Sullivan, Illinois

Sullivan
City
Southern side of courthouse square in Sullivan
Motto(s): "More Than Just a Small Town"

Location of Sullivan in Moultrie County, Illinois.

Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 39°35′54″N 88°36′36″W / 39.59833°N 88.61000°W / 39.59833; -88.61000Coordinates: 39°35′54″N 88°36′36″W / 39.59833°N 88.61000°W / 39.59833; -88.61000
Country  United States
State  Illinois
County Moultrie
Township Sullivan
Founded 1845
Named for Sullivan's Island, Charleston Harbor, South Carolina
Government
 • Mayor Ann Short
Area[1]
 • Total 2.75 sq mi (7.12 km2)
 • Land 2.74 sq mi (7.10 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation 673 ft (205 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 4,440
 • Estimate (2016)[2] 4,475
 • Density 1,631.43/sq mi (629.85/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s) 61951
Area code(s) 217
FIPS code 17-73495
Wikimedia Commons Sullivan, Illinois
Website http://sullivanil.us

Sullivan is a city in Moultrie County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,326 at the 2000 census, and 4,396 in 2009. It is the county seat and largest city of Moultrie County.[3] Sullivan is named after Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, where Fort Moultrie is located.[4]

Geography

Sullivan is located at 39°35′54″N 88°36′36″W / 39.59833°N 88.61000°W / 39.59833; -88.61000 (39.598270, -88.610038).[5]

According to the 2010 census, the city has a total area of 2.68 square miles (6.9 km2), all land.[6]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1860528—
187074240.5%
18801,30575.9%
18901,46812.5%
19002,39963.4%
19102,6219.3%
19202,532−3.4%
19302,339−7.6%
19403,10132.6%
19503,47011.9%
19603,94613.7%
19704,1124.2%
19804,52610.1%
19904,354−3.8%
20004,326−0.6%
20104,4402.6%
Est. 20164,475[2]0.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 4,326 people, 1,820 households, and 1,188 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,121.5 people per square mile (818.8/km²). There were 1,945 housing units at an average density of 953.8 per square mile (368.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.68% White, 0.30% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.39% of the population.

There were 1,820 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,197, and the median income for a family was $41,894. Males had a median income of $31,754 versus $20,631 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,693. About 5.4% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.3% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

History and Points of Interest

Moultrie County Courthouse

History

Sullivan was founded in 1845. Two years after Sullivan was founded, the first official courthouse of the county was built. It was a simple two-story brick building with a hipped roof, and the county jail was housed in the basement. The village would come alive with gossip when court was in session. Abraham Lincoln passed through this first courthouse many times from 1849-1852 as he practiced law in the Moultrie County circuit court. The present courthouse has a mural depicting this first courthouse.

Sullivan had not been a logical site for a county seat. The village of Nelson (which no longer exists) had already been developed and the prairie in which Sullivan would be built had poor drainage and malaria-carrying mosquitoes. In 1844, it was determined that the location that would soon be Sullivan would become the county seat. Unfortunately, decades later Sullivan would prove to be too close to Decatur and Mattoon to thrive as an important area city.

The original village consisted of 40 acres (25 city blocks) bound by Jackson Street on the north, Water Street on the south, Douglas (now Worth) Street on the East, and Hamilton Street on the west. Sullivan's first school was built in 1846 with the first church being built in 1848.

When Lincoln was campaigning for senate against Stephen Douglas, he gave a speech in Freeland's Grove (now Wyman Park) and there is a monument there commemorating his speech today. In 1858, during this senate campaign, a riot broke out on the town square between the supporters of Lincoln and the supporters of Douglas.

In 1864, a fire destroyed the first courthouse and a second, larger one was built that was in use until 1904, when it was demolished and the third, present-day courthouse was built. Along with the first courthouse building, hundreds of county records were lost.

Sullivan was also home to the Titus Opera House, built in 1871, which was located on the north side of the town square. Located on the second and third floors of the building, the large auditorium, balcony, and box seats could accommodate up to 800 patrons. The opera house was among the finest in the area, and it even hosted a concert given by the great Venezuelan pianist Teresa Carreño. Unfortunately, in the early morning of February 20th, 1910, the opera house caught fire and burned to the ground. This marked the end of a live entertainment era in Sullivan until Guy S. Little, Jr. founded The Little Theatre on the Square decades later.

Wyman Park, one of two parks on the north side of Sullivan, has an intriguing past. Albert Wyman, a man who immigrated to the United States from Germany, owned a shoe repair and sales shop on the west end of the town square. During the time Wyman was alive, Sullivan lacked a public park, so in his will he endowed much of his business profit to the city in order to purchase land for a park. While his will prohibited any kind of sales from occurring on the grounds of the new park, concession stands were built decades later.

The Moultrie County Historical and Genealogical Society located in downtown Sullivan houses a small museum of the county's past.

The Little Theatre on the Square

Sullivan has a theatre which is a non-profit; it received $20,000 from President Obama's 2009 Economic Stimulus package,[9] and in 2013 they received $23,200 from the Illinois Arts Council for general operating expenses.[10]

Ward Museum

The Ward Museum at Mason Point, a nursing home just east of Sullivan, displays a collection of items collected from around the world by the Ward family, including one of the largest collections of seashells in the nation. The Ward's collection went on display in 1948, and the collection has remained intact since then. It was featured on an episode of the TV show "Illinois Adventure."[11] The museum was established by Abraham Lincoln "Link" Ward, a farmer, livestock dealer, and auctioneer, and his wife, Cora Anne (Hinterly) Ward. In addiitoin to seashells, the museum contains over 1,000 pieces of antique glassware, including 400 antique goblets. Frontier life items include wooden wheel clocks, circa 1830, copper-toed shoes, spinning wheels, and broad axes. The museum was established in 1948; Cora Ward died in 1967, and the executor of her estate burned the catalog compilation, so the origin of the over 5,000 items donated by the couple, who travelled widely, is unknown. [12]

City budget, public debt, and Tax Increment Financing Districts

The City of Sullivan has three TIFs (Tax Increment Financing Districts)."[13] TIF funds are reserved for areas that are "blighted" or in danger of becoming blighted. In 2010, the City of Sullivan issued $8.3 million in bonds by pledging previously unencumbered real estate increment generated annually by the City's three TIF districts.[14] Recipients of TIF funds in 2013 were reported in the City of Sullivan's Resolution 13-E, which is available online.[15] An auditor from West & Company, L.L.C. stated before the Sullivan City Council on January 28, 2013 that revenue that the City of Sullivan receives from the State of Illinois that is designated as TIF sales tax will be used to pay off these (Build America) bonds. The audit evaluated the City of Sullivan's current financial condition as "stable to sound," meaning that it is able to meet its obligations on a daily basis, but that it does not have much room for error in financial decisions.[16] An auditor addressing the Sullivan City Council on January 7, 2014, noted that the City received its final quarterly TIF District 1 Sales Tax Payment from the State of Illinois, in June 2013; this means that the $400,000 to $500,000 in TIF funds that the Sullivan was receiving annually for TIF Funds will no longer be available for TIF projects, and now must go directly into the city's general fund.[17]

Nixon Rally and Buffalo Burger

Vice President Richard Nixon held a campaign rally during his unsuccessful 1960 Presidential bid. He discarded a half-eaten buffalo burger that was the product of the slaughter of buffalo owned by the City of Sullivan and housed at their street maintenance facility. The discarded burger was retrieved by Sullivan resident Steve Jenne, who preserved it. Jenne exhibited the burger on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" in 1988 and was a guest on the Game Show Network's "I've Got A Secret" in 2006.[18]

Sullivan Redskins

Sullivan's school sports teams have the name "Redskins."

The official school song is Northwestern University's "Go Northwestern," and the fight song is entitled "Hail Red and Black." The school fight song has lyrics written by a Sullivan High School alumnus, but the music was composed by Dr. Paul Van Buskirk Yoder, a notable composer, arranger, and band director of the twentieth century.

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved Jun 30, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  4. ↑ http://gis.hpa.state.il.us/pdfs/201149.pdf
  5. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  6. ↑ "2010 Census U.S. Gazetteer Files for Places – Illinois". United States Census. Archived from the original on 2013-01-12. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  7. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  8. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  9. ↑ Warren, James (2011). "A Program's Legacy in Jobs and Lives". New York Times. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
  10. ↑ . Illinois Arts Council http://www.arts.illinois.gov/news/iac-announces-first-round-fy2013-grants. Retrieved 2014-03-07. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. ↑ Illinois Adventure TV. http://www.illinoisadventuretv.org/index.asp?page=st&site=1016 http://www.illinoisadventuretv.org/index.asp?page=st&site=1016. Retrieved 5 September 2014. Missing or empty |title= (help); External link in |website= (help)
  12. ↑ http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2005-12-18/travel/0512170190_1_masonic-home-memorabilia-display. Missing or empty |title= (help); External link in |website= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help); |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  13. ↑ Cit of Sullivan, Illinois TIF District Map (PDF). 2013-05-10.
  14. ↑ Morris and Sullivan Share TIF Experiences (PDF). TIF Illinois. 2012.
  15. ↑ City of Sullivan Resolution 13-E TIF Tax Allocation Fund (PDF). City of Sullivan, Illinois. 2012-04-22.
  16. ↑ Regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Sullivan, Illinois (PDF). City of Sullivan, Illinois. 2013-01-28.
  17. ↑ Regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Sullivan, Illinois, Monday, January 27, 2014 (PDF). City of Sullivan, Illinois. 2014-01-27.
  18. ↑ Nixon's 1960 sandwich kicked around again. NBC NEWSS. 2006-05-04.
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