Mascoutah: Parks and Local History

When planning a stay in Mascoutah, you can focus on three things: parks, local history, and the annual Mascoutah Homecoming. If you are looking for a hotel, this can help you decide in advance whether you would rather spend your time on outdoor activities, historical topics, or an event.

Parks and Outdoor Activities

Prairie Lakes Park is located along Route 177. It has two fishing lakes and a picnic area on the west side of the park. Prairie Park also has two fishing lakes; in addition, there is a fountain and a pavilion. Both parks therefore share lakes as a common feature, while their other listed features differ. The parks in the City of Mascoutah are open to the public. Since park facilities can change, it is best to check the latest information before visiting.

Scheve Park brings together numerous sports and recreational amenities: these include baseball fields, two lighted tennis courts, a lighted sand volleyball court, and lighted horseshoe pits. There are also two soccer fields, a skate park, ten pavilions of varying sizes, and several playgrounds. The park also has two swimming pools. If you are planning to swim, check seasonal availability in advance. Visitors can also see a restored railroad caboose at Scheve Park.

At Maple Park, you will find outdoor basketball facilities, a play area, play equipment, and a family pavilion. The listed features make it easy to distinguish the parks by interest: Prairie Lakes Park and Prairie Park combine fishing lakes with other amenities, while Scheve Park offers a wide range of sports and recreational facilities. For Maple Park, basketball, the play area, and the family pavilion are the specific points of reference.

Museum and Historic Sites

The Mascoutah History Museum displays exhibits about early life in Mascoutah. These include the original 1837 town plat and maps from various periods. If you are especially interested in the city's development, the maps offer different points of reference in time within the collection.

St. John United Church of Christ (UCC), founded in 1843, is also part of the area's history. The Berger-Kiel House stands on a property that was added to Scheve Park. The one-and-a-half-story building, constructed of log and half-timber framing, has a gable roof. It was built around 1863–1864 for a low-income rural family and originally consisted of two rooms: one on the ground floor and one on the upper floor. Restoration work on the house earned the Mascoutah Historical Society second place in the State of Illinois Governor's Hometown Awards.

The Berger-Kiel House is usually open during the annual Mascoutah Homecoming Weekend. Check the visiting arrangements for the current year in advance. Another historic site is Anstedt Barn, built in the early 1860s from interlocking logs. The barn and a historic garden can be visited by appointment; coordinate the arrangements with the Mascoutah Historical Society.

Annual Homecoming

The annual Mascoutah Homecoming includes a parade that ends at Scheve Park. If you want to plan your trip around this event, check the dates for that year's edition. The parade thus connects a specific event to one of the city's parks; the rest of Homecoming should not be taken to end at that location.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Cahokia, Shiloh, Swansea, Fairview Heights, O'fallon, Fairmont City, Dupo, Belleville.

For the broader travel overview: St. Clair.