1932 Illinois Coal Mine Tragedy on Christmas Eve Claimed 54 Souls

Christmas Eve is normally a special time with family that is supposed to be joyous. 91 years ago, it was the opposite for a tiny Illinois town when a coal mine disaster claimed 54 souls.

Get our free mobile app

This sad remembrance came up in the strangest way. USA Today shared the 50 most mispronounced towns for each state. For Illinois, it's a town with a tragic history. It's Moweaqua which was home to a coal mine where many of the residents worked back in the early 1900's.

On December 24, 1932, the life in this small Illinois town took a tragic turn. Wikipedia describes the moment that Christmas Eve morning when residents heard a mammoth explosion from the coal mine. As citizens scrambled to the area of the coal mine, it was obvious something was terribly wrong. A methane explosion had blown debris everywhere.

A man named Tom Jackson was scheduled to play Santa Claus at a town Christmas gathering later that day. He was sadly one of the 54 miners who lost their lives that day.

This is one of the signs in Moweaqua, Illinois that commemorates that terrible morning.

There were lessons learned by the coal industry on that sad day in Illinois. It led to the phaseout of open-flame carbide miner's lanterns which were attributed to the methane gas pocket that caused the explosion.

Hard to imagine how those Illinois families dealt with such a tragic loss especially on Christmas Eve in 1932. A terrible reminder that the holiday are not always a time of joy when tragedy interrupts their lives.