White County, Illinois

County in Illinois, United States

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "White County, Illinois" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

|

U.S. county in Illinois

White County

U.S. county

White County Courthouse in Carmi

Location within the U.S. state of Illinois

Illinois's location within the U.S.

Country|  United States
State|  Illinois
Founded| 1815
Named for| Isaac White
Seat| Carmi
Largest city| Carmi
Area

• Total| 502 sq mi (1,300 km2)
• Land| 495 sq mi (1,280 km2)
• Water| 7.1 sq mi (18 km2)  1.4%
Population

(2010)

• Total| 14,665
• Estimate

(2018)

| 13,665
• Density| 29/sq mi (11/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district| 15th
Website| www.whitecounty-il.gov

White County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 14,665.[1] Its county seat is Carmi.[2] It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known locally as "Little Egypt".

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Geography
* 2.1 Climate and weather
* 2.2 Major highways
* 2.3 Adjacent counties
* 3 Demographics
* 4 Communities
* 4.1 Cities
* 4.2 Villages
* 4.3 Unincorporated towns
* 4.4 Townships
* 5 Politics
* 6 See also
* 7 References
* 8 External links

## History

[edit | edit source]

White County was organized from Gallatin County in 1815, and was named after Captain Isaac 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 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 Scots-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 1830s. 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 the last of five Illinois counties affected by the infamous Tri State Tornado. Although the storm spared the towns of Carmi, Enfield and Crossville, significant damage was done to the surrounding rural areas, where 28 people were killed, dozens were injured and scores of homes and farms were destroyed.

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. As of 2013, fracking is underway near Carmi.[3]

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 Mount 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.

Due to legal actions enforced by Indiana courts, 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. Three county sheriffs were the only police force present at the festival.

* White County between its 1815 creation and 1818

* White County between 1818 and 1819

* White County between 1819 and 1821

* White County in 1821, reduced to its current borders by the creation of Hamilton County

## Geography

[edit | edit source]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 502 square miles (1,300 km2), of which 495 square miles (1,280 km2) is land and 7.1 square miles (18 km2) (1.4%) is water.[4]

### Climate and weather

[edit | edit source]

Carmi, Illinois

Climate chart (explanation)

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

3.1

4.4

4.2

4.6

4.6

3.6

3.1

2.6

4.2

Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[5]
| Metric conversion

112

106

127

116

117

107

102

Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Carmi have ranged from a low of 22 °F (−6 °C) in January to a high of 89 °F (32 °C) in July, although a record low of −20 °F (−29 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 103 °F (39 °C) was recorded in August 2007. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.61 inches (66 mm) in October to 5.00 inches (127 mm) in May.[5]

### Major highways

[edit | edit source]

* Interstate 64
* U.S. Highway 45
* Illinois Route 1
* Illinois Route 14
* Illinois Route 141

### Adjacent counties

[edit | edit source]

* Edwards County (north)
* Gibson County, Indiana (northeast, now separated by Bonpas Creek instead of the Wabash River)
* Posey County, Indiana (east, intermittent sections of water and land boundaries)
* Gallatin County (south)
* Saline County (southwest)
* Hamilton County (west)
* Wayne County (northwest)

## Demographics

[edit | edit source]

Historical population

Census | Pop. |  | %±
1820| 4,828| | —
1830| 6,091| | 26.2%
1840| 7,919| | 30.0%
1850| 8,925| | 12.7%
1860| 12,403| | 39.0%
1870| 16,846| | 35.8%
1880| 23,087| | 37.0%
1890| 25,005| | 8.3%
1900| 25,386| | 1.5%
1910| 23,052| | −9.2%
1920| 20,081| | −12.9%
1930| 18,149| | −9.6%
1940| 20,027| | 10.3%
1950| 20,935| | 4.5%
1960| 19,373| | −7.5%
1970| 17,312| | −10.6%
1980| 17,864| | 3.2%
1990| 16,522| | −7.5%
2000| 15,371| | −7.0%
2010| 14,665| | −4.6%
2018 (est.)| 13,665| [6]| −6.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2013[1]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 14,665 people, 6,313 households, and 4,142 families residing in the county.[11] The population density was 29.6 inhabitants per square mile (11.4/km2). There were 7,181 housing units at an average density of 14.5 per square mile (5.6/km2).[4] The racial makeup of the county was 98.1% white, 0.4% black or African American, 0.3% American Indian, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population.[11] In terms of ancestry, 25.5% were German, 15.8% were Irish, 14.0% were American, and 11.8% were English.[12]

Of the 6,313 households, 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.4% were non-families, and 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.78. The median age was 45.2 years.[11]

The median income for a household in the county was $39,728 and the median income for a family was $48,666. Males had a median income of $41,712 versus $26,168 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,081. About 10.1% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.7% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.[13]

## Communities

[edit | edit source]

### Cities

[edit | edit source]

* Carmi
* Grayville (Partially in Edwards County)

### Villages

[edit | edit source]

* Burnt Prairie
* Crossville
* Enfield
* Maunie
* Mill Shoals
* Norris City
* Phillipstown
* Springerton

### Unincorporated towns

[edit | edit source]

* Brownsville
* Emma
* Epworth
* Herald
* Rising Sun

### Townships

[edit | edit source]

White County is divided into ten townships:

* Burnt Prairie
* Carmi
* Emma
* Enfield
* Gray
* Hawthorne
* Heralds Prairie
* Indian Creek
* Mill Shoals
* Phillips

## Politics

[edit | edit source]

United States presidential election results for White County, Illinois[14] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2020 | 5,791  | 77.93% | 1,517  | 20.41%  | 123  | 1.66%
2016 | 5,640  | 76.89% | 1,412  | 19.25%  | 283  | 3.86%
2012 | 4,731  | 66.80% | 2,188  | 30.90%  | 163  | 2.30%
2008 | 3,987  | 53.50% | 3,315  | 44.48%  | 151  | 2.03%
2004 | 5,180  | 62.40% | 3,071  | 37.00%  | 50  | 0.60%
2000 | 4,521  | 59.20% | 2,958  | 38.73%  | 158  | 2.07%
1996 | 2,878  | 39.15%  | 3,553  | 48.33% | 921  | 12.53%
1992 | 3,057  | 34.70%  | 4,308  | 48.89% | 1,446  | 16.41%
1988 | 4,354  | 51.04% | 4,144  | 48.58%  | 33  | 0.39%
1984 | 5,500  | 61.23% | 3,457  | 38.48%  | 26  | 0.29%
1980 | 5,279  | 58.19% | 3,463  | 38.17%  | 330  | 3.64%
1976 | 4,600  | 46.31%  | 5,306  | 53.42% | 27  | 0.27%
1972 | 6,052  | 62.10% | 3,678  | 37.74%  | 16  | 0.16%
1968 | 5,351  | 53.77% | 3,837  | 38.56%  | 764  | 7.68%
1964 | 4,000  | 40.15%  | 5,963  | 59.85% | 0  | 0.00%
1960 | 5,810  | 54.93% | 4,756  | 44.97%  | 11  | 0.10%
1956 | 6,128  | 56.13% | 4,778  | 43.77%  | 11  | 0.10%
1952 | 6,141  | 58.87% | 4,284  | 41.07%  | 6  | 0.06%
1948 | 4,498  | 48.17%  | 4,761  | 50.99% | 79  | 0.85%
1944 | 5,139  | 51.12% | 4,822  | 47.97%  | 91  | 0.91%
1940 | 5,459  | 47.50%  | 5,909  | 51.41% | 125  | 1.09%
1936 | 4,322  | 39.62%  | 6,511  | 59.68% | 76  | 0.70%
1932 | 3,320  | 35.71%  | 5,909  | 63.55% | 69  | 0.74%
1928 | 4,177  | 53.01% | 3,666  | 46.53%  | 36  | 0.46%
1924 | 3,780  | 44.71%  | 4,377  | 51.77% | 297  | 3.51%
1920 | 4,494  | 51.23% | 4,148  | 47.29%  | 130  | 1.48%
1916 | 4,137  | 43.76%  | 5,066  | 53.59% | 250  | 2.64%
1912 | 591  | 11.16%  | 2,708  | 51.11% | 1,999  | 37.73%
1908 | 2,436  | 43.50%  | 2,934  | 52.39% | 230  | 4.11%
1904 | 2,515  | 45.19%  | 2,774  | 49.84% | 277  | 4.98%
1900 | 2,658  | 44.94%  | 3,170  | 53.59% | 87  | 1.47%
1896 | 2,771  | 44.44%  | 3,421  | 54.87% | 43  | 0.69%
1892 | 2,215  | 40.40%  | 2,954  | 53.88% | 314  | 5.73%

## See also

[edit | edit source]

* National Register of Historic Places listings in White County, Illinois

## References

[edit | edit source]

1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ Webber, Tammy. "Illinois high-volume 'fracking' underway". The Associated Press. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
4. ^ a b "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
5. ^ a b "Monthly Averages for Carmi, Illinois". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
6. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved November 2, 2019.
7. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
8. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
9. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
10. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
11. ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
12. ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
13. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
14. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved November 13, 2018.

## External links

[edit | edit source]

* White County Official website
* White County Sheriff's Department
* History of the Battle of Tippecanoe

Places adjacent to White County, Illinois

| Wayne County | Edwards County | Gibson County, Indiana and Wabash County

|
|

|  |
Hamilton County |

White County, Illinois

| Posey County, Indiana
|  |
Saline County | Gallatin County |

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of White County, Illinois, United States

County seat: Carmi

Cities|

* Carmi
* Grayville‡

Map of Illinois highlighting White County

Villages|

* Burnt Prairie
* Crossville
* Enfield
* Maunie
* Mill Shoals‡
* Norris City
* Phillipstown
* Springerton

Townships|

* Burnt Prairie
* Carmi
* Emma
* Enfield
* Gray
* Hawthorne
* Heralds Prairie
* Indian Creek
* Mill Shoals
* Phillips

Unincorporated
communities|

* Brownsville
* Emma
* Epworth
* Herald
* Rising Sun

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

State of Illinois

Springfield (capital)

Topics|

* Index
* Buildings and structures
* Census areas
* Communications
* Culture
* Delegations
* Earthquakes
* Economy
* Education
* Energy
* Environment
* Geography
* Government
* Health
* History
* Languages
* Law
* Music
* People
* Politics
* Portal
* Protected areas
* Society
* Sports
* Symbols
* Tourism
* Transportation
* Windmills

Regions|

* American Bottom
* Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area
* Central Illinois
* Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area
* Chicago metropolitan area
* Collar counties
* Corn Belt
* Driftless Area
* Forgottonia
* Fox Valley
* Illinois–Indiana–Kentucky tri-state area
* Metro East
* Metro Lakeland
* Mississippi Alluvial Plain
* North Shore
* Northern Illinois
* Northwestern Illinois
* Peoria metropolitan area
* Quad Cities
* River Bend
* Rockford metropolitan area
* Southern Illinois
* Wabash Valley

Municipalities|

* Alton/Granite City/Edwardsville
* Arlington Heights/Palatine
* Aurora/Naperville/Oswego/Plainfield
* Bartlett/Hanover Park/Streamwood
* Belleville/East St. Louis/Collinsville/O'Fallon
* Berwyn/Cicero
* Bloomington/Normal
* Bolingbrook/Romeoville
* Buffalo Grove/Wheeling
* Calumet City
* Canton
* Carbondale
* Carol Stream/Glendale Heights
* Centralia
* Champaign/Urbana
* Charleston/Mattoon
* Chicago
* Chicago Heights
* Crystal Lake/Algonquin
* Danville
* Decatur
* DeKalb/Sycamore
* Des Plaines/Mount Prospect/Park Ridge
* Dixon
* Downers Grove/Woodridge
* Effingham
* Elgin/Carpentersville
* Elmhurst/Lombard/Addison
* Evanston/Skokie
* Freeport
* Galesburg
* Glenview/Northbrook
* Harrisburg
* Jacksonville
* Joliet
* Kankakee/Bradley/Bourbonnais
* Lincoln
* Macomb
* Marion/Herrin
* Moline/East Moline/Rock Island
* Mount Vernon
* Mundelein
* Oak Lawn
* Oak Park
* Orland Park/Tinley Park
* Ottawa/Streator/LaSalle/Peru
* Peoria/Pekin/East Peoria/Morton/Washington
* Pontiac
* Quincy
* Rochelle
* Rockford/Belvidere/Machesney Park/Loves Park
* St. Charles
* Schaumburg/Hoffman Estates/Elk Grove Village
* Springfield
* Sterling/Rock Falls
* Taylorville
* Waukegan/North Chicago/Gurnee
* Wheaton

Counties|

* Adams
* Alexander
* Bond
* Boone
* Brown
* Bureau
* Calhoun
* Carroll
* Cass
* Champaign
* Christian
* Clark
* Clay
* Clinton
* Coles
* Cook
* Crawford
* Cumberland
* DeKalb
* DeWitt
* Douglas
* DuPage
* Edgar
* Edwards
* Effingham
* Fayette
* Ford
* Franklin
* Fulton
* Gallatin
* Greene
* Grundy
* Hamilton
* Hancock
* Hardin
* Henderson
* Henry
* Iroquois
* Jackson
* Jasper
* Jefferson
* Jersey
* Jo Daviess
* Johnson
* Kane
* Kankakee
* Kendall
* Knox
* Lake
* LaSalle
* Lawrence
* Lee
* Livingston
* Logan
* Macon
* Macoupin
* Madison
* Marion
* Marshall
* Mason
* Massac
* McDonough
* McHenry
* McLean
* Menard
* Mercer
* Monroe
* Montgomery
* Morgan
* Moultrie
* Ogle
* Peoria
* Perry
* Piatt
* Pike
* Pope
* Pulaski
* Putnam
* Randolph
* Richland
* Rock Island
* Saline
* Sangamon
* Schuyler
* Scott
* Shelby
* St. Clair
* Stark
* Stephenson
* Tazewell
* Union
* Vermilion
* Wabash
* Warren
* Washington
* Wayne
* White
* Whiteside
* Will
* Williamson
* Winnebago
* Woodford

* v
* t
* e

Southern Illinois

Counties|

* Alexander
* Bond
* Calhoun
* Clay
* Clinton
* Edwards
* Franklin
* Gallatin
* Hamilton
* Hardin
* Jackson
* Jefferson
* Jersey
* Johnson
* Lawrence
* Madison
* Marion
* Massac
* Monroe
* Perry
* Pope
* Pulaski
* Randolph
* Richland
* Saline
* St. Clair
* Union
* Wabash
* Washington
* Wayne
* White
* Williamson

Mid-sized cities (25,000+)|

* Alton
* Belleville
* Carbondale
* Collinsville
* Edwardsville
* Granite City
* O'Fallon

Small Cities (10,000-25,000)|

* Cahokia Heights
* Centralia
* East St. Louis
* Fairview Heights
* Glen Carbon
* Godfrey
* Herrin
* Marion
* Mt. Vernon
* Swansea
* Wood River

Small Cities (5,000-10,000)|

* Anna
* Benton
* Bethalto
* Carmi
* Carterville
* Chester
* Columbia
* Du Quoin
* East Alton
* Fairfield
* Flora
* Harrisburg
* Highland
* Jerseyville
* Maryville
* Mascoutah
* Metropolis
* Mount Carmel
* Murphysboro
* Olney
* Pinckneyville
* Pontoon Beach
* Salem
* Shiloh
* Staunton
* Troy
* Washington Park
* Waterloo
* West Frankfort

Interstates|

* I-55
* I-64
* I-70
* I-255
* I-270
* I-57
* I-24

Airports/Military bases|

* Scott Air Force Base
* MidAmerica St. Louis Airport
* St. Louis Regional Airport
* St. Louis Downtown Airport
* St. Louis Metro-East Airport
* Williamson County Regional Airport
* Kellums
* Cache River Airstrip
* Pinckneyville Duquoin Airport
* Harrisburg-Raleigh Regional Airport
* Mt. Vernon Outland Airport
* Southern Illinois Airport

Universities|

* Southern Illinois University (Carbondale)
* Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Colleges|

* Southeastern Illinois College
* Rend Lake College
* John A. Logan College
* Shawnee Community College
* Southwestern Illinois College
* Kaskaskia College
* Wabash Valley College
* East St. Louis Community College Center
* McKendree University
* Morthland College
* Olney Central College

Sports teams based in
the Southern Illinois|

* Gateway Grizzlies (baseball, Frontier League)
* Southern Illinois Miners
* Southern Illinois Salukis
* SIU Edwardsville Cougars

Coordinates: 38°05′N 88°11′W﻿ / ﻿38.09°N 88.18°W﻿ / 38.09; -88.18
*[Pop.]: Population
*[%±]: Percent change
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template