Virden's Historic Downtown Square

Virden's Historic Downtown Square

Downtown Virden
Virden, Illinois 62690

The center of activity for the small town of Virden is the Historic Downtown Square. Visitors to the square will find the 1898 Virden Mine Battle Monument, commemorating the coal strike of 1898 and the battle of October 12, which marked the strike's bitter end. The monument features a large bronze bas-relief that symbolically depicts the railroads and the assault on the strikers. The names of those killed in the battle are also etched in bronze on the monument.