Wabash County, Illinois

History

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

The county is named for the Wabash River, which forms its eastern and southern borders. The name "Wabash" is an English spelling of the French name for the river, *"Ouabache."''' French traders named the river after the Miami Indian word for the river, *"Wabashike,"'' (pronounced "Wah-bah-she-keh"), the word for "pure white." Much of the river bottom is white limestone, now obscured by mud. File:Wabash County Illinois 1824.png|Wabash County at the time of its creation in 1824

A 329 acre remnant of the county's original Eastern Woodlands ecosystem can be found in the Forest of the Wabash, located within the county's Beall Woods State Park.

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

Earthquake

Main article: 2008 Illinois earthquake

On the morning of April 18, 2008, at 4:37am local time, one of the largest earthquakes in Illinois history hit the area. The epicenter of this tremor was in Lick Prairie Township, near the middle of the county. The tremor was felt for a wide radius, more than 400 miles away in Nebraska.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 228 sqmi, of which 223 sqmi is land and 4.3 sqmi (1.9%) is water. It is the fifth-smallest county in Illinois by area.

The Wabash River to the east and the Bonpas Creek to the west join at the southern tip of the county; the Bonpas Creek separating the two counties, Wabash County from the Edwards County.

Climate and weather

|Mount Carmel, Illinois |21|38|2.90 |25|44|2.73 |35|54|4.15 |44|66|4.24 |54|76|5.12 |63|85|3.70 |67|89|4.24 |65|87|3.61 |57|81|2.80 |45|70|3.03 |36|55|4.19 |25|43|3.05 |access-date=January 27, 2011 In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Mount Carmel have ranged from a low of 21 °F in January to a high of 89 °F in July, although a record low of -19 °F was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 102 °F was recorded in July 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.73 in in February to 5.12 in in May.

Transit

• Rides Mass Transit District

Major highways

• [[Image:Illinois 1.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 1
• [[Image:Illinois 15.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 15

Adjacent counties

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

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 11,361. The median age was 43.1 years. 22.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.5 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 93.1% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.5% from some other race, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.6% of the population.

61.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 38.7% lived in rural areas.

There were 4,670 households in the county, of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.6% were married-couple households, 18.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 5,409 housing units, of which 13.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 74.3% were owner-occupied and 25.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 15.3%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 11,947 people, 5,012 households, and 3,310 families residing in the county.{{cite web |access-date=July 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213020341/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US17185 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead |access-date=July 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213192318/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY10/0500000US17185 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead |access-date=July 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213034159/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US17185 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead

Of the 5,012 households, 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.0% were non-families, and 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.91. The median age was 42.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $46,026 and the median income for a family was $55,611. Males had a median income of $44,932 versus $28,292 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,350. About 7.2% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.{{cite web |access-date=July 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213025712/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US17185 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead

Communities

Cities

• Mount Carmel (seat)

Villages

• Allendale
• Bellmont
• Keensburg

Unincorporated communities

• Adams Corner
• Cowling
• Friendsville
• Lancaster
• Maud
• Odgen
• Rochester

Precincts

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

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

Wabash County precincts and their boundaries

Politics

Education

School districts include:

• Allendale Community Consolidated School District 17
• Edwards County Community Unit School District 1
• Grayville Community Unit School District 1
• Wabash Community Unit School District 348

References

References

1. (March 2025). "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020–2024". U.S. Department of Commerce.
2. "QuickFacts". [[United States Census Bureau]].
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
4. Jim Suhr, [[Associated Press]]. (April 18, 2008). "5.2 earthquake rattles skyscrapers, nerves across Midwest". [[San Francisco Chronicle]].
5. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates Tables". United States Census Bureau.
6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
8. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
10. "1980 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Illinois- Table 14 - Persons by Race and Table 16 (p. 18-28) - Total Persons and Spanish Origin Persons by Type of Spanish Origin and Race (p. 29-39)".
11. "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Illinois - Table 6 - Race and Hispanic Orogin".
12. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Wabash County, Illinois".
13. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Wabash County, Illinois".
14. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Wabash County, Illinois".
15. included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
16. included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
17. not an option in the 1980 Census
18. not an option in the 1990 Census
19. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
20. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
21. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
22. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
23. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Wabash County, IL". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].