Global True Lithuania Encyclopedia of Lithuanian heritage worldwide

Oglesby, Illinois

Oglesby, Illinois is now a small town of 3500. In the start of the 20th century, though, it was a coal mining community that attracted many Lithuanians.

Oglesby still has a building inscribed Lithuanian Opera House, KS, 1909 at E Walnut Street (near Spring Ave). Currently, it serves as a restaurant while its top floor is abandoned. It was likely closed in the 1930s. It is unclear how much of the Lithunian Opera House activities were actually operas and how much other Lithunian actvities. If you have more knowledge, please write in the comments.

Lithuanian Opera House

Lithuanian Opera House inscription close-up

Oglesby also had St. Constantine Lithuanian church built in 1919 that once had some 200 churchgoers. It used to be served by a Lithuanian priest from the nearby Spring Valley. In 1944, however, the church merged with a Slovenian parish. The Lithuanian-Slovenian parish continued to use the St. Constantine church building. The merger document called for finding a priest that would speak English, Lithuanian, and Slovenian, however, that probably proved futile. Lithuanian priest from Spring Valley and Slovenian priest from LaSalle thus likely continued to perform the duties at the merged parish. Soon afterward, in 1953, the united Lithuanian-Slovenian parish was merged with Sacred Heart into Holy Family parish, a united Catholic parish of Oglesby.

According to the testimonies of the locals, St. Constantine church building still stands on the corner of Spring Ave and Florence St, now housing the Knights of Columbus. The building, however, looks somewhat different from the old images due to reconstruction works.

The former St. Constantine Lithuanian church (remodelled)