During the late 1800s, communities along the National Road in Illinois watched railroads open a new path to prosperity. In 1870, J.W. Conlogue, a superintendent with the St. Louis, Vandalia and Terre Haute Railroad, platted Altamont, and residents of nearby Freemanton relocated to the new way station. Timber and cropland quickly gave way to hotels, warehouses, and manufacturing centers, and a new city rose from the prairie. From the beginning, Altamont attracted a variety of crafts, trades, and professions. One of its earliest entrepreneurs was physician Charles M. Wright, who had followed the National Road from Pennsylvania to Effingham County in 1857 and then moved from Freemanton to Altamont. Alongside his medical practice, Wright established a private bank, and in 1869 he commissioned a 6,000-square-foot home with gas lighting, indoor plumbing, and central steam heat. Women also played a leading role in Altamont's development: early residents Elizabeth Ehlers and Anna Hillemann platted additions to the town in 1872, and as industry grew, women contributed significantly to the local workforce.