Petersburg 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 ...

of Menard 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 The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, on the bluffs and part of the floodplain overlooking the

Sangamon River The Sangamon River is a principal tributary of the Illinois River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 in central Illinois in the United Sta ...

. It is part of the

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its population was 114,394 at the 2020 United States census, which makes it the state's List of cities in Illinois, seventh-most populous cit ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,258 at the 2020 census, nearly unchanged from 2010. Petersburg is located approximately north of New Salem, the original location where

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 ...

first settled, as he started his career.

History

The town began as a planned community organized by real estate speculators Peter Lukins (for whom the town is named) and George Warburton. Abraham Lincoln worked as the

surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. These points are usually on the ...

who first mapped, measured and help to divide lots on the land. Petersburg quickly grew, due to an advantageous placement on the river, becoming the county seat in the 1830s and eventually drawing off the population of New Salem, which was abandoned in 1840. Many of the lush Victorian-era homes built by early wealthy inhabitants still stand on the bluffs of Petersburg. The town itself takes great pride in these structures, which has even preserved some of the original cobblestone streets to complement the classical architecture.

Economy

Petersburg began as a trade center for agriculture in the region and a shipping point, where a railhead met a point in the Sangamon River that was both navigable and crossable. In recent decades, the depth of the Sangamon River at Petersburg has become too shallow for navigation, due to silting from local farming and from the diverting of natural runoff into artificial reservoirs such as Lake Petersburg and Lake Springfield. The economy of the area is still derived primarily from agriculture, particularly in corn production. Tourism is a steady (if small) industry, and the town caters to Lincoln enthusiasts as a gateway to New Salem and in housing some relics of Lincoln's early life in Illinois. There are also a growing number of bed and breakfast inns, many of which are located in restored Victorian homes. Recent developments have also turned the town into a bedroom community for the state capital of

, which is to the southeast.

Notable people

Theodore Edward Coneys Theodore Edward Coneys (November 10, 1882 – May 16, 1967), also known by the nickname "Denver Spiderman", was an American drifter who committed the murder of a man whose house he was illegally occupying in 1941, and continued occupying the att ...

, Convicted of murder in

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

Colorado * William Taylor Davidson, newspaper editor; born in Petersburg * Bill Krieg, utility player for the

Chicago Browns/Pittsburgh Stogies The Chicago Browns/Pittsburgh Stogies (also known as Chicago/Pittsburgh) were a short-lived professional baseball team in the Union Association of 1884. They were to battle the Chicago White Stockings, of the National League, for the Chicago ...

, Chicago White Stockings,

Brooklyn Grays The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...

and

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

; born in Petersburg * Harris Laning, admiral, United States Navy; born in Petersburg * Edgar Lee Masters, lawyer and author ''( Spoon River Anthology)''; buried in Petersburg's Oakland Cemetery; boyhood home is still preserved and open for visits * William B. McKinley, United States senator from Illinois * Ann Rutledge, allegedly Abraham Lincoln's first love; buried in Petersburg's Oakland Cemetery

Geography

Petersburg is located in central Menard County and

Illinois Route 97 Illinois Route 97 (IL 97) is a north–south state highway in the central and western portions of the U.S. state of Illinois. It extends from I-55 Business (Business Loop I-55) in Springfield, Illinois, Springfield northwest to U.S. Hi ...

passes through the city on Sixth Street, leading northwest 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.Springfield, the state capital. Illinois Route 123 enters Petersburg from the south with IL 97 but leaves to the east on East Sangamon Street. IL 123 leads east and south to

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, and southwest to Illinois Route 125 near Pleasant Plains. 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 ...

, Petersburg has a total area of , all land. The bulk of Petersburg lies on the bluffs overlooking the

, though a portion of it, including the downtown/courthouse square area, is technically on the floodplain of the river. The Sangamon flows north, then west to the

Illinois River The Illinois River () is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River at approximately in length. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, the river has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins with the confluence of the Des Plaines ...

at Beardstown. The town itself is moderately forested, a stark contrast to the flat plains around it. The trees are mostly deciduous maples and oaks, and New Salem State Park is home to a sizable stand of

old-growth forest An old-growth forest or primary forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Natio ...

Natural disasters

Petersburg was damaged by an earthquake originating in the New Madrid Fault on July 18, 1909. The earthquake was felt over most of central Illinois, but Petersburg suffered the most widespread damage. The portions of Petersburg located below the bluffs suffered major flood damage during the intense flood season of 1993. The city and Menard County have since undertaken a campaign to buy and eliminate the low-income housing located in the most flood-prone areas, creating a small series of parks near the Sangamon River. Shortly after 12:30pm on December 31, 2010, an estimated 40 homes were damaged by a tornado, with 22 of the homes listed as uninhabitable by local officials. The tornado was caused by springlike weather during which the temperature was in the 60s across central Illinois.

Demographics

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 2,299 people, 997 households, and 612 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,076 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.78%

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 ...

, 1.09%

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 ...

, 0.39% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.35% from other races, and 0.17% 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 0.78% of the population. There were 997 households, out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% 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, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. 35.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.89. In the city the population was spread out, with 24.5% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,688, and the median income for a family was $42,500. Males had a median income of $32,292 versus $22,396 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 $18,718. About 13.8% of families and 16.0% 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 26.6% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

Media

Petersburg is served by WCIA, WICS, WAND, WSEC, WRSP television stations. Petersburg is also served by ''

The State Journal-Register ''The State Journal-Register'' is the only local daily newspaper for Springfield, Illinois, and its surrounding area. History The newspaper was founded in 1831 as the ''Sangamo Journal'' by William Bailhache and Edward Baker, and describes it ...

'' newspaper in Springfield and ''The Petersburg Observer''.

Points of interest

* The Edgar Lee Masters Home is located on the corner of Eighth and Jackson streets in Petersburg. Open from 10:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, Memorial Day through Labor Day. * Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site: This park, with its log cabin village, is situated south of Petersburg. This is where Abraham Lincoln lived from 1831 to 1837. Along with the rebuilt cabins, the park also boasts a historical center and an outdoor theater. It now has more than one-half million visitors each year. * Starhill Forest Arboretum is southeast of Petersburg.

References

External links

*
Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site
{{authority control Cities in Illinois 1833 establishments in Illinois Populated places established in 1833 Cities in Menard County, Illinois County seats in Illinois Populated places established in the 1830s