Information about Carbondale, IL and the small, locally-owned businesses located there.

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A little about Carbondale

Make Carbondale your starting point for exploration, adventure, and a little bit of fun. Start at one of two national parks and end the day dining at one of our many great restaurants downtown. With so many places to explore, Carbondale is the perfect starting point for your vacation. A rich heritage of culture, education, and history, places Carbondale as the Capital of Southern Illinois. Starting in Carbondale gives you many choices. All throughout the year you can attend one of several annual events. Just minutes from the Duquoin State Fair, national golf tournaments, and an endless wine trail, there is no short of things to do.

The history of Carbondale

In August, 1852, Daniel Harmon Brush, John Asgill Conner and Dr. William Richart bought 360 acres of land along the right of way for the Illinois Central Railroad, with the intention of founding a new town. The site chosen was conveniently located between Marion and Murphysboro and between proposed railroad stations at Makanda and De Soto. Not only was the railroad the determining factor in the location of Carbondale, it was to be of great importance in the development of the town and of Southern Illinois. The first train through the town on the main line north from Cairo, on Independence Day, 1854, was the occasion for a community celebration. By the Civil War, Carbondale had been incorporated as a village and had a population of about 1,150, most of whom were Union sympathizers. Brush, Conner and John A. Logan were among prominent Carbondale citizens who fought for the north. In all, 250 Carbondale men went to war, and 55 died.

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Where is Carbondale