Wabash County, Illinois

Wabash County, Illinois
Location in the state of Illinois
Illinois's location in the U.S.
Founded	1824
Seat	Mount Carmel
Largest city	Mount Carmel
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	227.51 sq mi (589 km²) 223.25 sq mi (578 km²) 4.25 sq mi (11 km²), 1.87%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	11,947 58/sq mi (22/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Wabash County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 11,947, which is a decrease of 7.7% from 12,937 in 2000. Its county seat is Mount Carmel.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 227.51 square miles (589.2 km²), of which 223.25 square miles (578.2 km²) (or 98.13%) is land and 4.25 square miles (11.0 km²) (or 1.87%) is water.

Major highways

• Illinois Route 1
• Illinois Route 15

Adjacent Counties

• Lawrence County - north
• Knox County, Indiana - east
• Gibson County, Indiana - south
• Edwards County - west
• Richland County - northwest

Bridge on Illinois Route 15 connecting Wabash and Gibson counties. This span is in the process of being replaced.

History

Wabash County was formed in 1824 out of Edwards County, after an armed confrontation between the militias of Albion and Mt. Carmel after the county seat was moved from a town near the current city of Mount Carmel to Albion.

The County is named for the Wabash River, which forms its eastern and southern borders. The name "Wabash" is an English spelling of the French name for the river, "Ouabache." French traders named the river after the Miami Indian word for the river, "Wabashike," (Prounounced "Wah-bah-she-keh"), the word for "pure white." Much of the river bottom is white limestone, now obscured by mud.

• 

  Wabash County at the time of its creation in 1824

A 329 acres (1.33 km²) remnant of the county's original Eastern Woodlands ecosystem can be found in the Forest of the Wabash located within the county's Beall Woods State Park.

In the 1920s there existed a famous hotel and resort that existed in Wabash County nearby the Grand Rapids Dam on the Wabash River. The hotel was named the Grand Rapids Hotel and was owned by Frederick Hinde Zimmerman. During the hotel's nine year existence it catered to individuals from all over the United States. In July 2011, John Matthew Nolan wrote a detailed history of the Grand Rapids Hotel.

Cherry St. in Mount Carmel, still paved in brick, is home to many interesting examples of turn of the century architecture

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	12,583		—
1910	14,913		18.5%
1920	14,034		−5.9%
1930	13,197		−6.0%
1940	13,724		4.0%
1950	14,651		6.8%
1960	14,047		−4.1%
1970	12,841		−8.6%
1980	13,713		6.8%
1990	13,111		−4.4%
2000	12,937		−1.3%
IL Counties 1900-1990

As of the census of 2000, there were 12,937 people, 5,192 households, and 3,587 families residing in the county. The population density was 58 people per square mile (22/km²). There were 5,758 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.86% White, 0.39% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. 0.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 32.4% were of German, 22.8% American, 11.6% English and 9.4% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000 [1]. 97.3% spoke English and 1.4% Spanish as their first language

There were 5,192 households out of which 30.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.20% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.20% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 17.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,473, and the median income for a family was $42,142. Males had a median income of $31,142 versus $18,091 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,747. About 9.50% of families and 14.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.70% of those under age 18 and 9.50% of those age 65 or over.

Earthquake

Main article: 2008 Illinois earthquake

On the morning of April 18, 2008, at 4:37am local time, one of the largest earthquakes in Illinois History hit the area. This tremor was epicentered in Lick Prairie Township, near the middle of the county. This tremor was felt more than 400 miles away in Nebraska.

Precincts (Seat)

Wabash County is one of 17 Illinois counties that use the term precinct.

Precincts of Wabash County

• Bellmont (Bellmont)
• Coffee (Keensburg)
• Compton (East Grayville)
• Friendsville (Friendsville)
• Lancaster (Lancaster)
• Lick Prairie (Lick Prairie)
• Mount Carmel (Mount Carmel)
• Wabash (Allendale)

Wabash County precincts and their boundaries

Cities and towns

Cities

• Mount Carmel

Villages

• Allendale
• Bellmont
• Keensburg

Unincorporated towns / census-designated places

• Cowling
• Friendsville
• Lancaster
• Maud
• Odgen

Climate and weather

Mount Carmel, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.9   38 21     2.7   44 25     4.2   54 35     4.2   66 44     5.1   76 54     3.7   85 63     4.2   89 67     3.6   87 65     2.8   81 57     3   70 45     4.2   55 36     3.1   43 25 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     74   3 -6     69   7 -4     105   12 2     108   19 7     130   24 12     94   29 17     108   32 19     92   31 18     71   27 14     77   21 7     106   13 2     77   6 -4 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Mount Carmel have ranged from a low of 21 °F (−6 °C) in January to a high of 89 °F (32 °C) in July, although a record low of −19 °F (−28 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 102 °F (39 °C) was recorded in July 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.73 inches (69 mm) in February to 5.12 inches (130 mm) in May.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Wabash County
• Grand Rapids Hotel
• Grand Rapids Dam
• Charles T. Hinde

Further reading

• Nolan, John Matthew, "2,543 Days: A History of the Hotel at Grand Rapids Dam on the Wabash River" 2011, ISBN 978-1-257-04152-7