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Harrisburg, Illinois

Harrisburg is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Illinois, United States. It is located about 57 mi southwest of Evansville, Indiana, and 111 mi southeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Its 2020 population was 8,219, and the surrounding Harrisburg Township had a population of 10,037, including the city residents. Harrisburg is included in the Illinois–Indiana–Kentucky tri-state area and is the principal city in the Harrisburg micropolitan statistical area with a combined population of 24,913.

Located at the concurrency of U.S. Route 45, Illinois Route 13, Illinois Route 145, and Illinois Route 34, Harrisburg is known as the "Gateway to the Shawnee National Forest", and is also known for the Ohio River flood of 1937, the old Crenshaw House (also known as the Old Slave House), the Tuttle Bottoms Monster, prohibition-era gangster Charlie Birger, and the 2012 EF4 tornado. A Cairo and Vincennes Railroad boomtown, the city was one of the leading bituminous coal-mining distribution hubs of the American Midwest between 1900 and 1937.

At its peak, Harrisburg's population reached 16,000 by the early 1930s. The city had one of the largest downtown districts in Southern Illinois. The city was the 20th-most populated city in Illinois outside the Chicago metropolitan area and the most-populous city in Southern Illinois outside the Metro East in 1930. However, the city has seen an economic decline due to the decreased demand for high-sulfur coal, the removal of the New York Central railroad, and tributary lowlands leaving, much area around the city unfit for growth due to flood risks.

Pioneer and native coexistence
At the beginning of recorded American history, the Harrisburg area was inhabited by several Algonquian tribes, including the Shawnee and Piankashaw, who lived in the dense inland forests. Prior to the arrival of European settlers, the Piankashaw tribe was driven out by the more aggressive Shawnee. European settlement in Illinois began with the French from 1690 and reached its peak about 1750, mainly along the Mississippi River. American settlers arrived in 1790. The French came as merchants and missionaries, with farming supplementing the need for trade. The result had benefited both the settlers and the Native Americans. The American migration, however, followed treaties which resulted in land being distributed through American Law, ignoring previous indigenous rights. Encroachment ensued and caused hard feelings between the Indians and the settlers who moved into the interior and along migration routes. Many of the Indians allied themselves with the British to resist, though trade with the Americans was an important reason why the Native Americans remained largely peaceful.

The town of Harrisburg was platted a few miles south of the junction of the Goshen and Shawneetown–Kaskaskia Trail, two of the first pioneer trade routes in the state. Prior to the War of 1812, most of the population of today's Saline County lived in cabins clustered around blockhouses to protect against Indian attack and dangerous wildlife such as cougars and bears. Permanent settlements in the forested area were inevitable with the influx of more settlers, and the first land entry was made in 1814 by John Wren and Hankerson Rude. By 1840 the settlers outnumbered the Native Americans, and most of the black bear population of the county had been killed off by 1845.

Founding
Harrisburg was plotted shortly after Saline County was established in 1847 from part of Gallatin County. The city was named for James Alexander Harris, who had built a farmhouse and planted a corn field in a clearing in the area of the current city square around 1820.

Harris along with John Pankey, James P. Yandell, and John X. Cain, donated land for the first additions of the town to a special committee at Liberty Baptist Church in 1852, after complaints that the county seat should be centralized in the county. The county seat then was in Raleigh. The county's two main population centers were divided by the Saline River and 14 mi of thicket. There were no roads in the county and many residents from the areas of Carrier Mills and Stonefort became lost when traveling to the northern settlements of Raleigh, Galatia, and Eldorado. The designated town plat was considered due to its aesthetic properties, a 60 ft sandstone bluff overlooking the Saline River valley called "Crusoe's Island". Although it was heavily timbered with oak and hickory with an impenetrable hazel underbrush, the site was at the geographical center of the county. A major legal battle took place within the county government because of voter fraud accusations by the people of Raleigh. Nevertheless, Harrisburg was plotted as a village on 20 acre in 1853 and became the county seat in 1859.

Industrial origins

Between 1860 and 1865 southern cotton became unavailable during the Civil War, Harrisburg was one of the few cities in the Upland South during this time to have woolen mills, making the town an industrial asset early on to Southern Illinois. Several planing mills and flour mills also dotted the city. The Cairo and Vincennes Railroad was completed in 1872 by Ambrose Burnside, and American Civil War, Union Army, brigadier general Green Berry Raum, who was living in Harrisburg at that time.

Robert King, an early proprietor, opened a brick and tile factory at the southern terminus of Main Street in 1896 with the capacity of carrying out 15,000 bricks every 10 hours. Harrisburg also saw the opening of several saw mills. The Snellbaker and Company Saw Mill and Lumber Yard opened in 1895, as well did J.B Ford Harrisburg Planing Mill the same year. The mill had the capacity of producing 10000 board feet of lumber every 10 hours. The Barnes Lumber Company in Harrisburg started as a sawmill operation in 1899. Since 1904 it has retailed a complete line of lumber and building materials and is the oldest, currently active mill in the city.

The Woolcott Milling Company, operated by J.H Woolcott and J.C Wilson built a flour mill in 1874, on the now defunct south Woolcott Street, with rail spur, behind the current Parker Plaza, that had 23 grain elevators and the capacity of carrying out 200 barrels of flour in a 24-hour period and up to 400 by 1907, with a new 75000 bushels tower. The exchange market was located in Carrier Mills. Located on Commercial Street across the tracks from the train depot, The Southern Illinois Milling & Elevator Company was incorporated on July 29, 1891, by Philip H. Eisenmayer, with a capital stock of $50,000. The company had two elevators, erected at a cost of $125,000, one of which had a capacity of 25000 bushels and the other a capacity of 100,000 bushels. Their milling capacity was six hundred barrels per day. Twenty-five men were employed in the operations of the mill and elevators, in addition to a force of from six to eight men regularly employed in the cooperage department.

During the Reconstruction Era, when economic conditions made impractical the growing of cotton, lumbering and tobacco growing (which pioneers found profitable commercially), grain farming by crop rotation, dairying, reforestation, merchandising and manufacturing, and Coal mining especially, began to occupy the city. In 1889, with a population of 1,500, Harrisburg became a city, with an aldermanic form of government. It adopted the commission form in 1915. Despite these early industrial advantages over other cities in the region, the Sanborn Map Company still referred to the water facilities and road conditions within the city limits, "Not good, and not paved" up to 1900.

Coal and rail era

First slope mine operations began in 1854 southeast of Harrisburg. During the early years, the coal was transported by wagon to local homes and businesses for heating. Coal Mining became an important industry for the post-Antebellum, now Gilded Age city. The Cairo and Vincennes Railroad was completed in 1872 and provided transportation for coal and the miners who tired away underground. After a series of corporate transactions brought the Cairo and Vincennes Railroad into the hands of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway around 1890, with Illinois state representative Charles P Skaggs as mayor, Harrisburg evolved into one of the leading coal-mining centers of the Midwest. Harrisburg was a strategic spot on the railroad route with a large hump yard, making it the focal point for the most productive coal field operations. Some of the most profitable coal companies that operated around Harrisburg were Big Creek Coal, Harrisburg Coal and O'Gara Coal. Each one with their own sizable rail yards. O'gara was a Progressive Era coal company owned by Thomas J. O'gara of Chicago. He purchased and annexed 23 privately owned mines in the Harrisburg coal field which equaled 50000 acre of land. The Company based its headquarters in Harrisburg in 1905. O'gara only owned 12 operating mines, all in Saline County, but they had an annual output of 7,000,000 tons. 6,000 men were employed in a field capacity and the pay roll disbursement was $150,000 per month. The company paid $10,000 monthly royalty. H. Thomas was the company's general manager of mines, Ed Ghent its chief engineer and D. B. McGehee the assistant general manager.

By 1905, several small slope mines and 15 shaft mines operated in the county. Most were along the railroad line. Large numbers of immigrants from England, Wales, and eastern Europe, looking for work, detrained at the Harrisburg Train Depot; crowding around quickly expanding mining villages directly outside the city, such as Muddy, Wasson, Harco and Ledford. The city's population quickly expanded from 5,000 to 10,000 in a few years. By 1906, the Big four/CCC&STL Railroad became the New York Central, and Saline County was producing more than 500,000 tons of coal annually with more than 5000 miners at work. In 1915 the Ringling Brothers Circus made an appearance in Harrisburg. In 1913, the Southern Illinois Railway and Power Company operated an interurban trolley line, that ran from downtown Eldorado, into Muddy, Wasson, Beulah Heights, through downtown Harrisburg, Dorrisville, Ledford and into downtown Carrier Mills, all of which had larger residential areas than present. In 1917 there were plans to extend the line westward to Marion and Carbondale to connect to the Coal Belt Co. line, and then run it towards St. Louis. The trolley wire through the county was 16 ft high. It was an off branch of the Cairo and Vincennes Railroad. The corporation erected the first electrical generating plant in Muddy, Illinois.

The Central Illinois Public Service Company purchased the Muddy Power Station in 1916. It had a generating capacity of 7,500 kilowatts. After removing an original 2,500-kilowatt unit, the company added two 5,000-kilowatt turbine-generators and one 10,000 kilowatt unit, bringing the stations total capacity to 25,000 kilowatts in 1922. Electricity generated at the station was distributed over 66-kv, double circuit steel tower transmission lines extending to West Frankfort to the west, the Ohio River to the east, and Olney to the north. The plant had two impounding reservoirs which covered 80 acre and held 320 million gallons of water.

The community benefited from the prosperity of the Roaring Twenties, flaunting the most extravagant displays of wealth in the city's history. The 230 ft neon red tower belonging to the WEBQ-A.M. radio station was the tallest structure in the city and could be seen for miles. Harrisburg had just finished the new three-story Horning Hotel around 1920, and two new theaters with a combined total of 1,600 seats: the Orpheum and the Grand the same year. The eight-story Harrisburg National Bank building, the O'Gara Coal Headquarters, the Cummins Office building, and the four-story Harrisburg Hospital were all built in 1923. The new four-story Harrisburg City Hall building was constructed in 1927, and a complex highway system was constructed through the city, with Illinois Route 13 and Illinois Route 34 constructed in 1918; U.S. Route 45 and Illinois Route 145 constructed in 1925–1926. During this time the city expanded to 15,000 people. The annexation of Dorrisville and Dorris Heights created blue collar, multiple, and single family homes filling in between. On Vine Street south of the town square was "Wiskey Chute", a saloon vice district for local miners. It was also during this time that the town was home to prohibition-era bootlegger Charles Birger, whose gang was said to have protected local business owners better than the law enforcement. For a time, the gangster's prized Tommy gun was displayed in a glass case in the City Hall. The geography around Harrisburg changed indefinitely, with coal areas producing a surface mining landscape the size of San Jose, California, roughly 172 sqmi, aptly named the Harrisburg Coal Field. The field completely encased the towns of Carrier Mills and Harrisburg, while creating partial borders to Stonefort, Galatia, and Raleigh. Near the mines were gob piles that spontaneously combusted. The horizon around the city for many years flickered with burning coal refuse.

Slow economic decline
Harrisburg reached its peak population of 15,659 in 1930, making it the 20th most populated city outside the Chicago Metropolitan Area, in Illinois, and the most populous city in Southern Illinois outside the metro-east. If the city combined the service communities bordering Harrisburg such as Ledford and Muddy, the population would have been even greater at 26,000, and Saline County as a whole reached nearly 40,000 people. Even with the economic downturn during the Great Depression, with business owners and industrial firms closing shop, the city continued to thrive due to its enormous coal industry. On June 17, 1936, Eleanor Roosevelt visited Harrisburg to observe work of the WPA and delivered a speech in the packed high school gymnasium. The heyday ended quickly when the Ohio River flood of 1937 left 4,000 within the city homeless and 80% of the city inundated. Many flooded mines were deemed condemned which left the local economy crippled. In 1938, the state of Illinois had completed one of the largest operations of its kind ever attempted in the United States, the removal of more than two and a half billion gallons of flood water from Sahara mine No. 3.

Soon the Southern Illinois Railway and Power company was bought by the Central Illinois Public Service Company. The inter-urban line was abandoned in 1933 after 20 years of service. After the decommission of the Interurban line, Harrisburg opened the Harrisburg-Dorrisville Bus Co., which was a private predecessor bus company to the current Rides Mass Transit District which was opened in 1980. Between 1930 and 1940 the city lost 27% of its overall population.

Immediately after World War II new coal companies, Peabody, Bluebird, and Sahara, started mining within the city. The war created a great demand for energy, which was satisfied by expanded strip mining operations throughout the Harrisburg Coal Fields. Shortly after World War II, it became clear that coal was losing favor to other energy sources such as oil and natural gas. In contrast to other cities in the United States that prospered in the post-war boom, the fortunes of Saline County began to quickly diminish. Harry Truman stopped briefly in Harrisburg during his whistlestop tour on September 30, 1948, giving some hope for economic recovery for the region. Without hesitating, the long parade of police, buses, and accompanying cars sped through town. Poplar Street, at that time the main drag through town, was crowded with multitudes of persons for its entire length. It was reported by the Daily Register newspaper that cars were lined along Route 13 all the way from Marion and on to Eldorado on Route 45. In 1950 Illinois Assistant State Attorney General George N. Leighton represented parents in a proceeding which desegregated the public schools of Harrisburg. On December 1, 1953, WSIL-TV 3 was founded and based out of the city. The station built the 503 ft (153.4m), WSIL tower in downtown which was one of the tallest television towers in the state at the time and is still the tallest structure in the city.

By 1957, the Egyptian was the last passenger train to travel through the city. Between 1940 and 1960 Harrisburg lost another 20% of its population due to economic standstill. With only 9100 people left in the city that once had 16,000, then Senator John F. Kennedy made a campaign stop on October 3, 1960. Speaking at the Saline County Court House he said "'This district, which is built on the land and which has been nourished by the land, personifies the kind of problems which I think the United States is going to face in the 1960s. This district has depended in the main for its resources, its growth, its wealth, upon the minerals underground and upon the food that is grown on the ground. And those are those industries that have faced serious problems in the 1950s.'"

Later during the same speech, after addressing agriculture, Senator Kennedy stated:

"'Farmers could farm and work in the cities and towns, but this year we have the highest unemployment that we have had in any months of August and September, the three Augusts and Septembers preceding the recession of 1949, 1954, and 1958, and this district knows this problem well, because this district has lost 60,000 people in the last 10 years.'"

By 1968, with hopes of bringing a new influx of coal mining into the city, Sahara Coal Company ordered the Bucyrus-Erie "GEM of Egypt" strip mine shovel, one of the largest in the world at 8 stories high and weighing 1,000 tons. It took three men to operate it, and its bucket capacity was 30 cubic yards. Even with such great efforts coal mining continued to dwindle within the community. The train depot was razed in 1972 and all coal freight was ordered out of the Harrisburg Hump Yard by 1973. During the 1970s and 1980s, many of the city-square storefronts and mini-plazas became vacant and were slowly abandoned as large chain stores and strip malls on Commercial Street became the dominant venues for shopping and entertainment, hoping to bring an influx of travelers from the main highway.

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 legislation forced many utility companies in the United States to switch to low-sulfur coal. In response Harrisburg's already waning economy took a severe downturn. The freight yard had closed in 1982; Sahara Coal Company shut down operations in 1993, and 865 jobs were lost in the county that year. This ended the reign of big coal in Harrisburg, a way of life for residents for over 100 years. The Cairo and Vincennes Railroad/Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway system tracks were taken up in the late 1980s and replaced by the Tunnel Hill State Trail in 1996.

Post-coal economy
Soon Pioneer history was showcased at the Saline County Area Historical Museum on the city's southern edge. The 3 acre site includes the three-story high Old Pauper Home, which was once part of the county's 170 acre poor farm, built in 1877. The site also features a variety of cabins, a one-room school house, a small church and other historic buildings that have been acquired, moved to the site and restored.

The Harrisburg-Raleigh Airport is located approximately four miles north of Harrisburg on Highway 34. The Harrisburg-Raleigh Airport Authority operates the airport. The Airport has two runways–32/14 and 6/24. Runway 24 includes a 1000 ft extension, bringing the runway to 5000 ft with a GPS-RNAV approach.

Two industrial zones were set up within the township in 1974 by the Saline County Industrial Development Co., one located in Dorrisville, and the other located near the Harrisburg-Raleigh Airport. The one in Dorrisville had the advantage of rail spur prior to the removal of the New York Central tracks. A Tax Increment Finance district was built on the property of the old rail yard north of the city where the Harrisburg Professional Park was built.

The 2000s saw a slight economic boom to the city. The industrial base within the city, while most were not coal-related, gave opportunity to a number of city residents. American Coal and Arclar, the only two coal mines in the county were producing low sulfur coal as an energy resource. Kerr-McGee Coal Corporation's Galatia Complex was purchased by the American Coal Company in 1998. American Coal employed about 580 workers, while Arclar employed 175 persons. Nationwide Glove Factory employed 225 persons, and American Needle was the second-largest non-coal company with 125 workers. Southern Truss and Harrisburg Truss companies employed together 100 employees manufacturing building components. In 2008 construction on the Harrisburg Wal-Mart Supercenter was completed. Wal-Mart will give $21,950 in grants to the Anna Bixby Women's Center, Bridge Medical Clinic, CASA of Saline County, Harrisburg District Library, Harrisburg Police Department, Harvest Deliverance Center Food Pantry, Regional Superintendent of Schools, Saline County Senior Citizens Council and Saline County Sheriff's Department. The building is 184000 sqft and added 150 new jobs to the county. The Supercenter became the second-largest employer in the city, with 340 employees on its payroll. A new strip mall was completed on the south side of town, and Parker Plaza, the oldest shopping center in town was renovated with a new facade to promote commercial growth in the city.

Things slowly took a turn for the worse when former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's decision to move a division of I-DOT to Southern Illinois was overturned by his successor Pat Quinn. Blagojevich's decision outraged lawmakers in Springfield. A lawsuit was filed to stop the move to Harrisburg. Matters were exacerbated when videos of the new home for the IDOT traffic safety division being surrounded by water surfaced on YouTube in late 2007.

The early 2010s saw a series of unfortunate economic events for the city. In December 2010, Harrisburg's AMC, formerly Kerasotes' Cinema 4 theater, closed. This was the first time Harrisburg had been without a cinema since 1920. After release of the 2010 census, in February 2011, the city learned that its population had dropped to a low of 9,017 people, an 8.5 percent decrease. It was the lowest population since the pre-coal boom of 1900. Harrisburg also suffered from numerous scandals involving the school district and police department. In 2011, the Chief Deputy of the Saline County Sheriffs Department was sentenced to prison for sexually abusing a high school student who was working as an intern. The biggest hit was in late February 2012, an EF4 tornado hit Harrisburg during the 2012 Leap Day tornado outbreak. The southern part of the city was heavily damaged, with houses and businesses destroyed, many of which were completely leveled. Eight people were killed and 110 were injured by that tornado. In November 2012 a decision was made to close Willow Lake Mine, one of the last remaining mines in Saline County, putting 400 employees out of work.

In 2016, Harrisburg opened a new movie theater. In 2018 Mason Ramsey, a boy from Golconda, went viral after yodeling his rendition of Hank Williams' "Lovesick Blues" in the Harrisburg Walmart. Within a few days videos of his performance collectively garnered over 25 million views and he became a viral sensation and Internet meme.

Harrisburg continues to be the retail hub of Saline County. It holds the nearest shopping centers, restaurants, churches, gas stations, banks, and other commerce within miles. However, industrial jobs are scarce.

Geography
Harrisburg is located at 37.73389°N, -88.54583°W (37.733765, −88.545873). According to the 2010 census, Harrisburg has a total area of 6.759 sqmi, of which 6.55 sqmi (or 96.91%) is land and 0.209 sqmi (or 3.09%) is water. The square in the center of town, as well as Dorrisville and Gaskins City, stand on top of a series of sandstone bluffs that were once islands rising above natural lowlands, 338 ft above sea level, dredged by the middle fork of the Saline River. The Saline River was a navigable river used by early settlers for transportation to and from Salt Works just east of Harrisburg. The Saline flowed towards the Ohio and flooded every spring in events called Freshets. The locals called the island "Crusoe's Island". When the area was drained, homes and businesses were built in the floodplain, and it became prone to serious flooding for years to come. The town square in the center of town is a sandstone bluff 410 ft above sea level, one of the first that start the Shawnee Hills to the south. Topographic maps show the bluffs that rise from the Saline River that wraps the northeast part of the city. Harrisburg is located at the ending point of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, which covered about 85 percent of Illinois. The edge of Illinoian ice sheet(s) lay further south than the southernmost extent, i.e. Douglas County, Kansas, of any of the Pre-Illinoian ice sheets.

Gateway to the Shawnee National Forest
More than 270000 acre of Shawnee National Forest lie to the south of Harrisburg, drawing visitors annually to the Saline County area and the gateway community. The Shawnee National Forest offers much to see and do. The national forest has 1250 mi of roadways, some 150 mi of streams and frequent waterfalls, numerous ponds and lakes as large as 2700 acre (some with swimming beaches), 13 campgrounds, many picnicking sites, and seven wilderness areas where trails are designed for hiking and horseback riding.

Plant life is extremely diverse and ranges from sun-loving species to those that grow in dense shade. Tree cover dominates the publicly owned acreage, and is a significant component on privately owned lands. Oak-hickory is the predominant timber type, however, many other commercially important timber species also occupy significant acreages. More than 500 wildlife species can be found in the Forest, including 48 mammals, 237 birds, 52 reptiles, 57 amphibians, and 109 species of fish. There are seven federally listed threatened and endangered species that inhabit the Forest, as well as 33 species which are considered regionally sensitive, and 114 Forest-listed species.

When the Shawnee Purchase Units were first established, temporary headquarters were set up in Room 303, First Trust and Savings Bank Building, Harrisburg, Illinois. This was the only modern office building in the town of Harrisburg suitable for headquarters, and the forest has continued to occupy this building as Supervisor's offices. Expansion of the offices has continued since 1933, until today (June 1938), ten rooms on the third floor, and four rooms on the fourth floor, are leased by the Forest Service. Employees who were here during the early days of the forest tell of the chaos and confusion caused by the small space under lease, the incoming shipments of equipment and supplies, and the constant inflow of new personnel.

Cottage Grove Fault System

After the 5.5 Richter Scale magnitude 1968 Illinois earthquake, scientists realized that there was a previously unknown fault under Saline County, just south of Eldorado near Harrisburg. This fault is called the Cottage Grove Fault, a small tear in the Earth's rock running west–east, in the Southern Illinois Basin. The fault is connected to the north–south trending Wabash Valley Fault System at its eastern end. Seismographic mapping completed by geologists reveal that monoclines, anticlines, and synclines are present within the region; these signs suggest deformation during the Paleozoic era coincident to strike-slip faulting nearby.

A focal mechanism solution of the earthquake confirmed two nodal planes both striking north–south and dipping approximately 45 degrees to the east and to the west. This faulting suggests dip-slip reverse motion, and to a horizontal east–west axis of confining stress. The rupture also occurred partially on the New Madrid Fault, responsible for the great New Madrid earthquakes in 1812, consisting of the most powerful earthquakes to hit the contiguous United States.

Cityscape

During the early 20th century, urbanization of the city due to the geographical feature of "Cruesoe's Island" and surrounding coal mining property created a density not seen in many cities of its size. The city at the time with a population nearing 10,000 was forced to tightly cram homes and businesses upon the sandstone outcropping less than a square mile in diameter leading many to build their buildings with multiple stories around the town square. The Saline County courthouse and square have gone through many transformations within the past 100 years. In the 19th century, the town had dirt streets with a large Greek Revival courthouse with Doric columns built by Swiss-born, Evansville, Indiana Architect J. K. Frick & Co in 1861. The courthouse was replaced in 1906 with a larger building designed by then well-known architect John W. Gaddis of Vincennes, Indiana. The structure was an identical model to the Perry County Courthouse at Perryville, Missouri, both built the same year. A smaller version of the central clock tower of the courthouse, including the original clock, manufactured by the Howard Clock Company, of Boston Massachusetts in 1904 was recreated in 1996, and placed in a small lot behind the Clearwave Building's parking lot. The Howard clock company was notable for manufacturing large clocks in such buildings as the Wrigley Building in Chicago, and the Ferry Building in San Francisco, California. The town square was completely surrounded by brick streets in 1906. Harrisburg had 25 mi of brick streets, but now only a few blocks are left.

Harrisburg has not yet begun a National Trust for Historic Preservation, Main Street historical preservation program. Saline County is within a recognized historical district, the "Ohio River Route Where Illinois Began". Two buildings in Harrisburg are currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places, those being the City Hall and the Saline County Poor Farm.

The square itself held an array of coal mining offices, privately owned business, grocery and department stores, pharmacies and bars. During the closing of the coal mining era, most of the businesses left the square and moved to the main drag of Rt. 45, constructed in 1926. The courthouse built by John W. Gaddis was replaced with a modern, more efficient building in 1967 after the older building was condemned. Over the years, the architecture that graced Harrisburg square has slowly turned to rotting older structures mixed in with a hodge-podge of newer updated buildings. Currently there are a few privately owned downtown renovation projects in progress on and around the square.

The Harrisburg Mitchell-Carnegie Library, located on Church Street south of the square and built with a grant from Andrew Carnegie, was built in 1908 and opened to the public in 1909. The building served the community until 2000 when the library was moved to a new building on north Main Street. During the 1937 flood, the library was used as a makeshift hospital until the water boiler burst. The building now serves as a church.

Harrisburg has three city parks. Memorial Park, Gaskins City Park, and Dorris Heights Park. Memorial Park, on the west end of town, is the largest with the city park pool and a large lagoon snaking through the center, founded in 1935.

The Sunset Lawn Cemetery is the largest in the county, founded in 1880, connected to the west edge of the city. The cemetery contains ornate tombstones and crypts, within which are the remains of most of the city's original founders and prominent residents. Sunset Lawn contained the 90-year-old Sunset Mausoleum. The crypt had marble floors, with 75 persons buried inside. The structure was condemned in 2008 and there were plans of removal of the bodies and reburial within the cemetery, but due to problems finding many of the family members, has not came to fruition.

In May 2010, on 301 N. Granger Street, the 1895 home of city bricklayer and early proprietor Robert King was set to be demolished. The homeowners donated it to Saline County Habitat for Humanity last year hoping that the organization might be able to restore it. The home was considered "unrestorable". In 2012, Harrisburg High School was placed on the Landmark Illinois endangered buildings list. Two seniors at Harrisburg High School were preparing a nomination of the building for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, and they helped to distribute a petition through social media to help save the school.

Harrisburg neighborhoods

Harrisburg is split up into several small neighborhoods that were annexed into the city limits over time, from north to south.
 * Dorris Heights – A subdivision established in 1923 on land owned by W.S. and Bertha Dorris. Annexed in 1979. Sits to the direct north of Harrisburg with the Dorris Heights Street being the main road through the area. The Saline County Fair Grounds sits to between Dorris Heights St. and the Levee to the north. Small Street heads east from Dorris Heights towards the Arrow Head Point shopping center.
 * Buena Vista – Situated to the south and north of Route 13 (Poplar Street), and west of the main village. It holds the newer town water tower and several homes. It is bordered by Liberty to the south.
 * Wilmoth Addition – Is an area of prominently African American residents north of Old Harrisburg, and just south of Dorris Heights. A good portion of the Wilmoth Addition was slowly abandoned and torn down when the Rt. 13 bypass was built in 2008.
 * Old Harrisburg Village – The streets that surround the town square. It includes everything on Main street north and south, and Poplar street from the levee to the east and the town park to the west. It also includes the High School, the old Junior High, West and East Side schools, the Courthouse, the town park and cemetery to the west, and the main shopping strip on Route 45. This part of the city is the oldest, and is recognized mainly by the densely packed gilded age houses and structures lined on narrow brick streets. Most of this area is located on "Crusoe's Island", and was built during a pre-automobile-centric Harrisburg.
 * Gaskins City – Includes a small village annexed in 1905, named for the Gaskins family of Harrisburg, prominent business owners and coal entrepreneurs of the Egyptian Coal Company, later sold to O'Gara. Gaskins City is a series of several blocks that exists to the east of the Harrisburg Levee and Route 45. Sloan Street crosses Route 45, runs straight into the center of Gaskins City and terminates at the Harrisburg Medical Center. It contains Gaskins City Baptist Church, Shawnee Hills Country Club, and is an upper-class neighborhood. It used to have its own school at one time. A large part of Gaskins City was obliterated by the 2012 EF4 Tornado. Part of Harrisburg Medical Center was also heavily damaged.
 * Garden Heights – Slightly south of Gaskins City. Connects it with Route 34 and Pankyville.
 * Dorrisville – Straight south of Harrisburg, and established in 1905 with a post office, and annexed by the city in 1923. Dorrisville holds the Dorrisville Baptist Church, the Saline County Area Historical Museum, and "Pauper Farm Crossing", which is on the crossroads of Feazel Street and Route 45. Most people recognize Dorrisville as the first 5–6 blocks north, west, and east of the Feazel Street and Barnett Street 4-way stop. A large part of Dorrisville along the Barnett Street corridor and south of Main Street was destroyed in the tornado. Many houses were destroyed or had lost their roofs.
 * Liberty – Was a smaller rural community to the far southwest of Harrisburg along Liberty Road. It included Liberty Church and cemetery. In 1873, designer of the Cairo and Vincennes Railroad, Green Berry Raum of Harrisburg, opened a slope mine on the south side of the rails near Liberty. It became the first in the county to ship coal by rail-car. The mine was called Ledford Slope, and the spot was called Liberty Crossing. Liberty is bordered by the old mining community of Ledford 3 mi south of Harrisburg, Dorrisville to the west, and Buena Vista to the north. Liberty holds the new Junior High building.
 * Ledford – Ledford had been a complete town unto itself. It was the home ground of Charles Birger, and had several stores, its own school system, and a post office. Ledford was a coal mining community set up by mostly Hungarians during the 19th century. It holds a large cemetery, an historic Hungarian cemetery, and the Ledford Baptist Church. Ledford is spread across a 4 mi span of land along Route 45 between Carrier Mills and Harrisburg, with several roads branching off to the left and right of the highway. It is all considered "Ledford".

Climate
Harrisburg has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa), bordering on a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa) with neither large mountains nor large bodies of water to moderate its temperature. Both cold Arctic air and hot, humid tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico affect the region. The city has four distinct seasons. The highest average temperature is in July at 78.7 F, while the lowest average temperature is 33.4 F in January. However, summer temperatures can rise over 100 F, and winter temperatures can drop below 0 F. Average monthly precipitation ranges from a 3.10 in in September to 5.26 in in April, with the heaviest occurring during spring. Snowfall, which normally occurs from November to April, ranges from 1 to 7 in per month. The highest recorded temperature was 113 F on July 13, 1936, and the lowest recorded temperature was on February 2, 1951, at -23 F.

Flood risks
Flooding along the Ohio River, causing back flow of the middle fork of the Saline River has plagued Harrisburg over the years. The city was flooded in 1883–1884 and again in 1913. The most severe came during the Ohio River flood of 1937 when much of the city, except "Crusoes' Island", a downtown orbit that encircled the town square, was underwater. High water had reached 30 mi from the river, and the city was flooded in its position among tributary lowlands. 10,000 out of the 16,000 residents were left stranded on the crowded "island" for weeks, while the other 80% of Harrisburg was completely inundated. By the time the flood waters had receded, 4000 were left homeless. Between Gallatin County and Harrisburg, about 25 mi of Illinois Route 13 was covered by 8.0 to 14.0 ft of water; motorboats navigated the entire distance to rescue marooned families. National guard boats were the means of transportation in the city, and several thousand people were transported daily from temporary island to island. According to the Sanborn Map Company, Harrisburg in October 1925 had a population of 15,000, and in a revised version by January 1937 the population had fallen to 13,000. After that, a levee was erected north and east of the city for protection from future floods. The levee became the unofficial northern and eastern border of the town. No businesses or residences exist in the Saline River Middle Fork floodplains. Flooding reoccurred in January 1982 due to drainage problems from the frozen ground, and in 1983, due to 8 in of rain. The Pankey Branch pumping system, on the east side of town, was built to handle flooding from the Saline River only, and has serious complex watershed technical problems, causing continual water backup within the levee during large rain events. The city rebuilt a new pumping system and requested the Army Corps of Engineers to certify the levee.

Flood of 2008
In Saline County, a preliminary estimate indicated $16.8 million in damage caused by 11.5 in of rain on March 18–19, 2008. At least 30 homes and 44 businesses had water over the first floor. Many business owners faced quite a task as they assessed the damage and began cleaning up. Others were able to reopen fairly quickly after suffering only minimal damage or waiting for flood waters to recede so that customers could reach their businesses. Harrisburg officials reported 74 businesses affected by flooding, Businesses along Commercial Street (U.S. Route 45), were hardest hit. Kroger, which had just undergone a major renovation, reportedly had 2 ft or more of water inside. The Federal Emergency Management Agency denied flood recovery grants and loans to Illinois. Flooding in the city was being called the worst in 71 years.

Tornado of 2012

Spawned by a weather system that had originated in Kansas, an EF-4 tornado slammed into Harrisburg early on the morning of February 29, 2012. The tornado touched down just north of Carrier Mills at 4:51 am, destroyed a church and damaged houses along Town Park Road, and then traveled ENE through the Harrisburg Coal Field just north of Ledford, and then went through Liberty, where it damaged Harrisburg Middle School. The tornado then reached the south-western edge of the city at 4:56 am, specifically Dorrisville, which suffered significant property damage, and then churned eastward to Gaskins City which was nearly leveled; seven people were confirmed dead in that area, most killed in an apartment complex that was crushed by another residence, and 110 were injured overall. On June 3, another victim died in the hospital from their injuries, raising the death toll to 8. Harrisburg Medical Center was also significantly damaged in Gaskins City. Peak winds were estimated to have been about 180 mph, and the width of the tornado path was 275 yards, traveling 26.5 miles. In Harrisburg, more than 200 houses, and about 25 businesses were destroyed or damaged heavily. At least 10 houses and other buildings were leveled completely, and several structures were displaced from their foundations. Early estimates indicated nearly 40% of the city was damaged or destroyed. The following night, a mandatory curfew was enforced in the effected areas, from 6 p.m. through 6 am. Counting the damage and death toll, it was reported to be the worst storm since the Joplin, Missouri, tornado. Harrisburg Unit 3 schools were closed until March 5, 2012, and later they offered trauma counseling to students after reopening.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and IEMA began doing preliminary damage assessments on March 5, 2012, to determine the need for public assistance. The storm damage in Harrisburg dominated national airwaves for several days, with both Anderson Cooper and Diane Sawyer doing special reports. Both The New York Times and Chicago Tribune published articles about the resilient history and nature of Harrisburg to rebound from the tornado and floods that have hit the city since its founding in 1889.

Demographics
According to the 2010 census, there were 9,017 people living within the city limits. Of the 8,765 persons who identified with one race, 7,983 (88.5%) were white, 589 (6.5%) were black or African-American, 45 (0.5%) American Indian, 74 (0.8%) Asian, 8 (0.1%) Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islanders, and 66 (0.8%) who claimed some other race. The Hispanic population was 209 (2.3%). There were 4,193 total housing units; 3,753 (89.5%) were occupied and 440 (10.5%) vacant.

Media
The Daily Register, based in Harrisburg, has been providing coverage of news for southeastern Illinois since 1869, and is owned by GateHouse Media. It is the major daily newspaper serving Harrisburg, Saline County, and distributes to Paducah, Kentucky, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and Mount Vernon, Illinois. The second major newspaper is The Eldorado Daily Journal, based in Eldorado and operated by GateHouse as a sister newspaper to the Register. Newspapers are also delivered into the city from as far away as Evansville, Chicago, and St. Louis. It is often included in the Illinois–Indiana–Kentucky tri-state area.

Harrisburg has one television station licensed directly to the city; WSIL-TV. Broadcasting on channel 3, it is the ABC affiliate for a wide area of southern Illinois, western Kentucky and southeastern Missouri. The station's studios reside in nearby Carterville. There is one major AM broadcasting station in Harrisburg, WEBQ 1240 (also on 93.7 FM), now a country music station that has broadcast news and music to the region since the 1930s, its FM sister station (WEBQ-FM) is a St. Louis Cardinals affiliate and airs an adult standards format. WOOZ 99.9 FM Z100, operating a country format, is also licensed to the city, with studios in nearby Carterville.

Government, healthcare, and education
Harrisburg is the county seat of Saline County with a mayor and council form of government. The city has four main council members. The city has a Police Department that shares a building with the Sheriff's department with 13 sworn officers and a civilian secretary. There are 7 full-time firefighters and 15 on-call members and a trained Emergency Medical Technician working for the Harrisburg Fire Department, working out of a central station. It has three fire trucks, a 65 ft snorkel, a rescue truck, a 4×4 brush truck, and a 2000 USgal tanker truck.

The City of Harrisburg operates its own water distribution system. It has a storage capacity of 6000000 USgal in elevated tanks. The water processing plant has a capacity of 4,000,000 per day, while average daily consumption is about 2,500,000 gallons. The city's water treatment plant has a design capacity of 3,125,000 gallons per day. Its average load is 1200000 USgal per day.

Harrisburg Hospital was at one time located in a four-story complex one block from the town square, but in the 1990s moved to Harrisburg Medical Center where 71 beds and 34 physicians are on staff. It also has an 18-bed psychiatric area. In 1995, the hospital completed a multimillion-dollar expansion and renovation program. There are 25 nursing homes in the Harrisburg and southeastern Illinois area. Three are located within the city. Harrisburg also has several clinics, and specialized physicians have offices within the city.

Harrisburg Community Unit School District 3 serves the city's student population with two K-6 elementary schools, a junior high school, and a senior high school. More than 2,300 students are enrolled in the district's schools. More than 1,300 students attend East Side and West Side Elementary schools. Malan Junior High was the main middle school for the city until 2005 when the new middle school was built in Liberty, which has 300 students enrolled. Harrisburg High School has more than 600 students enrolled. The city has seven preschools and daycare centers. Harrisburg once had several schools within the township before the different neighborhoods were annexed, all are now closed down, a few are, Horace Mann, McKinley School, Bayliss School, Phillips School, and Ledford school.

Higher education
Southeastern Illinois College is a two-year junior college that sits on a 148 acre campus east of the city limits. SIC enrolls more than 2,000 students each semester in college transfer and career education programs. SIC was founded in 1960. Other nearby local colleges and universities are Southern Illinois University campus at Carbondale; John A. Logan College, at Carterville; Rend Lake College, at Ina; Eastern Illinois University, at Charleston; Shawnee Community College at Ullin; and the University of Evansville, at Evansville, Indiana.

Transportation
Rides Mass Transit District provides fixed-route and demand-response transit service in Harrisburg and the surrounding region. The Bulldog Route is the fixed-route bus service that operates within Harrisburg Monday-Saturday.

Popular culture

 * The Good Wife – Season 3, Episode 21 – "The Penalty Box". Character Judge Murphy Wicks, played by actor Stephen Root, lived in Harrisburg, the Gateway to the Shawnee National Forest.

Notable people

 * William Badders, US Navy sailor, Medal of Honor recipient
 * Charlie Birger, notorious gangster
 * John E. Bradley, state representative
 * Danny Fife, MLB pitcher for the Minnesota Twins
 * James D. Fowler. state representative
 * Virginia Gregg, actress, born in Harrisburg (1916), known as the voice of Norman Bates' mother in Psycho
 * Chuck Hunsinger, running back for the Chicago Bears and the Montreal Alouettes; known for fumbling a ball in the 42nd Grey Cup
 * John H. Pickering, founding partner of the law firm Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering
 * Mason Ramsey, Walmart Yodeling Kid
 * General Green Berry Raum, Civil War general, and president of the Cairo and Vincennes Railroad
 * John Romonosky, 1950s baseball player, St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Senators
 * Dale Swann, character actor born in the Harrisburg
 * H. B. Tanner, state representative and businessman.
 * Oral P. Tuttle, Illinois, state senator and lawyer
 * Henry Turner, physician who first described Turner syndrome
 * Stanley B. Weaver. Illinois state legislator and funeral director, was born in Harrisburg.

title: Harrisburg, Illinois


text:
Muddy, Illinois

Muddy is a small incorporated village located in the Harrisburg Township in Saline County, Illinois, United States. The population was 78 at the 2000 census.

History
During the 19th century, the site of Muddy was home to a small settlement known as Robinson's Ford, which was among the communities considered for the seat of Saline County after the county's creation in the 1840s. The modern village of Muddy had its start as a mining settlement established by the Harrisburg Big Muddy Coal Company, for which it was named, in 1903. The mine was sold to the larger O'Gara Coal Company in 1906.

The former St. Ioasaph Orthodox Church in Muddy, built in 1913, is dedicated to Ioasaph of Belgorod. The church was located on South St. at 37.76559°N, -88.52243°W. This church was attended by eastern European immigrants, including Russians, Slovaks, Poles, and Rusyns,. It was dismantled in 2019.

Geography
Muddy is located at 37.76417°N, -88.51444°W (37.764086, -88.514469). The village lies along U.S. Route 45 northeast of Harrisburg and southwest of Eldorado. The Middle Fork of the Saline River flows just southwest of Muddy. The Tunnel Hill State Trail, a 45 mi rail trail, passes through the village.

According to the 2010 census, Muddy has a total area of 0.301 sqmi, of which 0.3 sqmi (or 99.67%) is land and 0.001 sqmi (or 0.33%) is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 78 people, 34 households, and 21 families residing in the village. The population density was 296.9 PD/sqmi. There were 39 housing units at an average density of 148.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 88.46% White, 5.13% African American, 2.56% Native American, 3.85% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.85% of the population.

There were 34 households, out of which 38.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-families. 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 17.9% from 18 to 24, 17.9% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $24,375, and the median income for a family was $28,750. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $28,250 for females. The per capita income for the village was $13,384. There were no families and 7.7% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Muddy, Illinois


text:
Raleigh, Illinois

Raleigh is a village in Saline County, Illinois, United States. The population was 330 at the 2000 census.

History
The village of Raleigh was the seat of Saline County following the county's troubled creation in 1847. Raleigh had its own school, several stores, and was a bustling village. Now, along with many Saline County towns, Raleigh has been abandoned by business and commerce, leaving only 350 residents.

On October 11, 1847, at a meeting of the County Commissioners held in Curran, a location and name for a County Seat for the newly formed Saline County was established. The Musgrave family, having moved from Raleigh, North Carolina, convinced the group to name the new county seat "Raleigh". William St. C. Clark, Israel W. Crawford, and Martin Kittinger helped Archibald Sloan survey the town. George Bond, William Carr, and William Stricklin were to build a county road reaching from Raleigh to the boundary line of Saline and Williamson Counties. Raleigh Township was six square miles. When the surveying was completed, there were only three families living in Raleigh. The family of Andrew Musgrave owned 200 acres of farm ground. Mrs. (William) Crawford and Archibald Sloan were the other two occupants.

Lots in the town were sold to raise money to pay for the construction of a new county courthouse. Some of the earliest Raleigh residents were: Alfred Aldrich from Posey County, Indiana (built a log house and opened a store), John F. Ammon (station agent), John Choisser from Kaskaskia, James M. Gaston, Henry Goodrich (blacksmith), Mr. McElvain, Tom Mitchell, Osborn Powell (blacksmith).

The first courthouse was a 20' x 24' building constructed by James M. Gaston from logs. It was two stories tall. The courtroom occupied the entire first floor. The second story held two rooms and a hallway, used during court proceedings for grant or petit purposes. The courthouse was finished August 15, 1858, at a cost of $5,500.00. About 8 months after completion of the new building, a group began scheming to have the courthouse, and hence the County Seat, moved out of Raleigh. The subject of taking the County Seat away from Raleigh was a very heated, hostile event. Arguments held that Harrisburg was a more central location. Petitions were passed around that put the issue on the ballot; a margin of 15 votes decided the fate of Raleigh. Raleigh filed suit but they never got their day in court because each time a date was set the hearing was postponed with no action every being taken and the suit was finally thrown out of court. It is rumored, and is included in the records in the Inventory of the County Archives of Illinois that some Harrisburg residents bribed the court. Accusations have been made that a group of people actually sneaked into Raleigh one night, broke into the Courthouse, stole the county records, and took them to Harrisburg. Only two families were living in Harrisburg at the time Harrisburg became the County Seat. The last County Court held in Raleigh was in June 1858.

Geography
Raleigh is located at 37.82708°N, -88.53374°W.

According to the 2010 census, Raleigh has a total area of 1.983 sqmi, of which 1.98 sqmi (or 99.85%) is land and 0.003 sqmi (or 0.15%) is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 330 people, 144 households, and 94 families residing in the village. The population density was 167.1 PD/sqmi. There were 182 housing units at an average density of 92.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 99.39% White, 0.30% Native American and 0.30% Pacific Islander. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.30% of the population.

There were 144 households, out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the village, the age distribution of the population shows 25.8% under the age of 20, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.3 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $25,000, and the median income for a family was $37,857. Males had a median income of $36,667 versus $16,071 for females. The per capita income for the village was $13,054. About 21.8% of families and 29.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.4% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Todd Duffee, Mixed martial arts fighter,[Formerly Signed with Ultimate Fighting Championship, Use to Hold The UFC Fastest KO In History, At UFC 102 Against Tim Hauge]
 * Wid Matthews, outfielder with the Philadelphia Athletics and Washington Senators; later became a baseball executive and scout

title: Raleigh, Illinois


text:
Stonefort, Illinois

Stonefort is a village in Saline and Williamson Counties, Illinois, United States. The population was 297 at the 2010 census.

History
Stonefort is named for an ancient rock fortification that stood in the vicinity when the first settlers started arriving in the area in the early 1800s. The village of Stonefort was established in the late 1850s, and was originally located about a mile to the southeast, near the edge of the bluff. When the Cairo and Vincennes Railroad (later part of the Big Four and New York Central systems) was completed through the area in the 1870s, Stonefort's public buildings were dismantled and moved to the village's present location, which was adjacent to the railroad tracks. The former site of the village is now listed as "Oldtown" on maps.

Geography
Stonefort is located at 37.61667°N, -88.70722°W (37.616615, -88.707143). The village is situated atop a ridge that rises above the South Fork Saline River valley to the north and the Little Saline River valley to the south. U.S. Route 45 connects Stonefort with Carrier Mills to the northeast and New Burnside to the southwest. The Tunnel Hill State Trail, a 45 mi rail trail, traverses Stonefort.

According to the 2010 census, Stonefort has a total area of 1.456 sqmi, of which 1.45 sqmi (or 99.59%) is land and 0.006 sqmi (or 0.41%) is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 297 people, 131 households, and 89 families residing in the village. The population density was 199.9 PD/sqmi. There were 144 housing units at an average density of 98.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 97.60% White, 1.03% African American, 1.03% from other races, and 0.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.71% of the population.

There were 131 households, out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.70.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 19.2% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 24.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $28,654, and the median income for a family was $31,442. Males had a median income of $38,125 versus $22,083 for females. The per capita income for the village was $16,937. About 6.0% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under the age of eighteen and 18.0% of those 65 or over.

title: Stonefort, Illinois


text:
Auburn, Illinois

Auburn is a city in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,771 at the 2010 census, and 4,681 in 2018. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
Auburn was originally platted in 1836, a mile north of its present location. It was one of several towns named Auburn that were platted in Illinois during the town lot boom of the 1830s. George and Asa Eastman, who had purchased a large amount of land in the area, platted the town. Their sister Hannah named it for Auburn, Maine, near their family home.

The Eastman family operated a tannery and steam-powered flour mill at Auburn until 1841, when they moved to Springfield. Their departure left Auburn with about six households. Most towns founded in this period failed, but Auburn was able to survive thanks to being located on a postal stagecoach line between Alton and Springfield, so that from 1839 on Auburn was the site of the local post office. The stage coach road followed the present-day path of Illinois State Route 4. Despite its small size in this period, Auburn had a tavern and shops and served as a gathering point for the open-country community around it.

The route of the Alton and Sangamon Railroad, which began running in 1852, bypassed Auburn. In 1853, the town was moved a mile south to its present location on the railroad. By 1860 it had a population of nearly 250 people. The relocated town was initially known as "Wineman" after the local landowner who had induced the railroad to bypass Auburn. When the state legislature incorporated it in 1865, however, the town was renamed Auburn.

From the 1880s to 1924, coal mining dominated Auburn's economy. The miners were mostly new arrivals, but the descendants of old settlers owned many of the local businesses.

In 1896, the Auburn post office was the site of the first Rural Free Delivery service in Illinois, part of a nationwide test. Three rural letter carriers rode 35-mile routes. The experiment was well-received: some local farmers changed their post office to Auburn to take advantage of the new system. The First Assistant Postmaster General noted that the roads in the area were "almost as difficult of transit as when Abraham Lincoln 'rode the circuit'".

A fire in 1910 destroyed much of Auburn's town square.

From 1926 to 1930, US Route 66 passed through Auburn, approximately along the present-day route of State Route 4. A brick-paved portion of the original Route 66 alignment, known as the "Auburn Brick Road", survives just north of Auburn and has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places for its engineering significance. The brick paving was not completed until 1931, when US 66 had already been realigned to the east.

Geography
According to the 2010 census, Auburn has a total area of 4.08 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
At the 2000 census there were 4,317 people in 1,618 households, including 1,187 families, in the city. The population density was 1,368.0 PD/sqmi. There were 1,753 housing units at an average density of 555.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 98.36% White, 0.30% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.30% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.76%.

Of the 1,618 households 42.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 22.9% of households were one person and 9.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.09.

The age distribution was 30.4% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.4 males.

The median household income was $43,250 and the median family income was $49,200. Males had a median income of $34,339 versus $24,167 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,368. About 4.8% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Dutch Leonard, MLB pitcher for 20 years, was born in Auburn.
 * Roswell Magill (1895–1963), a leading tax expert of the 1930s, born in Auburn.

title: Auburn, Illinois


text:
Berlin, Illinois

Berlin is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 140 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is also colloquially called "Old Berlin", due to the larger village of New Berlin 1.4 miles south.

Geography
Berlin is located at 39.75694°N, -89.90333°W (39.756808, -89.903407).

According to the 2010 census, Berlin has a total area of 1 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 140 people, 62 households, and 46 families residing in the village. The population density was 140.6 PD/sqmi. There were 69 housing units at an average density of 69.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 99.29% White and 0.71% African American.

There were 62 households, out of which 21.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.9% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.2% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.51.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 16.4% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.3 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $38,125, and the median income for a family was $41,042. Males had a median income of $29,375 versus $28,750 for females. The per capita income for the village was $15,079. There were 23.1% of families and 21.1% of the population living below the poverty line, including 24.1% of under eighteens and 30.8% of those over 64.

title: Berlin, Illinois


text:
Buffalo, Illinois

Buffalo is a village in Mechanicsburg Township in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 503 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography
Buffalo is located at 39.85167°N, -89.40917°W (39.851779, -89.409044).

According to the 2010 census, Buffalo has a total area of 0.37 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 491 people, 199 households, and 135 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,332.2 PD/sqmi. There were 208 housing units at an average density of 564.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 97.56% White, 0.61% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.22% of the population.

There were 199 households, out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.7% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $36,250, and the median income for a family was $51,250. Males had a median income of $31,641 versus $25,486 for females. The per capita income for the village was $19,637. About 8.7% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.3% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

 * Tri-City Community Unit School District 1 - - District website

Library

 * Tri-City Public Library District - - Library website

title: Buffalo, Illinois


text:
Cantrall, Illinois

Cantrall is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 144 at the 2020 census, up from 139 in 2010. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography
Cantrall is located at 39.93694°N, -89.67667°W (39.936969, -89.676634).

According to the 2010 census, Cantrall has a total area of 0.26 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 139 people, 53 households, and 40 families residing in the village. The population density was 545.3 PD/sqmi. There were 55 housing units at an average density of 215.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 99.28% White, and 0.72% Asian.

There were 53 households, out of which 43.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.0% were married couples living together, 3.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.5% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the village, the age distribution of the population shows 25.2% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 113.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $45,000, and the median income for a family was $45,417. Males had a median income of $49,375 versus $21,719 for females. The per capita income for the village was $21,610. There were none of the families and 1.4% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.

Local attractions
The Sangamon River State Fish and Wildlife Area is located 4.5 mi southwest of Cantrall, on the banks of the Sangamon River.

Notable person

 * Carl Vandagrift, infielder for the Indianapolis Hoosiers; born in Cantrall

title: Cantrall, Illinois


text:
Chatham, Illinois

Chatham is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. It is located 2.8 mi south of Springfield and has a retail trade area that extends into four other municipalities, including Springfield. The population was 11,500 as of the 2010 census and estimated to be 13,008 as of 2019. The village lies along the original alignment of historic U.S. Route 66 (Illinois Route 4).

Chatham is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography
Chatham is located at 39.67278°N, -89.69833°W (39.672899, -89.698385). According to the 2010 census, Chatham has a total area of 5.722 sqmi, of which 5.72 sqmi (or 99.97%) is land and 0.002 sqmi (or 0.03%) is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, the racial makeup of the village was 93.57% White, 2.47% African American, 0.09% Native American, 1.85% Asian, 0.46% from other races, and 1.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.97% of the population.

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,583 people, 3,083 households, and 2,472 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,728.7 PD/sqmi. There were 3,165 housing units at an average density of 637.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 97.48% White, 0.77% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.90% Asian, 0.15% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.77% of the population.

There were 3,083 households, out of which 47.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.9% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.8% were non-families. 16.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 32.0% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $60,350, and the median income for a family was $64,257. Males had a median income of $45,543 versus $31,883 for females. The per capita income for the village was $23,167. About 2.8% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Chatham is part of the Ball-Chatham School District, which includes Glenwood High School, three elementary schools, an Intermediate School, and a middle school. Chatham was one of five area schools awarded the Bright Star Award for educational excellence at the elementary and high school level. The website for these schools can be found at Chatham Schools Website.

Festivals
Every June the Chatham American Legion Homecoming Festival takes place in the Chatham town square. Each year in July, Chatham is host to the Chatham Sweet Corn Festival and Illinois Championship Cow Chip Throw sponsored by the Chatham Jaycees. Each year in September Chatham Jaycees host the Octoberfest in the Chatham town square

Places of interest

 * Chatham Railroad Museum (1902)
 * Caldwell Farmstead (National Register of Historic Places)
 * Interurban Trail, a mixed-use rails-to-trails trail, (Chatham and Woodside townships, 4.75 mi. in length)
 * Sugar Creek Covered Bridge is located 5 mi southeast of Chatham.
 * Chatham Clarion. (Local Newspaper)

Notable people

 * Kenneth Boyle, Illinois state representative and lawyer
 * Kelci Bryant, Olympic diver
 * Gracie Gold, US and Olympic figure skater
 * Phil Maton, pitcher for the Houston Astros
 * Nick Maton, infielder for the Detroit Tigers
 * Jayson Werth, outfielder for the Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals
 * Reid Detmers, pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels

title: Chatham, Illinois


text:
Clear Lake, Illinois

Clear Lake is an unincorporated community and former incorporated village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 267 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography
Clear Lake is located at 39.81417°N, -89.56694°W (39.814177, -89.566965).

Clear Lake is located northeast of Springfield, southwest of Riverton, and immediately west of the Sangamon River.

History
Camp Butler National Cemetery is located just to the north of Clear Lake. There is also a body of water located in the village called Clear Lake. Civil War-era Camp Butler’s training and mustering grounds were on the banks of and close to Clear Lake. As an isolated, sand-bottom lake, it provided relatively clean water for the troops and horses. After the Civil War this was a popular recreation area for many in the Springfield area. Clear Lake declined in importance after the larger Lake Springfield was built in the 1930s. The lake was bought by the City of Springfield in the 2000s as a backup water source.

George Donner, of the infamous Donner Party, lived in the Clear Lake area with his family and is buried at Oak Hill cemetery in Clear Lake.

The village of Clear Lake was incorporated by referendum in 1955. The first slate of officers were all members of a new political party known as the Clear Lake Independents, and ran unopposed.

The village was dissolved by referendum in 2022 (by which time it was officially known as "Clearlake"). Government services were taken over by Clear Lake Township and Sangamon County. The dissolution referendum passed by an overwhelming margin, with only 2 out of 38 votes opposed. It followed an earlier referendum in 2015 that failed by two votes, 19 to 17.

Education
Residents of Clear Lake are in the Riverton Community Unit School District.

Transportation
Clear Lake is located just to the northeast of the Interstate 55/Interstate 72 interchange near Springfield. Old US Route 36 runs directly through the village. Illinois Route 54 is located a few miles north of the village.

Notable Places
The Oaks Golf Course (formerly Oak Crest Country Club)

Gravel Pits (backup water supply for Springfield)

Devil's hole fishing area

Old Sangamon River Bridge

Roselawn and Oak Hill Cemetery

Sugar Creek

Sangamon River

Clear Lake

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 267 people, 104 households, and 79 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,871.8 PD/sqmi. There were 111 housing units at an average density of 1,193.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 96.25% White, 1.12% African American, 1.12% Asian, 0.75% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.87% of the population.

There were 104 households, out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $37,708, and the median income for a family was $40,536. Males had a median income of $35,625 versus $30,278 for females. The per capita income for the village was $15,284. About 18.4% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.6% of those under the age of eighteen and 22.9% of those 65 or over.

title: Clear Lake, Illinois


text:
Dawson, Illinois

Dawson is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 519 at the 2020 census. It is about 10 mi east of Springfield and is part of the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
Dawson was located along an old Indian trail that led from Clear Lake, Illinois, to Buffalo Hart, Illinois.

Dawson was laid out in 1854, when the railroad was extended to that point. The village was named after John Dawson, a member of a political group in Illinois in the 1830s led by Abraham Lincoln, that advocated moving the state capitol from Vandalia to Springfield. Dawson was incorporated in 1883.

Geography
According to the 2010 census, Dawson has a total area of 0.88 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
At the 2000 census, there were 466 people, 188 households and 140 families residing in the village. The population density was 535.0 /sqmi. There were 197 housing units at an average density of 226.2 /sqmi. The racial make-up of the village was 98.93% White and 1.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.43% of the population.

There were 188 households, of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.2% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present and 25.5% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.85.

23.0% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64 and 10.3% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.4 males.

The median household income was $51,250 and the median family income was $59,375. Males had a median income of $31,719 and females $27,396. The per capita income was $19,686. About 4.2% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 23.4% of those age 65 or over.

Popular culture
Dawson is the subject of the book You Can't Write City Hall, written by comedian and former mayor Jeremy Nunes.

title: Dawson, Illinois


text:
Divernon, Illinois

Divernon is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,172 at the 2010 census, and 1,119 at a 2018 estimate. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
A post office has been in operation at Divernon since 1887. The village took its name after Di Vernon, a character in the novel Rob Roy.

Geography
Divernon is located at 39.56611°N, -89.65583°W (39.566208, -89.655718).

According to the 2010 census, the village has a total area of 0.79 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,201 people, 480 households, and 340 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,507.3 PD/sqmi. There were 516 housing units at an average density of 647.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 98.67% White, 0.33% African American, 0.25% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.42% of the population.

There were 480 households, out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 26.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $43,750, and the median income for a family was $49,706. Males had a median income of $33,333 versus $26,042 for females. The per capita income for the village was $18,670. About 4.9% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Public schools are managed by Auburn Community Unit School District 10. Secondary education is provided by Auburn High School, located on North Seventh Street. The premises were previously occupied by Divernon High School.

Notable people

 * Joe Bukant, professional football player for the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Cardinals in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
 * Al Papai, MLB pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox

title: Divernon, Illinois


text:
Grandview, Illinois

Grandview is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,441 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography
Grandview is located at 39.81694°N, -89.62028°W (39.816950, -89.620313).

According to the 2010 census, Grandview has a total area of 0.34 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,537 people, 648 households, and 417 families residing in the village. The population density was 4,501.4 PD/sqmi. There were 685 housing units at an average density of 2,006.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 93.49% White, 4.75% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.52% of the population.

There were 648 households, out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.4% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $36,349, and the median income for a family was $39,485. Males had a median income of $27,697 versus $22,279 for females. The per capita income for the village was $17,499. About 8.6% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.3% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation
SMTD provides bus service on Routes 3 and 217 connecting Grandview to downtown Springfield and other destinations.

Notable people

 * Robert Carter (born 1945), justice of the Illinois Supreme Court from 2020 to 2022.

title: Grandview, Illinois


text:
Illiopolis, Illinois

Illiopolis is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 891 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
The name was formed from Illinois and -polis, a Greek suffix meaning "city".

Geography
Illiopolis is located at 39.85139°N, -89.24722°W (39.851351, −89.247131).

According to the 2010 census, Illiopolis has a total area of 0.46 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the census estimates of 2011, there were 897 people, 362 households, and 263 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,027.0 PD/sqmi. There were 390 housing units at an average density of 863.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 98.91% White, 0.22% Native American, and 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.11% of the population.

There were 362 households, out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $46,442, and the median income for a family was $52,898. Males had a median income of $36,250 versus $26,786 for females. The per capita income for the village was $19,473. About 2.7% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Ray Demmitt, outfielder for the New York Highlanders, St. Louis Browns, Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers
 * Eric Weaver, pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels

Formosa Plastics
Borden, Inc constructed a PVC plant west of Illiopolis in 1962 in the industrial area that had been the Sangamon Ordnance Plant. It operated the plant until 1987 when it transferred to Borden Chemicals and Plastics Operating Limited Partnership. Following that company's bankruptcy, the facility was purchased by Formosa Plastics Corporation in 2002. On April 24, 2004, the Formosa Plastics plant (formerly Borden) in Illiopolis exploded, killing five people, injuring others and causing a portion of the town to be evacuated. The fire burned for several days and the plant had not reopened as of 2007. On March 6, 2007, the United States Chemical Safety Board (CSB) released its final report on the incident indicating that an operator bypassed a safety interlock and drained a pressurized reactor instead of an empty one they were in the process of cleaning. The report listed as root causes, that Formosa-IL and Borden Chemical "did not adequately address the potential for human error.

title: Illiopolis, Illinois


text:
Jerome, Illinois

Jerome is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,656 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography
Jerome is located at 39.76806°N, -89.67889°W (39.768000, -89.678938).

According to the 2010 census, Jerome has a total area of 0.45 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,414 people, 708 households, and 393 families residing in the village. The population density was 3,806.8 PD/sqmi. There were 727 housing units at an average density of 1,957.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 94.13% White, 1.70% African American, 0.35% Native American, 1.98% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.35% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.70% of the population.

There were 708 households, out of which 20.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.4% were non-families. 39.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 2.64.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 18.0% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 25.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $41,974, and the median income for a family was $48,362. Males had a median income of $31,400 versus $30,508 for females. The per capita income for the village was $23,350. About 1.5% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 1.7% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation
SMTD provides bus service on Routes 8, 13, 15, 16 and 903 connecting Jerome to downtown Springfield and other destinations.

title: Jerome, Illinois


text:
Leland Grove, Illinois

Leland Grove is a city in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States, located adjacent to Springfield. It is part of the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,503 at the 2010 census.

History
Leland Grove was incorporated by a referendum of residents of several subdivisions in Woodside Township in April 1950 in order to improve the roads in the area, which at the time were mostly unpaved dirt roads. The city had an initial population of 1,060 people, and later grew by annexing additional subdivisions in the area. The new city succeeded in paving nine miles of roads in its first year and half, although this led to a significant budget deficit. The first city government, consisting of a mayor, clerk, treasurer and six aldermen, was voted in without opposition on June 20, 1950.

Like the neighboring village of Jerome, Leland Grove took its name from Jerome Leland, a prominent local farmer who hosted local events at a grove on his farm in the late 19th century. Much of the food served in Springfield's Leland Hotel was grown on the Leland farm. The Leland farmhouse stood in Leland Grove until 2021, when it was demolished by its owner, Frank Vala. In 2022, the summer kitchen outbuilding from the farmhouse was moved from the site to Washington Park in Springfield.

In 1957, Leland Grove residents (known as "Grovers") defeated a bid by the city of Springfield to annex their city. The question was put to a vote in both cities, and both city governments favored annexation. The outcome in Springfield was 5 to 1 in favor, but Grovers voted 3 to 1 against. After the vote, Springfield withdrew fire protection from Leland Grove, which was left without fire protection until 1959. Subsequent efforts by Springfield to annex Leland Grove and neighboring villages followed in 1960, 1971 and 1976, but were also unsuccessful.

For the first twenty years of its existence, Leland Grove did not have a police department. Initially traffic enforcement was handled by residents calling the city government to report if a delivery truck had violated traffic laws, and then a city officer would contact the delivery company to report the violation. In 1966, the city hired a private security agency. The city has maintained its own police force since 1970.

Geography
According to the 2010 census, Leland Grove has a total area of 0.63 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,592 people, 693 households, and 501 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,540.3 PD/sqmi. There were 724 housing units at an average density of 1,155.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 97.30% White, 0.44% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.88% Asian, 0.31% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.01% of the population.

There were 693 households, out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.5% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.73.

In the city the population was spread out, with 21.0% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 20.9% from 25 to 44, 33.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $75,437, and the median income for a family was $92,245. Males had a median income of $62,308 versus $45,673 for females. The per capita income for the city was $51,714. It has the highest per-capita income of any city outside the Chicago metropolitan area. None of the families and 2.7% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 5.0% of those over 64.

Transportation
SMTD provides bus service on Route 8 connecting Leland Grove to downtown Springfield and other destinations.

title: Leland Grove, Illinois


text:
Loami, Illinois

Loami is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 745 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is adjacent to the Nipper Wildlife Sanctuary, a parcel of tallgrass prairie replanted on the loam soil after which the village is named. The village was incorporated July 29, 1875

Geography
Loami is located at 39.67528°N, -89.84667°W (39.675394, -89.846545).

According to the 2010 census, Loami has a total area of 1.054 sqmi, of which 1.05 sqmi (or 99.62%) is land and 0.004 sqmi (or 0.38%) is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 804 people, 300 households, and 231 families residing in the village. The population density was 822.5 PD/sqmi. There were 321 housing units at an average density of 328.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 97.51% White, 0.50% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.75% Pacific Islander, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.87% of the population.

There were 300 households, out of which 40.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.0% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.7% were non-families. 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 28.7% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $46,591, and the median income for a family was $48,200. Males had a median income of $35,795 versus $27,125 for females. The per capita income for the village was $17,661. About 5.7% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

title: Loami, Illinois


text:
Mechanicsburg, Illinois

Mechanicsburg is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 590 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography
Mechanicsburg is located at 39.80944°N, -89.3975°W (39.809366, -89.397445).

According to the 2010 census, Mechanicsburg has a total area of 1.07 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 456 people, 172 households, and 121 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,203.2 PD/sqmi. There were 198 housing units at an average density of 522.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 97.15% White, 0.88% African American, 0.66% Asian, 0.88% from other races, and 0.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.22% of the population.

There were 172 households, out of which 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 29.4% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.3 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $36,250, and the median income for a family was $42,212. Males had a median income of $34,583 versus $19,554 for females. The per capita income for the village was $16,906. About 3.2% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.8% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

title: Mechanicsburg, Illinois