{"nrhp_refnum":"85001481","name":"Illinois Department of Mines and Minerals-Springfield Mine Rescue Station","other_names":["Springfield Rescue Station"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"609 Princeton Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Springfield","county":"Sangamon County","state":"IL","lat":39.77478299100005,"lon":-89.64816655899995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-07-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A wood-frame, ell-shaped mine rescue station at 609 Princeton Avenue in southeast Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois, built in 1910 by the Scott-Morledge Lumber Company and completed in January 1911.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is the first built and last remaining of the mine rescue stations constructed after the 1909 Cherry Mine Disaster. It was the first permanent facility built by a coal-producing state solely for mine rescue, and it symbolizes early efforts to improve miner safety in Illinois.","narrative":"Built in 1910 and finished in January 1911, this mine rescue station on Princeton Avenue in southeast Springfield was constructed after the Cherry Mine fire of November 1909, which killed 259 miners. A state law passed in 1910 called for three stations in the northern, central and southern coalfields, with Springfield serving the central region. The Springfield building was the first completed. The Benton and LaSalle stations were later demolished or abolished, leaving Springfield as the last of the three. The wood building has a stuccoed two-story front with living quarters, an office and a workshop, and a one-story rear with a classroom, garage space and a 40-foot smoke room that simulates mine-disaster conditions. A mobile rescue unit garage was added in 1948. The station trained miners in rescue techniques and kept a trained team ready for emergencies. It remains in use by the Department of Mines and Minerals.","period_of_significance":"1900- (specific date 1910)","architect_builder":"Scott-Morledge Lumber Company","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and still in service as the Department of Mines and Minerals' northernmost rescue station; condition rated good to fair.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.315562-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/80/8940/28894080/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/85001481.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001481/51aad1d293-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001481/51aad1d293-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Coalfather","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Springfield_Mine_Rescue_Station_Front_Looking_East.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Coalfather</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Springfield_Mine_Rescue_Station_Front_Looking_East.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28894080","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois_Department_of_Mines_and_Minerals-Springfield_Mine_Rescue_Station","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19880842"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/sangamon-county/illinois-department-of-mines-and-minerals-springfield-mine-rescue-station-85001481/"}