Batchtown is a village in Richwood Precinct, Calhoun County,

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. The population was 170 at the 2020 census, down from 214 at the 2010 census.

History

The village and the area surrounding it was called Richwoods during the 1850s. Then people started referring to the area as Sam White's, after a leading merchant in Calhoun County. It was later called Batchelder Ville, after William Batchelder, who lived in the village during the 1860s. A post office opened up in the community in 1879 and Batchtown became the official name of the village. By the time the village was incorporated, there were several stores and shops. The

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (United States Navy, U.S. Navy), and the United States Marine Corps, Marines who served in the American Ci ...

set up a post in the village and the first Batchtown Methodist Church was set up. William Batchelder was a leading citizen in the community. He owned and operated a corn mill in Batchtown. He later changed the corn mill into a flour mill. William Batchelder was also a justice of the peace and merchant. Samuel White was also a leading citizen in Batchtown. He owned a store in the village that sold stock groceries, dry goods, shoes, and hardware. He also sold farm machinery.

Geography

Batchtown is located at . According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Batchtown has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 170 people, 69 households, and 53 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 93 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.06%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

and 2.94% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.76% of the population. There were 69 households, out of which 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.91% were married couples living together, 2.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.19% were non-families. 23.19% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.19% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.28 and the average family size was 2.93. The village's age distribution consisted of 35.1% under the age of 18, 1.0% from 18 to 24, 20.9% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 149.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.9 males. The median income for a household in the village was $67,917, and the median income for a family was $83,125. Males had a median income of $70,000 versus $33,750 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $27,152. No families and 2.6% 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 ...

, including none of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The school district is

Calhoun Community Unit School District 40 John C. Calhoun (1782–1850) was the 7th vice president of the United States. Calhoun can also refer to: Surname * Calhoun (surname) Inhabited places in the United States *Calhoun, Georgia * Calhoun, Illinois *Calhoun, Kentucky * Calhoun, Louis ...

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Notable people

Bill McGee William Henry "Fiddler Bill" McGee (November 16, 1909 – February 11, 1987) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team b ...

, pitcher for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

and

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

Gallery

Image:Shannon.jpg, Charles and Fanny Wilson Shannon Image:Batchtown school.jpg, First School Building Image:Batchtown Church.jpg, At turn of the 20th century File:West Point Ferry.tif, On back of photo "My grandfather owned it (Andrew Wilson). Ferry was pulled by horses. Mom (Lucy Shannon Whitten Walters)"

References

A New Geography Of Calhoun County {{authority control Villages in Calhoun County, Illinois Illinois populated places on the Mississippi River Villages in Illinois