and won third place. The Central A&M FFA Chapter is also a successful chapter in section, district and State FFA Events, as well as community service activities. History Moweaqua was named after a small stream 1.5 miles south of the station, called by the Indians Moweaqua, a Pottawatamie word that means "she that weeps". From 1891 until 1935, Moweaqua was the site of a gassy coal mine that mined coal from Pennsylvanian strata. On the morning of December 24, 1932, fifty-four coal miners, the entire day shift, were killed by a methane gas explosion in the Moweaqua coal mine disaster. The incident occurred on the morning of Christmas Eve, and one of the deceased miners, Tom Jackson, had been scheduled to play Santa Claus in a party to be held that evening for his fellow townspeople. The tragic explosion, together with the election in the previous month (November 1932) of the pro-labor Seventy-Third Congress, led to the passage of mine safety legislation and the phaseout of open-flame carbide miner's lanterns in United States coal mines. The Moweaqua Coal Mine Museum opened in 1986 to commemorate local coal miners, especially the victims of this disaster. The 2009 movie "The Informant" starring Matt Damon was partially filmed in Moweaqua. The plot of the movie is based on the ADM price fixing scandal which occurred during the 1990s. The scandal centered on ADM Vice President Mark Whitacre who lived in Moweaqua during the time. Filming reportedly took place at the former Whitacre residence as well as the local restaurant now known as "The Salty Farmer" which Whitacre frequented while living there. The former Whitacre residence, located approximately 1 mile west of the Moweaqua city limits, was originally owned by the step-grandfather of former ABC president James E. Duffy. Mr. Duffy lived there for a time during his boyhood, and his time there, and his formative relationship with his step-grandfather, was documented in his 1997 autobiography, "Stay Tuned." Notable people Cecil Coombs, outfielder for the Chicago White Sox References External links Official Site - Moweaqua.org Mining More in Moweaqua 1889-1940 Villages in Shelby County, Illinois Villages in Christian County, Illinois Villages in Illinois