Macomb, Illinois

History

Origin

First settled in 1829 on a site tentatively named "Washington", the town was officially founded in 1830 as the county seat of McDonough County and given the name "Macomb" after Alexander Macomb, a general in the War of 1812. War veterans were given land grants in the Macomb area, which was part of the "Military Tract" set aside by Congress. In 1855 the Northern Cross Railroad, a predecessor to the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, was constructed through Macomb, leading to a rise in the town's population. On April 24, 1899, the Western Illinois State Normal School, currently Western Illinois University, was founded in Macomb. Representative Lawrence Sherman was instrumental in locating the school in Macomb. In 1903 the Macomb and Western Illinois Railway was built from Macomb to nearby Industry and Littleton by local financier Charles V. Chandler, though this railroad was abandoned in 1930. In 1918, construction on Illinois Route 3 was begun as a state financed highway from Cairo to Rock Island through Macomb; in the late 1920s U.S. Route 67 was extended along this route to Dubuque, Iowa.

Presidential visits

Macomb has been visited by several US Presidents over the years. Ulysses S. Grant, Andrew Johnson, Rutherford B. Hayes, William McKinley, and Theodore Roosevelt have all made short addresses in Macomb. On two occasions, Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama addressed large audiences prior to their election as president. Obama was stumping for the U.S. Senate at the time, meaning a president or presidential nominee has not visited Macomb in 109 years and counting.

St. Louis Rams summer camp

The WIU campus and its Hanson Field Stadium were home to the St. Louis Rams' football summer training camp from 1996 to 2004. In 2005, the Rams decided to move summer training to their own facilities in St. Louis, Missouri, ending the nine-year relationship.

Colts Drum and Bugle Corp Summer Camp

WIU's Hanson Field was home to the Colts' summer training camp in 2023. The nine-time Drum Corps International (DCI) World Class Finalist, from Dubuque, IA are a group of 160 high school- and college-aged musicians, plus 40 staff members and support team members. They train, work, and live on the WIU campus for three weeks. Members live in the residence halls and practice at Hanson Field.

Minor league baseball

Macomb was home to the Macomb Potters, who played as members of the Class D level Illinois-Missouri League in 1909 and 1910. The team also hosted two exhibition games against the Chicago Cubs. The Potters began play after local fans raised funds to start the team.

On Friday, June 18, 1909, the Macomb Potters hosted an exhibition game against the defending World Series Champion Chicago Cubs. The game was scheduled with the agreement that the Cubs would feature their regular lineup. The selected date allowed the Cubs to play in between the Cubs' series with the Brooklyn Superbas. The game was advertised as “the greatest day in the baseball history of McDonough County,” in a large advertisement placed in the June 17, 1909 Macomb Daily Journal. The teams took infield at 2:30 p.m., with the game starting at 3:00 p.m. In front of 2,964 fans, the Cubs beat the Potters 6–0. Admission was $1.00 per ticket. After the game, each team split the gate money minus expenses and each club received $971.50.

During the 1910 season, the Macomb Potters and the Chicago Cubs played a second exhibition game in Macomb. The 1910 game was won by the Cubs 5–0.

Monopoly

Lizzie Magie, who was born in Macomb, invented The Landlord's Game, the precursor to Monopoly. In 2024, "Macombopoly", which the town calls "the world's largest Monopoly board", was unveiled in downtown Macomb. The eATLAS app combined with painted squares and statues encourages players to explore the downtown area. One of the statues is of Magie.

Geography

The East Fork Lamoine River flows past the northern part of the city.

U.S. Routes 67 and 136 pass through the city. They enter the city together from east on Jackson Street and split at the city center, US 67 turning north on Lafayette Street, and US 136 continuing west on Jackson Street. US 67 leads north 33 mi to Monmouth and south 27 mi to Rushville, while US 136 leads east 40 mi to Havana and west 42 mi to Keokuk, Iowa.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Macomb has a total area of 11.03 sqmi, of which 10.60 sqmi are land and 0.43 sqmi, or 3.91%, are water.

Demographics

2020 census

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 18,558 people, 6,575 households, and 2,952 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,884.2 PD/sqmi. There were 7,037 housing units at an average density of 714.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 88.73% White, 5.93% African American, 3.06% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.69% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. 2.10% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,575 households, out of which 19.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.9% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 55.1% were non-families. 38.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.77.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 12.6% under the age of 18, 42.9% from 18 to 24, 18.2% from 25 to 44, 14.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,994, and the median income for a family was $42,069. Males had a median income of $27,663 versus $21,780 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,470. 29.1% of the population and 12.2% of families were below the poverty line. 22.8% of those under the age of 18 and 8.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Economy

Major Manufacturers:

• NTN-Bower Corporation
• Pella Windows
• Whalen Manufacturing
• Yetter Manufacturing (Farm Equipment)

Arts and culture

Macomb is home to the annual Heritage Days Festival, which typically runs for a weekend in the summer. The fair is held at Chandler Park.

Museums and libraries

• Macomb Public Library
• Spoon River College Library
• WIU Malpass Library
• WIU Curriculum Library
• WIU Music Library
• Western Illinois Museum
• WIU Museum of Geology
• WIU University Art Gallery

Parks and recreation

• Harry Mussatto Golf Course
• Lakeview Nature Center
• Macomb Park District
  • Glenwood Pool
  • Ball Fore
• Spring Lake Park

Education

It is in the Macomb Community Unit School District 185.

Public K-12:

• MacArthur School (PreK and Preschool)
• Lincoln School (K–2)
• Edison School (3–5)
• Macomb Middle School (6–8)
• Macomb High School (9–12)

Private K-12:

• St. Paul Catholic School (PreK–6)

Tertiary:

• Spoon River College, Macomb campus
• Western Illinois University

Media

Newspapers

• The McDonough County Voice, daily newspaper
• Western Courier, Western Illinois University student newspaper

Filmings in Macomb

• Cast in Gray (2005)
• Wife Swap (2006)

Infrastructure

Transportation

Highways

• [[Image:US 67.svg|20px]] U.S. Route 67 (Lafayette St.)
• [[Image:US 136.svg|20px]] U.S. Route 136 (Jackson St.)
• [[Image:Illinois 110.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 110
• [[Image:Illinois 336.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 336

Airport

Macomb is served by the Macomb Municipal Airport. Which is approximately 3 mi north of Macomb.

Mass Transit

• Go West Transit

Rail

• Macomb (Amtrak station)

Healthcare

• McDonough District Hospital, is located in Macomb and has been serving McDonough County and surrounding counties since 1958.

Historical Road Names

Following suit from its being named after General Alexander Macomb, a general in the War of 1812, Macomb makes tributes to other historical generals in its street names. The town has a Grant, Lafayette, McArthur, and Johnson Streets.

Notable people

· Only people who already have a Wikipedia article may appear here. This establishes notability. · The article must mention how they are associated with Macomb, Illinois, whether born, raised, or residing. · The fact of their association should have a reliable source cited. · Alphabetical by last name please · All others will be deleted without further explanation

• William Birenbaum (1923–2010), college administrator
• Michael Boatman, actor, attended Western Illinois University
• Phil Bradley, Major League Baseball player (1983–1990)
• Helen Tunnicliff Catterall (1870–1933), lawyer, writer
• Charles Clarke Chapman (1853–1944), first mayor of Fullerton, California
• Bryan Cox, football player and coach, attended Western Illinois University
• Marcus Dunstan, screenwriter and director
• Harry Gamage, University of Kentucky football head coach 1927–1933
• Joe Garner, six-time New York Times bestselling author of non-fiction pop culture history
• Elizabeth Magie, inventor of The Landlord's Game, precursor to Monopoly
• John Mahoney (1940–2018), actor; alumnus of Western Illinois University
• Ty Margenthaler, assistant coach with Wisconsin Badgers women's basketball team
• Kenneth G. McMillan, Illinois state senator and educator
• Red Miller, former head coach of NFL Denver Broncos and USFL Denver Gold
• Louise Jordan Miln (1864–1933), novelist, actress, travel writer, East Asian expert
• Darrell Mudra (1929–2022), Canadian Football League and member of the College Football Hall of Fame
• Michael Norman, author of the "Haunted" book series
• Donald C. Pogue, judge
• Todd Purdum, correspondent, editor, Vanity Fair, New York Times
• Lou Saban (1921–2009), National Football League and college football player and coach
• Khalen Saunders, NFL football player (2019–present) (Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints)
• Al Sears, jazz tenor saxophonist and bandleader
• Stabbing Westward, rock band
• Damon G. Tunnicliff, Illinois Supreme Court justice; practiced law in Macomb
• Ruth May Tunnicliff (1876–1946), medical researcher
• Sarah Bacon Tunnicliff (1872–1957), clubwoman and reformer in Chicago
• Howard Turner, football player
• Ginny Vida, editor, activist, and city official
• Rev. C.T. Vivian (1924–2020), minister and civil rights leader
• Henry Wells, author, professor and expert on Latin America politics

References

References

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