05/13/2026
Happy Birthday, O’Fallon!
May 13, 1854, is generally accepted as the day O’Fallon, Illinois, was born. Here’s the story of how it came about.
O’Fallon was born a railroad town. In May of 1854, classified ads were placed in local newspapers saying that lots were to be sold at public auction on Saturday, May 13, 1854, at a newly platted town site located at O’Fallon Station, the third depot (from the west) on the western (Illinois) division of the still-under-construction Ohio & Mississippi Railroad. But the weather, apparently, had other ideas. It’s unclear what actually happened on May 13, but the German-language newspaper, Anzeiger des Westens, reported that the sale was postponed until Saturday, May 20, due to bad weather. Prospective buyers could catch a special train at 8:30 a.m. at Illinoistown (East St. Louis), which would take them to O’Fallon Station, where refreshments would be served, and bids could be made.
The Station was named after John O’Fallon of St. Louis, the president of the western division of the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad. He wasn’t the founder of our town, though. Historically, we never really honored anyone as the founder. But the distinction arguably belongs to the organizers of the May 13 (or May 20) public auction – Dr. Frederick A. Carpenter and Hugo O. Sheerbarth. Who were they? Here’s a bit about them.
Dr. Frederick A. Carpenter (1808-1865) was a native of Stephentown, New York. He studied medicine and ended up in Lebanon, Illinois, where he had a large, successful medical practice. He became wealthy through careful investments. He was a strong opponent of slavery and lived to see the Union win the Civil War. He died of Cholera on August 5, 1865, in Lebanon.
Hugo Oscar Sheerbarth was a skilled railroad draughtsman/engineer who worked for multiple railroads, including the Ohio & Mississippi. He was considered a master of the railroad superstructure and was involved in drawing up plans for the railroad infrastructure. He probably participated in the design and placement of the depot at O’Fallon Station. Not much else is known about him except that he was a German immigrant who became a naturalized citizen in 1855, and that he died in Lebanon, Illinois, on Sept. 2, 1858.
I wonder what they’d think of what O’Fallon has become today?
So, on this 172nd anniversary of O’Fallon’s founding, let’s take a moment to salute the memory of Dr. Carpenter and Mr. Sheerbarth, who set in motion the creation of our town! – BK
(Photos: John O’Fallon; classified ad from the Belleville Daily Advocate, May 10, 1854; original lithographed map of O’Fallon Station, dated May 13, 1854; photo taken in the early 1900s of the elm tree in Downtown O’Fallon under which the first lots were believed to have been sold.)
