Pana is a small town in
Christian County,
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 ...
, United States. A small portion is in
Shelby County. The population was 5,199 at the 2020 census.
History
The area around Pana was first organized as Stone Coal Precinct in 1845. The county's precincts became townships in 1856, and Stone Coal Precinct became
Pana Township, Christian County, Illinois. In 1857 the village of Pana was incorporated. The name "Pana" is believed to have been derived from the indigenous tribe, the
Pawnee Pawnee initially refers to a Native American people and its language:
* Pawnee people
* Pawnee language
Pawnee is also the name of several places in the United States:
* Pawnee, Illinois
* Pawnee, Kansas
* Pawnee, Missouri
* Pawnee City, Nebraska
* ...
. It developed at the intersection of east–west and north–south railroads, and had supplies of fuel and water for the
steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs Work (physics), mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a Cylinder (locomotive), cyl ...
s of the
railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
.
Pana was recognized as a sundown town.
The community became a center of coal mining in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In April 1899, what is known as the
Pana riot broke out after a violent confrontation between black and white miners. Initially a white man was killed (by a policeman, it was later discovered), and white union miners attacked black replacement workers who had been recruited from
Alabama
Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
. Six additional people were killed: one white (likely also shot by a white man) and five blacks; in addition, six more black miners were wounded. While the immediate violence was quelled, blacks felt tremendous hostility. Rather than return to Alabama and the
Jim Crow
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws introduced in the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced racial segregation, " Jim Crow" being a pejorative term for an African American. The last of the ...
South, from where they had been recruited, 211 of the nearly 300 African Americans remaining in town moved west to
Weir, Kansas
Weir is a city in Cherokee County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 569.
History
Weir was founded in 1872 and is named after landowner T. M. Weir, who donated forty acres as a townsite. The first p ...
, to work at another mine.
Pana came to be known as the City of Roses, a nickname coined by local newsmen, the Jordan Brothers. Many major florists and growers set up shop here. At one time, there were 109 greenhouses in Pana.
Kitchell Park was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1992. The
Louis Jehle House, added to the National Register in 1995, is also located in Pana.
Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Pana has a total area of , of which (or 92.60%) is land and (or 7.40%) is water.
Climate
Demographics
As of the
2020 census there were 5,199 people, 2,425 households, and 1,320 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,772 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.48%
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 ...
, 0.38%
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 ...
, 0.13%
Native American, 0.56%
Asian, 0.29% from
other races, and 3.15% from two or more races.
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 were 0.94% of the population.
There were 2,425 households, out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.27% were married couples living together, 13.77% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.57% were non-families. 37.57% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 2.15.
The town's age distribution consisted of 22.9% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 19.9% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $47,701, and the median income for a family was $52,935. Males had a median income of $41,116 versus $24,955 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 town was $23,692. About 13.3% of families and 15.4% 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 22.2% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.
Arts and culture
Pana Heritage Days
The Pana Heritage Days are an annual festival that takes place during the last weekend in May. Streets are blocked off and are filled with multiple vendors and fair rides. Live band music is generally provided.
Labor Day Parade
The annual Pana Labor Day Parade is attended by up to 15,000 people, the largest such event in all of Illinois. The 2011 parade featured 343 firemen marching to lead the parade in an honor to the firemen, paramedics, and policemen who died in the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
. Pana's Labor Day Parade in 2022 was the 88th parade the town has hosted.
Tri-County Fair
The Tri-County Fair is held annually and lasts for six days. The fair begins on the Wednesday before Labor Day and ends on Labor Day. It features many carnival rides, vendors, and games. Average attendance per day is 7,000.
Notable people
*
Nin Alexander (1858–1933), player for the
Kansas City Unions and the
St. Louis Browns, born in Pana
*
Warren Amling (1924–2001), football and basketball player, played for
Ohio State, 1984
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 ...
inductee, born in Pana
*
Michael J. Budds, (1947–2020) musicologist, author, and philanthropist
*
Howard Graham Buffett (born 1954), author, activist and philanthropist, owns a farm in rural Pana
*
Thomas Henry Carter (1854–1911), senator, grew up in Pana
*
Ed Coady (1867–1890), quarterback for
Notre Dame, born in Pana
*
Pat Coady (1867–1943), quarterback for Notre Dame, born in Pana
*
Mike Cvengros (1900–1974), pitcher with the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
,
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
,
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
, and
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 ...
, born in Pana
*
John Wesley Fribley (1906–2002), state senate (1934–1952)
*
Garet Garrett (1878–1954), 20th-century econo-political commentator and author
*
Hector Honore (1905–1983), race car driver and owner, died in Pana and was inducted into the
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum in 1991
*
Jeff Keener (born 1959), pitcher for the
St. Louis Cardinals
*
Dick Klein (1934–2005), All-Star offensive lineman for the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
, the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
, the
Boston Patriots, and the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
, born in Pana
*
Albert Marsh (1877–1944), inventor of
chromel, born in Pana
*
Vincent Sheean
James Vincent Sheean (December 5, 1899, Pana, Illinois – March 16, 1975, Arolo, Frz. of Leggiuno, Italy) was an American journalist and novelist.
Career
Sheean's most famous work was ''Personal History'' (New York: Doubleday, 1935).
It w ...
(1899–1975), war correspondent and author of the book ''Personal History'', born in Pana
*
Herb Siegert (1924–2008), former guard for the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
, born in Pana
References
External links
City website
{{authority control
Cities in Illinois
Cities in Christian County, Illinois
Populated places established in 1845
1845 establishments in Illinois