Belgique, Missouri

Belgique is an unincorporated community in eastern Perry County, Missouri, United States. It is located approximately five miles south of Chester, Illinois, in Perry County's Bois Brule Township.

Etymology
Since a town already existed in Missouri which bore the name of Belgium, the Flemish residents opted to use the French name for their homeland.

History
The town was originally settled by Catholic Flemings from Belgium. A Catholic church, The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, existed in Belgique from 1884 to 1992. A post office was established in 1890, but as the name "Belgium" had already been taken, the French name for Belgium "Belgique" was used instead. Its post office has closed and its mail now comes from Perryville. Since the flood of 1993 there is no longer an existing town.

Geography
Belgique was located on the flat alluvial plain of the Bois Brule Bottom situated in the northern part of Perry County.

Floods
Of the many floods over the centuries, the most devastating flood was the Great Flood of 1993. The subsequent flood destroyed the village, leaving only a handful of residents to return to the area following the flood.