Lawrenceville 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 ...
of
Lawrence 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 ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
,
located along the
Embarras River. The population was 4,348 at the 2010 census. Lawrenceville is located in southeast Illinois, northwest of
Vincennes, Indiana
Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the lower Wabash River in the Southwestern Indiana, southwestern part of the state, nearly halfway between Evansville, Indi ...
.
The city is home of the Lawrenceville "Indians", Illinois Class A high school state basketball champions in 1972, 1974, 1982 and 1983. The team had a combined two season win–loss record of 68-0 from 1982–83. The team was coached by Ron Felling, who, after the 1983 season at Lawrenceville, went on to coach at
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universit ...
as an assistant under
Bobby Knight
Robert Montgomery Knight (born October 25, 1940) is an American former basketball coach. Nicknamed "the General", Knight won 902 NCAA Division I men's college basketball games, a record at the time of his retirement, and currently fourth all-t ...
.
Geography
Lawrenceville is located at (38.725686, -87.684538).
According to the 2010 census, Lawrenceville has a total area of , all land.
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 4,745 people, 2,024 households, and 1,190 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,262 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.85%
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 ...
, 0.91%
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 ...
, 0.08%
Native American, 0.23%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.40% 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 0.53% 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 ...
or
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 1.43% of the population.
There were 2,024 households, out of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% 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, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.2% were non-families. 37.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the city the population was spread out, with 20.0% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 28.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 78.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,951, and the median income for a family was $32,042. Males had a median income of $27,128 versus $20,451 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 $16,717. About 13.9% of families and 16.9% 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 28.7% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
*
George C. Armstrong, Illinois state senator, mayor of Lawrenceville, and newspaper editor
*
Philip B. Benefiel, Illinois state senator, lawyer, and judge
*
Mordecai Brown
Mordecai Peter Centennial Brown (October 19, 1876 – February 14, 1948), nicknamed Three Finger Brown or Miner, was an American Major League Baseball pitcher and manager during the first two decades of the 20th century (known as the " dead-ball e ...
, Hall of Fame pitcher for
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
and
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 (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
; previously lived in Lawrenceville and played corporate ball for the
Texaco
Texaco, Inc. ("The Texas Company") is an American Petroleum, oil brand owned and operated by Chevron Corporation. Its flagship product is its Gasoline, fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owned the Havoline motor oil brand. Texaco was an Indepe ...
Havolines
*
Garrel Burgoon, Illinois state representative and businessman
*
Frances Crane, mystery author; born in Lawrenceville
*
Lyman W. Emmons (1885–1955), American businessman and politician
*
Herschella Horton
Herschella Horton (December 15, 1938 – May 4, 2022) was an American politician who served in the Arizona House of Representatives
The Arizona State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislatu ...
, Arizona state representative
*
Lyle Judy
Lyle Leroy "Punch" Judy (November 15, 1913 in Lawrenceville, Illinois – January 15, 1991 in Ormond Beach, Florida) was a right-handed Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1935. Though his major league ca ...
, second baseman 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 (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
; born in Lawrenceville
*
William McAndrew
William McAndrew Jr. (August 20, 1863 – June 13, 1937) was an American educator and editor who served as Superintendent of Chicago Public Schools in the 1920s. McAndrew was, for a time, one of the best-known educators in the United States.
...
, football and basketball coach
*
Jack Ryan, MLB pitcher for the
Cleveland Naps
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive ...
,
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
and
Brooklyn Dodgers
The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...
*
Marty Simmons
Martin Ray Simmons (born February 21, 1965) is an American basketball coach and former player. He is the head men's basketball coach at Eastern Illinois University, a position he has held since 2021. Simmons served as the head men's basketball co ...
, high school state champion, former head men’s basketball coach at the
University of Evansville
The University of Evansville (UE) is a private university in Evansville, Indiana. It was founded in 1854 as Moores Hill College. The university operates a satellite center, Harlaxton College, in Grantham, England.
UE offers more than 80 differ ...
and current head men’s basketball coach at
Eastern Illinois University
Eastern Illinois University is a public university in Charleston, Illinois. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a co ...
; born and raised in Lawrenceville
*
Jason Pargin
Jason Pargin (born January 10, 1975), known by his former pen name David Wong, is an American humor writer. He is the former executive editor of humor website Cracked.com, a recurring guest in the Cracked Podcast, and has written six novels: '' ...
, known by his pen name David Wong is an American comedy and horror writer. He has written four books, one adapted to a movie, and is the executive editor for Cracked.com.
*
Maurice Cole Tanquary A professor of entomology and member of the Crocker Land Expedition.
References
External links
City websiteDaily RecordCommunity Unit School District websiteSoutheastern Illinois CVB – Tourism Website of area
{{authority control
Cities in Lawrence County, Illinois
County seats in Illinois
Cities in Illinois