Wabash County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 11,361. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Mount Carmel Mount Carmel (; ), also known in Arabic as Mount Mar Elias (; ), is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. The range is a UNESCO biosphere reserve. A number of towns are situat ...

. It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known locally as " Little Egypt".

History

Wabash County was formed in 1824 out of

Edwards County Edwards County is the name of several counties in the United States: *Edwards County, Illinois *Edwards County, Kansas *Edwards County, Texas Edwards County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the ...

. This averted to an armed confrontation between the militias of

Albion Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than "Britain" today. The name for Scot ...

and Mt. Carmel after the county seat was moved from a town near the current city of Mount Carmel to Albion. The county is named for the

Wabash River The Wabash River () 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, and a significant part of Illinois, in the United ...

, which forms its eastern and southern borders. The name "Wabash" is an English spelling of the French name for the river, ''"Ouabache." French traders named the river after the

Miami Indian The Miami ( Miami–Illinois: ''Myaamiaki'') are a Native American nation originally speaking the Miami–Illinois language, one of the Algonquian languages. Among the peoples known as the Great Lakes tribes, they occupied territory that is now ...

word for the river, ''"Wabashike,"'' (pronounced "Wah-bah-she-keh"), the word for "pure white." Much of the river bottom is white limestone, now obscured by mud. File:Wabash County Illinois 1824.png, Wabash County at the time of its creation in 1824 A remnant of the county's original Eastern Woodlands

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...

can be found in the ''Forest of the Wabash'', located within the county's Beall Woods State Park. In the 1920s a notable hotel and resort operated in Wabash County nearby the Grand Rapids Dam on the Wabash River. Named the

Grand Rapids Hotel The Grand Rapids Hotel also known as The Grand Rapids Resort, was a hotel that existed outside of Mount Carmel, Illinois, in Wabash County, Illinois, United States in Southern Illinois from 1922 to 1929. The hotel was located on the Wabash Rive ...

, it was owned by

Frederick Hinde Zimmerman Frederick Hinde Zimmerman (October 17, 1864 – September 21, 1924) was an American banker, farmer, real estate entrepreneur, businessman, and hotel owner. Due to his large land holdings and expertise in farming, Zimmerman became a notable farme ...

. During the hotel's nine-year existence, it catered to individuals from all over the United States. In July 2011, John Matthew Nolan published a detailed history of the Grand Rapids Hotel.

Earthquake

On the morning of April 18, 2008, at 4:37am local time, one of the largest earthquakes in Illinois history hit the area. The epicenter of this tremor was in Lick Prairie Township, near the middle of the county. The tremor was felt for a wide radius, more than 400 miles away in Nebraska.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.9%) is water. It is the fifth-smallest county in Illinois by area. The

to the east and the

Bonpas Creek Bonpas Creek is a tributary of the Wabash River in Illinois. It rises to the east of Olney in Richland County, Illinois. Flowing south, it forms the boundary between Edwards and Wabash counties. The creek is long.U.S. Geological Survey. Na ...

to the west join at the southern tip of the county; the Bonpas Creek separating the two counties, Wabash County from the Edwards County.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Mount Carmel have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of was recorded in July 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in May.

Transit

Rides Mass Transit District Rides Mass Transit District (RMTD) is a provider of mass transportation in Southern Illinois, primarily serving Harrisburg, Marion, Robinson and Olney. Local fixed-route transit service is provided in these three communities, while additional de ...

Major highways

Illinois Route 1 Illinois Route 1 (IL 1) is a state highway (US), state highway in the U.S. state of Illinois. Running parallel to the Indiana border, the highway starts at the Cave-In-Rock Ferry, free ferry crossing to Kentucky at Cave-In-Rock, Illinois, ...

Illinois Route 15 Illinois Route 15 (IL 15) is a east–west highway in southern Illinois with its western terminus at Illinois Route 3, U.S. Route 40, I-55, and I-64, and its eastern terminus at Wabash River at the Illinois/Indiana Border where it meets ...

Adjacent counties

* Lawrence County - north *

Knox County, Indiana Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana in the United States. The oldest county in Indiana, it was one of two original counties created in the Northwest Territory in 1790, alongside St. Clair County, Illinois. Knox County was gradu ...

- northeast *

Gibson County, Indiana Gibson County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 33,011. The county seat is Princeton. History In 1787, the fledgling United States defined the Northw ...

- south and mostly east *

- west * Richland County - northwest

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 11,947 people, 5,012 households, and 3,310 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 5,585 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.9% white, 0.6% black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.6% were

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 12.3% were

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

, 11.7% were

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

, and 8.4% were Irish. Of the 5,012 households, 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.0% were non-families, and 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.91. The median age was 42.0 years. The median income for a household in the county was $46,026 and the median income for a family was $55,611. Males had a median income of $44,932 versus $28,292 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,350. About 7.2% of families and 13.0% 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 12.2% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

(seat)

Villages

* Allendale * Bellmont * Keensburg

Unincorporated communities

* Adams Corner *

Cowling A cowling (or cowl) is the removable covering of a vehicle's engine, most often found on automobiles, motorcycles, airplanes, and on outboard boat motors. On airplanes, cowlings are used to reduce drag and to cool the engine. On boats, cowlings ...

* Friendsville *

Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...

* Maud * Odgen * Rochester

Precincts

Wabash County is one of 17 Illinois counties that use the term

precinct Precinct may refer to: * An electoral precinct * A police precinct * A religious precinct * A shopping arcade or shopping mall ** A Pedestrian zone Places * A neighborhood, in Australia * A unit of public housing in Singapore * A former elector ...

instead of

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

. * Bellmont (Bellmont) *

Coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

(Keensburg) * Compton (East Grayville) * Friendsville (Friendsville) *

(Lancaster) * Lick Prairie (Lick Prairie) *

(Mount Carmel) * Wabash (Allendale)
Wabash County precincts and their boundaries

Politics

Education

School districts include:
Text list
/ref> * Allendale Community Consolidated School District 17 *

Edwards County Community Unit School District 1 Edwards County Community Unit School District 1 is a unified school district headquartered and almost completely located within the city lines in Albion, the county seat of the county the district chiefly serves, Edwards County. The district al ...

Grayville Community Unit School District 1 Grayville is a city in Edwards and White counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 1,550, down from 1,666 at the 2010 census. Grayville is the birthplace of naval hero James Meredith Helm. Histo ...

Wabash Community Unit School District 348 Wabash Community Unit School District 348 is a school district headquartered in Mount Carmel, Illinois. The district includes the vast majority of the county, and has Mount Carmel, Bellmont, and Keensburg. History Tim Buss was superintendent ...

References

{{authority control Illinois counties Illinois placenames of Native American origin

Wabash County, Illinois Wabash County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 11,361. Its county seat is Mount Carmel. It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known locally as " Little Egypt". ...

1824 establishments in Illinois Populated places established in 1824