200+ Years of History

Belleville's Early Beginnings

Founded in 1814, Belleville, Illinois, celebrated its 200th Anniversary during 2014. Thanks to George Blair and his donation of one acre of land on March 10, 1814 for a Public Square, the county seat of St. Clair County was moved from Cahokia to the more centrally located settlement. Mr. Blair was given the honor of naming the town and county seat, and on August 8, 1814, the court of St. Clair County recognized the name he had chosen which was Belleville; a French word meaning beautiful city.

                                                          Source: The Pioneer History of Illinois by John Reynolds

A New Logo for Belleville

The City's logo was adopted by the City Council on May 1, 2017.

Prior to that, in July of 2013, the City Council had officially adopted a new logo that was designed by the Belleville 200 Committee to commemorate the City's 200th Anniversary. 

Logo features include:
Colors from the Belleville flag; black, yellow, green and white 
The year Belleville was founded; 1814 
Founts of water; representing the impressive and historic Veterans Memorial Fountain in the city's Public Square
The post horn; symbolizing the heritage of the area's pioneers who were mostly German, and the Belleville Philharmonic Orchestra, the second oldest continuous performing orchestra in the nation.

City of Belleville Logo

Flag of the City of Belleville

Belleville's City Flag was adopted in 1964. The flag design was created by Frederick L. Lange and entered into a contest to create a city flag. Mr. Lange's design was chosen as the winning entry. The contest was sponsored by Belleville Carling Brewery Company in cooperation with the Belleville Chamber of Commerce as a part of the Sesquicentennial Year Program in 1964.

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Belleville Historic Preservation Commission 

The efforts of the Belleville Historic Preservation Commission help to enhance and perpetuate the city's historic neighborhoods and landmark buildings.  

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Belleville Sister Cities, Inc.
Belleville is proud to be a Sister City to Paderborn, Germany since 1990. Learn more about Belleville Sister Cities. 

Philharmonic Society of Belleville

Belleville is proud to be the home of the Philharmonic Society of Belleville which includes the Belleville Philharmonic Orchestra, the 2nd oldest continuously performing orchestra in the nation.