Coal Miner Monument - Beckemeyer, Illinois

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COAL MINER MONUMENT - BECKEMEYER, ILLINOIS

This statue commemorating coal miners was dedicated on September 21, 1997 honoring those that had perished in a cave in due to unsafe working conditions.

Joseph Koch left for work early on the morning of March 25, 1947. He rode the 40 miles with many other men from the Village of Beckemeyer to the Centralia Coal Mine Company No. 5 in Wamac, Illinois. Later that day, a violent explosion rocked the mine, trapping it’s victims in the rubble. Families waited outside for days for any hope that their loved ones would be pulled out alive. By March 29th, only 31 of the 142 men working in the mine were confirmed still alive. Joseph Koch and eight other Beckemeyer men had died. When the bodies were discovered, Koch’s was found kneeling, praying along with several other men.

Benedict (son of Joseph Koch) commissioned a bronze statue of his father and bought a small piece of land in Beckemeyer. Using a photo more than half a century old, the designer created an amazing likeness of Joseph Koch in both body and countenance. John Placek’s family offered his lunch bucket to the designer for authentic reproduction.

The Coal Miner Monument is located on Louis Street, next to the American Legion.

Phone: 618-227-8331