The City of Virden, Illinois is located approximately 25 miles south of the State Capitol of Springfield on IL Route 4 and is home to residents of both Sangamon and Macoupin Counties. Virden was first settled in 1829 and surveyed in 1852. It officially became a town on June 21, 1852. The City's first post office began serving the public in 1853. The City of Virden was originally settled as an area of agricultural activity and was named for John Virden, a local hotelier,  with whom farmers from the surrounding country would stop to spend the night on their trips from Springfield to Alton as they drove their livestock to market. From 1926 through 1930, America's "Mother Road," Route 66, passed through the City. The City of Virden owes much of its prosperity to mining, at one time being home to three operating mines. The first coal shaft was sunk in 1868 to exploit the great coal beds that underlie much of the surface of the state. Coal was then, and remains today an important factor in the continuing development of Virden. Of historic significance, the Virden Mine Battle of October 12, 1898 occurred when a train transporting strike-breakers was met by striking miners, culminating in a battle in which seven miners and five coal company guards were killed, with scores wounded on both sides. The Virden Mine Battle is still recognized as a landmark event in the history of the labor movement in the United States, with December 6th declared Miner’s Day as a result.