Illinois

About Odin

If you are looking for houses for sale Odin IL, then look no further! Odin is a village of 935 in Marion County, IL. The village was named after the god of war and the dead in Germanic mythology and was incorporated as a town in 1865 and adopted the village format of government in 1874. Odin is located 65 miles from St. Louis on U.S. Highway 50 and was founded due to its location at the intersection of two major railroads, the Atlantic, Mississippi, and Ohio Railroad and the Illinois Central Railroad. This is where most of the small, independent stores are located. Salem, the county seat, is located 6 miles to the east and has a variety of bigger stores including an IGA and Walmart. Odin has two separate school buildings, one housing students in grades pre-kindergarten through 8th and a high school.

Odin was home to the Odin Coal Mine from 1899 until 1938. The mine holds a national safety record of operating without a fatal accident from 1907 to 1936. It employed 200 men at the height of production. Three of its most notable residents were baseball players from 1911 to 1954 (Chuck Hawley, Grover Lowdermilk, and Lou Lowdermilk). The other notable resident was Paul Farthing, who served as Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, from 1937-1938.