Macomb () 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 parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

McDonough County, Illinois McDonough County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 27,238. Its county seat is Macomb, Illinois, Macomb, which is also the home of W ...

, United States. It is situated in western Illinois, about southwest of Peoria. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 15,051, down 22% from 19,288 in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

. Macomb is the home of

Western Illinois University Western Illinois University (WIU) is a public university in Macomb, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. As the normal school grew, it became Western Illinois State Teachers College. Once West ...

History

Origin

First settled in 1829 on a site tentatively named "Washington", the town was officially founded in 1830 as the

of McDonough County and given the name "Macomb" after Alexander Macomb, a general in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. War veterans were given land grants in the Macomb area, which was part of the "Military Tract" set aside by Congress. In 1855 the Northern Cross Railroad, a predecessor to the

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwest, Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, CB&Q, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of ...

, was constructed through Macomb, leading to a rise in the town's population. On April 24, 1899, the Western Illinois State Normal School, currently

, was founded in Macomb. Representative Lawrence Sherman was instrumental in locating the school in Macomb. In 1903 the Macomb and Western Illinois Railway was built from Macomb to nearby

Industry Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...

and Littleton by local financier Charles V. Chandler, though this railroad was abandoned in 1930. In 1918, construction on

Illinois Route 3 Illinois Route 3 (IL 3) is a major north–south arterial state highway in southwestern Illinois. It has its southern terminus at Cairo Junction (about north of Cairo, Illinois, Cairo) at the intersection of U.S. Route 51 in Illinois, U.S ...

was begun as a state financed highway from

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

to Rock Island through Macomb; in the late 1920s

U.S. Route 67 U.S. Route 67 is a major north–south U.S. highway which extends for 1,560 miles (2,511 km) in the Central United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the United States-Mexico border in Presidio, Texas, where it continues ...

was extended along this route to

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 59,667 at the 2020 United States census. The city lies along the Mississippi River at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a region ...

Presidential visits

Macomb has been visited by several

US Presidents The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. Under the U.S. Constitution, the officeholder leads the executive bra ...

over the years.

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...

Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was the 19th president of the United States, serving from 1877 to 1881. Hayes served as Cincinnati's city solicitor from 1858 to 1861. He was a staunch Abolitionism in the Un ...

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

, and

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

have all made short addresses in Macomb. On two occasions,

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

and

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

addressed large audiences prior to their election as president. Obama was

stumping Stumped is a method of Dismissal (cricket), dismissing a batter (cricket), batter in cricket, in which the wicket-keeper put down the wicket, puts down the wicket of the Glossary_of_cricket_terms#S, striker while the striker is out of their Bat ...

for the U.S. Senate at the time, meaning a president or presidential nominee has not visited Macomb in 109 years and counting.

St. Louis Rams summer camp

The WIU campus and its Hanson Field Stadium were home to the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

summer training camp from 1996 to 2004. In 2005, the Rams decided to move summer training to their own facilities in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, ending the nine-year relationship.

Colts Drum and Bugle Corp Summer Camp

WIU's Hanson Field was home to the Colts' summer training camp in 2023. The nine-time

Drum Corps International Drum Corps International (DCI) is a governing body for drum and bugle corps. Founded in 1971 and known as "marching music's major league," DCI develops and enforces rules of competition and judges at sanctioned drum and bugle corps competitions t ...

(DCI) World Class Finalist, from Dubuque, IA are a group of 160 high school- and college-aged musicians, plus 40 staff members and support team members. They train, work, and live on the WIU campus for three weeks. Members live in the residence halls and practice at Hanson Field.

Minor league baseball

Macomb was home to the Macomb Potters, who played as members of the Class D level Illinois-Missouri League in 1909 and 1910. The team also hosted two exhibition games against the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

. The Potters began play after local fans raised funds to start the team. On Friday, June 18, 1909, the Macomb Potters hosted an exhibition game against the defending World Series Champion Chicago Cubs. The game was scheduled with the agreement that the Cubs would feature their regular lineup. The selected date allowed the Cubs to play in between the Cubs' series with the Brooklyn Superbas. The game was advertised as “the greatest day in the baseball history of McDonough County,” in a large advertisement placed in the June 17, 1909 Macomb Daily Journal. The teams took infield at 2:30 p.m., with the game starting at 3:00 p.m. In front of 2,964 fans, the Cubs beat the Potters 6–0. Admission was $1.00 per ticket. After the game, each team split the gate money minus expenses and each club received $971.50. During the 1910 season, the Macomb Potters and the Chicago Cubs played a second exhibition game in Macomb. The 1910 game was won by the Cubs 5–0.

Geography

The East Fork Lamoine River flows past the northern part of the city. U.S. Routes 67 and

136 136 may refer to: *136 (number) *AD 136 *136 BC *136 (MBTA bus), a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus route *136 Austria 136 Austria is a main-belt asteroid that was found by the prolific asteroid discoverer Johann Palisa on 18 Ma ...

pass through the city. They enter the city together from east on Jackson Street and split at the city center, US 67 turning north on Lafayette Street, and US 136 continuing west on Jackson Street. US 67 leads north to

Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...

and south to Rushville, while US 136 leads east to

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Keokuk, Iowa Keokuk is a city in and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States. It is Iowa's southernmost city. The population was 9,900 at the time of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. The city is named after the Sauk people, Sauk chief K ...

. 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 ...

, Macomb has a total area of , of which are land and , or 3.91%, are water.

Demographics

2020 census

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 18,558 people, 6,575 households, and 2,952 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 7,037 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.73%

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 ...

, 5.93%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 3.06% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.69% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. 2.10% of the population were

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. There were 6,575 households, out of which 19.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 55.1% were non-families. 38.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.77. In the city, the population was spread out, with 12.6% under the age of 18, 42.9% from 18 to 24, 18.2% from 25 to 44, 14.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $25,994, and the median income for a family was $42,069. Males had a median income of $27,663 versus $21,780 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 city was $13,470. 29.1% of the population and 12.2% of families 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 ...

. 22.8% of those under the age of 18 and 8.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Economy

Major Manufacturers: * NTN-Bower Corporation * Pella Windows * Whalen Manufacturing * Yetter Manufacturing (Farm Equipment)

Arts and culture

Macomb is home to the annual McDonough County Fair, which typically runs for a week in the summer. The fair includes animal showings, and more. The fair is held at the fairgrounds located at 3022 W Jackson St.

Museums and libraries

* Macomb Public Library * Spoon River College Library * WIU Malpass Library * WIU Curriculum Library * WIU Music Library * Western Illinois Museum * WIU Museum of Geology * WIU University Art Gallery

Parks and recreation

* Harry Mussatto Golf Course * Lakeview Nature Center * Macomb Park District ** Glenwood Pool ** Ball Fore * Spring Lake Park

Education

Public: * MacArthur School (PreK and Preschool) * Lincoln School (K–2) * Edison School (3–5) * Macomb Middle School (6–8) * Macomb High School (9–12) * Spoon River College, Macomb campus *

Private: *St. Paul Catholic School (PreK–6)

Media

Newspapers

* '' The McDonough County Voice'', daily newspaper * ''Western Courier'', Western Illinois University student newspaper

Filmings in Macomb

*''Cast in Gray'' (2005) *'' Wife Swap'' (2006)

Infrastructure

Transportation

Highways

(Lafayette St.) * U.S. Route 136 (Jackson St.) * Illinois Route 110 * Illinois Route 336

Airport

Macomb is served by the Macomb Municipal Airport. Which is approximately north of Macomb.

Mass Transit

* Go West Transit

Rail

* Macomb (Amtrak station)

Healthcare

* McDonough District Hospital, is located in Macomb and has been serving McDonough County and surrounding counties since 1958.

Historical Road Names

Following suit from its being named after General Alexander Macomb, a general in the

, Macomb makes tributes to other historical generals in its street names. The town has a Grant, Lafayette, McArthur, and Johnson Streets.

Notable people

* William Birenbaum (1923–2010), college administrator *

Michael Boatman Michael Patrick Boatman (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his roles as New York City mayoral aide Carter Heywood in the ABC sitcom '' Spin City'', as U.S. Army Specialist Samuel Beckett in the ABC drama ...

, actor, attended Western Illinois University * Phil Bradley, Major League Baseball player (1983–1990) * Helen Tunnicliff Catterall (1870–1933), lawyer, writer * Charles Clarke Chapman (1853–1944), businessman; first mayor of

Fullerton, California Fullerton ( ) is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 143,617. Fullerton was founded in 1887. It secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and S ...

; founder of

Chapman University Chapman University is a private research university in Orange, California, United States. Encompassing eleven colleges, the university is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The school maintains its foundi ...

* Bryan Cox, football player and coach, attended Western Illinois University *

Marcus Dunstan Marcus Dunstan is an American screenwriter and director who, along with frequent collaborator Patrick Melton, wrote screenplay for the film ''Feast (2005 film), Feast'', which was the winner of Season Three of the filmmaking competition reality T ...

, screenwriter and director * Harry Gamage, University of Kentucky football head coach 1927–1933 * Joe Garner, six-time ''New York Times'' bestselling author of non-fiction pop culture history * Elizabeth Magie, inventor of ''

The Landlord's Game ''The Landlord's Game'' is a board game patented in 1904 by Elizabeth Magie as . A realty and taxation game intended to educate users about Georgism, it is the inspiration for the 1935 board game ''Monopoly (game), Monopoly''. History file:Boa ...

'', precursor to ''

Monopoly A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek and ) is a market in which one person or company is the only supplier of a particular good or service. A monopoly is characterized by a lack of economic Competition (economics), competition to produce ...

'' *

John Mahoney Charles John Mahoney (June 20, 1940 – February 4, 2018) was an English-American actor. He played retired police officer Martin Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Frasier'' from 1993 to 2004, receiving nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and two P ...

(1940–2018), actor; alumnus of Western Illinois University * Ty Margenthaler, assistant coach with Wisconsin Badgers women's basketball team * Kenneth G. McMillan, Illinois state senator and educator * Red Miller, former head coach of NFL

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

and USFL

Denver Gold The Denver Gold was an American football franchise in the United States Football League (USFL) from 1983 to 1985. The Gold played their home games at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado; and were co-tenants in the spring with the Triple-A ...

* Louise Jordan Miln (1864–1933), novelist, actress, travel writer, East Asian expert * Darrell Mudra (1929–2022),

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

and member of the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

* Michael Norman, author of the "Haunted" book series * Donald C. Pogue, judge * Todd Purdum, correspondent, editor, '' Vanity Fair'', ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' *

Lou Saban Louis Henry Saban (October 13, 1921 – March 29, 2009) was an American football player and coach. He played for Indiana University in college and as a professional for the Cleveland Browns of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) between ...

(1921–2009),

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

and college football player and coach * Khalen Saunders, NFL football player (2019–present) (Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints), Super Bowl Champion (2020, 2023) with the Kansas City Chiefs * Al Sears, jazz tenor saxophonist and bandleader * Stabbing Westward, rock band *

Damon G. Tunnicliff Damon George Tunnicliff (August 20, 1829 – December 20, 1901) was an American jurist. He briefly served as a justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois, Illinois Supreme Court in 1885. Biography Damon G. Tunnicliff was born in Herkimer Count ...

, Illinois Supreme Court justice; practiced law in Macomb'' The Green Bag''. 1891, volume III, edited by Horace W. Fuller, Boston Book Company: 1891, pg. 236 * Ruth May Tunnicliff (1876–1946), medical researcher * Sarah Bacon Tunnicliff (1872–1957), clubwoman and reformer in Chicago * Howard Turner, football player * Ginny Vida, editor, activist, and city official * Rev. C.T. Vivian (1924–2020), minister and civil rights leader *

Henry Wells Henry Wells (December 12, 1805 – December 10, 1878) was an American businessman important in the history of both the American Express Company and Wells Fargo & Company. Wells worked as a freight agent before joining the express business. Hi ...

, author, professor and expert on Latin America politics

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities in Illinois Cities in McDonough County, Illinois Micropolitan areas of Illinois County seats in Illinois Populated places established in 1830 1830 establishments in Illinois

History

Origin

Presidential visits

St. Louis Rams summer camp

Colts Drum and Bugle Corp Summer Camp

Minor league baseball

Geography

Demographics

2020 census

2000 census

Economy

Arts and culture

Museums and libraries

Parks and recreation

Education

Media

Newspapers

Filmings in Macomb

Infrastructure

Transportation

Highways

Airport

Mass Transit

Rail

Healthcare

Historical Road Names

Notable people

See also

References

External links