Palmyra (1814–1821) was a town in the English Settlement, north of the town of

Mount Carmel, Illinois Mount Carmel is a city in and the county seat of Wabash County, Illinois, United States. At the time of the 2010 census, the population was 7,284, and it is the largest city in the county. The next largest town in Wabash County is Allendale, po ...

, in what is today Wabash County. First settled in 1814, Palmyra was originally the site of a ferry across the

Wabash River The Wabash River (French: Ouabache) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 river that drains most of the state of Indiana in the United States. It flows from ...

. Soon after the town was founded, a road was built between the settlement and the county line of

Gallatin County, Illinois Gallatin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 4,828, making it the third-least populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Shawneetown. It is located in the southern ...

. It was named the first

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 Edwards County, and meetings were held at the home of a resident. The peak population of the settlement was claimed to be between 500 and 600, though it is likely that these numbers are exaggerated. Epidemics of

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

and

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. ...

killed a large portion of the settlement. By 1821, it was clear that the county seat had to be moved to a more stable town. On April 10, the Illinois General Assembly named Albion, Illinois, the new seat.

References

Ghost towns in Illinois Geography of Edwards County, Illinois Geography of Wabash County, Illinois 1814 establishments in Illinois Territory Populated places established in 1814 Former county seats in Illinois {{WabashCountyIL-geo-stub