Kinmundy is a city in Marion County,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

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. The population was 796 at the 2010 census. The town is believed to have been named after a place in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, the birthplace of William Ferguson, a London agent for the

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also co ...

during Kinmundy's construction. He visited the area in 1856.

Geography

Kinmundy is located at (38.7729, -88.8495). According to the 2010 census, Kinmundy has a total area of , of which (or 79.55%) is land and (or 20.45%) is water. IL Central RR Water Tower, Kinmundy

History

The origins of the Town of Kinmundy are rooted in the expansion of the railroads in Southern Illinois, with the first significant economic influence being construction work on the Chicago branch of the

. In April 1857, the town was initially laid out east of the railroad, in 15 blocks of varying sizes, and later, incorporated as a city in 1867. In January 1912, Illinois Central Railroad train No. 3, traveling at 50 miles per hour, collided with passenger train No. 25, which was standing at the station in Kinmundy taking water. The devastating

train wreck A train wreck, train collision, train accident or train crash is a type of disaster involving one or more trains. Train wrecks often occur as a result of miscommunication, as when a moving train meets another train on the same track; or an acci ...

demolished the private car at the rear of train No. 25 killing five passengers, among them James T. Harahan, the recently-retired president of the Illinois Central Railroad.

Arts and culture

Landmarks

The stately Italianate Calendar Rohrbough House, located on so-called "Quality Hill," is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Illinois Central Railroad Water Tower and Pump House The Illinois Central Railroad Water Tower and Pump House are a water tower and pump house in Kinmundy, Illinois, which served the Illinois Central Railroad. History The Illinois Central first built a line through Kinmundy in 1856. As steam engin ...

was also added to the National Register of Historic places in 1998. The Kinmundy Log Cabin Village is a collection of 12 original pioneer homes rescued in the 1960s from the surrounding local region and reassembled in a wooded area on the edge of the town. All of the cabins pre-date the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, with the oldest originally constructed in 1818. The log cabin village plays host to an annual fall craft fair, during which the village is populated by local volunteers and crafts people in period dress and the authentically furnished homes are open to the public. Some of the volunteers are descendants of the original residents of the historic cabins. Stephen A. Forbes State Recreation Area lays about 5 miles southwest of the town and offers trails, camping, hunting, and fishing. The park features a man-made lake which was completed in 1968 and boasts 18 miles of shoreline.

Notable people

Marilyn Kaytor Marilyn Kaytor (July 26, 1929 – October 20, 2007) was an American journalist, editor and author internationally known for writing about cooking, style, and fashion. Life and career Kaytor was born Marilyn Miller on July 26, 1929, in Kinmun ...

, American journalist and internationally known food critic was born in Kinmundy in 1929.

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 incl ...

of 2000, there were 892 people, 365 households, and 246 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 409 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.21%

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 on ...

, 0.34%

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 ...

, 0.11% Native American, 0.34% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

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 0.67% of the population. There were 365 households, out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.00. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,500, and the median income for a family was $37,125. Males had a median income of $31,875 versus $20,938 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 $15,279. About 10.0% of families and 12.8% 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 16.0% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over. Ameren's Kinmundy Power Plant, a

combustion Combustion, or burning, is a high-temperature exothermic redox chemical reaction between a fuel (the reductant) and an oxidant, usually atmospheric oxygen, that produces oxidized, often gaseous products, in a mixture termed as smoke. Combusti ...

turbine generator (CTG) power plant, is located in Kinmundy.http://www.ameren.com/source/AboutUs/Pages/ADC_CTGs.aspx

References

{{authority control Cities in Illinois Cities in Marion County, Illinois