Wabash County, Illinois

History

Wabash County was formed in 1824 out of Edwards County, to avert 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.

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

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

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 more than 400 miles away in Nebraska.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 228 square miles (590 km²), of which 223 square miles (580 km²) is land and 4.3 square miles (11 km²) (1.9%) is water. It is the fifth-smallest county in Illinois by area.

Climate and weather

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

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 11,947 people, 5,012 households, and 3,310 families residing in the county. The population density was 53.5 inhabitants per square mile (20.7/km²). There were 5,585 housing units at an average density of 25.0 per square mile (9.7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.9% white, 0.6% black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.6% were German, 12.3% were English, 11.7% were American, and 8.4% were Irish.

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.

Cities

Villages

Unincorporated communities

Precincts

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

Wabash County precincts and their boundaries