Monmouth is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

Warren County, Illinois Warren County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 17,707. Its county seat is Monmouth. History Warren County was organized in 1825 out of Pike County which consisted of all portions ...

, United States. The population was 8,902 at the 2020 census, down from 9,444 in 2010. It is the home of

Monmouth College Monmouth College is a private Presbyterian liberal arts college in Monmouth, Illinois. Monmouth enrolls approximately 900 students from 21 countries who choose courses from 40 major programs, 43 minors, and 17 pre-professional programs in a ...

and contains Monmouth Park, Harmon Park, North Park, Warfield Park, West Park, South Park, Garwood Park, Buster White Park and the Citizens Lake & Campground. It is the host of the Prime Beef festival, held annually the week after Labor Day. The festival is kicked off with one of the largest parades in Western Illinois. Monmouth is also known regionally as the "Maple City". It is part of the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The town established in 1831 was originally going to be called Kosciusko (the name was drawn out of a hat), but the founders of the town feared that it would be difficult to spell and pronounce. The name 'Monmouth' was put forward by a resident who had lived in Monmouth County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. In 1841,

Latter Day Saint movement The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by J ...

founder

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, ...

appeared before Judge Stephen A. Douglas in an extradition hearing held at Monmouth's Warren County courthouse. The hearing, which was to determine whether Smith should be returned to Missouri to face murder charges, resulted in freedom for the defendant, as it was determined that his arrest had been invalid. Attorney

Orville Browning Orville Hickman Browning (February 10, 1806 – August 10, 1881) was an attorney in Illinois and a politician who was active in the Whig and Republican Parties. He is notable for his service as a U.S. Senator and the United States Secret ...

, who would assume Douglas's Senate seat following his death, represented Smith. Gunfighter

Wyatt Earp Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman and gambler in the American West, including Dodge City, Deadwood, and Tombstone. Earp took part in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which l ...

was born in Monmouth. For many years, the town watertower boasted that Monmouth was the "Home of Wyatt Earp." Controversial Civil War general

Eleazer A. Paine Eleazer Arthur Paine (September 10, 1815 – December 16, 1882) was an American lawyer, author and a Union officer from Ohio. He provoked controversy as a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, while commanding occ ...

practiced law there for many years.

Abner C. Harding Abner Clark Harding (February 10, 1807 – July 19, 1874) was a U.S. Representative from Illinois. Biography Abner C. Harding was born in East Hampton, Connecticut on February 10, 1807. He attended Hamilton College, Clinton, New York, where h ...

, Civil War General and Republican Congressman, lived in Monmouth and is buried in Monmouth Cemetery. Ronald Reagan lived in Monmouth for a while as a child when his father worked as a shoe salesman at the Colwell Department Store and mass murderer

Richard Speck Richard Benjamin Speck (December 6, 1941 – December 5, 1991) was an American mass murderer who killed eight student nurses in their South Deering, Chicago, residence via stabbing, strangling, slashing their throats, or a combination of the th ...

lived in Monmouth briefly as a child, and again in the spring of 1966.

, a private liberal arts college affiliated with the

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PC(USA), is a mainline Protestant denomination in the United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the US, and known for its liberal stance on doctrine and its ordaining of women and ...

, was founded in Monmouth in 1853 by Cedar Creek & South Henderson Presbyterian Churches. With James Cochran Porter & Robert Ross Founding in 1852 Monmouth Academy. The Rev. David Alexander Wallace serving as the first President 1856–1878. It is the second-largest employer in the city.

Pi Beta Phi Pi Beta Phi (), often known simply as Pi Phi, is an international women's fraternity founded at Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois on April 28, 1867 as I. C. Sorosis, the first national secret college society of women to be modeled after ...

, the first national secret college society of women to be modeled after the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

-letter fraternities of men, was founded on its campus in 1867. Just three years later in 1870, Kappa Kappa Gamma, international fraternity for women, was founded on its campus. Monmouth was home to minor league baseball from 1890 to 1913. The

Monmouth Browns Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. ...

and Monmouth Maple Cities (1890) played as members of the

Central Association The Central Association was an American minor league baseball league. It began operations in 1908, as it was essentially renamed from the 1907 Iowa State League. The Central Association ran continuously through 1917. It was reorganized thirty year ...

(1910–1913), Illinois-Missouri League (1908–1909), Central Interstate League (1889) and Illinois-Iowa League (1890). Monmouth teams played at 11th Street Park. Monmouth was once home to one of the most unusually named high school sports organizations, the Zippers. Originally known as The Maroons, the Zipper nickname came about in the late 1930s when the school had a fast basketball team that would "Zip" up and down the court. Earl Bennett, a sportswriter nicknamed them "The Zippers" and the name stuck. The school went with the "Zipper" nickname until the 2004–05 school year when Monmouth consolidated with Roseville and the new Monmouth-Roseville High School adopted the nickname "The Titans". The class of 2005 was the last class named the Zippers. The Class of 2006 was the first class named the Titans. Monmouth was the home for Western Stoneware, known for its "Maple Leaf" imprint and for producing "Sleepy Eye" collectible ceramics, which are recognizable by the blue-on-white bas-relief Indian profile. Western Stoneware closed in June 2006. Three former employees of Western Stoneware now operate the facility under the name "WS", Inc and have leased the building and logo from the city of Monmouth.

Geography

Monmouth is located at (40.911531, -90.644579). Monmouth is located in Western Illinois where US Route 34, US Route 67, Illinois Route 164, and now the new Chicago to Kansas City Expressway (Illinois Route 110) intersect. According to the 2010 census, Monmouth has a total area of , of which (or 99.5%) is land and (or 0.5%) is water.

Climate

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 9,841 people, 3,688 households, and 2,323 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,986 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.72%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 2.80%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.23% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.19%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 1.91% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.67% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 4.35% of the population. There were 3,688 households, out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.99. In the city the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 17.1% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,641, and the median income for a family was $41,004. Males had a median income of $30,006 versus $20,144 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $15,839. About 8.0% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Media

Radio

*WMOI-FM (97.7) (RDS)Format: Adult Contemporary *WRAM-AM(1330)/FM (94.1) Format: News/Talk/Ag Classic Country Music *WPFS (105.9) "Proud Fighting Scots Radio" Format: Monmouth College Radio *WKAY-FM (105.3) "Today's Refreshing Light Rock" *WAAG-FM (94.9) "Thee Country Staton" *WLSR-FM (92.7) "Pure Rock The Laser" *WGIL-AM (1400/93.7 FM) "News, Talk, Sports"

Newspaper

*'' Daily Review Atlas'' *''Penny Saver''

Culture

Museums and Galleries

* The Warren County History Museum * The Buchanan Center for the Arts * Holt House (

founding house museum) * Stewart House ( Kappa Kappa Gamma founding house museum)

Notable people

John Clayton Allen John Clayton Allen (February 14, 1860 – January 12, 1939) was an American politician who represented Illinois in the United States House of Representatives from 1925-1933. Allen was born in Hinesburg, Vermont in 1860. He attended the common s ...

– U.S. Congressman from Illinois from 1925-1933 *

Ken Blackman Kenneth Blake Blackman (born November 8, 1972) is a former professional American football player who played guard for three seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals. His playing weight was listed as 320 pounds. He played college football at the Unive ...

– Former NFL football player. Grew up in Monmouth. * Clarence F. Buck – Illinois state senator, farmer, postmaster, and newspaper editor *

Montgomery Case Montgomery Babcock Case (February 11, 1882 — May 7, 1953) was an American civil engineer, esteemed bridge builder, and partner of Modjeski and Masters; the oldest bridge engineering firm in the United States. He is associated with the developme ...

– bridge builder *

Charles Dryden Charles Dryden (March 10, 1860 – February 11, 1931) was an American baseball writer and humorist. He was reported to be the most famous and highly paid baseball writer in the United States during the 1900s. Known for injecting humor into his ...

– early 20th Century sportswriter *

Ellen Irene Diggs Ellen Irene Diggs (1906–1998) was an American anthropologist. She was the writer of a major contribution to African American history, ''Black Chronology: From 4,000 B.C. to the Abolition of the Slave Trade''. Biography Diggs was born on April ...

– American Anthropologist and author of African-American history. Born and raised in Monmouth. * Jug Earp – NFL football player from 1921 to 1932. *

– legendary lawman of the American West; born in Monmouth *

Loie Fuller Loie Fuller (born Marie Louise Fuller; January 15, 1862 – January 1, 1928), also known as Louie Fuller and Loïe Fuller, was an American actress and dancer who was a pioneer of both modern dance and theatrical lighting techniques. Career Bor ...

– pioneer of modern dance *

Gladys Gale Gladys Gale (January 15, 1891 – October 4, 1948) was an American nightclub singer and vaudeville performer, before becoming a character actress in films during the 1930s and 1940s. The wife of a millionaire, she led a checkered life before dy ...

– singer and actress * Ralph Greenleaf – world pocket billiards champion in Hall of Fame * Regis Groff, the second African-American elected to the Colorado Senate, lived in Monmouth as a child.Tammi E. Haddad and Merrie Jo Schroeder
Regis Groff Papers: Finding Aid
Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, Denver Public Library, 2006. * J. P. Machado – football player *

Mike Miller (basketball, born 1964) Michael E. Miller (born August 14, 1964) is an American basketball coach who is an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Early life Miller was born on August 14, 1964, in Monmouth, Illinois, an ...

– basketball coach * Loren E. Murphy – Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court and mayor of Monmouth *

– Civil War general, lived in Monmouth * Ronald Reagan, 40th

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

, lived in Monmouth as a child * James Montgomery Rice, Illinois Congressman, helped establish United States National Guard * James H. Rupp, Illinois state senator, Mayor of Monmouth, and businessman *

– mass murderer, lived in Monmouth * Lawrence H. Stice, Illinois state representative and businessman, lived in Monmouth'Illinois Blue Book 1935-136,' Biographical Sketch of Lawrence H. Stice, pg. 196-197 * John Twomey – manualist * J. Mayo Williams – pro football player, music producer in

Blues Hall of Fame The Blues Hall of Fame is a music museum located at 421 S. Main Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Initially, the "Blues Hall of Fame" was not a physical building, but a listing of people who have significantly contributed to blues music. Started in 1 ...

; grew up in Monmouth

References

External links

Homepage
* {{Authority control Cities in Illinois Cities in Warren County, Illinois Populated places established in 1831 Ronald Reagan Trail County seats in Illinois