Illinois State...
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Illinois Counties
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Henderson County, Illinois
Henderson County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Oquawka
Year Organized: 1841
Square Miles: 379
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Court House: P.O. Box 308
County Courthouse
Oquawka, IL 61469-0308
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
Henderson River
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
Henderson County was created on January 20, 1841 (Laws, 1841, p. 67) and was formed from Warren County. Present area,
or parts of it, formerly included in: Warren County (1825–1841), Pike County (1821–1825), Madison County (1812–1821) and
St. Clair County (1795–1812).
The County was named for Henderson County in Kentucky through the influence of emigrants from that county. Henderson
County, Kentucky was named for Richard Henderson, founder of the Transylvania Company, an early attempt to organize what
later became Kentucky around 1775. The County Seat is Oquawka (1841-Present).
A county comprising 380 square miles of territory, located in the western section of the State and bordering on
the Mississippi River. The first settlements were made about 1827-28 at Yellow Banks, now Oquawka. Immigration was
checked by the Black Hawk War, but revived after the removal of the Indians from Warren in 1841, with Oquawka as the
county-seat. Population in 1880 was 10,722; In 1890, 9,876. The soil is fertile and underlaid by limestone. The
surface is undulating, and well timbered. Population in 1900 was 10,836. "Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois, 1901"
Oquawka - the county seat of Henderson County, situated on the Mississippi River, about 15 miles above Burlington,
Iowa, and 32 miles west of Galesburg. It is in a farming region, but has some manufactories. The town has 5
churches, a graded school, a bank and three newspapers. Population in 1900 was 1,010. "Historical Encyclopedia of
Illinois, 1901"
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 395 square miles (1,023 kmē), of which, 379
square miles (981 kmē) of it is land and 16 square miles (42 kmē) of it (4.13%) is water.
Neighboring Counties:
- Northeast: Mercer County
- East: Warren County
- Southeast: McDonough County
- Southwest: Hancock County; Lee County, Iowa
- Northwest: Des Moines County, Iowa
Cities and Towns:
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- Bald Bluff |
township |
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- Biggsville |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- Carman |
township |
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- Gladstone |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- Gulf Port |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- Lomax |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- Media |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- Oquawka
(County Seat) |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- Raritan |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- Stronghurst |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- Terre Haute |
township |
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally,
act locally." |
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Penn Foster High School
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