Mattoon, Illinois Mattoon Townships Mattoon, Lafayette, Paradise Location of Mattoon inside Illinois Location of Mattoon inside Illinois Wikimedia Commons: Mattoon, Illinois Mattoon is a town/city in Coles County, Illinois, United States.
One of the chief factors determining the settlement of Mattoon and Coles County in general was the topography.
In 1826, Kentucky emigre Charles Sawyer became the first white man known to settle in the Mattoon area, just north of the timberline (known as the Wabash Point Timber) along the Little Wabash River.
School was maintained in this locale until 1844-45, when the first real schoolhouse was assembled in what would turn into Mattoon.
That year, the Illinois State Legislature passed its first school laws, making Mattoon a forerunner for early education in the state.
The county was titled after Edward Coles, the second governor in Illinois who served in 1822. Settlers in the Mattoon region remained poor and humble, but their improve remained close knit.
In 1836, "Old State Road", which runs along the southern end of town, became one of the first trails to be established in the Mattoon area.
The expansion and subsequent history of Mattoon is tied to that of small-town barns s. In 1854, barns surveyors from the Illinois Central Railroad and Terre Haute and Alton Railroad found their barns s would cross in the Mattoon area, and a burst of investment and territory speculation began.
In 1856, the first two babies were born in Mattoon, Charles Cartmell in July and Mollie Puff in September.
Mattoon, the chief assembly engineer working for the Terre Haute and Alton Railroad and partner of the Massachusetts firm "Phelps, Mattoon, and Barnes." Others say he beat other claimants in a card game, or that Pegtown inhabitants hoped the wealthy Mattoon would invest in the town if they titled it after him.
With its combination of excellent transit and remarkably fertile prairie soils, Mattoon period rapidly.
By the dawn of the 20th century, Mattoon's burgeoning population and rail access brought manufacturing and industry.
Grant took his first post of the American Civil War when he assumed command of the 21st Illinois Infantry in Mattoon.
The flagpole from General Grant's camp was preserved and is on display at the Mattoon Public Library.
Amish farm stands and horse-drawn buggies are not uncommon sights in the northern part of Mattoon today.
In the 1890s, Mattoon led the prosperous campaign to have a proposed college in easterly Illinois positioned in Coles County.
Began producing dinette sets at their new plant on the south side of Mattoon.
The 1940 discernment of oil reserves near Mattoon led to a small "oil boom" over the next two decades, bringing with it economic benefits and increased civic pride.
Mattoon was the site of the "Mad Gasser" attacks of the 1940s.
The Burger King unrelated to the Florida-based fast food chain Burger King is a Mattoon restaurant whose owners claim it is the "original" Burger King.
Mattoon was home to a several minor-league baseball squads in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Traditionally a bastion of manufacturing, Mattoon has lost a several major plants in the last two decades.
Hood and accomplices bought businesses in the Mattoon area, including the Blue Bird Diner, a longtime family favorite in the small town.
In 2009, the America's Power Factuality Tour stopped at Mattoon to report on its part in generating electricity in the United States. According to the 2010 census, Mattoon has a total region of 10.344 square miles (26.79 km2), of which 10.34 square miles (26.78 km2) (or 99.96%) is territory and 0.004 square miles (0.01 km2) (or 0.04%) is water. Nearby rivers have been dammed to form Lake Paradise and Lake Mattoon south of the city.
The terminal moraine of the Wisconsin Glacier is positioned just to the south of Mattoon.
Heading south on I-57 there is an impressive vista from the top of the moraine at the south Mattoon exit.
While the moraine is of Wisconsinan age (about 10,000 years before present), the territory to the south is of Illinoian age (about 100,000 years before present).
Mattoon is a principal town/city of the Charleston Mattoon Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Per the 2010 United States Census, Mattoon had 18,555 citizens .
The age distribution of the populace shows 77.7% over the age of 18 and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older.
In the city, the age distribution of the populace shows 22.3% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older.
Mattoon is served by Mattoon Community Unit School District 2, one of three school districts positioned in the county of Coles.
Lake Land College is a improve college in Mattoon.
Much of the primary commercial evolution in recent years has occurred along Interstate 57, which crosses the easterly edge of Mattoon.
See also: Mattoon (Amtrak station) Amtrak, the nationwide passenger rail system, provides service to Mattoon.
Amtrak Train 59, the southbound City of New Orleans, is scheduled to depart Mattoon at 11:13pm daily with service to Effingham, Centralia, Carbondale, Fulton, Newbern-Dyersburg, Memphis, Greenwood, Yazoo City, Jackson, Hazlehurst, Brookhaven, Mc - Comb, Hammond, and New Orleans.
Amtrak Train 58, the northbound City of New Orleans, is scheduled to depart Mattoon at 5:23am daily with service to Champaign-Urbana, Kankakee, Homewood, and Chicago.
Mattoon is also served by Amtrak Train 390/391, the Saluki, daily in the morning, and Amtrak Train 392/393, the Illini, daily in the afternoon/evening.
The Illinois Central Station in the heart of downtown Mattoon has recently been totally renovated.
Today the station is unmanned; passengers boarding at the Mattoon station must order their tickets by telephone or online.
Kyle Hudson, outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles and football player for the Fighting Illini; born in Mattoon Jackie Moran, actor, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Buck Rogers; born in Mattoon Edward Mills Purcell, physicist, Nobel Laureate, educated in Mattoon's enhance schools. Bill Tate, former head coach of the Wake Forest college football program, Mattoon High School graduate Charlie Whitehouse, pitcher for the Indianapolis Hoosiers, Newark Peppers and Washington Senators; born in Mattoon Born in Mattoon, he is the posthumous namesake of a small-town elementary school.
Born in Mattoon.
The History of Coles County, Illinois (WM.
Mattoon History Page Accessed January 12, 2013 Official website of the town/city of Mattoon General history of Mattoon Mattoon Schools Municipalities and communities of Coles County, Illinois, United States Ashmore Charleston East Oakland Humboldt Hutton Lafayette Mattoon Morgan North Okaw Paradise Pleasant Grove Seven Hickory
Categories:
Cities in Illinois - Cities in Coles County, Illinois - Charleston Mattoon micropolitan region - Populated places established in 1853 - 1853 establishments in Illinois
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