northern region, Springfield for the central region, and Benton for the southern region. Due again to the great interest toward the development of these stations, all three sites were donated by their respective cities.
Identical in design, construction began on the three rescue stations in the fall of 1910. The first to be completed was the Springfield Rescue Station, in January, 1911. The Benton and LaSalle Rescue Stations, owing to a slight delay in the start of construction, were completed shortly after Springfield's Rescue Station. The LaSalle Mine Rescue Station was abolished in 1943, and the building later destroyed as mining activity diminished in the northern coalfields of Illinois. The Benton Mine Rescue Station, due to its deteriorating condition, was demolished and replaced by a new station in 1970.
Not long after the completion of the three m1ne rescue stations, it became apparent that to attain the goal of having a better trained corps of Illinois coal miners more stations were needed. Therefore, in 1914, three more rescue stations were established in Herrin, Harrisburg, and Duquoin. The Department of Mines and Minerals, however, chose not to build these additional stations but instead rent buildings to serve as mine rescue stations.
As coal mining development shifted in the state, rescue stations were added or abandoned to meet these shifts in development. Today, the Illinois Department of Mines and Minerals has m1ne rescue stations in Springfield, Benton, Duquoin, Eldorado, Coulterville, and Elizabethtown.
In 1947, an amendment specified that, in addition to the mine rescue stations in operation, the Department of Mines and Minerals shall construct, equip, and maintain three mobile rescue units. The first mobile rescue unit was stationed at Springfield. Duquoin and Benton received the second and third units. The ·Department had learned, prior to the passing of this amendment, that mobile rescue units would make ,it possible for rescue teams to answer emergency calls with greater efficiency and speed.
The Springfield Rescue Station continues to serve the Department of Mines and Minerals as its northernmost rescue station. Renewed interest in the coal of central Illinois has brought on the development of new mines and the continued need for the Springfield Rescue Station." - National Register Nomination form