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Beginning in the 1830s, Herculaneum began to decline, for several reasons; the demand for a more centrally-located county seat led to its being relocated westward to [[Hillsboro, Missouri|Hillsboro]] in 1839, taking away one of the older city's functions, and by this time, other shipping points for the lead trade had emerged. Additionally, the railroads that began to be constructed through the county in the 1850s bypassed Herculaneum, and for a time it appeared that the town might be abandoned entirely. It was revitalized in 1887, however, when the St. Joseph Lead Company, now dominating most mining operations in the region, chose it as a lead smelting site. The plant built by the company, which at its completion included a 550-foot-tall smokestack, was for some time thereafter the largest lead smelter in the United States, producing some 225,000 tons of refined lead per year.<ref>http://cityofherculaneum.org/History.html</ref> By the early 20th century, Herculaneum had recovered considerably, having at that point a population of about 800 and a number of business establishments in addition to the smelting plant.<ref>Robert Sidney Douglass, ''History of Southeast Missouri'' (1912), p. 275.</ref>
Beginning in the 1830s, Herculaneum began to decline, for several reasons; the demand for a more centrally-located county seat led to its being relocated westward to [[Hillsboro, Missouri|Hillsboro]] in 1839, taking away one of the older city's functions, and by this time, other shipping points for the lead trade had emerged. Additionally, the railroads that began to be constructed through the county in the 1850s bypassed Herculaneum, and for a time it appeared that the town might be abandoned entirely. It was revitalized in 1887, however, when the St. Joseph Lead Company, now dominating most mining operations in the region, chose it as a lead smelting site. The plant built by the company, which at its completion included a 550-foot-tall smokestack, was for some time thereafter the largest lead smelter in the United States, producing some 225,000 tons of refined lead per year.<ref>http://cityofherculaneum.org/History.html</ref> By the early 20th century, Herculaneum had recovered considerably, having at that point a population of about 800 and a number of business establishments in addition to the smelting plant.<ref>Robert Sidney Douglass, ''History of Southeast Missouri'' (1912), p. 275.</ref>
Herculaneum maintained a slow but steady growth throughout the 20th century. It benefited from the construction of U.S. Route 61, and later Interstate 55, through the town, and beginning in the 1960s it received an influx of suburban dwellers from the north as the St. Louis metropolitan area expanded.
The lead smelting plant was purchased in 1981 by the Doe Run Company, which maintained operations there until 2013. By 2000, there was mounting concern over the dangers of lead pollution in the Herculaneum area; dust from the transport of lead ore had accumulated on the land roundabout, and by-product "slag" had in some cases leached into neighboring water sources.<ref>[https://www.stltoday.com/business/local/in-lead-belt-doe-run-looks-to-expand-hazardous-waste/article_4f37a87c-01dc-5efb-95b9-daff31ae6af5.html In Lead Belt, Doe Run looks to expand hazardous waste landfill at nation's largest lead recycling facility]. ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'', November 11, 2018.</ref> After an investigation revealed levels of lead concentration in the soil that were well above what regulations permitted, the Doe Run Company was fined $65 million in 2010, and this contributed to its decision to shut down the smelter in 2013.<ref>[https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/after-doe-run-former-company-town-adjusts-to-a-new/article_a33847f2-a854-518a-be7e-65f4f2d3933f.html After Doe Run: Former company town adjusts to a new reality]. ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'', April 7, 2018.</ref> For the time being, the decline of the lead business has not hurt Herculaneum's livelihood seriously, given growth in the county at large. The community celebrated its bicentennial in 2008 with a series of events, including the unveiling of a new flag for the city.<ref>http://cityofherculaneum.org/bicentennial.html</ref>
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