Belgique is an unincorporated community in eastern Perry County, Missouri, United States. It is located approximately five miles south of Chester, Illinois in Perry County's Bois Brule Township.

Belgique, Missouri
unincorporated community
Belgique, Missouri, roadsign
Location of Perry County, Missouri
Coordinates: 37°50′15″N 89°46′52″W
Country	United States
State	Missouri
County	Perry
Township	Bois Brule[1]
Elevation	372 ft (113 m)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	63775
Area code	573
FIPS code	29-04042 [2]
GNIS feature ID	713893 [2]

Etymology

Since a town already existed in Missouri which bore the name of Belgium^{[citation needed]}, the Flemish residents opted to use the French name for their homeland.

History

The town was originally settled by Catholic Flemings from Belgium. A Catholic church, The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, existed in Belgique from 1884 to 1992.[3] A post office was established in 1890, but as the name "Belgium" had already been taken, the French name for Belgium "Belgique" was used instead.[4] Its post office has closed and its mail now comes from Perryville.[5] Since the flood of 1993 there is no longer an existing town.[6]

Floods

Of the many floods over the centuries, the most devastating flood was the Great Flood of 1993. The subsequent flood destroyed the village, leaving only a handful of residents to return to the area following the flood.[7][8]

• 
  Flooded Church - Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• 
  Flooded farm
• 
  Flooded store

Geography

Belgique was located on the flat alluvial plain of the Bois Brule Bottom situated in the northern part of Perry County.

Gallery

• 
  Belgique, 19th century

See also

• Perry County, Missouri

References