White County, Illinois
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
White County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of 2000, the population is 15,371. Its county seat is Carmi, Illinois6.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,299 km² (502 mi²). 1,282 km² (495 mi²) of it is land and 18 km² (7 mi²) of it (1.36%) is water.
[edit] Adjacent Counties
- Edwards County (north)
- Wabash County (northeast)
- Posey County, Indiana (east)
- Gallatin County (south)
- Saline County (west)
- Hamilton County (west)
- Wayne County (northwest)
[edit] History
White County was organized from Gallatin County in 1815, and was named after Captain Leonard White(some accounts Captain Issac White), a Gallatin County legislator who is credited with the idea of extending the Illinois-Wisconsin border a few miles north of the southern tip of Lake Michigan and was also in charge of the salt works at Equality. He was killed in 1811 at the Battle of Tippecanoe. The county seat, Carmi was founded in 1814, and incorporated in 1816. The first courthouse was in the log cabin of John Craw.
The first white settlers came to White County, Illinois between 1807 and 1809. The first settlements were near the Little Wabash River and Big Prairie, one of the numerous prairies in the county. These families; Hanna, Land, Hay, Williams, Calvert, Ratcliff, Holderby, Robinson, Stewart, among others typically had spent time in the Carolinas, Kentucky or Tennessee before moving into Illinois, and most were of Scotch-Irish descent. Many came through the land office at Shawneetown, Illinois which was a port for flatboats which traveled the Ohio River.
Other early settlements were Grayville, located at the mouth of Bonpas Creek and the Wabash River, settled by the Gray family around 1810, Phillipstown, on the bluffs above the Wabash and Fox River floodplain, and New Haven (mostly in Gallatin County), which was home to a brother of Daniel Boone around 1818. Old Sharon Church (Presbyterian), located near the later village of Sacramento, was organized around 1816, and the village of Seven Mile Prairie was established a few miles north of the church in the 1830's. The parents of longtime Abraham Lincoln girlfriend Ann Rutledge were part of this group, along with families named McArthy, Miller, McClellan, Pollard, Storey, Fields, and Johnson.
About 1839, a group of Irish immigrants began moving into the extreme western part of Enfield Township, led by Patrick Dolan, as well as members of the Mitchell and Dunn clans. Dolan was auctioneer in 1853 when the village of Enfield was platted, as Seven Mile moved west in anticipation of a railroad line, which was not built until 1872. German families moved into the middle portion of the county in the 1840s and onward, especially from the Baden region, and included the family names of Rebstock, Dartt, Brown, Sailer, Stanley, and Drone.
The second half of the 19th century saw the establishment of the towns of Norris City, Springerton, Mill Shoals (once the home of a thriving barrel-making industry which depleted the nearby virgin forests), Epworth, Herald, Burnt Prairie (previously known as "Liberty"), Crossville, Phillipstown, Concord (also known as Emma), Maunie and Rising Sun (commonly called Dogtown)--the latter two villages are located on the Wabash and attracted several African-American families. A number of villages which no longer exist were also formed: Trumbull, Roland, Middle Point, Stokes Station, Gossett, Bungay, Calvin, Iron, and Dolan Settlement.
In 1925, White County was devastated by the Tri-State Tornado, the deadliest tornado in U.S. history. A good proportion of the 127 killed in Hamilton and White Counties were in White County itself. The main town affected was Carmi.
Agriculture was the primary industry of White County until the summer of 1939, when oil was discovered in the Storms and Stinson fields in the Wabash River Bottoms. The population of Carmi doubled within two years, from 2,700 to 5,400, with corresponding increases at Crossville and Grayville--in 1940 it was said one could walk between these two towns by simply walking from rig to rig. Many of these workers migrated from previous oil booms in Texas and Oklahoma.
The current population of White County is a little over 17,000, with 6,500 in the county seat of Carmi. There is a high number of retired people, and many citizens work in the factories of Evansville or Mt. Vernon, Indiana, located 45 and 25 miles to the east, respectively. Besides oil and agriculture, industries include auto parts manufacturing, plastics, a convenience store distribution center and underground coal mining.
White County, Illinois was also the site of the ill-fated Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival also known as the Bull Island Fest in 1972.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 15,371 people, 6,534 households, and 4,377 families residing in the county. The population density was 12/km² (31/mi²). There were 7,393 housing units at an average density of 6/km² (15/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.22% White, 0.26% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. 0.67% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 6,534 households out of which 26.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.60% were married couples living together, 7.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.00% were non-families. 29.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the county the population was spread out with 21.50% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 25.30% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 20.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 91.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $29,601, and the median income for a family was $36,580. Males had a median income of $30,619 versus $17,282 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,412. About 8.70% of families and 12.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.70% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.
