Abingdon

Notable People

James Stockdale, admiral in the U.S. Navy.

Albion

It is the home of the most pig farmers per square mile of all of the US counties

Harold Huntley Bassett, United States Air Force Major General

Louis Lincoln Emmerson, served as Secretary of State of Illinois and Governor of Illinois.

Harold A. Garman, United States Army medic and Medal of Honor recipient in World War II.

Guy U. Hardy, former U.S. Representative from Colorado.

Jeff Keener, former pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Bruce Mendenhall, resident of Albion, and confessed serial killer.

George Frederick Pentecost, Prominent American Clergyman evangelist and co-worker with Revivalist D.L. Moody

Aledo

It is the home town of country music singer Suzy Bogguss.

Alton

Elijah P. Lovejoy Monument, a 110-foot tall memorial to the famous abolitionist and free speech advocate who was murdered by a pro-slavery mob. The monument is in Alton Cemetery on the bluffs.

A statue of obert Pershing Wadlow, the tallest fully documented man in the recorded history of the world.

Notable People

Robert Wadlow, at 8 feet and 11.1 inches, the tallest known person history

David J. Apple, pioneer in ophthalmological research and ophthalmic pathology; medical historian and biographer was born in Alton.

Jesse Anderson, murderer who stabbed his wife to death in 1992. He was murdered in prison alongside serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer by Christopher Scarver in 1994.[39]

Frank Ballard, puppeteer, professor at the University of Connecticut, and founder of the first puppetry bachelor of fine arts program in the United States.

Amos E. Benbow, Illinois state legislator

Alexander Botkin, Wisconsin state senator

George T. Brown, newspaper editor, mayor of Alton 1846–47, U.S. Senate sergeant-of-arms 1861–69

Joseph Brown, miller, steamboat captain, mayor of Alton 1856–57, mayor of St. Louis 1871–75

Nathaniel Buckmaster, builder, sheriff, warden, state legislator

Samuel A. Buckmaster, prison warden,l and state legislator

Jonathan Russell Bullock, Rhode Island state legislator and US federal judge; served on the Alton city council.

John W. Coppinger, lawyer, Illinois state legislator, mayor of Alton

Dick Burwell, pitcher for the Chicago Cubs

Anthony W. Daly, Illinois state representative, judge, and lawyer

Levi Davis, Illinois State Auditor and lawyer

Miles Davis, jazz musician

Steve Davis, Illinois state legislator

AnnMaria De Mars, American technology executive, author and judoka

Ezekiel Elliott, NFL running back for the Dallas Cowboys

Herbert G. Giberson, Illinois state senator and businessman

David Goins, first African-American mayor of Alton

Lloyd Nelson Hand, Chief of Protocol of the United States (1965–66) and assistant to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson (1957–61)

Craig Hentrich, NFL football player

Charles A. Herb, merchant, mayor of Alton, Illinois State Senator

Michael Ann Holly, art historian and mother of actress Lauren Holly

Mary Beth Hughes, actress

Donald Juel, Lutheran educator and scholar

Don Lenhardt, outfielder, first baseman, third baseman, scout and coach with several MLB teams

Lawrence Leritz, dance and Broadway

Stephen Harriman Long, U.S. army explorer, topographical engineer, and railway engineer, retired and died in Alton

Elijah Lovejoy, abolitionist

Bill Lyons, infielder for the St. Louis Cardinals

Trevor Mann, a.k.a. Ricochet, professional wrestler in the WWE

Barrelhouse Buck McFarland, blues and boogie-woogie pianist and singer

Jumbo McGinnis, pitcher for the St. Louis Brown Stockings

Salim Nourallah, musician and producer

John M. Olin, inventor, industrialist, philanthropist

Edward O'Hare, Medal of Honor recipient, O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in his honor. Graduate of Western Military Academy in Alton.

William S. Paley, founder and chairman of the board of directors of CBS Corp. Graduate of Western Military Academy in Alton.

James Earl Ray, committed the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

Arch Reilly, infielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates

Red Rhodes, musician and steel guitarist

Christina Romer, 25th Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors

Rosey Rowswell, baseball broadcaster for Pittsburgh Pirates

Andrew Schlafly, son of Phyllis Schlafly, attorney, homeschool teacher, Christian conservative activist, and founder of Conservapedia

Phyllis Schlafly, conservative author, constitutional lawyer, and activist, known for her role in defeating the Equal Rights Amendment in the late 1970s and early 1980s

Thomas N. Scortia, authored novel adapted into film The Towering Inferno

William Sears, doctor and author of several popular books on pregnancy and parenting

Dale Swann, character actor

Richard Thatcher, Union Civil War soldier and first president of Territorial Normal School,now the University of Central Oklahoma

Paul Tibbets Jr., pilot of the Enola Gay, who graduated from Western Military Academy in Alton

Lyman Trumbull, United States Senator from Illinois and coauthor of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution

Minor Watson, stage and screen actor

Jesse White, 37th Secretary of State of Illinois

Beals Wright, Hall of Fame tennis player, died in Alton

Rick Yager, cartoonist

Amboy

The Christian denomination Community of Christ, formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, had a general conference in Amboy on April 6, 1860, at which time Joseph Smith III reorganized the church founded by his father Joseph Smith, Jr

Notable People

Augustus Newnham Dickens, brother of Charles Dickens.

Arcola

Arcola is somewhat famous for the Lawn Rangers, a "precision lawn mower drill team" that marches in formation with brooms and lawn mowers while wearing cowboy hats. Every year since 1980, the Lawn Rangers have marched in the Arcola Broom Corn Festival Parade. The event, held the weekend after Labor Day, honors Arcola's position in the late nineteenth century as a center of broom corn production. This unique custom was publicized by humor columnist Dave Barry, who marched with the Lawn Rangers in 1995 and has written columns about them.

Arcola was the birthplace in 1880 of John Barton Gruelle, or "Johnny" Gruelle, who is famous for creating Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy, the loveable American dolls and storybook characters. Gruelle used artistic skills learned from his painter father Richard Buckner Gruelle combined with his self-taught writing skills to create stories expressing regional values and aesthetic images. His artistic granddaughter, Joni Gruelle Wannamaker, manages the Raggedy Ann Museum in Arcola.

A nationally known tourist attraction, Rockome Gardens, which features large formal gardens, concrete fencing and architecture, buggy rides, and many special events from May through October is conveniently located just outside of the town of Arcola.

Arcola is also known for housing the world's only Hippie Memorial, created by Bob Moomaw. He died in 1998. He worked as a railroad clerk and tax assessor, but did not like either job. As an eccentric, independent artist with strong beliefs, he was able to give voice to his feelings, passions and opinions through his art and the writing on the sides of his buildings. He created the 62 feet-long artwork starting in 1992 to say something about his life and the era during which he lived. A nearby marker gives an interpretation of his work.

In the countryside near Arcola is a prominent community of Old Order Amish, the largest in Illinois.

Arcola is home to the Illinois Amish Interpretive Center. This Old Order Amish Museum opened in 1996 and features exhibits on most aspects of Amish life, as well as an introductory video about the Central Illinois Amish. Through the museum, tours can be scheduled of the Amish countryside, Amish homes, farms, and businesses, and meals in Amish homes can be scheduled as well.

Ashmore

Ashmore is home to Ashmore Estates, which was originally the almshouse at the Coles County Poor Farm. Abandoned in 1987, it is now a haunted attraction and a place of interest for paranormal investigators.

A gigantic statue of Abraham Lincoln stands in Ashmore. Originally erected in nearby Charleston as a visitor attraction in 1969, the 62-foot statue instead drew widespread ridicule for the cartoonish appearance of its oversized head. A 1978 attempt to sell it to the city of Lincoln was unsuccessful, and it was instead moved to a private site in Ashmore where it fell into a long period of disrepair. New owners eventually converted the site into the Lincoln Springs Resort, and fully restored the statue in 2004 to be the centerpiece of its campgrounds. The site has since reverted to private property again, but the statue remains visible from a distance.[6][7]

Notable People

Bill Cox, pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Browns and Illinois state representative

Barry

Notable People

Floyd Dell, author. George Nichol, baseball.

Beardstown

The Beardstown Ladies From 1984 to 1993, a group of 16 late-aged women were picking stocks in the Dow Jones and over the course of nine years were claiming returning of 23.4% on their stocks. Once they went public with the amazing returns, they gained national recognition for their success. The Beardstown Ladies, with an average age of 70 (1994), were asked to appear on The Donahue Show, CBS's Morning Show, NBC's The Today Show, and ABC's Good Morning America. For six straight years they were honored by the National Association of Investors Corp's "All-Star Investment Clubs". In 1993, they produced their first home video for investors called, The Beardstown Ladies: Cooking Up Profits on Wall Street. By 1994, they wrote their first book, The Beardstown Ladies' Common-Sense Investment Guide, which sold over 800,000 copies by 1998 and was a New York Times Best Seller. The Beardstown Ladies become a global phenomenon and TV stations from Germany, Brazil, and Japan were interviewing them and taping their monthly meetings in Beardstown. The seeds of scandal were planted in late 1998: a Chicago magazine noticed that the group's returns included the fees the women paid every month. Without them, the returns dwindled to just 9%, underperforming the Dow. An article in the Wall Street Journal led the ladies to hire an outside auditor, which proved they had indeed misstated their returns.[4] Time magazine jokingly stated that they should be jailed for fraud and misrepresentation. As of 2006[update], the Beardstown Ladies were still buying stocks. Their books can bought from Amazon.com for mere pennies.[5]

William Henry Herndon, Lincoln's Springfield law partner, claimed that Lincoln contracted syphilis from a prostitute in Beardstown,[3] an incident author Gore Vidal colorfully recounts in his historical novel Lincoln.[citation needed]

Notable People

Red Norvo, jazz vibraphone pioneer, born in Beardstown[citation needed]

Jesse Wallace, United States Navy Captain and the 27th unique Governor of American Samoa; born in Beardstown

Belvidere

1967 Tornado On April 21, 1967, a devastating tornado struck Belvidere. Twenty-four lives were lost in the tornado, many of whom were school children. The F4 tornado struck at the end of the school day of Belvidere High School, while many children including those that attended area grade schools were waiting on school buses outside of the high school. Out of sixteen school buses outside of the high school, twelve were overturned or thrown. The tornado did US$ 22 million in damage, demolished over 100 homes, and injured over 300. In 2007 a statue was erected in front of Belvidere High School in memorial of the lives lost.

Miss America - In 1969 Belvidere native Judith Anne Ford won the Miss America pageant as Miss Illinois. Judith Anne Ford graduated from Belvidere High School where she was a cheerleader and Homecoming Queen. Her talent in the Miss America Pageant was trampoline and she was the first Miss America to go to Vietnam as part of a USO tour. Miss Ford won the Miss Boone County Fair Pageant (and contrary to a past posting there was more than one contestant) and the Miss Illinois County Fair Queen title before going on to become Miss Illinois on her way to the Miss America title. She had two things going against her according to the odds-makers in her quest for Miss America: her age, being 18 years of age at the time, and her trampoline talent, as it was considered "too athletic" by some.[who?] During her talent competition in the pageant no other person was to be allowed on the stage and to be safe in performing her trampoline routine she should have had several spotters, but Ford performed the trampoline routine without spotters perfectly. It is to be noted that although the Miss America pageant was often put down by feminists during the late 1960s, Miss Ford competed trampoline in college before Title IX with the men's team and was the first woman to receive a varsity college letter for the sport.

Benld

On September 29, 1938, a meteorite landed in Benld, marking only the third meteorite landing in Illinois since records were kept. The meteorite was also one of the few known meteorites to strike a man-made object, punching a hole in the roof of Edward McCain's garage and embedding itself in the seat of his 1937 Pontiac Coupe. A neighbor, Mrs. Carl Crum, was standing about fifty feet from the impact and may be the individual who came closest to being struck by a meteorite in history up to that time.[5] The meteorite and portions of the car are now on display at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago

Benton

On April 19, 1928 Benton was the site of the last public hanging in Illinois, when local gangster Charles Birger was executed on the gallows next to the county jail for the December 12, 1926 for the murder of Joe Adams, mayor of nearby West City, Illinois. A replica of the gallows and hangman's noose were built by Carpenter Birchard Wampler and his late son Birchard Neil Wampler. They remain standing today next to the old Jail turned Museum.

In September 1963, George Harrison of The Beatles visited Benton while on vacation. He stayed at the home of his sister, Louise, at 113 McCann Street. The bungalow is now the Hard Day's Nite Bed and Breakfast. Harrison also performed with a band called "The Four Vests" at the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Eldorado, Illinois. In an interview, Harrison's sister Louise said "his real first visit to America was when he came to the midwest in September of 1963 and he met these wonderful, warm, friendly, real warm Midwesterners... school teachers, retired miners and all kinds of just wonderful people... and a little band. He had a fantastic time. He thought they were just wonderful people

Notable People

John Malkovich, actor.

Lin Bolen, former Vice President of NBC.

Doug Collins, NBA coach, player, broadcaster, and Olympic basketball player.

Billy Grammer, Grand Ole Opry Star.

William L. Hungate, Missouri Congressman and Federal judge, born in Benton (1922).

Revis, post-grunge rock band.

Tommy Johnagin, stand-up comedian.

Braidwood

Braidwood was featured in the film Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, starring Steve Martin and John Candy. The scene in the movie at the Braidwood Inn was not filmed in Wichita, but was filmed in Braidwood, Illinois. Other neighboring towns such as Coal City also briefly appeared in the movie

Notable People

Anton Cermak, a Bohemian immigrant who would become mayor of Chicago, was a miner in Braidwood in his early years.[citation needed]

Artie Matthews, a songwriter, pianist, and ragtime composer, was born in Braidwood in 1888.

John Mitchell, early UMW president, was born in Braidwood in 1870 (before incorporation) and worked in the local mines in his childhood.

Doug Pinnick, songwriter, bassist, and co-lead singer for rock band King's X, was born and raised in Braidwood.

Breese

Notable People

Josh Thole, catcher for the New York Mets (2010 to Present).

Bushnell

Music Since 1991, Bushnell has been the hometown to one of the largest Christian Music and Arts festivals in the world, known as the Cornerstone Festival. Each year, around the 4th of July, 25,000 people from all over the world descend on the small farm town to watch over 300 bands, authors and artists perform at the Cornerstone Farm Campgrounds. The festival is generally well received by locals[citation needed], and businesses in the area typically put up signs welcoming festival goers to their town. As a result of the location of the music festival, numerous live albums and videos have been recorded or filmed in Bushnell, including the annual Cornerstone Festival DVD. The festival's 20th anniversary DVD also included interviews with local Bushnell citizens and business owners.

Popular culture

A short instrumental song titled "Let's Hear That String Part Again, Because I Don't Think They Heard It All the Way Out in Bushnell" appears on Sufjan Stevens' 2005 album Illinois.[3]

Horse Show Beginning in 1908, Bushnell was home to one of the largest horse shows in the Midwest. The Bushnell Horse Show returned in 2004 and has become one of the better draft horse hitch shows in the tri-state region. The Bushnell Horse Show features some of the best Belgian and Percheron hitches in the country. Teams have come from many different states and as far as Canada to compete.

Byron

best known as the location of the Byron Nuclear Generating Station, one of the last nuclear power plants commissioned in the United States.

Notable People

Troy Drake, former offensive tackle with the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins.

Sean Considine, football safety with the Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Joseph Medill McCormick, congressman and senator.[6]

Albert Goodwill Spalding, professional baseball player, manager and co-founder of A.G. Spalding sporting goods company.[7]

Gat Stires, right fielder with the Rockford Forest Citys

Cairo

The southernmost town in the state of Illinois

The only city in Illinois completely surrounded by levees.

In 1916 Billy Murray had a #10 hit record with "When You Drop Off at Cairo, Illinois". Other songs that refer to Cairo include "Road To Cairo" by cult American singer-songwriter David Ackles, later covered by Julie Driscoll Brian Auger (Trinity); and "Way Down in Cairo" by Stephen Foster, the great American songwriter of the 1800s. Josh Ritter's "Monster Ballads" also refers to Cairo. The town of Cairo mentioned in the song "Saint Louis Blues" is most likely Cairo, Illinois.

Literature

In literature, Cairo is referenced in the 19th century Mark Twain classic The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (and briefly in Life on the Mississippi[6]) Cairo was the original destination for Huck and Jim in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as they planned to paddle up the Ohio River to obtain freedom for Jim. However, they sailed past Cairo and ended up in Arkansas instead.

In the nationally produced play Mother Hicks, Jake moves his family from Ware to Cairo during the great depression with the excuse of looking for a job.

Bill Bryson visits the small town in his book The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America.

In the 20th c. fantasy American Gods by Neil Gaiman, Cairo was the home to Egyptian Gods: Thoth and Anubis.

Notable People

Gracia Burnham, missionary.

Chris Clavin, owner of Plan-It-X Records, musician in Ghost Mice amongst other bands.[7]

Chet Covington, baseball player.

Delirious, professional wrestler.[citation needed]

Charles Hayes, congressman.

John Healy, baseball player.

Rex Ingram, actor.

Ted Joans, musician, poet and painter.

Margaret Karcher, restaurateur.[citation needed]

Jan Rogers Kniffen, business executive and television personality

Charles Koen, civil rights activist known for his work in Cairo, and in St. Louis, Missouri.

Kyle Lehning, record producer and recording executive

Ed Morgan, baseball player.

Tyrone Nesby (AKA rapper T-Nes), basketball player.

Mary J. Safford, schoolteacher and nurse.

George "Harmonica" Smith, musician.

Hudson Strode, author and professor

Napoleon B. Thistlewood, congressman.

Henry Townsend, musician.

Richard W. Townshend, congressman.

Donne Trotter, politician.

Estelle Yancey, blues vocalist.

Canton

Notable People

Granville Barrere, (1829–1889) U.S. Representative from Illinois.

Tony Blazine, (1912–1963) NFL football player (1935–1941).

Burnett M. Chiperfield, (1870–1940) U.S. Representative from Illinois.

William "Bill" Cook, (1931–) medical device entrepreneur and historic preservationist, founder of the Cook Group.

Tim Drummond, (1941–) bass guitarist.

Charles Duryea, (1861–1938) automobile manufacturer.

Lee Eyerly, (1892–1963) an American civil aviation pioneer and amusement ride manufacturer.

Jack Fisk, (1945–) Academy Award-nominated production designer and art director.

R. Thomas Flynn, (1938–) retired president of Monroe Community College.

James "Boomer" Grigsby, (1981–) NFL football player (2005–2008).

Harry Jacobs, (1937–) linebacker at Bradley University and for the Boston Patriots and Buffalo Bills.

Elizabeth Magie, (1866–1948) inventor of The Landlord's Game, the precursor to Monopoly.

Steven Nagel, (1946–) astronaut.

Ian Wolfe, (1896–1992) television and movie actor, poet.

Carlinville

In the early 1900s Carlinville became the site of a great many Sears Catalog Homes. An entire neighborhood was constructed of the homes and was funded, in 1918, by Standard Oil of Indiana for its mineworkers in Carlinville (at a cost of approximately 1 million dollars US). In gratitude, Sears, Roebuck named one of its house models the "Carlin." Today 152 of the original 156 homes still exist, the largest single repository of Sears Catalog Homes in the United States.

Notable People

the American entomologist Charles Robertson carried out what is still the single most intensive study of flower-visiting insects of a single locality, culminating in a 221-page book published in 1928 under the title Flowers and Insects. From among the specimens he collected in the process of doing this study, he named over 100 new species of bees and wasps. Scientists in 1970–1972 did a similar survey, and found that most of the bees noted by Robertson were still present. This is presumably due to the existence of bee habitat in hedgerows, on slopes, and in other non-agricultural land in the survey area.[2] The rare bee Andrena lauracea is only known from these two surveys (one bee specimen each) and from two speciments from Texas.[2] Biologists from Washington University in St Louis are currently studying changes in pollinator activity by comparing these older data sets to new data.[3]

A pre-1936 routing of historic U.S. Route 66 runs through Carlinville, now known as Illinois Route 4.

Notable People

nature writer and novelist Mary Hunter Austin, once called "the most intelligent woman in America" by H.G. Wells[4],

Elias Smith Dennis, American Civil War general in the Union Army.

James Donnewald, Illinois State Treasurer.

Jack Slade, American frontier figure.

Major General William F. Dean, Born 1 AUG 1899, Carlyle,IL, Medal of Honor 16 FEB 1951

Carmi

Notable People

Orlando Burrell - White County judge (1873-1881), White County Sheriff (1892-1894), U.S. Representative (1895-1897)

Roy Clippinger - U.S. Representative (1945-1949)

Everton Conger - Union Army Lieutenant Colonel (Civil War), United States district court judge, involved in manhunt for John Wilkes Booth

John M. Crebs - Union Army Lieutenant colonel (Civil War), U.S. Representative (1869-1873)

Josh Elder - comic book creator (Mail Order Ninja, StarCraft: Frontline)

Frederick J. Karch - U.S. Marine Corps Brigadier General (World War II, Vietnam)

Samuel D. Lockwood - Illinois Attorney General (1821–1822), Illinois Secretary of State (1822–1823), Illinois Supreme Court justice (1824–1848)

Glenn Poshard - Illinois State Senator (1984-1988), U.S. Representative (1989-1999), Illinois Gubernatorial Candidate (1998), President of Southern Illinois University (2006-Present)

John McCracken Robinson - U.S. Senator (1830-1841), Illinois Supreme Court justice (1843)

Jeff Stryker - actor

James R. Williams - U.S. Representative (1889-1895)

Carrollton

Notable People

Karen Allen, co-star to Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Rick Hall Professional Actor.

Major Marcus Albert Reno, commanded a battalion of the 7th U.S. Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Many blamed Reno for Custer's defeat.

Henry Thomas Rainey, served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives during the famous "100 Days" of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's first term as president. Rainey died in 1934 and Roosevelt came to his funeral in Carrollton.

Carterville

Beginning in 1995, Carterville High School has reached the IHSA playoffs for 15 straight seasons. This span includes four quarterfinals appearances (2000,2004,2005,2007) and one state title in 1996. Carterville boasts an overall record of 137-27 during that span.

Carthage

Carthage is most famous for being the site of the 1844 murder of Joseph Smith.

The only person legally hanged in Hancock County, Efram Fraim, was defended in his trial by roaming country attorney Abraham Lincoln. Fraim was found guilty of murder. Lincoln filed an appeal with the judge in the trial, which was as far as appeals in those days mostly went. Because at the time Carthage had no jail, Fraim was kept at the Courthouse,[2] which was next to the school. Fraim would converse with the children from his second floor window. As a result of these conversations, most of the school children were present when their new friend, Efraim, was hung. The hanging is believed to have taken place in the vicinity of the current city sewer plant east of town, where a natural amphitheater allowed for a crowd to view the spectacle.

On October 22, 1858, Abraham Lincoln gave a speech in Carthage while campaigning for the Senate. The speech spot is commemorated by a large stone on the south side of the

Casey

Casey is the home to several Guinness World Record constructions - super-sized items in the form of outdoor sculptures—including the Wind Chime, Rocking Chair, Knitting Needles, Crochet Hook, Pitchfork, Golf Tee, Yardstick, Wooden Token, Dutch Wooden Shoes, Mailbox, Pencil and Birdcage.

Centralia

Mine incident On March 25, 1947, the Centralia No. 5 coal mine explosion near the town killed 111 people. The Mine Safety and Health Administration of the United States Department of Labor reported the explosion was caused when an underburdened shot or blown-out shot ignited coal dust. At the time of the explosion, 142 men were in the mine; 65 were killed by burns and other injuries and 45 were killed by afterdamp. Eight men were rescued, but one died from the effects of afterdamp. The story of the 1947 disaster is memorialized in folksinger Woody Guthrie's song entitled "The Dying Miner." Guthrie's recording of the song can be heard on the Smithsonian-Folkways CD recording Struggle (Smithsonian Folkways, 1990). Songwriter and historian Bucky Halker recorded a very different arrangement of "Dying Miner" on his CD collection of Illinois labor songs Welcome to Labor Land (Revolting Records, 2002). In addition, Bucky Halker also recorded "New Made Graves of Centralia", a song he located on an obscure recording without the name of the author or recording artist. Halker's recording appears on his CD Don't Want Your Millions (Revolting Records, 2000).

Foundation Park is the site of the annual Balloon Fest, a hot air balloon festival. Recent events have had about forty balloons and drew 40000 visitors. The Annual Centralia Balloon festival was the event in which the second "Space Shuttle" hot air balloon was crashed due to a fuel line defect.

In addition to Foundation Park, the Centralia Foundation also supports the Centralia Carillon, ranked as eighth-largest in the world with 65 bells, the greatest of which weights 5½ tons.

Centralia High School is home of the Orphans and Annies. The Centralia boys basketball team is the winningest high school basketball team in the nation, winning its 2,000th game during the 2007-08 season. The Orphans got their unique nickname during the early 1900s, when the boys basketball team made it to the state tournament. The school was low on funds at the time, and the team was forced to pick its uniforms from a pile of non-matching red uniforms. The team made it to the state tournament, where an announcer commented that the team looked like a bunch of orphans on the court. The name stuck. Previously, the team had gone by nicknames such as the Reds and Cardinals.

Notable people

David Blackwell, statistician and first black member of the National Academy of Sciences.

James Brady, press secretary to President Ronald Reagan.

Roland Burris, Former Illinois Attorney General, Illinois Comptroller, and current US Senator.

Dike Eddleman, Olympic athlete.

Gary Gaetti, former Major League Baseball player.

Dick Garrett, former LA Lakers player.

Smiley Quick, professional golfer, born in Centralia.

Nancy Scranton, LPGA professional golfer.

Tom Wargo, professional golfer.

Centreville

Notable People

Edward Burch, Alternative country musician, born in Centreville. Reginald Hudlin, Film director.

Charleston

Thomas Lincoln's log cabin has been restored and is open to the public as the Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site, 8 mi. south of Charleston. The Lincoln farm is maintained as a living history museum where historical re-enactors depict life in 1840s Illinois.

Thomas and Sarah Bush Lincoln are buried in the nearby Shiloh Cemetery

Charleston is home to Eastern Illinois University:

Notable Alumni

Jim Edgar, Governor of Illinois from 1991 to 1999

Joan Embery, environmental activist

Paul N. Hopkins, CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Farmers Insurance Group

Joe Knollenberg, representative of the Ninth District of Michigan, United States House of Representatives since 1992*

Charlotte Martin, singer-songwriter

Matthew Polenzani, opera singer

Ron Westray, jazz trombonist, member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and the Mingus Big Band

Larry Smith, CNN Headline News sports anchor [13]

Newton Tarble, one of the founders of Snap-on Tools.

LisaRaye McCoy actress notably recognized from the sitcom All of Us

Glen Gabbard, world renowned psychiatrist and author of 20 books

Jimmy John Liautaud, founder of Jimmy John's

William Phipps, actor/producer

Athletes

Tim Bogar, retired Major League Baseball infielder

Brad Childress, head coach of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League

Mike Shanahan, head coach of the Washington Redskins of the National Football League

Sean Payton - head coach of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League

Kevin Duckworth, former National Basketball Association all-star center

Jeff Gossett, NFL Pro Bowl punter

Kyle Hill, professional basketball player

Matt Hughes, professional MMA fighter

Schellas Hyndman, head coach of FC Dallas

John Jurkovic, former NFL defensive lineman

Marty Pattin, MLB All-Star pitcher

Tony Romo, starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League

Kevin Seitzer, retired all-star Major League Baseball player

Chris Szarka, fullback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League

Ray Fisher, former lineman - Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League

Dan Steele, track All-American, 400-meter National Champion, and Bronze Medalist at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics

Ted Petersen, former lineman - Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League

Kirby Wilson, running backs coach - Pittsburgh Steelers, of the National Football League

Pierre Walters, linebacker - Kansas City Chiefs, of the National Football League

James Warring, World Champion Boxer World Champion Kickboxer Professional Boxing Referee

Stan Royer, MLB baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox

The first Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwich Shop was in Charleston

Chester

Home of "Popeye" Chester is the "Home of Popeye," where a six-foot, 900 lb. bronze statue of Popeye the Sailor Man stands in the Elzie C. Segar Memorial Park, which also honors Popeye's creator, Elzie Segar. The park is located next to the Chester Bridge. Several of Mr. Segar's characters were created from experiences with people of Chester. Chester's big event is its annual Popeye Picnic and parade, held the weekend after Labor Day. Popeye fans travel from all over the United States and the world to partake in the weekend activities. Most of the events and entertainment are free and family friendly.

Notable People

Donald Attig, who operated the Sea Lord Boat Company in Chester, Illinois, became a world-famous sailor while voyaging for ten years on his three-masted sailing ship. Now in his seventies, he has been establishing international benchmark records in the Adventure Challenge and Endurance Challenge categories for the past three years.

Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin, geologist.

Patricia Roberts Harris, US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, last US Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, first US Secretary of Health and Human Services in Carter administration and first African American woman to serve as a US Ambassador, representing US in Luxembourg, and the first African American woman to enter line of succession to the Presidency.

Edward Mills Purcell, physicist, Nobel Laureate, educated in Mattoon's public schools.

Hope Summers, actress, best known for her recurring role as Clara Edwards on The Andy Griffith Show.

Bill Tate, former head coach of the Wake Forest college football program, Mattoon High School graduate.

Arland D. Williams Jr., hero of Air Florida Flight 90, was born in Mattoon, where an elementary school is named for him.

Will Leitch, founding editor of Deadspin, contributing editor at New York magazine, a contributor to The New York Times, GQ, Fast Company and Slate, and author of four books, Catch, a novel, Life as a Loser, a memoir, God Save The Fan, a book of sports essays, and Are We Winning?, a book about fatherhood and baseball.

Chillicothe

Notable People

Lance (Henry) LeGault, TV and movie actor: Colonel Roderick Decker on The A-Team

Johnston McCulley, pulp author: originated the Zorro stories upon which all later Zorro movies and books were based

David Ogden Stiers, actor, Major Charles Emerson Winchester III on M*A*S*H[citation needed]

Josh Taylor, TV actor: Chris Kostichek on the soap opera Days of our Lives

Christopher

Notable People

Doug Collins, former NBA player and coach. John Malkovich, actor, born in Christopher. Gene Rayburn, radio and television personality, known for hosting the Match Game.

Clinton

Clinton is on the 8th Judicial Circuit, on which Abraham Lincoln traveled, along with Judge David Davis, for twenty years. Lincoln acted as lawyer because lawyers were scarce in the area at the time In 1858, Abraham Lincoln gave a speech in Clinton to which the following quotation has been attributed: “ You can fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time. " on Sept. 18, according to Carl Sandburg. However, there is no official transcript of the speech. Lincoln's collected papers has a version of the speech taken from a contemporary copy in the Bloomington Pantagraph which doesn't contain it. It has also been attributed to a speech by Lincoln in Bloomington, IL two years earlier, and there is controversy over whether or not Lincoln ever said it at all

Colchester

On September 11, 1921, members of the disgraced Chicago Black Sox baseball team played with the Colchester team in a game against nearby Macomb. Kelly Wagle paid to bring the players to Colchester

Collinsville

Famously, it is the home of the world's largest ketchup bottle, a former water tower.

The world's horseradish capital

During World War I, a Collinsville mob lynched a German-American citizen, the only such murder in the country. On April 5, 1918, a mob of men numbering in the hundreds took Robert Paul Prager from his home and paraded him through the streets barefoot and wrapped in an American flag, forcing him to sing patriotic songs. The Collinsville police interceded and took Prager into protective custody. A group formed outside of the city jail, however, and, threatening to burn it down, were permitted entry. Two men found Prager hiding in the basement. They took Prager outside and the mob marched him to the outskirts of town, where they lynched him. His final request was to be buried in the American flag. Eleven men stood trial for the murder, but all were acquitted.citation needed

Collinsville High School, The Kahoks, named for a fictional Native American tribe, have won several Illinois State Championships, in 1961, 1965 (basketball), 1980 (baseball, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1992 (soccer), and 2007, 2008, 2009 (Dance Team).

Former Coach Vergil Fletcher, who was recently named one of the 100 "legends of Illinois high school basketball" by the Illinois High School Activities Association, won over 700 games in his career. Fletcher died on June 30, 2009.

Notable People

Art Fletcher, former professional MLB player was born in Collinsville.

Tom Jager, Olympic gold-medal swimmer.

Terry Moore, center fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals teams.

George Musso, pro Football Hall of Famer for the Chicago Bears.

Antoinette and Alexandra Picatto, sister actresses born in Collinsville.

Joe Reiniger, was a soccer player in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), currently plays soccer for the St. Louis Illusion.

John Shimkus, Republican Congressman.

Kevin Stallings, head coach of the Vanderbilt Men's Basketball team.

Michael Stipe, lead singer of rock band R.E.M., spent his high school years in Collinsville, and graduated from Collinsville High School in 1978

Crest Hill

John Wayne Gacy was put to death by lethal injection at Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill

Notable People

Ron Coomer, former Major League Baseball player.

Darien

Notable People

Rudy Fratto, Chicago Outfit leader.

Dixon

Dixon was the boyhood home of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

Dixon is also the site of the Lincoln Monument State Memorial, marking the spot where Abraham Lincoln joined the Illinois militia at Fort Dixon in 1832 during the Black Hawk War. The memorial is located on the west side of Dixon's main north-south street, Galena Avenue, (U.S. Highway 52 also U.S. 26), just north of the Rock River

Du Quoin

Actress Billie Hayes was born here in 1932. She is best known to audiences for her role as Witchiepoo in Sid and Marty Krofft's H.R. Pufnstuf.

DuQuoin is the former home of the Hambletonian (from 1957 to 1980), and was the home of the World Trotting Derby from 1981 to 2009, two of the world's largest harness races. The DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Racetrack is located on the grounds; the dirt track hosts several events on several national tours.

DuQuoin High School's mascot is the Indians, from the people that settled the land before the city. The Indians have outstanding football and track programs. As of October 2009 the Indians hold the Illinois State Record for most consecutive playoff appearances, having gone to the playoffs 26 years in a row and won state championships in football in 1988 and 1992

DuQuoin is the birthplace of former MLB pitcher Don Stanhouse.

It was also a place nonfictional Minnesota Fats played a lot of his pool, as he lived in Dowell, a nearby town.

Earlville

Notable People

Gary K. Wolf, author of the novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit (1941-), which became the Movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Herbert O. Crisler, Head Football Coach and Athletic Director at University of Michigan, and namesake of Crisler Arena at the University.

John J. Myers, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Newark, N.J.

East Dubuque

Notable People

Arthur Joseph O'Neill, Roman Catholic bishop.

Effingham

On April 5, 1949, St. Anthony's hospital caught fire and burned to the ground, killing 70 people. As a result, fire codes nationwide were improved. Due to extensive media coverage, including a LIFE magazine cover story, donations for rebuilding the hospital came from all 48 states and several foreign countries.

A 198-foot (60 m) steel cross erected by The Cross Foundation is located in Effingham. The Cross Foundation claims that the cross is the tallest in the United States even though The Great Cross (260-foot (79 m))in St. Augustine, Florida is believed to be the tallest freestanding cross in the world.

Notable People

Matt Mitrione, mixed martial artists who competes in the UFC.[citation needed]

Ada Kepley, first American woman to graduate from law school.

Jimmy Kite, driver with IndyCar and NASCAR.

Brian Shouse, left handed pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers in Major League Baseball.

Uwe Blab, former NBA Player.

Ross Wolf, pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles.

In popular culture

Civil War nurse Mary Newcomb lived in Effingham. She was not a nurse of the organized groups, but "went along" when her husband went to war. She wrote a personal narrative of her life as a nurse, giving an eyewitness account of her experiences caring for sick and wounded and of famous people she met such as Grant and Logan. She and her husband, who was killed in the war, are buried in Effingham.[citation needed]

Radio comedians Bob and Tom produced a segment on their national radio show, poking fun at the "Effing" portion of the name Effingham. Created as a fake advertisement for Illinois, the announcer talks about getting "Effing steaks, Effing great burgers, going Effing crazy," etc. Effingham has been brought up on several portions of this show discussing the large cross located just off I-57 in town. Bob Kevoian, co-host, described Effingham as the "Gateway" to his in-laws.[citation needed]

Ben Folds's album Way to Normal includes a track that was inspired while driving by Effingham, although the song refers to the city as "Effington"; it similarly refers to "effing in their yards/effing in their cars/effing in the trailers in the back roads and the parking lots of Effington."[4]

Jason Koo's book, Man on Extremely Small Island, has as its first poem "Swearing by Effingham," and includes many plays on the name of the town.[5]

The band Lakeview Drive is from Effingham, IL. Members include Adam Krischel, Brad Krischel, Jared Nuxoll, and Trent Nuxoll

Eldorado

In September, 1963, five months before the Beatles' first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show brought them stardom in the United States, George Harrison performed at the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Eldorado with a local band. This was the first performance by a Beatle in the United States. At the time Harrison and his brother were visiting their sister, Louise, who had recently relocated with her husband to nearby Benton.[3]

Elmwood

Notable People

Elmwood is the birthplace of the sculptor Lorado Taft and is host to some of his works. The most notable is the statue called "The Pioneers", which is situated in Elmwood Central Park.

Elmwood is also the birthplace of L. R. Kershaw, who was an early land developer, banking executive and pioneer cattle breeder in Indian Territory, which later became Oklahoma.

El Paso

In August 1975, the city became the last locality in the continental United States to convert its telephone service from manual switching; prior to that time, telephones in the city could not be dialed directly from any outside location (the assistance of an operator being necessary to place the call) and local telephone numbers consisted of four digits only (certain parts of the outer Aleutian Islands of Alaska could not be dialed directly until the early 1980s).[citation needed]

Notable People

Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, renowned televangelist from the 1950s, was born here in 1895(1)

Author Tristan Denyer20:57, 21 December 2005

Eureka

Eureka is known for being the location of Eureka College, a private college associated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the alma mater of former president Ronald Reagan. Reagan graduated from Eureka College in 1932.

Eureka styled itself the "pumpkin capital of the world" until its pumpkin-processing plant moved to nearby Morton, Illinois.

Notable People

Donald Attig, famous yachtsman setting records in his 70’s.

Ronald Reagan, U.S President who attended college in Eureka.

Andrew Studebaker, NFL football player.

Ben Zobrist, Major League Baseball player from the Tampa Bay Rays.

Fairbury

A resident and restaurant owner named Ronald McDonald was in a 26-year legal battle with McDonald's over the name of his restaurant. He ultimately prevailed, and continued using his name on his restaurant despite objections by the franchise

Fairfield

Fairfield is most famous for being the hometown of the Shelton Brothers Gang, notorious bootleggers who failed in defeating the Harrisburg, Illinois based Birger Gang to control criminal activities in Southern Illinois. During the first half of the 20th century gang leaders Carl, Earl and Bernie Shelton made Fairfield a household name of the time. Based on testimony of Charlie Birger himself, the Shelton Brothers were convicted for a 1925 unsolved mail carrier robbery of $15,000 and were sentenced to 25 years much to the relief of the denizens of Fairfield and surrounding villages. Soon after the Shelton Gang disappeared as Birger dominated bootlegging in Southern Illinois until he himself was hanged in Benton. for the murder of West City. Mayor Joe Adams in 1928.

Notable People

Fairfield was the hometown of Kenneth Michael Kays, recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor for heroism[1] during the Vietnam War

Country music singer-songwriter Lance Miller

Flora

'Is We Is' - In 1987 a group of Flora officials formed the Barbed Wire Choir and recorded a music video in an attempt to land a state prison. The song featured several city officials, including the mayor, asking then-Gov. Jim Thompson "Is we is or is we isn't/gonna get ourselves a prison." After initially being shown on local TV stations, the video was soon picked up by national stations such as WGN, MTV and ABC's "Good Morning America." Mayor Charles Overstreet appeared on the "The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers," and weatherman Spencer Christian later visited the town. After the hoopla died down, Flora lost their bid to three other communities. It also appeared briefly on Oprah at one point

Galena

Galena was the residence of Ulysses S. Grant, several other war generals, entertainers, and politicians.

Gillespie

Actor Howard Keel was born in Gillespie.

Singer/Songwriter Ferras lived here during his childhood and teenage years.

Golconda

Notable People

James Lusk Alcorn, (1816-1894), United States Senator and Governor of Mississippi, born in Golconda.

John R. Hodge, (1893-1963),Military Governor of South Korea preceding Korean War and Commanding General of the U.S. Third Army, born in Golconda.

Green B. Raum, Union general during the American Civil War; postbellum U.S. Congressman and head of the Internal Revenue Service.

Grafton

Notable People

Ed Baecht (1907–1957), former pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Browns.

Grand Tower

The town gets its name from Tower Rock, a landmark island in the Mississippi River.

The civil-war-themed young adult novel, The River Between Us, takes place in Grand Tower.

Grayville

Grayville is the birthplace of naval hero James Meredith Helm.

Greenville

The DeMoulin Museum

One of the most unique museums in the country, the DeMoulin Museum [50] calls Greenville home. Founded in 1892 as a manufacturer of lodge paraphernalia and regalia, DeMoulin Bros. & Co., which was headquartered in Greenville, became one of the nation’s leading makers of marching band uniforms. The company’s diverse production history has included graduation caps and gowns, choir robes, church and lodge furniture, and lodge initiation devices. The DeMoulin Museum, founded in 2010, pays tribute to the founders, employees, and amazing products created by this unique factory. Though the museum contains examples of many of DeMoulin’s creations, the lodge initiation devices–including the Bucking Goat; Invisible Paddle Machine; and Lifting and Spraying Machine–are what have attracted visitors from over 30 states. The museum has been featured in numerous publications, including Atlas Obscura[51] and Roadside America.

Notable People

Job Adams Cooper, sixth governor of Colorado, from Greenville.

Alfred Harrison Joy, notable astronomer, the son of the former Greenville mayor and merchant F.P. Joy.

Edwin G. Krebs, a Nobel Prizewinning biochemist, lived in Greenville from the age of six to 15.

Tom Merritt, executive editor at CNET, born in Greenville.

Dr. Henry Perrine, noted horticulturalist, lived in Greenville where he met his wife. Practiced medicine there five years in the 1820s.

Dr. Robert E. "Ish" Smith, was president of the IBAF (1981 to 1993) and the United States Baseball Federation (1981 to 1990), former president of Greenville College.

Manuel Velazquez, anti-boxing activist, retired in Greenville and died there in 1994.

Howard Zahniser, environmental activist, attended Greenville College and later wrote the Wilderness Act of 1964.

Gretchen Wilson, country music star, attended Greenville High School

Greenville College is home to the only museum dedicated to the sculptures of Richard Bock,[18] who was an associate of Frank Lloyd Wright and designed many of the sculptures for Wright-designed homes

Griggsville

The Purple Martin Capital of the Nation - Griggsville is located between the Mississippi River and the Illinois River and the hot muggy summers are the perfect habitat for mosquitoes. Amid growing concern over the use of pesticides to control mosquitoes, the town came up with an alternate abatement method. J.L. Wade, a Griggsville resident and owner of a local antenna manufacturing factory realized that Griggsville was right in the migration path of the Purple Martin, the largest bird in the swallow family, supposedly able to eat 2,000 mosquitoes in a single day.[3] J.L. Wade quickly realized that to get the purple martins to stay, he simply needed to give them a reason to stay, so he converted his antenna factory into a bird house building factory. The mosquito population dwindled, which lead the town to adopt the nickname "The Purple Martin Capital of the Nation", as well as labeling the Purple Martin "America's Most Wanted Bird." Additionally, Wade's Purple Martin business, formerly Trio Manufacturing, published a newsletter called The Nature Society News. The purple martin factory has been recently been sold to a Chicago businessman. Griggsville has installed over 5,000 birdhouses along the city streets, including a 562-apartment high rise, reaching a height of 70 ft.

Notable People

Lew Hitch, Basketball player for the Minneapolis Lakers (1951-1957), now known as the LA Lakers.

Harrisburg

The old Crenshaw House (also known as the Old Slave House)

the Tuttle Bottoms Monster,

Notable People

Charlie Birger, notorious gangster.[60]

Virginia Gregg, actress, born in Harrisburg (1916), known as the voice of Norman Bates' mother in "Psycho".[61]

Chuck Hunsinger, running back for the Chicago Bears (1950 to 1952). Best known for fumbling a ball in the 42nd Grey Cup of the Canadian Football League.

John H. Pickering, founding partner of the law firm Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering.

General Green Berry Raum, Civil War general, and president of the Cairo and Vincennes Railroad.[64]

John Romonosky, 1950's baseball player, St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Senators.[65]

Dale Swann, character actor born in the Harrisburg.[66]

Henry Turner physician who first described Turner Syndrome

Harvard

Notable People

Dorothy Ayer Gardner King Ford, mother of President Gerald Ford.

Levi Addison Gardner and Adele Augusta (Ayer) Gardner, maternal grandparents of Pres. Gerald Ford.

Edward E. Ayer, (1841-1927) helped found the Field Museum of Natural History and the Newberry Library in Chicago.

Elbridge Ayer Burbank, (1858-1949) portrait painter of Native Americans, especially known for Geronimo.

Clarence Darrow, (1857–1938), of Scopes Trial fame, had a law office in downtown Harvard.

Paul Galvin, (1895-1959) founder of Motorola Corporation.

John Hughes, Jr., (1950–2009) film director, producer and writer.

Herrin

The hometown of baseball's Cleveland shortstop Ray Chapman, and the hometown of San Diego State University men's basketball coach Steve Fisher, as well as Medal of Honor recipient Joseph William Ozbourn

Herrin was the site of the 1922 Herrin massacre, during which two union miners and 19 strike-breakers were killed.

Herrin High School's boys' track team has won back-to-back state championships under Chad Lakatos. Lakatos also won the National Federation of Track Coaches Association Track coach of the year for 2008. He was the SICA Boys Track coach of the year for 07 and 08 as well as the IHSA Boys Track coach of the year for 07 and 08. The boys' basketball team won the Illinois state championship in 1957 under Earl Lee

Highland

Highland was the basis for the first song on the Illinois album by Sufjan Stevens, titled 'Concerning the UFO sighting near Highland, Illinois', in which Stevens mentioned a 21st century UFO sighting by the owner of the local mini-golf course.

It set the Guinness World Record for most bars per square mile and was called "the toughest town in America" by President Theodore Roosevelt.

Notable People

Otto Funk, (1868-1934) Guinness Book of Records setting Violinist.

Matt Hughes, (born 1973) mixed martial arts fighter.

Brian Graden, (born 1963) president of entertainment, MTV Networks.

John Hawkins Rountree, Wisconsin pioneer and legislator, lived in Hillsboro.

John Meek Whitehead, Wisconsin State Senator.

Jacksonville

Jacksonville was a major stopping point on the historic Underground Railroad

In 2005, Sufjan Stevens released Illinois, a concept album making reference to various people and places associated with the state. Its fifth track, "Jacksonville," refers to various landmarks in the town, such as Nichols Park. It also contains a story about A. W. Jackson, a "colored preacher" urban legend supposes the town is named after, as well as President Andrew Jackson (President from 1829–1837) after whom the town's officials say it is actually named.[1]

The Grammy-winning album Stones in the Road by singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter features the song "John Doe #24" that describes a series of events that occurred in Jacksonville relating to the person on whose life the song is based. The song tells the story of a blind and deaf man who was found wandering the streets in Jacksonville in 1945. The man was hospitalized for diabetes and kept in various institutions until he died nearly 50 years later in 1993. During his 48 years of institutionalization, nobody ever found out his name, nor did anyone who knew or was related to him come to Jacksonville to establish his identity. It was speculated that he was originally from New Orleans, but this was never verified. Likewise, how he came to Jacksonville remains a mystery to this day.

Jacksonville also holds the unusual distinction of having a large number of pipe organs for a city of its size - eleven in all - found at various local churches, as well as both of its four-year colleges

Jerseyville

Notable People

Russell Dunham - World War II veteran and recipient of the Medal of Honor award

Brent Hawkins - professional football player for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL, and formerly for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL

Arthur Scott King (1876-1957) - noted physicist and astrophysicist

Anthony L. Knapp (1828-1881) - U.S. Representative from Illinois

Robert M. Knapp (1831-1889) - U.S. Representative from Illinois and former mayor of Jerseyville from 1871 to 1876

Eric S. Pistorius - a circuit court Judge of the Seventh Circuit in Illinois

Thomas J. Selby (1840-1917) - U.S. Representative from Illinois and former mayor of Jerseyville

Jana Shortal - news reporter for KARE television in Minneapolis

Kewanee

Kewanee was well known in the steam industry for its fire-tube boilers. The Kewanee Boiler Corporation manufactured and sold thousands of boilers throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada and the world for well over one hundred years. However, the company failed in its latter years and was forced to go out of business. However, these boilers are still extremely common in the steam industry. An example of a Kewanee steam boiler can be seen in a scene in the movie The Blues Brothers. Specifically, when Cab Calloway's character named Curtis offers to "buy you boys a drink", he takes Jake and Elwood down to the orphanage's basement, where the boiler is easily seen in the background. A Kewanee boiler is also the dwelling place for the character Suzie DeSoto, played by Debra Winger, in the 1982 film version of John Steinbeck's book Cannery Row

Notable People

Neville Brand, television and movie actor, decorated World War II veteran.

Frederick Dilley Glidden ( pen name Luke Short), Western writer most notable for the films Ramrod (1947) and Blood on the Moon (1948).

Bill Goffrier, guitarist for The Embarrassment.[1]

Glenn McDonald, player for the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks.

Marjabelle Young Stewart, writer and expert on etiquette.

Charles E. Summers, Jr., politician and Iraq War veteran from Maine. Raised in Kewanee, graduated from Kewanee High School (1978).

Kewanee is acknowledged as the Hog Capital of the World. This fact was even mentioned in an episode of Law and Order: SVU.

Kinmundy

Notable People

Marilyn Kaytor, legendary magazine writer and food critic, born in Kinmundy

Knoxville

Notable People

Armando Ghitalla, trumpet player with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops, graduated from Knoxville High School (1942).

Justin Hartley, actor known for roles on Passions and Smallville, born in Knoxville (1977).

James Knox, congressman.

Ernest de Koven Leffingwell, explorer.

James Knox Taylor, architect.

Polly Wolfe, major league baseball outfielder

La Harpe

Notable People

Olan Soule (1909–1994), a La Harpe born actor with hundreds of credits in films, radio, commercials, television and animation.

Charles Duryea, invented the first gasoline-powered automobile with his brother Frank, graduated from La Harpe's Gittings Seminary (1882).

LaSalle

Coal mines fueled LaSalle's development, and the town was the site of a furious firefight during the Bituminous Coal Miners' Strike of 1894.

Notable People

Paul Carus Ph.D., (1852 1919), German-American editor and publisher of Open Court Publishing Company and The Monist.

Mike Goff, offensive guard for the Kansas City Chiefs. attended LaSalle-Peru High School.

Thomas L. Kilbride, Illinois Supreme Court Justice.

Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki (1870–1966), world-famous Buddhism and Zen author who was instrumental in spreading

Lawrenceville

The city is home of the Lawrenceville "Indians", Illinois Class A high school state basketball champions in 1972, 1974, and back-to-back in 1982 and 1983, which had a combined two season win-loss record of 68-0. The team was coached by Ron Felling, who, after the 1983 season at Lawrenceville, went on to Indiana University as assistant coach to Bobby Knight.

Lewiston

It is the source of Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, who lived there.

Native American burial mounds are nearby at Dickson Mounds on Illinois Route 97.

Lexington

People v. Chicago and Alton Railroad Company - The town of Lexington became the focus of a case that would change American legal history. Soon after railroads began servicing the Midwest it became evident that, if a railroad could unilaterally set its own freight rates, it could soon drain most of the wealth from nearby farmers. The result, in Illinois, was a new state constitution that in 1870 gave the government a role in setting railroad and warehouse rates; the wording and legal arguments behind this part of the new constitution was the work of Bloomington lawyer Ruben M. Benjamin (1833 - 1917). A test case was needed, and Benjamin settled on Lexington. The Chicago and Alton Railroad only charged four dollars and thirty five cents to ship 1,000 board feet (2.4 m3) of lumber from Chicago to Bloomington, but asked for five dollars to ship the same amount of lumber the shorter distance from Chicago to Lexington. In 1871 Benjamin brought suit against the railroad. The railroad responded that it was forced to charge less to ship lumber to Bloomington because there was more competition there than at Lexington. The case worked its way up to the United States Supreme Court where People v. The Chicago and Alton Railroad Company became part of the celebrated Granger Cases, named for the Granges of the Patrons of Husbandry, a group that had argued for rate regulation. These cases, at least for a time, established the right of governments to regulate corporations

Notable People

Alice Ambrose, (1906–2001) philosopher: philosophy department chair at Smith College 1964–1972.

William R. Roy, (born 1926) United States Representative from Kansas 1971–1975.

Joseph L. "Dad" Settles, (1871–1943) one of the founding fathers of Tau Kappa Epsilon.[19]

John A. Sterling, (1857–1918) not raised in Lexington, but Lexington school superintendent 1881–1883; United States Representative from Illinois 1903–1913 and 1915–1918.

Lincoln

It is the only town in the United States that was named for Abraham Lincoln before he became president

Lincoln College (chartered Lincoln University), a private four-year liberal arts college, was founded in early 1865 and granted 2 year degrees until 1929

Notable alumni:

Matt Hughes, Former UFC Welterweight Champion

Edward Madigan, Former U.S. Congressman

Marcus Griffin, former University of Illinois basketball player

Kevin Gamble, basketball player for the University of Iowa and the Boston Celtics

Robert B. Sherman, American songwriter, screenwriter (Honorary Doctorate awarded May 12, 1990)

Norman Corwin, American songwriter, screenwriter (Honorary Doctorate awarded May 12, 1990)

Bruce A. Block, Hollywood director, Directed The New Parent Trap, The Holiday, and a bunch more movies

author Langston Hughes spent some of his early years in Lincoln. Later on, he was to write to his eighth-grade teacher in Lincoln, telling her his writing career began there in the eighth grade, when he was elected class poet.

Notable People

Brian Cook, forward for the Houston Rockets.

Henry Darger, reclusive writer and artist, known for The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion.

Langston Hughes, poet, novelist, playwright.

Terry Kinney, actor, cofounder of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

Edward R. Madigan, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (1991–1993), Representative in Congress (1973–1991).

William Keepers Maxwell, Jr., author, novelist.

Ken Norton Jr., former NFL linebacker.[citation needed]

Stella Pevsner, children's book author.

Bill Sampen, former Major League baseball pitcher.

Kevin Seitzer, former Major League Baseball player.

John Schlitt, lead singer of Christian rock band Petra.

Vic Wunderle, silver medalist in archery in 2000 Sydney Olympic Games

Litchfield

The Ariston Cafe is one of the oldest restaurants along the historic U.S. Route 66, commonly known as Old Route 66, though the cafe itself claims it could possibly be the oldest

Macomb

Macomb is the home of Western Illinois University.

Notable alumni:

Todd Auer, National Football League

Jeremy Brizzi, writer, musician

Michael Boatman, actor

David Bowens, National Football League

Lee Calhoun, Olympic gold medal winner

Bryan Cox, National Football League

Joe Decker, Guinness World Records Holder - World's Fittest Man[12]

Kenneth L. Dixon, journalist in Illinois, New Mexico, and Louisiana

Rodney Harrison, National Football League - Retired, TV analyst

Edgerton Hartwell, National Football League

William James, National Football League

Frisman Jackson, National Football League - WR coach for WIU

Kosuke Kimura, soccer midfielder for the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer.

Gene Lamont, Major League Baseball

John Mahoney, actor

Mary Matalin, Republican Political Strategist and wife of James Carville

Russ Michna, Arena Football League

Red Miller, Former head coach of the NFL Denver Broncos and USFL Denver Gold

Robert Nardelli, Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Chrysler, Former President and CEO of Home Depot

Matthew Miller, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rally Appraisal[citation needed]

Charles Carey, Vice Chairman of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Former Chairman of the Chicago Board of Trade[citation needed]

Mike Patt, Professional Mixed Martial Arts Fighter (UFC, BodogFIGHT)

Rick Reuschel, Major League Baseball

Paul Reuschel, Major League Baseball Mike Scifres, National Football League

Rich Seubert, National Football League

Tom Soehn, Director of Soccer Operations for Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Donald Talbot College Basketball Hall Of Fame

Rick Short, Major League Baseball

Aaron Stecker, National Football League

J.R. Niklos, National Football League

Mike Wagner, National Football League

Frank Winters, National Football league

Rob Lazeo, Canadian Football League

Marco Thomas, Canadian Football League

Kirk Dillard, Illinois State Senator

Clifford B. Latherow, Illinois State Senator (ret.)[citation needed]

Steven Campbell, Current leader of GSA, Illinois division.

Jason Williams, National Football League

Filmings in Macomb

Cast in Gray (2005)[7] Wife Swap (2006)[8]

Notable People

William Birenbaum (1923-2010), college administrator who served as president of Antioch College.[9]

Michael Boatman, actor.[citation needed]

Phil Bradley, Major League Baseball player (1983–1990).

Marcus Dunstan, screenwriter.

Joe Garner, six-time New York Times Bestselling author of non-fiction pop culture history.[citation needed]

John Mahoney, actor.

Ty Margenthaler, assistant coach with the Wisconsin Badgers women's basketball team.

Red Miller, former head coach of the NFL Denver Broncos and USFL Denver Gold.

Michael Norman, author of the "Haunted" book series.

Todd Purdum, correspondent, editor Vanity Fair, New York Times.

Al Sears, jazz tenor saxophonist and bandleader.

Rev. C.T. Vivian, minister and American civil rights leader.

Macon

The Meridian Hawks won the 2009 Boys Class 1A Illinois High School Association State Basketball Championship.

Notable People

Dale Connelly, co-host of Minnesota Public Radio's Morning Show, is a 1973 graduate of Macon High School.[4]

Nelson G. Kraschel, governor of Iowa from 1937 to 1939, was born on a farm near Macon on October 27, 1889.

Brian Snitker, current Atlanta Braves third base coach, was a 1973 graduate of Macon High School.[5]

Toby Towson, NCAA Gymnastics Champion, coach and dancer was a 1965 graduate of Macon High School.[6]

Art Wilson, (1885-1960) was a major league baseball catcher

Madison

It is home to Gateway International Raceway and the first Bulgarian Orthodox church in the United States.

Marengo

The only school designed by architect Louis Sullivan was built in Marengo (it was demolished in 1993 to build a McDonald's).

Notable People

Carl Lundgren, Major League Pitcher (1902–1909).

Egbert Van Alstyne, songwriter. David Boies, lawyer and Chairman of Boies, Schiller & Flexner.

Marion

Southwest of the city is the United States Penitentiary, Marion, the federal government's replacement for Alcatraz Island prison

Notable People

Cory Bailey, Major League Baseball player in the Minors, Majors, and in China.

Robert L. Butler, mayor of Marion, Illinois since 1963.

Ray Fosse, Major League Baseball player.

Markham

Notable People

Rodney Harrison, a native of Markham, a retired safety for the New England Patriots and the San Diego Chargers.

Cliff Floyd, raised in Markham, an outfielder for the San Diego Padres.

Curtis Mayfield, solo artist and member of the soul group the Impressions, once lived in Markham.[citation needed]

Corey McPherrin, raised in Markham, a sportscaster for the Chicago FOX News station.

Kid Sister, hip-hop artist raised in Markham.

Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, hip hop artist and producer born in Markham.

Maroa

Notable People

Kevin Koslofski, Major League Baseball player for the Kansas City Royals.[citation needed]

Dean O'Banion, a 1920s Irish-American mobster.

Jeff Query, football wide receiver with Green Bay Packers, played football at Millikin University

Marshall

Marshall was home to the Handy Writers' Colony, 1950-1964. The most famous writer associated with the Colony was the novelist James Jones, who built a home in Marshall and lived there ca. 1952-1957.

Mason City

Notable People

Gordon Buehrig (1904–1990), noted automobile designer, born in Mason City.

John Means (AKA: "Dr. Gonzo"), stand-up comic, toured with Huey Lewis and the News, born in Mason City.

Vic Wunderle, archer winner of the Olympic Individual Silver Medal (2000).

Mattoon

After the arrival of the Lender's Bagels factory in 1986, Mattoon became the self-declared "Bagel Capital of the World." The town is also home to the world's largest bagel and an annual summer event called "Lenders Bagelfest."

The Burger King — unrelated to the Florida-based fast food chain Burger King — is a Mattoon restaurant whose owners claim it is the "original" Burger King. In 1968, they sued the national chain Burger King, producing a well-known case in United States trademark law. The federal 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that federal trademark registration has priority over state law, giving the national Burger King chain rights to the name beyond a 20-mile radius around the original Burger King. Today, the closest Burger King franchise location is 25 miles away in Tuscola, Illinois.

McCleansboro

Notable People

ABC News Reporter Christen Craig

Jerry Sloan (former basketball player for the Chicago Bulls and head coach of the Utah Jazz)

Carl Mauck (former center for the Houston Oilers and NFL coach)

Mendota

The Mendota Sweet Corn Festival attracts thousands of visitors each August

Helen E. Hokinson, cartoonist for The New Yorker from 1925 until her death in 1949, was born and raised in Mendota.

Former Minnesota Vikings running back Bill Brown was also born and raised in Mendota.

Wartburg College (now located in Waverly, Iowa) was located in Mendota from 1875 to 1885.

Metropolis

In November 1803, Merriweather Lewis and William Clark camped at Fort Massac as they made preparations for their Corps of Discovery expedition to the west. George Drouillard was recruited during their stay at Fort Massac. General George Washington ordered the fort reconstructed in 1794. It served as a military post for the next 20 years. Damaged by the infamous New Madrid earthquake of 1811-12, Fort Massac was abandoned in 1814, and its timbers scavenged by local settlers, leaving behind little of its original construction.

On January 21, 1972 DC Comics declared Metropolis "Hometown of Superman". On June 9, 1972 the Illinois State Legislature passed Resolution 572 that declared Metropolis the "Hometown of Superman," the comic book superhero who is based in the fictional city of Metropolis.[4] Among the ways it celebrates the character are a large Superman statue in the city, a small Superman museum, and an annual Superman Celebration that is always held the second weekend in June. Also, it has a local newspaper, known as The Metropolis Planet, a name inspired by the newspaper in fictional Metropolis, The Daily Planet.

Notable People

Curt Jones, creator of Dippin' Dots ice cream.[citation needed]

Annie Turnbo Malone (born 1869), businesswoman and philanthropist, founder of the black beauty culture and Poro College.

Oscar Micheaux, pioneering African-American filmmaker and author.

Jack Smith, driver with NASCAR.

John Steele, American paratrooper made famous in the movie, The Longest Day (film) (1962).[citation needed]

Robert Franklin Stroud, the Birdman of Alcatraz, is buried in Metropolis.

The sisters Betty, Jean and Joanne Weaver, who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the early 1950s.

Momence

Notable People

American Jazz musician Orbert Davis was raised in Momence.

Janet Hubert, actress played the mother in Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Malcolm Ross (balloonist), Captain in the United States Naval Reserve, an atmospheric scientist, and a balloonist.

Ted Petersen, NFL lineman.[citation needed]

Pop culture

Downtown Momence served as a setting for scenes in the 2002 movie Road to Perdition.

Monmouth

Gunfighter Wyatt Earp was born in Monmouth.

For many years, the town water tower boasted that Monmouth was the "Home of Wyatt Earp."

Controversial Civil War general Eleazar A. Paine practiced law there for many years.

Abner C. Harding, Civil War General and Republican Congressman, lived in Monmouth and is buried in Monmouth Cemetery.

Mass murderer Richard Speck lived in Monmouth briefly as a child, and again in the spring of 1966.

Ronald Reagan lived in Monmouth for a while as a child when his dad worked as a shoe salesman at the Colwell Department Store.

Monmouth was once home to one of the most unusually named high school sports organizations, the Zippers. Originally known as The Maroons, the Zipper nickname came about in the late 1930s when the school had a fast basketball team that would "Zip" up and down the court. Earl Bennett, a sports writer nicknamed them "The Zippers" and the name stuck. The school went with the "Zipper" nickname until the 2004-05 school year when Monmouth consolidated with Roseville and the new Monmouth-Roseville High School adopted the nickname "The Titans"

Monmouth was the home for Western Stoneware, known for its "Maple Leaf" imprint and for producing "Sleepy Eye" collectible ceramics, which are recognizable by the blue-on-white bas-relief Indian profile. Western Stoneware closed in June 2006

Monticello

Notable People

Andrew Peterson, CCM artist, was born in Monticello, Illinois

Morris

Morris is home to the Dresden Nuclear Power Plant, which provides a substantial portion of the electricity supply for the Chicago metropolitan area. Included among the Dresden plant's reactors is the first commercial nuclear reactor, housed in a spherical concrete and steel shell; it has since been decommissioned, and two more modern reactors (of 1970s vintage) now generate its electricity.

Notable People

Ed Brady, (b. 1960), former NFL linebacker.

Jessie Bartlett Davis, (c. 1859–1861 – 1905), operatic singer and actress.

Kelly Dransfeldt, (b. 1975), former Major League Baseball shortstop for the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox.

Careen M. Gordon, (b. 1972), Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 75th District.

Philip C. Hayes, (1833–1916), U.S. Representative from Illinois.

Albert Kingsbury, (1863–1943), engineer, inventor and entrepreneur.

Eric J. Magnuson, (b. 1951), lawyer and as of 2008, Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court.

James Moran, (c. 1803–1914), Irish immigrant worker on the Illinois and Michigan Canal, who at the time of his death, claimed to be 111 years old.

Billy Petrick, (b. 1984), former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs.[citation needed]

Walter M. Pierce, (1861–1954), Democrat politician, 17th Governor of Oregon, and member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon's 2nd congressional district.

Scott Spiezio, (b. 1972), former Major League Baseball third baseman.

Jimmy Stafford, (b. 1964), lead guitarist and original member of the Grammy award winning band Train.

Ronald Steel, (b. 1931), award-winning writer, historian, and professor.

Jerry Weller, (b. 1957), former Republican U.S. Congressman from the 11th District

Morrison

In mid-November 2008, the town's Open Bible Fellowship Church gained national media attention after former pastor Ted Haggard delivered two confessional sermons there.[2]

Nov. 27, 2009 – Morrison High School Boys Football Mustangs defeat Maroa-Forsyth 36-14 to win the IHSA Illinois State Division 2A Championship

Mount Carmel

Notable People

Brace Beemer, the voice of The Lone Ranger radio program.

Archie Dees, forward/center in the NBA, spent his junior and senior years at Mount Carmel High School.

Nancy Dussault, Broadway and television actress, briefly resided in Mount Carmel.[citation needed]

Orlando B. Ficklin, (D) Illinois congressman (1851–1853).

George W. Fithian, (D) Illinois congressman (1889–1895).

Juanita Havill, Children's author known for the Jamaica Books.

Silas Z. Landes, (D) Illinois congressman (1885–1889).

Don Liddle, pitcher for the New York Giants from 1952 to 1954, pitcher of the decisive fourth game of the '54 World Series.

Gil Mains, former defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions (1953–1961).

Mark Medoff, playwright, screenwriter, film and theater director, actor, and professor.

Captain Bellenden Seymour Hutcheson, recipient of Canada's Victoria Cross.

Robert Ridgway, American Ornithologist and author.

Mount Carroll

Political scientist Robert Keohane grew up in Mt. Carroll before attending Shimer.

A Blackwater USA training facility opened near the town in 2006

Murphysboro

234 people were killed when the Tri-State Tornado hit Murphysboro on March 18, 1925. Murphysboro was essentially destroyed. Another F5 affected the area on December 18, 1957, the latest tornado of that strength recorded during a year.

Napersville

Voted the second best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006

Nashville

Notable People

Harry Blackmun, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, born in Nashville (1908).

Lloyd A. Karmeier, Illinois Supreme Court Justice, lives in Nashville and was a Circuit Court judge for the area.

Kirk Rueter, former pitcher for the San Francisco Giants

Nauvoo

Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its religious significance to members of both The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Community of Christ (formerly Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), other groups stemming from the Latter Day Saint movement, and groups such as the Icarians. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) owns most of the other many historic sites in Nauvoo, including the homes of Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, and other early members of the church, as well as other significant buildings. Most of these sites are open to the public, with demonstrations and displays, and there are self-guided driving tours as well as wagon tours. These tours are free, as are the stage and riverside theatrical productions.

There is a large visitors center complete with two theaters and a relief map of 1846 Nauvoo. In June 2002, on the site of the original temple, the LDS Church completed construction of a new temple. The exterior, and much of the interior, is a copy of the original. The exterior matches the original exactly except in three ways: The temple was positioned 12.5 feet (3.8 m) south to allow for parking on the north side, there are two new exterior doors (with an entrance on the north for disabled persons and emergency exits in the basement on the east) and there is a standing Angel Moroni as is seen on most modern temples; the original was an unspecified flying angel, also with a horn in hand but in a horizontal position with the compass, square and flame above.[5] The rebuilding of the Nauvoo Temple was an occasion of great joy and enthusiasm for LDS Church members, and some 350,000 people, church members and nonmembers alike, toured the temple between its completion and dedication[citation needed]. Following LDS Church custom, the temple itself is now not open to visitors.

Palos Heights

In 1965 a group of scholars met in Palos Heights to discuss the need for a contemporary translation of the Holy Bible. The necessity of the project was agreed upon, and shortly thereafter, the New International Version (NIV) was initiated in Palos Heights.

Notable People

Quentin Richardson, Forward Guard for the Miami Heat.[citation needed]

Ed Olczyk, played for the USA in hockey at the 1984 Olympics and went on to a career in the NHL.

Robin Tunney, actress in The Craft, The Mentalist, etc.

Pana

Notable People

Warren Amling (1924-2001), a football and basketball player, played for Ohio State, a 1984 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, born in Pana (1924).

Thomas Henry Carter (1854-1911), Senator, grew up in Pana.

Ed Coady (c. 1867-), football quarterback for the Notre Dame, born in Pana (1867).

Pat Coady (1867-1943), football quarterback for the Notre Dame, born in Pana (1867).

Mike Cvengros (1900-1974), pitcher with the New York Giants, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Chicago White Sox, and the Chicago Cubs, born in Pana (1900).

George Dalton (b. 1947), playwright, known for A Smell of Orchids and The Letterbox, born in Pana.

John Dudra (1916-1965), infielder for the Boston Braves, died in Pana (1965).

Garet Garrett (1878-1954), notable 20th century econo-political commentator and author.[citation needed]

Hector Honore (1905-1983), famed racecar driver and owner, died in Pana on March 3, 1983 and inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum in 1991.

Dick Klein (b. 1934), All-Star offensive lineman for the Chicago Bears, the Dallas Cowboys, the Boston Patriots, and the Oakland Raiders, born in Pana (1934).

Mike Kreevich (1908-1994), a Major League Baseball outfielder, died in Pana (1994).

Albert Marsh (1877-1944), inventor of chromel, born in Pana (1877).

Vincent Sheean (1899-1975), famed war correspondent and author of the book Personal History, was born in Pana on December 5, 1899.[4]

Herb Siegert (1924-2008), former guard for the Washington Redskins, born in Pana (1924).

Paris

Notable People

Richard P. Mills, educator

Bernie Shively, college football Hall-of-Fame Member and University of Kentucky Athletic Director.

Lee Sholem, film and television director, born in Paris.

Barbara Stuart, actor born in Paris.

Carl Switzer, actor ("Alfalfa" in Our Gang).

Brett Eldredge, country music singer, born in Paris.

Paxton

On April 7, 1979, Paxton made the national news after a gun battle along Interstate 57 two miles (3 km) south of the city left two law enforcement officers and three civilians dead. "The I-57 Shootout" as it is known locally, began on a seemingly ordinary Saturday night. Illinois State Trooper Michael McCarter [1] was patrolling the area north of Paxton, accompanied by his civilian brother-in-law Donald Vice, when he clocked two southbound vehicles near Buckley going 65 miles per hour, 10 miles per hour over the speed limit. He eventually pulled them over a mile south of Paxton and radioed for assistance from Paxton police. Officer William Caisse [2] responded, as did Officer Larry Hale, who first stopped to ticket a motorcyclist. Just a few minutes later, five people would be dead in a wild nighttime shootout: McCarter and Vice, Caisse, and Cleveland and David Lampkin, two of four brothers who were headed from their homes in Union Pier, Michigan to Mississippi for their grandmother's funeral. The only survivors would be Hale, Clyde Lampkin, who was never implicated in the incident, and Monroe Lampkin [3], who, police would later contend, killed McCarter and Vice. Hale was wounded in an exchange with David Lampkin, whom he later fatally shot. Monroe Lampkin escaped the scene on foot, setting off a massive manhunt, but was captured the following day walking on the outskirts of Paxton. How the shootout started is not entirely clear. Monroe Lampkin claims that his brothers only pulled their guns after one of the officers cursed and fired at them and that he never fired a shot. Known by police to be part of auto parts theft ring based in Detroit, it is believed that the Lampkin brothers were worried that police would find the weapons they had in the trunk of their cars, and opened fire on the officers. In 1979, Monroe Lampkin was convicted and sentenced to death, but that decision was overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court five years later. In 1985, Lampkin was convicted and sentenced again, this time to life in prison, but that conviction was later overturned in 1990 because of inadmissible evidence given by a witness. Finally, in 1991, Lampkin was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole, a sentence that was upheld by appellate court in 1993. He is currently serving time at the state prison in Pontiac, Illinois.[4]

From 1961-2001, Paxton was home to what was dubbed "The World's Largest Community Sale", attracting hundreds of vendors and buyers and thousands of spectators from throughout central Illinois. Sponsored by the Lions Club, the sale stretched from one end of Market Street to the other for a day-long extravaganza each spring that was part farm show, part auction, and part garage sale.

Peru

The city is the birthplace and hometown of world renowned violinist Maud Powell, who was born on 1112 Bluff Street, where the 251 bridge currently stands. The city was home to Turn Hall, which was the location of Maud Powell's first performance.

The city was also the world headquarters of Westclox clock company.

Notable People

Maud Powell, (1867–1920) violinist.

Zez Confrey, (1895–1971) composer and pianist.

Petersburg

Notable People

Edgar Lee Masters, law partner of Clarence Darrow and known for the book Spoon River Anthology. Masters' boyhood home is still preserved and open for visits.

Ann Rutledge, allegedly Abraham Lincoln's first love. She is buried in Petersburg's Oakland Cemetery.

Major Benjamin F. Stephenson, M.D, the founder of the Grand Army of the Republic, lies buried in Petersburg's Rose Hill Cemetery

Pittsfield

Pittsfield is the self-proclaimed "Pork Capital" of the Midwest, owing to the long history of pork production in the region, which fed into the large meat-packing industry of Chicago. Though agriculture in the region is no longer so dependent on pork, the town still hosts a yearly "Pig Days" festival.

The local high school football team, the Saukees, still holds the record for longest winning streak in the state. Starting with their season opening 6-0 win over North Greene in 1966, the Pittsfield Saukees reeled off 64 consecutive wins, which included 15 straight shutouts between 1969 and 1971. The streak extended all the way through to the second game of the 1973 season, when Pittsfield dropped a 12-0 decision to Winchester.

Notable People

Pittsfield is the birthplace of TV actor Ryan Carnes,

Two-time Illinois state wrestling champion John Wise,

Illinois single season home run record holder Scott Riley.

It is the setting for Jamie Gilson's book Hello, My Name is Scrambled Eggs.

Singer/songwriter Sufjan Stevens wrote a song about Pittsfield on his album The Avalanche.

Polo

Notable People

George Peek, economist.

Pontiac

The town is the setting of the 1984 movie Grandview, U.S.A.

Notable People

Donald Attig, businessman, entrepreneur, inventor, author, and adventurer.

Moira Harris, actress and wife of Gary Sinise.

Irene Hunt, Newbery Medal-winning author.

Mark Schwahn, screenwriter, director and producer.

Patricia Tallman, actress and stunt performer|stuntwoman.

Princeton

Princeton was a stop on the underground railroad. This was located at the home of Owen Lovejoy

Notable People

Richard Widmark, actor, attended school in Princeton, parents owned a hardware store in town.

Kathryn Hays, actress on the daytime soap opera As The World Turns.

Virgil Fox, world-renowned organist.

Keith Knudsen, drummer for the Doobie Brothers.[citation needed]

Lillian Steichen, wife of poet Carl Sandburg.[citation needed]

Among the earliest settlers in Princeton were the Bryants from Massachusetts, the mother, sister, and brothers of poet William Cullen Bryant (1794–1878).[8] The poet is known to have spent many weeks in Princeton visiting his sister and brothers. The youngest of his brothers, John Howard Bryant (1807–1902), also a poet of note, lived on the southern edge of the young city. To this day there stands a small timber known as Bryant Woods, where Abraham Lincoln gave a noteworthy speech in his young political life. The High School football field is named Bryant Field in honor of this famous family

Robinson

Notable People

James Jones, author of From Here to Eternity and The Thin Red Line, born in Robinson. L. S. Heath, father of Heath toffee. Joseph B. Crowley, a U.S. Representative. Calli Cox (Kristy Jo Gullett), a former pornographic actress

Rochelle

Rochelle is the birthplace and hometown of three-time Academy Award nominee Joan Allen.

Tuscola

Notable People

Bo Burnham, comedian, singer, artist.

Philip Deaver, author.

Jennie Garth, actress. (1)

Joseph Gurney Cannon, longtime speaker of the US House.

Fred Wakefield, NFL football player.

Vandalia

Vandalia is the town where Dirk Peters, AKA Hunt, lived for many years before resuming his quest for his companion Arthur Gordon Pym, in the novel An Antarctic Mystery by Jules Verne, published in 1897. This novel is a sequel to the only novel written by Edgar Allan Poe, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket

Fire breathing dragon at liquor store

Vienna

Notable People

Pleasant T. Chapman, member of the United States House of Representatives who was born nearby and practiced law here.

George W. English, United States District Court judge born nearby who practiced law here. He was impeached in 1926.

William Heirens, reputed serial-killer who spent 23 years at the Vienna Correctional Center.

Andrew J. Kuykendall, member of the United States House of Representatives, practiced law here.

Paul Powell, former Illinois Secretary of State, born here.

Virden

Virden was the scene of an 1898 coal miners' strike, during which Mary Harris "Mother" Jones played a major role.

Battle of Virden

On October 12, 1898, a northbound train, loaded with potential strikebreaking miners, pulled into Virden and stopped on the tracks just outside the minehead stockade. The mine manager and train operator, knowing there would be trouble, had reinforced the train with a troop of security guards, armed with Winchester rifles. It soon became clear that the security guards had been either ordered, or allowed, to shoot to kill. As the strikers attempted to surround the train, the guards opened fire.[4] It is important to remember that many of the strikers were also armed. As a gun battle broke out in and around the strikebreakers' train, there were dead and wounded on both sides. Of the thirteen dead, six were security guards. Furthermore, had the strikers won the battle, their intentions toward the Alabama African-American strikebreakers were not friendly. After twenty minutes of firing on both sides, the train's engineer accepted defeat and the train pulled away from the minehead and continued northward to Springfield, Illinois.[4] The "Battle of Virden" led to equivocal results. On the one hand, the mine owners accepted the unionization of the Virden coal mines. On the other hand, as a consequence of the role of racial divisions in the battle, the union and the mine owners agreed to segregate the Virden mines. Virden itself became a sundown town and remained as such for decades thereafter.[4] A monument has been raised in the Virden town square to commemorate the coal strike of 1898 and the battle of October 12 that was its bitter end. The monument contains a large bronze bas-relief that includes the names of those killed in the battle, and a copy of a mendacious recruiting handbill distributed by the Chicago-Virden Company in Birmingham, Alabama, to recruit the African-American miners. The body of the bas-relief is made of of symbolic representations of the Chicago & Alton tracks and the assault on the strikers. The guards are shown ponting their Winchesters at the strikers and their families. Atop the bas-relief is a bronze portrait of Mary Harris Jones, known as Mother Jones.

Warrenville

Notable People

Adam Emory Albright, figure-in-landscape painter.

Ivan Albright, magic realist painter.

Brooks McCormick, former chief executive officer of International Harvester and noted philanthropist and equestrian.

Miles J. Stanford, Christian author.

Jack Steadman, former manager of the Kansas City Chiefs.

John Maynard Woodworth, first Surgeon General of the United States.

Dustin Byfuglien, Right Wing/Defense for Atlanta Thrashers of NHL, won Stanley Cup in 2010 with the Chicago Blackhawks

Tony Moeaki, Tight end for Kansas City Chiefs

Warsaw

John Milton Hay, an American statesman, diplomat, author, journalist, and private secretary and assistant to Abraham Lincoln, was raised in Warsaw.

He served as United States Secretary of State from 1898 to 1905 under presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt.

Illinois politician Benjamin F. Marsh represented the area and is buried in Warsaw.

Washington

Notable People

Mark Dennis (American football), former Offensive Tackle for the Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals and the Carolina Panthers, alumni of Washington High School (1980–1983), and member of Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame[10]

Doug Lee, former NBA player for the Houston Rockets, New Jersey Nets, and Sacramento Kings, alumni of St. Patrick's Grade School and Washington High School (1979–1982) and member of Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame and IBCA Hall of Fame.[11]

Mark Warner, former governor of Virginia, went to grade school in Washington (1966 to 1969)

Watseka

Notable People

Baroness Fern Andra (1893–1974, birth name Vernal Andrews), movie actress and director from 1913 to 1930

Henry Bacon (1866–1924), architect of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and other notable public buildings

Sam Campbell (1895–1962), popular author and nature enthusiast

Rex Everhart (1920–2000), Broadway actor who voiced the role of Maurice in Disney's 1991 film, Beauty and The Beast

Curtis Painter (born 1985), played collegiate football at Purdue University and a reserve quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts

Vaughn R. Walker (born 1944), chief judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, noted for presiding over Perry v. Schwarzenegger

Mary Margaret Whipple (born 1940), Virginia State Senator

Gordie Windhorn (born 1933), former Major League Baseball player

West Frankfort

1951 Coal Mine Explosion

The Orient No. 2 coal mine exploded on Dec. 21, 1951, killing 119 men. The mine, located outside of West Frankfort, was one of the major employers of the area. Everyone in West Frankfort was affected by this tragedy. Many said they could never celebrate Christmas again. The West Frankfort Junior High School became a temporary morgue for identification of the bodies. A call went out for funeral directors. The explosion received national attention from the wire services, newspapers and Life Magazine. Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson visited the site. The United States Bureau of Mines called the explosion avoidable. The disaster resulted in Congress passing the Federal Coal Mine Safety Act which was signed by President Harry S. Truman on July 16, 1952.

Notable People

Kenneth J. Gray, politician

Max Morris, former professional athlete playing for both the NBA and AAFC

Yorkville

Notable People

Andy Richter, actor and comedian.

Dennis Hastert, former Speaker of the House.

The Giving Tree Band, American indie folk rock group

Zion

Notable People

Gary Coleman, Actor (1968–2010), "Arnold Jackson" on Diff'rent Strokes.

Jarvis Brown, Former Major League Baseball player, member of 1991 World Series champion Minnesota Twins.[citation needed]

Richard Bull, Actor, "Nels Olson" on Little House on the Prairie.

Paul Erickson, Former Major League Baseball player (1941–48), mostly with Chicago Cubs.

John Hammond, General Manager of the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association.

Scott Lucas, Lead singer/guitarist for Local H, an alternative rock band which gained fame in the early 1990s.

Billy McKinney, former NBA player/commentator.

Juan Moreno, Two-time Olympic silver medalist (1992 and 1988) in Taekwondo in the Fin-weight (under 50 kg) class and three-time Olympian (2000, 1992, 1988); assistant coach with the U.S. Olympic Team at the 2008 Olympics.[7]

Shoes, power pop band including Gary Klebe, Jeff Murphy, John Murphy.(1)

Author Albert Domasin